Why Martin Demichelis Is the Ideal Man City Role Model for Eliaquim Mangala

Eliaquim Mangala, Manchester City’s £32 million summer signing from Porto, is out of Saturday’s match with Tottenham at the Etihad with a “small muscle problem” but is expected to return for the match with CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, City manager Manuel Pellegrini told reporters: “The situation about all the players is good. We have just a small problem with Mangala that has a small muscle injury but I think he will be fit without any problems for Tuesday. All the other players are okay.”

It’s a blow for Mangala, who had been feeling his way into the City first team after initially being held back by Pellegrini. The City boss felt the defender’s fitness was short of the required level after his protracted transfer led to a truncated preseason, and he was left out of the side until the sixth match of the season against Chelsea.

City, though, can call on Martin Demichelis, their Argentine centre-back who has emerged as a star in the last 18 months after an unsure start to life in English football. He played a key role in the club’s League Cup and Premier League title wins in his debut season, before helping his national side to the final of the World Cup in Brazil.

His outstanding form has continued this season. Indeed, Pellegrini may well have been keen to integrate Mangala sooner had he not had the luxury of an experienced and in-form player in direct competition with him.

Demichelis is now a firm fan favourite and a player respected by the wider football community, but it hasn’t always been the case. His first few months in English football were characterised by uncertainty.

Last March, when his errors were partly responsible for defeats to Barcelona and Wigan that resulted in exits from the Champions League and FA Cup, Demichelis was cast as a player incapable of providing City with the quality they need to compete for trophies.

However, in one of the most dramatic turnarounds in form in recent memory, he answered his critics emphatically with a series of superb displays. The turning point was arguably the match at Hull in mid-March. With Vincent Kompany seeing red early in the game, City’s season looked to be disintegrating, but Demichelis rallied his teammates and led by example.

City won the match and turned their title fortunes around, and Demichelis grew in confidence. His form during the final stretch was outstanding, arguably outstripping Kompany, his much-feted partner. He went from pariah to hero in a matter of months.

It underlines his experience and mental toughness. Weaker players would have wilted, but Demichelis never once shied away from his duties, and he was rewarded handsomely come the end of the season when he lifted the Premier League title as a cult hero with the City fans. They recognised the role he had played in delivering one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history.

At £3.5 million, he’s proven to be one of the most inspired signings in Pellegrini’s short reign. He’s a vastly experienced player, having spent seven years at Bayern Munich before moving to La Liga and working alongside Pellegrini at Malaga after having also played under him at River Plate earlier in his career.

Not only can he provide class on the field, but he can guide the club’s younger players off it and imbue them with his experience at the top level of the game.

Mangala, at just 23, has much to learn. However, with Demichelis still gracing the City training ground, he's in the right place to develop his game.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.