{"id":32629,"date":"2020-09-30T11:43:47","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T11:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/?p=32629"},"modified":"2020-09-30T11:43:47","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T11:43:47","slug":"ruben-dias-man-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/ruben-dias-man-city\/","title":{"rendered":"R\u00faben Dias could be just what City need"},"content":{"rendered":"

As long ago as August 2019, it became clear that Manchester City needed a new central defender. Aymeric Laporte suffered the knee injury which handicapped his team\u2019s defence of their Premier League title, with Norwich City exposing City\u2019s weakness at the back in the very next match, putting three past the champions. Over a year later, City have finally captured that centre back<\/a>, with R\u00faben Dias completing a \u20ac71 million move from Benfica.<\/p>\n

By all accounts, the Portuguese international wasn\u2019t Pep Guardiola\u2019s top target, with Kalidou Koulibaly trailed for much of the summer and an offer made for Sevilla\u2019s Jules Kounde before attention turned to Dias.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s common practice for an elite level club to have a shortlist of targets when looking to fill a specific position but is R\u00faben Dias a compromise on the centre back City really wanted (widely believed to be Koulibaly)? Is the 23-year-old what Guardiola needs to steady his troublesome defence?<\/p>\n

Dias tends to be the first to step out and engage opposition attackers, which may be one of the biggest reasons he was targeted by City. This should ease the dependence on Fernandinho to close the space between the defence and the midfield and, though it leaves space in behind to exploit, Laporte will be there to sweep up.<\/p>\n

Benfica deployed a high-press defensive system last season, hinting that R\u00faben Dias will be a good fit for City’s similar set up. The 23-year-old won an impressive 66% of his aerial duels, also winning 85% of defensive duels inside his own defensive third. These are numbers that suggest Dias is what City are looking for.<\/p>\n

Guardiola famously demands that his central defenders are comfortable on the ball and this is another area where Dias appears to fulfil the criteria. It\u2019s not just that the 23-year-old is good in possession, it\u2019s in the way he uses possession that has surely alerted the City scouting department to his suitability for Guardiola\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

Last season, Dias charted a highly impressive 11.74 progressive passes per 90 minutes, illustrating how he doesn\u2019t just pass the ball, but that he passes it forward wherever possible. Not only is Dias progressive with the ball, he takes good care of it, achieving an 86% pass completion rate over the course of the season, ranking him among the Primeira Liga\u2019s top 10 players in this category.<\/p>\n

One of the most interesting aspects of Dias\u2019 arrival at the Etihad Stadium is how he could change the way City spark attacks. Liverpool also like to play out from the back but, in Virgil Van Dijk, they have a quarter back who can fire long passes into the feet or chests of teammates higher up the pitch when required. This is a role Dias could perform for City, with the Portuguese making 5.3 long passes per 90 minutes for Benfica last season.<\/p>\n

At Benfica, R\u00faben Dias was a key component in the way his team start attacks down the left side. Guardiola will surely like that his new centre back is so quick to move the ball to the full backs, although Dias may need to change his vision to the right side given Manchester City\u2019s current deficiencies down the left.<\/p>\n

For someone still so young, Dias has played a lot of top level football. The 23-year-old has 19 international caps under his belt and was a key figure for the Portugal team that won the UEFA Nations League last year. He was even named Man of the Match in the final of the tournament against Netherlands. Dias has also played at Champions League level, winning the Primeira Liga title in 2018\/19.<\/p>\n

The profile of R\u00faben Dias as a player suggests that he will be a good fit for Manchester City. Guardiola demands very specific things of his central defenders and the Portuguese will satisfy a number of those demands. He might not be Koulibaly, or even Kounde, but Dias might still give City what they need.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

You could earn up to \u00a3100 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As long ago as August 2019, it became clear that Manchester City needed a new central defender. Aymeric Laporte suffered the knee injury which handicapped his team\u2019s defence of their Premier League title, with Norwich City exposing City\u2019s weakness at the back in the very next match, putting three past the champions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272,76],"class_list":["post-32629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome","tag-premier-league"],"yoast_head":"\nR\u00faben Dias could be just what City need - Colossus Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The signing of R\u00faben Dias could solve a defensive headache for Pep Guardiola. 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