Ruben Dias was supposed to be one of Enzo Maresca's leaders this season. On Sunday against Sunderland, he looked like anything but.
City won 5-3 at the Etihad — five goals scored, three conceded, and a defensive performance from their No.3 that had the crowd wincing. Brian Brobbey went home with the matchball after a hat-trick, and Dias spent much of the afternoon watching him.
The numbers are ugly. In 90 minutes, Dias lost 57 per cent of his aerial duels and 100 per cent of his ground duels. He was dribbled past twice and made no tackles at all. Five fouls committed, too — and somehow no caution from referee Rob Jones.
With Abdukodir Khusanov left on the bench for the entire match, Dias had no rotation partner alongside him. Marc Guehi, by contrast, held his own in defence. That contrast will not have escaped Maresca.
Two weeks ago against Coventry City, Dias had 128 touches. On Sunday he managed 36. Night and day.
At 29, Dias is hardly finished. But after being named one of Maresca's leadership figures for the 2026-27 campaign, a performance like this invites scrutiny. The armband comes with expectations. On this evidence, the gap between reputation and output is widening.