A short-form Club World Cup will soon be confined to history but Pep Guardiola was at pains to stress the permanence of victory when Manchester City face Fluminense in Friday’s final. Their run to the business end in Jeddah has comprised nothing more than an easy win over Urawa Reds and back in the UK, more than 3,000 miles away, any fanfare has been muted. It has been an unusual experience but, for their manager, that is all the more reason to treat a showdown with the South American champions as an opportunity that may never resurface.
“It’s so difficult to come here, to win the Copa Libertadores, win the Champions League,” he said. “We need to give all we have; it’s something that remains for ever. I don’t know if we’ll come back to play a final for the Club World Cup.”
