The Premier League is finally back. It’s still early, but there are already signs as to who’s looking strong, and who isn’t.
Gameweek 1 kicked off on Friday night with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City taking on newly promoted Burnley. The first game week was sealed off by Manchester United and the Wolves on Monday night. Let’s have a look at how the 20 English sides faired:
Who struggled?
- Luton Town
- Sheffield United
- Nottingham Forest
- West Ham
- Bournemouth
As expected, Luton Town and Sheffield United had difficult starts, and will likely have the most difficult season. Luton Town suffered an overwhelming loss to Brighton in a game that ended 4-1, while Sheffield United struggled to create opportunities for themselves against Crystal Palace. Nottingham Forest faced London side Arsenal. They struggled for most of the game, but woke up for the last spell of the game. However, they were unable to make anything of it as the game finished 2-1. West Ham and Bournemouth faced each other, and weaknesses were evident in both teams that may indicate a difficult season ahead if changes aren’t made.
Who had a slow start?
- Burnley
- Crystal Palace
- Everton
- Manchester United
- Aston Villa
Burnely perhaps had the toughest fixture compared to any other team, but they didn’t look all too bad against recent treble winners Manchester City. They had moments where they looked stronger but lacked the finishing that City had. Palace looked a bit shaken up, but managed to secure a 1-0 win over Sheffield. Everton played well but like Burnely, lacked finishing and ultimately lost 1-0 to Fulham. Shockingly, Manchester United looked the weaker side against Wolves and were lucky to be able to finish the game with a 1-0 win. As for Aston Villa, they had a strong first half, and a strong first few minutes of the second half before largely falling off the pace.
Who gave promising signs?
- Liverpool
- Tottenham
- Brentford
- Fulham
- Wolves
As mentioned earlier, Wolves were the better team when facing Erik Ten Hag’s side, but confidence inside the penalty box looks like an area that needs improvement. Wolves had 23 attempts, but many of them lacked the confidence needed to provide goals for the team. Fulham were able to hold off Everton and had a great last spell which led to a goal and ultimately a win for London’s oldest football club. Brentford and Tottenham was an entertainment to watch, but weaknesses in their defense were evident in the 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Liverpool looked the weaker side against Chelsea, with their biggest problem being the lack of a defensive midfielder in their squad. Liverpool’s defense was cutthroat though and was tough for Chelsea to get past.
Who had the best start to the season?
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Newcastle
- Chelsea
- Brighton
Brighton displayed dominance in a 4-1 win against newly promoted Luton Town, but it was an expected easy win for De Zerbi’s team. Chelsea showed loads of improvement under new manager Mauricio Pochettino in their game against Liverpool and look like they’ll only get better as they’ve now strengthened their midfield ahead of the second game week. Newcastle were another side to show dominance during the first game. They finished an impressive 5-1 win over Aston Villa, with new signings fitting right in. As for Arsenal, they had a really strong first 60 minutes, but laid off and risked the win because of it. The game ended up finishing 2-1, despite that scare in the final 20 minutes, Arsenal are looking to be title contenders again this season. Reigning champions Manchester City started out as expected, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to put his team in the lead. Very few shaky moments here and there where Burnley looked a like a threat, but City were able to comfortably secure a 3-0 win over Burnley in their long journey to retain the Premier League title.
