Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, didn’t shy away from addressing Jürgen Klopp’s harsh criticism of the new Club World Cup. The German coach had called it “the worst idea in the history of football,” but Guardiola took a more diplomatic tone. While throwing in a few jabs of his own, he ultimately expressed appreciation for being part of the tournament.

Still, the Catalan coach stood his ground: “We’re proud to be here. Many clubs complain, but if they were here, they’d love it.”

“Maybe the tournament will destroy us”

When asked about the increasingly packed calendar, Guardiola didn’t sugarcoat it: “Maybe in November, December, or January... we’ll be a disaster. Exhausted. I don’t know. This is the first time we’re experiencing something like this. Would I love to have two months to prepare? Yes. But it is what it is.”

He added with a touch of irony: “Maybe the tournament will destroy us. I don’t know. But it’s the first time in our lives we’re going through this. We’re proud to be here. Many clubs complain about this competition, but deep down, they’d love to be part of it.”

No room for mistakes

City plays its first knockout match of the tournament this Monday. “We’ve reached the moment of truth. The group stage was rocky, but we finished strong. Now we either keep going, or we go home.”