Phil Foden celebrates
Phil Foden celebrates his early goal for Manchester City against Wydad AC
Kevin De Bruyne wasn't exactly the ghost at the feast in Philadelphia, but this was clearly the start of a new era for Manchester City.
Those vibes are unmistakable this summer: new players, new coaching staff, new captain, and, according to Pep Guardiola, a new season. Nobody quite knows if the Club World Cup is at the end of 2024/25 or the start of 2025/26.
Guardiola has decided it is the latter, and with good reason. It's a line in the sand from a disappointing campaign and a chance to start afresh. That includes doing so without De Bruyne. For the first time in a decade, this was the Blues without their brilliant Belgian.
It's not really a question of how they will cope, given De Bruyne left with his powers on the wane, but he's been the difference maker so often since 2015 that there will inevitably be a changing of the guard. It also offers room for someone else to take on the mantle of becoming the player to step up when it really requires a moment of magic.
That was never likely to be the case against Wydad AC from Morocco, but with Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki both starting the game, it was a chance for them to lay down a marker.
You could see at times in the Lincoln Financial Field stadium that this was very early in what is essentially City's pre-season. With Savinho, Foden, Cherki and Jeremy Doku in the team, it often got congested. Savinho and Doku played to the width of the penalty area at times, and with Tijjani Reijnders' natural instincts to also push forward, there were a lot of cooks trying to make something happen.
That area of the pitch, centrally located and maybe 20 yards from the Wydad AC goal, was certainly a popular one. Omar Marmoush isn't a No. 9 like Erling Haaland, who will dominate the penalty area. He also dropped deep to get involved, twice fizzing shots from distance narrowly wide.
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But it was Foden, of the central players, who always looked most dangerous. The 25-year-old failed to find the back of the net in the final 908 minutes of last season - and registered only one assist in that time - but he took less than two minutes to open his account this time around.
He was initially hesitant when the first loose ball broke to him, but when Savinho's cross-shot was palmed out by El Mehdi Benabid, Foden showed the goalscoring instincts that helped him score 27 times in 2023/24, volleying in first time with the goalkeeper yet to recover his balance.
Benabid denied Foden with an excellent save later in the half, but the academy graduate sent in the corner from which Doku scored the second and looked the liveliest attacker on the pitch.
He played a more prominent role than Cherki, who lit up the Nations League semi-final a couple of weeks ago, but looked like a player finding his feet here. He did create that excellent second chance for Foden, underlapping Doku and then sending the cross in, but at times he looked nervous.
Foden and Cherki left the pitch at the same time, having completed an hour in Philadelphia's midday sun. There is more to come for Cherki, but for Foden, this was a step in the right direction. "New season, new me," he said after the game. Guardiola will be hoping that is the case.
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