In Good Kompany: Pellegrini Must Decide On Captain’s Defensive Partner

After Nicolas Otamendi’s superb performance for Manchester City in the Manchester derby on Sunday, manager Manuel Pellegrini now faces a selection headache. Assuming that Vincent Kompany’s re-instatement to the first 11 is permanent, the boss must decide on a partner for the Belgian.

The problem is a welcome one. For too long since 2008 City have had, at best, two strong centre-backs. Now, Eliaquim Mangala and Otamendi have both made strong claims for starting alongside Kompany. Having three quality defenders to choose from for two positions is hardly a problem, but it will test the man-management skills of the gaffer.

Mangala’s confidence will likely be the most difficult to maintain. The Frenchman had a difficult first season in Manchester, though it must be said that he was nowhere near as bad as many of the naysayers would have you believe. Given that City paid a hefty fee for him, the pressure to have an improved second term was significant. At £32m (or £40m, if you believe the always-reliable Dan Taylor, which you should), he can ill afford to be a flop.

When the new season started, Mangala was partnered with a reinvigorated Vincent Kompany and the pair looked far more impressive than they ever had done previously. Both were composed and sound in their judgement, covering for each other and basically doing all of the things that can usually be taken for granted between top centre-back pairings. With Martin Demichelis taking a backseat, being used as a substitute in midfield more often than as a defender, there appeared to be little competition for Mangala’s place.

Then came the news that City were negotiating with Valencia for Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi. At a protracted price of £28.5m, it was clear this would be with a view to playing a significant role in the first team. Mangala might have felt threatened by this, but he must have been extremely disappointed when he was offered to the Spanish club on loan as part of the deal. Having dealt with a turbulent period of adjustment to the Premier League, he was showing great form and justifying his price tag. The player made it clear he was not interested in the move, instead preferring to prove his worth at the Etihad Stadium.

Otamendi was made to wait for his first City appearance; he didn’t get on the pitch until Kompany suffered injury against Juventus. His start was fairly mixed but his talent obvious; he’s aggressive but not rash, usually flawless in the timing of the tackle and good on the ball. However, in his opening games there have been, understandably, a few teething problems.

A lot of this seemed to stem from his enforced partnership with Mangala. When Alvaro Morata scored a wonder goal at the Etihad, it was a chance that stemmed from the two defenders getting far too close to each other. In games against Bournemouth and Sevilla, the opposition were able to exploit spaces left between the pair to good effect. It would be unfair to suggest they were poor, but neither looked completely assured. The defence was breached in each of the matches they played together; this followed the unblemished record in every game that Kompany had completed this season.

When Kompany returned to the starting 11 at Old Trafford, it was something of a surprise to see him partnered with Otamendi, rather than resuming his successful partnership with Mangala. The Argentine rewarded his manager’s faith, putting in a commanding performance of staunch resilience in which he simply refused to let any Manchester United player get the better of him. As an individual performance, it was first class and was well worthy of the Man of the Match award given to him by the TV broadcaster. In tandem with skipper Kompany, it might just have been a glimpse into the Blues’ immediate future. How can either of them be removed from the starting 11 after this titanic display?

Of course, some rotation is to be expected, such are the requirements of modern football. However, a settled centre-back pairing is so often the foundation of a successful team. Ultimately, this means that Manuel Pellegrini is going to have to favour either Mangala or Otamendi. Either way, one of them is surely going to require a massaging of the ego. Ditch the Frenchman and there is a risk of alienating a player who could already feel unwanted as a result of being offered to Valencia; bench Otamendi and an experienced international will be kicking his heels, despite joining with the expectation of being a regular starter.

They will both play, but convention dictates that one must see more game-time than the other. Working out who will patrol the back line with Vincent Kompany is threatening to become one of City’s season-defining narratives.