Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says their FA Cup heartache of last season will help them ahead of their Capital One Cup final with Sunderland this weekend. The Belgian says he will not allow City's League Cup final clash with Sunderland to go the same way as their FA Cup showpiece defeat to Wigan last season. Kompany is relishing his return to the scene of last season’s crime and admits failure is not an option this time round.
He said: "In the back of my mind, I still have the defeat against Wigan last season.
"It’s not a negative, it has been my drive and is possibly the best thing that has happened in that it has given me even more hunger.
"You realise how precious it is to you and your people. It’s alright saying the FA Cup is this, or the Capital One Cup is this, but it really matters.
"And it doesn’t feel nice to go all that way and then, just before the end, you see it taken away from you.
"There are no hard feelings in the sense that we didn’t deserve it that day, but obviously with the talent we have in this squad, you just want to make sure everyone puts in a performance on the day.
"All I know is that it will be a football game like any other, and I just want the whole team to be at its best on the day.
"Emotionally it was tough, and it was something I took on board. I learned a lot from it. After that game, I have never wanted to win trophies so badly.”
Kompany can complete his collection of English winner’s medals if his team can overcome Sunderland on Sunday, having lifted the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012. City can still win an historic quadruple this season and Kompany wants to strike now while the iron is hot and not be left with regrets.
He added: "I can’t afford to lose time. I want to win everything - which is obviously not possible.
"But I don’t want to leave anything to chance and mess about and then suddenly it has gone.
"If I don’t achieve something now, I can’t blame myself because I know I am always giving my best. Whenever I play badly, I still give my best.
"I am not going to visualise anything, because that’s too much. I just hope the guys have a good week, because it’s the first clear week we have had for a long time.
"It would be perfect to just work and live up to that day. It’s a big day and a big competition, and it is also a good habit to get to those finals.
"Everyone will be focused, and as much as I have taken lessons out of last season’s final, you can believe the rest of the team has done it as well.”