‘People go crazy’ – Ruben Dias blasts treatment of Man City teammates

Ruben Dias believes that Manchester City are close to being ‘very dangerous’ again as he blasted how critics had written off the squad. Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a poor season that saw their Premier League and Champions League hopes ended months ago, yet could still add to the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet on Saturday.

That is not the biggest prize City are chasing as they look to confirm a top-five place in the league that will guarantee Champions League football for next season, while the bounties and glamour of the Club World Cup await in the United States next month.

However, beating Crystal Palace at Wembley this weekend would be more signs of a City squad that is still able to challenge for major trophies.

A major injury crisis that began at the end of October started an unbelievable slide in results for the Blues, and they lost 15 of 30 games in all competitions stretching into March – as many defeats in four months as they had suffered in three years before then.

Pep Guardiola admitted that the squad needed more players to be able to cope, and four first-team players were bought in the January window for around £170m.

That appeared to signal the movement from one group of City players to the next, and the performances and results have undeniably improved. City head into their Wembley final on a run of seven wins and three draws from their last 10 games.