Vincent Kompany has laid down the gauntlet to his side and called on the team to be more defensively resilient as they aim to progress from Group D
Vincent Kompany
Manchester: Vincent Kompany does not believe Manchester City will be able to count themselves among Europe's elite until they win the Champions League.
Vincent Kompany
The Premier League leaders are chasing a third English title in five seasons, with Kompany captaining them to top spot domestically in 2011-12 and 2013-14.
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They were unable to replicate that success on the continent under Roberto Mancini and the Italian's successor Manuel Pellegrini has fared little better to date – consecutive losses to Barcelona in the round of 16 in the past two seasons standing as City's best efforts to date in the competition.
Successive late wins over Borussia Monchengladbach and Sevilla in their previous two matches means Kompany and his team-mates can secure progression from Group D with two games to spare on Tuesday, providing they beat Sevilla away from home on Tuesday and Juventus do likewise against their Bundesliga opponents.
"It is the last thing that we have to achieve in order to prove we have become a big club," Kompany told reporters regarding his ambition of winning the Champions League.
A regular criticism levelled at City during their continental failures is that they do not significantly temper their attacking approach and are too easily picked off by high-quality opposition.
Kompany believes the goalless derby draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 25, when Pellegrini's men showed little of their customary verve but restricted their rivals in terms of clear chances, could point the way towards European success.
"It's important to have that side to your game, in games like this," the Belgium captain said.
"What we got out of the game at Old Trafford is the fact that we were solid, and we looked solid again, against Norwich," he added, referring to a 2-1 league win on Saturday.
"We have been doing that in the Premier League so far this year. We will always score goals, always be dangerous, but if everyone agrees to defend and to put in the hard work as well, we have a team that can achieve so much success."
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