Vincent Kompany calls on Manchester City to ‘play the game of their lives’

Manchester City’s captain says playing Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final is ‘the biggest’, but wants to the club to get to the next stage

Posted Tuesday, April 26, 2016 by theguardian.com

Vincent Kompany and Manuel Pellegrini in playful mood ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid.

Before the biggest night in Manchester City’s history Vincent Kompany’s declaration that they must play the game of their lives to vanquish Real Madrid was pitch-perfect. The captain knows City have to show just how good they can be in Tuesday night’s semi-final first leg against the 10-times winners of the competition.

Kompany was asked about how Kevin De Bruyne, who has 16 goals in a stand-out first term, might affect City’s chances. The answer he gave was a rallying cry to the side. “I hope he plays the best game of his career but we will need it from the whole team,” he said. “It is massive. I have been through a very long process with this team. To play a semi-final is something really good but you want to go to the next stage.

"It is really good to measure yourself against a team like Real Madrid and see how far you have got. We have to be inspired. It is a long, hard battle to get to this stage and as much as there is a lot riding on this game, what everyone wishes within the club is that we are just able to show how good we are and then it will be a fair game."

Kompany joined City from Hamburg in 2008, a year before the Sheik Mansour era began. In his seven years as owner the club have won two Premier League titles, two Capital One Cups and the FA Cup.

The European Cup is the holy grail. This is Real’s 27th semi-final, and they have reached the final 13 times, and Kompany recognises that City need time to develop this kind of pedigree. “It is a good plan behind the scenes,” he said. “We have always progressed every single year and that is one of the things I am most proud of. Realistically we are not there yet but we are on our way and everyone at the club is happy to see it is as a process.

"Tuesday is a great chance to measure ourselves against a really great club with a lot of tradition and that is what we are trying to create every single year. It has not come early. It just takes time.

"For us it is a tremendous honour to be at this stage. We are the first to do it [for this club]. However long it takes, the club will get to the level eventually, hopefully when I am still here. But for now it’s the first time and we just try and push the boundaries every year."

The manager, Manuel Pellegrini, struck a similar note when asking for his players to stay cool on the night. "It is very important to have a hot heart but a cold mind," the Chilean said, before pointing to how the sendings off of Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Martín Demichelis have been costly in previous campaigns. “The most important lesson is the last two Champions Leagues: we played in the round of 16 against Barcelona in three of the four games [and finished] with 10 men.

"It is very important to enjoy the semi‑final because it is not something we have every year. The players know that, but it is very important not to be comfortable because they arrive to this stage. All of the players, the manager, everyone wants to play the final. We will see a team that will work not just to play, but to play to win."

City fans have been slow to take to the Champions League, in part due to understandable grievances with Uefa. Yet during the quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain they created a feverish atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium worthy of a high-stakes night.

Kompany was unequivocal about the role of supporters on Tuesday evening. "It is the biggest," he said. "We play against one of the greatest clubs of all time and our support will be able to make the difference. I have never seen a Manchester City team not turn up when the fans are up for it. They have to be as loud as they have ever been.

"You get to the semi-final, there is nothing bad for you any more, you just want to play. The whole squad has been positive. It has lifted us in the Premier League. It has given us something to look forward to. If you are not hungry on Tuesday, you never will be."

Zinedine Zidane’s squad arrive with injury concerns regarding Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. The Portuguese is nursing a thigh problem and the Frenchman a problem with a hamstring. "The idea is that we want them to play. I think they’ll be fine but we’ll test," said Zidane. "I think they’ll play … they’re 100%."

"We can definitely win it," the Real coach added. "City are a great side. If you leave them space they can hurt you. The players get between the lines and cause problems. We need to try and stop that happening.”

Gareth Bale, who should form a front three alongside Ronaldo and Benzema, suggested City should have reached this stage before. "If anything I’m surprised they haven’t got here earlier. They’ve progressed over the years. They’ve been a force in the Premier League and starting to be in Europe. Hopefully now we can stop them.”

Pellegrini, who coached Ronaldo when in charge of Real in the 2009-10 season, was blunt about the threat of the three‑times world player of the year. "You are a little bit obsessed with Ronaldo," the manager said. "He is a good player but Vincent Kompany already answered that question. We need to worry about Real Madrid. We have to work as a team against Real Madrid in defending and attacking."

Pellegrini will be without Yaya Toure, who injured himself against Stoke City at the weekend. "He has not recovered from the muscle injury,” said the manager, who indicated Fernandinho and Fernando will start in central midfield. “Whenever they have played the two Brazilians have played well and had some very good games in Europe."