Vincent Kompany has rubbished claims that the Manchester City squad is divided.
Reports suggest that things at Eastlands are not going very smoothly at all, compounded by the recent transfer request from captain Carlos Tevez and a training ground bust-up between Mario Balotelli and Jerome Boateng.
But Kompany has dispelled those rumours by stating that there is a distinct unity within the playing group which can push them towards the Premiership this season.
"It's a really, really good squad, a great group of guys and we're very, very close to each other," said Kompany.
"It's a group of guys who want to achieve together. We're all in the same squad but, in training, if you divide us into two teams, ultimately you want to win the game.
"If you're not competitive in training, how do you expect to be competitive on the pitch? I'm not saying fights are good, but I don't even think there was a 'fight' [between Balotelli and Boateng].
"But you have to be competitive and train as you play. I'd be more angry with someone who didn't give 100 per cent in training than someone who over-reacts to a situation.
"I have to agree we have very good players here who aren't getting games. But at no point has their behaviour been negative towards the rest of the squad.
"I've been at clubs where players who aren't playing just want things to go badly for the team. But it's not like that here. The players who aren't getting games have been totally professional.
"For me, a successful team comes from every guy playing each game as if it were a final. There's no excuse for a lesser performance, and only by thinking that way can you win things."
