John Obi Mikel has said that he noticed Rodri and Ruben Dias barking orders at their Manchester City teammates against Luton Town.
During the latest episode of The Obi One Podcast, he singled out the pair as leaders after Pep Guardiola’s men beat the Hatters 2-1 on Sunday.
John Obi Mikel says “leaders” Rodri and Ruben Dias were screaming at their Manchester City teammates against Luton Town
It is no coincidence that Kyle Walker revealed (via Manchester City’s official website) in September that the Sky Blues duo were a part of the club’s five-man leadership group, alongside him, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.
John Obi Mikel pinpointed Rodri and Ruben Dias as leaders for Manchester City, as he noticed how they were calling the shots against Luton Town.
“I look at City today. If you watch the City game today, you could see Rodri, [Ruben] Dias screaming at the players. ‘You need to wake up!’ I saw winners. I saw the mentality of leaders”, he said about Rodri and Ruben Dias on The Obi One Podcast.
Manchester City are lucky to have characters like them
John Obi Mikel has hit the nail on the head about Rodri and Ruben Dias’ leadership, which has been prevalent for ages, even before Manchester City played Luton Town.
In Dias’ case, ever since he joined City, it seemed like the club had found themselves a future captain.
How the Portuguese international raised a struggling Manchester City side’s standards, at the time while guiding his teammates on the pitch was a refreshing sight from the get-go.
As for Rodri, it took him time to come into his own at the Etihad Stadium.
But ever since the 2021/2022 season, the Spanish midfielder has also become a much more vocal presence on the pitch.
Both Rodri and Ruben Dias lead by example, which is the best possible quality any potential captain could have in their locker.
Especially when Manchester City are looking for a figure to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, both have done so on numerous occasions and that too against some of the very best teams in the world.
City should feel fortunate to have players like Rodri and Dias at their disposal, as in football nowadays, characters like them have become a bit of a rarity.
