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Pep Guardiola said winning the Club World Cup won’t make up for Manchester City’s disappointing 2024-25 season, where they finished third and were ousted by Real Madrid.
Premier League: Manchester City’s John Stones (Reuters)
Winning the Club World Cup title again would not make up for the disappointing 2024-25 season that Manchester City have had, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of Sunday’s Group G clash with Emirati side Al-Ain in Atlanta.
Guardiola’s City fell short of winning the Premier League for the fifth time in a row, finishing third in the English top-flight. They also failed to reach the Champions League’s round of 16, being eliminated by Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs.
“I said many times, the season was not good,” Guardiola told reporters on Saturday.
“Winning this competition is not going to change that, but my mindset at the moment is not about winning the competition. We can extend our time here, being here longer.”
Guardiola, who has won the Club World Cup four times as a manager, guided City to their first world title in 2023, before the tournament was revamped as a 32-team competition to be held once every four years.
City, who beat Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their campaign opener, have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Al-Ain, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Juventus in their first game.
“Now we’re here, I want to do the best. I want to enjoy the moment here because you’re here one time every four years… And I want to arrive in the latter stages,” Guardiola added.
Guardiola said he was keen to take City far in the Club World Cup and it was a “privilege to be here”.
The coach dismissed some of the complaints about the competition and pointed towards the attitude of the South American clubs as an example to follow.
“I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them,” said Guardiola.
“I’m pretty sure for the South American teams, for the Brazilian teams, for Argentinean teams, this competition is maybe the maximum…
“I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the real world, my friends.”
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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