Man City might have already corrected previous tour problems

Manchester City are in Asia with Pep Guardiola for the third time in eight years and it is tempting to say already that this time will be his favourite.

Previous trips to the biggest continent have given the manager some of his biggest headaches. A jaunt to China in 2016 saw the embarrassment of having a Beijing derby against United called off because of an inadequate pitch, forcing the Blues to squeeze another friendly in when they got back to Manchester before jetting off to Gothenburg for another match against Arsenal.

The 2019 tour managed to be even worse, with City arriving days late into China due to issues with their plane before Guardiola further upset the locals by using his first press conference to complain about the conditions. City were back and forth between Shanghai and Nanjing before heading into the middle of the riots in Hong Kong and further east for three days in Tokyo that included most of two of them spent in Yokohama.

While the football side may grumble at travelling thousands of miles to train and play in sweltering conditions they likely won't encounter for the rest of the season, they also acknowledge it is expected for the biggest clubs looking to consolidate and grow their fanbase in all parts of the world. As always though with the squad, the fewer distractions the better.

Also read: RB Leipzig double down on top Man City transfer target Josko Gvardiol

Where previously they have been ferried to various locations, this time - like last year in the United States - City have one base for the week in Japan where they will play their two friendlies. Even Yokohama F Marinos - a City Football Group club who play their football in an 72,000-seater stadium about half an hour away from the