Title 'confidence can reel in United'

They will definitely have to overturn a seven-point lead to retain the title. They will probably have to accumulate more than 90 points to do it. However, as the race at the top of the Premier League pauses briefly for the FA Cup this weekend, there is a quiet confidence at Manchester City that they can do it.

Vincent Kompany, the man who lifted the trophy last May, is not ready to let go just yet. "What I would say is that if a couple of years ago we had fallen seven points behind we would all have said to ourselves that it would be very difficult.

"But now we have done it and won the championship, nobody panics. Everything is still possible. We have proved what we can do and everybody is very calm. That's the advantage you get when you win it once. You have that inner confidence and, although the media and the fans can get excited, we don't."

But the City captain knows it will need an enormous effort to overcome a Manchester United on course to rack up 94 points, more than any club in Premier League history bar Chelsea in 2005. United have the same points as Chelsea at the same stage of that season – and a bigger lead.

"The reason we are not closer to United is not that we have been playing badly," said Kompany, whose side has collected six fewer points than at this stage last season.

"We have only lost two games, which is not a bad record at this stage. But United are doing extremely well and, if they continue to play like they have been doing, it will be difficult. But we are perfectly capable of having a long winning streak that will bring us very close.

"It is a big challenge but that doesn't make it any less interesting," he added. "We have set our standards high and have worked hard for a long time to bring ourselves into this position. We are not going to let it slip now. When you have won the title, you aim for another one."

The loss of Yaya Touré to the African Cup of Nations is a serious blow to the champions. Should Ivory Coast reach the final, Yaya and his brother, Kolo, will not return to action until the FA Cup fifth round on 16 February – assuming City make it that far.

Nevertheless, City coped well enough without the pair last season and Kompany argued that his side possesses enough firepower to deal with the loss of Sergio Aguero, who will be missing for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury.

Gianfranco Zola fears a backlash when Watford meet Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday. "We are playing a team out of the Champions League and they will consider this competition a priority."