It is easy to think the title of this article is referring to Manchester City alone. Why not? Vincent Kompany took a bow last season. A player who led the club for so long and so well, has bid farewell to the Citizens.
Although the side is full of veterans like Sergio Aguero and David Silva, Pep Guardiola has not chosen a captain yet.
However, a quick glance across the city shows that Manchester United are also in search of a captain to the lead their side and the debate has continued for quite a while now. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, just like Guardiola, is still coy on naming a captain. And there you have it: Two Manchester sides without a recognized captain.
With few days to the start of the new season, what seems like the easiest of things to do has been left undone. While there are many reasons why that may be, how about focusing on the solution? Who should captain these two sides going into the 2019/2020 season?
In answering this question, the focus should be more on the determining factors to select a captain, some of which are:
Consistency
For both Manchester managers, the best way to select a captain is to consider how often they will be available to lead the team on the pitch. You don’t want to give the captain band to a player who spends half of the season at the doctor’s.
A team needs a leader that will be available during those crunch moments. Both Manchester sides need a captain that will play week in, week out. This should be the No. 1 criteria.
Commitment
Stories have been emanating from Manchester about Solksjaer considering Paul Pogba for the captaincy role. If this is true, what does this say about the side because the leader of any team should be committed to the task at hand.
Furthermore, it can bring in unwanted distractions within the team. His authority may be questioned at some point as well as his loyalty and may not fully earn the trust and respect of his teammates. Meanwhile, David de Gea has come out to say he’d love to captain the side.
Pep Guardiola has been reported as saying his players will “have to pick their captain” since he will be their “spokesperson.” So, both sides look like they will remain without a captain for a while.
And while the discussion continues, fans of both sides will keep wondering: Who be our next captain?
What do you think? Who should be the next captain? Drop your comments and share your thoughts with us.
Guest writer: Rotimi Daramola
