Ruben Dias - Benfica confirm sale to City

[BamberBridgeBlue]

I’m glad you trust the management and I hope your trust in them is rewarded.

Imo we are getting weaker while the opposition is strengthening Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool,

I feel we are sleep walking into the season and can’t see us getting any more players in.

I find myself in between both of the positions.

I cannot help but trust the management when I have seen the best football I have ever seen at Manchester City, coupled with success I could only have dreamed about when I was watching Steve Kinsey and Jamie Pollock.

However, I do take your point about signings. I would say if we have better luck with injuries this season .... but that’s blown out of the water already. My opinion is that we will see a concertina effect this season. I believe Liverpool will struggle to hit the heights they hit last season. Chelsea and Arsenal will be closer. I see a four way go for the title and it isn’t out of the question we could still come out on top.

 

[leo_city]

He seems to hit 1 in 5 decent crosses nowadays whereas in his pomp it used to be 4 in 5. There was one the other night against Bournemouth that my dead granny could have made a better effort at.

I wouldn't worry about him getting his crossing back just yet. Needs to be able to run up and down to begin with, like he was able to pre injury. No point in crosses, not like they work for us anyway, we attempted millions last season.

 

[Keith Moon]

We've been linked with him since the beginning of last year when his old release clause was €66m and some reported we'd be interested in paying that before he renewed and his new clause was €100m. Considering how low to his clause they're selling, and how important a player he is for them (captain as well), shows how desperate for cash they are, and how good a deal it is for us.

This is the deal that makes the most sense.

 

[Blue Hefner]

I’m glad you trust the management and I hope your trust in them is rewarded.

Imo we are getting weaker while the opposition is strengthening Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool,

I feel we are sleep walking into the season and can’t see us getting any more players in.

We will finish comfortably above both of these teams

 

[SWP's back]

I’m glad you trust the management and I hope your trust in them is rewarded.

Imo we are getting weaker while the opposition is strengthening Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool,

I feel we are sleep walking into the season and can’t see us getting any more players in.

Sorry bud but I can’t disagree more strongly on that.

 

[hammersmithlad]

Totally get that mate, agree to a degree. But look at every top team that challenges for CL. There's one defender who's the leader, more aggressive, stronger presence, and the guy beside him is the guy passing and playing it neat, keeping it clean.

Koundé and Laporte would be too similar. Dias and Laporte however is a good combination, Dias the aggressive, no nonsense defender who can also play out from the back, while Laporte is the pure ball playing centre half helping us in build up while giving the backline solid support.

Almost every top CL team has this balance, look at Ramos (leader, aggressive) and Varane. Same with VVD and Gomez/Matip, and so on. Plenty examples. It's the correct balance, I like Koundé a lot as I said, and I get the concerns with Dias, but if not Koulibaly, this is a good move. For the rest, I can only hope it works out and trust Pep and co.

Interesting take on things mate. Whilst I certainly agree on partnerships are the key to effective defending in top flight football & would disagree on Dias & Laporte being a better partnership than Koundé & Laporte. Simply because I see a lot of similar traits in Laporte in Dias & the latter plays on the right, which on paper sounds great. Since his injury Laporte in my opinion has got more rash & aggressive in his defending & tackles as I think he knows he doesn’t want to beat for pace & tries to neutralise any danger quickly since there will be no cover behind him.

Koundé would probably be more effective in covering for Laporte, should his defending style continue than Dias, since he is more athletic & who knows if the French language connection would help the partnership in the immediate term.

Both Laporte & Dias seem to be great long range passes of the ball, which I don’t think is Koundé’s forte. Unsure, why you think Koundé isn’t an aggressive tackler as the times I have seen him play in the Europa League games he has been, venturing almost to the halfway line to contest a ball.

As mentioned earlier I do think we need the steel & leadership qualities which Dias possesses & actually I think Laporte does possess, but will need time to harness.

Either way, Dias or Koundé is an immediate upgrade to what we currently have as a right sided central defender. But judging how this transfer window is progressing, let’s be hopeful it’s not JFE!

 

[BillyShears]

I like Benj but let’s be honest, he’s hardly been a success has he? Would you class him as first choice left back?

I think whether we like it or not he is. But the window isn’t over. It wouldn’t shock me if they got one in regardless of the lack of clear links.

 

[Rammy Blue]

I think whether we like it or not he is. But the window isn’t over. It wouldn’t shock me if they got one in regardless of the lack of clear links.

Personally, I just think that Ake is too good to be sat on the bench most weeks.

 

[r.soleofsalford]

I find myself in between both of the positions.

I cannot help but trust the management when I have seen the best football I have ever seen at Manchester City, coupled with success I could only have dreamed about when I was watching Steve Kinsey and Jamie Pollock.

However, I do take your point about signings. I would say if we have better luck with injuries this season .... but that’s blown out of the water already. My opinion is that we will see a concertina effect this season. I believe Liverpool will struggle to hit the heights they hit last season. Chelsea and Arsenal will be closer. I see a four way go for the title and it isn’t out of the question we could still come out on top.

I agree with most of the above except I can’t see us coming out on top. I feel we have the best manager we’ve ever had but in the last two seasons we haven’t strengthen the team enough. We still for the 3rd season, haven’t got a top quality left back.

We still haven’t got a right footed C/B or a leader.

We still have a lack of pace but are happy to play Rodri and Gundogan

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

If we are close after Christmas we are favourites imo.

The legs of centre mids would be my biggest concern if we have fixed the centre backs. We've never had a left back so no change there.

The rest of the team; I think Delap being involved is a much bigger plus than people realise. Delap, Aguero, Jesus available over the final months of the season, is scary. A solid defensive unit, Foden, KDB & those 3 plus Sterling for goals, plus Foden's goals. Awesome.

Get Braaf in there too.

For legs in the midfield, Ake could provide some cover there, so its - Gundo, Rodri, Dinho, Kdb, Bernado and Ake.

I was going to suggest we use Braaf as a full back kind of like Lamptey but I am not sure if others here would welcome that idea.