Latest news with #PhilFoden
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
One Manchester City player made the ideal start to the FIFA Club World Cup
Manchester City began their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-nil win over Wydad AC at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. There was a host of positives to come out of City's win over Wydad AC. One of the major positives was the performance of Phil Foden. The England international was named man-of-the-match and looked like he has put a disappointing 24/25 season behind him. Phil Foden set the tone for Manchester City against Wydad AC. It only took two minutes for Phil Foden to make an impact on Manchester City's Group G opener against Wydad AC. Foden opened the scoring goals after a Savinho shot was saved by Wydad keeper Mehdi Benabid. Foden's finish was a composed and classy one. It was a touch of class that has long been associated with Phil Foden's play. After scoring early, Foden's confidence grew. He moved around the pitch well and looked like the Phil Foden that everyone associated with Manchester City has grown accustomed to seeing play. There was an energy to his play, he was smooth on the ball, and his passing was on point. He almost scored a second goal when he was set up by Rayan Cherki late in the first half. It was Phil Foden's quality delivery from a corner that set up Jeremy Doku's volley at the backpost to make it 2-nil just before halftime. His overall performance against Wydad AC was superb, and it was the perfect beginning to a new season for Foden and his team. Phil Foden is determined to prove the doubters wrong. Speaking after Manchester City's win over Wydad AC, Phil Foden spoke of his desire to prove the doubters wrong. Speaking after his man-of-the-match performance, in an interview relayed by Rob Dawson for ESPN, Foden said: 'The hunger inside me is back and I want to prove people wrong. It was a difficult season, I'm not going to lie. It was not the best. I got a little bit of time off, rested. Yeah, new start, new me. I'm just looking forward to the season. I'm happy to get back in with the goals, obviously creating chances as well.' The FIFA Club World Cup represents the beginning of the 25/26 season for Manchester City. The tournament also represents the beginning of Phil Foden proving the doubters wrong and returning to his best. His performance against Wydad AC was the ideal beginning to the tournament and season for Foden, and he played with a smile on his face once again. That was great to see, as was the quality of his performance at the Lincoln Financial Field, and it could set him up for the new season based on how he played on Wednesday.
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Manchester City have been busy this summer, but still aren't favoured for any trophies next season
The 2024/25 campaign offered a rare sight from Pep Guardiola — a sign that his teams are not bulletproof. Not in the slightest. After winning four Premier League titles on the trot, City went from looking immortal to looking like imposters as they went through a turbulent period of 11 games without a win and plummeted down the table. Advertisement They did manage to recover mid-way through the campaign and added signings like Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez as they rallied to secure a third-placed finish — despite fears they could miss out on Champions League football altogether. It was only the second trophyless season of Guardiola's managerial career and now it's up to the Spaniard to build up City's fear factor again, starting with the Club World Cup. The Sky Blues are currently 5/1 with Betfair to win the tournament. City can lay down a real marker in the United States by showing the rest of the world they mean business — and they're already on the way to doing just that with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad. The game saw Phil Foden impress with a goal and assist after having a difficult last campaign. Two of their new signings started the game — midfielders Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders. Cherki scored 12 and assisted 20 times for Lyon last season and is seen as the long-term successor to the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne. He could be the difference for City this season. With Cherki pulling the strings and providing for forwards like Erling Haaland, Marmoush and Savinho, City have a great chance of toppling champions Liverpool this time around. Meanwhile, Reijnders joined for £43million from AC Milan and Guardiola admitted he was happy with how both players looked on the pitch after the game — but it was the return of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri that really boosted them. 'Of course, Rodri will be important,' the coach said after the game. 'We have to adjust to many things, but step by step.' Rodri managed to play half an hour and suddenly a huge hole from last season has been filled. With his presence in midfield alongside the likes of Reijnders, Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, City can really dominate games again and play the way the manager wants them to. Another problem that has been solved is at left-back. Guardiola started last season without many recognised options in the position and was forced to play youngster Nico O'Reilly there at times. Now they have Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri to call upon, providing more solidity at the back — though he did not feature against Wydad. Advertisement So all of a sudden, you start to think City could become a global force again. They've got a superb midfield — with Rodri at the heart of it — and an attacking frontline that any team in world football would love to have. Perhaps only more defensive reinforcements are necessary. With no recognisable right-back present and Kyle Walker on his way out, a new man in that role would complete the set. Of course, going toe-to-toe with Liverpool will be a challenge, given that Arne Slot's side are set to sign Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz — who is rated as one of the best players in the game right now — for an English record fee of £116.5m. The Reds have also added Jeremie Frimpong and fellow full-back Milos Kerkez is about to join from Bournemouth. With Chelsea still looking like a work in progress under Enzo Maresca and Arsenal lacking the star forward they need to challenge for the title, you can't look beyond Liverpool and City as the favourites for the Premier League title. Betfair have Liverpool as 15/8 favourites to retain their crown, but City's position as the nearest challengers is reflected with odds of 9/4, making them second favourites ahead of Arsenal (5/2). As for the Champions League, City look like outsiders to become champions again, with odds of 8/1. Liverpool are the favourites to become champions of Europe for the first time since 2019 at 11/2, with Real Madrid (13/2) and Arsenal (7/1) the next best-backed teams. Reigning champions PSG are also at 7/1, with City the fifth-favourites. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Tijjani Reijnders: David Ramos / Getty Images)
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man City fined more than $1 million for repeatedly delaying Premier League kickoff times
Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, left, and Wydad AC's Guilherme Ferreira fight for the ball during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City's Phil Foden walks on the pitch during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) Manchester City's Phil Foden walks on the pitch during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, left, and Wydad AC's Guilherme Ferreira fight for the ball during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City's Phil Foden walks on the pitch during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) Manchester City was fined more than one million pounds ($1.35 million) by the Premier League on Thursday for repeatedly delaying kickoff times 'without good reason' last season. City, managed by Pep Guardiola, admitted to nine breaches of league rules related to kickoffs and re-starts after halftime and has apologized. Advertisement The most dominant team in English soccer over the past decade was handed fines for each breach, amounting to 1.08 million pounds ($1.45 million). The biggest individual fine was 210,000 pounds ($283,000) for a delay of 2 minutes, 22 seconds at the start of the second half against Ipswich on Jan. 19. 'Rules relating to kickoffs and re-starts help ensure the organization of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs,' the Premier League said in a statement. 'It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule.' City, currently in the U.S. for the Club World Cup, delayed kickoffs for the start of both halves in a match against Manchester United in December. The start of the second half was delayed 2 minutes, 24 seconds — the longest of all the breaches. Advertisement Last year, City was fined 2.09 million pounds ($2.8 million) for 22 breaches of the same rule over the previous two seasons. City is still waiting on the outcome of a hearing into more than 100 charges of alleged financial breaches over a nine-year period. The hearing began in September last year after charges were made in February 2023. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pep Guardiola hints at new Manchester City role for Phil Foden in 2025/26 season
Phil Foden could be set to take on a new role in Manchester City's system, as hinted by head coach Pep Guardiola this week. The England international returned to action for the new 2025/26 season with a bang as he provided both a goal and an assist in Manchester City's opening victory of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Advertisement Scoring inside the opening two minutes, Foden inspired his side on to a convincing victory over Wydad AC in the group stage of the competition, before delivering the perfect corner for Jeremy Doku to volley home before the stroke of half-time. With Kevin De Bruyne departing the club and Manchester City recruiting Rayan Cherki from Lyon for the number 10 role, many have been wondering how that could impact Phil Foden's positional availability in Pep Guardiola's side. Operating through the middle alongside the aforementioned France international, Wednesday afternoon perhaps offered the first glimpse into the all-energy approach that Guardiola is attempting to implement in his forward line. And speaking to broadcasters after Manchester City's 2-0 win over Wydad AC in their opening contest of the Club World Cup, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on the importance of Foden after his match-winning performance in Philadelphia. Advertisement 'Of course he will be important [this season],' Guardiola insisted. The Catalan tactician continued, 'He plays another role, more there, we have a lot of No10s, we have to adjust many things, but step by step.' For now, it remains to be seen exactly what Pep Guardiola's preference is for the attacking midfield ranks in his side, although the remainder of the Club World Cup could offer some insight into the vision for the new season. Manchester City will next take on the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain on matchday two of the group stage, with the Middle-Eastern club falling to a tough 0-5 defeat on their own opening game of the competition at the hands of Juventus. Pep Guardiola has already stated that the clash against the side in Atlanta, Georgia at the weekend could see a heavily rotated line-up fielded, with as many as 10 new players anticipated for the contest.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manchester City CEO Soriano excited by global impact of new Club World Cup
Manchester City's chief executive Ferran Soriano said he was excited by the way the revamped 32-team Fifa Club World Cup was driving football's globalisation, with the Spaniard believing the holders can embrace the tournament's expanded format and still be relevant to their domestic fanbase. Pep Guardiola's side beat Morocco's Wydad 2-0 on Wednesday in Philadelphia in their opening group game as they began their defence of a title claimed two years ago in the competition's last seven-club iteration. Advertisement Related: Phil Foden stars in Manchester City win over Wydad AC but Rico Lewis sees red Soriano said of the new format: 'We are very excited by it. It's something that was very much needed. Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the No 1 sport in the world. It's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here. 'It's very important to be here because we are a global football club. We have our roots and we are proud of them. But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do – which we believe is beautiful football – to the world. It's a combination that works very well and we are proud.' Goals from Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku secured the defeat of Wydad as Guardiola gave debuts to Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, two of his eight new recruits in the past two windows. Advertisement Soriano said: 'I'm happy with the work that we did. This is part of multi-annual planning. Last summer we only bought one new player [Savinho, while Ilkay Gündogan returned on a free transfer] but this year between the winter and the summer it will be eight new ones. 'It's part of the annual cycle, the renewal of the squad. We accelerated some of it and now we are very happy with the squad we have. It's part of the game [to refresh]. We look for stability, the fact that Pep is going to be with us for 10 years shows that we are a stable club. 'But the squad needs to be renewed. It's something that happens naturally. We've had fantastic players like Kevin De Bruyne who spent a decade with us. That's a testament to his quality but also our stability.'
