Manchester City have only had one pre-season friendly but certainly had a memorable time in Palermo

It wasn't particularly easy to get to Palermo for Manchester City's friendly, with no direct flights from Manchester close to the game and train lines to London unexpectedly blocked on Friday morning. And having just made it to Stansted in time to fly over, that was only the beginning of the chaos.
A press conference at the impressive Stadio Renzo Barbera had to be ditched as City were unable to take off in their own plane on time. That was enough to send a shudder down anyone who had covered their 2019 tour to China when they were days late, but thankfully this was hours.
There wasn't a problem with the plane, but rather the runway. In front of them was an aircraft belonging to rapper Drake, who was heading off for the next stop of his tour after performing in Manchester; his party did not leave on time, and so City had to wait.
When Pep Guardiola and his squad finally landed in Palermo, the manager and a delegation of executives raced across to a stunning palazzo called Villa Tasca where a gala dinner was being held in their honour. Palermo manager Filippo Inzaghi was one of many who had been there for hours enjoying the stunning scenery and hospitality.
There were regular tours of the inside, not least because it was one of the filming locations for season two of The White Lotus - a show about how money does not always guarantee happiness for the super-rich protagonists. That felt even more on the nose for City than coming to a city filled with once-great buildings that was struggling to live up to its former glory.
A major accident on the motorway meant that it was well after 10pm local time that City arrived at where they were supposed to be. As some of his colleagues bundled off into one room to get changed for the dinner, Guardiola walked into a room with a camera and a couple of journalists and immediately regretted wearing a hoodie in a house that wasn't built in the age of air conditioning.
What followed was one of the most surreal settings for a press conference you can get, and it was made more interesting with the manager turning several opportunities to be positive about the summer into worries for his players and the season ahead.
If there is still a touch of chaos to City's squad with a few weeks left in the transfer window, there were no mixed messages in Palermo for the strength of feeling towards the Blues - and indeed the City Football Group, who took over the club three years ago.
There was Oasis merchandise as well as City shirts on sale in the town centre, locals milled around the team hotel to try and get a glimpse of the players and 16,000 tickets had been sold in 24 hours to help fill the 34,000-capacity stadium for the night.
Once Guardiola and his players stepped inside, it was clear that they were being treated to a show. The Palermo ultras had come up with an Oasis-themed tifo for the start of the game - the first time they have ever acknowledged an away support like that, understandably - and Italian singer Rose Villain gave a pre-match show that delayed kick-off.
City's manager then headed off for his second press conference in 24 hours, where he was asked who he liked in the NBA (me neither) and it was then back to the hotel before flying back the next day.
It felt like a frenzied trip, although Monday's transfer activity made it look serene.
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