Kompany wants to keep on winning
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is committed to winning as many trophies as he can during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
The Belgian was one of Roberto Mancini's most dependable players during the team's previous campaign, making it unsurprising when he was named Premier League Player of the Season. Lifting the Premier League trophy on behalf of the club for the first time in 44 years, Kompany has since signed a new six year contract in a show of commitment toward a cause he believes the club and him have in common.
"The main point is that we have similar ambitions, but not only that, I feel very good in Manchester," Kompany shared with ESPN Star Sports.
"My family life is settled and I enjoy the connection I have with the fans, but it's all about winning trophies now, I've got six years to win as much as I can."
Beating Arsenal 2-0 in a friendly held in Beijing yesterday [Friday], Kompany is aware that the defending champions will start the new league campaign as favourites. However, he called on his squad-mates to forget all about their prior success and acknowledge the difficulty involved in retaining the trophy.
"The most important thing is that you start everything back from scratch. It's a new season, it's a new adventure, everything that you've done before is gone. The message that needs to be put out to the team is that if we want to do it again, we've got to work even harder," Kompany stated.
"I personally hope that I can win every single trophy that I can in a year. You don't have a lot of time in football to win a lot, so the time you have you got to make the most out of it. I think everybody understands that."
Although City succeeded in conquering their domestic league, they have had little success continentally. Kompany recognized that the quest to become champions of Europe will not be easily achieved, but he is convinced the club are taking the right steps to get there.
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"Last season we managed to gather 10 points into the group stage, which normally would put us through, but it didn't last year. But it was a great learning experience and I'm just so convinced that this year will be a better year for us," Kompany said.
"There's just so many clubs that have the ambition to win, so you can never guarantee anything."
Pre-season training tours are now a common occurrence in the calendars of Premier League teams. While the central defender admits the travelling and varying climates can take their toll on the squad, he believes the experience bands the team together.
"It's always a special time of the year for us. We've already been together for 12 days in Austria and now this is a little bit more adventurous because the conditions are not always the easiest when you have to play football games, but I guess it just strengthens the relationship," Kompany shared.
"It's just part of what you have to go through before the start of the season."
In Kuala Lumpur for a friendly against the Malaysia XI, this marks the second time Kompany has visited the Southeast Asian nation. The former Anderlecht player professed his love for the region and revealed that he was looking forward to the few days he will spend here with his team-mates.
"My team-mates will definitely love it. I was in Singapore as well, but now it's my second time in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur in particular. It's just a place I've grown used to," Kompany said.
"I'll definitely come back. I'm just looking forward to the next few days here as well."