Manchester City are back with renewed energy as they look to go all the way in the Club World Cup to move on from last season
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 26: Manchester City Midfielder Matheus Nunes (27) celebrates a goal with team mates during a FIFA Club World Cup Group G Juventus FC v Manchester City at the Camping World Stadium on June 26, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 26: Manchester City Midfielder Matheus Nunes (27) celebrates a goal with team mates during a FIFA Club World Cup Group G Juventus FC v Manchester City at the Camping World Stadium on June 26, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Matheus Nunes and Savinho both impressed against Juventus
Manchester City players feel the mood in the squad is already better than last season as they look to move on from a disappointing 12 months. The Blues won the Community Shield last August but fell away badly in the Premier League and Champions League and lost the FA Cup Final to Crystal Palace.
In ordinary circumstances, that would see them go more than a year without winning a trophy with the 2026 league cup final the next opportunity. However, FIFA have revamped the Club World Cup with the Blues one of the 32 teams who qualified for it on the back of them winning the Champions League in 2023.
City have attacked the competition, bringing in four new signings in a transfer window designed specifically for the tournament and a third of the 27-man squad with Pep Guardiola are players who have only arrived at the club in 2025. Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli were all signed in June for £109m to add to the £175m of arrivals in January.
With three new assistants for Guardiola as well, all focus has been on the change within the group as they look to go all the way in the Club World Cup. A 5-2 thumping of Juventus earned a last-16 clash against Al Hilal, with Inter or Fluminense waiting in the quarters for the winner.
Content Image
Content Image
City's makeshift right-back Matheus Nunes made two goals in the Juventus game and believes the knockout format of the tournament is helping strengthen the mentality of the squad. He has also seen an improvement on the mood from last season.
“We're still early in the season, but I think the energy is different," he said. "I think last year we were a little down in terms of spirit but we know what it means to play for Manchester City and this season that's definitely going to change.
“What I like most about this tournament is that we entered all the games to win and it has to be that way until the final.”
Savinho scored a thunderbolt to add extra emphasis to the Juventus win and remind fans of his goalscoring ability. He came to the Etihad last season after a productive year in La Liga with Girona but was unable to replicate those numbers in a frustrating year for all of the attackers aiming to support Erling Haaland.
The Brazilian has had time to think and learn on his first year as a City player and has enjoyed coming back into the squad and working with the new players.
“There's nothing better than when you've just had a bad season and you go home and rest," he said.
“You reflect and get the energy to do your best again. That's it. Manchester City have hired top players. We're getting along and we trust each other.
“Manchester City will always be Manchester City. I think it's not just because we didn't do well last season that everything will end. We can't forget everything the club has been through in the good phases.”
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 clickinghere to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhere 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, includingSpotify andApple Podcasts, and you can also watch along onYouTube.