Boca Juniors have been priced out of an audacious move to re-sign Carlos Tevez.
Buenos Aires-based Boca were considering a cheeky bid to bring Tevez back to the club, where he started his career as a 16-year-old, in an emergency loan move.
But the Argentinians have had to admit defeat, because of the Manchester City outcast's £250,000-a-week salary.
Boca were hoping that either Tevez would slash his wage demands or that City would subsidise his huge salary, but they have had to admit both are highly unlikely.
Brazil's Corinthians - another of Tevez's former clubs - are the only South American side with the money to sign the striker, and they claim they will renew their interest in the winter transfer window.
Juventus, who failed with a bid to sign Tevez in the summer, and AC Milan are also preparing bids for January.
The 27-year-old will finally learn his punishment for allegedly refusing to play against Bayern Munich when he appears before a City disciplinary hearing this week. Mirror
We're 'lucky' to have chance of Champions League progression, says Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini hailed Sergio Aguero’s for keeping alive Manchester City’s European dream with his last-minute winner against Villarreal.
City looked to be heading towards a premature exit from the Champions League group stages as they toiled at 1-1 in injury-time, looking well off the pace in the race for the last 16.
Substitute Aguero transformed the mood at the Etihad Stadium, and more importantly restored City’s prospects in Group A, with a winner with the last kick of the game.
City had earlier conceded a fourth-minute strike by Cani, before Carlos Marchena’s own goal brought parity before half-time.
Mancini’s side now trail second place Napoli by a point, although they have two tough away games still to come in Italy and Spain.
That didn’t matter to the Italian coach as he admitted his side was 'lucky’ to still have a chance of progression.
“That was the last chance and at that moment we were lucky because you need to be lucky in the last second, but we had other chances and I believe we deserved to win,” said Mancini “Without that goal it would have been very difficult, but this makes it better as did the draw for Napoli with Bayern Munich.
“The game in Naples will be the decisive game – one hundred per cent. That will be very important but before that we will play at Villarreal and it will be important to take the point there. At the moment Bayern Munich has seven points and Napoli has five points so first place is still open as well as second place.
“We know how important it was to win this game and when you score in the last second it means it has been very difficult. We need to win our first game in the Champions League because now everything can happen in the group. We can be in first place and we can go to Villarreal in 15 days with a chance.”
City had squandered a host of chances prior to Aguero’s late intervention, with Edin Dzeko the biggest culprit. He missed three presentable opportunities and Mancini accepted his side must be more ruthless if they are to make their mark in the competition.
“In the Champions League when you have one chance you must score or it will go the other way,” he said.
“We had a lot of chances and deserved to win this game, in the second half it was difficult because they played a lot behind the ball in the second half, but when you have one chance you must score.”
As has become a habit for City in Europe, there was another controversial moment courtesy of the substitutes bench when Mancini ruthlessly withdrew Adam Johnson six minutes before half-time.
The winger was visibly distressed by the decision, but the City boss said he had explained his thinking to the player.
“I spoke with Johnson and he understood,” he said. “We were conceding four or five counter attacks and I wanted to change things. It was not because Adam played badly, but it was a tactical substitution.
“Sometimes a manager can decide if the team needs a tactical substitution. I understand why any player who leaves the pitch on 39 minutes is disappointed, but Adam is a very important player for us.”
City will now head into this weekend’s Manchester derby in buoyant mood, although the duel challenge of excelling at home and in Europe is a concern to Mancini.
“This win was important for the Champions League not the derby,” he said. “That will be a different game and different situation. For our confidence it is good.
“Playing Premier League needs a lot of strength and energy. It is very hard playing again after a Champions League game. Even the teams who have played Champions League for many years sometimes have problems, but we want to try to do well in both competitions and get to the second stage.”
Villarreal’s players contested Aguero’s winner after the final whistle, but coach Juan Carlos Garrido had no complaints.
“My players thought it was offside but it was not offside,” he said. “They were just disappointed because we have played a good match and we deserved 1-1. We think we merited more and it was unfair to lose.”
Astute Mancini inspires Man City by Phil McNulty
When quizzed about the possibility of The Stone Roses reforming, bass player Mani once infamously remarked that it would happen "the day after Manchester City win the European Cup."
The message behind fanatical Manchester United supporter Mani's words was clear - one event was as unlikely to come to pass as the other.
So as Mani played his part in the announcement of that supposedly impossible Stone Roses reunion on Tuesday, City were not winning the tournament now known as the Champions League but they were finally making their first serious impact.
And manager Roberto Mancini's wild, spinning, punching celebration after Sergio Aguero's winner with almost the final kick of the game was worthy of claiming the trophy, even if the match and City's overall performance was not.
With the sweeping close-range finish from Pablo Zabaleta's cross two seconds after the end of the minimum three minutes of stoppage time, Aguero transformed frustration and potential failure into the possibility that City's road may yet lead into the knockout phase.
This 2-1 victory was as much Mancini's as Manchester City's, built on something that has provided a dramatic back story to this club's predictably turbulent introduction to the Champions League - namely substitutions.
The sky fell in on Mancini when City lost to Bayern Munich, with Edin Dzeko showing his displeasure after being taken off and his request for Carlos Tevez to warm up as substitute still rumbling on today with "did he didn't he?" ramifications about whether the Argentine was actually ready and willing to play.
In such circumstances Mancini could be forgiven for treating each change as if it had a lighted fuse attached, but he did not shy away from such decisions at Etihad Stadium and fortune favoured his bravery.
With City a goal down to Cani's early strike, Mancini's discontent at Villarreal's counter-attacking capabilities led him to consider a tactical change that would require the removal of Adam Johnson six minutes before the interval.
Mancini could have taken the easy way out and waited another few minutes until half-time, but it was to his credit that he was willing to take the risk despite recent history.
Humiliating for the player and awkward for a manager who knew this move had the potential to backfire, Mancini still backed his instincts to fill midfield more and put Yaya Toure closer to Dzeko, whose performance was so poor he could have been substituted at any stage without complaint.
Johnson, understandably, was unhappy and departed in a head-shaking huff which later drew sympathy from Mancini who understood the pain he felt at being taken off so prematurely.
And yet within minutes it had the desired effect. Gareth Barry, on for Johnson, helped Aleksandar Kolarov force Carlos Marchena into the own goal that gave City the lift they needed before half-time.
Even greater irony was reserved for the decisive substitution. Mancini summoned an Argentine, this time in the shape of Aguero, to warm up then win the game for City.
Aguero obliged with relish on all counts, proving his recovery from a groin injury with a lively cameo and the goal that may just prove the catalyst to make Manchester City's Champions League come alive.
City still lie third behind Bayern and the dangerous Napoli, with a trip to Naples looming, but the change in mood from the moment Aguero struck was stark. Suddenly there was a feeling City might actually make their way out of the tournament's time-honoured "Group Of Death" when obituaries may have been prepared if they had only gained a point.
Mancini and his players still have much to do because so much of this was unconvincing and played out in a subdued atmosphere, with barely 100 Villarreal fans having enough faith to follow their team to Manchester.
City may be at the Premier League summit and collecting an array of gifted and expensive players, but it is clear they are still having trouble juggling the two priorities and a new team is effectively learning on the job in the Champions League.
Despite the lavish individual talent City do not, at least not yet, look like a side capable of troubling the heavy weaponry in Europe's elite.
Yaya Toure has won the Champions League with Barcelona and David Silva has rich experience in the tournament, but here they are part of a team short on street wisdom at this level.
Silva, so magical in domestic competition, was shut down by Villarreal as they denied him the time and space to move between midfield and attack in the fashion that has illuminated the Premier League this season.
And Dzeko, who started the season so potently, appears to have mislaid his confidence and once more looks like the player who struggled to justify his expensive acquisition last season.
City, however, got the job done and in a manner mirroring so many of the efforts of the men Mani lends his support to at Old Trafford - late and after a performance that laboured for so long until it somehow produced a win.
The reaction of Mancini, his staff, players and the City fans still present - some had given up before Aguero's goal - indicated just how important it might be. They may not win the Champions League, indeed they may still fail to reach the knockout phase, but City's minimum requirement is to at least the competition something to remember them by.
It remains to be seen if City can maintain serious pursuit of the Premier League and chase the Champions League without one target suffering, with even Mancini himself expressing concerns, but at least the manager's substitutions and Aguero's desire to come off the bench and make a difference has given them the chance to try.
[spoiler]Martina Colombari
[/spoiler]MANCHESTER UNITED ARE MOST DETESTED CLUB .... EVER
MANCHESTER United are top of the league again – as Britain’s most hated club.
The 19-time champions pulled in more almost a third of the total vote in a survey of fans.
Chelsea – three-times Premier League champs – got 10%of the hate vote, with Arsenal just behind them with 9.3%.
Liverpool came fourth while big-spending Manchester City, who are currently top of the Premier League, were fifth.
But only just over 6% of supporters said a club’s success was a key factor in forming their dislike.
The biggest reason was historical rivalry (21.5%) followed by the behaviour of players (14.6%) and the behaviour of fans (17.45%).
Other factors included geographical closeness to their own home club (11.45%), wealth (9.6%) and the manager’s behaviour (6.7%).
The survey of 2,000 supporters by online bookmaker 888sport was carried out ahead of this weekend’s top-of- the-table clash between Manchester United and Manchester City to see whether City’s new-found Arab wealth had made them more unpopular than their successful neighbours.
A 888sport spokesman Ed Nicholson said: “The Manchester derby is the biggest fixture of the season so far.
“We wanted to find out if Man City’s millions have made them the most hated club, when typically United have held that position. We’re definitely surprised City aren’t higher up the table.”
In the wake of Wayne Rooney’s red card while playing for England, the firm is offering 2-1 odds that a player will get his marching orders at Old Trafford on Sunday.
OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United are set to pip Arsenal to the signing of the 'new Luka Modric', Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Mateo Kovacic. Metro
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has become a surprise transfer target for Serie A giants Juventus. talkSHIT
The news that Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero will not be offered a new contract at the end of the season has put a number of Premier League clubs on alert. Daily Mail
Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires, 38, is hoping to extend his playing career in Qatar or Russia. the Sun
Newcastle are on the brink of sealing an £8m deal to sign Sochaux striker Modibo Maiga in January. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are rumoured to be interested in two of Barcelona's most promising youngsters, right-back Martin Montoya and centre-back Marc Bartra. Inside Futbol
Real Madrid could tempt Arsenal into selling skipper Robin Van Persie next summer by making a £30m offer for the striker. Caught Offside
Porto striker Hulk says he does not know which team he will be playing for after the January transfer window, with Chelsea favourites to sign the 25-year-old. talkSHIT
West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is hoping to extend his stay at the Boleyn Ground from Arsenal. the Sun
Former England captain David Beckham was reportedly approached by 15 clubs regarding his future but will either sign a new deal with LA Galaxy or join Paris St Germain. Daily Mirror
Arsenal skipper Robin Van Persie has urged defender Thomas Vermaelen to ditch his beloved retro Nissan Figaro now that he has signed a new contract with the Gunners. Metro
Former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson has been back at the club, learning coaching skills with Academy boss Alan Irvine, and is working to secure his qualification badges. Daily Mirror
10 Things That Could Go Horribly Wrong At Mario Balotelli’s Christmas Party
According to the Metro among others, as Man City’s leading example of austerity and demure sophistication, ‘Mario Balotelli: Party Liaison’ has stepped forward and duly volunteered himself to organise Man City’s Christmas shindig this year.
A staunch advocate of expensive restaurants and the gentlemanly pursuit of darts, Mario has promised to ‘take the party to the next level’ without the influence of alcohol – surely everything should go swimmingly, right? Right?
Lets travel into the future and imagine a few of the scenes that could unfold on that fateful night – though, of course, none are mutually exclusive. In fact, you could probably get decent odds on all ten cracking off simultaneously with Balotelli at the helm…
1. Party accidentally booked at the same venue as Manchester United Supporters Club bash
After spending more time on booking his entertainers and organising decorations, Balotelli forgets to arrange a venue. With vacancies running out, Mario is forced to book a club that is also playing host to their Manchester rivals supporters party on the same night. Throughout the evening the players are subject to several taunts, which results in a classic ‘Balotelli vs everyone else’ stare-out. Manchester city centre is reduced to rubble within hours.
2. Youth team player has cigar stubbed out in eye, retinas used as ashtrays. Hang on…Joey, what the hell are you doing here?
3. Samir Nasri ID’d, forced to go home
Arsenal’s Christmas parties were usually held at Laser Quest, so the prospect of going to a real drinking establishment got Samir all excited. Hastily, he orders a red WKD and a cheeky sambucca. Schoolboy error. After failing to prove he was actually 24, Nasri is politely asked by the management to leave. The French midfielder then spends the rest of the evening on a park bench, drinking White Ace and sobbing softly.
4. Owen Hargreaves inhales fake snow, ruled out for the rest of the season
Disappointed by the lack of snow in the North East this year, Balotelli attempts to create his own winter wonderland. Failing to get any snow from the very summit of Mount Everest delivered in time, Mario cobbles together a snow machine in his garage at home. After using a lethal mix of chemicals and hydrochloric acid, the fake snow is highly toxic and should not be consumed under any circumstances. Unfortunately for injury prone Hargreaves, a large clump lands in his pint of Dandelion & Burdock and he duly develops a nasty stomach ulcer that rules him out of the rest of City’s Carling Cup campaign.
5. Adam Johnson wakes up in Azerbaijan, now the leader of a cult
After slamming 12 Jaegers, the young England winger wakes up in a remote part of Azerbaijan. Inexplicably, he is now the leader of a bizarre cult for bearded women, who worship Freddie Starr. City are perplexed to his whereabouts. The dastardly Toure brothers look sheepish for weeks.
6. Carlos Tevez turns up. Silence.
7. Party is advertised everywhere, drinks spiked
Eager to prove his partying credentials, Balotelli has his agents advertise the event on every conceivable website, street corner and through every letter box imaginable. Man City’s next opponents catch wind of this and sneak a septic tank’s worth of absinthe into the club’s pipes. Everyone who is not either missing or injured goes green and falls incredibly ill. Only Edin Dzeko, Stefan Savic and Alexsander Kolarov survive, partially thanks to their hardened Eastern European stomachs. The trio then play the next match with a bunch of youth players. Still win 4-0.
8. Sergio Aguero attacked by angry Bengali Tiger
Wanting several focal points throughout the party, Mario has a rare Bengali tiger imported to presumably perform (or, more accurately, ‘be continually tormented’) at the event. After an hour of having peanuts and pound coins thrown at him, the large cat breaks free. Furiously the tiger tries to seek revenge on Nigel De Jong and Vincent Kompany, but is easily shrugged off by the defensive duo. Looking for smaller prey, Sergio Aguero is singled out. Whilst the Argentine darts around early on, he is quickly taken out with a sickening crunch. Injuries are unknown, but plastic surgery will definitely be required.
9. Game of ‘Dwarf Darts’ ends in hospital
With a history of throwing darts at people, Mad Mario decides to rectify his previous wrong-doings by cutting out the middle man and throwing soft, fleshy people around instead. A group of highly-trained dwarfs are drafted in to perform such a horrendous task. One by one, they are catapulted onto an over-sized bullseye crash mat, until a stray shot from Gareth Barry lodges firmly up the backside of James Milner. The game is quickly stopped, followed by a prompt and awkward trip to A&E. Let it be known that Pies does not condone this activity in anyway.
10. Balotelli somehow manages to bankrupt Man City
Balotelli’s investments for the party included gold plating for the entire building, a concert from an exhumed and ‘marionetted’ Michael Jackson and a indoor roller coaster made of unicorn horns. These easily exceed the original budget of £65 by about a couple of hundred million. Added to that are several animal/dwarf welfare law-suits and unparalleled levels of damages and compensation pay-outs. Sheik Mansour decides he can no longer afford to line the pockets of Man City’s petulant millionaires and decides to pile his remaining £500 into Plymouth instead.
