Manchester City emerged 1-0 winners against Sheffield United on Saturday and Pep Guardiola had lots of praise for centre-back duo Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte.
It was a tough game against the Blades, but City came away with a clean sheet thanks to their strong defensive performance. A solitary goal from Kyle Walker was enough to ensure all three points returned to Manchester.
After the game, the manager spoke about his two center-backs and the quality of their performance that restricted Sheffield to just one shot on target. Dias, a high profile summer signing from Benfica, has slotted in seamlessly alongside the Frenchman.
Guardiola was impressed with the commanding display of his central defensive duo and attributed their struggles from last season to the lack of this very aspect. Speaking to the club website, the boss said:
“They (Dias and Laporte) played the last games, and they are doing really, really well. It’s so important for us.
“It’s good. Dias has settled really well, he gives us personality and charisma in the back-line. Both are playing really well. We struggled a lot last year not having two centre-backs who gave us that consistency.
“We had to rotate a lot, but we need everyone, it’s impossible to play both every game.”
This consistency is very important and will go a long way in determining what kind of success City will have this season. It will be encouraging for the team that their new signing has settled in so well.
It also helps that City do have another good central defender in their quality backup, Nathan Ake. He can take over if needed, and it is this kind of bench strength that separates the Cityzens from the rest of the pack in the English top flight.
City will next face Olympiakos in midweek, as they continue their UEFA Champions League campaign. Another win on Tuesday will put them firmly in control of their group, and boost their chances of finishing in the top spot.
Manchester City are aiming to have a much better campaign, during this long season, than they had in ’19-’20, and it will help to have a much improved center-back partnership, and that is exactly what City have right now.
Both Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte complement each other, and they fit nicely into the style of play that their manager likes. If they can keep up this high level of performance, there is no telling as to how much City can achieve this term.