Matchweek 1 has now concluded, and it didn’t disappoint at all. Fans were back in full voice in stadiums and that surely played a part in the narrative of matches. There wasn’t a single draw in any of the 10 matches, and there were a lot of goals. But what conclusions can be drawn from the first round of matches?
It could be a long season for Arsenal and Southampton
For different reasons and from a different perspective, Arsenal and Southampton could be in for a long gloomy season. Arsenal’s squad just doesn’t look capable of challenging for those European places. The team under Mikel Arteta too don’t seem to be heading in any particular direction. They finished last season strongly, had a decent summer window, but voila, back to square one. They are already without European competition, and things could get worse before they start getting better for the Gunners.
Southampton, on the other hand, have had a terrible 2021. Their league form has been awful and in the transfer window they lost key players in Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard. They have had worse in the past and yet survived, but looking at things as they are, future looks bleak for the south coast side.
Manchester City need a striker. Period
For all Pep Guardiola’s tactical nuance of implementing false nine, he must admit he needs a striker. Since dispatching Everton 5-0 on last season’s finale, City have gone 270 minutes of competitive football without scoring. Worryingly for Pep, City didn’t look like scoring in any of those three matches. Buying a striker to score goals is not the only requirement. They must also think about replacing record goal scorer Sergio Aguero. Gabriel Jesus just isn’t the striker you can rely on to win you titles. He’s good as a back up but Pep needs a prolific striker.
West Ham’s 2020/21 heroics might not be a fluke
Whenever a team over-achieves in one season, the question arises whether they can sustain it in the next season. Judging by their 4-2 win at Newcastle, signs are West Ham will be in and around the higher echelons of the table. Of course this is just matchweek 1, and it’ll get tougher when their Europa League campaign kicks in. But coming from behind twice to win 4-2 away from home against one of the league’s best atmospheres talks a lot about a team’s character.
Leeds haven’t learnt a lesson from last season
In what was a hugely successful return to Premier League last season, one Achilles’ heel for Leeds was their defense. It was a bit surprising how open they were at the back at times last season. Equipped with the knowledge of last season and ample time to work on it, you would have expected a coach like Marcelo Bielsa to sort things out. But instead, it was the same old Leeds from last season. If they are to challenge for Europe this season, it’s not hard to figure out where improvement is needed. A porous defense can hamper any progress Leeds want to make in the near future.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are City’s closest challengers
The pre-season bookies’ favorites to dethrone Man City were Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea. The opening weekend proved they were right to bank on these clubs. The three wasted little time in flexing their credentials, with comfortable statements wins on opening day. If they keep up this level for the whole season, we can expect a gripping title race this time around. Perhaps City are struggling, perhaps they are vulnerable. The chasing pack should be extra motivated to topple the Cityzens.