TREBLE YELL
By Dias rallying cry as cup KO fuels hunger for silverware
RUBEN DIAS has shone a light on the hunger in the Manchester City dressing room, insisting the team are desperate to land all three trophies still available to them.
The Portugal defender, a contender for Player of the Year, admitted that missing the chance to land an unprecedented Quadruple – when losing to Chelsea in last week’s FA Cup semi-final – was a “hard punch” for the squad to take. But he claimed the players can channel their disappointment in the remaining three competitions and still mark his first season in England with an incredible treble.
“The Quadruple was something we were aiming for,” said Dias.
“We were not happy about the FA Cup semi-final but you just have to hang on tight and keep moving forward because we are still in three competitions.
“It was a hard punch for us but that’s just football, that’s the way it is – you win or you lose.
“It is important to remember the big step we did before the FA Cup, going through to the semi-finals.
“We just need to keep going. Even before, when people were saying, ‘You are going for the Quadruple’, obviously we are going for everything we can.
“That’s the spirit, to keep working and keep wanting it all.”
With an 11-point lead over Manchester United and just three wins needed to secure the league title, one of their three targets looks in the bag.
They are hot favourites to secure a second against Tottenham tomorrow in a competition they have won in five out of the past seven seasons.
And the pursuit of a third target for the one trophy to have eluded them – the Champions League – continues with the first leg of a mouthwatering semi-final against Paris SaintGermain onWednesday.
“We have an idea of how the league table is but our main focus is just on winning the next one and the next one,” Dias said.
“The difficult part is to keep thinking game-by-game.
“All the victories together, when we had 21 wins in a row, were a big example of that.
“It is a mentality you need to work on. It is in our blood here and the culture to have that mindset. “When we lost to Manchester United and the streak ended, nobody was happy – but it might have been the perfect moment.
“It is important every time to know that other teams have quality as well and you need to be at your very best every time.” Dias is a contender to follow up last year’s winner, team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, above, as the Premier League Player of the Year.
But the defender said that while he would be honoured even to be nominated, he would be happy enough with the league title.
“To be on that shortlist, especially as a defender, it can only mean the team won and had success,” he explained. “That, for me, is the biggest thing.”