As Manchester City's first visit to the KC Stadium nears, one man undoubtedly looking forward to the occasion will be Geovanni.
A peripheral, seemingly mistrusted figure at Eastlands last season, he's now Hull City's magical Brazilian playmaker, a nippy, pocket-sized player with typical Brazilian skill - great first touch, amazing vision, inveterate attacking instinct, confidence on the ball, accuracy in passing and shooting and, crucially, that little bit of sparkle, that facility to change a game which may otherwise be gently slipping from his team's grasp.
His goals have, of course, created most of the headlines about him. The unimaginable 30-yarder at Arsenal, the swerving free kick at Tottenham Hotspur, the flamboyant diving header at West Bromwich Albion, the unerring piece of history-making against Fulham. But now there is more to his Hull City contribution than those isolated bits of star quality.
After Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic, Phil Brown dropped Geovanni. Substituted against Wigan after an anonymous display, he didn't feature against Newcastle United, nor Everton.
City collected four points from the six available, suggesting that Brown had established Geovanni's specific worth to the team, to wit: if he's playing well, he's in. If he isn't, he's out unless it's the kind of game which might be impossible to win without him.
This means Geovanni represents a weekly risk to the manager, but at the moment it is a risk happily being taken. City have lost three in a row - albeit including two during the 'showbiz' week off - but Geovanni's contribution has not sullied, not declined. Brown has made it clear to the player and to the media that Geovanni is being coached the English way, to be able to make contributions off the ball with effort, backtracking and general teamplay, while never nullifying his capacity to do something extraordinary when on the ball. And, since his triumphant return against Arsenal, Geovanni has repaid his manager's qualified belief.
Geovanni's role in the 4-3-3 has generally been one of schemer and creator. Operating behind (or, more accurately,. hovering around) the front two of Marlon King and Daniel Cousin, he has covered considerable yardage to collect the ball, take potshots, fly wide, cut inside, seek Cousin's head or King's channel runs, or find the late bursts of Dean Marney or, when introduced from the bench, Bernard Mendy. Marney, like last season with Jay Jay Okocha, seems to have been especially inspired by the Brazilian. The structure has been flexible at certain times to make the system a 4-4-2 with Geovanni chasing the flanks more often. He has been a roaring success.
So why wasn't he the revelation at Manchester City that he surely should have been? One season, then a free transfer. That suggests not just a struggle to fit in, but almost a disruptive presence, though the quietly-spoken, churchgoing Geovanni doesn't come across as a divisive figure. Sven Goran Eriksson brought him off the bench in the Premier League no fewer than 17 times last season, but he only started two matches. He scored the only goal in the Manchester derby, which at least means he'll have the blue half of Manchester's eternal gratitude despite general lack of achievement on the whole. The stories have been bandied about concerning Geovanni's temperament, fitness and inability to communicate, while Eriksson's natural caution in midfield, plus the team's runaway start to the season which meant changes were initially unnecessary, will also have contributed to Geovanni's frustrations.
This weekend Geovanni comes face to face with another Brazilian midfielder in Robinho. He cost a lot more, has a higher profile and has courted far more headlines than his elder compatriot. Maybe the title of best Brazilian in England is up for grabs this weekend, and in the context of the game and the situation of the two clubs, there's little doubt that Geovanni represents better value right now - not just because of goals and magic, but because he has been anglicised by Hull City in exactly the way required for this country's top tier.
.jpg)
