Carlos Tevez- From venerable to vulnerable

Prior to the start of last season’s English Premier League, Manchester City was never considered as a worthy opponent in any tournament of contention. Its step-brothers Manchester United, on the other hand made merry of the opportunities, primarily because of an endless pool of talent it possessed, out of which, for a brief period of time, Carlos Tevez was a part of. His high profile move to Manchester City was a blessing for the team and Tevez as well, for his playing style changed drastically and pretty soon he became the embodiment of all that was classy, sleak and clinical in football. Manchester City wasn’t the same again. Tevez pioneered them to a successful season in comparison to the last one. He was revered by one and all as a player, often referred to as the ‘player with the midas touch’. His dedication, professionalism, talent and perseverance were lauded, till this summer where all of the things that he stood for, mentioned above, fell apart like a jigsaw in a box. Once a goal scoring machine, he now became the epitome of vulnerability, constantly persecuted by the public as a person lacking professionalism. People started to lose faith in him. And coupled with the inclusion and meteoric rise in popularity and form of David Silva and Sergio Aguero, Tevez’s days seem clogged with troubles.

The ritual of bringing his two daughters on to the field before kick-off was interpreted as a sign of true fatherly love, and also the reason precisely why the separation from his daughters made him take the decision of leaving Manchester City this summer. Many football experts were of the opinion that he lacked enthusiasm and professionalism and that his acts, however emotive they may be, were ’juvenile’ to say the least.

Tevez with his daughters before kick-off

The manager, Roberto Mancini however knew the gravity of the situation considering the fact that he was in touch with Tevez throughout his crisis.

‘’I’m sure Carlos will be committed because he is professional. I don’t think there will be a problem because he’s a professional player and knows the rules. He knows that if he wants to leave, he can. But at the moment, there isn’t any club who can pay his value.”

Football fans and experts had anticipated his move to the Corinthians to go through as per his wishes. The transfer eventually collapsed and his dedication was questioned even more. A former Manchester City player was of the opinion that Tevez is a ‘strong lad with great play-making sense. I am sure he will bounce back.”

However you may concur with the former player’s opinion, the truth still remains; a comeback for the Tevez of today is not as easy as it sounds. In a team where he was stripped of his captaincy and replaced by Kompany, where Dzeko is managing the position where Tevez was once considered lethal and with David Silva, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero taking turns for scoring goals for the club, Tevez’s future does look bleak.

The trio(from left)- David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko

Even football fans online have made their choice as to who they should pick for their teams in the Fantasy Premier League. The following are statistics after Game-week 4 of the season

Forwards			£	TSB
	Aguero	MCI	11.0	732297
	Dzeko	MCI	8.9	689828
	Tevez	MCI	11.9	17084
	Balotelli	MCI	8.6	9370

TSB stands for Teams selected by. Tevez’s last season’s fiery performance coupled with shades of promise in the starting of the season garnered him a base price of 11.9 million pounds on FPL. The price of a player one week is subject to increase or decrease for the next week depending on how the player performs in real life matches. Tevez’s price has still not changed and pundits don’t anticipate any changes in the foreseeable future as well, which is exactly why he has not been selected by as many teams as Aguero or Silva, who have been consistently performing, have been selected by (Balotelli is the lowest because he is a new entrant to the EPL and because he is arrogant.)

A change of attitude is the only that can rekindle the lost flame that Tevez possessed when he was on the field. He has been a role model for many around the world. His antiques have only strengthened the support that he is receiving from his fans, saddened, to see a once venerable Tevez become so vulnerable. All we can do is hope for the best because frankly speaking, who doesnt want to see him score another hat-trick?

Hoping for the best