Manchester City's pre-season friendly in Seoul was played in extreme heat, with more than half of the stadium capacity opting to follow government advice to stay cool and avoid outdoors. The match, which saw an attendance of 28,000, was described as one of the strangest games, with the conditions making it difficult for football to be played.
Players Struggle in Sweltering Conditions
Josko Gvardiol summed up the feelings of his teammates, spending most of the time between play on his haunches or resting on his teammates as he waited for the half-time whistle to go and sit in an ice bath. The match was simply about survival, with little to take from the sporting side for the Blues.
Transfer Uncertainty Looms
Fans are getting increasingly bothered by the lack of transfer activity, and this match didn't help as the standout player may not be at City when the transfer window shuts at the beginning of September. Tijjani Reijnders had a difficult first year at the Etihad, and Nottingham Forest are interested in giving him a fresh start as uncertainty continues around the City midfield. Reijnders has frustrated fans after that dream debut 12 months ago at Wolves, but if he does go, there will have been even less point to this friendly.
Looking Ahead
Having played down concerns over the heat as City landed in Seoul on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see how Maresca approaches the rest of the week with his players. They are supposed to be training on Thursday and Saturday and then playing Atletico on Sunday, and the manager will have to hope that more can be gained from that than emerged from this match. At this rate, City will have to hope they can save their cooler heads for transfer business.
