According to the goal network, Guardiola said that the impact of Ruben Díaz's arrival on Manchester City was comparable to van Dijk's impact on Liverpool.
Last summer, City signed Portuguese centre-back Ruben Díaz, and upon joining he quickly established himself as a starting point, with his combination with Stones becoming the premier League's best centre-back partner. Since joining him, The Blue Moon has conceded only 10 goals in 28 games in all competitions and kept 19 clean sheets against opponents.
Asked if the impact Díaz has had on Manchester City since he joined can be compared to Van Dijk's impact on Liverpool, Guardiola said: "As of now, yes, absolutely, like how he immediately fits into the new environment, and his mentality, he's a 24-hour guy who lives for football. ”
'Everything he does, whether it's at home, on or off the pitch, eating, sleeping, recovering or preparing, is about having a perfect performance during the 95 minutes of the game and that's why his impact is so huge.'
"He's not just a player who's done well, he's also a player who can make other players do well. He would talk and communicate with his teammates for 90 minutes of the game, telling his teammates what to do in every defense. When he had such a play, I could not abandon him at all. ”
"It's a bit like Eric Garcia, garcia has that mentality, he'll keep communicating with his teammates and leading the team for 90 minutes. Hopefully, other centre-backs, such as Stones, Laporte and Acre, can learn to learn this, to not just play for themselves, not just to know what they have to do, but also to observe what's going on around them, which is why football is a team sport, not an individual sport. ”
(Goblin Killer)