How much closer to the top of the tree would Manchester City have been if Vincent Kompany had been fit last season? This was a recurring question on several forums last term following a full-blooded man-of-the-match performance by our very own captain-leader-legend against Southampton at St. Mary’s.

The return of the skipper heralded the attendant return of so much else as we seek to close out the season with a top-4 berth and another silver pot:

Leadership

We greatly missed our barking, driving leader handing out the bollockings from the centre of defence as a response to setbacks.

Defensive Organisation

You can bet your last fiver that in all likelihood, Monaco would not have had such an easy passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League if Kompany had been present.

An Actual Threat from Corner kicks

Opposing defenders may very well avoid smirking to themselves now when we win corners. The reality of a big, fired-up, bustling Belgian charging forward will surely mean a return to in-swinging corner kicks and a very welcome return to goal threats from set-pieces.

Passion

Haven’t seen a celebration like that for a while, have you? Often last season there was a worrying lack of urgency, particularly in the first halves of games meaning that we had to perform rescue missions and comeback acts to gain points and emerge without the collective wiping of eggs off red faces.

Things just might be a bit different now with Vinnie’s 2-year long frustration on the sidelines about to be unleashed on opponents. If he stays fit we can end this season with a bang rather than a whimper!

Following his performance against Southampton, here is The Telegraph’s Jim White:

Vincent Kompany, after a wretched, injury-plagued four months, was back. His first intervention – cool, calm and perfectly executed – spoke volumes for what his absence has meant…It was not just the skipper’s tackles and organisational nous that stood out. It was from his boot that many a City ­attack began… Shane Long… was soon involved in a fifty-fifty tussle with Kompany. As the entire visiting section held its breath, it was the Belgian who emerged unscathed from the fray, while a hobbling Long was substituted himself.

Guardiola observed:

“We miss him a lot. He’s a real defender. No doubt about that. We are so happy he is coming back and hopefully we can keep care of him for the rest of the season.”

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