Time for the end of Carlos's captaincy?

It is often the case as a football fan that you have to dislocate the man from the player or at least aspects of the man from the player who crosses that white line.  This is easy to do as long as the attitude on the pitch is what is expected.  Martin Petrov, for example, lost almost all my sympathies when he brought his name-waggling whining celebration into games.  Carlos Tevez, on the other hand, is perfect.  Disregarding the occasionally grumpy characteristics, he gives his all for the team and you cannot ask for much more from a player.  Off the pitch, however much is true of what we read, is a circus of uncertainty.

In today's Independent there is a report that three of City's senior players have approached Mancini about stripping Tevez of the captaincy.  Ian Herbert describes these developments as,

"the first evidence that the interminable uncertainty over the Argentine's future is damaging his popularity."

The key word here for us City fans is 'interminable'.  If Tevez does stay for next season, as many reports suggest, it doesn't necessarily mean that the speculation over his future will end.  There are factors, in another season at City, that Tevez would consider a compromise.  The most persistent grumble is about his family - for whatever reason, he doesn't feel Manchester and family life can be brought together, which is obviously a problem for him and his happiness in a country where, by his own admission, he has struggled to settle.  These personal problems are unlikely to be solved in a new contract and I don't think we'll hear the end of them if he were to pledge himself to the club.

All of which is fine, to an extent - it is hard to find too much sympathy with such a well compensated problem.  The issue is that this figure of uncertainty is the club captain.  Giving Tevez the captaincy in the first place was considered a goodwill gesture to keep him at the club, but he should know that greater vocal commitment to the club is needed in such a role.

I would love Tevez to stay and there are signs that this is a distinct possibility but there is no reason why he cannot stay on without the captaincy.  He has had a season where he has performed outstandingly, but his off the field comments, his transfer request and all that accompanied it, has left his position as the leader of the team looking quite flimsy - and it would hardly be surprising if more committed members of the squad are disgruntled by his continuing in the role.

Vincent Kompany would be the obvious choice as his replacement - a great leader on the pitch, respected by his team mates, and an eloquent and vocal ambassador of the club and its ambitions.

Obviously it is not as easy as all that - the last thing the management will want to do is upset Tevez at such a delicate juncture but, at the same time, if it is dealt with correctly then it could serve to show that Tevez is not the boss at the club, that the management will not bow to his every request, and this can only be good for the dynamics of the club.  A very important player does not necessarily make ideal captaincy material.  The club should be in the position of power and continuing the perceived mollycoddling of our prize asset should not be necessary where the club now finds itself in the English game.

The Theatre of Base Comedy 10/11 Awards

Player of the Season
Indisputably Vincent Kompany.  A tower of strength, poise and vision, Kompany is the side's true captain and most consistently excellent performer.

Goal of the Season
Tevez's bullet free-kick won the official award and, as a Tevez free-kick hater, it was amazing to see after all the soft chipped efforts that came before it, but David Silva's balance and close control whilst slaloming through Blackpool's defence wins it for me.  Reminiscent of Kinkladze's goal against Southampton at Maine Road, this was pure class.  Although De Jong's goal against West Ham was a close contender...

Top Buy
Yaya Toure was fantastic when it mattered - running in his own indomitable style through teams (quite often with players desperately hanging off the side of him, trying to get close) - and if his enthusiasm would've been there for all the games, he would have won this award easily.  However, David Silva gets it for adding magic to the side - magic that was so sorely missed last season after the demise of Stephen Ireland - more composure in front of goal and he would be the complete attacking midfielder.

Flop of the Season
On the other hand there is Jerome Boateng.  He arrived with great promise after an eye-catching World Cup and an excellent cross in the friendly against Valencia - but a series of injuries and timid displays have contributed to an inauspicious first season in England.  There is potential there but he does look like a player who hasn't got the confidence to do anything.

Performance of the Season
Part of City's success this season came from a willingness to mix style and doggedness when it was appropriate.  When Chelsea came to Eastlands towards the end of September, they had spent the opening month and a half of the season tonking teams to the tune of 4, 5, 6 or 7 goals - they were a side full of confidence and the 'heaviest in the league'.  City dug in and when Carlos Tevez took on the Chelsea defence on his own, City proved strong enough to hold on to that lead.  The first really impressive show of City's style was the away victory at Fulham.  One João Alves de Assis Silva was preferred in the wide left role and City's more natural shape produced some breathtaking football - perhaps capped by the 24 pass move that set up the second goal for Yaya Toure.  As a first real show of City's attacking potential, the Fulham performance gets my vote.  


Moment of the Season
It has got to be between the FA Cup semi-final and the final itself.  The semi-final victory had been coming and that release of tension when Yaya bulldozered his way through the United defence was unbelievable, but to see City lift silverware for the first time in my lifetime was an unforgettable moment - the players celebrating, grown men weeping in the stands, Wembley Poznans... It really was something special. 

Season review: Winning Mentality

The last months of a season are always going to be those that are remembered, whether they define a side's success or not - strong early season form will often be eclipsed by a woeful end, for example, as Sunderland may testify this season - but with City, the blistering run from the semi-final to the end of the season was not only a welcome surprise but also marked the arrival of the team as a force to be reckoned with.  

Trained for years in the complexities of Cityitis, we had to juggle the hope that was being offered with all the 'typical city' feelings.  Sure, we'll beat United in the semis, but wouldn't it just be typical City to then lose to Stoke - especially Stoke.  Tottenham are on a woeful run, but they always do well at Eastlands and it would be typical of City to be the ones to end their misfortune.  Can we be trusted with it all in our hands on the last day away to Bolton? The workings of the paranoid mind, but even amongst the fans that is beginning to change.  I feel it is our duty to feel like that almost - it has been ingrained over the last couple of decades - but there is less reason for those feelings.  Could the fabled winning mentality be making its way into the terraces too?

The 'winning mentality' has become one of football's clichés.  After the Champions' League final, Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov was reported to have said the difference between Barca and United was the Catalan's winning mentality.  Which, although I am sure he didn't mean to make it sound that way, somewhat detracts from the fact that Barcelona are by far the superior team.  Pitting some of the best midfielders of my lifetime against an ageing philanderer and Michael Carrick was never going to be much of a contest.  A crack team of psychologists and brainwashers may be able to convince my Sunday league side that they can beat anybody, but it is more likely to end in fights and breakdowns than a dizzying ascent into the football league.  

Part of it then must be a realisation of the worth of your team.  City's squad, player for player, is up there with the best in the league - if this is used in the right way, without complacency, with the correct desire, with the 'winning mentality', then there is no reason not to feel invincible.  Team ethic and discipline are important here, especially as it is something sceptics maintained wouldn't be possible at City and under Mancini, but the final months of the season showed a team coming together and playing for each other at the right time.  

Of course the unquestionable success Mancini has brought this season should strengthen his position amongst the more rebellious members of the squad, of which there will always be some, and if City can take this unity into next season, without too great an upheaval in the transfer market, then the side are in a very strong position to continue to grow next season.