City Lose From Winning Position...Again

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola certainly have a lot to contemplate as they travel back up the M1 this afternoon. A 2-1 defeat to Leicester on a traditional Boxing Day fixture alone is not a cause for concern. What is a concern though, is the manner in which it happened.

Following an unexpected defeat only a few days prior, to Crystal Palace, a reaction was expected from the defending Champions. Today, as with Saturday, it would be City who would take the lead through some intricate play.

Lessons From The Carabao

A heavily rotated Manchester City side did the job away to League One side Oxford United last night although, at times, it was hard work. In the end it was comfortable for the Blues, and gave Pep Guardiola some more insight into some of his fringe players.

Starts were given to youngsters Muric, Foden and Diaz while some more experienced heads were welcomed back into the first team. It was good, for example, to see Vincent Kompany back in the side. So what would we have learnt from yesterdays progression to the next round?

Opening Day: City's Sterling Performance

The defending Champions, Manchester City, came through a tricky game. Opening day fixtures are somewhat unpredictable. Add a new regime at the Emirates to the fact many players have only just returned from the World Cup, any anything can happen.

In the end, Manchester City ran out comfortable winners, with a sublime performance. That said, there were still parts of the game which had Pep visibly frustrated.

Manchester City Shoot Down Gunners: Players Rated

I must admit, I was a little nervous heading into this opening game. With a new manager at the helm of the Gunners you never really know what you'll actually get. Add to that the lack of preparation for Manchester City and many of their 'first' team players and a trip to the Emirates was not ideal.

Turns out though, there was nothing to worry about. Arsenal are a side in transition though, and it showed during parts in the game. Some City players shone in the Nations capital while others displayed a little bit of rust coming in for their first competitive game. So how did the City players rate?

Belgium Top Group As England Settle For Second

Before I begin I just want to say that I am not one of these people who will get on the back of Gareth Southgate because he made wholesale changes. In the end his job is to give the side the best opportunity in this tournament to progress, and I think he did that.

Resting the likes of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and others was always going to be a gamble. Yes we may lose the game, but the journey is still very much on. What I would have criticized the English manager for, however, would have been to then bring on Harry Kane and others to try to salvage the points. If your goal was to rest key players, and therefore reduce their risk of injury, then I am not sure why you would then bring them on in the final twenty minutes to chase a game.

England On Fire In The Heat Of Nizhny Novgorod

Okay, so it wasn't ever going to be anything else than an England win, right? Panama, the Central American country with a population of 4 million, at their first World Cup against the founders of the game? If this World Cup has taught us anything so far, and England's own recent history, it's to expect the unexpected.