Manchester City were crowned world champions on Friday night when they beat Brazilian side Fluminense in the Club World Cup.
A brilliant improvised finish from Julian Alvarez gave City the perfect start, with the Argentine reacting to a rebound and firing the ball into the goal. City doubled their lead thanks to an own goal from Fluminense's Nino.
While Fluminense tried to get back into the game, there was a real gap in quality between the two teams. And it showed as Phil Foden scored City's third goal before Alvarez scored his second to end the game.
Here Sam Lee analyzes City's 4-0 win over Fluminense.
What problem would Rodri's absence pose for City?
The best team in the world, but at what cost? No mid-season trophy would be worth an injury to Rodri, so fear was high when City's linchpin picked up a painful-looking ankle injury around the hour mark.
The signs are positive – the club's medical staff gave him the thumbs up after a few minutes of treatment – and there is hope that his substitution soon afterwards was a simple precautionary measure.
No one, not even Guardiola himself, needs reminding that City have lost all four games without Rodri this season, and although those games come with some caveats (the squad for the Carabao Cup game in Newcastle was completely changed and he wouldn't have played anyway), his importance is not lost on anyone as City simply don't have a comparable replacement.
Another trophy will do City a lot of good, but not as good as Guardiola confirming Rodri will be able to face Everton next week.
(Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Is changing the format of the Club World Cup the right solution?
Much has been made of this week's Club World Cup final, the last in its current form.
Not least because there are big cultural differences in how this game is perceived: in Brazil it is huge, for some even bigger than the Copa Libertadores. For us Brits it ranks below the League Cup. There was also a risk of downplaying the threat of Fluminense.
Guardiola was criticized in Brazil for saying he hadn't seen them much recently, similar to how, for example, he had only watched RB Leipzig in the 48 hours before the clash. He would never show them a lack of respect and that was shown by his starting lineup, which wouldn't look out of place in a Champions League final. As was his clothing, as he wore a suit.
Fluminense is a dangerous and admirable team: they play a completely different style of football, not only in Europe but even in South America. They showed in the first half in Jeddah that they can cause problems for City.
There are some in Brazil who accuse the English of arrogance about this competition and this game and let's face it, they are probably right. But no matter how much we recognize the threat posed by the Libertadores champions, you must also recognize that European football has become so powerful that there is no team anywhere else in the world that can hold a candle to any given year's Champions League winners can be enough.
Even the most ardent Fluminense fans would consider you disingenuous if you ignored the difference in financial resources. No wonder FIFA has tried to freshen things up, although its 32-team solution, even if it happens every four years, is unlikely to help. This will likely end with the European clubs going for broke in the knockout stages and being forced into a competition they didn't want, without even the bonus of Super League money (which they probably want).
Regardless of the format, there are very few teams who want to end up facing Guardiola's City, a trophy-winning machine.
What did City's quick start tell us about them?
Complacency is a theme that's never been prevalent at City this season, with one almost assuming that a team that has won the treble and finally got their hands on the Champions League would let off the accelerator a bit. This is particularly true after a series of poor results in the Premier League before the trip to Jeddah.
But look at how they addressed Fluminense from the first kick-off at the King Abdullah Stadium. City, aware of the Brazilian threat and their desire to outnumber, sent four men to the corner to box them out after a deep throw-in. There was an aimless kick into midfield that was caught by Nathan Ake.
Due to Fluminense's determination to squeeze multiple players into a small space, they were short-handed when the Dutchman advanced and blocked a shot off the post – he doesn't do that often!
Alvarez's movement was top notch; At first glance it was easy to assume he was offside, but replays showed that was not the case and his chest-directing the ball into the goal gave City the basis for victory.
Fluminense gave them some difficult moments, but the class difference (between Europe and the rest of the world, not to mention these two teams) was obvious.
What did the players say?
Phil Foden was interviewed after the game and said: “Fair play to Fluminense, I love the way they play, the short passes… they're a great team and they didn't make it easy.”
“I thought the boys not only showed quality, but also heart and determination. We are not used to playing in this heat so it was difficult but we are happy with the result.”
Asked how he felt as a “world champion”, Foden added: “All over the world. This is also so important for the club, so I’m very happy. This is huge for the club.”
What's next for Manchester City?
Wednesday December 27th: Everton (A), Premier League, 8:15 p.m. GMT, 9:00 a.m. ET
City's players will barely be back in England, let alone finished their turkey, when they travel to Goodison Park. In their last 12 games they have only failed to beat Everton once – a 1-1 draw at the Etihad 12 months ago.
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(Top photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images)