Ruben Dias fires back at Man City’s doubters after four successive defeats

• Manchester City could clinch their fifth-successive Premier League title this summer
• Reigning champions have suffered defeats to Bournemouth and Brighton
• Ruben Dias admits doubters fuel his side’s desire to win

Manchester City star Ruben Dias welcomes doubters to question his side’s chances of winning the Premier League again this year, admitting that it only fuels their desire to succeed.

Pep Guardiola’s side became the first team in the history of English top-flight football to win four-successive Premier League titles at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, beating Arsenal to the trophy on the final day of the campaign. Their dominance this season has been slightly less obvious, sitting five points behind league leaders Liverpool in the current standings.

A 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on the south coast followed by an identical showing against Brighton & Hove Albion has called for doubters to question whether City can make history once again and lift their fifth title this season.

But, City centre-back defender Dias is in no rush to silence his critics.

“I would say, please doubt us, doubt us, feel welcome to do so,” he told reporters. “When we did the treble, we even called it the dark January. We had a tough period. But it is what it is.

“What matters is how you bounce back from these moments. That’s why our team has won so much because in moments of difficulty, the characters come up and we stay together. We don’t find people to kill, we find people to bring into the cause and fight together. That’s what we need to do once again. Until it’s done, it’s not done.”

City are set to face Tottenham Hotspur after the international break on 23 November. The north London side have also endured a tough start to the campaign, sitting in tenth place after defeats to Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.