Phil Foden and Van de Ven react to Omar Marmoush’s Man City message
Omar Marmoush took to social media after Manchester City completed their Club World Cup group stage matches in style.
Man City had already secured passage into the last 16 of FIFA’s revamped tournament prior to their final Group G match against Juventus, but maintained their intensity to maintain a 100 per cent record so far.
Juventus had no answer to Pep Guardiola‘s side as they capitalised on a 2-1 half-time lead to open up a 5-1 advantage with 15 minutes remaining, before Dusan Vlahovic added a consolation for the Bianconeri.
Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho all got on the scoresheet either side of a Pierre Kalulu own goal in City’s 5-2 win, and they’ll face Al-Hilal in the next round with momentum behind them.
Marmoush sends new message as Man City thrash Juventus
Man City’s series of statement signings before the Club World Cup kicked off has allowed Guardiola to rotate his squad for their three group games against Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain, and now Juventus.
Rayan Ait-Nouri followed up an impressive Man City debut with another strong performance and the assist for Doku’s opener in the ninth minute, and Haaland got their third seven minutes after half-time.
The Norwegian had come off the bench for Marmoush after the break as the Egyptian made his second start of the tournament so far, and he posted on Instagram (27 June) with a message for City supporters.
In a post liked by Man City’s fourth goalscorer Foden and his former Wolfsburg team-mate Micky van de Ven, Marmoush said; “three out of three” in reference to their perfect group stage results.
Marmoush and Foden made to fight for Man City places
Football Insider Verdict
Although Marmoush has led the line from the off in two of City’s three Club World Cup matches so far, Haaland will soon resume his role as their first-choice frontman after two goals in three appearances.
Marmoush’s versatility means he could feasibly start in any position across the frontline, but Foden and Doku’s pair of Group G goals could leave the £59million former Eintracht Frankfurt star on the bench.
Foden in particular has something to prove at this summer’s tournament after a significant downturn in form last season, but with Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki now in the building, it’s unclear how much game-time he and Marmoush will get.