Bernardo Silva says City's improvement is ‘a good sign for next season'
The Premier League side produced one of their best displays for some time as they ran out 5-2 winners in Orlando to secure top spot in Group G.
After an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, it was a result that indicated their recent frustrations could be behind them and underlined their credentials to win the tournament.
They will now return to the Camping World Stadium to face Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday (Tuesday 2am UK).
Silva, the new City captain, said: 'We've always been potential winners in all competitions that we play.
'Obviously it's just one game but we're happy that the performance was the way it was.
'It shows that we're improving, we're coming back to the levels and to the standards that we got people used to at this club. That's good.
'That's a good sign for next season. It's not only for this competition, but we want to build to the whole season, to the whole year, because what happened last year was quite disappointing for all of us.
'We want to change, we want to be better. This was a great performance and it shows that we can do it again.'
Haaland's goal was his 300th in senior football (John Raoux/AP)
City had gone into the game trailing Juventus on goals scored and needing to win to secure the theoretically easier route through the knockout stages.
What they produced rendered their frustration to score a seventh goal against Al Ain in their previous game irrelevant.
Jeremy Doku's early strike was cancelled out when Teun Koopmeiners pounced on an Ederson mistake but an own goal from Pierre Kalulu restored City's lead.
Erling Haaland – with his 300th career goal for club and country – added a third before Phil Foden and Savinho turned it into a rout. Dusan Vlahovic scored a late Juve consolation.
City were beaten 2-0 by Juve in the Champions League during their worst spell of form last season but the team, rejuvenated by several new arrivals since, now look a different proposition.
Silva said: 'We had a very good performance against a tough team. They showed that in the past, they beat us last season.
'We wanted to prove that what happened last season will not happen this season, hopefully.'
Silva will captain City in the coming season (Bradley Collyer/AP)
Silva was chosen as captain by Pep Guardiola after the City manager decided not to hold his usual squad vote this summer.
'It's probably one of the biggest honours of my career,' the Portuguese said. 'I'm going to start my ninth season at the club. All that experience, I will try to pass it to the younger guys.
'But the leadership in a team, it's not about one guy. It's about each one of us being our own leader and helping the guy next to us in the dressing room.
'I will need that help to help the team achieve a lot of things and hopefully win titles.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Valencia respond to Arsenal transfer bid for Mosquera after Real Madrid twist
Arsenal started the month quietly but the Gunners are making plenty of noise as they prepare for pre-season, with multiple new signings on the verge of being finalised Arsenal fans were promised a busy summer and it's shaping up that way, as sporting director Andrea Berta works around the clock to build Mikel Arteta a squad capable of winning the Premier League title. Less than a month into the window, the Gunners are closing in on the signings of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Brentford's Christian Norgaard - and they won't stop there. Top of virtually every Arsenal fan's wish-list this summer has been a striker. Berta and Co. are sussing out deals for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon talisman Viktor Gyokeres before deciding on which man should lead the line for Arteta's title chasers next season. The Gunners also want a winger who can turn their attack from toothless to terrifying. Real Madrid star Rodrygo is understood to be Arsenal's first choice but north London chiefs have a list of alternatives. Given their likely expenditure, those same bigwigs will have to sanction some departures. Arteta is prepared to be ruthless and will oversee a cull which he hopes with breathe new life into his squad. Here's a round-up of the latest transfer news from the Emirates. Valencia reject Mosquera bid Arsenal have seen their opening bid for Spanish centre-back Cristhian Mosquera rejected by Valencia. The Gunners had lodged an offer worth €19million (£16.2m) for Mosquera, 21, who's also of interest to RB Leipzig, AC Milan and Aston Villa. According to Eldesmarque, Valencia have told Arsenal to significantly up their proposal if they want to sign the in-demand Spain under-21 international, even though he's in the final year of his contract. The La Liga side value him closer to €35m (£29.8m). How much should Arsenal pay for Cristhian Mosquera? Let us know your valuation in the comments section. Real Madrid made Lewis-Skelly swoop Arsenal's teenage sensation, Myles Lewis-Skelly, was the subject of interest from Real Madrid before signing a new five-year contract with the Gunners. Lewis-Skelly, 18, put to paper on a bumper new deal this week to commit his future to Arsenal. But it could've been very different had he entertained interest from Madrid. The Times report Real were planning to sign Lewis-Skelly at the end of his previous contract expired in June 2026, just as they did with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Eze talks held Arsenal have held talks to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, Mirror Football understands. Eze, 26, has a £68million release clause in his Palace contract and the Gunners are ready to battle Tottenham for his signature. Andrea Berta is looking to sign a wide forward for Mikel Arteta, who's desperate for attacking reinforcements. Both clubs can offer Champions League football but Eze did spend time at Arsenal as a youngster and dreamed of playing for the Gunners.
Daily Mirror
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea and Man Utd 'get Emi Martinez transfer message' as sale stance emerges
Manchester United have been heavily linked with Emi Martinez this summer but Chelsea have also been sounded out about a transfer swoop for the Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez remains keen on an exit from Aston Villa this summer and both Chelsea and Manchester United are said to have been given 'encouragement' over a move from the Argentine's camp. Martinez, 32, has established himself as one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers since joining Villa from Arsenal. But there are doubts over his long-term future and it's understood that he is keen on a move ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Manchester United have been heavily linked with Martinez amid the ongoing scrutiny over Andre Onana 's position at Old Trafford. It had been claimed via reports in Argentina, via The Metro, that Chelsea - and Maresca in particular - were keen on the idea of challenging their old rivals for Martinez's signature. Furthermore, The Mail claim that both the Blues and United have been given encouragement from Martinez's representatives over a potential move for his services this summer, with Villa ready to consider a sale if they receive serious offers for their current No.1. It's been outlined elsewhere, though, that Chelsea are not currently targeting Martinez as they are focused on strengthening in other positions. Chelsea have already attempted to sign Mike Maignan, the AC Milan keeper, this summer only for talks over a potential deal to collapse due to the Italian giants' demands. Reports have since indicated that Chelsea are happy with their current goalkeeping options, consisting of Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders, with Djordje Petrovic seeking a transfer to continue playing regular first-team football. A move for Martinez - or any other goalkeeper for that matter - would represent a major U-turn for the Blues, whose current No.1 in Sanchez was subjected to criticism during the 2024-25 campaign. Martinez is understood to have already received proposals from ambitious clubs in the Saudi Pro League, however, he is not sold on the idea of moving to the Middle East this stage of his career and would prefer to keep playing at an elite level in Europe. His interest in a transfer to Manchester United has been well documented in recent weeks, thought any deal would likely be difficult given the Red Devils missed out on qualifying for the Champions League and will have to cut their cloth accordingly in the transfer market with big-money deals for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo likely to eat up a large portion of their summer transfer budget. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Enzo Fernandez ‘will be even better' next season insists Enzo Maresca
The Argentina midfielder, signed from the Portuguese giants for a then British record £106.8million two years ago, took time to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. But he excelled in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the campaign with eight goals, and has continued to shine at the Club World Cup. The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday. Their reward is a last-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy. 'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. 'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players. 'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. 'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.' Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance. Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt. 'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position. 'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.' Maresca added that he hopes 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong will stay with the club despite being linked with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. He said: 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Maresca would also like England international Trevoh Chalobah to stay, but offered no guarantees. He said: 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them but when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen – not only for Trevoh, for (all) the 25 players of the squad.' Maresca expects a tight contest against Benfica. He said: 'It's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. In this kind of game the small details are very important.'
