Everyone knew what Erling Haaland was going to do. He has done it before. The rangy, bulldozing, never-off-sides signature of Erling Braut Haaland.
Let's be frank. We're probably going to see that exact goal about 20 times in the next 30 weeks. And for the rest of the Premier League, Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over West Ham on opening day offered a shuddering blueprint to how the rest of the season could unfold: slanted run, pin-perfect pass, pristinely calculated acceleration, insatiable goal-guzzler getting his way.
Whether any side can actually combat this blueprint is a different matter entirely. For City fans, the performance provided some level of assurance.
Haaland’s momentary clumsiness in the Community Shield could be put to just that: momentary. On Sunday, the striker was all the 6ft 4ins Nordic meat cleaving prowess that his £51million price tag promised, link-up play included. READ MORE: Bernardo Silva breaks silence on City future amid Barcelona interest Whether the Haaland deal alone qualifies City's summer business as a rousing success is subject to myriad factors, like whether the striker's arrival offsets Raheem Sterling's move to Chelsea, Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal and — if it happens — losing Bernardo Silva to Barcelona.