SOCCER:ROBERTO MANCINI has said for the first time he will not stand in Carlos Tevez's way if the striker decides he wants to leave Manchester City this summer.
Mancini, preparing for the FA Cup final today and the chance to “make history” at a club looking for their first trophy in 35 years, is increasingly open about the possibility that the game at Wembley could mark Tevez’s last significant contribution to the club.
The growing sense at Eastlands is City’s leading scorer is no longer happy in Manchester, citing the same issues that led to a transfer request being submitted in December.
Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the City chairman, made a personal intervention to dissuade Tevez from leaving then, but Mancini appears to have lost the appetite for trying to change the player’s mind a second time.
“He’s got a five-year contract but I always say that, in my opinion, a player should stay here only if he believes in the project and he’s happy to stay at the club. If I’m not happy to stay at Manchester City I will leave – and it’s the same for the players. If they aren’t happy to stay at the club it’s better they leave.
“This is not just for Carlos, it’s for the players in general. When you start your job every season you should be happy because the season is going to be long and there could be a thousand problems. I have never said Tevez wants to leave. But it will be his decision and it won’t depend on whether we win the FA Cup or not.”
Mancini admitted that losing Tevez would be a major setback to City’s hopes of mounting an authentic title challenge next season. “He has scored over 20 goals and we always say he’s an important player for us.”
However, the manager has been keen to move away from the idea his team is overly dependent on one player. A part of that is because of the lingering issues over Tevez’s fitness, though the Argentinian has reiterated over the last 24 hours he is ready to start today’s final and expects a recall, most likely at the expense of Edin Dzeko.
Mancini has won only one of his five encounters with Stoke City, remembering “we had a problem in every game”.
He added: “They’re not easy to play against. They will play at 200 per cent. We can’t think: ‘Okay, we’re Manchester City’. They (Stoke) are one of the hardest teams we could have faced because they’re different from any other team.”
Mancini is not a fan of the Stoke style – “In my opinion, football should be played with the foot,” he said – but he was also complimentary about the effectiveness of Tony Pulis’s side. “If we play very well and have concentration for 95 minutes I think we can win, but I know it will be difficult.”
Stoke will give Robert Huth and Matthew Etherington as long as possible to prove their fitness. Etherington damaged a hamstring in the 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderer last month, while Huth suffered a knee ligament injury in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Arsenal.
“The two of them, they are training, in respect of doing light training, but we will have fitness tests,” Pulis said.
