- Ruben Dias is trying to take positives from Manchester City’s alarming form
- City have a track record of blistering form in the second half of the campaign
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Ruben Dias believes Manchester City‘s slump simply reveals how much other teams want to beat them – and that it gives more meaning to their successes.
City are on a run of four consecutive defeats for the first time since 2006 and are five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after losing 2-1 at Brighton.
Pep Guardiola‘s champions play Tottenham, Liverpool, and high-flying Nottingham Forest in their initial burst of fixtures after the international break and that run could prove pivotal for a side plagued with injuries.
‘It’s normal that times like this come, mostly because so many people want to take us down,’ Dias told BBC Sport.
‘We accept it, we embrace it, that’s part of the challenge. That’s why we love it so much.
Ruben Dias has claimed that Man City’s slump is ‘normal’ because ‘so many people want to take us down’
The defender embraces their run of four straight losses as he thinks it makes the wins sweeter
Pep Guardiola has suffered four consecutive defeats for the first time in his managerial career
‘If not for this, our wins wouldn’t be as big as they are. It’s the life we live and we love it for it. We just keep on doing what we do best.’
Losing 2-1 to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and falling at Bournemouth by the same scoreline was one thing, but City suffered one of their heaviest defeats when they went to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League last week and got pummelled 4-1.
While they often dominated proceedings, their defence was permeable and they were vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Rodri’s absence has hit them particularly hard and he will be out for the reason of the season with an ACL injury.
Blows to Dias and John Stones in November have also afflicted their defensive work but the Portuguese is confident in his side.
Typically City go on a monstrous run heading into the second half of the season. They went unbeaten for the final 23 games from December 10 last campaign, winning 19 of those – including the last nine in a row.
Dias added to Sky Sports: ‘It’s still early days in the season and there’s a lot to happen.
‘We all know how the Premier League is, that is why we love it so much and we know this is going to be a very wild season.’
