How do you build a Premier League title-winning defence?

Former Premier League-winning defender Lee Dixon tells Miguel Delaney how Manchester City have transformed themselves working from back to front

John Stones and Ruben Dias of Manchester City (Manchester City FC via Getty Ima)

Manchester City’s win rate continues to move in a straight line, unchecked and unstopped, and a significant factor might be because their backline is doing the same.

“There’s definitely been some modification with the way the full-backs play,” Lee Dixon says. “When doing analysis for the game, I noticed that the four were in a line quite a lot of the time. City never used to be like that. The positioning used to be quite unusual.

“Very rarely are they in the same place twice in a game. But there are patterns of play you see, and certainly, watching City, defensively, they look a lot more solid in that respect.”