Ruben Dias rallies Manchester City squad to avoid major Pep Guardiola rebuild embarrassment | OneFootball

Ruben Dias has jolted his Manchester City teammates in a bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League after a narrow defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

A 83rd minute strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi sealed all three points for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to extend Forest’s lead over fourth-placed City to four points with 10 league games to be played.

Kevin De Bruyne, Omar Marmoush and Jack Grealish were all named on the bench against Forest, who have taken a gigantic leap towards a third-place league finish.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis have been a breath of fresh air in defence since their January arrivals but City continue to miss the trio of Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji owing to long-term injuries.

The Blues have also lacked creativity in midfield this season, with each of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish struggling for form and fitness – and City no longer having the option to call upon the likes of Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer – who have all been sold in the last 18 months.

A summer exodus is expected that will see a series of senior first-team players depart and incoming director of football Hugo Viana is likely to cash in on City’s stellar sale figures in recent seasons and back Pep Guardiola to rebuild a young, hungry side to challenge on the domestic and European fronts in the years to come.

However, City need to get their act together and in any way, shape or form, succeed in their bid to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League with a top four league finish this term.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the City Ground, Ruben Dias said: “Well, we’re not going to be thinking about ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’. We know our target and it is very clear and we’ve got to push, we’ve got to do our best.

City’s success on multiple fronts – in addition to the Premier League – has been the hallmark of the Blues’ unparalleled dominance in English football since Guardiola joined the club in 2016. “We’re obviously not used to playing (once a week), so that’s a different challenge for us, but we need to make it (in next season’s Champions League),” Dias added.

A failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition will have a cascading impact on City’s finances and with changes aplenty expected at the end of the season, Guardiola cannot afford any further slip-ups this season if he is to tempt his desired players to Manchester.