Rúben Dias - FWA Footballer of the Year

Manchester Dan

Full Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2013
Messages
2,580
Supports
Man City
He’s been a class act this season, and I think the biggest testament to that is how good Stones and Zinchenko have looked either side of him. Not just his football but he’s the leader we’ve been lacking since Kompany left, which at his age is pretty impressive.

There’s a few other players in contention but I think its deserves - we won the league due to that 15-20 game run in the middle and we were conceding 1 goal every 5 games or so, and he was the man in the middle of that keeping everybody organised.
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Great player but not POTS for me. I think we are getting a bit too clever with VVD and now Dias winning it. Was he better than Stones or is it just because he's new? Why couldnt Dias have benifited the same way from the formation change as his teammates?
If Dias joined last season and played the exact same way this, he wouldnt have won imo
 

TwoSheds

More sheds (and tiles) than you, probably
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
12,739
Great player but not POTS for me. I think we are getting a bit too clever with VVD and now Dias winning it. Was he better than Stones or is it just because he's new? Why couldnt Dias have benifited the same way from the formation change as his teammates?
If Dias joined last season and played the exact same way this, he wouldnt have won imo
Yes, he's 1000x better than Stones. Next question.
 

El Zoido

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
12,259
Location
UK
I don't think they are surprising actually, stats wise Harry is one of the best around. The thing is when he is clumsy it catches the eye much more than Dias imo, then you have his 80m price tag, him being english (funny how much stick that gets in the last years) and people can't wait to slate him.

I am not saying he should be except of criticism, but at least United fans, need to appreciate him much more. One of our best players and most important.
Everything United players do is amplified massively, good or bad. Comes with the territory.
 

iHicksy

Full Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Messages
1,818
City don't seem to get it wrong with defenders it seems, even with Mendy, you could argue injuries have halted his progress.
Oh mate please. They really do. That's why they have had to spend so much money. They are fallible just like us, but every once in a while you get the right one.

Florian Lejeune (who? exactly, bought, loaned, sold)
Pablo Mari (again signed by pep, didn't play, loaned to arsenal)
Eliaquim Mangala (Og and pen against Hull summed him up)
Stefan Savic (sold after 21 games)
Jerome Boateng (looked great for bayern , but flopped and sold at city)
Matija Nastasic
John Stones (debatable with his recent play but majority of time deemed a flop)
Martin Demichelis
Maicon
Danilo
Mendy


I'd list their centreback successes as being: Kompany, Laporte, Dias, Otamendi.
 

Brwned

Have you ever been in love before?
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
50,829
Great player but not POTS for me. I think we are getting a bit too clever with VVD and now Dias winning it. Was he better than Stones or is it just because he's new? Why couldnt Dias have benifited the same way from the formation change as his teammates?
If Dias joined last season and played the exact same way this, he wouldnt have won imo
Stones has been great vs. his peers but Dias’ performances have been great vs. PL all-time great defensive performances. Not in that top tier but clearly better than Stones.
 

Pep's Suit

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
1,705
Stones' been great and gives other players more confidence, unlike Laporte who lacks leadership.
 

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
34,063
Great player but not POTS for me. I think we are getting a bit too clever with VVD and now Dias winning it. Was he better than Stones or is it just because he's new? Why couldnt Dias have benifited the same way from the formation change as his teammates?
If Dias joined last season and played the exact same way this, he wouldnt have won imo
Yes. The fact that he's played about 10 PL games (910min) more than Stones is a fair indicator of who has contributed more in that defence this season.
 

bsCallout

New Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
4,278
Hate being proven right about other teams players.

Wanted Jota and Dias before they went to the rivals.
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
38,543
Dias has been a revelation. Superb player and well deserved.

Bruno would have won this comfortably if it hadn’t been for Dias
 
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
5,430
He's not the best defender or the footballer of the year let's be honest. He shows a lot of passion after every tackle and that sways peoples opinion.
Who has been the best defender this year in Europe then if not him? City (I hate to say it) are PL champions and CL finalists with Dias being a huge part of tightening up that defence.
 

Paddy B

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
114
Supports
Manchester City
Dias came into a team with many great players from overseas at just 23 years of age. Taking this into consideration his impact on the team has been amazing. He obviously has great leadership qualities and I will be very surprised if he isn't named as the captain for next season.
 

harms

Shining Star of Paektu Mountain
Staff
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
27,952
Location
Moscow
Yeah, because of the price.
I just never understood this argument, how does the fact that City considered someone as an option (let's ignore their horrendous record with defensive transfers) and figured out that he wasn't worth the money his club asked for proves that Maguire could play in a high defensive line? I'm not even sure if that fact is a positive and not a negative one from Maguire's point of view.
 

TwoSheds

More sheds (and tiles) than you, probably
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
12,739
Nah, he has been close to sensational.

Dias has had the better season of course.
We are setting ourselves a really low bar then. For example, in your heart of hearts can you tell me that either a) John Stones has had a better season than Harry Maguire or b) Harry Maguire has been sensational?
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,030
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
We are setting ourselves a really low bar then. For example, in your heart of hearts can you tell me that either a) John Stones has had a better season than Harry Maguire or b) Harry Maguire has been sensational?
It may be a combination of perspective and me allowing team success/failure to color individual performances. I think Maguire has had a very good season that unfortunately hasn't been matched by our team's results at times. I think Stones' has had the better season performance wise but it's close enough that if you think otherwise no argument from me.

Dias is a shade above both though this season.
 

Dirty Schwein

Has a 'Best of Britney Spears' album
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
31,668
Location
Miracle World
Supports
Luton Town
Great player but not POTS for me. I think we are getting a bit too clever with VVD and now Dias winning it. Was he better than Stones or is it just because he's new? Why couldnt Dias have benifited the same way from the formation change as his teammates?
If Dias joined last season and played the exact same way this, he wouldnt have won imo
Based on Stones' previous performances (pre Dias) as well as his Everton performances, I think it's a safe bet that Dias has elevated him.
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,030
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
Based on Stones' previous performances (pre Dias) as well as his Everton performances, I think it's a safe bet that Dias has elevated him.
Not entirely true, for two reasons:

Stones career at City had had great stretches of form interspersed with down time due to injury/lack of confidence. Dias has helped bring out the best of Stones but it's not like this is Stones first great season at City. Plus, Stones was actually doing well this season before Dias came in, and Stones eventually wrenched a starting spot from Laporte after the latter had a few lapses in concentration.
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Based on Stones' previous performances (pre Dias) as well as his Everton performances, I think it's a safe bet that Dias has elevated him.
But has Dias elevated him or has Peps new, pragmatic approach evelevated everybody? Thats my point, Dias could be hyped simply because he's new to the league without a frame of reference?
 

Sayros

Full Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2015
Messages
6,006
Supports
Paris Saint-Germain
I think Dias fully deserves it, he's been the most impressive defender I've seen this season by a distance.
 

theklr

Full Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
2,659
I just never understood this argument, how does the fact that City considered someone as an option (let's ignore their horrendous record with defensive transfers) and figured out that he wasn't worth the money his club asked for proves that Maguire could play in a high defensive line? I'm not even sure if that fact is a positive and not a negative one from Maguire's point of view.
Im just guessing here, but as they were well stocked with defenders already , then they felt the outlay would be to big to defend and would mean they couldnt spend as much in other areas?

My point was that they were outpriced, if they would have gotten for him the same as they spent on Dias they would clearly have gone for him. It is well documented they clearly wanted him, and its not a secret 99% of people think he was overpriced even as good as he has been. United simply caved in.

United not buying Kane for 150m doesnt mean they think he is not good enough.

And its fairly obvious Pep and City would have a plan how to change the defensive setup to suit him .
 
Last edited:

TwoSheds

More sheds (and tiles) than you, probably
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
12,739
It may be a combination of perspective and me allowing team success/failure to color individual performances. I think Maguire has had a very good season that unfortunately hasn't been matched by our team's results at times. I think Stones' has had the better season performance wise but it's close enough that if you think otherwise no argument from me.

Dias is a shade above both though this season.
Well I'll have to disagree with you there then, I think Dias has been world class since he settled in, Maguire has been very good bar the first few weeks of the season, and Stones has been pretty good with an excellent few weeks at the turn of the year. On the whole though I don't think he's even been significantly better than Laporte, never mind Dias.
 

harms

Shining Star of Paektu Mountain
Staff
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
27,952
Location
Moscow
My point was that they were outpriced, if they would have gotten for him the same as they spent on Dias they would clearly have gone for him.
How is that clear? We don't know how much they were willing to pay for him. We don't know how significant their interest was. Clubs consider dozens of players every window only to rule them out because they're not worth the asking price or for other reasons. It doesn't automatically make them players who are good enough/well-suited to that club.

And its fairly obvious Pep and City would have a plan how to change the defensive setup to suit him .
He probably had a plan for all of his failed signings. How is a transfer that only was considered by a Pep/City as a possibility only to be ruled out became this indisputable argument for Maguire's ability to play in Pep's football?
 

theklr

Full Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
2,659
How is that clear? We don't know how much they were willing to pay for him. We don't know how significant their interest was. Clubs consider dozens of players every window only to rule them out because they're not worth the asking price or for other reasons. It doesn't automatically make them players who are good enough/well-suited to that club.


He probably had a plan for all of his failed signings. How is a transfer that only was considered by a Pep/City as a possibility only to be ruled out became this indisputable argument for Maguire's ability to play in Pep's football?
Oh come on, they wouldnt bid as much for a PL proven CB which Pep openly said he rated highly and they tried to get, as for a CB playing in the portugese league and the risk that includes? Thats just plain illogical.

I didnt say it was indisputable , I said it was because of the world record fee and/or bidding war with United they didnt want to buy him, not because they didnt rate him and thought he wouldnt fit.

Maguire has done very well in a United side that have alot more defensive actions p90 and defend in a high line much of the game , and he even has a slow CB partner. Its fairly obvious that he would have suited very well and Pep would have seen that as well.
 
Last edited:

Noot

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
614
Supports
Manchester City
Funny you should say that. These stats are interesting/surprising.
Doesn't take a genius to explain that. United have more defending to do because they have less possession on average. In no way does it indicate Maguire is better.
 

Noot

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
614
Supports
Manchester City
Oh mate please. They really do. That's why they have had to spend so much money. They are fallible just like us, but every once in a while you get the right one.

Florian Lejeune (who? exactly, bought, loaned, sold)
Pablo Mari (again signed by pep, didn't play, loaned to arsenal)
Eliaquim Mangala (Og and pen against Hull summed him up)
Stefan Savic (sold after 21 games)
Jerome Boateng (looked great for bayern , but flopped and sold at city)
Matija Nastasic
John Stones (debatable with his recent play but majority of time deemed a flop)
Martin Demichelis
Maicon
Danilo
Mendy


I'd list their centreback successes as being: Kompany, Laporte, Dias, Otamendi.
Discount the first two. It's common knowledge that they were never intended to play a game for City. Danilo, Stones and Demichelis also don't really deserve to be on that list seeing as they all did what they were bought in to do.
 

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,349
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Doesn't take a genius to explain that. United have more defending to do because they have less possession on average. In no way does it indicate Maguire is better.
More defending to yet only one less clean sheet. Despite playing for a poorer team that has significant problems with our goalkeepers and a right back that many think has serious problems around dealing with crosses into our box.

Maybe it does take a genius to explain that one?
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Doesn't take a genius to explain that. United have more defending to do because they have less possession on average. In no way does it indicate Maguire is better.
We concede first and take control of every game. Our defenders have little to do for large swathes of the game after conceding.
Plus you defend from the front with a false 9 and a lot more pragmatic under Pep. The days of keeping the ball in the opposition box are long gone. Id say your defenders see a lot more of the ball than ours do.
 

Noot

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
614
Supports
Manchester City
We concede first and take control of every game. Our defenders have little to do for large swathes of the game after conceding.
Plus you defend from the front with a false 9 and a lot more pragmatic under Pep. The days of keeping the ball in the opposition box are long gone. Id say your defenders see a lot more of the ball than ours do.
Yeah, at their feet. They still have far fewer defensive actions to complete.
 

Noot

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
614
Supports
Manchester City
More defending to yet only one less clean sheet. Despite playing for a poorer team that has significant problems with our goalkeepers and a right back that many think has serious problems around dealing with crosses into our box.

Maybe it does take a genius to explain that one?
Maguire has nearly as many clean sheets because he starts every single United game. Every time Dias hasn't started, City have conceded. His impact is undeniable.
 

Swoobs

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
761
Supports
Florentina
More defending to yet only one less clean sheet. Despite playing for a poorer team that has significant problems with our goalkeepers and a right back that many think has serious problems around dealing with crosses into our box.

Maybe it does take a genius to explain that one?
And far more goals conceded?
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Yeah, at their feet. They still have far fewer defensive actions to complete.
Whats a defensive action though? Our defenders defend 1 v 1 a lot than your lot who defend in packs and groups. Thatd what false nine allowd you to do.
You think we defend much after we concede when we have the opposition pegged back?
 

JustinC00

Full Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2013
Messages
2,688
And far more goals conceded?
11 more goals in the league isn't really far more when you take into account the first 3 matches with almost no pre-season and 1 of them we played with 10 men, we conceded 11. That's pretty much the difference.