ORLANDO, Fla. — At his prematch news conference at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was asked about the Group G decider against Juventus and said: “The real opponents for us start now.” He meant no disrespect to Wydad AC or Al Ain, but it was obvious to Guardiola and everyone else that Juventus would pose their first real test of the FIFA Club World Cup.
They didn’t just pass it. They breezed through with flying colors and made a statement of intent with an impressive 5-2 victory. If City weren’t one of the favorites before, they are now.
Yes, Juventus contributed to their own downfall with a string of defensive errors, including Pierre Kalulu‘s bizarre own goal. But City played their part with movement, pace and energy that, for spells here, made them look like the Guardiola team that won four successive Premier League titles between 2021 and 2024.
It was a performance that made you wonder: When was the last time City turned up like this? The 6-0 win over Ipswich Town in January, maybe? Or the 4-0 win over Newcastle United in February? Regardless, it has been a while.
Since arriving in the U.S., Guardiola has been keen to tell everyone that this is a fresh start and a clean slate with last season’s disastrous campaign placed firmly in the rearview mirror. This was the first evidence that he has gotten his wish.
“The players felt for the first time in a long, long time we performed the way we perform,” Guardiola said. “The previous two games we won, but today we adjusted a few things and the performance was really good. I’m really pleased because the most important thing is the players need to realize what we have to do to be the way we were the last decade.
“I have the feeling that last season we had an incredible squad and team, but we were injured 50% of the players, so it means we went down and cannot compete. This season we are going to try to maintain this rhythm as long as possible.”
After victories over Wydad AC and Al Ain with two entirely different XIs, it was hard to know City’s level. But against Juventus, Guardiola picked a stronger team, bringing in Rúben Dias and Rodri for their first starts.
It was Rodri’s first start since knee surgery in September, and what a difference he makes. He thinks it could be months before he reaches the level that saw him crowned the world’s best player in October. Judging by his performance here, he hasn’t lost much in terms of quality and quickness of thought. In his 65 minutes on the pitch, his movement was good and his passing was even better.
“We miss him a lot,” Guardiola said. “He knows exactly what he has to do. I didn’t expect him to play so many minutes.”
Around Rodri buzzed new captain Bernardo Silva and new signing Tijjani Reijnders. There were times last season when City looked devoid of energy in the middle of the pitch. Even in the Florida heat — which touched 90 degrees Fahrenheit before a midgame downpour — it was never an issue. Bernardo was everywhere, popping up in pocket after pocket. Reijnders was a willing runner from midfield and fantastic on the ball. It was the Dutch midfielder’s pass to Matheus Nunes — racing forward from right back — that set up halftime substitute Erling Haaland for City’s third goal.
In addition, Rayan Aït-Nouri was terrific. For the first time in four years, Guardiola has a specialist left back in his team, and inside 10 minutes, the Algerian had created two chances. The second was scored by Jérémy Doku, who was also impressive.
The list goes on. Omar Marmoush led the line well in the first half, and Savinho scored a stunning fifth goal. At the other end, Ruben Dias successfully handled the physicality of Dusan Vlahovic. The only blot on the copybook was a poor pass out from Éderson that allowed Teun Koopmeiners to briefly make it 1-1. It was as close as Juventus got.
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When City were at their lowest point last season, they traveled to face the Italian giants in Turin in the Champions League and lost 2-0. The shirts had the same badge, but they looked a shadow of the team which had dominated English football for nearly a decade. It’s still early in Guardiola’s reset and in this competition, but for the first time in a long time, you could see a flicker of their former selves.
“It has been a long time since we had a performance like this on and off the ball,” Guardiola said. “The players were committed and we are happy to beat a top side.”
“This is just one game, but I think the players felt again what it was like to be a good team. The belief always comes from your performances, not your past.”