10 takeaways from the opening five Premier League games
It's been an odd start to the season, to say the least.
Agricultural football is back
The biggest development so far this season and one that has dominated games across the league has been the fashionable return of long ball football. Somewhere, Tony Pulis is wearing a Stoke-crested cap and smirking at the world that he created, a man years ahead of his time.
Naturally, football trends are cyclical, but not many would’ve predicted just how agricultural teams would become this season. Even the big clubs, like Arsenal and Manchester City, are reverting to a style of football long forgotten, in a bid to catch out teams that have transitioned into a neater, more eloquent style of play with players who aren’t necessarily prepared for the rough and tumble of aerial set piece bombardment.
Big athletic numbers nines, hefty goalkeepers, towels scattered around the periphery of the pitch for throw-in takers to dry their footballs. This has been a huge shift in Premier League tactics and so far delivered to varying levels of success by teams from the likes of Brentford, who almost exclusively rely on throw-ins and set pieces, to Arsenal, who have set up so much of their attacking onus around the same approach.
Haaland is back, but are City?
The big Norwegian’s goal against Arsenal at the weekend was another firm reminder of not only how good Haaland is, but how in the zone he seems to be right now. With six goals in five, plus a handful more for Norway during the last international break, Haaland has had a blistering start to the season and is punishing teams with his speed, strength and utter disregard for his and others’ safety.
But, as good as Haaland has been, City are shadow of their old selves. Following from the previous point about long ball football, Pep Guardiola has altered City to be the most un-City and un-Pep it’s ever been. The 1-1 draw against Arsenal was the lowest possession rating ever since he took over at City, and a really noticeable shift away from what we’re used to with his teams. But on the other hand, the chaos of the system seems to benefit Haaland, who thrives in situations where the gameplay is hectic and spontaneous, but it may not be the style that benefits City overall and gets them back to the top of the table.
Gyökeres may not be the guy
There are several points of debate from Arsenal so far this season, not least Mikel Arteta’s descent into staunch conservatism, but the prevailing observation seems to be just how poor Viktor Gyökeres has looked leading the line so far.
Without writing him on entirely, something these very own pages called against just a month ago, it has been a worrying start for the Swedish striker, who has looked slow and cumbersome and not at all up to the pace of a Premier League leading striker. This was notable at the weekend with Haaland at the other end of the pitch, who looked like a totally different creature.
Liverpool can’t keep getting away with this
Or, maybe they can. Five wins from five for Arne Slot’s men has them five points clear. Four of those wins needed late goals to get them over the line, while the Merseyside derby win over Everton was a little bit more comfortable, although they did let the Blues back in from 2-0 up and had to defend a 2-1 lead for much of the second half.
As worrisome as that trend might be, it’s hard to say Liverpool have really got out of second gear yet. Alexander Isak hasn’t started a Premier League game, Florian Wirtz is still getting to grips with his new surroundings, and Mo Salah has also been slow out of the gates. Yet they keep winning.
Chelsea are feeling the effects of a long, hot summer
The Club World Cup champions were marked for a weird season and that’s playing out, headlined by their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend, having been reduced to 10 men after a handful of minutes when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez got sent off. Enzo Maresca’s response was to remove all his attackers and defend the ship, but they conceded almost immediately and the game kind of fumbled from there, even after United had a man sent off just before half-time.
Chelsea will be good and bad at stages this season, but it may be more of the latter if they can’t keep Cole Palmer fit. He’s already had a slow start to the season, before getting pulled early in the first half on Sunday. Now there’s talk of him missing the next four or more weeks. Is this a result of a long summer of football that kept Chelsea busy into July, with no reprieve and no meaningful off-season? Maybe.
Tottenham are good, to be Frank
It’s fair to say Spurs are looking more like their old selves under Thomas Frank, with three wins from their opening five, leaving them third in the table. It’s certainly a more robust side, with the 2-2 draw at Brighton at the weekend a good illustration of how they didn’t capitulate from 2-nil down away from home and clawed back a solid point against a really good side.
Although Ange delivered that coveted piece of silverware, moving on from the Aussie was the correct move and Frank, so far, is showing why he was high on everybody’s list as the next manager to make the progression up the club pyramid having done so well at Brentford. As Spurs shake off the Daniel Levy shackles, they could be in for a bright future.
United are still United
Nothing too surprising here, as United go through every possible emotion in the opening five games. Two wins and a draw leaves them just above 50%, but it hasn’t been pretty and a lot of the same criticisms lay at Ruben Amorim’s door, with his unrequited marriage to his system leaving airport runways worth of space through his midfield.
As for the new signings, Bryan Mbeumo has looked sharp but they’ll need a lot more production to come from him, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, as they still rely on Bruno Fernandes to save the day. It likely won’t be as bad as last season but it’s hard to say through five games that there’s too much to get excited about, just yet.
What’s going on at Villa?
Aston Villa have been a real mess so far, with no wins and just a single, solitary goal, scored this weekend by Matt Cash. Despite their PSR troubles, nobody had them being this much of a basket that had some quarters wondering if Unai Emery is long for this world.
But it looks like Monchi has fallen on his sword as Director of Football, after some underwhelming years of poor transfer activity that has kind of left them in this mess. Things should turn around for Villa, their squad is simply too good to stay in this kind or rut for long, but with the juggling of Premier League football with European endeavors, fans could be in a very difficult season.
The promoted teams actually have a chance
Sunderland are 7th, Leeds are 12th and Burnley are 16th, in what has been one of the strongest starts for promoted sides in years. Helped in part by just how bad the likes of Wolves, Villa and West Ham have been, but there’s a real chance one or more of them stay up, particularly Sunderland who look like just a well setup side under Regis Le Bris.
Burnley are showing a lot of the staunch defensiveness that made them impossible to score against in the Championship last season and were a wayward handball away from earning a point against Liverpool. Leeds are bit more more chaotic, but have two wins. It’s been a heady start for these teams and the best chance in years for them to stay up, whilst a crazy relegation dogfight is brewing at the other end.
Manager madness
Anybody who had hard earned cash on Nuno Espirito Santo to be the first manager to bite the bullet after all his quarrels with Nottingham Forest boss Evangelos Marinakis made some of the easiest money they’ll ever make, when he was sacked. That’s paved for the swift return of Ange Postecoglu into Premier League football, who’s already had a really tough start.
Meanwhile, Graham Potter hangs on by a fingertip at West Ham. I thought he’d be sacked by now after another awful defeat at the weekend, with fan sentiment firmly against him, but the board are either lacking in suitable options or are biding their time.