Media watch: Little of concern in the Carlos Tevez interview
Today’s City news has been dominated by Carlos Tevez’s candid interview with the Mail, which is a shame as reports that we may be set to sign Jerome Boateng from Hamburg are far more interesting.
Tevez spoke openly, which is probably the last thing City’s media people wanted in the build-up to the derby. Apparently he wasn’t supposed to be speaking to anyone, but rumour has it Tevez’s former owner/agent/mentor, Kia Joorabchian was involved.
It made for an interesting read with Tevez describing how he enjoys playing with Craig Bellamy, as they share the same passion of for the game. Given his best mates at United were Patrice Evra and Park Ji Song, it shows he still has the knack of forming unlikely friendships.
“Bellamy feels football. It gives me confidence when I see his name is on the City teamsheet. He’s a big player for this club. I like his attitude very much.”
Carlos distances himself from the ‘Welcome To Manchester’ poster, which in fairness didn’t do him any favours – although the damage had already been done with Joorabchian’s dragging out of the transfer. Issues with United players are downplayed, though the topic of Ferguson is pointedly avoided.
However you can see why City would have rather the interview hadn’t taken place by the way it was recycled elsewhere. It was ripe to be spun and while the M.E.N. took out the positives, others took a negative angle.
Our old friend Daniel Taylor was probably the worst offender, and the contributors on Blue Moon assessed his piece better than I could on a family friendly site. A dislike for Mancini’s double training sessions was picked up by those looking for an easy piece of controversy, even though Carlos went on to add, “He is in charge. I am OK with him.”
It was left to Taylor’s colleagues at The Guardian to have the last word in The Fiver and, as ever, they summed it up best.
By Saturday it will be history. Mancini’s double training sessions and shadowplay may not have won friends but they are influencing results. If they continue to do so, then the players will accept them. Training in the afternoons is normal in Italy and in joining mid-season, Mancini had to get his ideas over quickly. Those who watch the training say it isn’t excessive and the players seem happy enough.
The build-up to Saturday will see a host of stories, mostly bland, but spiced up where possible by journalists looking to draw some attention. Ultimately, it won’t matter as the game itself is already big enough and neither side needs any more motivation. Let’s just hope City get the result!