Rustic v Rational in Gameweek 30

Vincent Kompany (Photo credit: Erik Daniel Drost)

Kompany, central defender and captain of Manchester City (v Hull) was sent off in the 11th minute for a bringing down an opponent. The opponent, just inside the Man City half and close to Kompany, had the ball and there was nobody between him and the Hull goalie.

Kompany turned and got hold of the opponent who fell.  It is a classic situation. As the "last man" Kompany should know he will be sent off for committing the foul. He did and he was.

Kompany decided on the Rustic Solution - planting his opponent on the ground.

Was he right to do this?

What about the Rational Solution? The opponent had 30 to 40 yards to the goal, time for Kompany to catch up running behind, then alongside, etc. There was still a goalie ahead to be evaded or passed with an accurate shot. Any entanglement during the chase might result in a red-card for Kompany so there was that risk. But surely more worthwhile than what he did.

The outcome need not have resulted in a goal for Hull, the opponents, or a sending off for Kompany.

This player is an intelligent and personable character when interviewed on television and well-respected as a player I believe. You would have thought he would have gone through such a situation in his mind as a professional player, and a captain with the duty to set an example, and then decided on the rational solution.

Or is the truth simply that Kompany felt humiliated by the situation and dealt with it by a method easily to hand? The Rustic Solution.

The end

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