Guardiola ready to start new Manchester City era at Club World Cup

Pep Guardiola has arrived in Florida to lead Manchester City in the Club World Cup — a competition he views as the beginning of a new chapter for the club.

Following a team dinner at the hotel, the Spanish coach gathered his players to deliver an important message — this tournament isn’t an extension of the 2024-25 season, but rather the first step of the 2025-26 campaign.

The club has made significant changes by bringing in four new players:

• Rayan Cherki
• Tijjani Reijnders
• Rayan Aït-Nouri
• Marcus Bettinelli

Changes have also occurred in the coaching staff with the addition of Pepijn Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant at Liverpool, who is now focused on increasing the team’s playing speed.

The team has been meticulously preparing for this tournament since last October. Phil Foden emphasized the team’s ambition to become the first champions of this new competition format.

“Speaking with some teammates, we’ve discussed being the first to lift this trophy. With the quality of players we have, I’m sure we’re more than capable of doing that,” said Foden.