Rio Ferdinand is unsurprised by Manchester City's remarkable defensive improvements after stressing the importance of a settled backline.
Ruben Dias' arrival in the summer transfer window has breathed new life into the Man City defence, forming a formidable partnership with John Stones.
City boast the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding only 24 goals on route to a third title under Pep Guardiola's reign.
Explaining their improvement at the back, having formed one of the best partnerships seen in the Premier League with Nemanja Vidic, Ferdinand believes that Stones and Dias playing together regularly has been key to their success.
“They’re actually playing like a pair which is a really important factor when you’re a centre-back pairing," Ferdinand told BT Sport.
"You’ve got to play together, it’s not about me, me, me, it’s about we, us. I played my best football when I knew who I was playing with week-in, week-out. Once you get a relationship with someone, you get to know their movements and you can feed off that.”
Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart added: “I think especially with the way this team plays, it’s not a team that sits in.
"Ederson sits behind them and does his job when required, there’s a real dynamic. Look at this here, he comes flying out, but the thing is, that’s not a surprise to John or Ruben Dias, it’s not a surprise seeing that big pink blob come flying at them.
"If they’re not playing together, you can get the: ‘Should I stay? Should I go?’, the next minute, John is passing it back to him and he’s a yard away from him. But that’s not happening this season, they know either Ederson is coming or they deal with it.”
