With a hefty £100 million investment made ahead of the Club World Cup, Manchester City is intent on leaving behind a lacklustre season by reclaiming their winning spirit in the United States.
This past domestic campaign marked the first time in eight years that City finished without a major trophy, as Pep Guardiola’s squad relinquished their Premier League title to Liverpool after an extraordinary four-year run of dominance.
A shocking Champions League exit before the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2012/13 season, coupled with a surprising FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace, further deepened the disappointment for a club accustomed to success since their Abu Dhabi-backed takeover 17 years ago.
Initially, the month-long Club World Cup—sitting in the middle of a demanding season—seemed unwelcome to Guardiola and his players.
Back in September, Ballon d’Or winner Rodri hinted that the players were close to striking due to fixture congestion.
Defender Manuel Akanji recently remarked that the squad was “not exactly thrilled” about participating in the tournament given the limited break.
Nevertheless, City are eager to wipe the slate clean from last season and start anew with significant changes in both the squad and coaching staff.
Last week, they secured Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli in time to feature in the Club World Cup from the onset.
Additionally, during January, City splashed over £172 million on players including Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Nico Gonzalez.
Including Claudio Echeverri, who arrived in Manchester in January following a loan at River Plate, nine of the 27 players in Guardiola’s squad for the tournament have joined the club in under six months.
In a notable shift, former City captain Kyle Walker and record signing Jack Grealish have not been included in the travelling squad.
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‘The whole world will be watching’
Guardiola has also reshaped his coaching staff significantly, bringing in Pep Lijnders, former assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and ex-defender Kolo Toure, while parting ways with three other coaches.
“This is an incredibly serious competition,” Guardiola stated. “This summer, the eyes of the world will be on it.”
“Many of the leading clubs globally will compete, and I assure you that we will put in our utmost effort. We’re there to win.”
City enters the tournament as third favourites according to British bookmakers, trailing only newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
They are expected to navigate through a group featuring Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain, and Italian giants Juventus with relative ease.
However, uncertainty lingers regarding what to anticipate from City, given the influx of new players and their erratic performances over the previous season.
Following a dismal mid-winter stretch that saw them secure just one win in 13 matches across all competitions, Guardiola’s team managed to recover somewhat, finishing third in the Premier League.
The arrivals of Reijnders and Cherki inject much-needed dynamism into an ageing midfield, compensating for the loss of Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli.
Ait-Nouri’s signing resolves a prolonged absence of a natural left-back and will provide an added offensive threat down that flank.
Crucially, Rodri has returned from the cruciate ligament injury that hampered both his and City’s season.
When he suffered the injury against Arsenal in late September, City were still unbeaten and leading the Premier League.
His central role in Guardiola’s tactics was starkly highlighted during the challenging months that followed.
The 28-year-old made his comeback in the final week of the Premier League season.
With Rodri back and Guardiola’s squad revitalised, City could once again become a formidable opponent in the coming month.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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