The Myth of Javi García

The myth that surrounds Spanish midfielder...

By Archie Barnett

So, I may have developed this thing for Javi García. Maybe because he was so underrated, it frustrates me. The same thing happened with the likes of Pablo Zabaleta and Gareth Barry, however they eventually got the recognition they deserved.

I think García is just about getting there, however there is still an apparent “shock” when people notice he has a “good game”.

In my opinion, García doesn’t have the occasional good game, in fact the majority of games he plays are in fact “good games”. Sure, he had a slow start when he came to Manchester City in 2012, seen by many as a panic buy. He lacked pace, gave the ball away quite a few times, and appeared to the lack the ability that you now need to be a stand out Manchester City player, but the main thing he lacked was the thing the fans also did not have, patience (towards his performances) and confidence in his ability.

I can’t be certain, but maybe the fans at the Etihad expect a midfielder to be talented going forward, be able to provide exquisite balls, get great shots away and if this isn’t the player’s style of play then he certainly isn’t good enough.

So, García might not produce those balls, he might not get shots away, but what exactly does he do?

He sits back, he allows players to go forward. Time and time again, he comes on and allows Yaya Touré to progress up the pitch – changing the game.

His role is to hold the back and midfield to allow others to attack. Attacking isn’t his forte, so he excels in an area that seems to be a blind spot for many football fans.

I think he is starting to get the recognition he deserves for the role he does, just about. But what exactly does he need to do in order to become that midfielder that is recognised every time he plays?

I would say keep playing how he is. He needed time, he’s had it. Many will disagree with me probably, but I feel that García is not that far behind the big performers in the Capital One Cup champion’s side.

Adapting to a new league takes time sometimes, Manchester City fans are patient the majority of time – I know I did say they lacked the patience. I say they lack patience, because they are quick to get on a players back. Especially García, on Twitter, whenever he was mentioned in the starting line-up people started to say “that’s us losing then”, “García starting, great...”, even the #AskGarcia trend that Manchester City started ended up in abuse towards the player for his ability.

But like I said, he’s now finally getting a bit of recognition from the City fans, but even that gets on my nerves a little.

“Wow Javi García actually played well” etc.

Have a bit of faith in his ability, who knows, maybe now you will actually start noticing the job he does at the club rather than being shocked when you notice he has a stand out game.

Please note – this is the first post I have written in a long time, I just wanted to show my thoughts on that matter – I appreciate that you may not find it any good at all.

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