Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what was to come this season for the Blues after an early start
Comments
Sport
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City's season is too long as they got their Club World Cup campaign underway. The Blues would normally still be on their holidays recovering from the last campaign at this time of year but are instead a couple of weeks into training as they go for glory in FIFA's revamped competition.
City withstood sweltering conditions on a humid afternoon in Philadelphia to see off the challenge of Moroccan club Wydad and start their group stage with a 2-0 win. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku scored in the first half in a game that saw Erling Haaland and Rodri come off the bench and Rico Lewis sent off in the final minutes.
Guardiola is using the tournament to draw a line under a disappointing 2024/25 for City and the club have signed four new players in time to travel. Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both made their debuts from the start in the Wydad win.
However, with nearly two months before the Premier League starts and a World Cup tagged onto the end of the season for most players City's manager is not hiding the fact that they will be up against it this year.
"The season is too long. 11 months. We have to remain positive but it's too long but it's important to be here," he told DAZN.
"It's humid, it's not easy to be here, playing in these conditions. But apart from that, good.
Content Image
Content Image
"The first game in the group stage is always tricky. To play a team like they can play, with good momentum but at the same time we did really well.
"It's the first step. We learn from here and the second one we will be better."
City take on Al Ain in the early hours of Monday morning UK time before facing Juventus next Thursday to complete their group matches.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
*And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.*