Manchester City's defensive resources have been stretched thin this season but former captain Vincent Kompany says they do not need to sign another defender in January to get their Premier League title defence back on track.

City did not move to replace central defender Kompany when he left the Etihad Stadium for Anderlecht in May, while the champions have since lost Aymeric Laporte to a long-term injury.

Midfielder Fernandinho has been played as a makeshift central defender alongside John Stones in recent games but the pair struggled against Liverpool in Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Anfield.

"I don't think they need to sign another defender," Kompany told Sky Sports.

"The best way for City to defend in the past has been to attack. They have no reason to change that.

"As soon as they start reconnecting with the best performances, I'm convinced that we can see a sustainable amount of wins."

Leaders Liverpool have opened up a nine-point gap on fourth-placed City, but Kompany says his former side can turn things around to win a third consecutive title under Pep Guardiola.

"There's a lot of positives to be said about this (Liverpool) team, but I still believe Manchester City are in a position where they have recent history going for them," he added.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford ) ((Hardik.Vyas@thomsonreuters.com;))