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With relentless zigzag bursts along the wing and razor-sharp dribbling into Al Ain’s area, Manchester City’s new left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri was a potent force in Sunday’s 6-0 win at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here, in City’s second Club World Cup group victory, the 24-year-old executed precisely what Pep Guardiola instructed him to do.
“He told me to play my game without pressure,” Aït-Nouri says. “You know, drive with the ball, cross also in the box. I try to respect the advice he gives me. Hopefully we’ll be good for the next few stages. It was freedom. I’m very happy to play like this, without the pressure.”
After last season’s malaise City need to plug themselves back into the electric play that dominated the domestic game for most of the previous eight years of Guardiola’s tenure. Do so at the Club World Cup and they may defend a trophy claimed two years ago in the competition’s final seven-team iteration. The £31m signing with lightning pace and quicksilver feet could be the catalyst, the man to relocate the mains for a side whose energy levels flatlined dismally last term.
In any Guardiola unit the full-backs have to be able to rush forward and join the attack. Picture Kyle Walker doing so season after season along the right and see the dimension City have missed on the opposing flank by – until Aït-Nouri’s arrival from Wolves – not signing a natural left-back capable of becoming an established first-team player since summer 2017.
Then, Benjamin Mendy arrived from Monaco. But a combination of injury and a complicated private life – which led to court cases in which he was cleared – hobbled his City career (he departed in 2023), with Guardiola deploying stand-ins in the position for most of the past eight seasons, including João Cancelo, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sergio Gómez, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Aké and Nico O’Reilly.
Guardiola was delighted by Aït-Nouri’s performance against Al Ain, saying: “Wow. He had to defend a back four, then make a back five. He played really well. It was his first game but he has played in the Premier League for many years. He can help us play in that role outside but then had to play as a holding midfielder and go into the pockets – he moves really well into the spaces.
“He is intelligent and clear to defend and take the ball. He is so clever in the final third, taking the right decisions to create more spaces. Really pleased with the game he played.”
Aït-Nouri is excited, too, about working with Guardiola and linking with Erling Haaland in attack. He says: “We know Erling is a great player – he has achieved a lot of big things in football. For sure, it’s good to play with him, and to play with the other players. It’s the best team in the world when playing its good game.
“I had a few opportunities to cross to him [against Al Ain] – it’s part of my game right now. I like to drive the ball to the post for the striker. I didn’t make an assist but the most important thing is the victory. I enjoyed playing with the team, I wanted to give everything on the pitch, and it was a good game for me. Hopefully it will continue like this. It’s a big honour to play [for Guardiola]. I can improve a lot with him.”
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Rayan Cherki, a forward, who scored against Al Ain, and the No 8 Tijjani Reijnders, who impressed in City’s 2-0 opening win over Wydad, are City’s other major summer signings.
Aït-Nouri says: “We are very excited to play together. They also made a very good first game. Rayan played well – he scored. It’s very good for us, for him, for the confidence also.”
Another unanswered goal against Al Ain and a draw against Juventus at Orlando’s Camping Field Stadium in Thursday’s 3pm (local time) showdown would have been enough to top Group G. But now victory is needed to secure first place and avoid the winners of the group from which two of Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal will progress.
Aït-Nouri says of the display against Al Ain: “We played our game. We tried to score a lot of goals and scored six goals; it’s good for the confidence. Hopefully we’ll continue like this.”
If Aït-Nouri prospers against Juventus as he did versus Al Ain, City’s prospects of taking all three points should sky-rocket.
