Roberto Mancini has confirmed he had an angry exchange with Carlos Tevez over tactics at half-time of Manchester City's game against Newcastle United but insisted there was no lingering bad feeling between himself and the Argentinian.
Mancini had reacted aggressively when he heard Tevez making a derogatory comment in Spanish as he came into the dressing room. The subsequent row became so heated that at one point Tevez was told he was being substituted and started removing his kit. Team-mates and coaching staff eventually intervened but Mancini made it clear he would not hold any grudges when Tevez returns from the international break.
"What happened in our dressing room happens in others as well. And when it matters it is good that it happens. Against Newcastle we had gone to sleep in the first half, so the confrontation with Tevez was exactly the alarm call everybody needed.
"The confrontation with Tevez was really ballsy. And in the second half City deservedly won. The alarm call worked well. We [Mancini and Tevez] sorted everything between us before the restart. And when I took him off at the end we shook hands again. Now and then a good shake-up is healthy."
Mancini described as "bollocks" one report that he had insulted Tevez's mother and confirmed, as revealed in the Guardian, that it was actually about the team's tactical formation, with his leading scorer frustrated about playing as a lone striker throughout the early part of the season.
This system, he said, would change shortly. "It's out of necessity. [Emmanual] Adebayor has just recovered from injury, [Mario] Balotelli not so. Without flying full backs like [Jérôme] Boateng and [Aleksandar] Kolarov, who can push forward, I've had to adjust the team to get results and stay in touch with the leaders. But only until everyone is back and fit."
To make his point, Mancini went on to say that Tevez should be regarded alongside the likes of leading Serie A strikers such as Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"Tevez is up there with them. He scores in the big matches, he fights against defenders 6ft4 tall, he has quality and grit. But a great side cannot depend on one player only." He had made him captain, he said, "because I want him to improve in all respects, he has the potential and he is improving."
Tevez's relationship with Mancini has been frayed at times since the Italian replaced Mark Hughes, with the player on record as saying there should not have been a change of manager, as well as criticising the new training methods.
In particular, he has objected to Mancini's habit of arranging a double session every Tuesday when there is no midweek match, but the former Internazionale manager rejected the criticism. "It's a myth. I've imposed double training sessions only three or four times last season and not once this season. Yet the media go on and on with this."
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Mancini was asked to explain his recent remarks about Adam Johnson, a player whose attitude has been questioned by the City coaching staff.
"Adam is young, but he has got what it takes. He just needs to understand it is not enough to dribble past an opponent six times to feel entitled to think he reached the top. You need to dribble but you also need a cutting shot like the goal against Juve [in the Europa League], or the 2-1 win against Newcastle. If I didn't believe in Adam's potential I would not work him like this."
Mancini was also asked about Nigel de Jong's leg-breaking tackle on Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa and the midfielder's reputation now that he has been dropped from the Netherlands squad.
"I am extremely sorry for Ben Arfa, who is an extraordinary player and I sincerely hope he recovers speedily. De Jong plays with grit, but he's not dirty. He tackles hard, but never intending to hurt. Last Sunday was an accident. The referee saw it all, and did not even award a free kick against him. As for the Dutch coach, I'm not going to interfere with his decisions."
The City manager was reminded of De Jong's now-infamous kick into the ribs of Spain's Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final. "That tackle was out of order, uncoordinated in the extreme. But I hope that referees continue to evaluate De Jong with fairness."
