Pep Guardiola would not accept that Manchester City are back but could not hide his delight at their best performance for 'a long, long time'. The Blues thrashed Juventus 5-2 to top their group in the Club World Cup and send a statement to the rest of the competition. Six months since an ordinary City side went down 2-0 in Turin on their way to their earliest Champions League exit since 2013, Guardiola's team were unrecognisable from that meek performance as they took the game to Juventus from the start. Jeremy Doku scored inside the first ten minutes and while an Ederson error gave the Italian side a way back into the game the Blues pushed on and scored another four before they conceded again. After wins against Wydad and Al Ain, City still needed to beat Juventus to claim top spot in the group but the result never looked in doubt. It means they are the only team in the Club World Cup to have won all of their matches at the tournament, but Guardiola was happier with the performance. "A long, long time ago, [since] we made a performance like today we have done," he said. "With and without the ball, the players were committed. "We talked about what we have to improve to be who were in the past. We're happy to finish first against a top side and we are waiting on our opponent." Asked if he had his City back, he answered: "Not back, it's just one game but today more than anything the players felt again what we have to do to be a good team. They played and they knew it. Belief always comes from your performances, not from the past." Rodri made his first start since September in another positive for the Blues and Erling Haaland and Phil Foden came off the bench to score; Rayan Cherki should have added a sixth but missed from close range. Those performances ensured that City finished as strongly as they started, giving the manager some selection issues as they prepare for the last-16 game on Monday. "It's simple. They have to compete," said Guardiola. "Everybody knows they have to have competition for them to play. "At the big clubs, you have to feel if you don't play well for the team another is going to play. That's always the way to get the best of them." --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .