Man City Club World Cup KO to Al-Hilal is embarrassment to Premier League but full price of exit may emerge next season

THE global shock was seismic.

As was the embarrassment to the Premier League’s pretensions of superiority.

GettyPep Guardiola was left scratching his head after the Club World Cup exit[/caption]

GettyThe Cityzens were shocked as they lost to Saudi outfit Al-Hilal[/caption]

But the bigger price of Manchester City’s humiliating Club World Cup exit at the hands of Saudi outfit Al-Hilal may only start to be paid in six weeks’ time.

Pep Guardiola and his squad of superstars were left licking their wounds, physical and mental, in Orlando.

Forget the claims that Fifa’s latest bauble is a Mickey Mouse competition – losing to a collection of Prem discards and unknowns will be a kick in the proverbials.

Forget Fifa President Gianni Infantino’s claim that “the new era of club football has definitely started”.

WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN

He would say that, wouldn’t he?

But the reality is that, as far as City were concerned, this was supposed to be a showcase for their rebirth, not a public dunking.

After all, remember, it was only a month ago that City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak talked up the tournament, vowing: “This is a very, very serious competition. The whole world will be watching this.

“We’re going to give it our best shot. We’re going there to win it.”

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS

So much for that. A disappointment all the greater for the club’s Abu Dhabi owners given the nationality of their conquerors.

And while the failure to get beyond the last 16 comes with a £37m consolation prize in terms of City’s cash windfall they will be back home as Chelsea carry the Prem flag into the latter stages, the Blues’ own path to New York opened up as City are no longer their prospective semi-final opponents.

Yet the more serious cost may be to Guardiola’s plans for the new season which opens next month – and potentially a pressing need for MORE spending.

In that end-of-season review from Abu Dhabi, Khaldoon spoke about the players City had signed in January, talking about the changes as a “regeneration” – one that continued through to the eve of their departure to the USA.

That unprecedented-by-City’s-standards winter window saw the arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez, while the post-season splurge brought Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cheki and Tijjani Reijnders.

The combined outlay: £281m and counting.

AlamyCity have bought out over a quarter of a billion on new talent in the last six months[/caption]

AlamyBut they could not get the job done against the Saudi team[/caption]

Yet while Egyptian striker Marmoush hit the ground running, with seven Prem goals after his arrival from Frankfurt, it is hard to claim any of the other January signings really stood out.

Cherki did score in the Club World Cup, yet only started the opener against Wydad Casablanca, and Ait-Nouri and Reijnders made more encouraging openings to their City career.

But Ait-Nouri and Reijnders were the only two of the seven trusted to start against Al-Hilal, as Guardiola put more kilometres on the straining limbs of 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, 30.

Reis did not feature after the Wydad game while Gonzalez played an hour against no-hopers Al-Ain.

The demands of a long season, plus the extra five and a half weeks – and 11,000 extra air miles – will take their toll, especially with City now having a shortened summer break before they have to step up preparation for their season opener at Wolves on August 16.

City fans believe that it will all be different next season with the return to full fitness of Rodri after a serious knee injury.

In the absence of the Spanish midfield lynchpin, Guardiola’s side were all at sea, far too often last term.

But last night in Orlando, Rodri suffered a fresh setback – forced off in extra-time after only coming on eight minutes into the second half.

Pep admitted afterwards Rodri had “complained about his situation”.

But even with the Ballon d’Or winner on the pitch, it was a familiar tale with City creating chances, lots of them, but not taking enough.

Across the 120 minutes, they had 30 shots, 16 of which were on target, repelled by Morocco’s 2022 World Cup keeper hero Yassine Bounou.

Yet just as so often last term, horribly, horribly vulnerable on turnovers, caught cold at the back, a mess in front of Ederson.

Guardiola will hope, with his fingers firmly crossed, that it was part tiredness, part a lack of real desire for a tournament that only existed in the imagination of Infantino until three years ago, part bad luck.

But physically and mentally, City’s players will turn up for the start of next season still carrying the baggage of the season that only ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

And without the guiding light of the departed Kevin de Bruyne, too.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta, in particular, are absolutely delighted.

Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]