Vincent Kompany: Arsenal defeat has fired us up even more for Chelsea

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/19/vincent-kompany-manchester-city-arsenal-chelsea

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Vincent Kompany has urged Manchester City to use Sunday’s shock defeat by Arsenal to fire them up for the key match with Chelsea at the end of the month.

City were beaten 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium through goals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud to end a 14-game unbeaten run. Yet instead of the defeat putting more pressure on the champions before the game at Chelsea, who are their next league opponents on 31 January, Kompany claimed the opposite is true.

“In theory it should be better for us now because we will be fired up for that more, definitely. We have always been great in games like this, so I’m actually looking forward to it,” he said.

Manuel Pellegrini’s team are five points behind Chelsea but Kompany is confident they can begin another run. City are in Abu Dhabi for warm-weather training this week before Middlesbrough’s visit on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round.

Kompany said: “We are always liable to kick off a massive run and that’s the kind of club that we are. Maybe this run has stopped but the next one should be coming soon hopefully. You want to win always, so any result that’s not a victory you are disappointed. But with that said, we’ve been in situations like this before and it won’t affect the way we look at the Premier League. It won’t affect the way we look at the Champions League or the FA Cup. We will just make sure we are better in the next game.”

Kompany had missed just over a month due to a calf problem before starting against Arsenal but was encouraged by what he witnessed from the sidelines. “I’ve seen the same desire as I have seen year in, year out and that will never change. We have been without Kun [Sergio Agüero], myself, Yaya [Touré] and David Silva for a long period of time and yet we are still here five points behind Chelsea. If you had said that to us a month ago, we would have said, ‘Yes, we will take it.’ It’s good and it’s highs and lows. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Against Arsenal Kompany was adjudged to have fouled Nacho Monrealin the area for the penalty from which Santi Cazorla opened the scoring. When it was put to him that some viewed this as a harsh decision, Kompany said: “Who am I to disagree with you? I’ve said my bit on the pitch [to the officials] and I don’t want to go further. It’s football. We pick ourselves up now. That spirit is there, more than ever, in this team.”

Of his own return the Belgian said: “People who know me see I work like an animal when I am out. I want to be back stronger and to be fair, except for the result, it was a good game back.”

Touré is at the Africa Cup of Nations alongside his Ivory Coast and new City team-mate Wilfried Bony. The striker has cost City £25m from Swansea City and Kompany believes he is a fine addition.

“I rate him, I really do. But we have seen it this season, it’s never about individuals. If you put together a group of strong players, then you have a chance. I think you need it more than ever because you’ve seen the injuries we have had.

“If we are serious about the Champions League, if we are serious about the league and the FA Cup, then you need good players like him. You can’t get enough of them.

“ If you look at all the big teams around us, they have the same kind of strikeforce. You do need it. The teams we are competing with have the same tools and it’s as simple as that. I quite enjoyed facing him [Bony] in matches but I will face him in training more now.”

Kompany believes the break can revitalise City for the crucial period of the season. “It comes at the right time, funnily enough. The Premier League is relentless,” he said. “We have seen all the images of foreign teams in Qatar and wherever and, although I think it’s the most special league in the world because we play over that Christmas period and that should never change, if you do get a chance to get out of it, then it’s not a bad thing. It’s a [friendly] game on Wednesday we have to play too, against my old club Hamburg, so I want us to do well.”