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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has decided not to start Ruben Dias against Brighton & Hove Albion and his decision has received mixed reviews from fans.
Dias has been a mainstay in Guardiola's starting XI for several years and is arguably one of their most reliable players. The Portuguese centre-back joined the Cityzens from Benfica for £62 million in September 2020.
The 54-cap Portugal international has made 175 appearances, winning eight major trophies including the continental treble last season. He was also awarded the PFA Player of the Year award after a stellar debut campaign at the Etihad.
However, Dias has come in and out of Manchester City's team this season with Guardiola sometimes preferring the likes of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. He starts on the bench for the fourth league game this season against Brighton.
Guardiola has gone with Ederson in goal, with Kyle Walker, Akanji, Ake, and Josko Gvardiol in defense.
Rodri lines up in midfield with Mateo Kovacic and Kevin De Bruyne.
Julian Alvarez leads the line with Erling Haaland out injured, with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva accompanying him.
One fan asked why Guardiola has been benching Dias recently:
"Why's he constantly being dropped?"
Another fan argued that Dias starting on the bench would benefit Manchester City:
"Advantage City."
Here's how other fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the news:
"Ruben Dias benched twice in a row, what's going on??" one fan asked.
"My goodness. Even Ruben Dias is not nailed now," another fan was surprised.
That said, some fans sat on the opposite side of the fence:
"Clean sheet incoming," one fan wrote.
"Interesting to say he didn't start at Wembley as well," another fan alluded to Dias being benched last time out.
Ruben Dias was bitterly disappointed with Manchester City's UEFA Champions League exit
Manchester City's hopes of winning the Champions League two seasons in a row ended last week. Guardiola's men suffered a 4-3 defeat to Real Madrid on penalties after a 1-1 draw (4-4 aggregate) at the Etihad (April 17).
It was a devastating way for the reigning European champions to lose their crown. They controlled proceedings in the second leg but couldn't find a winner over 120 minutes against a resolute Madrid defense.
Dias vented his frustrations after the defeat and alluded to Manchester City's 33 opportunities at goal. He said (via City Xtra):
“I don’t even really know what to say. It’s just frustrating, we dominated the game, the whole game. In the end, you go to penalties, but the effort was there. We had our chances. It’s obviously a difficult one to take."
Rodrygo gave Madrid the lead in the 12th minute before De Bruyne's 76th-minute equalizer. Silva and Kovacic missed in the shootout as City crashed out of Europe's elite club competition.
The Cityzens now focus on ending the season doing the double. Guardiola's side sit third in the league, four points off leaders Arsenal with two games in hand. They are also in the FA Cup final against Manchester United on May 25.
