'Don't have any complaints' - Guardiola praises Man City's training ground efforts after Wolves win

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City hammered Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 on the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League season and after the manager paid tribute to The Citizens' work on the training ground. New signing Tijjani Reijnders was the undoubted star of the show, playing a key role in Man City's first three goals, including getting on the scoresheet as Erling Haaland bagged a brace.

Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s training ground efforts but added there is still work to do as his attempts to guide his side back to the top of English football got off to the best possible start with a 4-0 rout of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Erling Haaland bagged a brace and new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki also found the net as City put the rest of the Premier League on notice with a fearsome display of dominance that puts them top of the table.

Guardiola’s experimentation with a new style of play continued from the FIFA Club World Cup in the post-Kevin de Bruyne era, and Reijnders was central to that, playing a key part in his side’s first three goals.

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"Last season, we also started with hunger and energy... I do not have any complaints over how we are behaving in the training sessions," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "First half good, second no. The attitude and many things were good, but the second half, they were better in certain moments but it is good to improve winning 4-0.

"All the new ones [were impressive]. Tijjani was one of the best players in Serie A, he has an unbelievable rhythm. In the first game, you never know. We did not play many friendlies in pre-season, but many things were good, especially in the first half.

"In the second half, we dropped too much but maybe that is normal at the beginning of the season. But we will see, it is just the first game, so there are many points still to play."

Guardiola also addressed the future of Ederson, who started on the bench behind £27 million signing James Trafford. Ahead of kickoff at Molineux, it had been reported that Galatasaray have bid around €10 million (£8.6m) for the Brazilian but Guardiola insisted "I do not know anything" about the rumours.

Reijnders declares Man City title charge after star debut

Alongside winning the manager’s seal of approval, Tijjani Reijnders was named man of the match against Wolves after running the show for Manchester City.

Following the departure of Kevin de Bruyne which looked like it could be a hammer blow to Guardiola’s plans, Reijnders appears to have picked up right where the Belgian left off as the architect of Haaland’s opener before getting in on the action himself with a neat finish past Jose Sa to finish a deadly counter-attack.

Tijjani Reijnders of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at Molineux on August 16, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Image credit: Getty Images

It was another length-of-the-field counter that handed Haaland his second goal. This time, Reijnders collected a long pass from Trafford and relayed up the right wing with Oscar Bobb before cutting back to find his striker.

"Last season, Man City did not win the Premier League and that is our main goal [this season]," Reijnders told Sky Sports. "We all know what we want and we are all sharp to reach that goal. You know what big names were in this club, but it was a proud feeling to join Man City... that is what I want to show, I am proud to play for this club with a lot of fun and love.

"It is really nice to start with a goal and assist and especially in the Premier League, it is what you have dreamt about. Starting like this, it could not be better. In the first game of the season, you do not know what will happen or how the opponent will play and we did quite well. They put some good pressure on us but we stayed calm.

"I am learning a lot [from Guardiola]. I have got a new view on how to play football. For me, it is about adapting quickly and trying to do my best every time. I like the intensity in the training with the team we have."

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