Southampton 0-3 Manchester City: Can Vincent Kompany kick on?
Saturday 15 April 2017 22:07, UK
Vincent Kompany's goalscoring display in Manchester City's 3-0 win over Southampton was a reminder of what the injury-plagued club captain brings to the side. Can he finally kick on under Pep Guardiola?
Vincent Kompany's celebration told its own story. After rising above Maya Yoshida to head David Silva's corner past Fraser Forster, the towering defender ran straight to the travelling fans at St Mary's Stadium, pumping his fists in delight and screaming with the intensity of a man making up for lost time.
It was his first goal since City's 3-0 win over Chelsea at the start of last season, on only his seventh start of the current campaign. Since pulling up with a calf problem during a Champions League meeting with Juventus in September 2015, repeated injury setbacks have limited Kompany to just 21 starts in City's last 102 games.
It has been a nightmarish period for the 31-year-old and he has been desperately missed. Pep Guardiola's side have scored more goals than any other Premier League side this season, but with a lack of leadership and organisation at centre-back, defensive issues have repeatedly undermined their progress.
On Saturday against Southampton, it was easy to see how things might have been different had Kompany been available from the start. His vital breakthrough goal was borne from sheer determination, and his excellent all-round performance earned him the man-of-the match award.
With Kompany at the heart of their defence, City were solid and assured from back to front. Southampton had only failed to score in three of their previous 14 home games, but they could barely muster a shot on target on Saturday. City's usual vulnerabilities were nowhere to be seen.
Kompany had a calming influence on those around him, helping Jesus Navas through the game at right-back and bringing the best out of Nicolas Otamendi to his left. He could be seen organising City's back four from start to finish, and he was instrumental in ensuring Southampton's dangerman Manolo Gabbiadini only touched the ball 11 times before his second half substitution.
As well as exuding calm in a defensive sense, Kompany impressed with the ball at his feet, building attacks from the back with the kind of incisive forward passes Guardiola loves to see from his central defenders. He recorded a 90 per cent pass success rate. The stats also showed he lost possession fewer times than any of his team-mates.
"Vincent is top quality," enthused Guardiola afterwards. "He is a real central defender in his passing but he is more than just a central defender - he has great passion, vision and he is dangerous in set-pieces. He wins duels and finds the space to play the ball through. Hopefully he can stay fit for us for the remainder of the season."
That, of course, is the key for Kompany - especially with an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal to come next weekend. The Belgian international has only started consecutive games once in the last year. And the last time he did, back in October, he had to come off halfway through City's EFL Cup defeat to Manchester United before missing their next three games.
Only time will tell whether he can finally shake off the injury issues which have dogged him for so long, but for now, City can simply enjoy the kind of performance that came to define his first seven seasons at the club. If he can build on it, Kompany could become crucial again. Saturday was a reminder of how much it means to him - and how much he means to City.
