It was expected to be a happy homecoming. And it was, initially. But the joy of a reunion to make progress has been short-lived as Vincent Kompany has had to contend with a poor start to the season at Anderlecht. Returning home to help his boyhood club reclaim its place as Belgium’s best club, the former Manchester City captain was named player/manager at the beginning of the campaign.
But a string of poor results that have seen the side pick up just two points in five league games has dampened the mood at the club. Kompany had his role changed last week in an attempt to arrest the situation. He was relieved of managerial duties and told to concentrate on leading the team on the pitch as a player. Former Manchester City academy chief Simon Davies has now been saddled with the responsibility of managing the team for games.
Unfortunately, that has not yielded any positive results yet as the team was once again on the losing end on Friday. The side suffered another damaging defeat, losing 1-0 at the home of reigning champions Genk. This is the third defeat in five league games. It leaves the team near the bottom of the table and in danger of missing the goals set at the beginning of the campaign.
After missing out on both the league title and European football last term, the side was expected to bounce back this time around. But with Club Brugge and Genk matching on strong, it's difficult to see how Anderlecht can recover from the early setbacks to challenge at the top of the table.
To make matters worse, the City legend got injured in the latest game. He limped off in the 75th minute of the encounter and had to watch from the sidelines as another outing produced nothing for the side.
There are now concerns if he can recover in time to feature in his own testimonial. The game which comes up on September 11 will see a City legends side take on a Premier League All-stars XI. Players like Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Nigel De Jong will feature for City. They will take on a team mostly made up of Manchester United legends joined by the likes of Emile Heskey and Cesc Fabregas.
For now though, Kompany will be more concerned with helping Anderlecht secure a first win of the season with his experience in the dressing room. With a section of the club’s fans having already turned against the 33-year-old, the need to improve results has increased even more.