Haaland on target as Manchester City wins Premier League season opener
Pep Guardiola is a man of his word and one thing he's promised for years is that Burnley manager Vincent Kompany will return to Manchester one day to take his job.
"When?" Guardiola laughed to Sky Sports. "This part I don't know. But it's going to happen."
Kompany, for those new to the league, captained Manchester City through the early days of Guardiola's tenure as coach. The two became close allies even as Kompany retired and their relationship was the bubbling undercurrent of Friday's Premier League opener. On paper, the teams couldn't be more different: City entered as a sitting champion while Burnley entered as newly-promoted debutant. But on the field, the shared philosophy of the two coaches proved that Guardiola will influence English play for years to come – both through his own teams and through those of his acolytes.
The game ended in a 3-0 victory for the Citizens, but it led plenty of credence to Guardiola's belief that Kompany is meant for big things as a coach. Burnley, despite spending less on players in its 141-year history than City spent on its active defenders in Friday's match, held its own against the champions and made a case for its long-term survival in the Premier League.
The game got off to an unfortunate start for Burnley when Erling Haaland slammed home a shot with less than three minutes on the clock. It was a swift lesson in Premier League defending for Burnley: while its defenders were in the right area to prevent Haaland from scoring, they were about three feet too far away from him to be effective. Haaland took that extra yard of space and turned it into a simple, clinical goal without fuss.
But Burnley turned the game around after conceding early and its aggressive, optimistic press caused City problems throughout the first half. Winger Luca Koleosho, a native of Norwalk, Connecticut, was particularly dangerous on the right flank, while defender Ameen Al-Dakhil was everywhere to prevent City from breaking through again.
It didn't wind up being enough. Haaland found the net once more, while Rodri scored a third in the doldrums of the second half. But a 3-0 defeat will feel positive for Burnley, especially after its clash with the Citizens last year ended 6-0. The team lost its head toward the end of the game when Anass Zaroury felled Kyle Walker with a red-card challenge, but aside from that moment of madness, it performed admirably under the Premier League spotlight.
For City, this game serves as a response to the critics who wondered if the team might be less hungry after last year's historic treble. It looked just as driven as ever, with Guardiola shouting criticism at Haaland even after his two-goal performance. The rest of the league should beware: Haaland and City are on the warpath once again.
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