EPL Talk » Carlos Tevez

Premier League Form XI

Kristian Downer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:44:13 +0000

Is anyone in better form than Wayne Rooney at the moment? Image: MikeEgerton/Empics

The saying goes that ‘form is temporary but class is permanent’ and on many levels this holds true, however such a huge part of professional sport is the mental aspect of the game, which at the highest level can be just as, if not more important than the physical aspect.

With just 8 or 9 games remaining in the Premier League player form and the momentum it provides can be crucial to clubs fighting for something towards the end of the season. Classic examples include Fulham’s great escape in 2008 and Kevin Keegan’s Love it Rant as the momentum of 1996 title race shifted in Manchester United’s favour.

With this in mind I have been looking at the form players in the Premier League and which players managers would potentially want in their sides for the season’s run-in, should they have their pick of the division.

Adopting a 4-4-2 formation for nostalgic rather than practical reasons, players in this XI have made at least 20 appearances this season and are free from long term injury.

Goalkeeper – Joe Hart

Birmingham are having a fantastic season, chasing a Europa cup dream and this is in no small part due to the safe pair of hands on loan from Manchester City.

A good shot stopper and strong in the air, it will be a travesty if Joe Hart is not on the plane to South Africa with England on current form.

Right Back – Branislav Ivanovic

After signing for Chelsea in January 2008 the Serbian international seemed to disappear off the radar and it appeared as if Chelsea had uncovered a modern day Winston Bogarde.

However when given the chance Ivanovic impressed the Chelsea faithful with strong, powerful displays at both the centre and right hand side of defence. The injury of Jose Boswinga has allowed Ivanovic to show his value on a regular basis this season.

Left Back – Leighton Baines

With the injury to Ashley Cole,an England debut and regular starting berth in a resurgent Everton side gives Baines the nod over Patrice Evra and Stephen Warnock.

Centre Back - Ryan Shawcross

Despite the publicity surrounding the tackle that broke Aaron Ramsey’s leg the 22 year old has received a positive response to his actions in the aftermath of the horror tackle. He has a commanding, committed style that fits into the Stoke ethos that has allowed Tony Pulis’ side to assert themselves in the Premier League.

Shawcross been one of the stand out defenders in the league this season earning himself an England call up and an outside shot at a place at the World Cup.

Centre Back – Thomas Vermaelen

Bought by Arsene Wenger as a replacement for Kolo Toure the Belgian defender has helped plug a leaky Arsenal defence with some commanding defensive displays.

Costing a seemingly bargain basement €10 million the defender has also shown a keen eye for goal netting an impressive 7 times already this season.

Whilst there have been some doubts over his ‘big game’ performances he edges others such as Richard Dunne and John Heitinga.

Central Midfield – Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for many years despite his young age. This season has arguably been his best so far with the Spaniard adding goals to his creativity at the heart of the Arsenal midfield.

Likely to make the first team at any club in the world, Fabregas is an uncontroversial central midfield choice.

Central Midfield – Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has scored more than 20 goals in each of his last five seasons at Chelsea, despite having detractors dating back to his days at West Ham the player has a record that dumbfounds the criticism.

After a slow start to the season, attributed to his role in the Ancelotti diamond, Lampard has returned to form and looks set to reach 20 goals for a sixth successive season.

Winger – James Milner

Aston Villa are once again challenging at the top end of the table, and this can largely be attributed to the speed and skill of their wingers, although now being played centrally by Martin O’Neil, James Milner has shown he is adept out wide and adds versatility to this XI.

An English player having a fantastic season, Milner looks likely to play a large role in England’s World Cup campaign.

Winger – Damien Duff

After seemingly fading into obscurity at Newcastle a move to Fulham has rejuvenated Damien Duff’s career, back to his dazzling best he has won many plaudits this season and scored some incredible goals.

With plenty of attacking options in the league it is the work ethic and consistency of Damien Duff which has given him the edge over Ashley Young, Nani and Florent Malouda.

Centre Forward – Wayne Rooney

The easiest selection of the lot, with 32 goals this season Wayne Rooney has come to the boil in a World Cup year and is seemingly single-handedly dragging Manchester United towards yet more silverware.

The first name on the England and Manchester United teamsheets, I doubt any manager in the world would hesitate to name him in their eleven given half a chance.

Centre Forward – Didier Drogba

During his Chelsea career Drogba has been prone to sulking and picking up ‘minor’ knocks with greater ease than most, particularly odd considering his bullish style and excellent technique. Under Felipe Scolari it seemed as if his days in the Premier League were numbered, but under Guus Hiddink and now Carlo Ancelotti the striker is back to his best, hassling defenders and chasing down Wayne Rooney in a bid for the golden boot.

A tough choice but Drogba just about edges out Rooney’s former team mate Carlos Tevez for the second striker position due to his goal return and ability to terrorise even the strongest of defences.

Substitutes: Gomes, Modric, Young, Pienaar, Valencia, Heitinga, Tevez

There have also been many stand out performers this season that did not make the line up, for this reason I have named a strong bench. Last year’s villain Heurelho Gomes is now the hero at White Hart Lane and constitutes the goalkeeping option. John Heitinga is rewarded for his fine form by being named as the main defensive back up.

The game changing options are provided by a strong midfield quartet and Carlos Tevez.

A certainty less than a month ago would have been Ashley Cole who despite his off field woes was having his best season in a Chelsea shirt, before injury made him a doubt for the World Cup and gave England a left-back dilemma.

Interestingly notable players such as John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Rio Ferdinand have been left out. The reason for exclusion is due to either injury or in the case of Steven Gerrard them not being hitting the high expectations they have set in previous years.

All in all I think that any manager in the league would be happy to name this line up on form alone given the choice, it may not be the best XI in the league but on current form each player would be a test for any opposition.

Premier League Footballer of the Week, Gameweek 28

Jesse Chula — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:38:20 +0000

Beer Cup Final & Another Big 4 Beaten by a Door Knocker.
Landon, You”ll Never Get One Easier Than That

Congratulations to Manchester United for picking up the first piece of silverware on offer this season as they came out on top of a 2-1 scoreline v Aston Villa in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday. The two teams battled bravely over the 90 minutes which resulted in an open, entertaining match full of chances for both sides and fine individual performances from a handful of English talent.

This column is in danger of becoming incredibly redundant due to the consistent form Wayne Rooney has been on in the last few months. Rooney continues to throw his name in the hat for this award every time he steps on a football pitch. His positioning, reading of the game, movement and finishing abilities have seen him improve on his form of last season and his name continually gets mentioned with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

The week saw Rooney score three total goals, two in United’s league win on Tuesday v West Ham and the winner on Sunday in the Cup. England and United fans who were hoping their hero would get a much needed rest had their hopes shattered when Rooney came on late in the first half for an injured Michael Owen.

In my attempts to keep this column interesting and shed light on other top performers, let’s all agree that Mr. Rooney is good, very good and push on.

Honorable Mentions -

Arsenal Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- The terrible injury suffered by the young Welshman Aaron Ramsey has been covered on EPL Talk this weekend with a variety of fine articles. Whoever you support in this game, your heart has to go out to Ramsey and the rest of Arsenal as they were able to overcome the incident and push on to win a tough, hard-fought match away from home. The Gooners showed a lot of heart and I wish young Ramsey a speedy recovery and truly believe he’ll be back for Wales and Arsenal in the future.

Portsmouth Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- I may have to change the title of this post to, “Premier League Clubs of the Week”. But when I’m impressed by something, I just can’t help myself. After entering into Administration on Friday, the boys from the South Coast were able to place their off-the-field troubles behind them and win only their second Premier League away match in the last 16 months against a determined Burnley.

Although they’ve had a season they’ll soon want to forget, the Pompey players continually play with purpose, desire and passion. They’ll be relegated this year and quite possibly again next year down to League 1 with the future of the club still uncertain. But Portsmouth supporters, Premier League fans and the football community in general won’t soon forget the effort they’ve seen this year on the pitch.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Craig Bellamy, Manchester City – The Citizens were at their high-flying, fantastic best Saturday at Stamford Bridge v Chelsea in what is sure to go down as a major statement game for City. The match will undoubtedly be remembered for the Wayne Bridge handshake snub, but Premier League fans should not soon forget Craig Bellamy’s performance on the left side of midfield that resulted in a brace for the brash Welshman.

Chelsea ended the day with 9 men, but before those 2 Chelsea men saw red, Bellamy scored the goal of the weekend. In the 51st minute, Bellamy received a tidy ball from Gareth Barry inside his own half in acres of space with only John Obi Mikel to beat. The quick winger showed his searing pace and determination by running straight at Mikel before peeling off and slotting home from a tight angle.

In the 87th, Bellamy added a second by tapping in to make the score 4-1 to secure all three valuable points for Manchester City. For Chelsea, it was a disappointing game as their back line led by John Terry continues to struggle. As consolation, Frank Lampard scored his second of the game, a penalty in the 90th minute to make the score line only slightly more respectable.

Bellamy’s pace and determination was too much for Chelsea who have now lost their last two matches. It must be added that Carlos Tevez was also superb for City. His determination, work rate and fitness levels has made him City’s player of the year thus far and the energetic Argentinian also scored two for City.

Author’s Note- Everton also lost their second match of the week on Sunday away to Tottenham in a game that saw U.S. hero Landon Donovan fail to score with what must have been the miss of the season thus far. The goal that wasn’t to be would have knotted the scoreline 2-2 for the Toffees. Donovan was a mere few feet from an open goal and just needed to side foot a Jack Rodwell cross to level the score, but instead his effort was placed harmlessly into the Spurs side netting. Here’s hoping that miss doesn’t taint an otherwise successful on loan stint at Everton. Donovan has made us proud.

Chelsea 2-4 Man City: Walking In A Tevez and Bellamy Wonderland

The Gaffer — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:58:29 +0000

As bizarre as it may sound, if Manchester City could play against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal each week, they’d be in a better league position than they are now. City continue to look flaccid when they play teams such as Stoke City, but always seem to be up for it when they play powerhouses such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The difference between City and other teams is that on the big days when you need it the most, they have key footballers who play with heart, namely Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez. We saw how incredibly passionate and dangerous they were earlier in the season when they almost beat Manchester United at Old Trafford. And we saw it again Saturday in a very exciting second half when City beat Premier League title favorites Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, on the other hand, reminded me of the team from last year under Luiz Felipe Scolari when they were undisciplined, vulnerable in the back and sloppy in midfield.

One of the other things that impressed me about Manchester City was the solidarity among the team and the way that the players were galvanized in their support for Wayne Bridge. The way that Tevez encouraged the City supporters to praise Bridge after Tevez scored from the penalty spot was a shining example.

City may not be the best team in the league, not even close, but their team spirit is exemplary and they play with heart — two key components that will make the difference during key games but won’t win them the league.

There’s no question that when City go forward, they look deadly on the break. Just as Aston Villa can be clinical when they counter attack, so too is Manchester City.

The first two goals of the game couldn’t have been more opposite in nature. The first, by Frank Lampard, was a classy inch-perfect shot that beat Shay Given and went into the corner of the net. The second, by Carlos Tevez, was a shot that bobbled into the net. Fair play to Tevez, though. He thoroughly deserved the goal and it was a perfect example of how the Argentine never gives up.

Tevez had a brilliant day but so too did Craig Bellamy who showed his precision running down the left wing which netted him two goals.

As for other incidents in the game, I missed the part where Wayne Bridge refused to shake John Terry’s hand. But I did see an unimpressive defensive performance from Terry yet again. As for Chelsea’s second goal, which resulted after Javier Belletti brought down Gareth Barry in the box, I thought it was a poor decision by the referee. I didn’t see any contact even when I watched the TV replay.

Overall, what a brilliant second half performance from Manchester City which will have an impact on the Premier League title race and the challenge for fourth place. This was the first time Manchester City won the double over Chelsea since the 1957-58 season. And it was thoroughly deserved.

Poll: Should Man United Have Kept Carlos Tevez?

Coachie Ballgames — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:55:42 +0000

The Guardian posted a poll asking its readers whether Manchester United should have kept Carlos Tevez. A surprising majority said ‘yes.’ Can this be chalked up to the fickle feelings of fandom? Or is it sincere affection for the man who scored 37 goals in all competitions while wearing red? For all of the Glazer family’s debt-loading, and for all of Man United’s injury woes, they lay only a point adrift of the top of the table with Hull City visiting Old Trafford this Saturday. And while the club cannot be considered Champions League favorites, they are certainly in position to make a deep run.

Re-signing Tevez would have cost Man United tens of millions of pounds at a time when Cristiano Ronaldo had not been sold yet. With both goal-scorers gone, many supporters clamored for a big name signing, such as Franck Ribery, to fill the void. Their biggest summer signing ended up being the skilled, but hardly dominant, Antonio Valencia. At the time, Sir Alex Ferguson, in discussing his transfer philosophy going forward, said the club would focus on acquiring players under the age of 26. A supporter who sees his pint half empty may curse the American buccaneer hands that have clasped the purse closed. A supporter who sees his pint half full may relish the opportunity to see raw talent mature from Carrington cub to Stretford End star.

Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson, Gabriel Obertan and Mame Biram Diouf, who just scored a hat-trick in a reserve game against Sunderland Thursday, are several Man United prospects who could give the club a new identity in the near future. Of course, none of those players are currently contributing to the first XI on a regular basis, leaving the scoring burden mainly on Wayne Rooney as even a haircut hasn’t helped Dimitar Berbatov’s inconsistent form. And Michael Owen is, well, we’ll always have St. Etienne.

The eternal supporter debate is Win Now versus Build for the Future, or put another way, overspend for established talent or save to spread amongst several smaller signings.

What say you, EPL Talk readers, should Manchester United have kept Carlos Tevez?

8 Highlights From the Manchester Carling Cup Semi-Final Derby, 1st Leg

Coachie Ballgames — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:48:23 +0000

Tuesday’s Manchester Derby, doubling as the first leg of the League Cup Semi-Final, was sleepy for certain stretches but produced plenty of encouraging highlights for supporters of both sides, including:

Antonio Valencia. After receiving a gorgeous pass from Patrice Evra, thoroughly embarrassed Craig Bellamy, first with a neat nutmeg, then with a sensational step-around to set up Man United’s first goal. Valencia can be spotty, as evidenced by his absolute howl of a miss in the second half. But he’s shown enough flashes of brilliance flying down the right wing to make United supporters optimistic about their future midfield. Now if only West Ham could produce another dominant centre-back for them to poach.
Should it have been a penalty or not? The red half may label the penalty call on Rafael Da Silva “controversial,” but we’ll leave it at “arguable.” No doubt, a wide-eyed Rafael tugged at Bellamy’s shirt outside the box, and at least tried to do so again inside the box before being shoved off. Replays seemed to show that no infraction occurred inside the box, but at full speed it seemed like a continuous offence that eventually led to Bellamy’s tumble inside the area. Again, at full speed, the call is justified. Would an additional assistant referee by the goal or a video assistant made the right call? Have at it.
Carlos Tevez. Correct call or no, Carlos Tevez showed the proper way to take a penalty, a no-doubt-about-it hammering. His powerful shot could have doubled as a defibrillator and certainly must have sucked the flavor right out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s gum. Unlike Tevez’ former teammate Ronaldo, infamous for his twinkletoe-stutterstep penalty attempts, Tevez played his shot, not the keeper.
Brazilian failure. Wither Robinho? Subbed in and out of Sunday’s desultory loss to Everton, he enjoyed Wednesday’s match from the City of Manchester Stadium’s priciest seat: ?32 million pounds.
Three’s Company. Vincent Kompany did well to keep the ball alive for his flick to an unmarked Tevez. Well, sort of unmarked. Patrice Evra was there, but chose to try and toe at the ball, which could have easily resulted in an own goal had he gotten a touch on it.
Bosom buddies. Michael Owen did a fantastic job consoling Valencia after his aforementioned howl of a miss. Touching.
Wayne Rooney. United-haters will point to his flops, but it was remarkable to watch Wayne Rooney’s ability to fend off attack-after-attack to stay up with the ball, displaying his usual bulldog tenacity, as United upped the pressure late.
Fun for the whole family. Fun propositional bet for you and your pals. Pool your money and pick a date by which you think it will be too warm for Roberto Mancini to wrap himself all snuggly in his sky blue-and-white scarf. Closest without going over wins.

The second leg will be played Wednesday, January 27th at Old Trafford.

Man City 2-1 Chelsea: City Get Serious About Top Four Challenge

The Gaffer — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:45:21 +0000

It was quite a contentious match on an unordinary day at Eastlands Saturday as Manchester City held on for a morale-boosting 2-1 win against Chelsea.

What was most obvious about this game is how much it mattered to most teams. I lost count of the number of times Chelsea and City players collided when trying to win 50/50 balls. Plus the workrate of several players, especially Carlos Tevez, was extraordinary. Chelsea hate to lose but this was a match that you have to give a lot of credit to City. As the commentator summed up at the end, “What a win,” and what a win it was indeed.

The most contentious moment in the game was City’s first goal which definitely hit Toure’s arm before landing in the path of Emmanuel Adebayor who slotted the ball into the net. The referee should have awarded a free kick to Chelsea, but he failed to see what the TV replay showed and City got away with it.

The other defining moment of the game was Frank Lampard’s penalty near the end which was saved by Shay Given. You can usually bank your money on Lampard scoring from the spot kick, but Lampard’s accuracy of getting the ball near the corner of the post failed him this time and Given guessed the right way and saved the ball with relative ease.

Overall, this wasn’t a classic game in terms of football skill but it definitely was an unpredictable one where you never knew what was going to happen next. Referee Howard Webb was too involved in this game for my liking and gave away too many unnecessary yellow cards, but it was definitely a difficult game to referee with plenty of aggression shown by both sides.

So much for Chelsea looking like an unbeatable machine, but it shows they are human after all. Not to take anything away from Manchester City, the Citizens battled hard and deserved to get something out of this game. Are they flat track bullies in reverse? Perhaps, but Hughes’s biggest challenge now is to get his City side playing like this against weaker opposition and tightening up his defense.

Observations About Premier League Saturday Matchday 13

The Gaffer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:21:26 +0000

Thank god the Premier League is back. Nothing against international football, but there’s something very comforting with getting back into the ritual of watching Premier League football and being familiar with the surroundings, the pace of the game and the excitement it creates.

So the Liverpool against Manchester City game on early Saturday was the perfect re-introduction to the Premier League. I found the first half not as boring as ESPN’s Tommy Smyth claimed it was. Sure, there were few chances, but the flowing football was easy on the eye which was punctuated by two unfortunate injuries for Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel.

The second half of the match erupted. The last ten minutes of the match were pulsating with both teams throwing everything forward to try to get the winner, but alas the game ended 2-2 — which I thought was a fair result for both teams.

For me, the player who had the biggest impact on the match was Carlos Tevez who came off the bench and transformed City from a team who looked soulless in midfield to a team that was suddenly dangerous on the attack and had more possession. The thing I love about Tevez the most is that he turns nothing into something. He constantly fights for the ball and a perfect example of this was how he won the ball down the left wing and ran with the ball, passing it to Shaun Wright-Phillips who planted a beautiful pass to Stephen Ireland to score a valuable goal for City.

In the other games I watched, the football wasn’t as exciting as the match at Anfield.

Sunderland’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal was a game that wasn’t for the soccer purist. Both teams played well but Sunderland suffocated most of Arsenal’s attempts on goal and the Mackems had few chances of their own. That’s not to take anything away from Sunderland’s performance. The team battled hard and deserved to get something out of this game, and had a bit of good fortune in the ball falling to Darren Bent to win the match. While Tevez was my man of the match in the Liverpool versus City game, my man of the match at the Stadium of Light was Andy Reid who delivered a performance equal of Tevez by constantly fighting for the ball and pouring his enthusiasm into everything he did for Sunderland.

Just as Liverpool and Manchester City didn’t look like Premier League champion material today, neither did Arsenal. It wasn’t that they were bad. Instead the Gunners were shut down well by Sunderland similar to how Steve Bruce’s side did the same against Manchester United at Old Trafford recently. I’m sure a lot of the excuses for Arsenal’s defeat today will be aimed at the unavailability of Robin van Persie due to injury, but I feel that’s unfair. Arsenal had a few golden chances near the end of the game to equalize but it just wasn’t their day.

With Arsenal’s loss in the northeast, Chelsea moved eight points clear of the Gunners with an emphatic 4-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Seriously, Chelsea have become incredibly boring to watch this season. Don’t get me wrong. They’re playing wonderful football, but the matches they play are so one-sided that I find myself losing interest because they constantly cruise to victory with simplicity (except of course in a few games this season such as against Manchester United and Wigan Athletic, where the opposition was tougher to break down).

Last but not least, the match between Manchester United and Everton was exceedingly enjoyable to watch. Everton were very much in the game and fighting for every ball until the 35th minute when Darren Fletcher rocketed the ball with his right foot into the top corner of the net. Despite Everton’s constant persistence, they created very few chances against a Manchester United side that seemed to be buzzing after their recent drop in form during the past few matches.

The second half of this match was very wide-open with both teams trying to get the decisive goal. But it was another piece of class in this game that saw Manchester United scoring a goal. This time it was a perfect pass from Ryan Giggs to Michael Carrick who knocked in a shot with precision into the far corner of the net to make it 2-0 to United. Antonio Valencia’s shot near the end of the match which was deflected in to make it 3-0 made it a very convincing win for Manchester United although you have to think that the scoreline wasn’t a fair representation of how well Everton played at times during this match.

I’ll try to spend some time later tonight watching the other Premier League games played today. But in the meantime, feel free to post your observations about the games today and what was interesting for you.

Photo credit: Soefrie.

Carlos Tevez Proves His Worth to Man City

Dave Warner — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:50:12 +0000

When football pundits discuss Carlos Tevez, they often talk about his “work rate” and his “eye for the ball.” At times, though, the words “work rate” can morph into a backhanded compliment — as if those pundits are really saying, “He’s rubbish as a goal scorer, but boy, he sure works hard, doesn’t he?”

Indeed, Tevez has only two goals in league play this season, and he has expressed his frustration over his sudden inability to finish. His infamous work rate, however, might be the primary reason Manchester City was able to score twice in the second half at Anfield today.

Until Tevez replaced Gareth Barry at the hour mark, Man City’s attack looked listless and idea-free against Liverpool. Instead of working the ball through the midfield, City seemed content merely to bomb the ball forward to Emmanuel Adebayor and hope he could do something with it — a strategy that Liverpool could defend easily. Tevez’s entry into the game, however, seemed to give his teammates a boost, allowing City to poke some holes in Liverpool’s beleaguered back line. In fact, it was Tevez’s to win the ball near goal that set up Shaun Wright-Phillips’ pass to Stephen Ireland, who put City ahead 2-1 in the 76th minute.

City’s defending ultimately let them down in the end, and Yossi Benayoun’s equalizer just a moment later forced both sides to settle for a 2-2 draw. Still, Tevez proved today that there is much value in that “work rate” of his. Perhaps he needs to be more accepting of this role in City’s attack. Perhaps the glory of the goals he scored three years ago to save West Ham from relegation made him forget his biggest strength — winning and holding the ball up front and setting up scoring opportunities for his teammates.

There is much value in a point forward. Mark Hughes would do well to remind Tevez of this. Hughes has a great collection of players at City, but he has yet to mold those players into a team with a distinct identity. Convincing Tevez to embrace the role of set-up man might help City take that first step toward becoming that team.

The Most Expensive Transfer in Premier League History is…Carlos Tevez?

tyduffy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:35:12 +0000

Paul Doyle of The Guardian once described Carlos Tevez as “the rich man’s Dirk Kuyt.” That man may be far more rich than we thought.

Carlos Tevez left Manchester United for Manchester City, in a deal that reportedly paid Tevez’ handlers £25.5m. According to a new report in The Times, Tevez’ fee may really be £47m, nearly twice the initial figure. If true, that would dwarf the previous British transfer record – City’s buy of Robinho for £34.2m – and be the fifth largest transfer in history.

According to the Times, Kia Joorabchian’s consortium received an initial £15m payment, with two £16m payments to follow, bringing the total to £47m. The Times also claims the consortium receive an additional £3.5m, if City win the Champions League with Tevez.

Tevez has fans and detractors. I’d lump myself in the fan category.

He never quite fit at Manchester United, but showed how ferocious he can be in flashes. He never received a consistent run in the team, particularly after Dimitar Berbatov arrived at the club. He also battled for position with Rooney and Ronaldo.

Given a focal role, as he had at the end of his season at West Ham, he could dominate. Whether he receives that chance at Manchester City, with a similar log jam up front is questionable.

Allowed to play, Tevez could be great, but £47m? That’s absurd. Is there a player in the Premier League who would command that fee? Is there a player a club would reject that fee for? Torres? Rooney? Fabregas?

If £47m was the sum under discussion for Tevez, it seems we have a clear reason Manchester United let him leave.

Talk Of Manchester City Making A Top Five Is Premature

Paul Bestall — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:55:02 +0000

If I was an Arsenal fan, I’d be fed up already listening to people saying that Manchester City were obviously going to usurp them as one of the “Big Four” sides. It’s amazing what spending money does to peoples judgement when it comes to football and Manchester City have certainly caught more than their fair share of attention over the summer. To all intents and purposes, Manchester City will easily outstrip Arsenal on the pitch and leapfrog them in the Premiership.

So since last summer City have spent over £160 million pounds, but have they really bought the required players to turn them into a major force in the Premiership. In my honest opinion, no they haven’t. It’s easy to simply look at the figures they’ve spent and it all becomes an addiction to money rather than talent. For some, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have suddenly lost the managerial skills they’ve earned over one summer due to players going to Manchester City.

How has Ferguson lost his abilities by not signing Carlos Tevez? Whilst the vocal United fans tried to convince Ferguson to sign him up, Ferguson would not be budged. He was quite right to question how a striker who only scored 5 goals in the Premiership was worth £25 million. He consistently failed to deliver in big games time and again, yet because he ran around like a dog chasing a rabbit, he was “world class”. It is such an over rated term, that is consistently trotted out all the time as to make it almost redundant. Would you honestly say he’s a better striker than Wayne Rooney? Really? Even the most blinkered City fan can surely see the stupidity of that comparison.

Not one of Manchester City’s new signings is World Class, that’s a fact. Not one of them. Honestly, seriously, none of them. With the exception of Gareth Barry, Shay Given and Wayne Bridge, there isn’t one player who would be at Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea. Adebayor, Toure and Tevez have all been let go because they aren’t good enough for a top 4 side. City had clean run at every one of the targets they’ve signed because the clubs that owned the players were happy to see them leave, Barry and Given apart.

Craig Bellamy, over rated, over paid and has never, ever delivered consistently. A temper that causes more problems than he’s worth, I witnessed one of his strops at Norwich. Refused a decision by the referee, little Craig stomped his feet and jumped up and down on the spot for almost a minute. Pathetic. I wonder how long it will be before he starts texting his team mates spiteful messages?

Roque Santa Cruz, so good that when he left Bayern Munich, he joined Blackburn, no offence Rovers fans. If every major club in Europe wasn’t interested, how has he become such a brilliant striker after one good season and then moping around for a year hoping for a move. In 8 years at Bayern, he scored 38 goals playing for one of the biggest sides in Europe and one that consistently challenged for trophies at home and in Europe. That’s a dreadful record for someone allegedly so good.

Robinho joined Manchester City, then forgot who he’d signed for. Chelsea to be fair, wouldn’t pay over £27.5 million for him and by Christmas, they were probably glad they hadn’t. Another one touted as “world class”, laughably so if you’ve watched him regularly at Real Madrid. A good player, almost really good, but wildly inconsistent, prone to having hissy fits and a strike rate that doesn’t match the amount of chances he gets.

As for the two signings from Arsenal, Toure and Adebayor, Wenger must be laughing all the way the bank with his £40 million transfer kitty. He has, thanks to Manchester City, made a fortune from Arsenal’s two biggest troublemakers who were simply not at the races last season. If anything, Arsenal are stronger without spending a penny. The issues that those two caused in the dressing room and on the training ground had caused fractures through out Wengers squad in the last two seasons. Arsenal are better without those two at the Emirates, no question.

Adebayor famously attacked a team mate during a match because he didn’t pass to him, Toure got his gang to ignore William Gallas because he couldn’t be captain. Once again, childish, immature and bringing tons of baggage with them.Good riddance, I don’t know one Arsenal fan who is sad to see them leave. Not one. That tells you everything you need to know about those two.

This rag tag bunch of egotistical, money driven mercenaries are now all nicely tied up on 4 and 5 year contracts, earning more money than they ever believed they possibly could. Do you really think they’ve come to win trophies or count their cash? All this talk of “ being excited by the project” makes me laugh, it’s jibberish. It’s all about the money, nothing more, nothing less. Now somehow this team will be bonded and formed into one the best teams in England within weeks? It’s crazy to expect such results so soon.

How long before the cracks appear at Eastlands and the dressing room becomes a pit of ego clashes and cliques. If they’re not in the top 7 come Christmas, the pressure will be really on Mark Hughes. Rome was not built in a day and Manchester City could end up being more like Sodom and Gomorrah than the Eternal City next season. They will have all to do to keep up with Everton, Tottenham, Villa and Fulham, never mind crack the top 4 and worry Arsenal.