Manchester City kick off their Club World Cup campaign today against Wydad
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Oscar Bobb of Manchester City looks on prior to the Premier League match between City and Crystal Palace
Oscar Bobb will be hoping the Club World Cup can act as a springboard
You could make a case for the majority of Manchester City players having something to prove when their Club World Cup campaign kicks off tonight.
An underwhelming season by their high standards yielded a third place finish in the Premier League, an FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace and early exits from the Champions League and the Carabao Cup.
City have set their sights on their rebuild starting in America, with new signings in place and the chance to win a global competition.
Across the squad, Pep Guardiola will be wanting to see who has what it takes to go again as City seek to recapture their Premier League crown next term. The Blues see this as the first step to doing just that and there is no question of City not giving it their all to be crowned champions next month.
It will be intriguing to see how Guardiola sets his team up and who makes the XI. One position where City now have options aplenty is in the three attacking roles behind Erling Haaland.
One man hoping to stake a claim will be the fit-again Oscar Bobb. A leg fracture limited him to very few appearances last season, and he will hope to send a reminder to everyone of his talent.
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When City were last in America a year ago, the Norwegian was the talk of the tour with a string of impressive performances. He has perhaps been forgotten amid the arrival of Rayan Cherki and the January addition of Omar Marmoush, to join the likes of Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden as options in those attacking positions.
But the 21-year-old has a lot to offer and will be determined to show he can do it at City. Indeed, his manager knows full well what talent he possesses.
“He’s electric, in the small spaces he’s really good,” said Guardiola 11 months ago. "Sometimes in the last part he has to be more composed and reduce his speed, for example the chance he missed he has to be more calm.
“It’s a question of time, he’s young but his work ethic is unbelievable. He can play as a striker, pockets, right or left winger.
“When he’s comfortable he goes and dribbles, and when he does that it’s a big step for our attack.”
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