As the ball bounced towards the byline in the 25th minute of the F.A Cup encounter between Wigan and Manchester City, Marc Antoine Fortune probably saw Martin Demichelis close in on his heels. Which is why in all probability, Fortune flicked the ball and spun pretty unconventionally; Demichelis’ woeful lack of pace making it look like a Neymar-esque skill full of effortless elegance. By the time the Argentinean regained the will to sprint and prevent another of his trademark, generous mistakes, Fortune was already in the City box. The rest as they say is history. City fans everywhere groaned at yet another example of the Argentinean defying blatant footballing logic; memories of a similarly hopeless and unrequited lunge on Lionel Messi came flooding back to the Etihad faithful, shattered only by the ball nestling in the net from Jordi Gomez’s well-taken penalty.
Needless to say, Demichelis has faced nothing short of a torturous six months in Manchester. In the short while that he has plied his trade in the Premier League, the Argentinean defender has been maligned for multiple reasons; primarily attributed to eccentric decision making and pace that makes Sol Campbell look like Lightning McQueen. But everything said and (un)done, City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s mettle as an astute tactician cannot be refuted, indicating that there could be a satisfactory rationale for including him in the side.
Demichelis started his career at River Plate almost 14 years ago, under Pellegrini. In 2003 he signed for Bayern Munich, winning the title in his second season. In his seven and a half year stint with the German powerhouse, Demichelis finished with 11 titles, four of them Bundesliga triumphs. At the end of his stay, Demichelis was reunited with Pellegrini at Malaga, where both experienced two rollercoaster seasons. He scored on his debut against Athletic Bilbao, but his penchant for atrocity also showed as he was sent off twice in his first four months. However, Demichelis became a vital part of Malaga’s set up, helping them avoiding relegation. In his second season, he scored Malaga’s first ever Champions League goal against Greek side Panathanaikos, and helped them to the quarterfinals where they lost out narrowly to Borussia Dortmund, who scored twice in injury time for a 3-2 aggregate win. Demichelis then made a move to the Premier League, to be reunited yet again with Manuel Pellegrini.
Player- Manager bond aside, Demichelis’ numbers at Malaga were certainly interesting, undoubtedly two of his best seasons in terms of defensive performances. In 2011-2012, Demichelis played 35 matches for Malaga. He had an average of 3.4 successful tackles a game, and a career high 152 interceptions at 4.3 per game. In next season’s Champions League, Demichelis made a staggering 94 clearances in nine games, at an astounding 10.4 per match. The only blotch on Demichelis’ figures seemed to be that he had made five defensive errors, all of which had resulted in a goal, indicating that Demichelis’ errors always proved to be costly. But at 4.2 million GBP, for a full international with extensive experience in Europe’s top leagues, Demichelis seemed to be a bargain signing for Pellegrini and City.