Manchester City, fielding a team that was a mixture of starters and reserves, thrashed Urawa Reds, the Japanese champions, 3-0 in the Club World Cup earlier today. Maybe the bigger news today pertains to Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, however.
After all, City were expected to rock n roll the Red Diamond on Tuesday, regardless of who played or who didn’t play in this game.
Manchester City vs Fluminese FC FYIs
Kickoff: Tues Dec. 19, King Abdullah Sports City
Where: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 9pm local
Competition: Club World Cup Final
Man City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Man City Team News
What’s more interesting and exciting, at least in our opinion, is the return of their Belgian midfield maestro to full training with the rest of the team. He wasn’t in the squad today but could make the matchday squad here. It won’t be long before De Bruyne sees meaningful minutes of playing time again.
As for Haaland, he wasn’t in the squad today either, but he did travel with the team to Saudi Arabia. Perhaps he makes a cameo against Fluminese? And then sees a more significant role in the next match after this one (December 27 visit to Everton in the league)?
Perhaps Pep Guardiola will field a slightly stronger team on Friday night, as this is a Cup Final.
Other than that, there are no new City Team News items to cover.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.