4️⃣ Points as City beat West Ham 2-0

 

Cityzens Cruise Through Opening Week

4️⃣ Talking Points from City 2-0 West Ham

-Mihir Mehta

-Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala



Manchester City began their defence of their Premier League title in perfect form after easing past West Ham in their opening fixture. PL debutante Erling Haaland was in sublime form, scoring both the goals of the game. Haaland proved worthy of his $61 million price tag as he scored from the spot in the 36th minute, then followed up by latching onto Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant through ball in the 65th minute. Man City dominated the game having 76% of possession and restricted the Hammers to just 6 shots, of which only 1 was on target.

Photo Via: btsport

(L to R) Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Joao Cancelo against West Ham


City Capitalise On Liverpool’s Mistake: City looked on course to win the Premier League for the 5th time in 6 years with the addition of talisman striker Erling Haaland and maestro defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips, but the loss at the community shield showed that there were still chinks in their armour. Nonetheless, Pep has learned from his mistakes in the previous seasons and tried not to overthink a loss at a glorified pre-season friendly, and managed to capitalize on Championship rivals Liverpool dropping points in a shock draw at Fulham to pull ahead early on.

Haaland Starts Off Strong: Much was made of Erling Haaland’s lacklustre performance in the Community Shield against Liverpool, but the Norwegian was back to his powerful best with a brace against West Ham, winning and scoring a penalty, and finishing off De Bruyne’s through ball with a cool finish, showing exactly why he is considered to be one of the best young players around. A few faults remain, his chemistry with the City midfielders being the primary concern, but that will come with time, and we fully expect Haaland to gobble up Premier League defences once it does.

Grealish Still Underperforming: When you sign a creative winger for 100 million pounds, you expect goals and assists, and while Grealish was still settling in last season, he hasn’t exactly started this one with a bang. The Englishman wasn’t bad against the Hammers, but he wasn’t great either, with Vladimir Coufal able to handle his trickery. Good chemistry and a blossoming friendship with Erling Haaland are positive signs, but, as the English winger himself admits, he needs to show up more at games. Not what you expect from your club’s record signing.

City’s Defensive Masterclass: In the absence of Aymeric Laporte and faced with the trickery of Jarrod Bowen and Saïd Benrahma, City were expected to face some trouble at the back. In the end, however, the City backline was secure as ever, only allowing the Hammers 1 shot on target, with Ederson never troubled, despite both Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo pushing far up the field. Big positive signs for the campaign ahead, especially once Laporte returns.

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