Is Tevez part of the problem or the Solution?

[cyprustavern]

It's absurd that anyone should even ask this question.
Tevez is the best footballer City have got.

 

[jollylescott]

It's absurd that anyone should even ask this question.
Tevez is the best footballer City have got.

Great player and puts in an enormous shift, but Silva is the better player.

 

[sbm]

Just before the 2011 Cup Final, I posted on here about the disgraceful way that Tevez had systematically frozen out the newly-arrived Dzeko. Using the Guardian Chalkboard, I counted just half a dozen completed Tevez passes to Dzeko IN TOTAL in the premier league games against Wolves, Birmingham, Manchester United, West Brom, Fulham and Liverpool (whereas Dzeko had 6 completed passes to Tevez just in the Fulham game).

Sadly the Guardian Chalkboard has been discontinued. I have, however, watched recordings of a couple of recent matches specifically to count Tevez passes. Obviously, T = Tevez; A = Aguero; D = Dzeko; B = Balotelli.

Swansea

T and A started, with A being substituted after 95 minutes. B came on for the second half.

Leaving aside the 9 inch pass to kick off the match, T completed 1 pass to A in the first half and 4 passes to A in the second half.

T completed 0 (zero) passes to B. Notably, in the 99th minute, T had a feeble shot when he should have made a simple pass to B who was clear. However, if it is any consolation, T did not ignore B entirely: he tripped B up in the 75th minute!

For completeness, A made 6 passes to T and 1 to B. B completed 1 pass to A.

Ajax

T and A started; B came on for the second half; D replaced T after 65 minutes.

In the First Half, T completed 1 pass to A; in the Second Half, playing deeper and as a 'playmaker' (???), T completed 1 pass to A and 0 (zero) passes to B.

As to the passes by / to other strikers:
A to T: 3; B to A: 5; A to B: 2; A to D: 1; D to A: 1; B to D: 1; D to B: 3.
The above includes B's header to A resulting in our 2nd goal; I have also included as 'completed' D's header to B, which the latter had chested down before being yanked off the ball.

NB. The above stats are offered in good faith but could be inaccurate! It is not always easy on TV to distinguish players. Also, Swansea and Ajax were such disappointing matches that it was easy to lose concentration and to forget what I was supposed to be doing.

Real Madrid

Dzeko had scored in the 69th minute. In the 71st minute, we had a break with Tevez on the ball. Dzeko was clear on his right and a player of Tevez skill could have put a through-ball giving Dzeko at least as a good a chance (on his right foot) as he had just converted (with his left). Instead, he opted for a pass left to Kolarov expecting that the latter would provide a centre for himself to score. It came to nothing. That decision by Tevez (to not pass to Dzeko) could well be a decisive moment in City's season (and in Mancini's managerial career at City). Had we gone 2 goals up in 3 minutes....

(My son did suggest at the time that Silva would have passed to Dzeko and that perhaps Tevez did not pass to Dzeko because Tevez is weak with his left foot. After all, according to transfermarkt. co.uk, Tevez has only scored 5 goals with his left foot in his entire CAREER. But I reckon he could have managed a through-ball with either foot.)

Argentina

It is no coincidence that Argentina - and Messi - are doing better with Tevez out of the picture. On the "great natural understanding" between Messi and Aguero, see:

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/10/19/even-the-most-ardent-of-the-anti-messi-gang-have-abandoned-their-mistaken-stance/

TEVEZ COMPETES WITH FELLOW STRIKERS. Normally he passes to them either only as a last resort or on the understanding that they will pass back to him (as in the first of his 2 passes to Aguero in the 65 minutes they were both on the field in the Ajax game).

My main concern for this season has been, and still is, that Aguero will be 'sidelined' by Tevez - and that pundits will continue to drool over Tevez ("he always gives 110%") and (with the possible exception of Gary Neville) they will express bewilderment as to why Aguero seems less effective than in his first season in the premier league. It is also clear from the first 8 pages that many City fans need to wake up to the real Tevez. Sadly, after defending Mancini many times on here, I have to say that he is befuddled (and / or intimidated) when it comes to Tevez.

Last but not least, someone who has worked out how to use MCFCAnalytics properly could do the Club a HUGE favour by providing the relevant people at the Club with a comprehensive analysis of Tevez passes to fellow strikers. The sort of analysis I have in mind would be along the lines of the following (amended to focus on the issues posed above and to encompass more than one game):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/oct/15/football-performance-analysis-chalkboards-radial-passing-manchester-city

interesting post, but tevez has always played like that, for argentina, boca,corinthians, west ham, united, etc. Argentina is doing quite well at the moment, but im still not convince with this aguero and messi playing "well" they are missing something, yes im argentinean, im not suggesting tevez is the answer, like he said the national team is fine without him and he's fine without it.
i wouldnt call him "selfish", (well he's been labeled as selfish in argentina anyway) sometimes he wants to do all the job, wants to win the game and score, he doesnt do it on purpose, hes got this "bossy" attitude, always been like that, he doesnt realize there's 11 players on the pitch that can do the job just like him, of course sometimes some of the players look lazy/disinterested and tevez wants to take the lead, someone has to do it anyway. to be honest i dont think he rates Dzeko AT ALL, he doesnt trust him, and he doesnt like to play around him. im sure bosnians have noticed this about tevez too, [selfish selfish selfish bastard] but there's not much you can do about it, football is a competition, and tevez would rather score than pass the ball to any of his teammates.
will aguero get sidelined by tevez? aguero will eventually start scoring (soon i hope) his performances has been poor so far. he's also separated from his wife at the moment, she is in argentina with her son benjamin, so it must be really hard for him to concentrate on his football.

Thanks for the response, lizzkyk. It is interesting to hear from someone from Argentina. I certainly will not take issue with you over what is happening with the Argentina team. As regards Tevez, however,...

I understand why fans love Tevez. During his first season, he was my favourite City player and, during the 2010 World Cup, I was as interested in his performance as in that of England. He is a great player when surrounded by average players, if only because he can lift their performances by his efforts. But, when surrounded by good or great players, his "selfishness" - the only term I can think of - is a PROBLEM for the TEAM. City were a better team when he was playing golf in Argentina. David Silva was at his best when Tevez was playing golf in Argentina.

You say "there's not much you can do about it, football is a competition, and tevez would rather score than pass the ball to any of his teammates". First, football is a competition against an opposing team. There is no justification for Tevez competing with Aguero, Dzeko and Balotelli. There is no excuse for just 2 completed passes to Aguero / Balotelli in 65 minutes in the Ajax game. Second, if selling him is not possible (and we have tried very hard to do that), Mancini should leave him out, at least from starting line-ups. Tevez should be the regular sub to bring on if the team is flagging. If he behaves as he did in Munich, then so be it.

I also hope that Kun Aguero will recapture his form soon. I would be more distressed if he left than any other player. But I am convinced that he will suffer if regularly paired with Tevez. Like Dzeko, Aguero plays better in partnership with another striker who will play WITH him. Against Ajax, he was transformed when Balo and then Dzeko came on.

 

[Limmer]

Tevez is an exceptional player, but there's a grain of truth in your post. One of the reasons why our play became so scintillating at the start of last season was that we suddenly started playing pass and move, one and two touch football, breaking and attacking at pace. Everything was going through silva, aguero and that was the way we overpowered teams. Watch the 6-1 and you'll see it, possession and penetration, the opposition chasing shadows. One and two touch fast football. It was partly because we had no Tevez slowing things up.

With Tevez it's all or nothing. He can score some brilliant solo goals and he works his bollocks off. But his natural game is not one touch pass and move. He receives the ball and often runs at people. Sometimes it comes off and he creates himself or someone else a chance. Sometimes it doesn't and he loses possession. He's a better player than nasri, and brings a lot more to the table, but like nasri he loses us something as well. Fluency and speed. When both of them are in the team you get what we got on Tuesday and at west ham: lots of possession but slower build up player and less razor sharp penetration.

It's a conundrum because I believe he and aguero are our best strikers. He gets goals. But he does affect us too and in some ways nullifies what can be our biggest weapon.

Couldn't agree more. Said it last year that as good a player as Tevez is the team plays better without him. Especially when Silva plays as he tends to get in Silva's way a lot.

 

[Skashion]

Neither, just a jigsaw piece in a malleable puzzle.

 

[Jany]

Best player at the club

Completely TRUE!!

 

[baildon blue]

Iam still not convinced Tevez is a solution.I admit he trys hard but no way is he the same player of 2010-2011

 

[gio's side step]

It’s always struck me that whenever City lose or play badly, it’s usually only Tevez who escapes criticism, mainly for his visible effort and honest endeavour when the opposition have got the ball.
However, our iconic moments from last season rarely featured Tevez. In fact his best moments arrived during that strange week against West Brom and at Norwich when we thought City had blown the title and needed the rags to drop points.Even the winning goals against Newcastle and QPR appeared after he had left the field.
It was Tevez who got us going against Swansea, but in some games he plays with almost schoolboy indiscipline following the ball all over the pitch.

His performance against West Brom was typically vibrant yet on two occasions he ran into the wrong space when Balotelli had the ball and the move broke down.

Is he the best player in a team, struggling for form or is he the main reason why we often look so lopsided?

Can't make my mind up

Some fans really are comedy gold.

Firstly, would you like to clearly identify what the 'problem' is as it wasn't really clear in your post. I suspect the 'problem' as you refer to it as is the latter point about being 'lopsided' whatever that vague analysis actually means.

Perception is a wonderful thing. That's right. After being out of the squad for a large period last season he came back after Balotelli's petulant disgraceful dummy throwing against Arsenal and scored goals for us that week which further added value to our goal difference and gave us a fresh attacking option (partnership with Aguero).

 

[Balti]

He needs to score more alot more goals to deserve some of the adulation he gets on here.

 

[Tevez City]

He needs to score more alot more goals to deserve some of the adulation he gets on here.

Let the other players do their job properly so he can stay upfront to score goals.