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Manchester City s clean sheet, Haaland is in excellent condition, new player Reindes two goals become the key to the new season

9:26am, 12 August 2025【Football】

Warm-up match Manchester City 3-0 Palermo, and the Blue Moon showed strong dominance in this game. This game is also Manchester City's last warm-up match this summer. It will play the first round of the new Premier League at 0:30 am on August 17, and the team will play away against Wolves. Winning the warm-up match also saved energy to prepare for the new season. The players who made the contribution in this game were Haaland and Reindes, who performed a good show of scoring twice.

After the start of this game, Manchester City quickly took control of the initiative on the field. In the 25th minute, Manchester City's offense finally reaped rewards. At that time, Lewis on the right dribbled the ball and broke through, and passed the ball accurately to Haaland at the top of the arc. Haaland made a slight adjustment and made a strong and heavy shot straight into the dead corner of the goal, opening the first record for Manchester City.

After the change of sides, both sides made large-scale substitution adjustments. However, Manchester City's advantage has not diminished as a result. In the 59th minute, Savignho passed the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Reindez calmly shot and scored a low shot, expanding the score to 2-0. Reindez's goal demonstrated his keen sense of smell and excellent finishing ability in the penalty area. As the game is in its final stage, Manchester City still has not relaxed its offensive rhythm. In the 82nd minute, Manchester City cooperated with a continuous ball from the top of the arc, and Mukasa assisted Reindez to easily push the ball. Reindez completed the double hit, and Manchester City also secured the victory with a score of 3-0.

As the absolute core of Manchester City's forward line, Haaland continues his efficient performance in front of the goal. The first-time goal showed his strong personal ability. He took the ball with his back and turned around and shot in one go, leaving Palermo's defense line helpless. Although there are still some opportunities that have not been grasped in the game, his deterrence on the offensive end has always existed, creating a lot of offensive space for his teammates.

Reindes, the new player, shined in this game. After appearing on the bench, he scored two goals in a row, showing an excellent competitive state. Not only does he have excellent shooting ability, he also has a very accurate position in offense and grasp of opportunities. Both goals reflect his keen sense of in-going smell, and he believes his arrival will add more firepower to Manchester City's offensive line.

As one of the offensive initiators on Manchester City's right, Lewis' performance is remarkable. His breakthrough and passes on the right caused great trouble to Palermo's defense, and the assists he gave to Haaland showed his excellent passing vision and footwork. On the defensive end, he also actively returned to defense and showed a good team awareness.

In addition, O'Reilly and Gonzalez were not satisfactory in the position of replacing Rodri. O'Reilly's frequent waste of ball rights has caused the team's control in the midfield to drop, leaving Manchester City in a passive position. Although Gonzalez performed slightly better, he failed to fully play the role of a midfield organizer. When facing opponents like Wolves, their performance needs to be further improved, which is also a hidden danger for Manchester City in the new season.

It is worth mentioning that after six months, Stones showed his unique defensive style and excellent offensive and defensive conversion ability. His calmness in defense and handling the ball provide stable guarantees for Manchester City's defense. Although a game cannot fully illustrate the problem, if he can stay healthy, it will play an important role in improving Manchester City's defense strength this season.

Manchester City continued Guardiola's consistent ball-control tactics in this game, looking for opportunities to attack through the continuous transmission and running of midfielders. In the third offensive zone, the cooperation between Manchester City players, especially the attack on the right, has become the team's main scoring method. The cooperation of Lewis, Haaland, Reindes and others on the right shows the diversity and efficiency of the team's offensive tactics.

On the defensive end, although Manchester City made large-scale substitutions, the overall defensive system is still relatively complete. The players' active pressing and filling positions made it difficult for Palermo's offense to organize an effective threat. Midfielders can also withdraw in time when defending, assisting the defense line in defense, forming a solid defense line. This summer, Manchester City has successively introduced players such as Reindes, Aitnuri, Sherki, Bettinelli, Nipan, Trafford, etc., as well as some players that have not yet been officially announced.

Manchester City's performance last season was not satisfactory, and many strong players were in place this summer, so Manchester City should have more highlights in the new season, and Guardiola hopes to open a new era, because many veterans have bid farewell to the Blue Moon.