No surprise in Ruben Dias’ individual success – Pressures now on to replicate

The recently crowned Premier League champions, EFL Cup gold medalists and Champions League finalists should be sweeping all the awards for this season.

One player who should be racking up all the individual accolades is Manchester City’s, Ruben Dias. What a way to enter the Premier League and show you mean business.

Ruben Dias, not only should be named summer signing of the season but also has rightfully collected the 2021 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award.

Ruben Dias sits at the table with some of the best the Premier League has ever seen

The defender is said to be the first defender since the Liverpool great, Steve Nicol, to collect the award and the latest Man City player after Raheem Sterling won it back in 2019.

It is further being said he sits at the table with some of the Premier League greats such as Jurgen Klinsmann and Gianfranco Zola – they are now the only three players to be named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year after just arriving in the Premier League.

"Ruben Dias has capped a magnificent first season at Manchester City by being named as the 2021 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. The centre-half topped the prestigious poll of the 400-strong FWA membership with Dias following in the illustrious footsteps of Club colleague Raheem Sterling who won the FWA award in 2019. (Via: mancity.com)"

Dias has been Manchester City’s most influential player

Dias has been instrumental in Man City’s return to the English summit, as well as in their furthest push in the Champions League this season.

What’s been tremendous about his inclusion in the City line-up, players like John Stone have found a new lease playing alongside him.

Pep Guardiola needed a game-changer but that significant man was not needed at the top end of the pitch but in the last line of defence, protecting the goalkeeper.

This season every position could operate without its best player available.

For instants, Kevin de Bruyne missing for some games. No problem, in stepped İlkay Gündoğan. No Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus you say? Do not fret, in stepped Ferran Torres or Raheem Sterling.

The only player that mattered most was Ruben Dias and him staying as fit as fiddle.

Only one player mattered most and that was Dias. Staying fit and being available to start 31 Premier League games out of the 37 played was required to bring back success.

When they lost the English title to their closest challenges, Liverpool, questions were asked about their defence they’ve spent so heavily on – including Dias and since the hiring of Pep back in 2016, the Manchester club has forked out a reported €509.1 million.

Dias and Nathan Ake, who were signed by City last summer, were the club’s most expensive summer arrivals said to have cost them a combined total of over €100m. They were brought in to solve the problems at the back.

At the back, City defence leaked a total of 35 goals in 2019/2020 – which is a lot when vying for the league title. Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were always the better defensive side for the past two campaigns.

Now with Dias in place, they have the best defensive record in the league, conceding as few as 32 and bragging the joint-most clean sheets with 18 clean sheets for the season. Dias alone has help City to 16 of those 18 clean sheets.

The pressure is on Dias to perform at a similar level or even higher from next season onwards.

With Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk back from injury at the start of next season and Manchester United ready to challenge both the Reds and City; the fight between Dias, VVD and Harry Maguire for who is the best centre-back will be on full blast.

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All of the abovementioned clubs will do work this summer and will need their key centre-backs fit all season long.

With every award won now by Ruben Dias he will be required to impress and deliver again next season.

He set the bar high with 16 clean sheets and making it all the way to the Champions League finals. A treble this term will raise expectations even higher for seasons to come.

We’ve seen this with VVD and Maguire, who are the world’s most expensive CB signings in the history of the Premier League.

They play with a heavy load on their shoulders every matchday because of their respective price tags. Any slip-up from either and you will not hear the end of it – the fans and pundits alike will make certain of that.

Yes, we are well aware it is a rare accomplishment to win a treble. But if City are so dominant now and are looking to add fresh faces to the squad, what’s stopping them from equalling this season’s success or even bettering it?

No season is like the next, but consistent performances in the world’s toughest league separate the standard players from the world-beaters.