Manchester City 2-2 Barcelona (Penalties: 1-4): Post-match analysis: The Citizens lose to the Blaugrana in the pre-season.
- Manchester City are yet to win in their last three pre-season friendlies, having recently drawn 2-2 at Barcelona after 90 minutes before losing 4-1 on penalties.
- The “Sky Blues” also have their final warm-up match in America, which is against Chelsea before going to play in the Community Shield against Manchester United.
- There were plenty of talking points in this game, from Kalvin Phillips’s positioning at centre-back to Nico O’Reilly’s impressive display.
| list | Club warm-up |
|---|---|
| Competition Day | Wednesday 31 July 2024 |
| stadium | Camping World Stadium |
| Competition results | Manchester City 2-2 Barcelona (Penalties: 1-4) |
Manchester City are yet to win in their last three pre-season friendlies and most recently drew 2-2 with Barcelona after 90 minutes before losing 4-1 on penalties.
The Citizens fell behind on both occasions, with Pau Victor putting Barca ahead in the 24th minute but Nico O’Reilly equalising in the 39th minute. However, just before the break in the 45+2 minute, Pablo Torre scored to put Hansi Flick’s side back in the lead.
Phillips in the role of centre-back
Kalvin Phillips has come under heavy criticism for his poor form since joining from Leeds United.
With Rodri also part of the squad, ทางเข้า ufabet https://ufabet999.app the 28-year-old has struggled to make an impact when given the chance. It’s no wonder Pep Guardiola hasn’t given him a chance, leading to him sent out on loan to West Ham United for second half of last season.
The poor performances led West Ham to opt out of the buy-out option and send Phillips back to Man City this summer.
Although Phillips has not impressed in the past two friendlies as a holding midfielder, he has impressed at centre-back when partnering Josko Gvardiol.
Guardiola in his familiar position
When Man City first signed Josko Gvardiol, many believed he would take over the centre-back position from John Stones and Ruben Dias for a huge fee.
However, the Croatian was move to left-back for the entire season. It wasn’t until the second half of the season that he really got into the game.
Guardiola isn’t just a left-back who plays in defence, as we’ve seen him frequently roam the penalty area, which has led to more goal involvements.
Playing left-back has become his main position, so when he has to return to the centre-back position where he was born, Guardiola doesn’t seem to be playing naturally and has also had moments where he slips up. But we can find an excuse for him since it’s only pre-season.