2 weeks ago
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Pep Guardiola’s absorption turned instantly to the Premier League and challenging Liverpool for the rubric successful the aftermath of Manchester City’s Club World Cup exit.
The Blues suffered a daze 4-3 nonaccomplishment to Al-Hilal successful the last-16 signifier of a tourney galore had billed as the opening of City’s instrumentality to the apical table. The Blues were the lone broadside to look from the radical signifier with a 100 percent record, and enactment successful a hugely awesome show to bushed Juventus 5-2.
After specified a woeful 2024/25 campaign, galore saw the improved performances, the instrumentality of Rodri and the speedy assimilation of 4 summertime signings arsenic imaginable signs that Guardiola’s broadside are acceptable to vie for silverware erstwhile again.
But the decision to Al-Hilal underlined the aforesaid issues that dogged City implicit the past year, with the Saudi Arabian broadside capable to repeatedly chopped the squad unfastened and onslaught connected the break. Speaking aft the game, Guardiola said helium is already opening to deliberation astir the caller season, and attempting to regain its Premier League crown from Liverpool.
“It is simply a pity,” helium said. “We person been connected an unthinkable travel unneurotic and were successful a bully place. The vibe was truly good.
“I cannot convey the players capable for grooming and playing however they person been.
“But it was a hard game. The margins were minimal. We created a batch and [Yassine] Bounou made unthinkable saves but we were truthful open.
“We would person loved to person continued, it volition lone beryllium erstwhile each 4 years, and we had a feeling that the squad was doing well.
“But we spell location and present it is clip to remainder and remainder our minds for the caller season.”
City present look a six-week hiatus earlier the caller word begins. What precisely that means for preseason preparations is unclear, particularly fixed astir Premier League sides instrumentality to grooming adjacent week.
Asked whether helium thinks the aboriginal exit volition assistance City this season, Guardiola replied: “It is excessively aboriginal to say. But determination person been truthful galore bully things I did not spot [recently] successful the past.
“The narration betwixt the players, our skipper [Bernardo Silva] helped a batch and the standards from our staff. I felt we were blessed here, the grooming sessions person been truly good.
“We person a large squad and we'll spot what happens. Now it is pugnacious but we travel backmost successful the adjacent days, rest, and commencement the Premier League.”
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