Echeverri practised free-kicks, the others didn’t: Man City’s Guardiola


MANCHESTER CITY coach Pep Guardiola praised teenage attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverriโs dedication on the training ground after he netted a fine free-kick in the Club World Cup win over Al Ain on Sunday.
The 19-year-old scored Cityโs second goal in a 6-0 rout of the UAE side in Atlanta which sent the Premier League club through to the last 16 of FIFAโs expanded competition.
On his first start for the club Echeverri notched his first goal, with the youngster taking charge of a dead-ball situation on the edge of the box and whipping his effort around the wall into the top corner.
โI want to tell you something, so since he arrived (in January), the (last) three or four months with the lads, at the end of the training session, he was practising the free-kicks alone, with the โkeeper, with the wall,โ Guardiola told reporters.
โThe others, they didnโt practise, he was practising and practising, and work pays off.
โSo at the end, he had the courage, the quality. When you practise, you know, itโs like golf or like basketball, as much you practise free shots, the more chances you have.โ
Echeverri, nicknamed the โLittle Devilโ, joined from Argentine giants River Plate and made his City debut in May, in the FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace.
Guardiola took him off at half-time for Phil Foden, later explaining the playmaker had suffered a small knock.
โIt was a fantastic goal, heโs an incredible player in the small spaces,โ continued the City coach.
โUnfortunately, he could not continue to half-time (because of) a problem with the ankle, but yeah, he was truly good in the first minutes, and… he made a fantastic goal, the free kick was really, really, really good.โ
With two late goals in the game from Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki, City came close to overtaking Juventus at the top of Group G.
They are level on points with the Old Lady but trail them on goals scored, meaning if City are to finish top of the group and potentially avoid Real Madrid in the last 16, they must beat Juve on Thursday in Orlando.
โWith one more goal weโd have two options. Now we have just one, maybe itโs better,โ said Guardiola.
โ(Whatโs) important is that we are in the next phase… (we will face the) top, top teams sooner or later so it doesnโt matter.
โWe (will eventually) see the Brazilian teams, European top-class teams, so itโs not a big concern.