Man City star disagrees with Chelsea rival and makes Club World Cup demand

Manchester City star Nathan Ake and Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia have given their thoughts on the individual pre-match walkouts that FIFA have introduced for the Club World Cup

Manchester City’s Nathan Ake has disagreed with Chelsea star Romeo Lavia over the Club World Cup’s use of individual pre-match walkouts. FIFA’s newly revamped tournament has made player introductions a big thing, with each one taking it in turns to walk out in front of the crowd ahead of games.

And it seems as though the walkouts have received a mixed reaction from the players themselves, with Ake and Lavia delivering different verdicts on the concept when asked if the Premier League should embrace it.

“I’m not sure,” Ake said after City beat Moroccan side Wydad AC 2-0 in their Club World Cup opener. “To be honest, the Premier League, keep it how it is and what we do now. I think, keep it as it is.”

However, Lavia believes the walkouts were “something special” and has suggested the Premier League should introduce something similar. “It’s something special and new for us,” the Chelsea midfielder said.

“It’s a first for us. I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Premier League? I mean, it’s a bit of a showbiz thing, isn’t it? I quite like it. The only difference is if we did it in the Premier League, we might get a bit cold!

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“Because once you’re out there, you have to wait for maybe the other players. But apart from that, it was good. I guess we always learn new things from international tournaments and that’s what makes it special.

“Even before arriving here, we understood how big this competition was. It’s great to see. We’ve watched some of the other Club World Cup games on TV as well. We’re happy to be here.

“They are all great games and at a good level. And I think every team has got different qualities because they’re coming from a different environment. So it’s nice to watch because you don’t get to see all these teams often.”

Chelsea also won their tournament opener, beating LAFC 2-0 in Atlanta, and they are now set to take on Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday. And Blues boss Enzo Maresca is expecting Flamengo to provide a tough test.

“They are a very good team, they play nice football and they have many good players,” Maresca said. “Their manager is a former player, who played for many years in Europe, so I know him. They are well organised and, like any Brazilian team, full of very good players.”

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