Man City 1-4 Real Madrid: 6 things we learned as Ronaldo, Bale and co sweep past City

Raheem Sterling was one of the few positives in a poor City display, which also saw former Aston Villa man Fabian Delph stretchered off just 18 minutes into his debut as a blue

Real Madrid outclassed Manchester City in the International Champions Cup, running out 4-1 winners at the MCG in Melbourne.

Ronaldo and Benzema were both on the scoresheet for Los Blancos as they cruised to victory over Manuel Pellegrini's side, who fielded an inexperienced defensive pairing at the heart of their defence.

Raheem Sterling was one of the few positives in a poor City display, which also saw former Aston Villa man Fabian Delph stretchered off just 18 minutes into his debut as a blue.

Pepe put Rafa Benitez's side three ahead following poor City marking from a corner before Yaya Toure replied with a penalty won by new boy Sterling just before half-time.

Dennis Cheryshev sealed the win for Madrid with a smart finish, on what was a miserable day for the Citizens in Melbourne.

Here are five things we learned from the match:

Sterling shines again

Raheem Sterling: The new signing was one of few bright spots for City

New Manchester City poster boy Raheem Sterling was one of the only shining lights in a poor performance from Pellegrini's men, causing problem after problem for this first choice Real Madrid back four.

Everything positive from a blue point of view seemed to come through the England International as he glided past defenders with ease, won a penalty just before halftime and just generally made a nuisance of himself throughout.

The £49million summer signing has shown good form in both of his pre-season appearances so far, and his new Boss as well as the City faithful will have been impressed with what they have seen so far from their new man.

City's defensive fragilities exposed

Cameron Humphreys struggled against Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale - but who wouldn't?

City can be excused to a certain extent with their young and experimental centre half partnership, however we cannot pin all of the blame on young Cameron Humphreys and Jason Denayer.

With a combined age of just 36 the youngsters at the back may have been slightly out of their depth against a strong Madrid side, who simply blew them away in the first half. They can not be excused however, for their poor defensive line for the second goal, and the lack of marking for the third which really ended the contest before half time.

On the whole City were poor in midfield and even worse at the back, with their failure to do the basics costing them here. Lucky its only pre-season eh?

Benzema, Bale, Ronaldo: frightening

Cristiano Ronaldo: Back among the goals against City

Possibly one of the most formidable attacking trios in European football for as long as many of us will be able to remember, and they look as sharp as ever. If it wasn't for a just as remarkable forward three over at their rivals Barcelona, this particular strike force would have received a great deal more praise last year.

Two quality goals from Benzema and Ronaldo respectively combined with a high intensity performance from Bale was simply too much to handle for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who in truth, were outclassed by Madrid's forward three.

Los Blancos simply tore an inexperienced City back line to shreds in this pre-season tie, with every siege on Joe Hart's goal looking like it would result in a healthier lead for Rafa Benitez's side.

Fabian Delph faces a race to be fit

Fabian Delph: His debut did not last long before he had to come off injured

After his controversial switch from Aston Villa to the Etihad England International Fabian Delph had a debut to forget, lasting just 18 minutes before being stretchered off at the MCG.

In a extremely unlucky start to his career at City the 25-year-old is now surely a huge doubt for the start of the new Premier League season, by picking up what looks to be a hamstring injury.

Isco a future great

Isco is often outshone in this Real Madrid team, with Ronaldo and co soaking up the majority of the media praise and attention.

However on this particular occasion the little Spaniard really stood out, slaloming past challenges and linking up wonderfully with his teammates around him.

He was at the heart of many of Madrid's key attacking moves before being subbed on 76 minutes, hanging on to possession for his side whenever they were under pressure and really kept them ticking over throughout.

The 23-year-old has reached a stage in his career in which he could either kick on and become a real star or fade away beneath the countless other world beaters in this Los Blancos team, but based on this performance alone he could well grow into a Superstar under the management of Rafa Benitez.

Some fans just want a hug

One over-excited fan was tackled by a steward after he stormed onto the pitch and tried to reach Gareth Bale during the match.

Sporting a bright pink top, he held out his hand, seemingly desperate to touch the former Tottenham man, but he was quickly tackled by a steward who had run on to follow him.

Bale did not appear to be shaken up by the incident and continued the match as normal after the pitch invader had been removed.

Nearly! A pitch invader is seems desperate to reach Gareth Bale

Almost there: He nearly gets to the Welshman, but...

... a steward catches him and grabs him around the waist

Bale was unmoved by the incident

Teams

Man City: Hart, Sagna, Denayer, Humphreys, Kolarov, Toure, Fernando, Delph, Nasri, Silva, Sterling.

Subs: Caballero, Wright, Horsfield, Clichy, Evans, Zuculini, Garcia, Lopes, Navas, Pozo, Unal, Roberts, Iheanacho, Barker, Jovetic, Dzeko.

Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Isco, Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema.

Subs: Arbeloa, Llorente, Nacho, Casemiro, Lucas Silva, Jese, Danilo, Cheryshev, Lucas Vazquez, Varane.

Watch highlights of Real Madrid's resounding 3-0 win over Inter Milan in China

Jese, Raphael Varane and James Rodriguez were all on the scoresheet as Rafa Benitez's men secured the.

Real Madrid continued their fine pre-season form with a resounding win over Inter Milan on Monday.

Los Blancos fired three goals past a helpless Samir Handanovic as they brushed aside Roberto Mancini's men during an exhibition game in China.

Jese fooled the goalkeeper to slot home at the near post to open the scoring, before defender Raphael Varane doubled the score with an uncharacteristic poachers' finish.

But the goal of the game was saved for the dying moments, when James Rodriguezwas placed on free-kick duty with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale both already taken off.

The Colombian smashed the free-kick over the wall and just out of reach of the helpless Handanovic to round off the scoring.

Check out all the highlights from the game above.

A bad week for Gareth Bale – he upsets Cristiano Ronaldo again, and not even birthday wishes from Real Madrid fans can cheer him up

Welshman frustrates his Bernabeu teammate by failing to pass in pre-season friendly, but looks just as annoyed when serenaded by young Madrid supporters

After a difficult second season as a Real Madrid player, Gareth Bale has many to win over at the Bernabeu  – and if one of those is Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s going the wrong way about it.

Bale suffered the ignominy of boos from his own supporters back in January when, during a home match against Espanyol, he chose to shoot instead of passing to his goal-crazy teammate.

And old habits are proving to die hard if the video footage of Real’s pre-season friendly with Roma in Australia is anything to go by.

During the goalless draw at the MCG, Ronaldo is shown to call repeatedly for the ball while sprinting into the box only to be ignored by Bale. The manner is which the Portuguese star looks exasperatedly to the sky as the attack breaks down is the very essence of a man who has run for a bus and missed it.

The evening did not get much better for Bale, Ronaldo and co. either as Roma prevailed in a penalty shootout at the final whistle in what was Rafa Benitez’s first game in charge of Los Blancos.

But if Bale is struggling to match Ronaldo’s exploits on the pitch, he’s having no trouble replicating his surly demeanour off it.

The Wales forward celebrated his 26th birthday on Thursday, but looked less than impressed when some knowledgeable Madrid fans decided to serenade him with the old favourite “Happy Birthday” as he signed autographs outside the stadium

Gareth Bale misses Real Madrid training after picking up strain in Roma friendly

Gareth Bale was forced to spend Monday in the gym after Real Madrid doctors ruled him out of training on the Spanish club's pre-season tour.

Only full-back Danilo played more minutes than the Welshman in Madrid's friendly defeat to Roma in Melbourne on Saturday, and the winger paid the price with a hip problem that prevented him from joining in with his teammates on the training pitch.

The word out of the Bernabeu club is that his absence was only precautionary, and that he is still in line to face Manchester City at the MCG on Friday.

Bale needs to bounce back after a tough campaign last year, with his struggles partially attributed to a frosty on-field relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo .

And the game with Roma appeared to show that their bond hasn't grown any stronger during the off season.

During Los Blancos' pre-season clash with the Serie A giants, Ronaldo was visibly frustrated with Bale for not playing him in for a shot at goal.

Bale's decision not to pass to the Portugal star came back to bite him and the team as Roma ended up taking home the spoils .

The two sides played out a 0-0 draw at the MCG - before the Italians won the game on penalties.

In pictures - Roma beat Madrid on penalties:

VIEW GALLERY

It was an uninspiring first game in charge for Rafael Benitez - who saw his side look pretty rusty as they shook off some cobwebs ahead of the new season.

Martin Odegaard was the shining light for Los Blancos - the teenager starting the game alongside Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale has also been criticised in Spain for appearing to ask Francesco Totti for an autograph post-match.

Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest Gareth Bale and Asier Illarramendi Rumours

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press 

The rumours linking Real Madrid star Gareth Bale with a transfer move to Manchester United just won't go away, with Steve Bates of the Sunday People reporting Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal is planning a swoop potentially worth £95 million to complete his club's impressive spending spree:

Wales winger Bale, who cost the Spanish giants £85million from Tottenham two years ago, had a tough time in La Liga last season, was repeatedly barracked by Madrid fans on and off the pitch and has struggled with the learning the language.

And with Van Gaal now hinting United could do something special in the remaining 44 days of the transfer window, Old Trafford sources have confirmed Bale—now valued at £95m by the Spaniards—is still on their radar.

Bale has been the subject of transfer rumours for months now following a disappointing 2014-15 season, with United often mentioned as the most likely destination. While it seems unlikely the Wales international will leave Madrid after just two seasons, that hasn't stopped the media from speculating.

Despite the constant scrutiny, Bale remains adamant he's committed to Los Blancos, and he recently took to Twitter to express how glad he is to be wearing the Spanish giants' iconic kit:

The 26-year-old impressed during his first season with Real, playing a vital role during the squad's run to the Champions League final. Last season, Los Blancos struggled to close out the season as a group, and while Bale was often isolated by the fans as one of the main culprits, he was hardly the only one at fault.

Real's supporters can be a fickle bunch at times, and the fanbase has gotten so used to winning that it's not afraid to voice its displeasure as soon as things go wrong. When the wins return, so does the fans' faith. And per Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides, they've started the 2015-16 campaign by supporting the winger, instead of booing him:

Los Blancos don't often sell their top stars unless they have a star ready to replace them, and in the case of Bale, it would be hard to find a player who can match him both in terms of popularity and football ability.

His raw pace makes him an excellent partner for Cristiano Ronaldo, and given his young age, it's fair to assume he'll be among the world's best for years to come. Unless manager Rafa Benitez has absolutely no interest in continuing with the winger, it's hard to imagine Real selling Bale at this point in time.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson believes Benitez's arrival will have a big impact on his output:

That said, £95 million is a ton of money, and if United do in fact make such a gigantic offer, it will be interesting to see how Los Blancos react.

Liverpool Improve Asier Illarramendi Offer

Paul White/Associated Press

According to Fichajes.net (h/t Metro's Jamie Sanderson) Liverpool are willing to increase their offer for Asier Illarramendi from £10 million to £13.8 million in an attempt to sign the midfielder quickly following reports Benitez was less than impressed with the former RealSociedad man during pre-season:

The Reds apparently made a £10m offer for Real Madrid manIllarramendi last month, but his club put the breaks on the switch with new manager Rafael Benitez keen to take a look at him in pre-season.

Benitez isn’t thought to have been impressed, and now reports in Spain Liverpool are increasing their offer to £13.8m to get this move sorted.

The 25-year-old hardly played for Los Blancos last season and is in dire need of some regular playing time, something he likely won't find at the Bernabeu. Steven Gerrard's departure from Anfield has opened a spot in Liverpool's midfield, so all the ingredients appear to be in store for a move.

Bleacher Report's Andy Brassell thinks a deal will come to fruition:

Price may be the biggest issue standing in the way of a deal.Illarramendi cost the club a hefty chunk of money, but his value has dropped tremendously in the past two years. Per Sky Sports, LosBlancos paid £32.8 million for his services―and there's no way the Reds will cough up a fee even close to that.

Perhaps a buy-back option inserted in the contract could make the deal work, with a fee in the region of £15 million. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe thinks it would present a huge coup for the Reds, but if the midfielder fulfils his potential at Anfield, it could also pay big dividends for Real down the road:

Unless Benitez can find a use for Illarramendi, a summer move seems likely. It makes no sense for the club to keep the player sitting on the bench while other depth options are preferred, so they may as well try and recuperate at least part of their initial investment

Manchester United transfers roundup: Bale targeted, Di Maria plans, Fellaini future

Gareth Bale

Louis van Gaal suggested he could sign another "surprise" striker this summer. And the Sunday People believe that Manchester United are still targeting Real Madrid galactico Gareth Bale.

If Angel di Maria wants to leave Old Trafford, he will have to formally hand in a transfer request. The Mail write that Van Gaal still sees the Argentine as part of his first-team plans , so it will be up to Di Maria to force a move if he wants one.

Could Marouane Fellaini's future at United be in doubt? The midfielder enjoyed a resurgence last season but the Mirror report he faces a fight to prove himself again to Van Gaal, having been left out of United's first friendly.

Aston Villa are the latest club to show an interest in James Wilson . The Mail report that Tim Sherwood is looking at loan moves to replace Liverpool-bound Christian Benteke

Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Gareth Bale and Nicolas Otamendi Rumours

Ariel Schalit/Associated Press 

After making significant inroads in the transfer market already this summer, Manchester United are still hoping to bring in yet more eye-catching talent.

According to Steve Bates of the Mirror, United could still make a sensational move for Real Madrid star Gareth Bale. Citing "OldTrafford sources," Bates reports United remain interested in the £95 million-rated Welshman.

The news comes in the wake of manager Louis van Gaal admitting he could sign a "surprise" attacker this summer, per Rob Dawson of theMirror.

The 26-year-old endured a difficult season at the Bernabeu, as a number of subpar performances earned the wrath of the Madridistas, and boos directed at Bale could often be heard from sections of the crowd.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Nevertheless, the winger managed to score 17 goals and make 10 assists in all competitions—a healthy total in a season many considered disappointing.

United have made little secret of their interest in Bale in the past, and his goals and creativity would make up for the departures of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao.

However, Bale reaffirmed at the end of last season his desire to improve with Los Blancos:

Further, £95 million is an incredibly high fee even for a player of Bale's talents. At that price, United could get two or three world-class players.

A move to Old Trafford could be on the cards in the next year or two should Bale fail to win back the Madrid faithful, but not for so high a fee. Don't expect the Welshman to be wearing a Red Devils shirt next season.

Nicolas Otamendi 'Impressed with Van Gaal's Plans'

According to Metro, Fichajes are reporting that Nicolas Otamendi has been swayed to join United by the Dutchman and could attempt to force a switch to Old Trafford this summer.

The Argentinian centre-back enjoyed an excellent season with Valencia. 

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

According to Squawka, Otamendi was Los Che's highest-rated performer last season, and he scored six goals.

Further, Squawka reports that he won significantly more tackles and aerial duels and made more interceptions and clearances than United's other central defensive target, Sergio Ramos.

Football journalist Jonas Giaever is thoroughly impressed with the fearsome defender

Otamendi's work rate, commitment and strength make him well suited to the rigours of English football. 

The Red Devils are in desperate need of a capable central defender, having never adequately replaced Nemanja Vidic.

Should they sign the 27-year-old, which is a strong possibility, they will have taken yet another big step towards a title challenge next season and continued their outstanding summer business with an excellent in-form acquisition