Barcelona kicked off preseason in earnest with a 2-2 draw against Manchester City in Orlando, Florida. While they had beaten Olot behind closed doors last week, it was the first look at Hansi Flick‘s new side.
A much-awaited first look – electric storms meant that the match was delayed by over an hour for the just over 60,000 fans packed into the Camping World Stadium but they were entertained. A Bacelona side full of youngsters took to the pitch, with only Inaki Pena, Clement Lenglet, Pablo Torre, Julian Araujo and Vitor Roque from the first team starting.
They were lucky to escape City’s early pressure, especially when Erling Haaland’s effort looked to have crossed the line, but Inaki Pena smothered the ball after a rebound. However when Barcelona did break forward, they looked dangerous, and after a Marc Casado effort flew over, Pau Victor slotted past Ederson with a brilliant finish.
Not too long after City found a way through the intense Barcelona pressure again though, and Nico O’Reilly was the benefactor with five minutes before the break. On the stroke of half-time though, a ball across the edge of the area was dummied by the excellent Victor, and finished well by Pablo Torre.
Back. @FCBarcelona 🔙 pic.twitter.com/5vTyVZUtC5
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Going into the second half, Hector Fort, Araujo (who started right-wing) and Roque were withdrawn for Alex Valle, Quim Junyent and Toni Fernandez. City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega intervened just before Victor could go one-on-one, but when City got the chance to break, Mateo Kovacic slid Jack Grealish in behind, and he found the top corner from the angle.
The number of changes after that disrupted the game, and only a late chance for Robert Lewandowski, on for the final half hour, was of note, but he could not get his shot away in time. In the penalty shoot-out, Ander Astralaga saved City’s first two penalties, allowing a young side a 4-1 victory.
Flick’s side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and pressed intensely, off the back of an aggressive midfield with Marc Bernal, Casado and Torre. However they struggled to hold onto possession at times, and progress up the pitch. When they did so, Flick’s side were sharp and swift in their movements, in a promising first outing in the US.
