Sport

Solid as a rock: Manchester City’s defence will be stronger than ever, says skipper Vincent Kompany

By Marios Papaloizou

Manchester City’s inspirational captain Vincent Kompany believes that new boss Manuel Pellegrini can take the Blues’ solid defence to the next level.

The Belgian defender is regarded as an indispensable part of the Blues’ back line – which conceded the fewest goals of any Premiership club last season.

After Mancini’s impressive work at the club, Kompany thinks that the new manager can have a positive impact on City’s defensive record.

“I think mainly you always look to keep your strong points in the team,” Kompany told the Manchester Evening News.

“We’ve had a lot of good things in our team. Our organisation and discipline has been really good.

“[Pellegrini] has got his own vision and I think like every big manager he’s got a strong vision about how the team needs to play.”

The imposing defender believes that Pellegrini is not attempting to dramatically alter City’s setup but is instead seeking to make subtle changes.

“I think what he’s trying to do is add on to what we have already and just make sure that those little points that we could improve we do improve, maybe recovering the ball quicker and being more dynamic.”

As one of the most expensive squads assembled in the country there is an added pressure to playing for City; however, Kompany believes the current crop of players can handle the heat.

“The first time we had a [record signing] was Robinho five years ago and the pressure has only been increasing,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of big players. We know how to deal with it and I think our club looks more stable now.

“We’ve always improved. We’ve sometimes had a good season, sometimes a little bad season but you can’t forget where we’ve come from.”

The City skipper believes that the disappointment felt by the team last season is an indication of how far the Blues have come in recent times.

“When you finish second and everyone’s disappointed. That’s a good thing because a few years ago people might have been happy with that.

“I think this squad is just as strong, if not stronger, than the squad that gave us the league title.”

Picture courtesy of Sky Sports, with thanks.

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