Vincent Kompany substitution a 'precaution' for Manchester City
Wednesday 16 September 2015 20:48, UK
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany insists the calf injury that forced him to leave the field in the 2-1 defeat to Juventus in their Champions League opener is no cause for concern.
Kompany was replaced by summer signing Nicolas Otamendi after 75 minutes, with the game finely balanced at 1-1.
Alvaro Morata scored the winner for Juve just six minutes later, but that disappointment looks unlikely to be compounded by a lay-off for their skipper.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini suggested the 29-year-old would be in contention for Saturday's Premier League meeting with West Ham, and Kompany shares that optimism.
"It was just a precaution," he said. "It is not serious, I know my body."
Defeat to Massimiliano Allegri's side continued a frustrating sequence for City, who have been notoriously slow starters in Europe over recent seasons, albeit against some illustrious opponents including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
However, Kompany was not downcast about his team's efforts on Tuesday night.
The City skipper's injury also meant he got to share the field with his Belgium team-mate Kevin De Bruyne for only a few minutes on his home debut, as a 75th replacement for Samir Nasri.
The £54.5m signing had a quiet time, but his captain believes that was largely down to Juve's methods.
"We played against a very good team, last year's finalists, and they did very well. We are a little unhappy but we can take confidence to the next game," Kompany said.
"They scored just before he settled in and then stood with 11 men back, not nine, not 10, but 11 men.
"The Italians are smart. They are a well-disciplined team, they know what to do."
