Bellamy Makes His Case

If Mark Hughes’ pursuit in assembling the most expansive and expensive strike force in the Premier League was to be judged over the first two months of the Premier League season, he would be vindicated.   In recruiting Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz in addition to what Manchester City already had, their manager threatened to overcomplicate his attacking options and create more problems than it solved.   With Robinho, Valeri Bojinov and Benjani in City’s massed ranks, the club’s summer signings were supposed to create competiveness too intense for high-profile international stars to be comfortable with.

It has also allowed one player, who might have been amongst the candidates deemed surplus to requirements following the mass influx, to shine.

Craig Bellamy was seen as a stop-gap January transfer window signing before the main recruitment drive, but as international breaks and controversial goal celebrations took its toll on other big-name players, it presented the Welshman with the opportunity to make it clear he is still very much part of Hughes’ long-term plans.

It is uncertain whether Bellamy would have featured as prominently as he has done if everyone else had been fit and available to play.

But in light of this, Hughes has opted to use the former West Ham forward predominantly as an outlet on the wing, to devastating effect so far.

Bellamy has always had blistering pace and an eye for goal, but having played for so many clubs in his career he made a reputation for being a journeyman who would needlessly get involved in impetuous arguments with his team-mates and managers. It seemed he didn’t have the discipline or the ability to cut it at the highest level.

And several good performances in the space of two months aren’t enough on their own to convince he will make the step up and be good enough to deliver in the long haul.

But his outstanding displays and even better goals against Arsenal, Manchester United and Aston Villa have given him every opportunity of keeping his place when the rest of City’s big guns return from the sidelines. If the manager isn’t sure whether to play Santa Cruz or Robinho over Bellamy, it means the latter is doing something spectacularly right.

He doesn’t do himself any favours when he needlessly slaps a defenceless moron in a derby game and it only adds to the doubts about his hot-headedness.

Bellamy enjoyed a stroke of misfortunate that paved the way for his inclusion up to now and was even luckier to escape punishment for that unpleasant incident at Old Trafford.

He needs to knuckle down, avoid unnecessary confrontations and keep playing the way he has been playing because Mark Hughes can ill-afford to be sentimental with his fellow countryman when others are back hungry and ready to fight for their place at Manchester City.

Posted: