Sunday 27 September 2009

VK ready to fight for place

The returning Vincent Kompany has said that he is willing to fight for his place in the team and is enthusiastic about his future at MCFC:

“I want to become one of the main players in a very big team that wins trophies. City is heading in that direction. It is a very big challenge but it is something that I expect to achieve in my career or it would feel like a failure.

“I have to be patient when I come back but everyone has to be patient. Usually it happens in football that one player comes in and other goes out whether that is through injury or fatigue. The game changes so quickly that there is always something happening down the line to give you a chance.

“The spirit and camaraderie is amazing because we have been under so much pressure and criticism for whatever reason. It has helped us become closer as a group and we are going to get better as a team."

This is good to hear. It is difficult to see how he gets straight back into the side when fit. He needs an injury to either of the first choice centre halves - and even then he is competing with Nedum Onuoha, or an injury to Nigel de Jong - and even then for a match where Hughes plays 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-4. But it's a long season and injuries do happen so he should get a few games.

There are a few players - Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Petrov, Roque Santa Cruz, Nedum Onuoha and Vladi Weiss in particular - who may not start too many games this season. But next year, presuming that we are in Europe, we will have enough football for a fairer distribution of starting berths. Look at how much Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United use squad players. The versatility of Kompany and Zabaleta further plays into their hands. Hughes' task is just to keep these players happy for the remainder of this season, with the promise of more games in 2010/11.

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