Carlos Tevez: will it all blow over until the summer?

If Carlos has been paying close attention to the reaction of the British press, City fans and especially the club this week, he will be in no doubt that he has taken on something that is bigger than himself.  As important as he is to City, unlike Rooney at United, we are equipped to deal with his possible departure and to continue growing as a club.

With everything starting to come together at City recently, David Platt's post-match comments at the weekend, blessed with foreknowledge, that any player would rattle the goals in at the head of our creative quartet are probably not far from the truth.  Yes, Carlos has worked tirelessly for us, won games on his own, and is, at least whilst on the pitch, a good professional, but things have begun to change.  David Silva has started to be more influential than Carlos of late and there are even arguments to be made that Tevez slows down the fast-flowing football that the rest of City's forward-minded players are capable of playing.  In dropping deep so often he can also deprive the team of being the focal point of the attack, as is intended.  This is not to ignore the vast impact he has had at the club or to slight his grand achievements with us, but he may have pitched his case just as our dependability on him has started to decline.

There has not been too much clarity since the announcement on Saturday night but it is clear City must not pander to our, hopefully erstwhile, captain.  Whatever happens, even if it is to move him out in January, has to happen in the best interests of the club.  City need to make sure that they don't set a dangerous precedent.  A club of City's riches will always be a target.  Make any unreasonable concessions to Tevez and who knows where it will stop - a player who lives and trains in Spain and flies back for games at the weekend?! City are strong enough now not to do this.

What City do depends on how much of a disruptive influence they think Tevez could have on the team.  It is hard to think of a Tevez who wouldn't give his all during a match of football - I'm not sure he can do it any other way - so I don't think that would be a problem.  If we are to believe all of his account, he has been playing some very effective football for the past six months whilst almost as unhappy as he is now.  It depends on how much of a fuss he is willing to kick up - which is the relative unknown.

If this will not blow over, which seems likely, then Tevez has to leave at some point.  City want to build a team who want to play for each other and the club - as most successful teams do - so anyone who doesn't want to be a part of it, should be out of the club for that reason alone.  The ideal solution would be to sign some replacements for Tevez in the January transfer window - to challenge Tevez's role within the team and to act as insurance against him losing his last modicum of commitment to the club - and then to let him go in the summer, after he has had the chance to help City to some success and/or City have begun to get on without him.

Another reason this subject is hard to tackle is the vagueness of his reasons to want to go: homesickness? Kia Joorabchian and money? Garry Cook and boot deals/broken promises (The idea that Tevez would want to leave the club because of a relationship with a man he mustn't regularly see is hardly believable and certainly points back to Mr Joorabchian)? Lack of Champions League? Lack of football for Roque Santa Cruz?!  A mix of all these things and more?

The most obvious move at this stage is to strip Tevez of the captaincy.  The captain, the leader of the team on the pitch, should not be a player who is actively seeking to leave the club.  This is the most important factor.  His captaincy style to date has been to lead by example and some could argue that his reaction to being substituted against Bolton was already enough evidence that he shouldn't be leading the football club.  There are many better options within the first-team regulars - with Vincent Kompany as the stand-out candidate.

On the day it emerged Edin Dzeko has issued a come-and-get-me plea to City, it is clear that the only way forward at a club is to have players who want to play for you.  A natural centre-forward leading the line ahead of the likes of Silva, Balotelli and Yaya Toure has a good chance of being successful in front of goal.  Whilst players like Ezquiel Lavezzi at Napoli could fit the Tevez mould at a fraction of the price.  City have the luxury of being in a position to grow in the absence of their star-player.  If City hang on to him until the summer, it will give City the option to have dealt with his position before he has even walked out of the door.