Manchester City have reportedly made a decision regarding their pre-season schedule which risks alienating the club’s fans.
The Citizens get their pre-season under way on Monday, as their players have had an extended break after being in action during the Club World Cup.
Manchester City will then have three weeks between returning to pre-season and their Premier League campaign getting under way.
Most clubs have already played at least one pre-season friendly so far, but City seem to be taking a different tack.
Manchester City not expected to plan any more public pre-season friendlies besides Palermo match
As things stand, City have one pre-season friendly scheduled – the trip to Serie B side Palermo on Saturday 9 August.
City had considered arranging another friendly ahead of the start of the season, but that is now not expected to happen, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The Citizens could yet play a behind-closed-doors friendly at their training ground, suggested the outlet.
However, no plans are in place for a public exhibition match between now and City’s Premier League opener away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday 16 August.
‘Instead, the focus will be on training to prepare the squad for the new campaign,’ wrote the report.
This means City fans will not only not be able to watch their team at the Etihad Stadium before the season starts, but they will have to wait until Saturday 23 August to do so.
It would be just over three months between City’s last home game, the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on 20 May, and their next scheduled Etihad fixture.
In addition, the home game against Tottenham Hotspur is the only match to be staged at the Etihad between now and mid-September.
How Manchester City’s pre-season programme compares to that of Chelsea
By contrast, fellow Club World Cup side Chelsea are in action twice at their home stadium before the season gets under way.
The Blues take on Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on 8 August before hosting AC Milan at the same ground just two days later.
City really could have done with giving fans at least one pre-season friendly at the Etihad before the campaign begins, just as a way of welcoming the supporters home.
Chelsea have done so – and they left the United States much later than City did.
