Pep Guardiola, the maestro of Manchester City, stressed the significance of winning the Club World Cup on Friday, saying it will always mean something.
Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, resigned in protest over a missed penalty. Twitter account: @arsreports
Coach Pep Guardiola of Manchester City downplayed the significance of his team’s inconsistent Premier League performance, saying that winning the Club World Cup on Friday will be a memory that his players will always treasure.
Before departing for Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup, City had only won one of their previous six league games. However, they defeated Japan’s Urawa Reds 3-0 to advance to the final.
When Guardiola’s team plays Fluminense of Brazil in Jeddah in 2023, they are heavy favorites to win a fifth trophy.
In 21 matches since 2012, no European team has lost in the Club World Cup.
Guardiola
It’s really challenging to get here. When questioned whether victory could lead to a comeback in City’s Premier League, Guardiola responded, “To win the (Copa) Libertadores, the Champions League, both competitions are really tough.”
“(The Club World Cup) is an enduring phenomenon. Premier League will be present both this season and the following. We might return to play in the World Cup final, but who knows.
Fluminense, who won their first Copa Libertadores last month, are also in the final for the first time.
Thanks to two late goals, the Brazilians overcame Egypt’s Al Ahly 2-0 in their semifinal match by relying on the experience of their aging core of players.
While 37-year-old goalkeeper Fabio kept his team in the match against the African champions, Felipe Melo broke the competition record to become the oldest outfield player at 40.
Following an English newspaper article that described Fluminense as a team suitable for “Soccer Aid,” an annual charity match in England featuring celebrities and former professionals, Melo demanded greater decency.
Even though the English giants will be without the injured Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, the former Brazilian international conceded Fluminense cannot give City the same opportunities that Al Ahly wasted.
“We can’t make the same mistakes we did in the previous games because these athletes will take advantage of any gaps they find,” Melo stated. “City assembled the best players, which explains their success over the past five years.
“We must dream big, work hard, and have faith. Savor the moment to grab the chance.
“Single match”
Guardiola has been likened to Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz for his audacious style, but Diniz has denied the comparisons.
Diniz has become well-known for his more free-form approach, which is based on the techniques Brazilian youth street football players learn. This is in contrast to Guardiola’s rigid positional style of play.
“Both of us enjoy playing beautiful game, but our team and City construct in different ways. Additionally, their budget is different,” stated Diniz, who is also the team’s interim manager for Brazil.
In terms of international competitions, this is the most unusual match. It’s going to be a great challenge for us because we’re going to be playing one of the best teams and coaches in football history.
Since I arrived in Fluminense, this has been the subject of our dreams.
With three different clubs, Guardiola might become the first coach to win the Club World Cup.
Three times already, the 52-year-old has won the competition—twice as manager of Barcelona and once while he was at Bayern Munich.
I’m here for the fourth time. I understand how tough this competition is, especially against South American teams,” he continued.
They play in a way that we never confront. They move a lot, so it’s not positional. We must exert as much of our rhythm and positional game as we can.
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