Man City defender Kompany set for another month out

So while City finally managed to keep a clean sheet without injured captain Vincent Kompany ruled out for up to four weeks by manager Manuel Pellegrini after the game they have not won away in their last six attempts.

Pellegrini, whose side moved within three points of Leicester by thrashing Sunderland 4-1 on Saturday, said: “Before that they beat Chelsea and drew against (Manchester) United”.

“I am not a doctor but normally with a muscle injury less than three or four weeks is very hard, especially on the calf”. “It’s good to have clean sheet but best thing from that game was to continue playing the same way as we did in the last two games”.

“We are not going to close the window, but we are not really thinking of any special players to bring in”. After the last match, one of my kids, Paulo, was crying because we lost in the last minute and I found very quickly 10 reasons to be happy with Watford.

City’s defence has looked particularly vulnerable with Kompany absent, with neither Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala providing convincing arguments that they can cope without their captain.

The Chilean said: “Maybe both of them are in a very good performance but I don’t think they could do it if the complete team was not performing well”.

“We’re in a good position and the two teams above us thoroughly deserve to be above us”. “I wanted to see the reaction from the Liverpool game and it was good”, the Italian told reporters. “That’s why I repeat, not happy but not disappointed also because we played well but we couldn’t score”. It is, in Pellegrini’s words, “a good position” going into the second half of the season, but it represents a significantly lower points total than they had accrued at the same stage in previous years. It was hard but we played well, we created some chances.

He said: “I think we are returning to a very solid and consistent team, which is important”.

A 3-2 defeat at Anfield the following April would be their only further league defeat of that season on their travels.

“It is the same calf but a different part”, Pellegrini said.

“I’d love this to continue but it’s not easy”.