City returned from eight points behind United to win the title last season, and the Spaniard is confident of a repeat, but rues that Sunderland shock defeat.
David Silva: "It won't be easy, but our challenge is to be back level with Manchester United by the end of February.
"The defeat at Sunderland was a hard blow for us to take. Nobody believed we would lose.
"As a team we have a huge desire to repeat our title success - nobody should have any doubt about that. But we know the Premier League is very open and if you give away chances, you can be beaten.
"Even so, there was a lot of anger in the dressing-room at Sunderland - and not only from the coach.
"Those three points were so important, because in our situation they could make the difference between winning and losing the title.
"If we don't win at places like Sunderland, it's nearly impossible to fight for success in this league. We have spoken about all this, about our irregular form. It's not a question of a lack of quality or bad luck.
"Rivals know how to play against us and each time they make it more difficult for us to win."
Source: Sunderland-Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
