I am a huge fan of Vincent Kompany - he
is one of the best defenders in the Premier League - but his tackling
technique is leaving him wide open to trouble.
A few times now we have seen the Manchester City captain booked or sent off for launching himself forward with both feet.
He propels himself at speed and he is a
big man so it is quite a force coming at the opposition player, in
Sunday's case Arsenal's Jack Wilshere.
Gutted: Vincent Kompany was dismissed by Mike Dean (right) after a challenge on Arsenal's Jack Wilshere
Kompany didn't injure Wilshere but there
was a degree of luck in that as the England man was running into six
studs. When you go in on your backside as Kompany likes to, your feet
have to come off the ground.
Most defenders try to go in with one
foot or the other but he goes in with both, giving himself the option of
using the left or the right, depending on which way the opponent
moves.
He then tries to retract the foot he is
not going to use but it's not always that easy. He doesn't realise how
powerful he is - there's such a velocity when he comes in with two feet
like that. It is dangerous and Kompany needs to adjust the way he
tackles or it will be more red cards.
I sympathise because Kompany is trying
to take the ball with the minimum amount of force, but he would be
better off waiting a bit longer before making the tackle.
Off you go: Kompany slid in on his backside, a technique which forces him to lift his feet off the ground
No way: City manager Roberto Mancini believes Dean got the decision to send his captain off wrong
If he did, then he could see which foot he needed and be able to pinch the ball without risking injuring an opponent.
Against Arsenal, Wilshere was running
into a cul-de-sac, so to lunge in was unnecessary. If he had stayed
standing up, Wilshere would have probably run into him.
I admire that Kompany wants to make
tackles and no-one wants to stop him making more, but he just needs to
adjust his technique slightly.
No-one in the Premier League is better
at recognising an attacking danger and taking responsibility for his
team. Now he just needs to take responsibility for his tackling.
When Vincent goes steaming in...
Vincent Kompany's tackle which earned
him a red card on Sunday wasn't the first time the Belgian has thrown
himself into a challenge.
Below, Sportsmail looks back at some other occasions when Manchester City's captain might have seen red.
1. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), January 2013 - RED CARD
Referee Mike Dean showed Kompany a red
card for this challenge on Sunday. Wilshere was bearing down on the
Belgian before overrunning the ball and colliding with Kompany.
Ball winner: Kompany (right) won the ball against Wilshere, but was sent off by referee Mike Dean
2. Fernando Torres (Chelsea), August 2012 - NO CARD
Kompany escaped punishment for this
tackle but was booked for shoulder charging Torres in the Community
Shield meet at the beginning of the season. City went on to win the game
3-2.
Crunched: Fernando Torres skips out of the way as Kompany slides in during the Community Shield at Wembley
3. Bradley Johnson (Norwich), December 2012 - NO CARD
The Belgian was not penalised for this
tackle on Norwich midfielder Johnson. The resultant City breakaway led
to an Edin Dzeko goal.
Breakaway: Bradley Johnson was on the receiving end as Kompany won the ball which led to a City goal
4. Nani (Manchester United), January 2012 - RED CARD
Chris Foy sent Kompany off for this challenge as City lost 3-2 to bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup last season. The 10-man hosts had gone in at half-time 3-0 down.
Dismissed: City fans were up in arms after their captain was red-carded for this tackle
5. Fernando Forestieri (Watford), January 2013 - NO CARD
City cruised to a 3-0 FA Cup third-round victory after Kompany escaped punishment for this tackle.
Forceful: Kompany might have been cautioned for this lunge during an FA Cup tie
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