Callum Davies
When Eastlands welcomed Sergio Aguero in the summer, many believed Manchester City’s new Argentinean arrival would be the perfect replacement for his compatriot Carlos Tevez, who intended to quit the club. The pair are of the same make-up; pacey, good on the ball, fit and deadly finishers – all of which help provide the best foundation for success in the widely acclaimed ‘hardest league in the world’.
Few however, would have envisaged a scenario whereby Aguero would be a key figure by Christmas, scoring eleven and setting up five, and looking every inch a deciding factor in City’s title chase. Although Tevez remained at the City of Manchester Stadium, it was clear that manager Roberto Mancini favoured the younger Aguero – and the former Atletico Madrid man has certainly proven worthy of his £35M price tag; and where a first season in a foreign and alien league can so often damage the reputation of some of the world’s best players, Aguero has hit the ground running.
It is no secret that adapting to life in the English Premier League requires mental toughness, with the pace of the game and crowd hostility overwhelming many successful players in previous seasons. Andriy Shevchenko never got going at Chelsea and World Cup winner Kleberson was anonymous for most of his stint at Manchester United, while even the 2010 World Cup’s best player, Diego Forlan, struggled.
The signing of Aguero from Atletico Madrid – the club are which Forlan found comfort and success – in July whet the appetite, and came as an ever present reminder of the financial muscle with which Manchester City’s owners do business. The signing also harks back to the beginning of the renaissance at Eastlands, when the club prized away another young prospect from La Liga.
When Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of the Citizens was completed, the initial capture of A-Lister Robinho from Real Madrid on the same day sent shockwaves through the Premier League, even if his performances only briefly matched the expectation and resulted in the Brazilian leaving the club with his tail between his legs. Signing Robinho was a statement of intent however, albeit a rash one, but one that nevertheless has led the management to better utilise their funds.
Generally speaking, there has been a strategic plan ever since to make sure that City not only capture an elite brand of player, but one who also manifests a true willingness to abide by the team ethos at Eastlands. Tevez for one was held in high regard by the fans of neighbouring Manchester United for his determined approach and outstanding teamwork. He even drew the best from his fellow players at Manchester City in the two seasons prior to the fiasco against Bayern Munich when he refused to come off the bench for the side during the 2-0 loss in the Champions League in late September. Tevez’ tantrum, while unwelcome, simply served to illustrate the difference between City’s Argentine striker Mark I and Mark II, with Aguero looking overjoyed to be in England.
In many respects, the feud between Mancini and Tevez had the potential to unravel the good start made by the club, but it is testament to the professionalism of the team that it was quickly put to one side. And the clinical nature of City’s victories has allowed Mancini to act guilt-free upon his promise that Tevez would never represent the club again.
Aguero’s first appearance came against Swansea City in August and culminated in a fairy tale debut. In the 32 minutes in which Aguero had to introduce himself to the City faithful, he appeared a class act. A goal within eight minutes of his introduction, a sublime assist for David Silva and a screamer in the dying seconds ripped apart the Premier League newcomers. He had made his mark with impressive conviction, but has built on that performance ever since.
A hat-trick at home to Wigan was almost the complete performance, followed by two at Fulham the following week and then the little Argentine caused Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans all sorts of problems in the record-breaking 6-1 drubbing of last season’s champions and fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Aguero’s achievements in the Premier League have also been catalysed by the best efforts of his team-mates; Silva scoring five and assisting in nine, Yaya Toure playing as consistently as ever in the engine room, and Edin Dzeko enjoying an altogether more successful campaign compared with last year.
The 23-year-old has formed a good partnership with Silva in his 14 league appearances and their synchronised peak in form means that the Citizens are two points ahead of Manchester United with a very healthy goal difference of plus 35.
That also goes to show the abundance of firepower Mancini can call upon in the final third. With Aguero accompanied by Dzeko, or even Mario Balotelli, having scored 29 goals between them, to add to Silva and Toure with nine and five assists respectively, City have dismantled some teams, and blown away others. However, the next step for Mancini is not only to push on in order to gain the league glory the club crave, but to transfer their form into Europe, where they now compete in the Europa League after a floundering Champions League campaign, albeit in a tough group.
The recent loss to Chelsea will serve as a reminder that life at the top of the Premier League is hard to maintain, but if Aguero and his team-mates keep their feet firmly on the ground, a first league title in 44 years will soon be beckoning.
