Why Vincent Kompany Is the Forgotten Man City Player Who Will Explode in 2015/16

It was a typical sight to see Vincent Kompany banished to the sidelines during the final weeks of last season. After Kompany's struggles with injuries and form, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini decided to drop his captain from the starting lineup, preferring a centre-back pairing of Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala instead.

For the first time in his City career, Kompany was an onlooker from the bench.

Pellegrini’s decision was completely justified. The Demichelis-Mangala pairing looked far more secure than any combination containing Kompany. The Belgian, who for so long had been considered the finest centre-back in the Premier League and one of the most important players at City, had suffered a startling dip in form that made him a liability to the side.

The general consensus is that Kompany’s decline began after returning from injury last season, but in truth, the rot set in toward the back end of City’s 2013/14 title-winning campaign.

Mistakes were slowly entering his game as City closed in on their second league title in 44 years. The form of Demichelis, as well as Javi Garcia and Yaya Toure in front of him to some extent, masked some of the inadequacies rearing their head.

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The second half of last season saw a spectacular collapse, though. As Kompany became increasingly desperate to find his usual level of performance, a tendency to overcompensate crept into his game. As a result, his positioning was poor, and he was constantly pulled out of position and leaving space in behind. The recklessness spread to his style of tackling, too.

Basic errors have also blighted his game. Simple clearances are causing him problems, as are balls into the box that he previously dealt with without fuss. All of this has left him looking extremely vulnerable—his position in the side untenable. It’s been a remarkable fall from grace.

But a player of Kompany’s obvious quality surely cannot be kept down.

Since his arrival in 2008, his excellence on the field and his leadership of the club off it have set him apart from so many other footballers plying their trade in the Premier League.

An astute thinker, eloquent speaker and outstanding professional, City could not have wished for a better player and captain when they signed him from Hamburg for just £6 million in a rare piece of transfer genius from former boss Mark Hughes.

He inexplicably began his time at the Etihad in midfield, but under Roberto Mancini he flourished as a centre-back. His physical attributes suit that role. He possesses great strength, speed and athleticism. When he is in form, as he consistently was from 2009 to 2014, strikers are often rendered useless, left as bystanders by Kompany’s brilliance and sheer force.

The attacking side of his game was often ignored when he was at his best. He launched countless City attacks by breaking out of defence at full speed and taking players on, driving his side forward, from back foot to front foot in seconds.

He’s consistently delivered on the biggest stage. His goal against Manchester United in City’s 1-0 win as they closed in on their first title in 44 years remains the apex of his time at the club, but his list of match-winning performances extends far beyond that one glorious spring evening in east Manchester.

There’s little doubt the 2015/16 season is a significant one for the 29-year-old. He needs to reassert his quality straight away. Pellegrini is likely to reinstate him to the starting lineup in the early weeks of the season in the hope he rediscovers his form, and Kompany must seize the opportunity.

Pellegrini needs him. At his best, he’s world-class. The worry, though, is City haven’t seen that player for over a year.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.