Manchester City Players World Cup Report | OneFootball

Manchester City sent more players to this summer’s World Cup than any other club in world football. But how have their representatives got on at the tournament across North America?

England: 4 Players (Guéhi, O’Reilly, Stones, Trafford)

Marc Guéhi – 7A surprise omission from Thomas Tuchel’s first starting XI at the World Cup, it took little time for Guéhi to re-establish himself in the side. The centre-back has started every game since England’s opener against Croatia, where they looked notably more open at the back. He has offered solidity and stability in defense, although a reported hamstring issue threatens his further involvement in the tournament.

Nico O’Reilly – 7One of England’s most inexperienced players, Nico O’Reilly has not looked out of his depth for a moment. The 21-year-old has started all but one of the Three Lions’ fixtures and has continued to flourish as a top quality player. He is yet to demonstrate his goalscoring prowess on the world stage but he has been close, and there is still time for that to change.

John Stones – 5Although no longer a City player, Stones did start the tournament on the club’s books. The defender started England’s opener but has since been limited to cameos off the bench. Although he will be disappointed to have relinquished his starting spot, he has still provided what has been asked for him. The 32-year-old helped Tuchel’s side see out their lead against Mexico at the Azteca and is likely to still have a further role to play.

James Trafford – N/AJames Trafford was brought to the tournament as one of England’s backup goalkeepers; as such it would be incredibly harsh to judge him. Although there was talk at one stage of the 23-year-old perhaps stepping in ahead of Jordan Pickford, that never came to fruition. He has not seen any action at the World Cup, but will still be gaining valuable experience.

Special: Elliot Anderson – 8

Not a City player at the start of the World Cup, Elliot Anderson has since completed a move to the Etihad for a club-record fee. The midfielder has started each of England’s matches and continued to exhibit his top-level quality, with only three members of the squad playing more minutes than him. The 23-year-old has been a vital member of Tuchel’s squad and leads for defensive contributions, tackles won, interceptions and ball recoveries.

Portugal: 3 Players (Dias, Silva, Nunes)

Ruben Dias – 6Ruben Dias was relegated to the bench for Portugal’s opener but did play every single minute after that. The centre-back was solid and did his job effectively when given the chance. He helped the side keep two clean sheets and although he was on the pitch, it would be harsh to blame him for their exit.

Bernado Silva – 3City’s captain last season, during the course of the World Cup Bernardo Silva has now joined Real Madrid. Nevertheless, it was a wholly underwhelming tournament for the midfielder. He started Portugal’s disappointing opener against DR Congo, but was taken off at half-time and never returned to the starting lineup. He made three more ineffective appearances off the bench, the most notable moment of his World Cup campaign came as he lost his temper with a former team-mate during Portugal’s elimination to Spain.

Matheus Nunes – N/AEven though he might not have expected to start every game, Matheus Nunes will come away from the tournament disappointed with the opportunities handed to him by Roberto Martinez. The 27-year-old was rewarded with just a single minute at the World Cup during Portugal’s final group game.

Netherlands: 2 Players (Aké, Reijnders)

Nathan Aké – 5After completing an unexpected transfer to Fenerbahçe midway through the tournament, Nathan Aké is another player who will not be returning to the Etihad. After a short cameo in the Netherlands’ opener, the 31-year-old started both of their last two matches. He was solid enough defensively and had already left the pitch before they succumbed to defeat on penalties to Morocco.

Tijjani Reijnders – 4Tijjani Reijnders had many more opportunities in Ronald Koeman’s side than Aké did, but he failed to impress. The midfielder started all three group games and was able to provide an assist in their final group fixture. However remaining on the bench for the entirety of their 120 minute duel with Morocco is a damning indictment of his performance at the tournament.

Croatia: 2 Players (Gvardiol, Kovacić)

Mateo Kovacic – 6Conversely to his club team-mate, Mateo Kovacić started the tournament as a substitute but fought his way into the lineup. The 32-year-old started their last three matches, proving to still be an influential player for his country. He provided an important assist in their last group game but could not help them get past Portugal.

Josko Gvardiol – 5Harshly robbed of an incredible last-minute equalizer against Portugal, Josko Gvardiol’s World Cup did not end how he would have dreamt. Despite injury struggles across the past six months, the defender started Croatia’s first two fixtures. However, after coming off at half-time in their second game, the 24-year-old was limited to cameos off the bench – far from what a player of his calibre would expect.

Ghana: Antoine Semenyo – 4

Antoine Semenyo arrived at the World Cup off the back of the best season of his career. Big things were expected of him as Ghana’s biggest star, but he failed to deliver. He recorded zero goals or assists across their four matches, despite playing every minute. The 26-year-old declined to comment in the mixed zone after their elimination and will return home disappointed.

Norway: Erling Haaland – 10

Erling Haaland was already a superstar in world football ahead of this tournament but has now announced himself to an even bigger American audience. The striker scored in every game when he has been on the pitch, save the quarterfinal match against England. Still, he netted seven goals to keep pace with the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. A quite incredible feat performing for Norway at that level in their first World Cup in the best part of three decades. He spearheaded their victory over Brazil, scoring both goals and helping his country reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever. A better tournament than even he could have expected, though the elimination will sting, and likely drive him to even bigger achievements next season. Good for City!

France: Rayan Cherki – 5

After flourishing for City in the final months of the campaign, Rayan Cherki will be disappointed to only serve a limited role for France. With undoubtedly some of the best attacking options in the world ahead of him, it is an unfortunate position for the 22-year-old to find himself in. Nevertheless, he has made five appearances off the bench and could end the summer as a member of a World Cup winning squad.

Spain: Rodri – 8

Rodri is Mr Reliable and for good reason. He continues to excel for Spain as captain and remains an absolutely critical player for one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Unsurprisingly, he has started every game for the European champions and has been solid as ever in his defensive midfield role. It’s his first World Cup since winning the Ballon d’Or and he is demonstrating exactly why he deserved it on the biggest stage in football.

Belgium: Jérémy Doku – 4

Despite ending the season in imperious form for City, Jérémy Doku was unable to carry that form into the World Cup. Although marred by some unnecessary off-field controversy (he left the Belgium camp to be present at the birth of his first child), the winger has not been at his best on the pitch. He has failed to record either a goal or an assist, eventually leading to his demotion to the bench for the last 16 tie against the USA. Given a starting spot against Spain, his efforts continued to not impress. More was expected of the 24-year-old and he did not deliver.

Egypt: Omar Marmoush – 3

Another City attacker who has endured a more than underwhelming tournament is Omar Marmoush. After failing to score or assist in Egypt’s first four match, Marmoush ultimately played just ten minutes in their dramatic defeat to Argentina. It should serve as a reality check for a player of his calibre and the man expected to take over from Mohamed Salah as the star of Egypt’s national team.

Algeria: Rayan Aït-Nouri – 5

Rayan Ait-Nouri started all but one of Algeria’s World Cup matches and was a solid performer throughout. The full-back did little wrong, although did not produce any standout performances. Ultimately the North African nation were eliminated in the Round of 32, capping a rather unextraordinarf tournament for Ait-Nouri.

Uzbekistan: Abdukodir Khusanov – 5

Although three losses from three matches was not what Abdukodir Khusanov or Uzbekistan would have been hoping for, just being at the World Cup was already an overwhelming success. In reality, they were overpowered in all of their fixtures, but qualifying for their first-ever World Cup will still be remembered as a positive step for the nation.