Ruben Dias says “winning is the only option” for Manchester City in 2020-21, with the Portuguese defender looking for the Blues to conjure up the “spirit” of “a champion”.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been uncharacteristically short on consistency this season, with a surprising lack of firepower shown by the star-studded Blues.
A side which once dominated the domestic season has already dropped 16 points in the current campaign, leaving them eighth in the table – eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
City were held to a 1-1 draw by West Brom in their last outing on home soil, with the Etihad Stadium no longer considered to be a fortress.
Away wins at Southampton and Arsenal in league and Carabao Cup competition have helped to get the Blues get on track, with Dias looking for further momentum to be established from this point.
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He moved to England in a £62 million ($80m) deal with the intention of challenging for and ultimately landing major honours, with the 23-year-old not about to rein in that ambition.
Dias said in the Manchester Evening News: “Obviously, in this club and where I come from, winning is the only option. We know that a point is always a point, and it’s not the worst scenario.
“Sometimes it happens. Along the run, it happens.
“We just want to win and you have to have the stomach to know that when it doesn’t happen, you’ve just got to keep going. Obviously, we were so frustrated, especially after the home game [against West Brom], but it will be a decision of where we want to be at the end, and these one points at the end might be important.
“At the end of it all, we are always going for the three [points] and the ability, after a one or a zero, to go after three again and again. I think that’s the spirit that can make you a champion.”
While City have been struggling to catch the eye as a collective, Dias has impressed during his debut campaign at the Etihad.
He has quickly nailed down a starting berth in Guardiola’s plans, with the commanding centre-half embracing the challenges posed by life in the Premier League.
Dias added on his experiences in the most competitive of divisions: “I would consider that being the beauty of the Premier League because you play whoever, and they’re just going to try and win it.
“Obviously, you have different teams, different styles. But in general, every team can win a game. I think that’s the beauty of it. You’re watching a game and you might even not be watching a team from the top five, top ten, and you’re still watching a good game!
“That for me was the thing that I wanted the most; to have that feeling that I was in the right spot here. It’s pure, the purest football that might exist. I’m just really happy to be here.”