From transfers to training, Man City are taking Club World Cup seriously

BOCA RATON, Florida -- After winning the FIFA Club World Cup successful December 2023, Pep Guardiola walked into the media theatre astatine the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium successful Saudi Arabia and insisted helium had "closed a chapter." Everything was done, helium said, and the past remaining portion of silverware was safely tucked distant successful Manchester CIty's trophy cabinet.

It's been 18 months since Guardiola's affectional code successful Jeddah. But having arrived successful Florida connected Thursday evening up of the latest mentation of the Club World Cup, helium delivered another.

The players had meal -- chicken, lamb and food were each connected the paper -- and a agelong extracurricular astatine the squad edifice earlier the City brag gathered everyone together. Guardiola told them the tourney successful the U.S. was a caller start; it was drummed successful that this isn't a contention being tagged onto the extremity of the 2024-25 season, City's worst run for a decade. Rather, it's the commencement of the 2025-26 play and it should beryllium treated arsenic such.

It's a small, but important, distinction: New season, caller cycle, caller chapter.

"As the defending champions coming into this caller format, of people we're precise excited. We're precise excited to travel successful arsenic champions," said president Khaldoon Al Mubarak successful his yearly connection to fans past month. "This is simply a very, precise superior competition. We're going determination to triumph it. This is the opening of the caller season, not the continuation of past season."

City person done arsenic overmuch arsenic they tin to marque this consciousness similar a cleanable slate. Players who aren't portion of Guardiola's plans -- Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips -- person been near astatine home. And alternatively of taking their clip bringing successful caller faces, caller manager of shot Hugo Viana (helped by predecessor, Txiki Begiristain) has pushed done deals for Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli astatine a outgo of much than £100 cardinal successful transportation fees.

These were semipermanent targets City would person been blessed to hold for, but the thought was to get arsenic galore caller players arsenic imaginable done the doorway during FIFA's specially created Club World Cup transportation window, which ran from June 1-10. The anticipation is that being distant with the squad -- socialising arsenic good arsenic grooming -- volition assistance them settee quicker. By the clip the caller Premier League play kicks disconnected successful August, they should beryllium afloat up to speed.

City sources person told ESPN that the club's transportation concern mightiness not beryllium implicit and that Guardiola volition "see however it goes" astatine the Club World Cup earlier pushing for much additions. With Walker connected his mode out, perchance to Fenerbahce though with precocious involvement from Everton, there's country successful the squad for different right-back. There is capable screen successful the signifier of Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes and Manuel Akanji, but nary factual archetypal choice. There was involvement successful Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso successful January, though it's cooled somewhat since.

For Guardiola, this summer's been conscionable arsenic important to commencement moving players on. He's named a squad of 27 for the Club World Cup, though it would person been 28 had Mateo Kovacic not been ruled retired with an Achilles injury. Guardiola has threatened to "quit" if he's forced to enactment with a bloated squad adjacent season, which means immoderate players who person travelled to the U.S. for this contention mightiness inactive extremity up departing this summer.

Vitor Reis, the 19-year-old Brazilian centre-back signed for astir £30m successful January, could permission connected loan. There are besides nagging question marks implicit John Stones, lone acceptable capable to marque 11 Premier League appearances past season, and Ilkay Gündogan, who is wanted by Galatasaray. Guardiola has said helium wants a much durable radical aft being decimated by injuries past season.

Stones and Gundogan are 2 of a radical of elder players who are entering the last twelvemonth of their contracts, which besides includes Éderson, Stefan Ortega and Bernardo Silva. Overall, the rebuild that began successful January with Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Reis, and continued with Reijnders, Cherki and Ait-Nouri successful June, is apt to transportation connected adjacent summer.

The changes this summertime are not restricted to players, either. Trusted unit members Juanma Lillo, Inigo Dominguez and Carlos Vicens person left, replaced by Jurgen Klopp's erstwhile adjunct astatine Liverpool, Pepijn Lijnders, and James French, who arrives from Anfield arsenic acceptable portion coach. The assignment of Lijnders is astir eye-catching. The Dutchman was astatine the centre of the Liverpool squad nether Klopp, which Guardiola considers to beryllium 1 of the fiercest rivals of his managerial career.

Kolo Touré, who has been moving with the younker team, is besides successful the U.S. arsenic portion of Guardiola's backroom squad -- City haven't yet ruled retired the erstwhile City and Liverpool defender taking connected a imperishable relation successful the future.

Sources person told ESPN 1 of Guardiola's aims this play is to get his players to determination the shot much quickly. It's been inspired, successful part, by Paris Saint-Germain's show against Inter successful the Champions League final, and it was noticeable during grooming astatine Lynn University connected Saturday that Lijnders was perpetually walking betwixt the drills shouting "speed, speed."

Fans whitethorn good spot a quicker City squad adjacent season, with Saturday's league successful the humid Florida vigor a agelong one. It started astatine 10 a.m. with speedy passing drills, and ended with signifier enactment astir 2 hours later.

Nothing has been near to accidental successful presumption of mentation for this Club World Cup either. City unit went connected their archetypal grooming crushed tract visits successful October and returned doubly much successful December and March. On Saturday, arsenic soon arsenic the players had finished grooming connected 1 tract and moved to another, City's ain crushed unit -- who travelled from Manchester -- were connected mowers to repair the pitch.

Each crippled astatine the Club World Cup is being treated similar a Champions League fixture. The lone quality to the docket is that players and unit volition instrumentality to their Boca Raton basal the nighttime aft games, alternatively than staying overnight successful different cities for remainder and recovery.

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Hislop changes presumption connected the Club World Cup

Shaka Hislop accidental helium was "wrong" astir his aboriginal scepticism of the Club World Cup aft the archetypal fewer games of the tournament.

There has been immoderate skepticism astir the caller tourney from wrong the squad, peculiarly the other matches crammed into a packed calendar. Silva and Rúben Dias were playing successful the Nations League last for Portugal arsenic precocious arsenic June 8. However, present that they're successful the U.S. with the City squad, sources person told ESPN that the thrust and competitiveness has taken over. Phil Foden says there's a determination to go the archetypal squad to triumph the caller trophy.

"It's decidedly a spot of that, yeah," said Foden. "Obviously, speaking to a fewer of the lads, we've spoken astir that, being the archetypal connected the trophy would beryllium nice. So that's decidedly the aim, and with the players that we person and the prime we person successful the team, I americium beauteous definite we're much than susceptible of doing that."

Ahead of the archetypal crippled against Moroccan broadside Wydad AC successful Philadelphia connected Wednesday, Guardiola has been described by City sources arsenic "happy and relaxed." He greeted reporters astatine 1 unfastened grooming league with a grin and a handshake, adjacent saying however overmuch helium was enjoying the weather, which has been mostly 80 degrees and sunshine but for the unusual tropical rainfall shower.

For the archetypal clip during Guardiola's unthinkable City reign, the tempest clouds gathered implicit the Etihad past season. He's hoping to usage the Club World Cup and his clip distant successful the U.S. to commencement blowing them distant earlier mounting his squad connected people for brighter days ahead.