5 things you may have missed as Grealish scores first Man City goal vs Norwich

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Manchester City could hardly have picked a friendlier fixture to get their Premier League title defence underway following last weekend’s defeat by Tottenham – and they certainly made the most of Norwich’s visit.

The Canaries were pinned back right from kick-off and City went ahead after just six minutes when Grant Hanley and Tim Krul contrived to send Gabriel Jesus’ cross into their own net.

Ferran Torres had a goal ruled out for a foul on Milot Rashica by Bernardo Silva in the build-up, but the 1-0 score line didn’t last long.

Jesus got free down the right once again and sent in a tantalizing cross which hit Jack Grealish’s knee at the back post and trickled over the line for 2-0.

Aymeric Laporte made it 3-0 after half-time by tucking away a loose ball from a corner before Raheem Sterling came off the bench to tap in Jesus' cross for City's fourth.

With the game winding down, Ruben Dias picked out substitute Riyad Mahrez with a lovely ball over the top and the Algerian winger finished via the inside of the post for 5-0.

Those were the goals, but here are the things you might have missed during City's afternoon stroll at the Etihad Stadium.

Grealish shows flexibility

"I couldn’t care less where I play, the gaffer has said he can see me play as an eight, a 10, either wings or as a false nine,” Grealish told Sky Sports following his arrival at Man City.

When you spend £100million on a player, you hope he will have the quality to play in a few different positions – and that is definitely the case with Grealish.

Having played on the left side of a midfield three against Tottenham last weekend, the former Aston Villa man was fielded on the left wing against Norwich.

It was a role he appeared to enjoy, with Max Aarons allowing him plenty of space to combine with Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo.

His goal may have been fortunate, but his overall performance was encouraging, full of driving runs, free-kicks won and jinks past yellow shirts.

He was replaced by Mahrez in the 75th minute and received a hearty round of applause from the City fans, who clearly enjoyed their first look at him.

A new role for Jesus

Jesus is something of a forgotten man at Man City, with the hunt for a new striker marginalising the Brazilian in the wake of Sergio Aguero’s departure.

It has been easy to forget that Jesus is a useful option for Guardiola – and he showed it on Saturday afternoon.

Interestingly, he started on the right of City’s front three, with Torres playing through the middle.

He looked completely at ease there, creating the opening goal with a driven cross, setting up Grealish to score with another dangerous ball into the box before making it a hat-trick of assists with a square ball for Sterling's tap-in.

The 24-year-old has never been prolific in front of goal, but his performance showed a potential work-around which suits everyone.

The Kane blueprint

Aguero’s exit on a free transfer has left a rather obvious hole in City’s side, with Jesus the only out-and-out striker left in the squad.

Torres has now started in the central striker position in all three of City’s matches this season, but he appears to be a placeholder.

Kane is the man Guardiola wants and it’s easy to see why. While Torres is an intelligent mover and possesses great pace, his instincts in front of goal are nothing compared to Kane’s. He left the pitch after 60 minutes having contributed very little.

With 10 days left in the transfer window, the question remains: will City cough up the cash Daniel Levy requires to sell Kane?

Laporte takes his chance

John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne were absent from City’s squad to face Norwich, handing others a chance to impress as Guardiola made five changes from the side which played Spurs.

Laporte was one of those to come in, replacing Nathan Ake alongside Dias at the heart of defence.

While he wasn’t given much work to do, with Norwich struggling to get out of their own half in the face of City’s aggressive press, it was an important match for him, which he was happy to cap with a goal.

Laporte has been linked with a transfer away from City all summer, but if he is to stay he must show the kind of form which made him Guardiola’s go-to defender before Dias’ arrival last summer.

City’s squad depth

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Laporte’s involvement underlined City’s ludicrous squad depth. While De Bruyne and Stones were out due to a lack of match fitness, it did not matter.

Guardiola was able to drop Ake, Sterling, Mahrez, Benjamin Mendy and Fernandinho to the bench from the 1-0 loss to Spurs last weekend.

Youngsters Cole Palmer and Tommy Doyle were needed to make up the numbers on the bench – and Palmer was even given a run-out in place of Gundogan – but City's strength was once again impressive.

It will be a long Premier League season and Guardiola loves to rotate his players to keep them fresh. The early signs are he has the squad to do so – even if Kane does not arrive in the next 10 days.

• Pep Guardiola
• Raheem Sterling
• Sergio Aguero
• Premier League
• Manchester City FC
• Norwich City FC

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