The new season has started with a bang…
The new Barclay’s Premier League season is only underway and we already have so much to talk about. You won’t miss a second of the football with Sky Sports who will be there every step of the way with 116 live games …including every team at least 3 times by the end of November.
Man City are still the team to beat
Chelsea may be the title favourites but the champions are still the team that they have to catch.
Edin Dzeko picked up exactly where he left off last season with a sublime touch in the build-up for David Silva’s opener. Newcastle played well at times but City won despite never really moving out of second gear.
Fernando looked settled and composed, Jovetic is re-energised for the season and the fact that Agüero, Silva, Kompany, Kolarov and Nasri have all signed new deals is an indication that the dressing room is a happy one.
Chelsea’s signings have hit the ground running
As far as debuts go, Jose Mourinho couldn’t have asked for better ones for his three summer signings that played against Burnley.
Costa was a handful all night and took his goal well although he was guilty of being caught in possession a few times. Fabregas’ passing was sublime as seen by his breathtaking assist for Schürrle while Courtois showed why he is the team’s new No 1 with a fantastic reflex save.
Man Utd need signings quickly
Granted Van Gaal had a very serious injury list but the lack of talent in United’s squad against Swansea was alarming.
Blackett may turn into a fine defender but his lack of positional awareness was ruthlessly exploited for Swansea’s opener and the ease at which Garry Monk’s side cut through United on the counter attack was alarming.
This was coupled with a glaring lack of pace in the wide areas which is fundamental for the 3-5-2 system that Van Gaal is trying to implement. If given time, the Dutchman should be able to turn the club around but he needs Ed Woodward to act quickly in the transfer market.
Herrera’s debut was underwhelming, Luke Shaw is injured and the manager had to rethink his new formation 45 minutes into the season.
Liverpool can win ugly but they don’t want to make a habit of this
As a colleague rightfully pointed out, the Reds’ season opener would have been the type of game that they would have drawn or lost two years ago.
Liverpool managed to find a way to win the game largely thanks to their new leading SAS combination. Raheem Sterling looks like he is set to thrive with the weight of more responsibility following Suarez’ departure while Sturridge has now scored 32 goals in 44 league games since joining from Chelsea.
A win is a win but Liverpool fans will have noticed just how overrun Lucas, Henderson and Gerrard were at times during the later stages of the match. Emre Can could be introduced but don’t be surprised to see Rodgers making a move for a midfield enforcer as well as another striker.
Arsenal desperately need to keep Ramsey fit
We made the point before the season started by saying that Aaron Ramsey is the key to Arsenal’s title bid and he proved this point again with the winner against Crystal Palace.
The game against the Eagles was always going to be that bit harder with the news of Tony Pulis’ departure but like Liverpool the Gunners found a way of winning.
Alexis offered glimpses of his talents while Debuchy and Chambers were exactly what we expected; solid and reliable.
Another top quality striker would ease any lingering doubts we have about their title credentials but their midfield options are stunning. Ramsey is the pick of the bunch right now.
The league’s new signings have already started to excite
Gylfi Sigurdsson was sublime on his first game back at Swansea as he constantly found space to exploit on the counter-attack with an assist and the winning goal.
Eric Dier has already endeared himself to Spurs’ fans with a last-minute winner, Leicester’s Argentinian striker Leonardo Ulloa looks like he will cause defenders some problems while Remy Cabella offered glimpses of his unquestionable talent.
Lambert and Keane will make Villa tougher
Our favourite image of the weekend was an image of Paul Lambert and Roy Keane shouting in unison at referee Anthony Taylor during their 1-0 win against Stoke City.
The win against the Potters was extremely impressive as Villa looked resolute, compact and organised against a talented Stoke side.
Keane has the type of personality that instantly commands respect and it’s likely that the Villa players will enjoy working with him and the well liked Paul Lambert.
We expect Villa not to lie down in as many games this season, the wrath facing them in the dressing room would be too fierce if they did.
The referees will need some time to get match sharp also
Chris Foy’s decision to send off Kyle Naughton for handball was extremely harsh, Neil Swarbrick gave an incredibly soft penalty to WBA‘s Victor Anichebe while Hull City’s James Chester was penalised for handball by ref Craig Pawson despite the fact that there was no intent from the defender whose hands were by his side.
Not a great start for…
Mark Noble and Charlie Austin who both missed awful penalties, Crystal Palace who conceded twice from set-pieces, Shane Long who worked tirelessly but missed the one glorious chance that came his way (we’ve heard that before) and Everton who clearly looked like they were lacking in match fitness as Leicester overran them in the 2nd half.
A mixed bag for the promoted clubs
It was always going to be difficult for Burnley against a Chelsea team that traditionally hit the ground running.
The gulf in class was obvious and we have a feeling that this statement will be frequently used this season we fear.
QPR had more than enough chances to snatch a point but Rio Ferdinand’s slack marking cost them while Leicester looked fit, sharp and energetic in their season opener against Everton.
