Manchester City defender Ruben Dias believes the Premier League champions can still improve significantly as the season progresses, echoing manager Pep Guardiola’s claim that the team has more room to grow.
City enter the weekend two points behind Arsenal and remain firmly in the title race, with both sides holding identical goal differences.
Their previous meeting at the Emirates ended in a dramatic 1–1 draw, and the rivalry has only tightened with both teams contesting top spot in recent seasons.
Dias’ comments follow City’s impressive 2–1 Champions League victory over Real Madrid, a performance that strengthened their credentials in Europe and extended their run to 11 wins in 14 matches.
Despite that momentum, Guardiola told TNT Sports that his side are “far away” from their peak.
“We are (far) away,” he said after the win.
“Still we are not ready. In February, we will be better. We have been here in the past, playing much better than today, and we have lost.”
The manager added that his players showed exceptional spirit but insisted there are still “margins to improve.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Dias offered a similar evaluation of City’s current condition.
“I feel like we’re in a very good place,” he said.
“But I feel like we can still be a lot better.”
The Portuguese international acknowledged the team’s strong form but suggested there are additional “gears” City have yet to engage.
“If that’s 70 per cent now and we have 30 still to go or if that’s 80 and we have 20 or whatever, I don’t know what it is, I feel like we can be even better,” he said.
“That’s a good feeling to have at this time of the season. We still have a few extra gears to go through. But I acknowledge that in this moment I feel like we’re strong, I feel like we can compete, seriously.”
City travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Arsenal face bottom-placed Wolves less than 24 hours earlier.
The build-up has been affected by Guardiola missing his pre-match press conference due to a personal matter, with assistant coach Kolo Toure stepping in.
Toure used the opportunity to praise Arsenal’s quality but reaffirmed City’s belief in their own capabilities.
“We know the quality of Arsenal,” he said.
“They have a really strong squad, a fantastic manager. But it’s all down to us. We have the best manager in the world, he’s doing an incredible job every day.”
He added that City’s focus remains internal rather than on their title rivals, reinforcing the mindset that has driven their domestic dominance.
“Every game is like a final for us,” Toure said.
As the season nears its midpoint, both City and Arsenal appear locked into another tightly contested race — but Dias’ comments underline a belief that City’s ceiling remains higher than their current performance level.
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