Man City boss Pep Guardiola said last season was one of the hardest in his career as a manager.
The Spanish coach sees the Club World Cup as a fresh start and a chance to begin again, with their first match against Wydad Casablanca from Morocco coming up on Wednesday.
Guardiola said, “This is the start of the season. In football, people forget the past, whether it’s good or bad, so we treat it like a new beginning.”
City are set to open their campaign at Lincoln Financial Field against Wydad Casablanca, one of the top sides in North Africa. Their group also has UAE’s Al Ain and Italy’s Juventus.
Guardiola added, “Football has grown everywhere. All these teams have strong individual players.”
He went on, “A good example is Riyad Mahrez from Algeria. Wow, what a player. These teams have serious talent.”
He stressed, “We really respect Wydad. We watched all their games. We’ve prepared our plan, and we want to play well and give the fans a good performance.”
Guardiola also spoke about Jack Grealish, who didn’t make the squad for the tournament. He said Grealish needs to fall back in love with football.
“Grealish is a top player. The only reason he didn’t play last season was my own choice,” said the former Barcelona manager.
He added, “We thought it was better for him to stay somewhere and find his old form again – the one he had during the treble season or even before, with Aston Villa.”
Grealish joined City in 2021 and had a strong 2022-23 season, helping the team win the treble. But last season, he started just 10 league matches and only 16 in all competitions.
Guardiola said, “Without him, winning the treble would’ve been tough. But the truth is, he hasn’t played much over the last two years.”
“He now needs to play more and feel that hunger again, that feeling of wanting to be on the pitch every few days.”
Even though Grealish didn’t travel to the Club World Cup, Guardiola suggested his time with the team isn’t over yet. He said, “No, I don’t think so. For now, we chose not to bring him.”
City added four new names to the squad during the recent transfer window, aiming to refresh the team ahead of the Club World Cup.
The club brought in Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, French attacker Rayan Cherki, Algerian full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, and experienced keeper Marcus Bettinelli.
Guardiola said, “We’re pleased with them. They all have quality. With so many matches across 11 months, one game every three or four days, they will all get chances to play.”
