It seems like luck had deserted Vincent Kompany in these past two years. As talented as the defender may be, his suffering from injury hadn’t gone down well with the Manchester City management.
Shortly before the Belgian made his umpteenth return to the side this April, manager Pep Guardiola had made it clear that Kompany’s days at the club were numbered, unless he could pull off a miraculous run of form.
But before Manchester City hosted of a resurgent Crystal Palace on Saturday, Kompany himself claimed that he was confident and completely focusing on the game.
“When the young, very talented players that we have in the team start running past me in training then I’ll get worried but so far (there’s) no reason to panic,” Kompany was quoted before City’s 5-0 thumping of Palace.
As soon as he made his return to the team, he was given back his captain’s armband. And since then, he has played six of City’s last seven games, reminding his employers in each match of what he is capable of.
On Saturday, at the Etihad Stadium, against a team that has recently beaten the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Premier League leaders Chelsea, Kompany was a colossal yet again. That the Belgian is the rock in the City defence is a given. That he is virtually unbeatable in the air can never be overstated. And like most defenders, a majority of his valuable goals have come from headers.
But in the 49th minute, Kompany wanted to present something different.
Lining up for a corner, Kompany easily outmuscled his marker, but the ball never came. Instead a weak clearance was intercepted by David Silva, who volleyed a pass down the right flank to Kevin de Bruyne.
Kompany was unmarked in the middle of the box, but instead of staying there and being available for a cross, he rushed towards the right, screaming for the ball and pointing at where he wanted it.
De Bruyne, for brief moment may have considered delivering a high ball to his captain, who could have headed toward goal easily. Instead he sent a straight-forward and accurate grounded pass. Kompany slowed down his charge, composed himself, and sweetly struck the ball into the top corner on the near side, his first goal at the Etihad Stadium in almost two years.
It was a strike seen more commonly from the forwards. But Kompany is a man on a mission right now. He has reason to prove that he is still worthy of a spot in the City team. That he is still their captain.
City have struggled for defensive solidity under Guardiola but boast clean sheets in three of their past four league matches with their skipper restored to the team.
“Of course we missed him a lot. He is a real central defender. I said many times, for a central defender, how many duals do you win with the striker? More than him – then you are a central defender. And he wins a lot,” said Guardiola of Kompany.