Manchester City are starting a new cycle

THE GLORY AND THE DISASTER HAVE PASSED

Manchester City (Man.City) is the defending champion of the FIFA Club World Cup (crowned in 2023, before the tournament temporarily closed so FIFA could prepare for a completely new format, starting this year). After beating Fluminense 4-0 in the 2023 final, coach Pep Guardiola walked into the luxurious press conference room like a grand theater at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (Saudi Arabia) with an emotional face, spirit and attitude. He spoke as if emphasizing an extremely important thing in his coaching career: "The mission has been completed. The last piece of the whole big picture is in place. A big chapter has closed".

Manchester City đang bắt đầu một chu kỳ mới- Ảnh 1. — Man.City *(center)* starts a new cycle

From being almost "unknown" on the top football map, Man.City won the Champions League for the first time in 2023. Coach Guardiola's talent and level of success are beyond description. Just to add: 2022 - 2023 is the best season in the entire history of Man.City. They completed the "treble", then at the end of the year won the FIFA Club World Cup to add the only missing trophy to their trophy room. Man.City became the first English club to win 5 championship titles in one year. Guardiola set a record of 4 times winning the European Super Cup and is the first coach in history to win this title at 3 different clubs. Is there nothing left for Man.City in general and Guardiola in particular to aspire to after winning the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup? Have they... run out of motivation? Only the record of 4 consecutive English championships was most important in the next season, and Guardiola and his team achieved that goal. But Man.City was eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid - the opponent they beat 5-1 the previous season. Strangely, Man.City lost to a "broken" MU in all aspects, in the FA Cup. In the 2024 - 2025 season, they were "even worse": completely empty-handed.

REMAKE, FROM FIFA Club World

Like a familiar "reverse the table" scenario, Man.City at this moment looks completely different from themselves in the disastrous season just past. The opening match, winning 2-0 against Wydad AC (Morocco), suggests one thing to observers: the FIFA Club World Cup is more like a tournament to start the new season, rather than a tournament to close the old season of Man.City. The 2-0 result is of course not surprising, but there are many new features in the playing style, personnel, and spirit of Man.City. Phil Foden made history as the player who scored the earliest goal in the FIFA Club World Cup. Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, who just signed contracts this summer, appeared in the starting lineup. Young defender Vitor Reis (who just joined Man.City at the beginning of the year) also started. With Reijnders, Cherki and Foden playing in midfield, Man.City's appearance has become completely different from what is familiar and known. This is also an important stage that new Director of Football Hugo Viana is actively working on.

More than 100 million pounds have been spent on the transfer market. Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, and Kalvin Phillips have not yet left, but their careers at Man City are considered over. They are not in Guardiola's plans and are not on the list for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Of course, the testing issue cannot be ignored when Man.City (as well as many other teams) compete in the FIFA Club World Cup. But besides that, they are "playing for real", meaning they are seriously competing for the championship, hoping to gain initial momentum before recapturing lost glories in the new season. A new cycle is opening for Guardiola and his team, starting with the FIFA Club World Cup. There was a notable expert comment before the tournament started: look at the performance of Phil Foden (one of the biggest disappointments of the last season) to know the overall picture of Man.City in this tournament. So, let me repeat: Foden scored in the 2nd minute of the opening match!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/manchester-city-dang-bat-dau-mot-chu-ky-moi-185250619212824094.htm