Guardiola Surprised by Manchester City's Victory Amid Disrupted Pre-Season

Pep Guardiola expressed surprise at Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, given the team's disrupted pre-season preparations. Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic secured the win for City, who started their Premier League title defense on a positive note.

City were missing all four of their Euro 2024 finalists—Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden—whom Guardiola had given extra time off to recover from their summer commitments. Despite this, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji played the full 90 minutes, having returned late to training after advancing to the knockout stages of the Euros.

Chelsea's new manager, Enzo Maresca, faced a challenging task with a squad of 43 players, including those on loan, and was forced to make difficult decisions. Raheem Sterling was left out of the matchday squad, and Ben Chilwell was also omitted. Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku were not given squad numbers, and none of Chelsea's nine summer signings were included in the starting line-up. Enzo Fernandez, embroiled in a social media controversy following Argentina's Copa America victory, was surprisingly named captain.

In contrast, City demonstrated consistency and effectiveness. Haaland, one of the few City players with a summer off from international tournaments, scored in the 18th minute after Jeremy Doku's cross was deflected by Bernardo Silva into his path. Chelsea had a strong end to the first half, with Cole Palmer's shot spilling by Ederson, but Nicolas Jackson was offside on the rebound.

City's pre-season issues were evident in the slower pace of the game, but they managed to extend their lead in the second half. Foden was brought on earlier than anticipated due to Savinho's injury. Chelsea pressed for an equalizer but allowed City opportunities to add to their tally.

Maresca noted, "I think we competed very well for much of the game. We were similar if not better. The performance was there but we didn't take the chances. Probably the big difference was inside the box."

Sanchez's attempts to deny Haaland a second goal were unsuccessful, and he was at fault for the final goal by Kovacic, who scored with a long-range effort after a weak save attempt.

Overall, Guardiola's side showcased their resilience despite the disrupted pre-season, while Chelsea continues to grapple with squad adjustments and player integration.