Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the influence of the new arrivals who made an immediate impact in their 2-0 victory over Wydad Casablanca during their opening match at the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and French attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki both made their first starts on a sweltering afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia after joining the squad prior to the tournament from AC Milan and Lyon, respectively.
“He is a top-class player. You can sense it, you can feel it. His pace in the final third, with the ball at his feet, when he becomes more in sync, he’ll be exceptional,” said Guardiola, referring to Reijnders, who played the full match in exhausting conditions.
Substituted after an hour, the 21-year-old Cherki was brought in to help fill the significant void left by Kevin De Bruyne’s exit, as City comfortably progressed in their Group G encounter thanks to first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.
“Replacing Kevin is undoubtedly challenging, given his quality,” remarked Guardiola.
“There’s no denying that, but the club opted for Rayan because he possesses incredible skills near the box and exceptional vision, among other attributes.
“This was only the first match, played in quite difficult conditions, and I’m very glad he’s here.”
City’s lineup against the Moroccan side had a fresh look, with young Brazilian defender Vitor Reis starting for just the third time since his arrival in January, while Nathan Ake made his first appearance for the club since late February.
Foden eager to ‘go again’
The five players who clocked the most minutes for City last season – Josko Gvardiol, Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, and Ilkay Gundogan – were all on the bench at the start of the match.
New signing Rayan Ait-Nouri remained an unused substitute, but Guardiola hinted that he plans to rotate nearly his entire squad for the upcoming match against Al Ain in Atlanta on Sunday.
“We had new players and individuals in unfamiliar positions. Vitor Reis had an impressive game, and Nathan Ake hadn’t played for three, four, or even five months, so we needed to give many players some game time,” Guardiola explained.
“In the next match, we’ll field 10 new players (and) aim to secure another victory.”
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City will be missing Rico Lewis due to suspension for the upcoming clash with Al Ain after his late red card against Wydad.
While this may have frustrated the coach, Foden’s performance was a bright spot, as the England international scored the first goal and assisted the second.
“Obviously, last season wasn’t ideal for me, so I made it my goal to start this season strongly, and I’m delighted to have scored and provided an assist to help the team win today,” Foden stated.
“Last season was challenging for all of us, but now it’s about pushing forward this season with the new signings and striving to win trophies again.”
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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