Kompany says City won’t ‘fall in the same trap’ as past champions

LONDON: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany believes the champions are well placed to avoid past mistakes and become the first team in a decade to retain the Premier League title.

The Belgian, who is the only current City player to have been with the club through the decade that they have been under Abu Dhabi’s free-spending ownership, has won the league three times at City.

But on the previous two occasions, City have failed to mount a serious title challenge in the following year, leaving Manchester United, in 2009, as the last champions to defend their title successfully.

Now, however, Kompany insists that under Pep Guardiola’s management, City will not make the same errors as in years gone by.

“I can only say it’s different from previous years we have won the league,” he said.

“There’s been so many warnings we have had and every single time we almost have to fight against ourselves and our nature, not to fall in the same trap as the other teams have done, my teams included, a few years ago.”

Kompany returned to the City team for Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing of Huddersfield as Guardiola left Nicolas Otamendi, Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez on the bench.

And Kompany believes that competition for places means City won’t let up after a recordbreaking 100-point campaign last season.

“I can see that everyone is training hard. There’s so much competition in the team that we have to anyway,” he added.

“I’m not saying we are going to do as well as we did last year, but if it happens that the season is going to be different then it has to be because of the other teams being stronger, not us being weaker.”

Meanwhile, City could be without reserve goalkeeper Claudio Bravo for the rest of the season after the Chilean ruptured an Achilles tendon, the club confirmed yesterday.

“Bravo has sustained an Achilles tendon injury in today’s training session,” City said in a statement. “He will fly out to Barcelona for further tests on Thursday where the extent of the injury will be examined.”

Bravo won two La Liga titles with Barcelona before moving to City in 2016, but an error-strewn first season provoked City to sign Brazilian Ederson from Benfica last year to take over as firstchoice goalkeeper.

However, Bravo played all six ties as City won the League Cup last season and his absence leaves City short on back-up for Ederson.

Daniel Grimshaw, 20, is the only other keeper in the first-team squad but he has not yet made a senior appearance.

Former City and England number one Joe Hart recently joined Burnley while England Under-21s goalkeeper Angus Gunn was sold to Southampton earlier.

The transfer deadline for Premier League clubs has already passed, meaning City can’t go into the transfer market for a replacement until January.