When you looked across the Manchester City dressing room in recent seasons, there were a few reliables you could hang your hat on.
Captain Vincent Kompany was one who proved to be a linchpin at the back, but he has been culpable for many an error as the club endure a difficult spell ahead of their Champions League second leg in Barcelona.
The Belgian was dropped by Manuel Pellegrini for a match against Hull City, which The Telegraph's Mark Ogden describes as the manager sending a message to the player and the squad.
But could Kompany's downturn be part of a problem linked to the numerous calf and other muscular injuries he has suffered in recent years.
Tonight Ogden told Off The Ball that there are worries that it will lead to an even more pronounced decline for the Belgian skipper.
"The initial belief that it was a dip in form has become a concern over the long-term picture and you look across Manchester at Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. They both got injuries at this stage of their careers - late '20s - and in Ferdinand's case, it finished him off. He lost his pace and Vidic lost a bit of pace as well. I think Kompany's lost some pace. I think he's trying to compensate for that by making bad decisions on the pitch," he said.
Meanwhile, there has been focus on the fact that City have only had two changes of key personnel to the starting line-up from their Champions League debut four years ago.
"City have some good players but they are growing old together. What they need is an injection of two, three or four young players with a bit of energy, hunger and ambition to win things to get the best out of these players," said Ogden, who also believes that Pellegrini will be very worried about his job should Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti become available in the summer.
"My money's on Ancelotti being the guy to come in and replace Pellegrini if the season ends badly, which it looks like it's going to."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
