8 things we've noticed from International Champions Cup: Fabregas, Mkhitaryan and Heskey

ByEurosport

Updated 28/07/2016 at 17:55 GMT

We take a look at the glitzy International Champions Cup warm-up matches played in recent days, and come up with a few observations involving Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti, Brendan Rodgers, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Emile Heskey.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola

Image credit: Reuters

1. Pep fortunate to inherit 'Kun'

Prior to their meeting with Borussia Dortmund in the heat and humidity of Shenzhen on Thursday, Manchester City tweeted their appreciation of what the little Argentina forward has brought to the club, almost five years after signing from Atletico Madrid for £38m. Aguero has scored 136 goals in 208 matches for City, and netted against Dortmund in this pre-season 1-1 friendly draw before converting in the penalty shoot-out in a 6-5 win.

Sergio Aguero

Image credit: Reuters

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Sporting a beard, he looks slightly different from the Aguero we are used to seeing, but remains very much the man who tortures Premier League defences on a seasonal basis. At the age of 28, he may even get better. Whoever Guardiola ushers in over forthcoming weeks, Pep is fortunate to inherit 'Kun'.

2. Signs look good for PSG under Unai Emery

It would be wrong to read too much into a pre-season friendly - especially being Real Madrid's first match since winning the Champions League on May 28 - but French champions PSG look to be in decent shape ahead of the new campaign after completing a 3-1 win in Ohio.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Thomas Meunier (C) celebrates his goal against Real Madrid goalkeeper K. Casilla (F) with teammate Edinson Cavani (R),

Image credit: Eurosport

Thomas Meunier, a £6m right-back signed from Club Brugge, impressed after replacing Thiago Silva, who was forced off injured. PSG were clearly at a different of level of fitness from Madrid, who were without Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.

But this was third win of pre-season for PSG under new manager Unai Emery after successes over West Brom and Inter Milan. A winning habit is never a bad thing to develop.

3. Chelsea v Liverpool was never going to be a friendly

You can take the Premier League out of England, but you can't really take the England out of the Premier League. Chelsea's 1-0 win over Liverpool courtesy of Gary Cahill's header in California doesn't tell the story of a feisty get-together that ended up with Cesc Fabregas being sent off for a crude challenge on Liverpool's new Estonian defender Ragnar Klavan at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

A smoke bomb is released in the crowd.

Image credit: Eurosport

American referee Baldomero Toledo was a busy man blowing for fouls all night, and you couldn't blame him for wheeling out the red for Fabregas.

Six yellow cards and two head injuries for Liverpool players Marko Grujic, who was forced off after colliding with Bertrand Traore, and Dejan Lovren, who was punched by his goalkeeper. So much for a friendly.

4. Is Italian football set for a renaissance?

Following the astonishing £75.3m transfer of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli to Juventus, AC Milan demonstrated that Serie A remains just as much a relevance on the pitch with Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti watching his old club Milan perform strongly in defeating his Bayern Munich side on penalties after a rousing 3-3 draw in Chicago.

Bertolacci Andrea #91 (L) and Bonvaentura Giacomo #5 of A.C. Milan hug teammate Niang Mbaye #11 after he scored a first half goal against Bayern Munich

Image credit: Eurosport

Franck Ribery rescued a draw for Munich in stoppage time, but Milan won it on a shoot-out when Rafinha missed and Giacomo Bonaventura slotted the winning goal for the Italian side.

44,000 watched the match at the city's Soldier Field, a reminder than the Premier League and Liga are not the only show in town.

5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan already looks like a key man for United

Manchester United's lack of match sharpness was demonstrated by Borussia Dortmund, who fairly gave Jose Mourinho's side a going over in a 4-1 drubbing in Shanghai on Friday, but it wasn't all doom and gloom for the new United coach, who appears to have signed his own 'Special One' in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a player who scored his first goal for United since his £26.3m move from the Bundesliga club.

Mkhitaryan had already impressed in a pre-season win in Wigan, and continued the theme of improvement against Dortmund. Operating as a classic number 10 or out wide, the Amernian player looks like he could be one of the most eye-catching figures in the Premier League this season.

Manchester United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan (L) shoots against Dortmund during the 2016 International Champions Cup football match between Manchester United and Dortmund in Shanghai on July 22, 2016.

Image credit: Eurosport

6. International Cup has been ideal preparation for Brendan Rodgers' Celtic

The feeling that the match between England champions Leicester and Scottish title holders Celtic was played with a real edge to it was highlighted a few days later.

Having being subjected to a stern test by Claudio Ranieri's side in a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, Brendan Rodgers' side looked to be operating at a decent level when they flew six hours to Kazakhstan on Monday before earning a 1-1 draw with Astana - a side who drew with Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid and Benfica at home last season - in the third round of Champions League qualifying.

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers before the match.

Image credit: Eurosport

Celtic visit Dublin to face Barcelona on Saturday evening, another match that sharpen up their defending before Astana visit Glasgow for the return leg on Wednesday.

7. Is there any point in travelling to Australia if you are Tottenham?

Tottenham are happy to take the money on offer for participating in this tournament, but the nature of their 2-1 loss to Juventus at the Melbourne Cricket Ground looked distinctly tinpot. There were more than 31,000 at the match, but at ground that can hold around 100,000, it felt like it was being watched by one man and a dog.

A lot of it was down to punters apparently being charged over $100 dollars, or £57, and decided quite rightly that too much is too much.

Juventus' Pol Lirola in action with Tottenham's Victor Wanyama.

Image credit: Eurosport

More than 99,000 watched Real Madrid and Manchester City joust at the MCG a year ago, but this saw Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino fielding a glorified reserve side after Euro 2016 against the Italian champions, who were also shorn of some of their main men. It seems not everybody is seduced by the Premier League, and probably not Spurs with a second string.

8. Emile Heskey still looks good... in an LA Dodgers baseball top

Leicester have headed out to Los Angeles to face PSG, a match that will be beamed back to these parts in the early hours of Sunday morning. Despite winning the world's richest league at odds of 5,000-1, it is difficult to gauge how much of a pull Leicester are going to be in LA.

But you can't accuse Leicester of not getting their brand out there when they have Emile Heskey throwing a baseball for the LA Dodgers. Who wouldn't be interested after such magical promotion?

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