Kompany surprised by rift rumours

Manchester City midfield Vincent Kompany has played down reports of dressing room unrest at the club. With all the nationalities and high-profile players at City, it had been suggested some of Mark Hughes' players had clashed in recent weeks.Weekend reports hinted striker Craig Bellamy had fallen out with Robinho and that the pair were no longer talking, suggestions the ex-West Ham man swiftly refuted.Kompany has now added his weight behind the argument, stating his surprise at the talk of unrest in the City dressing room."When I read and heard about the supposed problems in the dressing room it really surprised me," he told the Manchester Evening News."If there has been a reaction in the dressing room then it is from players who just want us to win games and be successful and improve themselves and the group."If you look at the collective aspect of the team it is important we have the attitude of not accepting second best. Many times before as a squad we have been okay with average results but now the team will not accept this anymore.No tension"There are no tensions at all in the group. There is a very good team spirit and sometimes it is important that players feel free to say things to each other."Too much of what has supposed to have happened in the dressing room is exaggerated by people, who were not there. A constructive debate is always an important thing to have." Meanwhile, Kompany has praised City's efforts in their 1-1 draw against high-flying Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.Bellamy's goal had City ahead on Merseyside only for Dirk Kuyt's second-half effort to ensure the points were shared.City's performances and results away from home have often flattered to deceive and the Belgium international believes the benchmark has been set following their impressive Anfield showing."Liverpool was a big credit to us. For the first time in a while we were almost perfect in the second half, we looked to be a really strong side," he added on the club's official website.Performance to expect"That's the kind of performance we needed and the sort we should be expecting from ourselves, especially away from home."We don't have to tell anybody how difficult it is to get a result like that at Anfield, and that's two good performances coming after the 2-2 draw in Copenhagen. That's something for us to build on."We are feeling positive because we definitely look a stronger side - we could have scored one or two more on Sunday."The collective spirit was there for all to see at Anfield. The players ran many kilometres and worked their butts off."It's a very good team spirit, but it's also important to get things said - players want to improve themselves and the group, so it's important you talk about things from a collective aspect. It's to be expected from a team aiming to be top."

Source: SKY_Sports