City V Arsenal

[Swiss]

On ITV1 Sunday @ 18:00

Squad that travelled (from the OS)

Strikers
Sterling, Nolito, Aguero, Navas, Iheanacho

Midfielders
Fernando, De Bruyne, Delph, Silva, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Toure, A. Garcia

Defenders
Sagna, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Clichy, Denayer, Adarabioyo, Maffeo, Angelino

Goal Keepers
Hart, Caballero

[Swiss]

So interestingly Bony isn't among the "Strikers" - John Stones did play today in their Pre-season match...

Nasri is also missing...

More of note though is the defence: Otamendi & Mangala aren't in the squad

[bluebrendan]

Nasri has now ordered king-size pizzas for the weekend.

[Swiss]

And a burger king




Forgot about Sané!

New signing Leroy Sane has not travelled to Sweden with the squad due to a slight problem with his hamstring but Pep is excited to start working with the 19-year-old

[gavin]

There was a video on the OS of Nasri playing football tennis and he did not look out of shape at all! Certainly not by any normal standards anyway. Interesting that he's not in the squad this weekend though.

Also strange that a friendly is on terrestrial TV.

[Swiss]

There's a training vid (the one with Zab & yaya scoring good goals). 50 seconds in you can see Nasri training by himself on another part of the complex

[Ludo]

Bit of convoluted thinking but Everton have just lost Besic for 6 months. Maybe a Nasri/Bony makeweight deal for Stones??

[Stephen Paul]

Think Nasri is on his way out

[Swiss]

We haven't sold any first teamers yet


Ok Demi left on a free & Wright retired...

From Skysports

Out

Seko Fofana - Udinese, £3.8m

Florian Lejeune - Eibar, £1.2m

Martin Demichelis - released

Richard Wright - retired

Jack Byrne - Blackburn, loan

Luke Brattan - Melbourne City, loan

Anthony Caceres - Melbourne City, loan

Aaron Mooy - Huddersfield, loan

Marlos Moreno - Deportivo, loan

[Ludo]

Team.

Caballero, Zabaleta, Fernando, Kolarov, Clichy, Fernandinho, Silva, Delph, Nolito, Sterling, Aguero

No recognised centre half? Bit strange that.

[gavin]

He intimated he might give Fernandinho a go at centre half but to have no recognised centre half is strange indeed. Must be injuries!??

[Swiss]

yer, Ota, Vinny & Mangle are all injured so didn't travel.

Tosin and Denayer travelled but obvs not preferred or Pep is experimenting

[Swiss]

Good start Fernando...

[Ludo]

If we're going to persist with playing out from the keeper all season I'm going to have numerous heart attacks.

[Lekos]

Gunners could easily be 3-0 up

[Lekos]

Make that 3 - 1 

Great ball from Sterling.

[goat]

good halftime food there

[Ludo]

Nolito = Navas mk2

[goat]

We haven't sold any first teamers yet


Ok Demi left on a free & Wright retired...

From Skysports

Out

Seko Fofana - Udinese, £3.8m

Florian Lejeune - Eibar, £1.2m

Martin Demichelis - released

Richard Wright - retired

Jack Byrne - Blackburn, loan

Luke Brattan - Melbourne City, loan

Anthony Caceres - Melbourne City, loan

Aaron Mooy - Huddersfield, loan

Marlos Moreno - Deportivo, loan

missing a few tone, the lads at nac

[Swiss]

Nice goal but we're riding our luck at the back

[gavin]

Aye, its fair to say the approach to sorting the defence out is bemusing at the moment. But it was a great ball from Sterling - maybe it is sensible to play wingers on the right wing for their footedness after all. Overall I'd say we very much look a Work in Progress.

[Swiss]

Hart on

Can't see any other changes

[Ludo]

That's why it's important to have defenders...

[gavin]

Piss poor defending and piss poor keeping.

[Swiss]

Well... that was shocking! Where were the players chasing back?

[goat]

hart starting early this year

[Ludo]

It's all part of Pep's master plan.

Let everyone else think we're shit then take them by surprise.

[Swiss]

Maybe it's a message to the board... thee players are shit!

[Swiss]

Navas can cross 

[goat]

It's all part of Pep's master plan.

Let everyone else think we're shit then take them by surprise.

hart is really doing his best to convince us

[gavin]

It has been absolutely dreadful at the back. Hard to see any sort of plan there for next week at all. It has been very disappointing. Joe does seem to be getting the habit of getting his hands to shots and not saving them too.

Hard to believe how fit, athletic and slender Yaya looks.

[Swiss]

Might have snuck a draw in the end but oh well

[KunDB]

A good work out.

Winning or losing counts for nought.

Certainly plenty for Pep to work on, starting at the back - goalie and defence.

Big change from last season the boss is the boss not the players.

[Swiss]

It's the fact we've known for the past year that the defence needs sorting and that includes the defensive work of the midfield too.

[Stephen Paul]

Hart unsettled