MANCHESTER CITY’S LONG ROAD AHEAD TO BECOMING THE ENGLISH IMAGE OF BARCELONA
A successful Manchester City side
bolstered by local English talent is an ideal worth pursuing, writes Desmond
Kane.
After a weekend when
Noel Gallagher appeared on Match of the Day, it is perhaps poignant to recall a
time when Manchester City were the quintessential English club. When
Oasis and Gallagher ruled the world, City were Champagne Supernova without much
champagne.
The mid-90s was a moment in time
when Franny Lee was chairman and gone-but-not forgotten English managers like
Brian Horton, Alan Ball, Steve Coppell and Frank Clark were doing the rounds at the old Maine Road as
City yoyoed between the Premiership and the old First Division. And even the
Second Division.
Money has enabled City to desist
with the requirement to buy British if the standard isn't good enough.
A bottomless pit of resources
funded by a billionaire owner from the Gulf region have provided City with the
finance to hire talent from within and outwith this part of the world. For such
a club, the richest in the world, only the best will do. Nationality does not
come into it.
When City walk out to face Barcelona
in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 match on Tuesday evening a
year after taking the same steps against the Catalan side, some within City
will view it as the ultimate ambition for the English club. Not winning the
Champions League trophy, but the organisation, infrastructure and brand
awareness that Barcelona have built up.
It is almost like a football
version of Ripley's Game in one club trying to be somebody else. That is no bad
thing. Just an observation.
Barcelona are what City want to
be. They have a culture and an identity that fits well with City's owner Sheikh
Mansour, a figure who continues to be progressive in using football as a
vehicle to promote his other main business interests. Namely the tourism and
good name of Abu Dhabi as a place to do business and holiday.
Imitation is the best form of
flattery, but the pursuit of perfection is not limited to acquiring fresh
players.
It is only two years since then
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell apparently lamented City's very public
pursuit of his club's best brains.
City recruited their director of
football Txiki Begiristain and chief executive Ferran Soriano from Barcelona.
When Barca visit the Etihad Stadium, both will support a home team with only
two English players. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was plucked from Shrewsbury Town in his formative
years.
The other, James Milner, was recruited for around £28 million from Aston
Villa five years ago.
"Manchester City have indeed launched an
offensive to lure a number of people away from Barcelona," said Rosell.
"We're talking about people at all levels of the Barca structure, not just
players. Their attempts have been unsuccessful, though, as our employees are
happy here. There have been contacts, but we have a fantastic group of people
and nobody wants to go."
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