Guardiola’s Honour: City’s Pursuit of Club World Cup Glory

Pep Guardiola expressed his delight and honour as Manchester City prepares for its inaugural appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup.

In a pre-match press conference at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, Guardiola highlighted the privilege of competing in this prestigious event, emphasizing the exceptional achievements that earned City a spot in the tournament.

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An Unprecedented Opportunity

Guardiola acknowledged the rarity of the occasion, calling it an honour and a privilege for Manchester City to be part of the FIFA Club World Cup. He stressed the significance of the moment, recognizing the exceptional efforts that led the team to this point. Guardiola conveyed the team’s excitement and determination to perform well in the semi-final against Urawa Red Diamonds.

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Guardiola said, “It’s Manchester City’s first time here, and it is a pleasure to be here – an honour. We take it as a privilege, it’s an honour to be here. To be sitting here and play tomorrow means you have done something exceptional in the past.”

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Challenges and Respect for Urawa

Addressing the media, Guardiola acknowledged the challenges of winning the competition and the tough semi-final against Urawa. He praised Japanese football, highlighting the growth and quality of the sport in the past decade. Guardiola expressed respect for Urawa, emphasizing their sharpness, quick transitions, and unpredictability. The manager acknowledged the importance of playing well in the semi-final to secure a place in the final.

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Guardiola warned, “To be in the final, first there is a tricky semi-final. To see the Japanese national team they know their games and they beat Germany – look at the World Cup. Football in Japan grew up incredibly in the past ten years.”

Closing the Circle

Guardiola sees winning the FIFA Club World Cup as a crucial achievement to “close the circle” on City’s incredible success in recent seasons. Having overseen a period of unprecedented success, Guardiola views this tournament as the last trophy outstanding during his time in England. The manager emphasized the team’s desire to add the Club World Cup to the impressive list of 15 major honours collected under his reign.

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Guardiola stated, “It is my fourth time I have played this competition, and the previous times the semi-final was really tough, really tricky every time. We want to win it. Once we are here, it is a trophy we do not have. We want to close the little circle and win all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.”

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Focus on the Tournament

Despite recent indifferent form in the Premier League, Guardiola urged his players to focus on the Club World Cup, considering it a different competition. The manager acknowledged the need to manage games better but stressed the importance of maintaining passion and desire in the semi-final against Urawa.

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Guardiola emphasized, “Whatever happens here will be different when we return and play Everton, Sheffield United, and Newcastle. Except the Aston Villa game, our performance was excellent in many ways, but we have to be better at managing games. But hopefully, we can maintain passion and desire tomorrow against Urawa.”

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Connecting with Former Players

Guardiola mentioned plans to catch up with former players Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte, now playing in Saudi Arabia. He expressed interest in hearing about their experiences and acknowledged the significant investment in Saudi football.

Guardiola added, “We may be lucky to see Riyad or Aymer tomorrow and listen to their experience. Saudi Arabia has made a huge investment and convinced players to come to this league. I know from my past how many fans there are here in Saudi. I will speak to the guys and see what their experience is.”