Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo: The Portuguese pairing which has revitalised form at the Etihad

Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo have been prominent in Manchester City’s backline this season so far. The duo have been fundamental in City’s 18-unbeaten-streak in all competitions.

In an attempt to retrieve the Premier League title, the Citizens were required to splash the cash in the previous summer window. The serious injury to Aymeric Laporte, which had forced the Frenchman to be on the side-lines for the best part of the whole of last season, was a major element in Pep Guardiola’s team falling short of club expectations.

City required defensive depth, massively, and the board at the Etihad reacted. They opted to bring in Nathan Ake from relegated AFC Bournemouth, as well as Dias, an all-time club record signing from Benfica. It’s safe to say the latter has had a greater impact.

Image: Sky Sports

Dias has taken the English top-flight by storm. The 23-year-old’s cameos in light blue have been impeccable. It’s frightening how quickly he has adapted to the Premier League. He has been on the losing side just once, but when deployed next to John Stones, City have conceded just one goal across all competitions. Guardiola’s side have conceded just 13 goals, the fewest in the division.

Dias has all the characteristics of a complete modern day centre-back. not only does he do the nitty gritty, he can play. For Benfica and internationally he averages a pass completion higher than 90%, and in the league for City it’s at a personal best of 93.4%. A confident, ball-playing centre-back is a necessity to fit Guardiola’s philosophy, and the City manager may well have found his man.

There’s a correlation between the signing of Dias and Manchester City’s form since his arrival. Clean sheets often win football matches.

A player who has taken Dias under his wing is teammate Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese star is dynamic on the pitch having played internationally before. Despite being three years older than Dias, he has been hot on the development of his centre-back:

“Ruben didn’t need much help, he came and already spoke perfect English, his teammates were impressed with the leadership he has on the field and in the dressing room,

“Even in the days of Benfica… the coaches I spoke to said that he was a born leader. You see it in the national team, here, it’s the same thing. I am not surprised that Ruben is adapting so well, he is a player with a strong mentality and incredible talent.’’

Image: The Telegraph

Joao Cancelo went under the radar in 2019/20. The defender played on either flank last season but failed to directly contribute to a single goal and was out of favour to veteran full-back Kyle Walker for the vast majority of it.

Fast forward to this season and the Benfica academy graduate has been a revelation, firming his place on Pep Guardiola’s team-sheet week-in week-out. He’s integral in how Guardiola wants to operate.

His decisiveness makes him so reliable in and out of possession. In possession, City’s number 27 has a unique role. He tucks inside the pitch to occupy a central midfield position. He’s been recognised as a central midfielder when City are in full control of games or require more creativity in the middle of the pitch.

The engine of Cancelo enables him to continue underlapping and overlapping from central and wide positions. Being comfortable on both feet, as well as being highly versatile allows him to free roaming either on both sides or centrally.

His decision making is elite, being pivotal in creating higher up the pitch. Cancelo has been a standout creator for the Citizens. Since his first appearance of 2020/21, he is ranked first for chance creation among Premier League defenders with 30 chances created. For Manchester City, he averages 0.42 goal creation actions per 90, a career high average, emphasising how much of a threat he is.

Cancelo was prone to mistakes defensively in 2019/20. However, he’s adapted to Guardiola’s requirements and his ability to defend has exponentially improved. The Portugal international has been pivotal in City’s backline, having earned six clean sheets in the 11 matches he has featured in.

The Portuguese partnership are a pivotal piece of Pep’s jigsaw.

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