Man City new boy Ruben Dias has surprised Pep Guardiola

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola’s patience with his defence ran out in the defeat at Tottenham – and his axing of Aymeric Laporte has sent a powerful message to the rest of his squad.The Manchester City manager insisted this week that he has been delighted with the way his rearguard has reacted to last season’s traumas, buoyed by impressive new signing Ruben Dias and the revitalised John StonesAfter seeing his side rack up their 11th clean sheet from 19 Premier League games as they blitzed

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has pinpointed the chemistry between Ruben Dias and John Stones, as well as their ability to cut out mistakes from last season, as the main reason behind their brilliant partnership at Manchester City.Guardiola was reflecting on City's season to date, with half of their fixtures completed in the Premier League. City are top of the table, recovering well from a poor start to go seventeen games unbeaten in all competitions.

straight to your inboxManchester City could go to the top of the Premier League with a win against West Brom on Tuesday, albeit temporarily, with rivals Manchester United in action on Wednesday.City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker for the trip to The Hawthorns this midweek, with Ruben Dias and John Stones set to start once again in the centre of City's defence.Bernardo Silva should drop into midfield alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, whilst Phil

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola suggested Eric Garcia could leave Manchester City this month after resigning himself to losing the centre-back.Garcia stunned his club last summer when he informed them that he no longer saw a future for himself at the Etihad and wished instead to return to former club Barcelona.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola felt that Manchester City needed more quality in the final third as they trailed Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup. The Blues were staring at the biggest upset of the manager's five years at the club when Alfie May stabbed home from a Ben Tozer long throw on the hour-mark, leading to first-team regulars Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo all being brought off the bench for the closing moments.

straight to your inboxRuben Dias has hailed his connection with John Stones at the centre of Man City's defence.The duo have formed a solid partnership at the back, which has provided the bedrock for Pep Guardiola's side to regain their attacking vigour going forward. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dias was full of praise for his centre-back partner but argued that City's defensive record recently is not just down to the two of them.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has told Aymeric Laporte what he needs to do to break up the partnership between John Stones and Ruben Dias. Laporte was sorely missed last season as Manchester City's title defence crumbled while he was out with a long-term injury, but the Frenchman has barely been used in recent months.

straight to your inboxJohn Stones has revealed how he revamped every aspect of his game in a bid to resurrect his Manchester City career.And the England defender says that his exciting new partnership with Ruben Dias has been the other key factor in his spectacular return to form.Stones scored twice in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, but more importantly, the clean sheet made it one goal against that pair in their last ten games together.Talk of Stones and Dias being one of the great Premier

straight to your inboxJohn Stones has opened up about his Manchester City transformation - and revealed how Micah Richards helped him.Stones has come in from the cold to form a blossoming central defensive partnership with Ruben Dias in Pep Guardiola's side. The pair kept another clean sheet as City beat Crystal Palace 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.

straight to your inboxManchester City will welcome Eric Garcia back into the squad ahead of Crystal Palace to give Pep Guardiola more options in defence. John Stones and Ruben Dias have emerged as an immovable partnership at centre-back with just one goal conceded in nine starts together, but they have also been required to play so often because of the absence of others in that position.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola may be refusing to look publicly beyond the next game but Manchester City are building a title challenge.A hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday night was their fourth consecutive Premier League victory and lifted them into the top four for the first time this season; they sit a point behind Liverpool and four behind United but have a game in hand on the teams above them, who also play each other at the weekend.City's manager is insistent that the

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was able to rest some of Manchester City's key players against Birmingham, and his second half substitutions could indicate who is in line to start against Brighton on Wednesday.Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleks Zinchenko were rested completely, while Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne all played 45 minutes in City's straightforward FA Cup win at the weekend.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola queried how effective the new protocols for Covid-19 can be in preventing contact on the pitch after Manchester City's FA Cup win over Birmingham. With more regular testing introduced recently across clubs following outbreaks including Newcastle, City, and Fulham, the PFA this week reminded all players not to celebrate with teammates at goals or swap shirts at the end of games in a bid to reduce contact and keep infection rates down.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola is not sure when he will be able to call on Sergio Aguero with the Manchester City striker isolating after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

straight to your inboxFormer Manchester City midfielder Trevor Sinclair has compared the club's defensive partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias to two Manchester United legends.City 's start to the season has been a slow burner but there have been signs of a significant upturn in the past few weeks, with victories over Chelsea in the Premier League and knocking United out of the Carabao Cup.

straight to your inboxWhen Manchester City's renaissance over the past month is analysed there are many factors to consider, but perhaps the most important is a player who often goes under the radar outside of the Etihad, but is invaluable to his manager and teammates.In the story of a month that has reasserted City as favourites for the Premier League title and the best footballing team in the country, the continued brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne has taken headlines, while Ruben Dias and John

straight to your inboxHard work is the key to Manchester City's newest defensive partnership, John Stones says.Stones has struck up a surprising partnership with summer signing Ruben Dias, establishing himself as first choice in Pep Guardiola's defence ahead of Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Fernandinho. The pair were superb in City's Carabao Cup semi-final win at Manchester United on Wednesday, with Stones scoring the first goal in a 2-0 win and Dias earning the Man of the Match award.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola asked his Manchester City side for the same level of intensity in the second half of their Carabao Cup semi-final win over Manchester United to book their place in a fourth successive final.City and United had exchanged blows in the opening 45 minutes, with both sides having goals ruled out for offside and both goalkeepers making superb saves.