The Return of Carlos Tevez

It has been reported that out-of-favour striker, Carlos Tevez, arrived at Manchester City’s Carrington Training Centre last week to discuss his return to the squad. The news comes after Tevez’s refusal to play against Bayern Munich on 27 September earlier this season. The player then left to Argentina without permission on November 7^th and has been there until now.

Carlos Tevez Returns to Training

The return of Carlos Tevez is an event that could make or break Manchester City’s premier league title hopes.  Since his departure, Vincent Kompany has solidified his position as captain, the team has been playing great football and the squad’s morale and chemistry is at an all time high.  Is Mancini willing to risk all of this only to slightly improve his already dominant squad? They are two points ahead of rivals Manchester United in the table and, most would agree, are favourites to win the league. The repercussions of reintegrating Carlos back into the team could prove to be catastrophic.  However, before I even begin to discuss Tevez playing, I should first point out what I think he needs to do to make himself eligible.

What Carlos Tevez needs to do now is apologise. Apologise to his teammates, to the fans, and most importantly to his manager, Roberto Mancini. It is imperative that he reestablishes a good rapport with the manager and the higher powers of the club. He has started to do this by retracting his challenge to his fine of 6 weeks wages, thought to be around £1.2M. Manchester City must do all they can to prove that no player is bigger than the club. For Tevez to disregard orders and contracts from the club is detrimental to Man. City’s public image and he should rightly be punished for his actions. Former City winger, Dennis Tueart told BBC that "Many other clubs will be grateful for City's stand against Tevez because it shows that players can only go so far before clubs start to stand up to them. It's pretty obvious that Roberto Mancini has taken a strong attitude with him - and other players - and I think he's done the right thing.”

In my opinion, Tevez has to show sincerity and work hard to regain the faith of his teammates, supporters and manager. I would be surprised if he were to start a game for the remainder of the season but how quickly he is reintegrated into the squad could have great effect on Manchester City’s title hopes. I look forward to seeing how future events unravel at the club. What do you think will happen with the return of Carlos Tevez?

Capello Out, Redknapp In?

Capello leaving his London Flat

The 2011/12 Premier League season has brought plenty of drama to English football. Whether it be the traditional replacing of managers, a series of shocking racism allegations or stories of unfaithfulness, the season has not failed to disappoint in showcasing its dramatic capabilities. However, perhaps the most eyebrow-raising event has come this past month with the void left by Fabio Capello’s resignation as England manager.

Following the FA’s decision to remove John Terry’s captaincy ahead of the Euro 2012 tournament, Capello expressed his opposition to the decision in an interview with an Italian TV channel. Terry faces charges of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand and his trial has been delayed until the summer before the tournament. If the Chelsea defender is found guilty, he would of course be an embarrassment to have as the English captain. I therefore think it was a good move by the FA to remove him, regardless of his hearing’s result. However, for Capello to react in the manner he did is not acceptable and undermines the integrity of his employers. His resignation was a surprise to the nation and he has now left the FA with the task of finding a viable candidate to replace Fabio in the hot seat.

Frontrunner, Harry Redknapp

The frontrunner for the job is Tottenham Hotspur manager, Harry Redknapp, although his current situation complicates matters. Redknapp still has 15 months left on his contract with Tottenham and is currently seeing the club through arguably its best spell in history. They are almost a certainty to qualify for the UEFA Champion’s League next season and are playing a beautiful brand of football under Redknapp. Although Tottenham Chairman, Daniel Levy has begun his search for a Redknapp’s replacement, there is still a good chance that he can persuade his manager to stay. Various English players such as Wayne Rooney have expressed their desire for Harry Redknapp to take over at the helm. It has been years since an English manager has coached the national team and it appears to be the FA’s intent to find one.

I believe Harry Redknapp would make an exceptional English manager and hope that he is able to take the job. It would welcome in a new era of English football and hopefully one that will give the country something to celebrate. My advice to the FA would be to gain Redknapp’s employment at any cost.