Ruben Dias might have a Man City problem amid new centre-back hierarchy

For two seasons, Ruben Dias has been undroppable at Manchester City. He's brushed off challenges from John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake to be the undisputed first-choice centre-back, and looked set to continue that position this season.

However, Dias may not have accounted for the arrival of Manuel Akanji, and even when the Swiss international did arrive at City, his confidence and high personal expectations mean he will have seen his new teammate as motivation to improve rather than a direct competition.

Four games later, though, Akanji already looks to have displaced Dias at the top of Pep Guardiola's centre-back options, with the manager giving some telling clues over his thinking this week.

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"Really good. We are very pleased," said Guardiola on Tuesday. "Especially as a person because he's an incredibly educated guy and on the pitch his performances speak for themselves as well."

It seems Akanji has adapted quickly to life at City, and his performances reflect that. An eye-catching debut at Sevilla was followed up by a solid enough performance in the 2-1 home win against Borussia Dortmund.

Akanji was alongside Dias in Seville, then partnered by Ake against Dortmund. He was back next to Dias at Wolves in a 3-0 win, and Ake returned in the 6-3 win over Manchester United. Dias' omission in the derby was noteworthy, with Guardiola explaining how he wanted a left-footer alongside a right-footer.

With Ake the fittest left-footed centre-back, that implies the choice was between Akanji and Dias on the right of the pair. Usually, Dias would be an obvious starter, so it was telling that Akanji forced him to watch from the bench.

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