The big talking points: Manchester City 5-0 Norwich

Manchester City got their 2021/22 Premier League campaign up and running on Saturday with a facile victory over Norwich City.

The champions beat Daniel Farke’s men 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium on an afternoon when supporters made a full return to the stadium.

But even from the most leisurely of straightforward wins, there was plenty for City’s fans to ponder about on the way home…

‘Super Jack’ in the goals

City’s only senior summer signing, Jack Grealish, marked his home debut with a goal. It wasn’t exactly his finest strike to date, as the ball somewhat fortuitously bounced off his knee and into the net, however the England international won’t mind.

Yet that goal may provide an early indication of just how much Grealish’s role for City could differ from the one he carried out at Aston Villa. Last season, the midfielder scored seven goals from 27 games in all competitions, only one of which was a first-time finish from a cross, but it’s taken just two starts for him to score a back post tap-in for Pep Guardiola.

It’s almost become the Catalan’s trademark goal at City: a low driven cross directed beyond an opposition goalkeeper via a one-touch finish. Grealish need only look at his England team-mate Raheem Sterling for how Guardiola’s coaching can impact his scoring rate. At Liverpool, Sterling netted a goal every 0.18 games in all competitions, a tally which has more than doubled at City to 0.39.

It’s something the City manager even mentioned after the game: “If he [Grealish] gets the mentality to score goals like Raheem, yeah [he can score more],” he said in the post-match press conference. “When Raheem was here when I first arrived, he didn’t have goals in his mind and we immediately changed his arrival. Today he scored because he arrives in the centre, he’s a machine there.”

Trust in Jesus

Guardiola’s team selections are never straightforward and the former Barcelona boss surprised everyone by starting Gabriel Jesus on the right wing.

It was a position from which the Brazilian thrived as he grabbed the man of the match award and provided two assists - only a VAR check on Ferran Torres’s disallowed first-half goal prevented it being three.

It’s a position we could well see Jesus occupy on a regular basis this season, given Guardiola’s post-match comments: “He is a player who likes to play more wide than central positions,” he said. “One of the reasons why I am a manager in the best moments of my career, apart from the titles and trophies, is because you can work with people, humans like Gabriel. He never complains. He never disrespects his team-mates. If he plays five minutes, he plays the best five minutes he can do. Play right he is happy, play central he is happy, play left he is happy.”

Yet, Jesus, along with Torres, are just two real options for Guardiola in the central striker role. The champions have, of course, been linked with a move for another forward and it’s unlikely the club will play the whole campaign with such limited options in that area. In fact, Saturday’s victory is yet another indication that City seem to be in the market for a traditional striker.

Laporte’s starring role

Aymeric Laporte is one of several City players who has been linked with a move away from the Etihad this summer, so it was somewhat surprising to see him start against Norwich, especially with John Stones back in contention.

The defender impressed at both ends for the Blues on Saturday, and it certainly didn’t appear to be the performance of a man looking to leave the club. Even Guardiola’s choice to start the Spanish international hints that he’s very much in his plans for the remainder of the season.

"Aymeric Laporte is the best left-footed centre-back for build-up in the world,” the City manager told beIN Sport after the game - high praise for the No.14.

Laporte also capped a fine afternoon at the back with a goal in the second period, as he swiveled and smashed a shot past Tim Krul from inside the opposition box.

Palmer’s league debut

City have a plethora of talent in their youth ranks, as their success at underage level in recent years demonstrates.

One of the most promising talents from the academy set-up is Cole Palmer, with the 18-year-old introduced for his Premier League debut against Norwich. The midfielder, who started in all four of City’s pre-season matches, was introduced for the last 20 minutes and didn’t look out of place in the Blues’ star-studded line-up.

With injuries to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, Palmer could become a more permanent feature in the squad as the season progresses, even more so should City pick up any further injuries or suspensions.