The positions of Manuel Pellegrini and Sam Allardyce could not have been more contrasting as they stood in the same corridor here on Saturday. An emphatic scoreline in Manchester City’s favour had left them with the Premier League’s most potent attack and Sunderland with its most porous defence. However, the managers did have one thing in common – they both endured spells each lasting nine minutes that proved extremely damaging.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said the Sunderland manager, reflecting on the first-half period in which his side conceded three goals. For City, it was the short time of Vincent Kompany’s comeback. The captain was brought on in the 62nd minute but limped off in the 71st, his calf again proving too fragile.
“We were worried,” said Pellegrini, who hoped he was easing the centre-back into the rhythm of first-team football. If the plan had been to restore Kompany to the starting 11 for Tuesday’s top-of-the-table clash at Leicester, it proved ill-conceived and the player now faces a third spell on the sidelines this season.
City await the results of a scan on Kompany’s calf, knowing two previous such injuries have kept the Belgium defender out for around six weeks each. A repeat would probably mean him missing, among other things, two Premier League games against Leicester and both legs of the Capital One Cup semi-final against Everton. City argue they have prepared for such eventualities, but the figures show Kompany’s injuries have considerable consequences.
“If you review how many games we played over the last two seasons, Vincent plays a maximum 70% of the season,” said Pellegrini.
The Belgian has only started 37% of City’s fixtures in the current campaign, a percentage that is set to decrease. The bigger numbers concern the cost of the alternatives. City have invested £74m in Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolás Otamendi, making them the two most expensive centre-backs in Premier League history, but neither has proved an adequate replacement for Kompany.
“He’s very important because first of all he is captain,” Pellegrini said. “He is captain because he has a lot of important things to give: his performance, his personality.” And, this season, his reliability. The most irrelevant goal of Saturday’s game, as Fabio Borini reduced the deficit, nevertheless had a statistical significance: Kompany has not started 17 matches this season and City have not kept a clean sheet in any of them. “We cannot think that all the mistakes are just because Vincent isn’t playing,” said Pellegrini.
“We must try to continue being competitive. That depends on the performances of Mangala, Otamendi and [Martin] Demichelis. It is an important challenge for other players.”
Kevin De Bruyne, a team-mate for club and country, knows Kompany better than most. “We need to cope without him, even though it is harder,” he said. The City captain and centre-back later posted a defiant message on Facebook, voicing his determination to be the world’s best defender and declaring, paradoxically, that “my body feels invincible” only to admit he keeps breaking down.
“Mentally it will be hard for him,” said De Bruyne, who has been an ever-present since his August arrival. A goal and two assists against Sunderland means he has 10 of each in 23 games. The £54m outlay for him was huge, but seems justified. “People talk about it, but I don’t care how much money City spend,” said the winger.
His virtuosity, and a match with five goals, a missed penalty and a series of spurned chances, served to illustrate the importance of high-class defenders. Allardyce is embarking on a January search for one. “A central defender would be the first priority,” he said. “Whether we can find one good enough is another matter. It will probably have to be abroad. It will be very difficult to secure a player from another Premier League club.” And, with Sunderland five points from safety, it is a moot point if they would want to join.
There may be more candidates for the exit. Allardyce argued that everyone has had an opportunity. “None of them can moan about not being in the team any more,” he said. “I can moan about them more than they can moan about me.”
His need for reinforcements was inadvertently underlined by Sebastián Coates, who was hauled off after 22 minutes at Chelsea the previous week. The Uruguayan misunderstood a question about Sunderland’s dismal away form, presumed it was an observation about his own displays and appeared to agree. “I am always critical of myself,” he said. “I know I need to learn.” His honesty did him credit, but solidity is the requirement for both managers.
Man of the match Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
