Ruben Dias delivered a pre-match message to his Manchester City teammates which offered a glimpse into his mentality and way of approaching matches.
Manchester City claimed all three points against Newcastle last Saturday, but hard work was required to get over the line.
Nico O’Reilly’s opening goal was cancelled out, meaning the 20-year-old was required to score again in order to deliver the victory.
Newcastle fought to the very end, showing that no match is easy in the Premier League, regardless of a team’s position in the table.
Ruben Dias warned his Man City teammates against being complacent
Ruben Dias had plenty to see to his teammates during the pre-match warm up and most of it was inaudible due to the noise in the stadium.
“It won't be easy.”
— Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) February 23, 2026
Ruben Dias’ words during the pre-match warm-up.
That's the kind of leadership this team needs. With so many new faces/players who've never lifted a trophy, they need to hear that from the ones who've been there.
The ones who know what it takes.
Those… pic.twitter.com/pBn6SAFv68
However, it is clear the defender began his speech by saying ‘it won’t be easy’, in reference to the impending fixture.
This is important for the players at Man City to hear, especially those who are fairly new to the club. No matter the opponent, a good performance is always required in order to get results in the Premier League.
Man City should be wary of ‘easy’ Premier League fixtures
Much has been said about the Citizen’s next few matches and Jamie Carragher claimed Man City have more favourable fixtures than Arsenal.
This may be the case on paper, but City must continue to play with Dias’ message in mind. No match is easy and so hard work and dedication must always be at the forefront of each player’s mind.
Leeds United are Man City’s next opponent and while Daniel Farke’s team are down in 15th, they did get a draw against Aston Villa last weekend. Therefore, Pep Guardiola must ensure his team are aware of the challenges they will face.
