DIAS AND STONES ARE KEY TO TITLE

I’M still just a little surprised why so many people are allowing Manchester City to fly under the radar while they focus on the Liverpool-united game.

But look at City closely for a second and you can see precisely why they are going to be the team to beat in the title race.

Their goals-against record is astonishing. It’s 13 all season in the league… and five of those came in their very first Premier League home game against Leicester!

So that’s eight conceded in 15 matches – or barely half a goal a game. Astonishing.

What Pep Guardiola has done is to go back to his first title-winning season in England and look at what worked then.

Remember in his very first campaign with City, they were brilliant going forward, but conceded too many goals, so he went out and bought defenders until he had them coming out of his ears.

That won a title and allowed his team to evolve.

This summer wasn’t quite as dramatic, but it was the same principle. Guardiola needed to sort out his defence, and one key signing – and one stroke of luck – appear to have solved that problem.

I’m not entirely sure he KNEW John Stones (above, with the City boss) would perform so well this season. He had probably earmarked Aymeric Laporte to form the perfect partnership with new buy Ruben Dias.

But Stones-dias has worked and they have strength at centre-back now, with Laporte and Nathan Ake able to provide back-up. You can see the benefit in their performances because there is a freedom in City’s play that was lacking last season.

And that’s in stark contrast to Liverpool, who seem inhibited going forward by their problems at the heart of the defence.

It is the foundation to winning titles – Liverpool had it with Virgil van Dijk and now City, with Dias as their anchor, are beginning to look ominous.

As a striker, it pains me to say it, but you need to start with defence if you want to lift trophies.