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Premier League | Gameweek 1
Aug 7, 2022 at 4.30pm UK
London Stadium
Manchester City logo

West Ham
0 - 2
Man City

FT(HT: 0-1)
Braut Haaland (36' pen., 65')
Cancelo (45+3')

Pep Guardiola confident Erling Braut Haaland will succeed at Manchester City

Guardiola confident Haaland will succeed at Man City
© Reuters
Pep Guardiola has 'no doubts' that summer signing Erling Braut Haaland will continue his goalscoring form at Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola has 'no doubts' that summer signing Erling Braut Haaland will continue his goalscoring form at Manchester City.

The 22-year-old Norway international moved to the Etihad Stadium on July 1 after the Citizens activated the £51m release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract.

Haaland, who is regarded as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, enjoyed a prolific two-and-a-half-year spell in front of goal for the German outfit, netting 86 times in 89 appearances across all tournaments.

The 6ft 5in striker struggled with a few injury problems last season but he still managed to score 29 goals in 30 games, including 22 strikes in 24 Bundesliga appearances.

Haaland has already found the net in City colours after scoring on his debut in the pre-season victory over Bayern Munich last month.

The former Molde youngster was unable to score against Liverpool, however, with City suffering a 3-1 defeat to the Reds in the Community Shield last Saturday.

Man City's Erling Braut Haaland waves to fans on July 20, 2022© Reuters

Guardiola believes there should be no pressure on Haaland's shoulders to hit the ground running and that he may need more time to gain full fitness, but he is confident that the striker will rediscover his goalscoring form at some stage this season.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Man City's opening Premier League game away at West Ham United, Guardiola said: "I don't know how many goals he will score and I don't care. As much as he is, does what he has done in his young career.

"We are not going to win for Erling or lose for Erling, we have to be ourselves. He's quick, he's a guy who played 90 minutes last week for the first time in five months, he's a big figure physically, maybe needs more time to get to conditions.

"If he has doubts he'll score goals, he will score goals, he has done every year. Just adapt the way he plays, and we will adapt the final third to him. I don't have any doubts."

Guardiola claims that there is a positive "vibe" in the City camp following the arrivals of Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega and affirms that they will all receive support from the rest of the squad as they adjust to life in a new environment at the Etihad Stadium.

"New players we always help them," the Spanish boss added. "It's how they adapt to the rest of the team. Important is the vibe they have, the relationships is most important.

"Not just these players, all the players I had since I arrive, they are at City because they have quality."

Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland, Stefan Ortega and Julian Alvarez during the unveiling on July 10, 2022© Reuters

Guardiola has also hinted at the prospect of making another signing before the September 1 deadline, with a new left-back believed to be on their radar following the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal.

City are set to miss out on signing Brighton & Hove Albion's Marc Cucurella, who is seemingly on the verge of joining Chelsea despite the Seagulls insisting that no agreement with any club has been reached.

The likes of Anderlecht's Sergio Gomez and Stuttgart's Borna Sosa have allegedly been identified as alternatives, and while Guardiola is open to bolstering his squad, he is also happy with the current options at his disposal.

When asked by reporters for an update on City's pursuit for a new left-back, Guardiola said: "Nothing special, we are the same. Joao [Cancelo] is there, Nathan [Ake] can be there. We will see, still have time until the end of the month and we will see."

Meanwhile, Guardiola has refused to rule out the prospect of selling playmaker Bernardo Silva this summer, amid links with the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

City, who have won the Premier League title in four of the last five seasons, will begin their title defence with a trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Sunday.

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4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
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7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
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9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
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14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
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19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
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