After winning a second Premier League title in three years, Vincent Kompany has demanded Manchester City maintain their winning habit.
Sergio Aguero’s dramatic stoppage time winner against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 gave the Blues a first league title since 1968, courtesy of a better goal difference than rivals United. Two years on it was the red shirts of Liverpool who were the competition, albeit on a final day of the campaign which was always likely to be less stressful.
City knew a win over a West Ham United side with nothing to play for would guarantee a second title in three years, regardless of what favours Newcastle United could or could not deliver at Anfield. Samir Nasri set the ball rolling with the opening goal five minutes before the break, before Kompany doubled the lead on 49 minutes.
This set the scenes for a party at the Etihad Stadium, which was full of supporters who had already celebrated a League Cup final success earlier this campaign. And speaking in the wake of picking up the Premier League trophy, City’s skipper was quick to challenge his team-mates to maintain the winning habit and do so in style.
“This is a team that is growing and we have done it in style,” said Kompany. “Everyone keeps saying, we have won the league and we have done it in style. That is what I like about it. That is what I want us to do again in future, keep winning in style. We never gave up, we always believe. Together we did it, we knew we could, and until the end we fought and we brought the title back to the city, and in the colours, it should always be.”
When Manuel Pellegrini was appointed as manager last summer, it wasn’t a universally popular decision amongst the City fans who had taken Roberto Mancini, who made way for the Chilean, to their hearts. However, the new man in the dugout has won over every single one of his doubters, and is certainly less confrontational than the Italian.
Pellegrini was challenged by the club owners to win five trophies in five years, and he has already delivered two in his debut season. And with more money to spend during the transfer window, his side are likely to start next term as favourites to add more silverware to an honours list which once went 35 years untouched.
“Big teams cannot be satisfied just with one title,” Pellegrini, who had never previously won a title in Europe, told Sky Sports. “It is very important that we have won two titles in the year, we must celebrate today and tomorrow. On Tuesday we will start working for next season, because for the club and the players it is so important.”
