Ruben Dias dip in form explains his exclusion against Chelsea

No one’s place in this City team is safe. You might be the rock on which the the previous Premier League title might have been won, but even a slight dip in your form will see you benched. These are the standards on which the foundations of the current City team is built upon. There are no superstars in this team. The only superstar is you incredible work ethic and your discipline.

Many people thought that Ruben Dias was given a rest against Chelsea. But on closer examination, there are some revealing facts that state he has had a slight dip in his performance levels when compared to last season. Last Season, Dias had won 60 aerial duels in 32 appearances, losing 28 for a success rate of 68.2%. This time around, that has dropped to 51.7%, with him winning 31 and losing 29 in 20 games. This is already more ariel duels lost this season than he has in the entirety of last season.

Also, an other important point that often escapes us is the fact that last season Dias was partnered by Stones, which meant he played at Left centre back. The fact that this season he has had to play at Right centre back position might have effected him in terms of the different angles at which to defend and the body position. I would love to see stones play alongside Dias in the coming matches, just to understand the marked difference it makes to him when he plays at the Left center back position.

Also, an other reason why Stones was preferred over Dias was due to the anticipated high press of Chelsea. Against high pressing teams, i think that Stones and Laporte could be a better pairing due to their suiperior ability on the ball. This is in no way stating that Dias is not good enough. I just think that depending on the opponents and their strengths, we could see different Centre back pairings from now on.