Guardiola disappointed

New signing shines in Man City's 6-0 win Rayan Cherki, Echeverri scores first goal for Man City in match against Al Ain at FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ on the morning of June 23.

In the eyes of the Spanish coach, not scoring the seventh goal against Al-Ain at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ on the morning of June 23 was not just a small detail - but a sign of failure.

Manchester City just crushed the UAE representative with a score of 6-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, thereby leveling points and goal difference with Juventus in Group G. But the problem lies in the fact that Juve is temporarily ranked higher by... 1 goal scored. And in the race for the top spot - which can decide the rest of the tournament - that small detail can have huge significance.

“We tried to get the seventh goal but we failed,” Guardiola said after the match, looking unusually disappointed. It was a very “Pep” statement. Winning is not enough, everything needs to be optimized down to the last detail.

Because if they don't top the group, Man City will most likely face Real Madrid in the round of 16. If they top the group, their opponent will only be Red Bull Salzburg - a much easier challenge. Guardiola, of course, understands better than anyone the price of a small mistake in the knockout stage.

Pep wants Man City to score more goals against Al-Ain.

In addition to the tactical and situational factors, the 6-0 win over Al-Ain also brought important personnel stories. Rodri - who had just returned from a cruciate ligament injury - was brought on as a substitute and played for about 30 minutes.

“He still struggles in the competition, needs to be stronger, but today he played better than the last game. We miss him a lot. Any team will miss the best player in the world ,” said Pep.

The praise for Rodri is not only technical, but also partly reveals Guardiola’s insecurities. In his system, Rodri is the crucial cog – the orchestrator, the balancer and sometimes the show-stopper. Without him, Man City lose the axis that balances control and defence.

Another unfortunate detail was the injury of Claudio Echeverri - the young rookie who had just scored his first goal for the team. Despite making a strong impression, Echeverri had to leave the field after the first half due to an ankle sprain.

“That was the problem that stopped him from continuing. It's a pity, because Echeverri is a great talent, extremely excellent in tight spaces,” Guardiola regretfully shared.

Amid the brilliant numbers, Guardiola still cannot hide his harshness. The 6-0 victory did not bring a sense of completeness when the situation of the group was still not tilted in his favor. That is the nature of Pep: always demanding more, always obsessed with perfection - even when everything is very close to perfection. And that is why Manchester City is so scary.

Source: https://znews.vn/guardiola-that-vong-post1563026.html