Garth Crooks has praised Manchester City defender Ruben Dias for his recent performances against West Brom and Sheffield United.
The BBC pundit named the Portuguese international in his ‘Team of the Week’ and he was very complimentary of the 23-year-old’s defending since his move to England:
“I felt compelled to pick Ruben Dias after two masterful displays against West Brom and the Blades, who proved to be a much more difficult opponent than the Baggies, and who appear to have found their cutting edge again. Dias has brought a sense of calm authority to the City defence that has stopped leaking goals since the Portugal international’s arrival.”
Crooks also named Ilkay Gundogan in his best eleven, with the German international’s excellent recent form helping to spearhead the club’s title challenge since the turn of the year:
“In the absence of Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan has taken over the mantle of running the show. Manchester City are starting to pile the pressure on to title rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.”
Along with Dias and Gundogan, three Liverpool players, (Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson), as well as two Chelsea stars (Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso), were included. Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford and Newcastle’s Karl Darlow & Callum Wilson made up the rest of the eleven.
Crooks was certainly correct to highlight the two City players in his ‘Team of the Week.’ They have been the standout performers as the Citizens moved into top gear over the past month.
