Javier Garrido is delighted that he has a chance to prove himself under new manager Roberto Mancini.
Spaniard vows to take opportunity under Mancini
Manchester City defender Javier Garrido is delighted that he has a chance to prove himself under new manager Roberto Mancini.
The 24-year-old Spanish left-back was brought to Eastlands by former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson in August 2007, but found himself frozen out under Mark Hughes.
Mancini gave him a recall as a substitute in the win against Stoke on Saturday and he netted a superb free-kick against Wolves on Monday, once more coming off the bench.
Garrido, the first ever Basque player to play for City, is determined to take his chance and is happy to have an opportunity in the first-team.
"I am someone who works hard every day in training so that I am ready when called," he said.
"This is an exciting moment for me. The new manager is giving everyone some minutes (on the pitch) and it is a chance to show what I can do.
"Every player wants to play in every game, and that is not always possible, but you have to stay mentally and physically sharp and ready for opportunities.
"The win at Wolves was a big result for the club and it was good to play a part.
"It means we have won three games in succession following the defeat at Spurs and we are close to the top four places in the league."
Set-piece
Carlos Tevez scored either side of Garrido's free-kick to secure a 3-0 win against Mick McCarthy's Wolves to leave City in sixth place in the Premier League.
Garrido revealed that he practises free-kicks on the training ground with his team-mates, but said he still had to persuade Tevez to let him take one at Molineux.
"I stay behind after training some days and work at free kicks alongside Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy and Robinho and it has paid off," he added.
"Carlos wanted to take the kick but I asked him to let me have a try because in that moment I felt so confident I could score.
"Perhaps the goalkeeper was surprised and was expecting someone else to take the kick but the ball did exactly as I wanted it to and it was an important goal in an important game.
"We have great players here who are better than me at free kicks so I had to take the chance when I felt it was right."
