Phillip Buckley
Carlos Tevez’s decision to leave Manchester United for their crosstown rivals Manchester City has understandably left many of the Old Trafford faithful with a bitter taste in their mouths. And Xabi Alonso’s expected departure to Real Madrid is set to drive Liverpool fans to depression. But neither of these players are villains, and neither are chasing money, even if the little Argentine will be able to buy every terrace in Salford with his weekly pay-packet. Alonso and Tevez are not Cristiano Ronaldo or Robinho. They are exactly the type of honest decent footballers fans wish populated the game more.
Tevez became a cult figure at Old Trafford, and anyone attending the Theatre of Dreams on a matchday could be left in no doubt that as far as United supporters were concerned, if the club could make just one signing this summer then it should be the Argentine. Tevez worked tirelessly for the red shirt, radiating such joy at every victory and personal slight at every defeat. He genuinely grew to wonder why he seemed not to be first-choice, and truthfully he was not the only one.
The move to Eastlands gives Tevez what he wants with the minimum of fuss. There is little doubt Mark Hughes will give the forward a key role in his new-look side. Tevez jumps on to a ship tracking the course set by Chelsea to the summit of the game, and also stays in the area in which he is settled.
Some sections of the media have lambasted Tevez for the money he will earn at City. To be sure it is a hefty pay-packet. But he is also taking a gamble. Steering City through these prosaic next few years won’t be easy. Should it go wrong, or slowly, then on a five-year contract there is no get-out. Players such as he are not driven by just how many expensive cars they can afford. Personal success, trophies, medals and recognition are more important. Tevez at least knows the job in hand, unlike Robinho who boarded the flight to England not knowing which kind of blue shirt he would be wearing at the end of the day. In that case oil money surely did win the day.
Down the M62, Xabi Alonso looks set to bring his five-year association with Liverpool to an end. Alonso has been, and still is, a model professional. Last summer Rafael Benitez tried to offload the Spanish midfielder to fund a move for Gareth Barry. Alonso was hawked around Europe and it was well known £16M would have been enough to secure his signature. At one point Benitez was so desperate to sell that a bid from Premier League rivals Arsenal was widely reported to be being considered, despite being several million below the amount Liverpool hoped to get. Through that turbulent summer Alonso kept his own counsel.
Now the situation is different. The Spanish international has seemingly never forgotten just how quickly Benitez was willing to cut him adrift last summer. Is it unreasonable that Alonso may feel it’s time to put himself first? Recently, on the issue of Alonso and fellow midfielder Javier Mascherano being linked with other clubs, Benitez said both players owed Liverpool a display of loyalty. While this may be true for the Argentine, who was rescued from his West Ham nightmare, the same cannot be said of Alonso who has given five years good service. It seems in Benitez’s world loyalty only goes one way.
Liverpool fans are rightly cautious about the prospect of losing the passmaster. Alonso excelled in the previous Premier League campaign, directly after a season where he was widely thought to have performed below his best. Without the possession football and playmaking clock that Xabi Alonso brings the Anfield club will undoubtedly be weaker.
Perhaps the situations that have surrounded Tevez and Alonso this summer are an indictment of the man-management skills of Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez.
Tevez commented on his own experience: "I was there for two years and Sir Alex never called or sent any text messages in that time. The only time he talked to me was after a match against Roma to discuss a situation about going to play for Argentina. It doesn’t seem that this is the way to treat a player in two years at the club. It doesn’t seem there is a line of communication."
Alonso has not gone public with his feelings towards Benitez, but it is well known that their relationship has become increasingly strained. Even now as the midfielder seeks to leave the club he has avoided speaking out, forcing Liverpool’s hand so that they must sell or risk an unhappy player blighting their new season preparations. The Barry saga broke the bond of trust between player and manager, and despite the situation taking 12 months to come to fruition, Benitez looks sure to reap the consequences.
All Tevez and Alonso needed was to be reassured by their managers. To be told they were wanted. And to be told they remained crucial to their sides’ drive for success. Neither sought a bigger payday and both would have been happy to spend the next five years giving dutiful service to their team. These are surely the type of players all fans want at their club – and both managers may yet come to regret not making them feel wanted.
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