Vinny has to look at a plan B as boss
WHEN Vincent Kompany left City having led them to a domestic treble, it seemed like he could do no wrong.
The skipper signed off his final game at the Etihad by scoring the best goal of his career against Leicester to put them in touching distance of another Premier League title.
After finishing the job, he helped the Blues to one of the most dominant FA Cup final performances in recent memory.
A day later, he announced he was leaving the club and it is testament to him that City’s end-of-season parade to showcase six trophies across the men’s and women’s team was effectively an event to thank Kompany for his service to the club.
So when it was announced he would take over the reins at Anderlecht as player-manager it seemed like a logical next step for a man who was used to everything going right.
It was a chance to extend his playing career and take the first steps into management.
Four games into his new job, though and Kompany was already being relieved of some of his duties.
Now, a year on from leaving City, it’s fair to say Kompany’s start to life as a manager hasn’t quite gone as planned.
He had started by bringing in midfielder Michel Vlap from Heerenveen, Wolfsburg’s Landry Dimata and Kemar Roofe from Leeds for combined fees of around £16m. The trio scored 29 goals between them.
Kompany also brought in some familiar faces - City loanee Philippe Sandler, former Etihad team-mate Samir Nasri and international compatriot Nacer Chadli.
It appeared to be an impressive summer that would make Anderlecht competitive but on Friday it was confirmed that they would finish a disappointing eighth in the Jupiler Pro League after the season was curtailed.
It means Kompany failed to secure European qualification for his new side, although after a campaign that has seen a number of changes behind the scenes, it might be unfair to judge Anderlecht just on their final position. After an opening run of one win in his first nine games, Kompany took a back seat and Anderlecht lost just three of the next 21 fixtures - including 6-1, 3-0 and 7-0 wins in their final three games before the season was ended prematurely.
On the face of it, he recovered from a shaky start to show promise, but Anderlecht’s improved form came when Kompany wasn’t in charge of match-day decisions having relinquished those duties to former City coach Simon Davies after just four games in August. That arrangement didn’t last long, though, with Frank Vercauteren appointed head coach in October and Davies stepping back to be assistant again. Davies left the club entirely in February for personal reasons. The decision came after fans began to protest following those disappointing first nine games. Kompany remains manager still, but Vercauteren’s involvement on matchdays appears to have steadied the ship.
A year on from leaving City, Kompany’s start to life as a manager hasn’t quite gone as planned
Joe Bray
On the pitch, Kompany’s season was again interrupted by injury, as he played just 15 of Anderlecht’s 29 league games, scoring once. When he did play, though, he showed his class.
The curtailment of the season means Anderlecht will not play the usual end-of-season play-offs, but that could be a blessing.
It will give Kompany and Vercauteren more time to prepare for next season, where Anderlecht will surely be hoping for more stability on and off the field.
The form since October will give Anderlecht hope of continued improvement next season, but Kompany should not forget those first four games where he tried to be player and manager at the same time and it simply didn’t work.
Now, he has seen the benefit of concentrating on playing while slowly developing as a manager with the help of a more experienced coach.
He could benefit further from keeping the current arrangement in place for one final season as a player, then he can step up to become full-time manager once again, this time with more coaching experience.
Kompany’s first foray into management has proved more difficult than he may have imagined, but stepping back after four games might be the best managerial decision he ever makes.