When Man City captured a 22-year-old Vincent Kompany from Hamburg for a fee of £6 million in 2008, they knew they had themselves a bargain. Ironically, Kompany went into the 2011/12 season costing a similar amount, with Fantasy managers quick to target his 6.0 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price tag as a source of value. Having been classified as a midfielder in the 2010/11 campaign, Kompany was now listed in defence and, while the likes of Shay Given and Luis Suarez failed to live up to their pre-season hype as Fantasy bargains, the City man certainly delivered.
Kompany finished the campaign behind only Patrice Evra in the defender rankings, despite being limited to 31 league starts, compared to the United man’s 37. The Belgian’s inspirational performances skippering City were akin to Steven Gerrard’s showings for Liverpool at his peak: Kompany dragged City to the title, adding determined steel to a back four that notched four clean sheets in the final six matches. His goal in the 1-0 victory over United that gave City the advantage over the final two matches proved to be decisive, epitomising Kompany’s importance to City’s cause.
The Statistics
With 15 clean sheets gathered, three goals and two assists, Kompany trailed Evra by just 14 points atop the FPL defender rankings. For a player who recorded 31 starts, Kompany averaged 4.7 points per game in the FPL – a total only bettered by defenders gaining a handful of appearances.
A hugely popular pick from the very start of the season, by Gameweek 10 Kompany’s price had risen to 6.3, reaching 6.6 by Gameweek 24 as the investment continued. Several mid-season absences with a three-match ban, along with knee and calf injuries, derailed his popularity temporarily but, by the campaign’s climax, Kompany’s price had risen to 7.0. Significantly, City kept just two clean sheets over the seven games without their skipper in the defence.
The Prospects
Kompany will pose a problem for Fantasy managers next term. There’s no question that he’ll suffer a price rise which will likely see him share a bracket with heavyweight defensive assets Thomas Vermaelen, Nemanja Vidic and Leighton Baines of around 7.5. Even so, as an obvious source of 15+ clean sheets over the season, the City backline is set to be coveted.
Kompany’s inflated price tag will have Fantasy managers eyeing up the likes of Gael Clichy and perhaps Micah Richards once more: assets that are set to be remain prone to rotation. Joe Hart will also emerge as a stronger option as a result of Kompany’s price rise. Hart will offer almost 100% security in the City rearguard, whilst his price is likely to be lower than Kompany’s, remaining at the 7.0 mark once again.
For the City skipper to stand out as the key source of points in their defence, he’ll need to better his 31 starts and three goals earned this term. That should be achievable, although the lure from Vermaelen and Baines as genuine sources of attacking points may still see him relegated in the ranks of popularity.
