- Pep Guardiola heard his players discuss Everton on way home from Saudi Arabia
- Manchester City won the Club World Cup before continuing domestic campaign
- Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq are eighth in the league, without a win since October… his Saudi experiment could leave him up a creek without a paddle – It’s All Kicking Off
Pep Guardiola secretly overheard his Manchester City players discussing Everton on their way home from winning the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The Citizens beat Fluminense 4-0 in the Club World Cup final on Friday night, before travelling back to the UK to continue their domestic commitments.
Manchester City then came from behind at Goodison Park to beat Everton 3-1 on Wednesday night, before the manager Guardiola hailed his players for their commitment to looking forward, despite their international success.
Guardiola told reporters: ‘I remember on the plane back from Saudi, I was sat in my seat listening to my players – they didn’t know I was listening – and they started talking about Everton. Wow, this is my team, after what we’ve won after many years.
‘We’ve played really well in many games. People say we’re not the same but we’ve lost one game in 12 or 13 games. We cannot win (all the time) and that’s life. We still have the desire to focus. We don’t talk about how good we are.’
Pep Guardiola heard his players discussing Everton on the plane home from Saudi Arabia
Manchester City won the Club World Cup last week before returning to domestic obligations
Jack Harrison put hosts Everton in front as Man City returned to domestic affairs on Wednesday night, but the second half turnaround ensured Guardiola’s side picked up three crucial Premier League points.
Phil Foden’s moment of magic levelled the scores shortly after half-time, before Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva sealed the points for Man City.
As Mail Sport previously reported, Guardiola hailed his players for rallying despite falling behind to Everton.
‘That’s why we are world champions, the best team in the world,’ Guardiola said. ‘Really, really important, a massive win for us.
‘I’m really pleased how we reacted and how special this group of players are, the mentality we have in our bones. We’re not top of the league but many things can happen.’
Phil Foden starred for Man City as they recovered from a goal deficit to defeat Everton
The win returned Man City to the top four, five points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Despite this, Guardiola still gave his defender Josko Gvardiol a post-match grilling before he could leave the Goodison Park pitch, adding to the Catalan boss’s reputation as a perfectionist in the dugout.
Manchester City host Sheffield United in their final Premier League game of 2023 on Saturday, before welcoming Huddersfield to the Emirates in an FA Cup tie on January 7.
