The Manchester City boss insists he is picking the team on merit and refused to confirm if his captain would return for the 170th Manchester derby at Old Trafford
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Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he is not 'punishing' Vincent Kompany but hinted his captain may again be benched for Sunday's derby with Manchester United.
Kompany has been among the substitutes in City's last two matches – victories over Bournemouth and Sevilla – after playing 60 minutes in Belgium's Euro 2016 qualifier against Israel, despite being short of fitness.
Before the 3-1 victory in Brussels, which sent Belgium to number one in the Fifa world rankings, the 29-year-old hadn't played since limping off in City's defeat to Juventus on 15 September.
The centre-half reportedly went against Pellegrini's wishes in playing an hour for the Red Devils but the City boss insisted he is not punishing his skipper by keeping him on the bench.
"I'm not punishing Vincent. I don't have a problem in my relationship with Vincent. We need to choose the starting eleven that's best," the Chilean told a press conference.
"It was important for him to work some days before he returns to the team."
However, Pellegrini refused to confirm if Kompany would start the 170th Manchester derby at Old Trafford, hinting that Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala are in the team on merit.
He said: "It's crucial to play with the best players for the moment. Football is moments – now, Mangala & Otamendi are doing well." Pellegrini also confirmed that a host of City stars will miss Sunday's short trip across the city for a match he described as worth 'six points'.
“[David] Silva, [Sergio] Aguero, [Samir] Nasri, [Fabian] Delph & [Gael] Clichy will miss the derby. "Maybe next week one or two of them can start working with the team. It will be difficult for Nasri to return before the international break. I hope he will be back after those ten days."
With Aguero still missing, Wilfried Bony is expected to start up front but Pellegrini is not opposed to experimenting with his team.
"Last season we had a lot of different ways to play – when our strikers were injured, we played with Milner and scored goals," he added. "We can play in different ways and we can win. Kevin de Bruyne is not a striker but he could play as a striker if we need him to."
Source: Goal
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