Does Tévez like Dimitar?

[AleG]

The objective of this Discussion is to prove or refute the next hypothesis: Carlos Tévez hates Dimitar Berbatov.

It has been 4 months since Dimitar joined Manchester United. Ferguson paid a club record transfer fee to get him. So it was obvious from September 1st that SAF wanted him as main striker and not just a squad player.

The problem with Tévez is that he was part of the starting XI before Dimitar arrived. And now, Ferguson prefers the Rooney-Dimitar partnership leaving Tévez with few matches to play. I suspect Tévez hates Dimitar because of it. I can see it when they play together, the way he looks at Dimitar, the way he ignores him when Dimitar is in better position, the way he celebrated the Stoke goal as he was the architect of the goal and barely thanked Dimitar.

Please add your views about this issue. Also, your impression of their interaction after every match with both of them on the pitch is welcome.

[Andrea]

Well, it's obvious that since Dimitar arrived Tevez had played less games, cause Ferguson prefers to get Dimitar and Wayne together. I don't know if Carlos actually hates him but I'm sure he doesn't like that fact very much. Carlos is the kind of player who always want to be in the field so maybe he feels a bit discouraged with Mitko playing in his place.

[Mira]

Well, i don`t know if Tevez hates him , but it`s obviously that they`re not good mates. That`s kinda normal, right? I mean , because of the situation he`s now . Yeah, i agree with you about the goal vs Stoke city ( it was scored by him , but thanks to Berbatov ) I have notice the way Tevez celebrated it , too. Do you know what this reminds me of? There`s no way you could forgot the brilliant assist that Berba give up to Ronaldo in the game against West Ham . Tevez and Ronaldo celebrate the goal like Dimitar has got nothing to do with it . Yet another thing that impress me - the way Nani links up with Dim . Well, he barely passes him the ball .

[AleG]

The home match vs Chelsea was a good example of how Dimitar has pushed Tévez to the bench and how Carlos looks disheartened. Dimitar played the whole match and scored a goal near the end.

In the second half, around the 60th minute we got to see Tévez warming up as players often do before entering the field. He was clapping to the fans. Two minutes later, we see Rooney scoring the second goal in the 63rd minute. Fast forward to almost the end of the match, we see Tévez back on the bench. Every manager normally substitutes players by the hour of play, which is why we saw Tévez warming up. I suspect he would enter in place of Rooney but after his goal, Tévez opportunity went to the drain.

The cherry of the cake was Dimitar’s goal, the third for ManUtd in the 87th minute. After Dimitar’s goal we saw Tévez on the bench, very grim. He must have thought that both forwards scored against another team of the Big Four, taking his chances for first team play to a low place and his opportunity for a permanent deal very difficult.

Rating: Tévez mad because he did not play and both forwards scored.

mira, Nani has poor decision making and awful passes... Bad if also Cristiano ignored him.

Andrea and mira, thanks for your input.

[AleG]

The home match vs Wigan started with Rooney and Dimitar as forwards. Rooney scored a goal in the first minute assisted by Cristiano and Dimitar was involved in that play. However, Rooney got injured 5 minutes later, prompting Tévez to substitute him.

So, we got to see the Tévez - Dimitar partnership for more that 80 minutes. I just saw 2 or 3 passes among them. They were kept apart in the field as Dimitar was part of the link between the midfield and the men in front. I saw no real interaction between them, to judge about this hypothesis.

mira mentioned something about Nani. This match showed Dimitar frustrated with him. In the first half we got to see Dimitar complaining to Nani as his pass did not find Nani in the left wing, so Dimitar clearly complained to Nani for all the TV cameras to see. A few minutes later we again see Dimitar yelling something to Nani, about passing or loosing the ball.

Dimitar, if you want to become friends with Cristiano... do not yell at Nani.

[AleG]

The match vs Bolton showed little effectiveness in ManUtd attack. Dimitar and Tévez exchanged a few passes but they were not linking enough. Dimitar again played more in the midfield and sometimes in front of goal. The good thing is that Dimitar's goal was assisted by Tévez, a precise pass to him. Dimitar acknowledged Tévez effort the minute he stood to celebrate the goal. At the end of the match, other players went to congratulate Dimitar: Giggs, Scholes, Vidic, Cristiano; but no Tévez.

No more can be said of their interaction.

[AleG]

The fourth round of the FA Cup vs Tottenham was another chance to showcase the Tévez - Dimitar partnership. Dimitar scored the goal which eventually became the winner. There were few interactions among them. At least Tévez came to congratulate Dimitar on his goal. Although other reports say Tévez busted his lungs for the team, I saw him acting selfish and with big errors to make me thing he played for the rivals.

[AleG]

The away match vs West Brom saw Dimitar more integrated to the team. Apparently, he enjoyed every minute. Tévez and Dimitar did not have many interactions. But the fifth goal started with Tévez passing the ball to Dimitar and Dimitar passed the ball to Cristiano, who scored.

[AleG]

The home match vs Everton also feature the Tévez - Dimitar partnership. Yesterday, Tévez had a better performance than Dimitar and we saw a couple of passes from Tévez to Dimitar which he wasted, unfortunately.

Reports say that Rooney might be back for the next match, agains Tévez old club West Ham.

[AleG]

The away match vs West Ham saw the Tévez - Dimitar partnership again. Dimitar played deep. Both forwards were so ineffectual and had little interaction with each other. I have to say the whole team looked bleak. Only Giggs, Carrick and the central defenders did a good job.

[AleG]

It is transparent to Tévez’s friends that he is not happy with the arrival of Dimitar. According to his friends, Tévez knows that Dimitar is the cause he is down in the pecking order of forwards, acting as replacement for Rooney. He is advised by his national coach and friends to quit Manchester United, they have recommended him to join Real Madrid or Internazionale Milan. Read the opinion of his “friend” in:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1140674/Berbatov-...
Berbatov the Real reason Tevez should leave United, says Ardiles
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 3:42 PM on 10th February 2009

[AleG]

The home match vs Fulham showed a better understanding and collaboration between the pair. Dimitar sent great passes to Tévez and Tévez also involved Dimitar in play. This match also saw the return of Rooney after his hamstring injury, I think after 7 matches. Rooney substituted Dimitar in the 60th minute.

Also, I found this interview from Tévez before the Fulham match where he talks about his partnership with Dimitar. Nothing shocking. He says the parnership is developing very well, when they play together they always try to look for each other and do everything they can for the team success. He would like it to be the same but with the fans-favorite-Rooney, the 3 of them would have to fight for the 2 spots up front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HS5Zsgwc_4
Tevez about Berbatov, Rooney and the rivalry between them
Uploaded by enjoyenjoyenjoyenjoy

[AleG]

The match vs Blacburn started with Dimitar and Rooney up front. Tévez came off the bench in the 64th minute replacing Nani. So, the three forward had a few minutes to play together. Nothing relevant to report.