PHILADELPHIA, June 22 — 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 today’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 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. — Reuters
