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Manchester City start the 2018/2019 season convincingly. The defending champions are sure not to drop their performance like the previous champions.
City last season won the Premier League with a very dominant and record-setting. The Citizens won with 100 points, the highest in Premier League history, plus a record of 106 goals and 32 wins which became a record.
Pep Guardiola's side started this season convincingly. After conquering Arsenal 2-0 in the first week, City silenced Huddersfield Town with a score of 6-1. Sergio Aguero et al. even though it topped the standings, on goal difference from Liverpool, Chelsea, Watford, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth.
City defender Vincent Kompany believes this time his team can return to being the protagonist in the title race. Kompany believes City's performance will not decline like the previous champions.
As is known since 2008/2009 no team has managed to defend the Premier League title. Even lately there is a trend that the championship team has dropped its position in the following season.
Chelsea for example, after the champions in the 2014/2015 season only finished 10th in the following year. The Blues won again in the 2016/2017 season, but finished fifth in the last season. Leicester City too. After the championship in the 2015/2016 season, the Foxes finished 12th the following season.
City itself has never experienced a decline so much. But every time a champion, City has never managed to defend it.
"I can only say this is different from previous years where we won the league," Kompany was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"There have been so many warnings that we have seen and every time we have to fight against ourselves and our nature, so as not to be trapped in the same trap as other teams, including my team a few years ago," he added.
One thing that Kompany considered to be the fuel for City to re-lead in the title race was good internal competition. This season the players are increasingly ambitious showing their quality.
"I can see everyone practicing hard. There is so much competition in the team that we have to live after all," the Belgian defender continued.
"I didn't say we would go as good as last season. But if that happens where this season goes differently, then it must be because other teams are strengthening, not because we are weakening," he said.