'Manchester City on a different level to Juventus right now ' after 5-2 defeat

TURIN, ITALY - APRIL 12: Igor Tudor, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus and Lecce at Allianz Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Igor Tudor admits Manchester City ‘are too much’ for Juventus right now after a 5-2 Club World Cup thrashing, but he is more concerned with the Nicolò Savona injury.

The Bianconeri knew they had already qualified for the Round of 16 before going into the match in Orlando this evening, and that a draw would’ve been enough to top the group thanks to scoring more goals against Wydad and Al-Ain.

However, after Teun Koopmeiners cancelled out the Jeremy Doku opener, they crumbled to a 5-2 defeat with some comically bad defending.

“Manchester City are too much for us,” confessed Tudor to Sport Mediaset.

“Congratulations to them, it’s an ugly result and we don’t like it. They have enormous quality, character, everything. We wanted to push forward, but we couldn’t get the ball back off them. Then we sat too deep and they scored. At this moment, they are at a different level to us.”

Considering the completely different financial capabilities of the two clubs, is it possible for Juventus to reach that level?

“You can do anything in football, even beat a team of another level, but in order to do that, you must be complete, fresh, playing well. This is what makes football the beautiful game,” replied Tudor.

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He had used the same line-up for the first two wins at the Club World Cup, but made six changes this evening, including the return of Filip Kostic after his Fenerbahce loan.

“I wanted to rest a few players today and get others into shape by playing. This is a match I do not like, but if I have anything to complain about, it is to myself and not the players, even if the result is bad. It might seem strange, but that’s how I feel,” added Tudor.

“The lads gave their all, now we must put it behind us, because the tournament keeps going. We’ll see who we get and push hard.”

As they are runners-up, it is likely that Juventus will be up against Real Madrid in the Round of 16.

“I am not worried, because there are so many different circumstances that must come together. Manchester City have been the best team in the world for the last 10 years. Real Madrid won a lot in that time, but in football terms, City are the best. It’s not strange to struggle against them.”

There is a bigger concern for Tudor and that is the sight of Savona being carried off the field with a badly sprained ankle, meaning his Club World Cup could be over.

“He didn’t look good. We’ll see tomorrow.”

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