Pep Guardiola's side might have lost their clutch on the Premier League crown, but should in the mix this summer
Manchester City, crisis club? It is sort of fun to say – or at least, see. From the neutral perspective, having someone other than the Cityzens win the Premier League, at the very least, makes for a refreshing change of pace.
And City have deserved their struggles this season. They have looked tired, out of ideas, frustrated. Erling Haaland is injured. Kevin De Bruyne is leaving. They lost the reigning Ballon d'Or winner to an ACL tear. Rotten luck? Sure. But it has made the Premier League that little bit more interesting.
The season is done now, though. City will finish third. They are winning games again, looking more like a Pep Guardiola side. Odds are, they will claim the FA Cup with a victory over Crystal Palace next month. And the Club World Cup, in some ways, could be a reset.
De Bruyne might be gone by then. New signings such as Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez will have been allowed to properly settle in. Haaland should be approaching full fitness. This machine could be whirring back into life again. Still, it might just come a bit too soon. There are no guarantees here, with tired legs and fitness issues likely to play a role.
A fully fit City should win this thing. Anything short of that? Then it's anybody's game.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT. Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field.
Next up is Manchester City with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the English side at the tournament.
Getty ImagesThe Basics
DOMESTIC LEAGUE: English Premier League
CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: Second appearance (won 2023 edition)
GROUP: G (Al Ain, Juventus, Man City, Wydad Casablanca)
OPENING MATCH: Wydad – June 18, noon, Philadelphia
AdvertisementGetty Images SportHow they got here
Ironically, Man City have rather struggled in European competition, and finally won their white whale of a trophy in 2023 after many years of glorious failure. And it was that victory that sealed their spot in the tournament, Rodri scoring the only goal in a 1-0 clash against Italian giants Inter.
ImagoThe player to watch
Who else but Haaland? The striker hasn't enjoyed his best season in Manchester blue, struggling a bit for form, and then picking up a serious ankle injury in March – just as he was getting in a goalscoring groove.
Still, the expectation is that he should be fit an firing by the time the tournament comes around. It will, in truth, be interesting to see which version of Haaland shows up. Will it be the razor-sharp Nordic force that will batter through the tournament and lead City to glory?
Or will Guardiola work his main man back into the side steadily, saving him for the big moments? It is an interesting storyline to follow in a tournament admittedly lacking in them.
A word, too, for Phil Foden. The attacking midfielder followed a Premier League Player of the Year winning season with a pretty dire Euro 2024 – and equally miserable domestic season. He needs to turn things around, and this summer could be the time to start.
Getty Images SportRealistic expectations
Win the whole bloody thing.
Somehow, the Club World Cup field has gotten weaker as the season has chugged along. Real Madrid look a shadow of themselves, while Bayern Munich and Inter have struggled either domestically or in Europe.
Only PSG look to be at 100 percent heading into the competition. But a weaker field should make for an ample hunting ground for City. They will likely do away with Al Ain, Wydad and a pretty tepid Juventus side. After that, it's the knockouts – at which point City should be off to the races.