Get the ball into the box and Erling Haaland will be there.
That is the simple message Pep Guardiola has had for his players all season. And despite some early teething problems that did not affect any results other than the Community Shield, that is exactly what Manchester City's players have done.
After one of the more frustrating halves of the season for the reigning Premier League champions, all it took was one magical swing of the right boot of Kevin De Bruyne and there the Norwegian menace was hanging at the back post ready to smash in another ludicrously simple goal. Forty-nine minutes of dogged resistance from Aston Villa was wiped out and Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer and Riyad Mahrez could all sit back down on the bench knowing they wouldn't now be needed to provide a spark to a City performance that had fizzled out in the fact of resolute defending.
