1) United won their opening game against Fulham and all I could think was that it was eerily similar to their 1-0 win against Wolves to begin last season, albeit without the assistance of a refereeing howler. It didn’t look to me like there was anything particularly different, save for some slightly better tracking back in defensive phases. Whether this is a portent for another difficult campaign remains to be seen, but improvement remains a long road ahead for the Red Devils.
2) As the new Ligue 1 season got underway, many wondered how the champions would look in their post-galactico era. Pleasingly for Luis Enrique, the answer was rather good. For such a young side it was only natural that there was a phase in the middle of the game where it looked like Le Havre might cause an upset, but the technical quality of PSG remains at an extremely high level, especially in comparison to most of their domestic opposition. Kylian Mbappe will never be replaced, but in Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery and 16-year old Ibrahim Mbaye, there remains a lot for the Paris faithful to be excited about.
3) After the drudge of last season, fans of Sevilla approach the new campaign with optimism after getting one of the most sought after Spanish managers in Garcia Pimenta. As fate would have it his first game in charge was away at his former club Las Palmas, a difficult game at the best of times, let alone when your new team is still learning your ideas. Sevilla didn’t play badly, though the excellent possession play that has gained Pimenta his reputation was not really on display. Patience will be needed for the new approach to take hold, though some help in the transfer market with a proven goal scorer won’t be remiss at the Sanchez Pijuan.
4) Early impressions suggest Arne Slot’s Liverpool are going to approach games in a tactically different manner to how the Reds have played for most of the last decade. There was a clear emphasis on possession and in the second half especially, we saw more considered passes that resulted in high quality chances being created in the final third. Impressively, all three of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota seamlessly adapted to the new system, suggesting the Reds are going to be as dangerous in front of goal as ever. The need for a genuine no. 6 remains the case however, as better teams are bound to capitalize on the dangerous breakaways that Slot’s side faced in the first half. That being said, Slot couldn’t have asked for a better start than his men delivered at Portman Road.
5) Speaking of fresh starts, both Roberto De Zerbi and Mason Greenwood made an immediate impact on French football with their debuts for Marseille in Ligue 1. Greenwood already looks like he will be too much to handle for most defences in the league as he glided effortlessly against Brest’s defenders and dovetailed beautifully with Amine Harit. Marseille’s play meanwhile had all the hallmarks of a good De Zerbi side, fast breaks, extra bodies in the box and continuous possession. This was a seriously impressive performance at a Brest side who finished third last season and will be making their Champions League debut this season.
6) Serie A’s top two had a frustrating start to the new campaign as both Milan sides drew 2-2 on Saturday. While dropped points will irk Simone Inzaghi and Paulo Fonseca, the elements of play should satisfy them as their sides could and should have scored more. The complacency in defence is definitely something to work on, but at this early stage it can be attributed to rust. That Inter and Milan played proactively is likely to suit both teams well as things get into gear.
7) England’s top two meanwhile churned out expectedly routine victories over opponents who at least appeared tricky on paper. Chelsea and Wolves both had phases where they teased us, but were ultimately no match for City and Arsenal respectively. The scary aspect of these wins was that neither the champions nor the pretenders ever looked like needing to get out of second gear. Yes, it’s still early and yes, we are all enjoying the excitement that accompanies the start of a new season, but I for one think it’s nailed on already that both Arsenal and City are going to hover around the 90-point mark come May.
8) Another team who looked like they continued from where they left off last season are Germany’s unbeaten champions Bayer Leverkusen. In addition to their immense technical quality, their never say die attitude and mentality resulted in memorable comebacks and late wins. That was the case again on Saturday during the DFB Super Cup against Stuttgart. Despite being a man down and a goal behind in what is for all intents and purposes a glorified curtain-raiser, Xabi Alonso’s men went all in for the last 15 minutes of the match, playing some scintillating attacking football featuring dribbles, one-twos and dangerous low balls into the box. When the late equalizer came nobody was surprised, and if anything many expected the champions to even get a winner in injury time. There was only going to be one winner come the shootout as Leverkusen and Alonso added another piece of silverware. A quick word on Stuttgart. They were the only team in Germany who gave Leverkusen serious problems last season and should have probably won at least once against them and were heartbreakingly beaten here once again. Nevertheless Sebastian Hoenes can take a lot of heart into the new campaign, which also features a return to the Champions League for Stuttgart. That they sold many key players from last season’s excellent side and still went toe to toe with the champions should leave them in good stead going forward.
9) Kylian Mbappe’s league debut for Real Madrid ended in a 1-1 draw against a feisty and entertaining Mallorca side managed by the passionate Jagoba Arrasate. A lot of the post-game analysis has featured on Mbappe and Real still needing time to adapt to each other. While that is always the case when a player of such magnitude joins a new team, I am of the opinion that the truth is rather more prosaic. This was a typical early season league performance from the champions and is consistent with how they have recently started seasons. The only difference this time around was that neither Vinicius nor Jude Bellingham came up with a trademark late winner. While the media will pour over every move and failure to link up between Mbappe and his teammates, Carlo Ancelotti will be relaxed knowing full well that in due time his calm and experienced machine of a team will click into gear.
10) There was also a new arrival at Barcelona, actually many, considering yet another set of La Masia graduates made their debut but the one we want to talk about is the one in the dugout, Hansi Flick. The visit to Valencia on the opening day was a hospital pass. First, many in the Barca entorno would immediately start comparing him to Xavi. Second, he was dealing with a raft of injuries to key players. Third, and this is now a Barca thing, he had players still to be registered to play in La Liga. Considering all of that, a 2-1 win at the Mestalla is not to be scoffed at, and significantly, after a jittery first half, Barca played well enough in the second half to actually deserve the win. Not a bad start for Flick, though Barca still feels like a club where things are bound to get worse before they get better.
11) That didn’t take long. The conventional wisdom was that with no European football this season, Napoli were the prototype project for Antonio Conte to work his magic and restore his reputation. Cue much anticipation amongst the denizens of Naples before the start of the campaign. The opening day visit to a cash-strapped Verona however turned out to be an anti-climax, as the hosts cruised to an emphatic 3-0 win. Conte, in trademark style reacted by saying his squad is nowhere near good enough and did his best to downplay any expectations of success for his Napoli side. The truth is probably that it always takes Conte a few months to get his players to understand his system and ideas, and along the way, such results are par for the course. That won’t stop the venerated manager from asking for more in the remainder of the transfer window however.
12) After an excellent second half of last season, observers were intrigued to see whether Pierre Sage’s Lyon could be contenders for Champions League qualification this time around. The trip to Rennes was a wake up call, a convincing 3-0 victory perhaps establishing the European credentials of the hosts instead. Amine Gouiri and Ludovic Blas ran rings around Lyon’s defence, combining guile with speed. Keep those two fit ahead of a solid core in the middle of the park and maybe Julian Stephan can get his side back into the Champions League like he did the first time around when he managed Rennes. For Lyon, maybe some moderation of expectations might be needed for this exciting, but still very young group of players.
13) How did Spurs not win their game at Leicester in the first half itself? They created so many chances, were totally in control and were playing some enthralling football. The second half however was a step back as they conceded a cheap equalizer and then struggled to impose themselves on the game again. In many ways, this game was a microcosm of the Ange Postecoglu reign so far, a promising beginning petering out. The Australian’s ideas still seem the right fit for Spurs, but some of his players seem to lack the intensity required to carry out the plan for 90 minutes. It’s a season that provides another opportunity to qualify for the Champions League, but the question is whether more should be done to bolster the squad to stake their claim in an increasingly competitive landscape.
14) Diego Simeone’s new look Atletico Madrid had a tough start, playing away to one of their bogey teams, the always dangerous Villarreal. The game ended 2-2 on the account of an entertaining first half before petering out in the second 45. Alexander Sorloth scored on his Rojiblancos debut and Arnaut Danjuma scored on his return to the Yellow Submarines. Once Julian Alvarez is up to speed, Atletico will hope that duo in front of goal will bring them more goals while the additional threat from Conor Gallagher’s late runs should help in that regard as well. Villarreal have complemented Danjuma’s added threat with the arrivals of Nicolas Pepe and Thierno Barry, which suggests they should also be more efficient in the final third this season. Both sides should be happy with a point from such a tough opening fixture leaving both Marcelino and Simeone confident that the building blocks are in place to have a successful season.
15) If Juventus fans had any doubts about Thiago Motta beforehand, they must have been delighted with the 3-0 win over Como. Fans of the Bianconeri haven’t seen incisive football like that in ages, as a young side played with invention and abandon. 20-year old Belgian Samuel Mbangula was the surprise name in the starting line up and the winger mesmerized at the Allianz Arena, scoring the first goal and then creating havoc on the left throughout the game. Khephren Thuram had a fantastic debut in the centre of the park, and most pleasingly we saw Dusan Vlahovic look like the multi-faceted forward he was at Fiorentina, rather than the stifled striker he looked like under Max Allegri. Tougher tests than newly promoted Como await, but Motta’s opening game was a good showcase for the football he represents.
The Through Ball by Wasim Parkar 