Well, I'm just back from the pub, having watched Manchester United-Newcastle, which completed Premiership weekend numero uno. In this blog I'm going to pick out a few things in some of the key games.
It's very difficult (never mind foolhardy) to draw conclusions from one game, but there were undoubtedly positive signs for Bolton and Wolves, less so for West Ham and Everton.
The first game I'm going to comment on in a bit more depth is Wigan-Blackpool. The visitors' 4-0 win sent shockwaves through the league. I, like many others, could see no result for Blackpool this season other than relegation. We cannot get carried away, but as Ian Holloway is a gem of a manager (especially in the quote-producing variety), looks like his team can play a bit too. Their newly-promoted enthusiasm and drive was too much for Wigan, capitalising on mistakes ruthlessly. Not many sides will defend as badly as Wigan on Saturday, but it's a good precedent to begin with. Marlon Harewood will look a steal on a free transfer if he can play as he did in the first match, while Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Charlie Adam undoubtedly have class. The next game, a trip to Arsenal, may be a reality check. Make no bones about it, it was a fabulous start for the Seasiders, but Holloway and Adam will have to work much more magic to keep them up.
As for Wigan, what a disaster. The losses of Bramble and Scharner look to have left the defence looking clueless. The midfield was out-fought and was devoid of ideas. Positives: there are some. First, Chris Kirkland is too good a 'keeper to have many more nightmare days like Saturday. If he hits better form, his defence will gain in confidence. Secondly, the new striker Mauro Boselli looked threatening with the few chances he got. If he can strike up a productive partnership with Hugo Rodallega, Wigan have a chance. They will certainly have to improve for this Saturday, when Chelsea come to town. Otherwise a cricket score is on the cards.
Tottenham and Manchester City had the chance to strike an early blow in the potentially fraught race for the top 4. What did we learn? First, Tottenham are, at the moment, the better team in terms of fluidity and understanding. However, they're still let down by a poor chances-to-goals ratio that threatened to derail last year's push for fourth. Do they still need that 'final piece of the jigsaw' up front?
In Spurs' defence, the main reason they didn't score was one Joe Hart, the biggest positive for City. He looked confident, composed and pulled off some stunning saves, notably from Defoe and Assou-Ekotto. In front of him, City still look like a group of individuals. David Silva looked bright enough, but the likes of Tevez and Wright-Phillips failed to sparkle. If they gel as a team, Man City could prove a match for anyone. But if not, and I wouldn't be surprised to see squad in-fighting, another year of 'what might have been' is in store.
Liverpool-Arsenal was controversial and varied between pulsating and dull as ditchwater, from what I've heard (I've only seen the goals and the sending-offs). Joe Cole was possibly unlucky but, unintentional or not, it was a nasty tackle. Overall, Liverpool fans can hope for much more than last year - their ten men scored, clung on and nearly won it. Their squad also looks stronger, with the likes of Poulson, Wilson and Ngog/Torres as handy options.
Arsenal, though, must do better. Without Fabregas in the midfield, they lacked direction. Almiunia made another mistake, beaten at his near post, and the links to Mark Schwarzer grow stronger with each slip-up. New centre-back Laurent Koscielny has given them a defensive headache for the next game after his red card - I still maintain they are very weak in that position. Once Fabregas returns and van Persie is fit and firing, though, Arsenal should be back to rights. Don't forget that Rosicky, Walcott, Song, Vela, etc are excellent options to have on the bench. Walcott and Rosicky came on and made their impact felt on Sunday. That has to continue for Arsenal to have a successful season.
Saturday evening saw Chelsea crush West Brom, as the champions put their indifferent pre-season form behind them in the best possible way. Their 4-3-3 formation caused the Baggies no end of problems, with Drogba and Malouda particularly lethal. The defence was not tested, though, and that will be one area under scrutiny this season, with Terry's troubles and Carvalho's departure. Nor will Drogba, Lampard, et al find teams as easy to break down as a shell-shocked West Brom.
Those Baggies fans can take some heart in that Chelsea destroyed a good Aston Villa team at Stamford Bridge last year, and they don't have to play teams as deadly as the Blues every week. Nonetheless, they have to learn how to defend freekicks much, much better. And if something as basic as that is not right, the whole defensive set-up can be questioned. Their midfield (with Brunt and Dorrans the key men) looks promising, but without a decent defence, the Baggies will boing back down again.
Lastly, Monday's game, Man Utd-Newcastle. United were never going to match Chelsea, but got a comfortable win without hitting close to top form. A few players stood out. Jonny Evans didn't put a foot wrong and his positional sense was excellent; might he at last fulfil his potential as Ferdinand's successor alongside Vidic. The central midfield pairing of Fletcher and Scholes were both terrific. Fletcher was everywhere - his growing reputation as a box-to-box midfielder was rewarded with a well-taken goal. Fletcher and Scholes swapped responsibilities in going forward and sitting back to often devastating effect. Scholes the magician demonstrated his awesome passing range and awareness all night. Up front for United was a stark contrast. Rooney looked short on confidence, control and, fundamentally, that killer instinct. Berbatov, though, was brilliant. He dropped deep looking for the ball, helped construct the team's play, tracked back and took his chance when the old Berbatov might have tried crossing and wasting the opportunity. So lots of positives. But, besides Rooney's issue is another to be sorted out - defensive lapses (Carroll's 10th-minute chance in particular) and concentration blackouts almost as disturbing as Joey Barton's moustache. Fergie will look to iron those out, as better teams would punish them.
Newcastle can take good points from the game. It was not a humiliation of a result - they were always expected to lose. Up until Berbatov's goal, Newcastle matched the hosts in most areas. Through Carroll, they had the game's best chance. They look strong from set-pieces, and on the counter-attack, with Carroll's aerial ability and Gutierrez's strong running. The defence looked shaky, but not catastrophically so. They might just have a good chance up against Aston Villa in the next game, at St James' Park.
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