Hart & Kompany Talk United Point

Kompany started City’s previous two matches on the bench having gone against Pellegrini’s wishes to play in Belgium’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Israel – his first action after missing five club matches with a calf injury.

That proved not to be the case and Pellegrini consequently left him out of the starting line-up for games against Bournemouth last weekend and Sevilla in midweek.

Vincent Kompany has urged Man City to be more “Mancunian” ahead of their derby clash.

Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany has dismissed speculation that he has fallen out with manager Manuel Pellegrini. “There is no problem with me and the manager”.

“He was five weeks without playing and on his return he played 45 minutes, he’s fit”, Pelegrini continued.

This caused Pellegrini to view Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala, his defensive partner, as certainties in his first-choice lineup.

But while admitting that City are a stronger team with Kompany in it, Pellegrini insisted that Otamendi and Mangala have done well in the Belgian’s absence and he is therefore under no pressure to restore Kompany to the team at Old Trafford.

“Last season we had the four strikers injured and we played with (James) Milner and he scored two goals I think in two or three games and our team scored 15 goals without strikers”.

Pellegrini defended his decision by saying in a news conference: “The importance is the moment of the player”.

“But after that there’s a lot of things why the performances of the players change and it is my duty to choose the best XI every game”.

“It’s a match of six points because you are playing the team that is behind you, but it will not be a game to decide the title”. Against better opposition City would have been torn to pieces and once the formation was changed they went on and won the game.

The Citizens secured a 0-0 draw away at Manchester United on Sunday, but met with a few criticism for being happy to settle for the point and not committing too many players forward. I think that despite the fact we have a quality squad, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to be Champions.