What Pep Guardiola said about Erling Haaland could change Premier League title race for Man City

Manchester City were in fine form on the opening day of the season and Erling Haaland helped himself to two goals at Molineux.

Erling Haaland scored twice against Wolves and continued a stunning record on the opening day of the season

In the rush to laud Tijjani Reijnders on his Premier League debut, another sizeable contribution from Erling Haaland went under the radar on the opening day of the Premier League season.

For the fourth time in four seasons, Haaland scored on the opening weekend, and for the third time in his City career, he netted twice as the league campaign got under way.

The double against Wolves took Haaland 87 in 98 games in the Premier League, a remarkable record but one that can easily go a little unremarked on these days.

In terms of pure numbers, the Norwegian has regressed since that electric first season at the Etihad, when he scored 52 goals in 53 games for City, including 36 in 35 Premier League matches.

His second season saw him score 38 goals in 45 games in all competitions, and last year he hit 34 goals in 48 games. That is hardly a shabby record, but easy comparisons with his first season can lead to claims his standards have slipped, or that defences are finding ways of stopping him.

But at Wolves, he looked in the mood to hit the heights again. His first was a classic striker's tap-in, but his finish for his second and City's third was exceptional. He didn't look thrilled at being withdrawn on 73 minutes with a hat-trick in sight, but Guardiola had seen enough.

Speaking after the game, the City boss made an interesting observation on Haaland's performance and one that might have Premier League defences fearing the worst this term.

“Better than ever," he said of his star striker. "I see Erling’s rhythm and speed, and how it helps us. It’s quite similar to his first season here. We need him.”

Any prospect of Haaland being back at the levels of his first season will terrify teams. He was unstoppable back then and if he has remained the best striker in the world since, if he was to get back to a goal a game in the Premier League then it would change the dynamics of this title race.

City managed just 72 goals in the league last season, and while that can't be pinned on Haaland, it was a significant drop-off from tallies of 99, 94 and 96 in the three years before.

Haaland got 22 in the league last season, but if he can get back to the 36 he got in his first season, that is already a major contribution to upping the team's total, and City will need to do that if they are to reclaim their title.

The manner of their win at Wolves has them firmly in the conversation to do just that, and if Guardiola is right about Haaland, that could be a game-changer in the race for top spot.

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