Man City give early answer to nagging Treble question with Atletico fight

It was useful for Manchester City that this was the last of their tour games. Given how Atletico snapped and snarled from the first whistle as they always do under Diego Simeone, the Blues needed every scrap of fitness they have built up in their last two matches to compete.

They did compete though, not just in going through their playbook but matching Atletico for intensity. Kyle Walker fumed when he didn't get a free-kick in the first half high up the pitch before Bernardo Silva left one on Rodrigo de Paul that even Michael Brown - the former tenacious midfielder now on commentary duties - thought would be felt.

With awful conditions, Pep Guardiola and his players would have been justified in not wanting to leave it all on a difficult pitch as they prepare for the Community Shield and the Premier League. They lost the match obviously, but only after nearly a teamful of changes and the fact that they were up for the fight was an early answer to the question that will follow them around for at least the early part of the season: how motivated will they be and can they be after winning the Treble last season?

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Tickets to watch City train last week in South Korea were promoted for around £20, which is a risk; lots of teams open their doors when they tour other countries, and not all of them charge. The fact that 23,000 turned up to watch City was celebrated by the club as they look to build on their Treble success and continue to grow the club.

More signs of progress were seen on the matchday itself. As well as the Blue shirts on display, the very fact that there was a large crowd that came and stayed for the game despite the atrocious rain and