Manchester City’s coach, Pep Guardiola, admitted that he "really liked" FC Barcelona’s performance after their preseason debut in a friendly match against his team in Orlando, USA. "I really liked the team. Seasons are long, and preseason is very special. The competition is a different story," said the coach of the English champions in a press conference.

Barcelona beat Manchester City 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in regular time with goals from Pau Víctor and Pablo Torre. Nico O'Reilly and Jack Grealish scored for the English side. "We struggled a lot when they had the ball," Guardiola acknowledged about the play of Hansi Flick’s team, mostly made up of youth players.

He also highlighted that "there are many things" these players have done well "considering the short time" Flick and his coaching staff have been with Barcelona. While Barcelona was debuting on their tour, Tuesday’s match was City’s third game in the USA. The English champions also lost to Scottish Celtic and Italian Milan.