Graham Potter comments point towards next challenge for Pep Guardiola and Man City

Pep Guardiola might not have been able to believe his luck this season - and yet nothing about his history-making reign at Manchester City can be attributed to chance. Guardiola has changed the game on these shores and, so far, conquered every challenge which has been thrown in his direction. Except one.

Sixteen months have passed since Kai Havertz settled the scores in Porto to hand City an agonising defeat in their closest pursuit for European honours to date. That came at a time when now former Chelsea figures Thomas Tuchel and Roman Abramovich had yet to meet in person owing to constraints from the Covid-19 pandemic.

So much has changed since then - not simply at Stamford Bridge - but Guardiola and his star-studded team remain in the crosshairs for would-be challengers. Alarmingly so for Liverpool, Chelsea and others, though, their main target has moved further into the faded distance.

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City won the goalscoring lottery this summer when snapping up the irrepressible Erling Haaland from German side Borussia Dortmund and the Norwegian has blitzed all before him in the Premier League this season. Records already started to tumble by August and Haaland will, somehow, only get better.

Of course, he is not the only reason for Guardiola and City getting their latest title defence off to an unbeaten start. However, the added goals and menacing presence in attacking quarters is more about him being the final piece to a jigsaw which reflected a masterpiece even with one glaring hole post-Sergio Aguero.

City will never forget their talismanic Argentine, but he has now been replaced. Another huge question for those in the chasing pack to answer and Chelsea have made the first move by