Intro:

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on Wednesday (31st December) denied there was a complacency issue among his players after they threw away a two-goal lead against Burnley in their last English Premier League game. The defending champions face Sunderland at the Etihad on New Years Day and Pellegrini said they "are always a difficult team".

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager (Q: Will Yaya Toure be fit to play against Sunderland?)

"No Yaya is ok, it was just the last game, I think it was a risk for him, he was not one hundred per cent recovered. He didn't have any other problem."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager (Q: Would you expect Vincent Kompany to be fit in time for the FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday?)

"No I don't think Vincent will be fit this week. I think maybe next week against Everton he can be available."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager (Q: Frank Lampard wasn't meant to be able to play past December 31st, have you got special permission from the Premier League?)

"No I said that during December we will know what happens with the future of Frank Lampard. I repeat once again I think it's important for him to stay with us. Today we finish December so I hope today that we will have the last news."

Q: But his deal was due to expire at midnight wasn't it, how can he play tomorrow, has he been re-registered? How does that work?

"No it doesn't matter, he can play tomorrow."

Q: And how much longer do you expect him to be with you for?

"Frank, I hope until the end of the season."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager (Q: David Silva spoke about the Burnley game and suggested you're struggling against the sides down at the bottom, would you go along with that?)

"Well I think that here in the Premier League, as David said and I agree with him, every team can beat another team it doesn't matter the position of the table they are. But I think for our team it's more important that in the last 30 points we won 26. Maybe because we want to win the 30 points, we draw against Queens Park Rangers and we draw against Burnley, two games that normally you say you must win it, but it's not so easy to say. I prefer to continue having 26 points from 30 and it doesn't matter against whom we lost the points, but it's important to continue with that average of performance."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager (Q: You don't sense there is a mental or complacency issue then?)

"No, no I think that it's important to have the amount of points that you can win, that I think is the most important thing. I was not happy because in the first nine games we won just 17 points, that's not the amount of points that we need to try to win the title. But in the last ten games winning 26 points from 30, if I can repeat it again, it doesn't matter against whom we lost those four points."