Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland looks dejected after City crashed out of the Club World Cup - but he could benefit from the rest
When Kevin De Bruyne was told he wasn't getting a new contract at Manchester City, there was never any chance of him making the journey to the United States for the Club World Cup. The Belgian made his feelings clear about the new tournament last year.
The may have embraced their stay across the Atlantic until Monday's shock defeat to Al Hilal, but players harbour reservations about their ever-increasing workload.
has been one vocal critic of the schedule and turned into proof of the risk of these demands last year when he suffered a serious knee injury. Around the same time last September, De Bruyne gave voice to his own concerns about another summer tournament and the potential for seven more games.
"The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup," De Bruyne said.
"We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches."
"Maybe this year things will be OK, but next year could be problematic. The Professional Footballers' Association in England and other player associations have tried to find solutions," he added.
"The issue is that UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players' voices."
De Bruyne isn't the only one with these concerns. Thomas Tuchel believes the presence of City and Chelsea in the tournament hands Liverpool and Arsenal a "huge advantage" next season, and Guardiola has admitted to being worried as well.
Addressing Tuchel's comments before the last-16 tie with Al Hilal, the Catalan said he had no idea how playing in the tournament would affect City next season, as there was no precedent for such a lengthy summer competition for clubs.
“I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,” said Guardiola. “We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see.
"And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’
"I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our life that that’s happened [32-team Club World Cup]. So we will see."
If the critics are right, then maybe City's gut-wrenching defeat earlier this week will actually benefit them, even if the pain of being knocked out was very clear in Orlando.
City had cruised through the group stage and looked to be getting back to their best. Their 5-2 victory against Juventus was not only a thrilling performance, but also opened the draw up invitingly for them. They were strong favourites to reach the final at the MetLife Stadium.
But they fell apart against Al Hilal, with the Saudi Pro League side running riot on the break to win 4-3 after extra time. It was a sobering reminder that some of City's frailties from last season remain present in their game.
So an earlier than expected departure from America was difficult to take. City were heavily invested in success in the tournament and you could see what defeat meant to them at the Camping World Stadium.
In time, they might start to see the blessings of such a setback. The squad have now decamped for four weeks off holiday before returning to the Etihad Campus on July 28 to begin preparations for the Premier League season.
Had they remained in the tournament until the final, they would have likely had maybe three weeks off and just two weeks of training before the start of the season. This gives them a much better lead-in time to the new season and allows for a more substantial period of rest.
There could still be knock-on effects heading into the new season, but they will be less severe than they could have been. In time, City might begin to see the positives of their shock defeat in Orlando.