Manchester City are going through a rough patch and Rúben Dias has given his side of things.
The Citizens will take on Juventus in the Champions League later today. Ahead of this tie in Turin, TNT Sports in Brazil had a chat with the defender and his comments are relayed by [A Bola](https://www.abola.pt/futebol/noticias/ruben-dias-e-a-crise-no-city-sabemos-que-as-pessoas-estao-desejosas-de-nos-ver-cair-2024121110553050685).
Manchester City have endured a poor run, with one win in their last nine games in all competitions. Their only win came against Nottingham Forest in the league last week.
The Premier League winners went on a five-game losing streak and and that included defeats to Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion in the league.
This has seen Manchester City drop down the table and Pep Guardiola and his men have been subjected to criticism.
The 27-year-old defender has insisted he doesn’t focus on the criticism and he and his teammates just have to live with it.
_“I don’t think \[pride is hurt\] so, because at the end of the day, that’s football. That’s life, first of all, and that’s football even more,”_ he said.
_“With each new year, everything you’ve done behind you doesn’t exist. It’s obvious that, for us, this is part of who we are as athletes and as people and it has to be present in terms of confidence, in terms of many things._
_“But for those who watch and for those who judge, people like to forget, and people like to ignore and move on, which is to catch the next opportunity to see it fall.”_
Manchester City have won the title on six occasions in the last seven seasons and also won the treble in 2023. The Portugal international defender claims there are many who want to see Pep Guardiola’s side fail.
_“We all know that people want to see us go down. And that’s part of football, because we’ve won so much, and we’ve earned that place. That’s an achievement, the fact that so many people expect or want things to go badly for us now,”_ Dias explained.
_“We’ve earned that status, because of the way we’ve played, because of everything we’ve achieved. And so now, more than anything, it’s about defending who we are, as people, as players, individually and collectively._
_“And to protect that with pride, yes. But in the sense of protecting, not taking offence. Protecting and continuing to be better, because most of us still have many years ahead of us.”_
The former Benfica man has also explained what he and his Manchester City teammates can learn from the Etihad club’s current situation.
_“I think that not winning teaches you more than ever, to be who you are, to be strong in difficult times, to stay true to your principles,”_ the Manchester City player added.
_“And it’s in these moments, I’ve always had this opinion, whatever the context, especially when talking about football, that I’ve seen a player, whether good or not, when difficulties arise, the ability he has to stand firm, even when It feels like you’re taking punches from everywhere, standing your ground and staying focused on what you have to do and your mission.”_
_“Maybe this is one of those moments and it’s time to stay strong, bring positivity as a team. Looking ahead, being good, because if we are the best version of ourselves, it is unlikely that anyone will beat us and, therefore, that is where the focus has to be.”_