Pep Guardiola says Man City must rest after Club World Cup exit

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said the club’s players must rest after the Club World Cup exit, ahead of the new season. The Cityzens suffered a 4-3 loss against Al Hilal in the round of 16 contest of the tournament. 

The Sky Blues were stunned in extra time by Saudi Pro League club at Camping World Stadium on Monday. Guardiola said it was “a pity” his team could not advance further in the tournament, but immediately shifted his attention to the start of the Premier League in August.

“We would have loved to have continued,” the City boss said. “[You are] only here once every four years. We had a feeling that the team is doing well, but we go home and now it’s time to rest and rest our minds for the new season.

“The vibe was really good. I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing. The margins are minimal.”

The Spaniard admitted City had not been “clinical” enough against Al Hilal as they failed to grab their chances, especially in the first half. 

“In the end we have to score and be clinical,” Guardiola said. “They did not create much in the first half, we did but could not finish it. I had a feeling we could go through. We allow them to make transitions [but] we created a lot.

“So many good things I did not see in the past. The relationship between the players, our captain [Bernardo Silva] helped a lot and the standards with staff.

“I felt we were happy here, the training sessions have been really good but the level of this competition is the World Cup.”

Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was in brilliant form as he kept the opposition at bay. Marcos Leonardo’s 112th-minute winner helped Al Hilal advance in the tournament.