City thumped Juve 5-2 to qualify for the round of 16 as group winners.
Jeremy Doku, a Pierre Kalulu own goal, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho were the goalscorers for City on the day.
“Today was more or less a final, we talked about that,” stressed Guardiola afterwards. “It doesn’t matter what happened, the first target was to qualify, but we never know if it’s better to finish first or second. It’s how we play every game, friendly and official game, to win it. Today we did it, that’s what I’m pleased about.
“The players know it was the first time in a long time that we performed the way we performed.
“Today we adjusted a few things and the performance was really good against an incredibly strong team that made an incredible impact in the first two games as well.
“I’m really pleased because the most important thing is the players have to realise what we have to do to back what we were the last decade.
“Last season we had an incredible squad and team but we were injured, 50% of the players. We couldn’t compete and this season we’re going to try to maintain this rhythm as long as possible."
Ederson an incredible quarterback
Guardiola continued: “We were so incredibly aggressive without the ball and with it sometimes we were quicker for the man marking.
“Ederson was an incredible quarterback today, making incredible long balls for Omar and Erling, and especially after we had the patience to make a lot of passes to be calm.
“The important thing today because we’d already qualified, so to go through, you have to beat the best teams, you can face them before or after.
“The most important thing is that we can do it again. I had the feeling the players felt, I don’t have to tell them, they felt we can compete in that way like we have in last decade.
“Last season, it couldn’t happen for one reason, because we had no players. Today we had two incredible central defenders and four on the bench, last year we had one at a time. The best player in the world, all season out.
“That’s why we struggled a lot, we couldn’t train, since day one with Pep (Lijnders) James (French), Kolo (Toure) we made a step up in training. The training session is unbelievable, how we go.
“This is the only way to survive in the Premier League, Europe, in all the competitions."
Club World Cup an honour
The City manager concluded: “One decade, twelve years ago never, in the world you would never imagine City in the Club World Cup. Never.
“We played in the mid table, now since Sheikh Mansour took over the Club, we are facing the elite teams, and it’s an honour.
“We want to stay here longer, because the place we’ve been in Boca Raton is amazing. We want to face every game with this rhythm.
“Fair enough, if we play with that rhythm and win or lose it’s fine, in football you can’t win everything, but we have to refine ourself again.
“We want to win the World Cup but the important thing is to connect ourselves again like we were in last season.”