Kompany challenges champions to win last eight games
Captain Vincent Kompany sounded a rallying cry to his Manchester City team mates on Saturday, calling for eight more Premier League victories in a last-ditch bid to retain the title.
Last week's defeat by lowly Burnley and a predictable Champions League defeat by Barcelona increased the spotlight on under-performing City, but Saturday's 3-0 win against 10-man West Bromwich Albion eased their jitters.
It left City three points behind leaders Chelsea, who have two games in hand, and Kompany, who has come in for a fair amount of criticism for his own displays, said the equation facing his team was simple.
"We needed this win to help restore everyone's confidence," Kompany told City's website.
"There are another 24 points to play for and we have to do our best to get as many wins as we can.
"Can we win them all? Of course we can but we know that even if we do, it might not be enough because there are no guarantees, but we will be doing our best."
"Football is very simple -- if you win, you're the best, if you lose, you're no good. All I can say us we'll be doing our best to win our remaining games and see where that takes us."
City were given a huge helping hand when West Brom had Gareth McAuley sent off after two minutes.
McAuley was mistaken for Craig Dawson who had committed the initial foul on Wilfield Bony.
Ivory Coast striker Bony went on to open his City account, firing his side ahead midway through the first half with his first goal since joining from Swansea City in January.
"It is important for him because he has just arrived in our squad and he has come in from playing six games in 18 days in the African Cup of Nations," Pellegrini said of Bony.
"That is not good at this moment of the season for the players, and that is why he is not always in the starting XI."
Asked whether City could still win the title, the cagey Pellegrini refused to be drawn.
"We have to play eight games more, we can win the eight games and if Chelsea don't drop points we cannot win the title.
"So the important thing is not to think about other teams, to think about our team, improve and win the next game which is Crystal Palace."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ian Chadband)
