Ruben Dias does not believe Manchester City are fragile
Ruben Dias admitted that Manchester City are struggling to adapt to being outside the Premier League title race.
The champions fell to their ninth defeat of the season in the league against Nottingham Forest, and could slip out of the division's top four should Chelsea earn three points over Leicester City. The defender accepted that his club were in an unusual position of failing to contest domestic football’s biggest prize after winning the competition for six out of the last seven years.
Asked about the change in mentality now their crown has slipped, the Spaniard said: “It’s a big step we’ve been fighting to take.
“Obviously, when you come from a circumstance when you're used to winning and fighting for everything until the end, then it's not easy to take when things are [like they are] now. But it's our challenge and right now to fight for this top four is our final of the Champions League, it's our winning of the Premier League for this season. We have to take it as it is and keep fighting.”
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Pep Guardiola ’s men enjoyed by far the better of the chances, particularly in the first half. But they failed to take advantage and were hit with a suckerpunch goal when Callum Hudson-Odoi struck after 83 minutes.
Asked if he felt Manchester City were fragile, Dias responded: “I don’t feel like we were.
“They end up scoring in the transition, in a goal, winger, shoot from the outside. It's football. Overall we did a really good job on controlling the transitions. With the ball they lower the block, it's not easy to get in.
Manchester City fell to defeat against Nottingham Forest after failing to capitalise on their pressure
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Image:
Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“We had our chances and it's football, we need to score the chances we've got. We didn't win so in the end we have to do better.”
Guardiola was similarly content with aspects of his team's performance as the champions denied Forest striker Chris Wood an easy afternoon. The Catalan coach could only praise Saturday's opponents as his team were punished for failing to quell a crucial transition.
"Tight game, we controlled the long balls to [Chris] Wood and second balls in transition," he said. "But in second half we lost once in transition and Callum Hudson-Odoi finished it really well.
"It is not easy to play against them. That is why they are where they are. We had three or four chances in the first half. Second half it was a bit more tight. We concede one chance in the near post, so in the end the balance was for them."
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