Man City: Roberto Mancini Slams Vincent Kompany Over Internationals
Manchester Evening News. The Blues boss is unhappy that not only did Kompany play for Belgium in midweek after being out injured for the last two months, but also at the fact he played the entire 90 minutes. The City skipper has not played for his club since January 26th after limping out of an FA Cup win over Stoke with a calf injury, and after his exertions for his country midweek, there are now growing concerns he will not be fit enough to feature in tomorrow's clash with Newcastle United. Mancini made it clear to his player that he did not want him to go on international duty, and is now furious that he disobeyed his wishes, and has told the centre-back to get his priorities in order. He is also frustrated with Belgium manager Marc Wilmots, feeling he should have been more understanding of the clubs position. He raged:
Sometimes players should understand that the club is more important. I am not saying the national team is not important, and I would never tell my players not to go to play for their country. But there are some cases when the club is more important, and all players should understand this. He didnt play for us for 60 days and went to play for the Belgian national team. I did not agree with it. Sometimes managers of national teams should understand the situation. These players play for their clubs, and every month the clubs pay their salary. The week before the international break he was not fit to play for us. The responsibility is also sometimes with the player. Managers sometimes dont understand the reality of the situation. I tried to talk to the Belgian manager three months ago when Vinny was injured, but he probably didnt understand very well. I dont want Vinny not to go to the national team, but when he is injured, it is impossible. It is not right for 60 days he didnt play for us, and we did everything, and then he goes to play for the national team. If he has another injury, or if he is not ready to play for us on Saturday, and we lose him for another month, it is not right either for the player or for the manager.Mancini cannot prevent Kompany from meeting with his national team or playing for them, because the players and national associations are protected by Fifa rules. He has spoken to Kompany in private, however, and has told him to be more considerate of his duty to the club in future.