‘This is the Cost’—Ruben Dias Makes Damning Man City Admission | OneFootball

Rúben Dias put Manchester City’s spectacular collapse this season partly down to a lack of “effort and mental discipline” after winning four consecutive Premier League titles.

The Portuguese centre-back was part of all four triumphs—a feat no other team in the 137-year history of the English top flight had ever previously achieved. This season City have set a glut of unwanted records.

The defence marshalled by Dias has already conceded more goals (43) than in any other top-flight campaign during Pep Guardiola’s professional career. City are also on course to record the lowest tally of league goals and points in the best part of a decade.

When quizzed on the problems behind a campaign which his teammate Erling Haaland wrote off as ‘catastrophic’, Dias told The Guardian: “It was definitely the consequence of many things. One of them was the fact we won four Premier Leagues in a row and nobody has ever done that. Maybe this is the cost—the effort and mental discipline that is essential for the game we play.”

Dias also highlighted the unrelenting torrent of fitness issues which have plagued Guardiola’s team. Reigning Ballon d’Or holder Rodri has been sidelined since September, while most members of the squad have endured a prolonged spell on the sidelines at some point.

The vice-captain was himself confined to the treatment room at the start of a run in late 2024 which saw City rack up five consecutive defeats across all competitions, an unwanted feat no reigning top-flight champion had suffered through since Chelsea seven decades earlier.

“You also have to acknowledge that some players then were dealing with loads of injuries around them and had to play parts in which they were not even [familiar] to certain positions,” Dias noted. “They gave tremendous effort and we all as City fans and everyone at the club should be grateful for those efforts.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s FA Cup final, Dias had a message of hope for City fans. “Things are going better now but it’s part of the process,” he warned. “When you’re doing great or when you’re not doing so great, I feel like the only time to look back is when the season is done—and the season is not done yet. There’s still a lot to fight for and a lot to accomplish.”

Dias added: “They were obviously troubled times for many reasons but you shouldn’t doubt each other because of a bad wave. That shows a weak house and we are a strong house. If anyone doubts, maybe they should learn a lesson for the future.”

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