Five Things Learned: FC Barcelona 2-2 (4-1 Pens) Manchester City (Pre-Season Friendly) | OneFootball

Manchester City failed to win their third consecutive match of the US pre-season tour, after losing 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out against Barcelona in Orlando, Florida.

Barcelona took the lead midway through the first-half when Pau Victor got in behind Manchester City’s defence and split Ederson’s legs with a well-placed shot. It was a lovely team goal, set-up by Marc Casado.

The Sky Blues were able to level it in the 39th minute when Nico O’Reilly got in behind the Barcelona defence and beat Iñaki Peña with a far post finish. Josko Gvardiol played a wonderful through ball behind the Barcelona back-line to put O’Reilly through on goal.

However, Barcelona retook the lead with the last kick of the half when Pablo Torre beat Ederson from the edge of the box. Torre’s shot dipped just before getting to Ederson and the Brazilian keeper got a hand too it but wasn’t able to push the shot wide.

While strong second-half responses have been a bit of trend for Manchester City during their summer pre-season tour of the US, the response in Orlando was slightly muted.

An equaliser did come in the 60th minute when Jack Grealish rifled in a shot to the far post. The goal was set-up by Mateo Kovacic, who calmly dribbled past three players deep in Manchester City’s own half, before carrying the ball nearly the full length of the pitch and finding Grealish.

It was one of the few exciting moments of the second-half, that was marred with fouls and constant substitutions in the oppressive Florida heat and humidity.

After finishing 2-2 at full time, the victor would be determined by penalties: Kalvin Phillips and Jacob Wright had both of their penalty attempts saved, putting Manchester City in an early hole. Barcelona converted their first four attempts to seal the victory for the Spanish side.

Here are the five things learned from Manchester City’s pre-season match against Barcelona!

Kalvin Phillips might be a good centre-back?

There’s not a lot of positives to be said about Kalvin Phillips’ Manchester City tenure. It seems as though anything that can go wrong has gone wrong for the former Leeds midfielder. Yet, a centre-back selection gave us a glimpse into a possible new use for a player who is on the verge of being forced of the club.

While little should be taken seriously from only a single pre-season match, moments like this can unlock a players future. Normally that is only seen in youth players, but it was reassuring to see that Phillips was able to hold his own when playing out of position.

The poor penalty attempt put a damper on the overall performance, but for 90 minutes Phillips at least looked serviceable, and that was new.

Nico O’Reilly might have just carved himself a spot in the squad

Speaking of youth players and moments during the preseason… Nico O’Reilly might have just found himself a spot on Manchester City’s first-team, at least according to Pep Guardiola. The Catalonian praised the 19-year-old midfielder after the match with a simple: “He can play with us.”

O’Reilly led the stats in ground duels won and dribbles completed, and scored an excellent goal with a well-timed run into the box. Like Phil Foden and Rico Lewis before him, sometimes a few bright moments in a pre-season match is all that it takes to break into the first-team.

Jack Grealish had his pre-season moment

It hasn’t been a fun 2024 for Jack Grealish. His club season was marred by fitness issues and rumors of a dip in intensity, and it reached a boiling point when we was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championships.

However, the 28-year-old has respond well to the adversity. Grealish has shown up to pre-season in excellent shape and has shown flashes of brilliance during the US tour.

None have been brighter than the goal he scored in the second-half to equalise on Tuesday. It’s a small confidence boost that Grealish might beed before heading into a vital season that will likely decide his Manchester City future.

Ederson’s rough pre-season continues

From transfer rumors, to disputes with journalists, and now sloppy goalkeeping, it hasn’t been a great week for Ederson. The Brazilian has been left out to dry on several occasions due to a random assortment of centre-back pairings, but that doesn’t fully exonerate him.

Ederson now has five goals conceded in two matches, and on four occasions he got a (weak) hand to them and couldn’t pull off a save. Yes, it’s only pre-season. However, it’s a worrying start after a controversy-laden summer.

There is still time until the start of the season and he’ll have a few more opportunities for a confidence boost, but it’s certainty something to make a note of.

Penalties continue to haunt Manchester City

Somethings never change, and Manchester City’s struggles with penalties are one of them. Doesn’t matter the competition or opposition, if Erling Haaland isn’t on the pitch then Manchester City are in trouble. At least Amar Fatah’s penalty was solid!