Manchester City will look to get back on track after the international break after losing four games in a row.
It has been a tough past couple of weeks for the club, with performances and results taking a nosedive.
Manchester City have been contending with a number of injuries to key players, with Rodri especially being missed. The Spaniard’s knack for dominating games and providing control really does make life much easier for City.
But Pep Guardiola will be without his midfield maestro for the foreseeable future due to injury, and he must find a way to cover his absence.
Martin Zubimendi is a player Rodri is thought to want Man City to sign to replace him in January.
At the moment, City also appear to be lacking leadership on the pitch.
As well as Rodri, Ruben Dias has been missing for the past few games due to injury and the Portuguese centre-back’s authority is a great loss.
Ruben Dias fires warning to doubters amid Man City’s losing streak
It has been evident since the moment he walked through the doors at City that Dias is a leader.
The 27-year-old is someone who takes responsibility and is very serious about his craft and at the moment, he’s far from content with the situation.
But he’s also calm, and believes in the quality of the squad to turn things around.
He defiantly told ESPN: “Always what matters is how you bounce back from these moments, and that’s why our team has won so much because in moments of difficulty, the characters come up and we stay together.
“We don’t find people to kill. We find people to bring into the cause and fight together and that’s what we need to do once again.”
On people writing City off already, Dias added: “Please doubt us.”
Dias admitted that the Man City players ‘love it’ when they have people doubting them.
Man City fans wish Ruben Dias was Manchester City captain
The defiance of Dias has been lapped up by fans on social media, with many really wishing that he was the club captain.
Of course, Kyle Walker is the actual club captain right now, which came about as a result of a player vote after Ilkay Gundogan left, as is always the case.
But many supporters just feel Dias is a natural leader, and think it’s a shame he’s not the man sporting the armband.
Dias not being Man City captain is a travesty
It is somewhat of a travesty that Dias is not Manchester City’s club captain.
Walker has been one of the club’s greatest-ever signings in the post-takeover era. But as far as him being a club captain is concerned, he doesn’t come close to the likes of Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho or Ilkay Gundogan.
He assumed the role after a player vote which is fair enough, but Dias feels a much more natural fit. Indeed, Guardiola once suggested Dias was a successor to Kompany.
Dias is always talking the right way, and he also has the consistency on the pitch to back up his words.
Hopefully, the players will vote for him as the next club captain once Walker has left the Etihad Stadium.
