Five Things We Learned: Manchester City 2-1 Club América (Pre-Season Friendly)

Manchester City kicked off their pre-season tour with a trip to Houston, Texas, to face Club America.

The match was City’s first in the United States during their brief spell out there which next sees them face Bayern Munich in their final game.

After signing four new players, Citizens were expecting to see all four make their debut but only three managed to. Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez all featured with Erling Haaland being an unused substitute.

The match finished 2-1 to the Blues with Kevin De Bruyne scoring both goals. 

Here are five things we learned from the match…

Pre-season isn’t an issue for Kevin De Bruyne

Regardless of whether it’s a friendly or not, Kevin De Bruyne doesn’t care.

Last night he once again showed his class scoring both goals inside the first-half of the match.

His first came just 30 minutes in, as he picked the ball up from deep, drove with it and hit one beautifully into the top left corner with some venom from the edge of the box. 

Club America then equalised but they weren’t level for long, as De Bruyne picked up the ball inside the penalty area and slotted it into the back of the net to put City 2-1 up.

De Bruyne once again dictated the first-half, and probably would’ve in the second if he hadn’t been withdrawn. 

Jack Grealish looked sharp

Tonight we saw a very positive performance from Jack Grealish who really made his mark on the game to the extent that the Club America players couldn't stop fouling him. 

Grealish made constant darting runs and dribbles which caused the men in Yellow a real problem defensively. He arguably should’ve been awarded a penalty just before De Bruyne got his second as he was brought down in the box. 

The second-half saw much of the same from the Englishman who continued to be a problem. 

Grealish then almost scored as the ball fell to him in the box but his shot was saved. A very positive performance though and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Julian Alvarez was impressive

City’s new Argentine, Julian Alvarez was given his debut tonight and he reaped the rewards of it too.

From the start of the match, Alvarez looked sharp, linking up well with both the midfield and the attack making him look like ‘a City type of player’ straight away. 

He did find himself with a chance in the final third but a loss of footing led to it being squandered. However, the Argentinian international certainly made up for this when he made a brilliant cross field pass to Grealish on the left hand side. 

Could Josh Wilson-Esbrand solve City’s left back problems?

19-year-old Josh Wilson-Esbrand came on at half-time and certainly made a difference.

Wilson-Esbrand linked up well with Grealish, enhancing both of their performance’s on the left hand side. The youngster was a constant option for Grealish as he frequently overlapped him and then looked to be direct, crossing the ball into the box or laying it up short. 

With Oleksandr Zinchenko departing for Arsenal, the Blues will be looking to replace him, but Wilson-Esbrand could be that very replacement. 

Cole Palmer Riyad Mahrez esque?

A more established youngster also made an impact tonight in 20-year-old Cole Palmer. 

He came on just after the break too and looked bright.

A highlight of his night was a piece of skill he did on the far side as he elegantly moved on the turn which looked very similar to what Riyad Mahrez usually does on the right hand side.

Palmer continued to bring out his skill set as well as making darting runs forwards, and with both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus leaving, the youngster could be in for a big season this term.