Chapter 501

After the match against Manchester United at the Bird's Nest, Manchester City immediately headed to the next destination of their Asian tour: Shanghai.

Here, they will face another International Champions Cup match against the Bundesliga powerhouse Dortmund.

In this match, Guardiola decided to let the new players in the team show themselves more.

These new faces are eager to prove their strength in front of the coach and fans.

At the beginning of the game, Manchester City showed their positive attitude. New aid Gundogan and Sane frequently cooperated in the midfield and frontcourt, causing a lot of trouble for Dortmund's defense.

In the 30th minute of the first half, Manchester City got a free kick in the frontcourt.

David Silva stood in front of the ball, and his precise cross found Otamendi in the penalty area. The latter jumped high and broke through the Dortmund goalkeeper's ten fingers with a powerful header.

Manchester City led 1:0.

However, Dortmund responded quickly.

In the 45th minute of the game, Dortmund's quick counterattack caught Manchester City's defense off guard.

Dortmund striker Reus received a through ball from his teammate, quickly broke into the penalty area, and scored with a low shot, tying the score to 1:1.

In the second half, Guardiola continued to adjust the lineup and give more young players a chance to play.

Manchester City's Phil Foden and Brassin Diaz also got playing time. With their agile running and flexible skills, the two threatened Dortmund's goal many times.

Especially in the 70th minute, Foden's personal breakthrough almost won the victory for Manchester City, but unfortunately his shot was bravely saved by the Dortmund goalkeeper.

The game ended with 1:1.

Although Manchester City failed to win, the game gave the new players and young players valuable game experience, and also demonstrated the team's deep lineup and future potential.

On July 25, Manchester City ended its Asian tour and all members of the team returned to the Manchester training base.

Although the Asian tour did not win all the games, the team tested the new lineup and tactics in actual combat and achieved the purpose of the warm-up match.

After returning to Manchester, the team will continue to prepare for the upcoming Community Shield and various challenges in the new season.

The players returned to the familiar training ground and began to resume their daily training rhythm.

Li Lei showed high morale and good form in training

After returning to Manchester, Manchester City quickly engaged in intensive training.

Although some positive results were achieved in the two games of the Asian tour, head coach Guardiola also found some problems that need to be improved.

First, the team's coordination on the defensive end needs to be improved, especially when facing the opponent's quick counterattack, the defense line is prone to loopholes.

Secondly, the connection between the midfield organization and the frontcourt offense is not smooth enough, and sometimes there will be passing errors and lack of tacit cooperation.

In order to make up for these problems, Guardiola took some targeted measures in training.

He strengthened defensive training, especially the positioning and defense of the back line.

By simulating the opponent's counterattack, he let the players feel the pressure in actual combat, thereby improving the defensive reaction speed and cooperation ability.

At the same time, he also strengthened the ball control and passing training of the midfielders, and improved the players' tacit understanding and offensive efficiency through small-scale passing and receiving exercises and quick counterattack drills.

On July 29, Guardiola arranged a warm-up match with the old league rival Arsenal, aiming to let the players get into the rhythm of the game as soon as possible.

This game is not only to test the training effect, but also to further run-in the lineup.

Before the game, Guardiola had a relaxed conversation with Arsenal head coach Wenger.

"Pep, the last time I saw you was at the end of the season. Seeing your performance in the Asian tour, I think you are in good shape." Wenger said with a smile.

"Yes, Arsene, but we still have a lot of work to do."

"The defensive problems give me a headache, but I believe we will adjust quickly."

"What about you, what are the trends in the transfer market?" Guardiola responded.

"We have been looking for suitable players to strengthen the lineup, especially the midfield and forward positions."

"You know, the competition will be more intense this season, and we must be fully prepared." Wenger said.

"Indeed, we are also constantly adjusting and hope to achieve better results in the new season."

"In today's game, I hope to see the players' progress in defense and offense." Guardiola nodded.

As the friendly conversation between the two famous coaches ended, the game was about to begin.

Manchester City's players walked confidently under the guidance of Guardiola.On the pitch, ready to face the challenge of Arsenal.

Manchester City (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Defenders: Bacary Sagna, Nicolas Otamendi, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy

Midfielders: Leroy Sane, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne

Forwards: Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Iheanacho

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech

Defenders: Hector Bellerin, Gabriel Paulista, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal

Midfielders: Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin

Forward: Alexis Sanchez

Li Lei sat on the bench and watched the whole game attentively.

Although Guardiola did not send him to play in the end, every detail is an opportunity to learn.

Manchester City quickly got into the game as soon as it started.

In the 15th minute, De Bruyne successfully intercepted the ball in the midfield, quickly advanced to the front court, and accurately passed the ball to Sterling. Sterling quickly dribbled the ball through the defense and shot low into the lower left corner of the goal.

Manchester City led 1:0.

This wonderful goal caused cheers from the players and coaches on the sidelines, and Li Lei also applauded and cheered for his teammates.

However, Arsenal responded quickly. In the 30th minute, Ozil made an accurate long pass from the midfield to Sanchez in the frontcourt.

Sanchez calmly pushed the ball in the face of Joe Hart and tied the score to 1:1.

Wenger smiled and nodded on the sidelines, very satisfied with this cooperation.

In the 50th minute of the game, Manchester City took the lead again. Sane broke through on the left and sent a high-quality cross. Aguero quickly inserted a header and scored, 2:1.

Guardiola celebrated with his fist on the sidelines. This attack reflected the results of their recent training.

However, Arsenal did not give up. In the 65th minute, Xhaka shot from outside the penalty area and the ball went straight into the dead corner, tying the score to 2:2 again.

Wenger applauded Xhaka on the sidelines. This goal showed the personal ability of Arsenal players.

As the game came to an end, Arsenal launched the last wave of attacks.

In the 85th minute, Bellerin broke through on the right and passed the ball to Walcott at the back point. Walcott easily pushed the ball into the goal without being marked. Arsenal finally fixed the score at 3:2.

Although Manchester City did not win in terms of score, Li Lei clearly felt the team's improvement in defense and offense from the sidelines.

Guardiola comforted the players after the game: "The score is not the most important thing. We have made progress in many aspects. This is what we want."

"Li Lei, did you see their cooperation? These are all we need to learn."