Though the Premier League title is at stake, Kompany believes there is no need to change a thing against the Hammers and it is vital everything is exactly the same as any other home game this season.
“Everyone was happy after the win over Villa but there were no excessive celebrations because everybody knew what a tough game it had been to win,” said the captain.
“Now, it’s all about today and our game against West Ham. It’s really important not to get carried away and we all understand that. I’d say it was a calm dressing room after Aston Villa – calm and focused.
“We won’t prepare any differently for today’s game and it’s important that we don’t. We need to continue preparing the way we have each week throughout the season.
The Etihad is a good place for us to play games so we shouldn’t change a thing and ensure that we at our best during the match
...Kompany...
“We want to enjoy the day because there is nothing worse than getting off to a bad start and all the pressure and anxiety that can create – we have to avoid this happening. We learned a lot from the 2012 victory over QPR.”
West Ham may have already conceded 12 goals in the league and cup to City this season, but Kompany says that counts for nothing in this game.
He also pointed to recent surprise results in the Premier League as a warning that there is no such thing as a sure thing in English football.
“Crystal Palace’s comeback against Liverpool is the perfect example,” he said. “It proved that every team has good players who are capable of hurting you and the Premier League has only become tougher as a result.
“It’s been a bigger challenge this season than it’s ever been, in my opinion and the team crowned as champions will fully deserve to have won it.
“After we lost at Liverpool, we then dropped points against Sunderland before beating West Brom. Then we played Palace, Everton, and Aston Villa and none of the games have been clear cut.
“Against Villa we had to wait until the 65th minute to get the first goal and both Palace and Everton were hard games, too so it doesn’t seem to be in the English mentality to just give away a game.
“There is something to fight for in every match for every team, whether it is a higher position in the table, qualifying for Europe, steering clear of relegation or just professional pride. That’s why nobody in our team is thinking that West Ham will be any different and that is a challenge we have to face.
“The bottom line is we need to be at our best and I would ask our fans to be loud – as loud as they possibly can be because it really makes a difference and it can help us get over the line today.”
