Manchester City

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter in Atlanta

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez says team-mate Rodri is "even better" than he imagined.

Gonzalez, 23, joined City from Porto for £50m in January to bolster the midfield following a serious knee injury to Spanish compatriot Rodri.

The Ballon d'Or winner has made only two substitute appearances since last September, including half an hour in City's opening game victory over Wydad AC at the Club World Cup.

Asked if he thought Rodri is as good as he thought he would be, Gonzalez replied: "Even better.

"I try to see all the passes the players don't see and take as much from him as I can. He was here in America at the Super Bowl [when he joined] and had a couple of weeks off.

"He helps me a lot - he is Spanish and we are starting to have a good relationship."

He added: "He has been [back] a couple of months - he is an amazing player and really good in everything that can be good in a midfielder.

"I am trying to learn the most I can and I think I am starting to watch him at his best level. I am seeing things that I haven't seen in a lot of midfielders."

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This touch map gives you an idea of what Tijjani Reijnders will bring to the Manchester City team.

The Netherlands midfielder had 82 touches against Wydad Casablanca, most of them coming between the two boxes.

Covering so much space demonstrated his athleticism and he also made some vital interceptions.

City had 67.6% possession so many of Reijnders' touches came around the halfway line and in Wydad's half. He anchored the City midfield during the first hour before moving into a more advanced role when Rodri was introduced.

Reijnders attempted 74 passes and completed 68 of them. The six he failed to complete were all passes in or into the final third.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your full-time thoughts after Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Wydad Casablanca in the Club World Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

Dave: A good steady start. Will get better as the new players settle in and blend with the existing team.

Simon: Still not totally convinced that City are back to where they were. Defensively, Vitor Reis looked suspect and up front the team still need to be more clinical. Tijjani Reijnders was quietly impressive though.

Milt: Man City made an OK start, though the sending off of Rico Lewis soured things. Erling Haaland did get one shot on goal, Rodri played some minutes but the main threats came from Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Phil Foden.

Gene: New faces playing together in a real match for the first time. The defence didn't have much continuity while the offence seemed to move the ball well and created chances. Reijnders played well, Rayan Cherki will have to get used to the pace and Reis is going to be a great addition to the defence. I didn't really expect much besides the 'get to know you phase', but it was nice to see Rodri and Oscar Bobb getting some time.

Kevin: Let's face it no-one is really that excited by this competition and the performance was pretty flat. Having said that, it's an opportunity to blood some of the new players so that's all good.

John: It was an average performance. Nothing too special from the new signings, especially not from Cherki. Foden and Doku were the highlights for sure and at the end of the day a comfortable enough win.

Image source, Getty Images

Nathan Ake says there are "still lots of things to improve" after Manchester City began their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Wydad AC.

Despite City's win, their Moroccan opponents had several chances on the counter-attack without finding the net.

"Important victory in the first game," Ake said post-match. "You always want to win the first one.

"It was tough out there. I don't think we played our best game but we got the three points and that is the most important but obviously there are still lots of things to improve.

"Every country has got different playing styles but we knew they were going to play more on the counter-attack and they did that very well. We didn't deal with that very well and conceded a lot of counter-attacks which they did very well with their fast players. That is one thing to look at - we have to make sure the organisation is better when we have the ball.

"We take those things with us but overall we take the three points."

There has been much discussion over the importance of this expanded Club World Cup and there were banks of empty seats inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

"We take it very serious so it didn't feel like a pre-season game for us," Ake said. "We knew it was going to be hot but we appreciate the people coming. At 12:00, it's not easy for a lot of people.

"We just have to make sure we keep the same intensity and mentality to win the games. We did that and need to do that in the next one."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City stepped into a new era at the revamped Fifa Club World Cup - but it was one of their old boys who stole the show in Philadelphia.

Academy star Phil Foden struggled for form and fitness last season, but scored the opener and assisted Jeremy Doku in City's Group G opener.

"A new season, fresh me," he told Channel 5 afterwards. "Looking forward to the season now.

"[The tournament is] very important, not just for me, but all the players. It is important to get your sharpness now in this big competition.

"Playing for a club like City, there are expectations to perform in every game. I've been used to that pressure. Last season was a bit rough for all of us, but it is about going again this season."

Foden was fleet-footed on the ball, occupying pockets of spaces outside the box and looking to dictate the tempo as a lot of City's play against the north African side went through him.

At the end of last season, Foden revealed he had been carrying an ankle injury. He also felt it may be better for him to miss out on the competition in the United States in order to fully recover.

However, his opener - the competition's fastest goal so far - had the hallmarks of a player who had regained his confidence, taking a touch and caressing a fine finish into the far corner.

"Happy with the performance and happy with the three points," added Foden. "I stayed alive, and the ball fell to me. I put it away nicely, so I am happy."

Read the full article here

Foden looks refreshed and rejuvenated, finding freedom in 'Philly' and stepping up in the first game of the post-Kevin de Bruyne era.

Questions will be asked about how City replace the legendary Belgian midfielder, who has signed for Napoli on a free transfer, but Guardiola may have the perfect answer in Foden.

In total, he had 54 touches of the ball against Wydad Casablanca before being substituted on the hour mark for Rodri - and became the first Englishman to score in multiple editions of the Club World Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola says he saw "many good things" as Manchester City opened their Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad AC.

New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki started for City in Philadelphia as first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku secured the victory before Rico Lewis was sent off late on.

"We had good moments, many new players and the first game in this group stage is always important," Guardiola said post-match. "We started really well then after had some problems, especially when losing simple balls.

"But I saw many good things. The first three points is important."

City now travel to Atlanta to face Abu Dhabi's Al Ain on Monday [02:00 BST], with a win guaranteeing safe progress to the last 16.

"We have the second one to try to arrive in the last game as qualified - then the last game to define if we're first [in the group[]," Guardiola said.

"We'll recover, train good in the next few days and then have fresh legs for the next game.

"We'll try to step by step improve things. It's normal in this stage with new players and a lot of people coming from big injuries.

"Many players, we need to give them minutes otherwise if they come back from a long injury and don't play they'll never get it.

"Next game, 10 new players will be there to try and win."

What did you make of the display and what are the talking points?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola names new signings, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, in his Manchester City starting XI as Rayan Ait-Nouri starts on the bench.

New captain Bernardo Silva also starts on the bench, as Ederson leads the team in their opening Club World Cup game.

Man City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Reis, Ake, O'Reilly, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki, Savinho, Doku, Marmoush.

Subs: Ortega, Dias, Stones, Haaland, Nico, Rodri, Gundogan, Silva, Ait-Nouri, Gvardiol, Akanji, Nunes, Echeverri, Khusanov, Bobb.

Wydad hand a competitive debut to veteran winger Nordin Amrabat, who joined them from Hull City last month.

Wydad XI: Benabid, Moufid, Boutouil, Moufi, Meijers, Ferreira, El Moubarik, Zemraoui, Lorch, Amrabat, Mailula.

Subs: El Motie, Aqzdaou, Harkass, Moutarajji, Malsa, Arthur, Aziz Ki, Benktib, Pedrinho, Bennani, Mahtou, Rayhi, Obeng, Fathi, Mwalimu.

Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.

Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.

Take a look below to see where your side places...

Image source, Getty Images

Fans have been warned by the Premier League that fixtures could be moved at "relatively short notice" next season because of the number of teams playing in Europe.

A record nine top-flight clubs have qualified for continental competition in the 2025-26 campaign.

The Premier League said there is an "increased likelihood" that games will be re-scheduled if English teams reach the latter stages and it suggested fans take this into consideration when planning their attendance at games.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League next season.

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have qualified for the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will be playing in the Conference League.

"While the Premier League celebrates this success, it will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches," a statement from the Premier League said.

"There is an increased likelihood of Premier League fixtures moving at relatively short notice, after our fixture announcements, should our clubs progress to the knockout rounds of these competitions."

Aside from the first game of the season at Wolves and the final fixture of the season against Aston Villa, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.

See Man City's full fixture list here

Image source, Getty Images

The first Manchester derby of the 2025-26 Premier League season is scheduled to take place at the Etihad on the weekend of 13-14 September.

Pep Guardiola's side will then travel to Manchester United on the weekend of 17-18 January 2026.

In terms of the title race, City will first travel to Arsenal on the weekend of 20-21 September, before hosting defending champions Liverpool in early November. The return games are scheduled for the weekends of 18-19 April and 7-3 February respectively.

And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, City are due to face West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, before hosting Chelsea in their first game of 2026.

Finally, the Blues will close their campaign against Aston Villa at home on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.

Looking at the fixture list, where do you think Guardiola's side will be after 10 games? Have your say here

Manchester City will travel to Wolves in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The match will take place on Saturday, 16 August at 17:30 BST, with their first home fixture against Tottenham on the weekend of 23-24 August.

See City's Premier League fixtures in full here

Where do you think you will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Tell us here

Image source, Getty Images

Bernardo Silva has confirmed he will stay at Manchester City this season, after being named captain by Pep Guardiola.

Silva is entering the final year of his contract at the Etihad and had been linked with a move away from the club.

Speaking before City's Club World Cup opener against Wydad AC, he said: "I've had options in the past and this year but, like last year, this year my option is to stay at Manchester City.

"I know what I'm going to do but it's not the time to talk about that. I'm very focused on my season and performing well for City. When the time is due, I will talk about it."

City needed a new skipper after the departure of Kevin de Bruyne this summer.

The Portugal international is now entering his ninth season at the Etihad and after accepting the captain's armband, it is clear his focus is on helping the squad to improve.

"We talked a lot last season, as a group, about what happened and we learned a lot of very important lessons," he added.

"Hopefully we're never going to forget them, especially this season. We're not going to forget what happened last season and try to make things right."