Kompany has not started either of City’s last two games, since the worldwide break, and could find himself on the bench again against Manchester United in the 170th derby.
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That proved not to be the case and Pellegrini consequently left him out of the starting line-up for games against Bournemouth last weekend and Sevilla in midweek.
The City skipper was restored to play a full part in his 19th and, arguably, most forgettable Manchester derby – a turgid contest of few chances at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Pellegrini said: ‘I remember that game, it was a odd defeat.
“After that there’s a lot of things why the performances of the players change and it is my duty to choose the best 11 every game”.
“I’m not punishing Vincent and I don’t have any problem with my relationship with him”.
“Vincent is just coming back from a long injury that kept him out for a month, and it was probably a risk to give him the responsibility to play in this important game”.
It was one of three changes made by Pellegrini, with Aleksandar Kolarov and Fernando also coming into the team in place of Pablo Zabaleta and Jesus Navas.
He had been carrying a calf injury before travelling to meet up with his fellow countrymen and reports claimed the duo had fallen out. “But I could win a title and everyone will say, “We played very well” and I cannot be happy with the way we do it. Everyone thinks if you win the title you are the best team but, to me, it doesn’t work like that”.
“For me, the most crucial thing is to play with the best players I have at this moment”, Pellegrini said.
‘Now it is time to be focused on the game, forgetting about the Champions League – hopefully we did that job on Wednesday – and play a good game on Sunday’.
Though previous encounters between the two city rivals have been filled with goals, Pellegrini’s selection, combined with Louis Van Gaal’s renowned big-game caution, offered a lacklustre showcase.
“It’s a performance that I’m glad we have in the locker but I’d prefer it if we didn’t have to use it”, he said.
“We have players with characteristics that can play different ways, and every one of them can score”.
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“Oh, nice! I didn’t know that”.
