GUARDIOLA SET TO REPLACE KOMPANY

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is set to replace veteran defender and skipper Vincent Kompany as his injuries worsen.


The Sky Blues are amongst the latest club that are lining up to buy Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk. Reports say the Catalan boss is looking at making Virgil Kompany’s permanent replacement.

Guardiola signed John Stones from Everton for £50 million during the summer, but the Three Lions star has not had as much impact in the hear of the defence. Whilst City remain league title contenders, their chances are not as good with the superior performance by rivals. Hence, the need to reinforce when the transfer window reopens. Aside Van Dijk, City are keen on landing Euro 2016 winner William Carvalho, according to the Daily Mail.

Everton and Liverpool were the leading contenders to sign Van Dijk but it seems Etihad are willing to displace the clubs. Reports say the Citizens sent scouts to watch Van Dijk during the Premier League draw with Liverpool as they seek for a long-term replacement for Kompany. On the other hand, Carvalho would fill the void that would eventually be left by Yaya Toure’exit.

The boots of both City legends would be difficult to fill but Guardiola can only hope the additions make the anticipated impact. Both are fans’ favourites and would be difficult to replace. However, the replacements are necessary given the conditions of the players. Kompany has been injured for almost two and half years and it has affected City’s performance in the last two seasons, as the defence has been uncoordinated. According to Physioroom, the player has been injured for 878 days since his move in 2008. The Belgium international has suffered at least 37 injuries since .

Carvalho was key in the Euro final for Portugal and Guardiola can only hope he replicates such form in the Premier League.

GUARDIOLA: VINCENT KOMPANY HAS FUTURE AT MAN CITY

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that the veteran defender has a future at the Etihad as reports make the rounds that the Spaniard was set to axe the Belgium international when the season ends.


Injury troubles have affected the contributions of Kompany to the Sky Blues this term. The defender played 22 times for City last term but the injuries this season would make any manager uncomfortable.

“He has a contract. So of course,” Guardiola said when asked if the player has a future at the club.

“He was injured many times. We’re trying to give him faith to play,” the manager added, trying to hide his frustrations. The 30-year old player’s game time has seen a steady decline as the seasons come. He played 33 times in the 2014/15 season, four times fewer than the season before. The player has contributed a lot to the City squad since his move from Hamburg in the summer of 2008. His current deal is set to expire in 2019 but the spate of injuries might force City to trade him.

Alexander Kolarov has taken the place of the player in the current set-up. He replaced him in the game at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup. City lost the game by a lone striker from Juan Mata. Kompany made his second start of the season in the game but had to be replaced at half time as he said he was “tired.”

Kompany played a big role to the Premier League triumphs in 2012 and 2014 but the recurrent calf and shin injury worries might force him to end his man City run much earlier than he would want. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the situation would lead to a strain with Guardiola who is under pressure to perform in his first season in charge.

GUARDIOLA CONFIRMS ANOTHER KOMPANY INJURY

Head Coach of Manchester City Pep Guardiola confirmed that the club’s captain Vincent Kompany would be out for another three weeks after the Belgium international limped off in the game against Swansea City.

Guardiola said he regretted allowing the City skipper feature for the entire game, particularly when he could have eased him into action.

“Yeah, maybe yeah. Now I would like him to have played 85 minutes. He knew that. We spoke with him and said when you feel not so comfortable or tired [complain]. I didn’t ask him, but he always wants to play, he didn’t want to leave the game.

They [company and Kevin De Bruyne] are injured, unfortunately they’re not here. But we are going to do our best to recover them as soon as possible. In two, three, three-and-half weeks,” Guardiola said of the recurrent injury crisis at the Etihad.

Kompany returned to action when City played an EFL cup game against Swansea. The defender only just returned from injury but limped off in the added time due to muscle fatigue. He is reportedly in Barcelona after the club flew him to meet a specialist. The specialist hopefully would identify the root cause of the problems but he is not expected to return to action in at least three weeks.

Just before the UEFA Champions League clash with Scottish club, Celtic, the Spaniard revealed that he wished he reduced the central defender’s playing time. City have been going strong without the defender, but with more Champions League games, the team could really use his experience. The additions Guardiola made during the summer have been rewarding. At the back, John Stones who joined from Everton has been decent. However, if Kompany doesn’t return to full fitness soon, Guardiola might be forced to add another experienced defender during the January transfer window.

BACARY SAGNA FOCUSED ON NEW SEASON

Manchester City and France international Bacary Sagna says he is focused on the new season under Pep Guardiola.

He also revealed that he was still haunted by the defeat at the Euro 2016 despite being host and making it to the final.

The 33-year old defender has enjoyed a decent level of success in his career but as he ages he would have a difficult time getting regular time under Guardiola but has continued to insist that he would fight for his shirt at the club. The player who has been enjoying his summer holiday in Miami says he highly respected coach is keen on changing the club for good and he is looking forward to it.

On Guardiola, Sagna said “he is very famous all over the world. He is a very respected manager.” He added that he looked forward to their forthcoming season under him especially as he is one of the best at the moment. He promised allegiance to him and said he would give his best to learn under him.

“We will try to grow as a team, step by step and we’ll try to end up as champions at the end of the season,” Sagna added.

He spoke to reporters whilst he enjoyed his holiday with Daniel Niculae, his former Auxerre team mate. They enjoyed their time at the Black Sea resort of Mamaia in the south eastern part of Romania. Sagna was pictured having a swim with his wife, Ludvine Sagna.

On Ronaldo’s injury, he said he felt bad for the star player as it was never good when such a big player got injured. He added that the team mates of Ronaldo were thinking of him and gave their best because of the incident. He added that he cried after the game as it was a big opportunity to win something for the country.

Marc Wilmots has hinted that the international career for Vincent Kompany may be over

Belgium national team manager Marc Wilmots has hinted that the international career for Vincent Kompany may be over due to the player’s numerous injury problems.

The Manchester City captain is an important part of the national team’s structure, but he has been unable to make any impact whatsoever in the last two years. It has also been the case with his club. After making only 22 appearances in all competitions for City last season, even his future at Etihad stadium has been questioned a number of times. Outgoing manager Manuel Pellegrini was the first to admit thatKompany may leave City for a new start.

At 30 years of age,Kompany will be thinking about extending his club career rather than focusing on international football. A thigh injury has ruled him out of the Euro 2016, butWilmots may have been expecting such an eventuality. After all, the player has played less than 600 minutes of action in the qualification campaign for Belgium. The presence of an unreliable player – in terms of injury – presents a lot of problem to the manager. Admitting these for the first time,Wilmots claimed that Belgium may be ready to look at a new centre back pairing in the hope of getting some stability on the back.

“We need time to establish this defence. An understanding will come, especially with the high pressing we tried.We had Kompany and Van Buyten before, we must now build a new central defensive pairing for the future of the Rode Duivels,” said the Belgian manager after the 1-1 draw with Finland. “You can see things in different ways. Our four defenders played high and created chances, but face it, there were five Finnish defenders and it was difficult to find an opening,” continued Wilmots about the game itself.

Manuel Pellegrini admitted that the future of captain Vincent Kompany at Manchester City is under major doubt

Manuel Pellegrini admitted that the future of captain Vincent Kompany at Manchester City is under major doubt following another injury hit campaign at the Etihad stadium.

Kompany has featured very little for City in the last two seasons, as he has gone from one injury to another. Even though he has been one of the most important players in the club’s history, he has managed less than 50 games in the last two seasons. The record is especially poor in the 2015-16 campaign when he has played just 13 games in all competitions.

As a club challenging for all four major trophies, City cannot afford to have frequently injured players in the squad. It affects the strength of the squad eventually especially considering that a player like Kompany used to be a first-team regular. The latest injury suffered in the Champions League game against Real Madrid has effectively ruled him out of the Euro 2016. This is also a major blow for the Belgian national team, who were counting on the presence ofKompany after seeing him return to the City lineuptowards the end of April. Pellegrini will not be at City to take a decision onKompany, as Pep Guardiola comes in the summer with high hopes of leading the club to Champions League glory.

“I don’t know what he will do in the future. It’s very difficult to understand,” said Pellegrini about the injuries faced by the club captain. “He will return to be normal – David is just 30 years old,” continued the City manager when asked about midfielder David Silva. The Spaniard has also suffered a similar luck with injuries. After having been a mainstay in City’s squad up until now, Silva has also featured in very less number of games in the 2015-16 season across all competitions.

VINCENT KOMPANY MISSED CITY’S VICTORY OVER PSG

Manchester City skipper, Vincent Kompany didn’t play in the hard-fought second-leg encounter with French Champions, Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday. Before the game, analysts and fans were wary of the ever-attacking French giant.

In-form strikers in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edison Cavani and Di Maria aside a strong midfield set the team up for victory but a goal from Kelvin De Bruyne sent City to the semi-final.

The first leg draw in Paris last week was the first blow to the hopes of the PSG team as they looked to gaining an early advantage with a home win. Lots of defensive errors left the game to end with the 2-2 score line.

Joe Hart saved Manchester city through the encounter on Tuesday with the powerful saves he made to counter the goal scoring attempts by the French squad. Quite notable was a ferocious strike by Swede striker, Ibrahimovic. The 34-year old striker sent a goal-bound free kick which the goal stopper clawed to safety.

Sergio Aguero had missed a penalty kick in the first half but the strike form De Bruyne 15 minutes from the end saved the EPL giants.

Vincent Kompany trained with the rest of the squad on Monday but the manger of The Sky Blues, Manuel Pellegrini, said the defender would not be able to play as he lost the fitness battle. The announcement dampened the spirit in the team as they feared for the attacking prowess of the French.

In the pre-match conference, Pellegrini said: “Vincent is not possible. He is not 100 per cent. I trust 100 per cent in the players who will play.”

He said he hoped for attacking football from his team but has no problem with City’s fans booing the UEFA Champions League anthem as they tend to do before kick-off.

“It depends if you are superstitious. If you are superstitious, we continue winning if they boo the anthem. They boo at the beginning but afterwards they are always supporting our team so I don’t have any complaints about our fans.”

Victor Valdes wants to leave Belgium and join the Premier League

Victor Valdes joined the Belgium club Standard Llege back on January and he is already voicing his displeasure with the team as the veteran shot-stopper is believed to be interested in joining a club in the Premier League.

According to recent reports, Valdes wants to join a club in the Premier League after his time with Standard Llege arrives.
The 34 year old shot-stopper is only playing for Standard Llegue on a loan deal which lasts until June and then he will have to make his return to Old Trafford as he returns to Manchester United but Valdes has an ongoing issue involving Louis van Gaal as they have an unhealthy relationship and now Valdes is very likely going to be offloaded from Manchester United or just not used at all even after he does make his return to the Premier League club.

Valdes is aware that his future with Manchester United is not a very promising one and he will have to search somewhere else for another club if he wants to continue performing at a competitive level.

A possible Premier League club that Victor Valdes might be able to join is Newcastle United as they were linked with the Spanish goal-keeper earlier in January. Newcastle United is searching for a goal-keeper who can be signed at a relative cheap price and that can be used as cover for Tim Krul who was hit with an anterior cruciate ligament injury which will be keeping him off of the pitch for the remainder of the season and Victor Valdes is a possible signing.

Only time will tell what happens with Victor Valdes but if there something certain is the fact that his career has been suffering a free fall after he left Barcelona and he hasn’t been able to pick things up ever since making his way out of the Spanish club.

Injuries are hampering Vincent Kompany’s season

A recurring calf injury has forced Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany on staying out of the pitch in the entire month of January and it wasn’t until a few days ago that the Belgium defender was able to get back in the pitch as he made his return during Manchester City’s recent 1-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

Vincent Kompany is the captain and an icon for Manchester City, when he is out of the pitch and not able to play due to injuries or for any reason, it’s a big loss for Manuel Pellegrini and his squad and especially now that the Premier League has less than 13 matches left to be played before the new champions of England can be officially announced.

As a way to resolve this consistent calf injury that Vincent Kompany has been sustaining in this season, the Belgium went to the United States as he visited a number of specialists in America as well as in Europe but even with these trips and treatments that Kompany has undergone, it’s no guarantee that the Belgium defender will be injury free as there still is a big risk of him getting injured once again.

Even with the return of Kompany, Manchester City still failed to overcome Tottenham Hotspur and lost the match which is a huge blow for their chances of winning the Premier League in this season.

Vincent Kompany along with Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and David Silva are the main stars of Manchester City and Manuel Pellegrini is happy to see his key figures performing alongside each other as the Chilean manager said: “It’s important to have our important players all together. We started the season with Vincent, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, all of them playing in the first five games’’

If Manchester City has any chance of winning the Premier League title of this season, it’s crucial that all of their main players avoid getting injured for the remainder of the campaign.

Vincent Kompany has suffered yet another setback to his stop

Vincent Kompany has suffered yet another setback to his stop and start season after suffering a calf injury.

The Manchester City captain has been sorely missed at the back. He has not been at his best for the last 18 months. Any possible recovery in form will be possible only if he plays regularly, but he has been unable to get a consistent run of games due to recurring injury problems. The 29-year-old was rated as one of the best central defenders in the world when he led a Manchester City to a league title two years ago. Now, he has been able to feature in less than 750 minutes of action in the Premier League.

Kompany had to be withdrawn after just nine minutes in the recent 4-1 win over Sunderland. This led to manager Manuel Pellegrini raising questions about the career of the player. He feels that the recurring injury problems should not force Kompany into premature retirement. There have been several top central defenders – like Ledley King – who have had to retire early due to recurring injury problems. However, Kompany has been experiencing such issues only for the last 12 months. The calf area is being a major problem for the defender, as he has suffered a 12 major injuries in this region in the last five years.

“I think that he is a very professional player. He and the club and are going to do all we can to try to help him. It’s difficult for me to answer these questions because I repeat again, I am not a doctor.A lot of players at some moments of their career have a bad season for different injuries. I hope this is the part of the season for Kompany and the second part he will be fit,” said Pellegrini.