When the reigning Premier League Champions excluded Stevan Jovetic from their 21 man Champions League squad, Manchester City fans seemed to understand the decision made by their manager.
While the form of Stevan Jovetic was a primary factor for his exclusion, the sanctions implied by the FFP on Manchester City also played a vital part indirectly for the exit of Jovetic from the reduced 21 man squad.
Although they were handed a group of death with AS Roma, Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow as their partners, the Citizens were only 2nd best to the German Champions as they finished 2nd in the group stages.
Jovetic, who has played in 5 matches of Champions League this season, has failed to impress and thus faced the exit from the 21 man list. Since moving on from the Italian side FC Fiorentina in the summer of 2013/14, the injury factor of the Jovetic has reduced his time on the pitch.
In the 1st two seasons at Manchester City till date, Jovetic has taken part in 27 League appearances with 5 appearances for the team in the Champions League.
While his injury record is worse, his goal-scoring record for Manchester City is worst as the striker has managed just 8 goals in his 1st two seasons at the Etihad.
However, when Manchester City signed Wilfried Bony from Swansea for a fee in the region of 28 million pounds, there was a common consensus amongst the Manchester City fans that their team will go into the Champions League with 4 forwards at the helm.
But thanks to the restrictions imposed by the FFP, Manchester City had to field a squad of just 21 players. And with no other player in the team worthy to deserve an axe, it was the Montenegrin who bore the brunt of this restriction.
However, with Champions League set to resume again, Jovetic has come out firing as he accused Manuel Pellegrini of ‘’killing’’ him with this decision.
‘’I deserve to play in the Champions League. I know that,”
“The manager has killed me with this decision. I feel I deserve my place and other people have told me the same. People have told me I am a great player, but it is clear that the manager doesn’t think the same way.
“I am very disappointed, even now. I don’t think it was a good decision – or the right decision.
“I know that I deserve to be on the list. I told the manager this, but he didn’t want to listen to me. I came here to play in the Champions League’’
said Jovetic in his recent interview to Sunday Mirror.
Although the timing of this comment cannot look more bad as Manchester City are set to play 1st of two legs against Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that Jovetic has still a future at the Etihad. However, with Bony set to wave his magic wand for the first time, these comments could pave the way for an early end of Jovetic’s Manchester City career.
Stevan Jovetic fuming at Manuel Pellegrini for Champions League exclusion
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