Vincent Kompany says he has no doubt that Manchester City will do better to implement Pep Guardiola's tactics in his second season in charge.
City sealed a third-placed finish on the final day of the season on Sunday and finished 15 points back of champions Chelsea, a disappointing result for a man who had just won three straight Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and three straight La Liga titles with Barcelona before that.
But Kompany, who a day earlier Guardiola confirmed would be staying at the Etihad, praised his manager, telling ESPN FC that success for City will only be a matter of the players executing his ideas.
"He's intense and his passion is what he's trying to transmit to his players," Kompany said in an exclusive interview. "It's been such a joy to be able to be around one of the best managers in world football.
"I'm convinced that with time we'll be able to implement his ideas, that with time his ideas will also be able to probably match the challenges of the Premier League, and therefore will be successful, so we just have to do it now.
One of the main tactics implemented by Guardiola has been a focus on playing out from the back, but Kompany said the new change did not put any extra pressure on him as a defender.
"It's fairly straightforward when you know the system, when you know the patterns, and there's always a solution that's offered to you," Kompany said. "It's not that we get asked to play from the back and just find our own way out, there's usually an idea behind it, and he'll change depending on the games.
"But I'd say this: It's easier to play from the back now than it's ever been before, although the demand is obviously to play -- almost at every single occasion -- from the back."
Kompany only managed 15 appearances with City under Guardiola while dealing with knee ligament danage suffered in November, and after a number of setbacks, the 31-year-old said he's learning to manage his body more effectively.
"Well you know you can't promise that you're gonna to be fit, but what I'd like to think is that I've learned to manage myself better," he said. "But I don't want to change how I am, how I play, so if it means taking more risks it's always going to be the case, and that's fine for me.
"What I do have is I trust myself, and I know that I can come back. I know that I can reach the level that I had before. I know that I can even improve, even when I don't play, so I'm not worried, but less injuries and I'll be happy next season."
Kompany capped his season with a goal on the final day, one of three on the year. His strike against Crystal Palace on May 6 was even voted as the club's goal of the season, which Kompany said came as a major shock.
"I'm getting used to it now I've had a few goals in recent games, but I even won goal of the season for Man City which is I think the biggest surprise I've ever had in my career," he said.
"But look, if I can help going forward I'm happy to do it, but it's the clean sheets that I get the most pride from."