Tevez is not leaving Man. City, at least not right away

Nothing like a public spat with your team played out in the British tabloids. I've found that always solves my problems.

Carlos Tevez must agree as his latest drama has involved his should I stay or should I go deal with Manchester City. The newest chapter is that he withdrew his transfer request, he must be in the holiday spirit.

City announced that Tevez's contract, which has 3 1/2 years to run, remains unchanged and that the Argentina international has "expressed his absolute commitment to the club.''

Tevez retained the captaincy for Monday's game against Everton and received a warm reception from the home fans, but could not prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 loss that leaves City third, two points behind leader Manchester United.

The defeat soured the mood at Eastlands following the earlier news that Tevez, the club's top scorer and highest paid player, had had a dramatic change of heart.

In a total PR damage control move, Manchester City tried to sweep all of this under the rug. Nothing to see here folks.

"Manchester City can confirm to its fans that 'clear the air' talks have been held with Carlos Tevez,'' the club said in a statement. "During the meeting Carlos expressed his absolute commitment to the club and formally withdrew his transfer request. Carlos' contract remains unchanged and both Carlos and the football club are keen to focus on the opportunities that lie ahead.''

Tevez is seen as pivotal to City's hopes of winning the top flight title for the first time since 1968. His 10 league goals have put City on course for a top four finish and qualification for the Champions League.

"Carlos is a world class player whose contribution since he joined the club has been invaluable,'' City manager Roberto Mancini said. "I am pleased that we are now able to focus on pure football matters and to be able to look forward to Carlos continuing to play a significant role in the club's progress.''

The statement contained no direct comment from the 26-year-old Tevez, and Mancini did not reveal what had prompted Tevez to change his mind.

"I think that it's not important,'' Mancini said "It's important that the situation was clear in this moment and everything went in a good way, that's important.''

This will be something to pay attention to as the EPL season goes by and depending on how Manchester City ends up. For Tevez and the team, it has to be Champions League (top 4) or bust.