'We have to trust the system' - Erling Haaland and Elliot Anderson speak out as Man City thrash Crystal Palace

Manchester City have started their campaign in brilliant form, dismantling Crystal Palace 4-1 on Saturday. Haaland, displaying a striking new short haircut, maintained his remarkable goalscoring record against the south London club. The striker headed in the opening goal from an Antoine Semenyo cross before adding a second late in the match.

Rayan Cherki also delivered a spectacular individual performance, scoring two second-half goals. Despite conceding a bizarre own goal when a Yeremy Pino free kick rebounded off goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City cruised to another victory. According to Sky Sports, the dominant display provided Enzo Maresca with his second consecutive win since taking charge of the club.

The squad are visibly adapting to life under Maresca, with key figures immediately endorsing the manager. Haaland was quick to commend his colleagues and the new system. "Elliot [Anderson] was incredible," Haaland stated. "We have to trust the system, and we trust Enzo [Maresca] and what he wants to do."

Anderson also addressed his own development within the team. "I think I gotta be a little more structured," Anderson explained. "I'm learning to stay a bit more in my position." He added: "I felt more at home today. My first outing at the Etihad was special though I felt very nervous and two wins from two is great. Everyone is really happy and everyone gave their all. The game plan went just as we wanted."

Despite netting twice, Cherki showcased his relentless ambition by expressing frustration when Maresca prepared to substitute him. The attacker felt he owed Haaland more service during the game.

"When I saw Enzo [Maresca] was going to change me, I didn’t like that - I need to show I want to play and want to score and give assists for Erling [Haaland]," Cherki revealed. "Today I didn’t give a lot of balls for him. Next time I want to give Erling a lot of balls."

Cherki critically assessed his own contribution, adding: "Now we start another story [with Enzo Maresca], and we need to prove... I played so st [in the first-half]."

Manchester City will aim to carry this immense momentum into their upcoming Premier League fixtures. With new £86 million signing Ayyoub Bouaddi making his official debut, the club possess formidable depth to navigate the long season. If the players continue to master these new tactical instructions, Maresca will have a squad fully capable of reclaiming the Premier League title and challenging for major European honours.