Manchester City fans will have to wait for Erling Haaland's debut as the Norwegian was left on the bench in the friendly vs Club America in Houston.
With Haaland's first appearance the main attraction at the NRG Stadium, he was named on the bench and did not take part in City's warm-ups after arriving in casual gear rather than the usual training kit worn by the rest of the squad.
With a questionable pitch replacing the usual NFL turf at the home of the Houston Texans, Haaland was not risked, allowing a brilliant performance from Kevin De Bruyne and an eyecatching debut from Julian Alvarez to show that they will be just fine on any occasions Haaland will be absent this season.
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If anything, Haaland's absence could prove to be useful in the long-term, as City showcased a new tactical approach involving new signing Alvarez that they may get few more chances to practice in a match setting.
It was a high-pressing approach evident straight from kick-off, with De Bruyne pushing up from his central midfield position and leading the press, supported by the lively Alvarez. When Stefan Ortega pushed away a shot from a scramble in the box, it was De Bruyne who was on the front foot leading the charge again from one end of the pitch to the other.
Jack Grealish was skipping past the defence with ease - to the point where Emilio Lara earned a booking for a cynical hack at Grealish after he'd sped past four of his teammates.
With Grealish and De Bruyne looking to drive forward, and Alvarez doing all the running through the middle, there were spaces for Club America to exploit. Luckily for City, their composure deserted them in front of goal.
De Bruyne, benefitting more and more from Alvarez's running into the channels, drove forward again through the middle and when Grealish latched onto his pass and went down, he was denied a penalty. Veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa knew what he was doing when he gave a little push, sparking a coming-together between the sides and earning Grealish the booing treatment from the Mexican fans in the ground.
That only spurred him on, though, and he once again beat his man shortly after. The ball broke to De Bruyne, who stretched for possession once and then twice, and curled a lovely finish into the far corner from outside the area.
It was a goal that was the result of a clear tactical plan for Alvarez to drag a defender out of position, Grealish and Mahrez to occupy the wingers, and allow De Bruyne to drive into the empty space down the centre. With new number seven Joao Cancelo pushing up into midfield at every opportunity, City were pulling Club America apart and showing no side-effects of losing Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling.
Erling Haaland will surely walk into the side when fit, but on this showing, City have a clear plan to play without him already, and it's one that will give Alvarez and Grealish the responsibilities they will be looking for this season.
This line up won't be the one that starts the Premier League opener vs West Ham, though, as Ruben Dias missed the game with illness, and four other key players were left at home. A centre-back pairing of Nathan Ake and Luke Mbete were targeted by Club America, and the resistance broke in alarmingly simple fashion.
One ball over the top to Henry Martin caught both off guard, a check-back took them both out of the game, and Martin was able to roll under Ochoa to equalise.
But De Bruyne had been a man on a mission since the first whistle, so when Mahrez played a delightful reverse through-ball into the area on the stroke of half-time, it was De Bruyne's turn to take a touch and roll the ball under the goalkeeper.
Kalvin Phillips made his debut at the break, replacing Ake at centre-back, perhaps owing to Club America's direct nature. He's played there before, although you wouldn't expect he will feature there for City many times beyond this game.
Cole Palmer looked lively when he replaced Mahrez, with Grealish continuing to impress from the right. As Haaland was shown on the big screen chatting to Ruben Dias in a hoodie and tracksuit, the hopes of his debut faded even more. When four youngsters were brought on ahead of him, the realisation hit home that he wouldn't be playing.
With more youngsters coming on, the game slowed into a predictable stroll for both sides. Liam Delap, Kayky and James McAtee all showed flashes of promise, while Rico Lewis' first taste of senior action allowed Phillips to move into midfield for the final 15 minutes as Walker slotted in at centre-back.
Intriguingly, Phillips sat next to Rodri, who had been alone in the holding area before that, and effectively reprised his England role of driving forward from deep. Naturally, he looked far more comfortable there, and it may be a clearer indication of where Guardiola wants him to play.
In a game that still leaves plenty of answers - mainly due to who didn't play rather than who did - Guardiola will have still learned a lot about his evolving team with their four new signings, with some encouraging new partnerships already emerging.
Haaland's night on the bench may be a disappointment, but the emergence of Alvarez's running to complement Grealish and De Bruyne's games could be far more useful than seeing a half-fit Haaland for a few minutes.
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