The Citizens’ captain made his first league start of the season during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has told The Mirror that he is certain the frank dressing-room inquest that took place in the wake of Sunday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Southampton will prove to be the spark required for Pep Guardiola’s side to turn around an alarming run of form.
The draw with Claudio Puel’s Saints means that City have now failed to win any of their last five games in all competitions, allowing fellow title contenders Arsenal and Liverpool to claw themselves level on points at the top of the Premier League table, and an incensed Guardiola reportedly locked his misfiring squad in the home dressing room for almost 60 minutes following the game to ensure that they were aware of his feelings on another substandard display.
Prior to City’s recent five-game winless streak, the former Barcelona manager had enjoyed a dream start to his career at the Etihad Stadium, with the Sky Blues winning their first 10 games of the season at a canter, provoking many to suggest that the Citizens would romp to domestic and European success under their new Spanish mastermind.
However, despite Guardiola being brought crashing back down to earth due to City’s deficient displays of late, the Sky Blues’ returning skipper Vincent Kompany is adamant that Sunday’s post-game dressing down will inspire City into an improved run of results.
Speaking to The Mirror, the decorated Belgian international backed Guardiola’s bold decision to allow himself and the squad to air their unfiltered views to one and other:
“We’re adults, we’re all highly ambitious and we realise that we have to move as a unit and behave as a team,” said Kompany.
“I think anything in the dressing-room stays in the dressing-room, but I think it’s positive to have some sort of maturity in the team, to recognise we need to move forward.
“There’s a positive spirit and I think these kind of results sometimes give you something extra and that’s what we need to get out of it.
“All I’ll say about this manager is that he’s got a very strong idea of what he wants to do and I think the team has bought into it as well.
“But in any season there’s ups and downs, and if this is a little bit of a bad period for us, then maybe it’s not too bad, you know? It’ll make us stronger, I’m confident of that.
“I feel this team has got the best ahead of it, but these kind of results will force us to look at improving again.”
Kompany was making his first league start in over six-months against Southampton at the weekend, with the Sky Blues’ skipper being restricted to a mere handful of appearances over the past two years due to persistent calf issues, which became so severe that they threatened to bring his glittering professional career to a heartbreakingly premature end.
Thankfully the resurgent 30-year-old made it through Sunday’s game unscathed before being withdrawn as a precaution in the 70th minute, and the inspirational Belgian captain will now turn his attention to Wednesday night’s mammoth EFL Cup tie with bitter rivals Manchester United, who also find themselves in a sticky patch of form.
If City are to get back on track and achieve the success that many predicted for them following their blistering start to the campaign then Kompany’s compelling leadership and influential presence are going to be absolute necessities.
Guardiola will be praying that the two time title-winner can finally put his persistent injury issues behind him and return to the glistening form that led many to label him as the one of the finest defenders English football has seen since the advent of the Premier League.
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