Kompany: City will improve

[sake]

Captain Vincent Kompany is convinced Manchester City will find their stride in the Champions League this season.

City are facing a familiar battle to qualify for the knockout stages after enduring frustrating results in their opening three matches in this season's competition.

Their latest disappointment came as they surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 in a controversial Group E clash against CSKA Moscow on a freezing night in the Russian capital.

Profiles

Vincent Kompany

CSKA equalised after they were awarded a disputed penalty four minutes from time.

The result left City with just two points at the mid-point of the first stage, seven behind group leaders Bayern Munich.

The situation has echoes of City's travails in 2011-12 and 2012-13, when they failed to advance from their groups.

But Kompany said: "There's no mental block, there's just occasionally a number of performances that need to be better, that's all it is.

"But I'm not going to follow the trend and go against my team, more than the media will do already, that's their role.

"In my case I'm 100 per cent convinced we'll overturn it. People forget we had a strong group stage last year. It's not every season the same but this year we've made it more difficult than it has to be.''

City now seem to be in a three-way battle for second place in the group along with CSKA and second-placed Roma, who were thrashed 7-1 by Bayern.