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New York Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City: The first steps of a rejuvenation
This version of Pep Guardiola has no room for worry. His face growing ever more bronzed from the Boca Raton sun, the Manchester City manager is living by a mantra of freedom and relaxation. Wish to go to Miami after training? Crack on. Barbecue out back with the wives and kids? Fill your boots. Golf, beach, swimming; however City's players want to find joy, Guardiola's laissez-faire approach to their time in the U.S. is keen to accommodate. Advertisement It has been noticeable just how refreshed Guardiola seems, despite having virtually no break between the end of the most turbulent season of his managerial career and this Club World Cup starting. Eulogising over South American fan culture, delivering an impromptu birthday message to Michel Platini, fawning over Matheus Nunes' conversion to right-back so passionately he may as well have been talking about Cafu. Not even concerns that this Club World Cup could jeopardise their Premier League season? 'I try not to think about it, otherwise I would be so anxious,' he said. 'People do their work best when they enjoy.' Guardiola's demeanour is a far cry from winter, at the peak of his team's four-month crisis, when he seemed to wear each and every error across his brow. He looked like a defeated man. Stressed, dejected and, for perhaps the first time in his career, unsure whether he had the answers. It seemed like his decision to sign a new two-year contract in November may have been a misjudgment, that his ability to keep refreshing and motivating had finally succumbed to human vulnerability. Yet, here he rocked up in the U.S., a man completely rejuvenated. Then, on Thursday his team transformed, too, hammering Juventus 5-2 with a performance so confident and slick, it was as if that crisis never happened. For 17 years as a manager, Guardiola has continually posed new questions of the sport but after unparalleled dominance in the Premier League and the toughest period of his career, finding the energy and inspiration to conjure up a new vision of what his City team, perhaps in his final act as manager, must surely have been more testing. 'When you win something, it is over and you start again. When you lose, it is the same,' he said. 'We made a good level (at the end) and qualified for the Champions League. The club brings in three new players, everything is new, so let's go. Advertisement 'I try to understand the players a bit better, improve yourself. Don't think too much about tomorrow and the future, and we will see. 'The main target is to not tell the players but (for them) to visualise the way we play in training sessions. They feel this is what we want and the path where we can be competitive.' Two years ago, Guardiola claimed that the reinvention of this City team was not always part of a grandmaster desire to push the boundaries. 'It's because otherwise, I get bored,' he said. 'Always doing the same thing for eight years would be very boring. That's the first thing. And secondly, when you do something and it goes well, they watch you and create an antidote. If you go too inside, they close in. If we open up the field too much, they'll open it up more. 'Anything we do and they respond to us. We have to respond again. The third reason is the players we have; what specific qualities they have and when they adapt best to the way you want to play.' Guardiola recognises that the Premier League is becoming increasingly athletic, with more and more teams adopting man-to-man pressing. He is adapting his team accordingly and that was evidenced against Juventus on Thursday. The main themes were forward runs, direct passes into the striker and an in-possession formation that shapeshifts so often, it feels pointless to lay out a starting XI in any specific order. Guardiola has always traditionally asked for his two wingers to provide the width for the team but that started to change at times last season, with the full-backs hugging the touchline. It looks like there is going to be constant variation of that on both sides, with Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back. The Algerian inverted into midfield in the third minute of the game, with Jeremy Doku holding width on the left and right-back Matheus Nunes high and wide on the opposite flank, with Savinho tucked inside. A few minutes later, City were in a variation of a 2-3-5 build-up, with Ait-Nouri the furthest forward player and Doku and Savinho playing as two No 10s behind Omar Marmoush, as was their starting position for most of the first half. Within these changes of shape, one overarching principle that was back with a vengeance was the presence of runners in behind the Juventus defence. Last season, there was not enough of it — perhaps partly due to City's defensive struggles in transition making them wary of overcommitting too many men, but it made them easier to contain. There were constant attempts to stretch the Juventus back line, whether it was isolating Marmoush to run into the channel when Ederson has the ball, or Savinho going beyond Marmoush… …or Tijjani Rejnders and Bernardo Silva breaking from midfield. Rejnders excelled against Juventus and this was a key part of his game, with City's second goal coming from a late third-man run that saw Matheus Nunes's cross lead to a Pierre Kalulu goal. The Dutch international has added running power to a midfield that was lacking legs but often, City will come up against a low block, which is a challenge he is confident these runs and dribbles can overcome. 'The spaces are very small, so you have to be very secure in those situations and patient,' said Reijnders. Advertisement 'With the qualities we have with the wingers and the midfielders, we can always outplay a player. Those are things we have to use if we are playing teams who drop like this.' City consistently played directly into Marmoush's feet when under pressure with the running of Reijnders right across the midfield proving key to breaking the man-to-man press as he was able to escape his marker and offer an option to create a transition opportunity. Rodri, who made his first start in nine months, says he believes City are 'showing that this team has another face' after making changes to improve on what went wrong last season. 'We are trying to find out the best way this team works, trying to fix the new signings and find what is the best way of playing,' said the Spanish midfielder. 'In two weeks, you cannot guess anything. We are testing and I think this tournament is an incredible opportunity to compete, but also show what we are going to show next season.' (Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
BreakingNews.ie
16 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Man City out to continue fresh start at Club World Cup by reaching last eight
Manchester City will bid to join Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup as they come up against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on Monday night. City were the only team in the tournament to win all three of their group games and they will hope to carry that momentum into their last-16 outing in Orlando. Advertisement Unlike Chelsea, who are trying to add a final flourish to a 2024-25 season in which they won the Conference League, City have been trying to make a fresh start in the United States. Pep Guardiola has approached the Club World Cup as the start of a new season (Phelan Ebenhack/AP) Manager Pep Guardiola has viewed the competition as the start of a new campaign in order to make a clean break from what was a frustrating past year. That approach so far seems to have been vindicated with the side, bolstered by some new signings, playing with a fresh vigour. Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain were swept aside by an aggregate of 8-0 before City thrashed Juventus 5-2 in a statement performance last Thursday. Advertisement 'We're still early in the season, but I think the energy is different,' said Matheus Nunes, who shone at right-back against the Italians. 'I think last year we were a little down in terms of spirit, but we know what it means to play for Manchester City and this season that's definitely going to change. 'What I like most about this tournament is that we entered all the games to win and it has to be that way until the final.' After four successive Premier League titles – a period that included the glorious treble of 2022-23 – City fell below their own high standards last season. Advertisement They failed to muster a strong defence of their domestic crown and were eliminated from the Champions League before the last 16. They even failed to land the FA Cup as a consolation prize as they lost to Crystal Palace in the final. The underwhelming performances prompted the start of a squad overhaul in January with the arrivals of Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. That has continued this summer with the signings of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli. Nunes admits he does not know why last season was so disappointing but is confident the corner has been turned. 'I think a lot of things happened last year that didn't go well,' the Portuguese said. 'I don't know the reasons. Advertisement 'But I think there is a very fundamental principle for all games – go on to the field to win the three points. I think this year is going to be different.'
Al Etihad
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Manchester City out to continue fresh start at Club World Cup by reaching last eight
29 June 2025 20:38 Orlando (PA Media/dpa)Manchester City will bid to join Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup as they come up against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on Monday were the only team in the tournament to win all three of their group games and they will hope to carry that momentum into their last-16 outing in Casablanca and Al Ain were swept aside by an aggregate of 8-0 before City thrashed Juventus 5-2 in a statement performance last Thursday."We're still early in the season, but I think the energy is different," said Matheus Nunes, who shone at right-back against the Italians. "What I like most about this tournament is that we entered all the games to win and it has to be that way until the final."
Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Man City star sends Premier League rivals a warning amid Club World Cup form
Manchester City are into the last 16 of the Club World Cup, where they face Al-Hilal on Monday, and winger Savinho believes things are looking good for the 2025/26 season Brazil star Savinho believes Manchester City have sent a message they are ready to be crowned world champions again. In-form City smashed five past Juventus in their final group match and scored 13 across their three matches before reaching the knock-out stages. It has put them in great spirits before they face Al-Hilal in Orlando in the last 16 stage on Monday and they can now see a clear path to a potential all-English showdown with Chelsea in the semi-final. That would set up a Premier League clash 3,500 miles from home which has been billed as the America dream and would be a dream for FIFA and their Club World Cup. It is a tantalising thought and you can sense that City are growing in belief as Savinho says their performances so far have got them believing they can go all the way. City won the Club World Cup in its old guise in December 2023 and now they want to conquer the new tournament starting with beating their Saudi Pro League opponents on Monday. Savinho said: 'It was a very important win for us, particularly against Juventus. I think it was to gain confidence and do our best. It was a very impactful result. 'I think it's good because we finished first in the group. That was our goal. We played a great game and we got the three points. We scored a lot of goals too. 'I'm happy to be here with Manchester City in the Club World Cup and it was a great win and I think we'll improve game by game. There are other great teams too, but we'll do what we do and improve even more in the next matches. But we'll focus on the title.' City are clearly on a mission in the United States after finishing last season empty-handed. They have spent nearly £300million on eight new players in this calendar year and are refreshed and recharged in the United States. Savinho added: 'There's nothing better than when you've just had a bad season and you go home and rest. You reflect and get the energy to do your best again. That's it. Manchester City have hired top players. We're getting along and we trust each other. 'Manchester City will always be Manchester City. I think it's not just because we didn't do well last season that everything will end. We can't forget everything the club has been through in the good phases.' City midfielder Matheus Nunes also claimed that Pep Guardiola 's men have a new confidence and belief about them. He added: 'We're still early in the season, but I think the energy is different. "I think last year we were a little down in terms of spirit but we know what it means to play for Manchester City and this season that's definitely going to change. What I like most about this tournament is that we entered all the games to win and it has to be that way until the final.' 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.
The Independent
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Man City out to continue fresh start at Club World Cup by reaching last eight
Manchester City will bid to join Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup as they come up against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on Monday night. City were the only team in the tournament to win all three of their group games and they will hope to carry that momentum into their last-16 outing in Orlando. Unlike Chelsea, who are trying to add a final flourish to a 2024-25 season in which they won the Conference League, City have been trying to make a fresh start in the United States. Manager Pep Guardiola has viewed the competition as the start of a new campaign in order to make a clean break from what was a frustrating past year. That approach so far seems to have been vindicated with the side, bolstered by some new signings, playing with a fresh vigour. Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain were swept aside by an aggregate of 8-0 before City thrashed Juventus 5-2 in a statement performance last Thursday. 'We're still early in the season, but I think the energy is different,' said Matheus Nunes, who shone at right-back against the Italians. 'I think last year we were a little down in terms of spirit, but we know what it means to play for Manchester City and this season that's definitely going to change. 'What I like most about this tournament is that we entered all the games to win and it has to be that way until the final.' After four successive Premier League titles – a period that included the glorious treble of 2022-23 – City fell below their own high standards last season. They failed to muster a strong defence of their domestic crown and were eliminated from the Champions League before the last 16. They even failed to land the FA Cup as a consolation prize as they lost to Crystal Palace in the final. The underwhelming performances prompted the start of a squad overhaul in January with the arrivals of Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. That has continued this summer with the signings of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli. Nunes admits he does not know why last season was so disappointing but is confident the corner has been turned. 'I think a lot of things happened last year that didn't go well,' the Portuguese said. 'I don't know the reasons. 'But I think there is a very fundamental principle for all games – go on to the field to win the three points. I think this year is going to be different.'
