Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho has claimed that his side will be ruthless in their defence of the Premier League title.
The Citizens allowed rivals Manchester United to win back the crown following their success in the 2011-12 season, but after securing the title in the last campaign, the Brazilian is adamant that things will be different this time around.
He told reporters: "Now we will play as the champions. I think it will be a little bit different to last season.
"The most important thing is that we have to prepare, every week, every game, to show again our best performance, to show our football, and defend our title.
"When a team wins the title it's normal to relax a bit the following season. But our first game of the season against Newcastle showed that will not happen again. We will try to maintain the same performance level as last season. It is important we don't relax."
Manuel Pellegrini's men face Liverpool in their Premier League clash later today.
Simon Sinclair
