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End of an era or born again? What Manchester City's FIFA Club World Cup exit says for future
All empires fall. It's a fact of history. Open any book and you can find an example, as a towering dynasty begins to crumble under the weight of what it has achieved and built.
Sport is no different. No matter how many times you reinvent the engines of your machine, refine the tactics of your approach, there comes the time where such dominance ends.
On a helter-skelter Monday evening in Florida, you could see the masonry and brickwork that has built Manchester City's success crack once again under the heavy pressure.
The Premier League heavyweights, among the pre-tournament favourites despite a lacklustre 2024-25 campaign, are out of the FIFA Club World Cup after a last-16 loss to Al Hilal.
Defending champions in this revamped, month-long jamboree, they had looked as if they might be on the right track to reverse their fortunes across a dynamic group stage.
Instead, their bags are in the departure lounge for the flight back across the Atlantic, the last chance to salvage silverware from their season fading like the vapour trails above.
For the first time since his inaugural season, way back in 2016-17, Pep Guardiola has failed to secure a major piece of silverware and bring it back to the Etihad Stadium.
He has not returned completely empty-handed - almost a year has passed since City broke their FA Community Shield hoodoo - but nevertheless, it has been a poor term for him.
A fourth-round Carabao Cup exit heralded a November implosion of their once-dominant form, robbed through injury of their midfield maestro Rodri as he won the Ballon d'Or.
Though the sheer star wattage on display and Guardiola's typical nous rescued a third-place finish in the top-flight, they exited early in the UEFA Champions League stages too.
Throw in their FA Cup final loss to underdogs Crystal Palace - a rich triumph for the Eagles, but as much of a microcosm of City's flaws - and it has been far from one to remember.
Across the past decade, without exception, Manchester City have been one of the best teams in the world, engaged in a thrilling rivalry with Liverpool, pushed further to greatness.
Partially, it arises from Guardiola's refusal to be sentimental, an urge to reinvent himself within the confines of favoured tactics, to run a tight ship on time and ahead of the fleet.
Like Sir Alex Ferguson before him at Manchester United, the quest to challenge himself has been absolute - and the slew of big-money moves acquired have been judicious picks.
But ultimately, it might also have been his downfall too. Guardiola's relationship to several of his fringe players over the years has clearly frustrated them amid rotation of talent.
Kalvin Phillips, arguably one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe when prised from relegated Leeds United, was supposedly bought to challenge Rodri but never got a look.
Jack Grealish, the hundred-million-pound man, played his part in their historic treble-winning season, but has mostly been a cameo star, increasingly reduced in prominence.
Then there's Cole Palmer and Liam Delap, young stars brought through the system and farmed off to new pastures as the pecking order grew congested around their talents.
It is intriguing to note Guardiola's struggles often seem to be focused around English players, in this English league he has helped transform into a Euro-centric festival of feats.
Still, his decisions have until now paid dividends - few would doubt his acumen has a superb tactician - and only now must he contend with what the future holds for him at City.
In November, after four defeats and with his contract up at the end of the campaign, Guardiola announced he had signed a two-year extension to remain through 2027 at the club.
Many hoped that it would reignite their lost form, and though it ultimately did in fits and starts, his side never managed the consistency to ultimately challenge Liverpool again.
Now, the travails of the FIFA Club World Cup - played in scorching summer heat, adding further minutes onto players - have added another burden to his workload for 2025-26.
Already, the pieces of this latest rebuild, this latest reinvention of the Pep mystique, is underway, with big-money captures like Rayan Aït-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
Those players have shown flashes of promise, suggestion they can not only fill the holes but enhance the position needed by their new boss, to help cement their turnaround.
Then you have those top-drawer talents too; the returning Rodri, Erling Haaland, the promise and spark of Jeremy Doku, the national hero status of Phil Foden.
Kevin De Bruyne's departure is a blow, but his role in this team has been gradually phased out, his departure just another part of the internal cogs and combustion of football.
Yet as the lingering fallout of their 115 Premier League rule breaches also continues to hang over their heads, the questions remain over just what they will have in store now.
Guardiola may have never built a side from the basement, typically moving heavyweight clubs to super-heavyweight status with domestic and European dominance.
With a star-studded squad still assembled too, the difficulty will be to ensure that they may still fall upwards too, even if they are below the well-oiled machines of recent times.
All empires fall. But for Pep Guardiola, 2025-26 could cement the end of his Manchester City era - or see them born again and ready to go all the way back to the summit.
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