Pep Guardiola said he saw some good things in the defeat to Saudi Arabia’s finest, Al Hilal. Blimey, you would expect more than sifting the wreckage for positives four days after the born-again victory against Juventus.
The Club World Cup is not good for much, but for Manchester City at least, it represented an opportunity to restore some order and pride after a first fallow season for eight years.
In the 5-2 swatting of Juventus, Guardiola thought he witnessed the return of City’s swagger, with those twin pillars of past plunder, Rodri and Erling Haaland, back in high-end tandem.
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The team celebrated with a swim in the sea and bonded over games of beach volleyball on the Florida beaches of Boca Ratan. There was no sense then of the tsunami about to rinse them whole.
Rodri left the field early complaining of “niggles” after coming on as a substitute. At least Haaland was on the scoresheet, if apologetically, netting the equaliser that would take the tie to extra time.
It mattered little that City might have settled the tie before half-time with the chances spurned. The record shows a humbling 4-3 defeat, a result shot through with the same flaws that broke the system last season.
Al Hilal, led by Simone Inzaghi, a coach driving the post Guardiola-zeitgeist, were a lethal expression of the method that has seemingly moved the game beyond the City ronda into a landscape of lightning guerilla raids. Al Hilal might be seen as Paris Saint-Germain-lite, organised and compact, they fly into gaps once the trap is sprung.
The second goal was a classic of the type, a piercing pass from ex-City man Joao Cancelo, defending a corner, sent Malcom sprinting across the half-way line.
The last line of defence, powered by the legs of new boys Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders, worth a combined £80m, were no match for the ex-Barca flier as he bore down on Ederson’s goal. And yes, the goalkeeper too should have done better.
The joie-de-vivre evident on the beach was sucked from Guardiola, replaced by that look of resignation as he consoled the vanquished afterwards. The £40m prize money banked for reaching the last 16 will represent a poor return if the problems that resurfaced in Orlando and which so disturbed Guardiola last term prove systemic.
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Guardiola is not only in the midst of squad renewal, he is required to respond to the tactical innovations forced on the game by his fabled tiki taka.
It is clear the likes of PSG and Liverpool are at the vanguard of a fearless, dynamic antidote to Guardiola’s endless possession, rendering the ronda’s old rhythms ineffective.
Whether Guardiola is able to fashion a response, or suffer a similar fate to Jose Mourinho, whose minimalist tactical schema was overwhelmed by the Pep revolution, is one of the fascinations of the period.
Rodri may or may not be the player he was following profound knee ligament surgery. Reijnders and Rayan Cherki may or may not compensate for the loss of Kevin De Bruyne and the decline of Bernardo Silva.
Moreover, participation at this ill-conceived nonsense of a tournament has necessarily set back preparations for the Premier League. City arrive home badly in need of rest at a point when their rivals are returning for pre-season training.
The endlessly philosophical Guardiola rapped his disappointment in that classic unbothered delivery that betrays just how bothered he is.
“In the end we have to score and be clinical. 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. We created a lot.
“It is a pity, we have been on an incredible journey together and in a good place. The vibe was really good. I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing.”
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Over and above the shock outcome, Al Hilal’s victory might in the years ahead come to be seen as a footnote in Saudi Arabia’s colonisation of the beautiful game.
After all, Al Hilal have even more money to spend on the glorification of the Kingdom than City do on the aggrandisement of Abu Dhabi.
There is no PSR in the Saudi Pro League, and no limit to Saudi ambition.
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