3 things we learned from Man City's pre-season defeat to Milan

Manchester City suffered their second consecutive defeat in the United States as part of their 2024/25 preparations, with Milan toppling the Cityzens 3-2 in New York.

City were undoubtedly improved from their 4-3 defeat to Celtic which kicked off their pre-season tour, but a smart Marco Nasti finish with 12 minutes remaining consigned Pep Guardiola's side to another defeat.

Still, there were plenty of positives to take with Guardiola working with an incredibly young squad. New Milan manager Paulo Fonseca would have also been more than content with his side's output in New York at the very start of his tenure. The Portuguese boss handed minutes to an array of Rossoneri youngsters, with Lorenzo Colombo notching a brace in Milan's victory.

Here are three takeaways from Man City's pre-season defeat.

1. Oscar Bobb makes a statement

Bernardo Silva remains on City's books and Guardiola has a pair of spritely wide men in Jeremy Doku and Savinho capable of playing down the right, but there's certainly scope for young Norwegian Bobb to play a big role for the Cityzens next season.

The winger enjoyed a mini-breakout campaign last term as he scored twice in 18 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League. Bobb memorably struck at the death to help City to a 3-2 win at St James' Park in January.

The litany of absences means Bobb is one of the more senior members out in the States and he is relishing the increased responsibility. After scoring and setting up two against Celtic, the 21-year-old was the game's standout performer at Yankee Stadium.

A masterful ball manipulator with silky and swift dribbling skills, Bobb teed up Erling Haaland for City's first-half equaliser before embarking on sequences of majestic Scandinavian brilliance. Milan often couldn't get close to the wonderfully gifted Bobb, who earned praise for his manager post-match.

"Brilliant" and "electric" were how Guardiola described the Norwegian's performance.

2. Ederson's tough outing

Amid rife speculation surrounding his future, Guardiola opted to hand Ederson a start on Saturday.

The Brazilian goalkeeper is reportedly happy to move on from the Cityzens this summer, with the Saudi Pro League his most likely destination if he does depart. Guardiola, though, is intent on retaining the goalkeeper who pushed his project at the Etihad into a new realm.

Against Milan, though, Ederson didn't enjoy the best of outings. He got a piece of all three of the Rossoneri's strikes and may well have felt that two should have been kept out. It would have taken a ridiculous save to prevent Colombo from opening the scoring, but his work for the striker's second was messy and he got a strong enough right hand on Nasti's winner to potentially keep it out.

If he remains at the club, Ederson can ill-afford to endure a drop in performance levels with Stefan Ortega waiting in the wings.

3. Can Pep Guardiola trust Kalvin Phillips?

Having completed one of the all-time bad loan spells at West Ham United last season, Kalvin Phillips is back with the perpetual title winners this summer.

England's former Player of the Year was once entrusted to provide stable cover for the imperious Rodri, but the Englishman's demise amid a staggering loss of confidence means Guardiola surely can't rely upon him for the 2024/25 campaign.

A new season represents a reset for Phillips after a nightmare 2023/24, but the midfielder's summer has so far been torrid. After failing to provide ample protection for a young defence against Celtic, the seasoned midfielder once again looked all at sea in New York.

Often caught dithering in possession, Phillips continues to look like a shell of the once assertive midfielder who shined for Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United and the national team.

Assuming they don't venture into the market, City require another injury-free Rodri campaign.

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