Blockbuster signings attract eyeballs. But clubs tremendously worry if these superstar deals would work out or go awry. Then comes the enormous concern of whether the star signing would adapt to a team’s gameplay and soccer philosophy. Close to two years after Erling Haaland‘s signing, Manchester City could proudly say the deal has worked out for the best.

But Haaland’s signing negated the fundamental idea of a new player adapting to a new club. Rather, coach Pep Guardiola and the rest of the City squad adapted to the Norwegian to make his move feasible!

Netflix documentary reveals Manchester City squad adapting to Erling Haaland’s style

Earlier today, Netflix released a six-episode documentary on Manchester City’s 2022-23 season, titled, Together: Treble Winners. The first episode of the project reveals how the Manchester City squad molded itself according to Erling Haaland. In the part of the episode featuring a training session, Pep Guardiola says, “He guide us. He guide us when we’re going to do the press,” referring to Haaland. “Pep always made it clear that they had to adapt to Haaland,” said Sky Sports reporter Natalie Gedra on the show.

“We got so used to seeing City move around on the pitch, linking with the attacking players…Then Haaland arrives and it becomes like, okay, we need to adapt to him to get the best out of everyone,” Gedra continued.

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Meanwhile, renowned soccer writer Martin Blackburn asserted Manchester City had to go from playing without a traditional center-forward to making room for a #9 like Haaland. Adapting to a newcomer instead of making him adapt is a walk away from the norms for any club, let alone Man City. But now, the Cityzens could say that was one of the many right moves that guaranteed their treble win.

City adapted to Haaland, so did the Premier League’s records

Later in the documentary, fans could witness Guardiola urging his playmaking midfielders to pass to Erling Haaland the moment he penetrates the defense with an offensive run. Notably, Haaland scored a brace in his debut against West Ham, when City resorted to this tactic. Well, that was just the beginning. The 23-year-old would score 36 goals in his first season with Manchester City to beat Mohamed Salah’s erstwhile record of most goals (34) in a Premier League season.

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Meanwhile, he completed the season with 52 goals across competitions. In the process, the Norwegian also won a PL title, an FA Cup, and a UEFA Champions League trophy, completing the continental treble. We can’t think of anything else that would better qualify as a fairytale debut season. And, after all, adapting to a superstar is not a bad idea either.

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