MANCHESTER -- Manuel Pellegrini insisted he did not regret selecting his captain Vincent Kompany for Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Liverpool.
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Kompany, who had injured a knee in training on Saturday and did not look fully fit, played a part in all three Liverpool goals and Philippe Coutinho’s winner came when the Belgian sliced a clearance straight to him.
But Manchester City manager Pellegrini was adamant he did not just select the Belgian because of the size of the game and claimed the centre-back was able to play.
"He started the game because he is the captain,” he said at a news conference. “He proved before the game [that he was fit], he said he was okay and the doctor said that so I don't regret that."
Pellegrini refused to criticise Kompany publicly, adding: “I don’t like to analyse the individual performance with the media. I talk with the players and when we win or lose, it is the responsibility of the whole team.”
City will face Sunderland on Wednesday without their 22-goal midfielder Yaya Toure who came off at Anfield with a muscle injury that is likely to sideline him for a fortnight.
But Pellegrini believes that players like Fernandinho, Javi Garcia and James Milner can compensate for the absence of the Ivory Coast international.
He said: “I have a lot of confidence because I know what those players can give. We have played the whole season with a lot of injuries. Now we've Yaya, we've had Kompany, [Sergio] Aguero, [Samir] Nasri [in the past]. But we have a squad and must replace him in this moment. I am sure we are going to do it with no problem.”