Manchester City

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We asked for your views on Manchester City's thumping victory against Al-Ain in the Club World Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

Basharat: Accomplished performance by City. Ait Nouri didn't put a foot wrong, Echeverri stuck a superb free-kick, Cherki showed his class and, Gundogan showed his old masterclass. Overall, a steady performance.

Franek: We're starting to see signs of the Man City of old. Really glad Cherki has started to gel with his team-mates and he scored a great goal. Congratulations to Echeverri as well. Put in a real performance and a sublime goal came from it! The kick-off time was disgraceful, however. Had to watch the highlights just to write this!

Benjamin: City were absolutely amazing in this game. It's nice to see the new signings score.

South: I didn't stay up to watch it but judging by the highlights it was a solid performance from City. Rodri will definitely benefit from playing in this competition after missing the entire season. The new signings look good too and it will help them blend with the team before the new season.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City have been without a recognised left-back since the departure of Benjamin Mendy, but Pep Guardiola may have found the perfect solution.

"Wow," said Guardiola. "He had to defend a back four, then make a back five. He played really, really good, not for the first time.

"It was his first game but he has played in the Premier League for many years."

Playing at the incredible Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ait-Nouri showcased the class he possesses with driving runs up and down the left flank.

He played the full game and highlighted why he will be such an asset with a total of 92 touches of the ball, including seven in the opposition box, second only to Erling Haaland.

The Norway striker, who scored from the penalty spot and missed numerous other chances, will be relishing getting on the end of Ait-Nouri's whipped crosses.

The 24-year-old could have scored in the first half when he cut inside and beat a couple of defenders, but lost his footing at the vital moment.

"He can help us play in that role outside but then had to play as a holding midfielder and go into the pockets," Guardiola added. "He moves really well into the spaces.

"He is intelligent and clear to defend and take the ball. He is so clever in the final third, taking the right decisions to create more spaces. Really pleased for the game he played."

Ait-Nouri helped ensure City progressed into the knockout stages and they will be aiming to seal top spot in their final group game against Juventus on Thursday.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

City's affinity with attacking players from Argentina has seen some go down in the club's record books.

Sergio Aguero provided the most memorable and dramatic moment of their first Premier League title success, Carlos Tevez famously moved to the club having previously played for rivals Manchester United, while Julian Alvarez's £81m transfer to Atletico Madrid is their most expensive sale.

Guardiola may now have a future star on his hands in teenager Echeverri, who hails from the South American country that produced footballing greats Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.

Echeverri signed for City in January 2024 but remained at River Plate on loan for another year and was given a surprise debut as a substitute in May's FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace.

The 19-year-old played only 45 minutes of City's rout on Sunday, but caught the eye with a sublime free-kick on his first start for the club.

"Since he arrived and [in] the three or four months with us, at the end of training sessions he was practising free-kicks with the goalkeeper, wall and alone," Guardiola said.

"The other ones did not practise. He was practising and practising and the work pays off. Fantastic goal and incredible player."

Guardiola has made clear he wants to work with a smaller squad. The out-of-favour trio of Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips appear to have no futures at the club, while James McAtee was not selected for the trip.

The City boss wants to further trim his playing personnel from the 27 that are currently in the United States, but Echeverri may have given his manager a headache about whether to keep him with the squad this season or sanction a loan move.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says he is "very happy" at Manchester City and wants to "play at the highest level for much longer" after starring at the Club World Cup on Sunday.

Gundogan, 34, scored twice as City thrashed UAE side Al Ain 6-0 to progress to the last 16 of the competition in the United States.

The Germany midfielder has been linked with a move to Galatasaray and boss Pep Guardiola has been open about wanting to work with a smaller squad this season.

"I have one more year left on my contract and I'm very happy here," said player of the match Gundogan. "I think everybody knows that.

"I am committed to that competition and enjoying my football. I still believe I have several years in me at the highest level by taking good care of myself. I've proven last season where I didn't miss a game.

"I'm available, I'm fit - I want to play at the highest level for much longer."

Guardiola was asked about Gundogan's future on Saturday and said: "No news is good news. So I don't know anything, I didn't speak with him.

"If he will not be part [of the squad], he would not be here. But at the same time, we have - right now - a long squad, too many players, so we cannot go with 26 or 27 players this season."

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Despite Manchester City's 6-0 win against Al-Ain at the Club World Cup, Pep Guardiola was disappointed that his side failed to score another goal in the match.

A seventh goal for the Blues would have given the side a slight edge over Juventus, who City meet in their final group game on Thursday. Wins of 5-0 and 4-1 so far mean the Italian giants have scored one more goal than City and this is the second tiebreaker factor after goal difference for teams level on points.

In the last 16, the top team in Group G will play the second-placed team in Group H, currently Red Bull Salzburg, while the runners-up will face the top team, which at the moment is 15-time European champions Real Madrid.

"We pushed and pushed to score another goal to try to finish first but we missed by one goal," Guardiola said.

"We know what we need to do against the Italian team to finish as number one."

Speaking about Claudio Echeverri who scored a sublime free-kick on his first City start: "He's an incredible player, a big, big talent in small spaces. I'm happy for him because it was a great goal.

"It's a pity for the twisted (ankle), which is a little bit sore. It was a problem - that's why he could not continue after half-time."

On Rodri's gradual return from an ACL injury, he added: "Step by step. He cannot play more than 30 minutes. He still struggles a bit in the duels, still needs to be a little bit stronger, but it's normal.

"We miss him a lot. Any team would miss the best player in the world."

What did you make of Man City's display and what are the talking points?

Come back to this page later for your replies.

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."

The latest episode of The Kyle Walker Podcast has landed.

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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.

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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...