Comparing Vincent Kompany's 2014/15 Stats to His 2013/14 Numbers

As Manchester City head into a summer of likely change, there are a number of concerns surrounding their first-team squad.

An injection of pace is almost certainly needed, with younger, home-grown players expected to arrive to rebalance their squad and help them comply with Premier League rules.

However, arguably the biggest issue facing City is the form of one of their current stars. Vincent Kompany has struggled to produce his best for some time now, and, as a result, the team has been destabilised. They had come to rely on Kompany but this season he’s been incapable of delivering the performances they need.

Jon Super/Associated Press

His positioning has been consistently questionable and his defending reckless—too easily pulled out of position and forced into making last-ditch recovery tackles. Appalling back-to-back displays against Arsenal and Middlesbrough back in January were the nadir of his season, but, in truth, they’ve been accompanied by plenty of shaky ones.

It’s brought uneasiness to City’s defence. For years Kompany had been the bedrock of their success, the man they could rely on no matter how high the stakes, and his collapse in form has been perhaps more damaging than anyone could have imagined.

But how do Kompany’s 2013-14 Premier League statistics compare to this season’s?

Injuries have, of course, played a significant part in his demise, with a series of muscle problems, particularly of the calf, causing him to miss matches. It’s been disrupting, but whereas in the past he’s managed to return from injury and recreate his best form, they now appear to be taking their toll.

He played 28 league games as City won the title in 2013-14—73.6 percent of their games—whereas this season’s total of 23 appearances means he has managed to feature in just 67 percent. In total, he’s missed 21 league matches in the last two years—far too many for a player City need to rely on. 

According to Squawka, he was winning more duels last season than this—55 percent vs. 47 percent. His aerial dominance has decreased, having won 73 percent of his headers last season compared with 62 percent this time. He’s only winning 41 percent of tackles this time, down from 50 percent 12 months ago.

The increase in the amount of fouls he commits has been sharp. Last season saw him commit 32 in 28 games (1.1 per game), but that has risen to 41 in 23 this season (1.8 per game). This is likely to be a result of his poor positional play which has seen him get sucked out of position far more often this term.

It's clear from the numbers that he's dipped. 

The question for City is how they return him to his previous level. Like any top side, they need a world-class centre-back performing at his best. Their reliance on Martin Demichelis, a 33-year-old whose best days are behind him, is a worry, even if his performances have been generally excellent.

The Argentinian has been by far City’s most consistent defender over the past 12 months; an unthinkable situation when he was first introduced to the side at the beginning of last season and struggled. He deserves huge credit for turning his career at City around so sharply, but in an ideal world he would be providing quality cover rather than consistent starts.

Demichelis’ new one-year contract extension was sensible. His quality and experience is vital going into next season, but Pellegrini surely wants to begin using him less. Returning Kompany to his former level and developing Eliaquim Mangala into a consistent defender will be key to that process.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.