Man City might have to change pre-season plans after shock Club World Cup defeat

On Thursday afternoon in Orlando, it looked an awful lot like Manchester City were back. On Monday night in Orlando, well, it wasn't quite so clear.

Pep Guardiola's team did some brilliant things in what was the game of the Club World Cup so far. They played some sublime football, looked a threat from set-pieces and should have scored more than they did. From an attacking point of view, aside from some of the finishing, there were positives.

But one of the features of the 5-2 win against Juventus was the control that City exerted. Yes, the Serie A side scored twice, but they were rarely a threat on transitions and that soft centre that was exposed regularly last season was much more secure.

Four days later, that wasn't the case. This time, City were dragged into a thrilling game of football. It was a wonderful advert for the tournament, but it did show that not all of the frailties that dogged the Blues last season had been cured.

This tournament has been hindered by storms, but the one that whipped up in Orlando just after 10pm on Monday came with no warning whatsoever. For 45 minutes, City had been cruising at the Camping World Stadium, their only disappointment being that they hadn't put the game out of sight.

The Blues had nine shots to three in the first half and created 2.08 xG in those 45 minutes. They should have had more goals than Bernardo Silva's 10th-minute opener, but the gulf in class looked clear, and you didn't get the impression that profligacy would cost Guardiola's team.

But then those blue shirts of the Saudi Pro League side came back out as if they had been fired up by a lightning bolt at half-time. Within 41 seconds, Marcos Leonardo had equalised. A quick break down the right ended with Malcom's