Manchester City's quest to win the inaugural Club World Cup commences this week as they take on Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca.
Pep Guardiola's side come into this game a fairly new look outfit. After a disappointing season devoid of silverware, City have not wasted a second in their attempts to rectify this season's ills, with the club bringing in three major signings. The first addition was Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who arrives as a proven Premier League talent with bags of quality; the second was Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, arriving for a hefty transfer fee, who City will hope raises the athletic floor of the team's midfield; and last but not least, City signed mercurial talent Rayan Cherki from Lyon for a fee over €30m. Cherki arrives with a huge reputation as a maverick talent of extremely high technical ability, and the hope will be that he injects some much-needed X-factor into the team's attack.
It's going to be extremely interesting to see how these new names assimilate into this City side, and there are suggestions that City know they're going to need to change their playing style to adapt to the direction football is heading in. Pep Guardiola recruited Jurgen Klopp's former assistant coach, Pep Lijnders, to help him navigate through this upcoming season. City's attacking play looked beyond stale at times last season so they're going to have to be innovative in order to evolve and pose a serioius threat to Europe's elite this season.
Wydad Casablanca, perennial Moroccan champions and regulars on the continental stage, have arrived in the United States with a streamlined squad, having left out eight players for technical reasons as head coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem seeks to maximise cohesion and competitiveness. The trimmed group includes a mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talents, with a provisional 26-man squad featuring goalkeepers Benabid, Omar Aqzdaou, and Youssef El Motie. Defensively, Bart Meijers and Ayoub Boucheta are expected to play key roles, while midfielders such as Ismail Moutaraji and Stephane Aziz Ki will be tasked with dictating the tempo.
In attack, Wydad will look to the likes of Nordin Amrabat and Samuel Obeng for inspiration, hoping to exploit any lapses in City’s defensive structure. While the Moroccan side are clear underdogs, their tactical discipline and collective spirit have often served them well in knockout competitions, and they will be intent on making life as difficult as possible for their illustrious opponents.
Regardless, though, City should have far too much quality for the Moroccans, and a comfortable win is the minimum expectation for Guardiola's side here.
Manchester City 5-0 Wydad Casablanca
