MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MAN CTY 1-1 SEVILLA (5-4 ON PENS)

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Despite an underwhelming performance, Manchester City were able to add another trophy to their ever growing cabinet, after overcoming Sevilla on penalties to win the UEFA Super Cup.

With their squad looking thin on the ground, it wasn't the most impressive performance we've seen from Pep Guardiola's side.

They have received plenty of online criticism for not moving the ball quickly enough, or showing enough creativity, but for me, that wasn't a huge concern; the main issue was shaky defending, particularly in a 10 minute spell after half time.

City fell behind in the first half, after Youssef En-Nesyri rose above Nathan Ake to slam a powerful header past Ederson, after a fine cross from Marcos Acuna on the left wing.

A strange tactical choice from Guardiola was to see new signing Josko Gvardiol start at left back, with Ake as the central centre back in a "3-2" build up. This was a bizarre decision from the boss, considering Ake and Gvardiol both excelled in the other position last season, but there are a few explanations for it.

One of them is that Gvardiol is more comfortable on the ball than Ake, and in wide positions, he's required to make more difficult, ambitious passes than in the centre. Therefore, it's not surprising that Guardiola would prefer the Croatian in that position.

The other reason is the difficulty of playing as a centre back in a Pep Guardiola team. In a recent interview, Mikel Arteta, a former disciple of the 52 year old, declared centre back as the most difficult position to play in the Premier League. For a young player who has just been thrown into the best team in the world, it must be a challenge, no matter how talented he is.

After half time, City had a very poor few 10 minutes, with Gvardiol, Ake, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker and even Rodri making poor decisions or loose passes. Thankfully, City survived a few scares, and began to build up their performance levels from this point.

They drew level just after the hour mark, as youngster Cole Palmer headed beyond keeper Bono to score his second goal of the season (or first, if we classify the Community Shield as a friendly.) With rumours surrounding his future up in the air, that could've been the last time we saw City's number 80 in a sky blue shirt.

After an impressive final half an hour from City, where they kept the ball well, defended the threat from Sevilla, and created a few chances, the match went to penalties. This left many City fans pessimistic, due to Bono's good record and City's - quite frankly - terrible record from the spot.

But, as they have season after season, City proved their doubters wrong. They produced 5 top quality penalties, through Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker, leaving the rest in Ederson's hands.

As it was, the 30 year old didn't need to make a save, with Nemanja Gudelj's penalty striking the cross bar, to earn City the trophy.

I don't think there needs to be any concern over City's under par performance against Jose Luis Mendilibar's side. Yes, they did look a bit slow at times, but that is the way City always tend to start a season.

With at least one, and potentially two, new creative players set to come in, there is no need for any last minute panic in that area, even with Kevin de Bruyne's hamstring injury set to keep him out for at least 3 months.

With Ruben Dias and John Stones hopefully set to be reintegrated into the squad soon -although there are some slightly worrying rumours about a hamstring injury for Stones, which hopefully appears to be a false alarm - we'll see City's defensive issues nipped in the bud soon enough.

City face a tough test for their first home game of the season, as they face top of the table Newcastle United on Saturday evening, fresh off the Magpies' 5-1 battering of Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the season.

It'll be a tough test, but I have confidence that City will maintain their imperious record at the Etihad with a win against Eddie Howe's side.

Here are the player ratings from our European success in Athens:

Ederson - 7.5/10 - Showed some excellent goalkeeping to save from El-Nesyri, and to keep City in the game. He didn't save a penalty, but all 4 of the penalties converted by Sevilla would've been nearly impossible for the Brazilian to save.

Walker - 6.5/10 - In that 10 minutes after half time, Walker was City's weakest player, as he lost numerous duels that he'd usually win with ease. After that, however, he picked up his performance levels, and tucked his penalty away very well.

Akanji - 6/10 - Unfortunately, it'd appear that playing Akanji in the defence/midfield hybrid role, usually occupied by John Stones, was a failed experiment. He looked slightly uncomfortable on the ball, and lot it in dangerous positions a few times. On a more positive note, his defensive work was much better than against Burnley.

Ake - 6/10 - Could've arguably done better to defend for City's goal, but not a lot to complain about in his performance, other than the 2 chances he missed when the score was level. When the Dutchman plays at centre back, we fail to see his best quality, which is defending in 1 vs 1 scenarios. Therefore, I'd like to see him back at left back for the Newcastle match, where he'' be needed against Miguel Almiron.

Gvardiol - 6.5/10 - A relatively solid performance from the Croatian on his full debut, but he'll need time to adapt. As a left back, he looked slightly unnatural high up the pitch, but defensively, he looked at home. I'd love to see him used at centre back - a position he's excelled in before for RB Leipzig and Croatia.

Rodri - 7.5/10 - One of the best players in the world has added another element to his game; creativity. That's 3 goals and assists in 2 competitive games this season, a remarkable effort for a holding midfielder. Plus, despite that 10 minute patch, his usual ball retention and recoveries were top notch, as always.

Foden - 6/10 - A quiet performance from City's star boy. He showed a few glimpses of his incredible technical quality, but, compared to Grealish, Kovacic and Palmer, he struggled to impose himself on City's attacking play.

Kovacic - 7/10 - Another impressive performance from City's £25 million signing. Kovacic slipped a few very nice through balls to Haaland, and was the most likely player to feed our number 9. He tucked his penalty away with the confidence that comes after the glittering, trophy laden career he's had to date.

Palmer - 7.5/10 - A very bright and promising performance from Palmer, one which could've decided his future in the favour of staying at the treble champions. He headed home excellently from Rodri's cross, and looked menacing when given space, which, to be fair, wasn't very often. Hopefully, wherever he plays next season, he gets plenty of playing time, because he's certainly a very talented footballer.

Haaland - 6/10 - A very quiet game for Haaland, with Sevilla's deep defensive line stifling his space. However, he is always a threat by simply being on the pitch, and reminded us of his excellent finishing ability with a well placed penalty.

Grealish - 6.5/10 - Whilst he didn't offer a consistent danger, Grealish, like Haaland, is always a threat when on the pitch. Up against former City player Jesus Navas, Grealish looked to get the better of him a few times, and had Palmer been more alert in the box in the first half, he'd have had an excellent assist.

Substitutes:

Alvarez - 6.5/10 - Not enough time to make a real impact, but he had a few nice touches, and dispatched his penalty very well.