Guardiola says Manchester City's resurgence began at Club World Cup

Pep Guardiola menegaskan bahwa kebangkitan Manchester City sudah dimulai sejak Piala Dunia Antarklub 2025 (Instagram/@mancity).

JAKARTA - After winning the English League trophy in the 2023/2024 season (fourth in a row), Manchester City had to watch as some of their competitors started to get stronger.

The following season, Pep Guardiola had to be content with watching that the league title race became a battle between Liverpool and Arsenal. The Reds finally came out as champions of the 2024/2025 season.

No wonder, this season Manchester City was initially not included in the list of candidates for the English League title. Liverpool and Arsenal are seen to be competing closely.

However, the reality is far from being missed. Liverpool was thrown out of the top four. Arsenal remained consistent and now leads the standings.

Manchester City is slowly starting to show its fangs outside the predictions of many people. Guardiola's team is now closely following The Gunners with only two points difference.

Another opponent who was never predicted before, namely Aston Villa. They are now in third place with a three-point gap from Arsenal.

Guardiola said that Manchester City's attempt to win the league title actually started at the 2025 Club World Cup.

The Spanish coach confirmed his team's resurgence this summer after failing to compete for the 2024/2025 English League title.

Manchester City had a difficult season by their standards last season, with a run of four consecutive titles ending in disappointment.

However, The Citizens are currently competing closely with Arsenal and Aston Villa at the top of the English League table. They won six consecutive victories after defeating Nottingham Forest 2-1 on Saturday, December 27, 2025.

Guardiola described the 2025 Club World Cup, in which they were knocked out in the last 16 by Al Hilal, as a key moment for change.

"Energy, energy, energy. We lost that last season. We started training better, competing better. We need energy and then you have a good environment."

"When we were eliminated by Al Hilal, it was not because we didn't win, but because we played very well there."

"At that time I was on vacation, so I said, okay, go on vacation," said Guardiola.

Guardiola added that he was disappointed to have to end Manchester City's training camp in Florida during the Club World Cup because the training sessions were going well. He saw a tight competition among the players.

"Where we are, Boca Raton is right on the beach. Everyone is happy. A lot of dinners together, a lot of talking about what we have to do next season."

"We wanted to extend it, just to feel it. I think there, after talking to (City assistant) Pep (Lijnders) and James (French), Manel (Estiarte), Hugo (Viana), Txiki (Begiristain), we turned around and said something had changed. Something you can feel."

"It doesn't mean you're going to win, but you're able to recognise the team. Now it's eight wins in a row."

"It's not easy, but we compete the way we do. We have to improve ourselves, of course, but this mindset is better," Guardiola said.

Guardiola, whose future is still uncertain, admitted that he has also regained his energy.

"It's not about you or you or you, it's something, something that's in the fog in Manchester, around our training ground. We're missing something."

"It's not about turning it on or off (energy). The results of Pep Lijnders' methodology, James (French), Kolo Toure."

"New players, I want to help them. When you have the same players, you feel tired. However, new players, you are interested, how is this person? Of course try to analyze it. Energy comes from there."

"Energy can go down, but energy can go up. Never in our lives is it the same. In professional or personal, you will never be happy all the time, but never sad all the time."

"You have to realise the reason, realise what we have missed, to be able to come back," Guardiola said.