'We were better than the first game' - Guardiolapublished at 12:50 28 July
12:50 28 July
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says it was a "step forward" for his side, despite their 3-2 defeat by AC Milan.
Erling Haaland put City in front at the Yankee Stadium when he steered in a left-foot shot from an Oscar Bobb pull-back.
Lorenzo Colombo equalised and quickly added a second for the Italian side as they went into half-time in the the lead.
James McAtee headed in for City to level the game at 2-2 before Marco Nasti scored a winner with a first-time shot from the edge of the box to give AC Milan victory.
Guardiola's side also came up short in the first game of their pre-season US tour against Celtic, but the City boss feels the Premier League champions are making progress.
"We were better than the first game and some of the players made a step forward," he said after the match.
"It was really good in general, everyone was really good against a senior Champions League team like AC Milan.
"It was a step forward, no injuries, minutes in our legs, another test and now we fly to another game in a few days."
Full-time: Man City 2-3 AC Milanpublished at 08:45 28 July
08:45 28 July
Manchester City suffered a second defeat of their US pre-season tour as they lost 2-3 to AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Striker Erling Haaland opened the scoring for City in the 19th minute, but Italy under-21 international Lorenzo Colombo answered for Milan in the 30th and 34th minutes to give the Serie A side a 2-1 lead at half-time.
The Premier League champions equalized in the 55th minute through 21-year-old forward James McAtee, before Marco Nasti netted the winner 12 minutes from full-time.
Which Premier League clubs fly the most in pre-season?published at 08:07 28 July
08:07 28 July
David Lockwood BBC Sport Editorial Sustainability Lead
Image source, Getty Images
Los Angeles or Chesterfield? San Diego or Salford?
The pre-season destinations of 20 Premier League clubs may be varied, but the issue remains the same - the impact of so many flights.
Half (10) of the clubs have flown to the United States for friendlies; three have travelled to the Far East and the rest are in Europe and the UK.
Manchester United's pre-season schedule see them flying almost 13,000 miles playing fixtures in Norway, Scotland, and across the US. Chelsea and Tottenham are also expected to fly in excess of 12,000 miles.
In contrast, Everton will fly the least, with just one fixture outside the UK in the Republic of Ireland.
Spurs and Newcastle also played an exhibition fixture in May - three days after the season finished - for which they both flew to Melbourne, Australia, a game Alan Shearer described as “madness”. Add in those air miles and both teams will have travelled in excess of 30,000 air miles in the close-season, equivalent to more than once around the globe, to play in non-competitive matches.
Newcastle and Spurs both have a target to be Net Zero by 2030, while Manchester United and Chelsea are in process of establishing an emissions reduction plan.
Net Zero requires the reduction and removal of all 'non-essential emissions' - so are these games essential?
Wycombe's David Wheeler is a leading sustainability campaigner in football and told BBC Sport: "These games are only necessary in the sense that the clubs want to make more money and grow their fan base".
He added: "The vast majority of players don't want to be away from their families, they don't want to be travelling around the world after a full slog of a season. They're overworked and injuries have gone through the roof, so there is a synergy between player welfare and planetary welfare."
An estimated travelling group of 30 flying 12,864 air miles business class generates around 200 tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 500,000 miles driven by an average petrol car, or the entire annual emissions for a year of 16 people in the UK.
Tottenham said it is "committed to minimising its environmental impact" in all its operations, "which will take time and effort". The club says it "ensures" all teams travel "as sustainably as possible throughout the season". It "measures, manages and reports on travel emissions" and will offsets "where possible."
Including the May trip to Australia for Newcastle and Tottenham more than doubles those two clubs' total flights in the close-season and puts them way above the rest of the Premier League for environmental impact
Gossip: City eye De Bruyne successorpublished at 13:04 27 July
13:04 27 July
Manchester City see Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, 21, as a potential successor to Belgium playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, 33. (Caught Offside), external
Palermo use Manchester as away kit launchpublished at 17:13 25 July
17:13 25 July
Mike Minay BBC Radio Manchester reporter
Image source, Palermo FC
Clubs love a kit launch. What fancy pattern will we see? Who's going to model it? Can we get a rapper to bring a lyrical thread to the cotton threads?
Can they really tap into the history of a club? Manchester City this year have gone down the '0161' dialling code route.
But City Football Group sister club Palermo have chosen to launch their away strip in Manchester!
The home kit, or 'chapter one' as it was in the launch video, was debuted in New York and now 'chapter two' - the away kit - is told in a love story across Manchester.
'This is where I belong' tells the story of two English Palmero fans who's relationship is told across the city from St Peter's Square to the Northern Quarter.
Palermo are currently in Manchester training at the City Football Academy and will debut the black away shirt in a friendly against Leicester City on Friday in Chesterfield.
'Ederson should be kept at all costs'published at 16:55 24 July
16:55 24 July
We asked whether you whether goalkeeper Ederson should stay or leave this summer following interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Here are some of your replies:
Craig: I would like Ederson to stay, but if a player's mind is made up that he wants to go then let him go as this will only cause unrest among the other players if it hasn't already.
Tyler: Ederson should stay with City because the future is still bright.
Rhiannon: We should cash in on Ederson while we still can and bring in Diogo Costa, who had a good Euros, or Gianluigi Donnarumma because he is similar to Ederson. My preferred choice would be Costa.
Ian: Ederson should be kept at all costs as he is key to our playing style. He's still capable of playing at the highest level and should resist the temptation of an early retirement.
Colin: If he wants to leave us then let him go. We don't want anyone who isn't committed to our great club.
Marshall: If a good offer comes in then I think we should take it. Ederson is a good goalkeeper but he’s getting old and we need to start thinking about the future.
Will Ederson stay or move on?published at 13:51 24 July
13:51 24 July
There is uncertainty over the future of Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, following Pep Guardiola's comments after their pre-season friendly defeat to Celtic.
Speaking about his first-choice goalkeeper, the manager said: "I would like him to stay but it depends on other clubs. I don't know the situation. There has been no contact in the last days."
What do you think should happen?
Is it time for a change? Or should the Brazilian be kept at all costs?
'Makes me worry about a fifth consecutive title' published at 13:45 24 July
13:45 24 July
We asked for your opinions following Manchester City's 4-3 pre-season loss to Celtic in North Carolina.
Here are some of your responses:
Jonny G: Great first game back. Movement and skills great against a team a week away from their season starting. Nice to see all those youngsters fitting into the system at ease. Bodes well for their futures. Wish I was going to NYC.
Phil: Celtic! Wow, the fact we lost to Celtic makes me worry about a fifth consecutive title.
David: We played really well in the second half, but I think that if we had begun the game better, we would have had them running around in circles. Onto the next in NYC against Milan. We can hopefully step it up a level.
Marshall: I think we should have won but it’s pre-season so give some of the youngsters a chance.
Kalvin Phillips seems certain to leave Manchester City - most likely on loan - before the transfer window closes on 30 August.
Phillips endured a terrible spell at West Ham in the second half of last season, ending any hopes of him making Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024.
He was replaced at half-time against Celtic in the 4-3 defeat on Tuesday, although Guardiola said that was to protect him after he had missed the end of last season with injury.
"That’s why we didn’t give him more minutes," said Guardiola. "I don't know what's going to happen. He knows the situation, and we'll see."
Gossip: Man City look to sell Coutopublished at 08:03 24 July
08:03 24 July
Manchester City are in talks to sell Brazil right-back Yan Couto to Borussia Dortmund and expect about £25m for the 22-year-old, who has yet to make an appearance for the club. (Mail), external
Man City 3-4 Celtic - tell us your thoughtspublished at 07:09 24 July
07:09 24 July
Manchester City's pre-season tour of the US opened with defeat by Celtic in a 4-3 thriller in North Carolina as Pep Guardiola fielded a mixture of young talent and established stars.
It isn't quiet in one specific part of the major football clubs - the acquisitions department.
I know that because I was once the acquisitions department - well me and the manager mostly. While each player returned from holidays like a bronzed Adonis, we were cooped up in a small darkened room, beavering the daylight hours away like vampires.
There is plenty of guesswork in the media and a fair bit of leaking from the players and their people, but the clubs usually try to keep their transfer moves as quiet as possible.
If word gets out that a player is available, they know they might lose him to another club or else the price will increase as a bidding war erupts.
These are high stakes games and many are impressed by those who gamble and go early.
Manchester City have always been good enough, and let's be honest wealthy enough, to be able to do this well.
The problem is that some clubs are trying to do the same thing and are ending up paying top dollar for less able players, because they haven't done their due diligence in the market.
This is another area where the use of data, or maybe over-reliance on pure data, comes into play - feed all of the numbers in, let the technology do the crunching, and out comes the answer.
The problem is that everyone else has got the same or similar data.
What is needed, of course, is good human knowledge and the vision to aid the use of the information they have got. This is why these departments should be busy just now, they shouldn't just be doing deals which are admittedly very complex legal and financial documents these days.
Even more time should be spent on ensuring the new £75m player hasn't got a hidden weakness in his game or even the odd skeleton in his closet.
Manchester City are looking at making a move for Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze, with the 26-year-old England international having a release clause of £60m plus add-ons. (Mirror), external
Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad want 33-year-old Belgium playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, which has led to Manchester City weighing up a move for Eze. (Guardian), external
Manchester City are interested in Paris St-Germain and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 25, as they look to replace 30-year-old Brazil international Ederson, who could move to Al-Ittihad (Sky Sports Italy), external
Ederson will cost at least £40m if Al-Ittihad want to sign him from Manchester City, who are willing to let the keeper leave as long as their valuation is met. (ESPN), external
Man City begin US pre-season tourpublished at 12:31 22 July
12:31 22 July
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City's preparations for the new season are under way after travelling to the United States last week.
Pep Guardiola named a mixture of experience and youth in his 27-man squad for the trip to America.
No players that took part in Copa America or Euro 2024 have travelled with the team, but the club noted "others may join in due course" when announcing the squad.
City will play four fixtures, including one against Premier League opposition:
Manchester City v Celtic - Wednesday, 24 July (00:30 BST)
Manchester City v AC Milan - Saturday, 27 July (23:00 BST)
Barcelona v Manchester City - Wednesday, 31 July (00:00 BST)
Manchester City v Chelsea - Saturday, 3 August (22:30 BST)
Gossip: Man City may replace Ederson with Donnarummapublished at 07:26 22 July
07:26 22 July
Manchester City could move for Paris St-Germain and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 25, if Ederson leaves for the Saudi Pro League. (Talksport), external
Meanwhile, City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has not agreed terms with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad, despite reports he has. (Talksport), external
Image source, Getty Images
