Dias believes Manchester City are rediscovering their true form

In the derby match of the 31st round of the 2024/25 Premier League, Manchester City missed scoring opportunities in both the first and second half, but finally tied with Manchester United 0-0 at Old Trafford. Manchester City defender Dias said that the team showed resilience in the difficult game, which also made him feel that the team was regaining its true form.

After only getting one point in this campaign, Manchester City currently ranks sixth in the standings with 52 points, one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Manchester City defender Dias said in an interview, "We are very proud to get this point, and it took a lot of effort. I don't think we have a big threat in attack, or how close we are to scoring. But overall, it's not easy to play against them away from home."

"We fought hard in every battle for the ball and even in the most difficult moments, we supported each other and helped each other. That's why we are very proud of this point."

Diaz also said, "Of course our goal here is to win, just like every game. But this game is difficult, and the tenacity we showed in difficult times makes me feel that the team is getting back to its true form."

Kovacic confident Manchester City can achieve their goals

In addition, Manchester City midfielder Kovacic said, "This is an extremely difficult game. The opponent's defense in the midfield is very aggressive, and it is difficult for us to find the right space to organize an attack. It is very difficult to create opportunities. We must also be wary of their counterattacks because their frontcourt offense is very strong."

"It was a typical derby game, we wanted to win, but in the end we only got one point, we will accept it and move on. We always aim to win, but we also have to avoid losing because we are still fighting for the Champions League qualification and have to get points. We could have done more and created more chances in attack, but it was really difficult to play in a small space."

Kovacic added: "We have to keep the same mentality when facing the Champions League as we do when competing for the title, because it is very important to ensure that Manchester City can still participate in this competition next season."

"The competition will be very fierce next time because there are many teams fighting for the top four and no game in the Premier League is easy. But we are confident and we believe we can achieve our goal."