Manchester City saw their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League take a dent on Saturday at Southampton.
Despite statistically being one of the worst Premier League teams in history, the Saints still managed to frustrate Pep Guardiola by holding his Manchester City side to a 0-0 draw, which gives Newcastle the chance to leapfrog the Citizens, and also presents Nottingham Forest with an opportunity to close the gap.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 35 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 81 | 35 | 46 | 82 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 64 | 31 | 33 | 67 |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 65 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 35 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 66 | 45 | 21 | 63 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 35 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 41 | 21 | 63 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 49 | 7 | 63 |
| 7 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 35 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 42 | 12 | 61 |
Ruben Dias cut a visibly annoyed figure after the stalemate on the south coast, saying: “It is frustrating to play against a team like this.
“They don’t even try anything, they just sit and they don’t even want to win the game. They just want to be there. It is no good for the show and no good for themselves. It is no good for anyone but it is what it is.”
Despite this outburst, Southampton boss Simon Rusk still expressed his admiration for the Portugal international.
Simon Rusk hails Ruben Dias
When asked to share his thoughts on the attack from Dias, the 43-year-old told the Daily Echo: “Firstly, what a fantastic player he is and what a great football club Manchester City are.
“We did want to be frustrating today, and we did want to make it difficult. It’s a bit of a back-handed compliment… I believe intelligence is looking at what’s in front of you.
“We looked at being adaptable and what you do to get the best out of the situation. We had to find a different way. If we go toe-to-toe with Man City today, we lose. We can’t go toe-to-toe with Man City.
“They’ve got a pool of players that are some of the best in the world, so we have to find our way, and that’s okay.”
Rusk is spot on, and Dias – who Liam Delap admires – was wrong to criticise a clearly inferior opponent for adopting a tactical approach which worked well.
Pep Guardiola disagrees with Ruben Dias
Guardiola and Dias have visibly clashed on the pitch many a time, and the Spaniard has now gone against his defender’s verdict on Southampton.
The 54-year-old argued: “No, no, no. Absolutely not … they can do whatever they want. For many years here we faced teams in different approaches and they decided (how) they have to play. It’s on us to break them.
“We did not concede one shot on target and they didn’t do much but we have to accept the way they play. It belongs to Simon (Rusk) and his assistant coaches. I don’t agree with Ruben. We have to accept it.”
Manchester City were simply not good enough on the day, with Southampton even mocking the Citizens on TikTok by posting a video of several failed crosses into the box.
If Manchester City play like this at Wembley in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday, it could all end in tears.
