The Man City fans in the Transfer Tavern are still feeling very confident about their side’s prospects this season. They’re comfortable at the top of the table, and having picked up another win at the weekend, things are looking very good. However, our landlord has pointed out one area of concern for Pep Guardiola’s men – the defence.
That’s not to say that they’ve been poor defensively, far from it, but there are a few areas in the defence that do offer reasons for concern. The most notable example of this is in the air. West Ham were able to score against the Citizens in this vein over the weekend, whilst Huddersfield did the same thing just last week. That sets a worrying trend for Guardiola, and it’s something that he must consider.
There is also a lack of leadership at the back, which almost certainly can be related to that poor aerial dominance. Particularly against West Ham, with Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala manning the defence, there was a lack of confident, dominant defensive work in the middle of the park, and that’s a worry.
There’s one player, then, that must be drawn into this conversation – Vincent Kompany. In recent years, fans have collectively decided that his career could have been over. With injury problems continuing, the Belgian had really struggled to make a name for himself under Pep Guardiola, but right now, he could not be more important.
His leadership helps to put a stop to those pesky problems at the back, whilst he is defensively superior to all of his teammates at the back. Can he come in and solve the problems immediately? Certainly not, but he can definitely serve as a good place to start for Guardiola as he looks to solve those problems.
Guardiola’s tenure at Man City has been all about progression. He’s modernised their playstyle, he has brought in young players, and he has looked to the future. But Vincent Kompany can be the past, present and future of the club, and with a title and European challenge likely forthcoming, his experience and leadership is going to be as important as ever.
Vincent Kompany is more crucial now to this Man City team than ever before – agreed?
