Premier League Week 2 Preview

Things are not going great for Graham Potter. Once regarded as an up-and-coming managerial star after leading Brighton to its highest ever Premier League point total, Potter’s next step was a disaster, not all of his own doing. The chaotic early days of an ownership change at Chelsea was not the right environment for Potter’s step onto the larger stage of a top six club. With a revolving door roster and owners anxious for a quick payoff on their massive investment in young players, Potter was unable to deliver. He was sacked before the end of his first season as Chelsea manager with the Blues floundering in 11th place in the Premier League table. Potter spent more than a year and a half recharging and looking for just the right opportunity to redeem himself. He may have chosen wrong when he took over West Ham this past January. Potter returns to Stamford Bridge Friday with his Hammers having won only five times in 19 Premier League matches under his charge. 

The poor guy is again very much on the hot seat after newly promoted Sunderland decisively defeated the Hammers last weekend. Potter’s opposite number on Saturday meanwhile, seems to have Chelsea back on track. Manager Enzo Maresca led the Blues back to the top four last season, ensuring a return to Champions League football. In just the past 90 days, the Italian manager has also won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup. His players can thus be forgiven for their unimpressive opening draw with Crystal Palace last week which saw neither club find the net. Chelsea’s attacking futility was a bit surprising given significant spending this summer, including the purchase of two new strikers in Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. Another goose egg Friday at London Stadium would mark the first time since the 1995/96 season that Chelsea would have failed to score in its opening two matches. Joao Pedro will relish this opportunity to score his first Premier League goal as a Chelsea player, having scored a career best six goals in his previous encounters with the Hammers. 

Transfer drama continues to hang like a cloud over these opening weeks of the Premier League season. The nastiest piece of business, or non-business, has been the rift between Alexander Isak and Newcastle over the striker’s demand for a move to Liverpool. The striker referenced broken promises by ownership in an explosive social media post this week and will again be nowhere to be seen when the Magpies host, you guessed it, Liverpool. Angry Newcastle supporters blame Liverpool for being complicit in the Isak affair. The Toon army is a bit hypocritical about the whole matter, however, as their club is trying to pry Yoane Wissa from Brentford. Wissa is also inactive for the Bees’ match versus Aston Villa as he has also tossed his toys out of the pram, demanding a move to the Magpies. Wissa has also deleted all references to his current employer from his social media. 

Isak and Wissa’s behavior stands in stark contrast to the more professional situation at Crystal Palace where Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi were both on the pitch versus Chelsea last weekend despite swirling transfer rumors. Eze was even ready to play in the Conference League Thursday for the Eagles before a lightning move by Arsenal has Eze now undergoing a medical on Friday to seal his transfer to the Gunners. Arsenal’s preemptive move, prompted in part by an injury sustained by Kai Havertz, was shocking for Tottenham Hotspur which thought it had reached agreement with Eze and Crystal Palace. Spurs, however, were left at the altar as the English international chooses to play for his boyhood club. 

After being outmaneuvered by archrival Arsenal and having earlier in the window failed to secure Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy is once again under fire for his negotiation strategy. Tottenham Hotspur Manager Thomas Frank is left to patch together a midfield which is without both Dejan Kulusevski and James Middleton due to long term injuries. Tottenham Hotspur faces a difficult visit to Manchester City on Saturday while Arsenal is home to Leeds. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, hosts Nottingham Forest. Having held onto their midfield creator in Gibbs-White and having smashed Brentford last week, the Tricky Trees may be feeling better about the immediate future than their Crystal Palace counterparts. 

Saturday’s clash between Burnley and Sunderland could have long term consequences as a six-point swing could loom large in the relegation battle to come between these two newly promoted sides. Sunderland takes to the road after trouncing West Ham at the Stadium of Light last weekend. Burnley limps home after a humbling beating at Spurs. 

Everton were losers to the third promoted squad, Leeds, last weekend. This week against Brighton, however, the Toffees will be buoyed by home supporters enjoying the inaugural match at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. The Toffees new home should be filled to its 52,888 capacity as a new era dawns on Merseyside. 

Manchester United fans are hoping for a new era to start under Manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese Manager was forced to play with a roster unsuitable to his style last season. A remaking of the roster was kickstarted this summer by spending spree which has introduced new stars to the club such as Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. The remade Red Devils played well in an opening 1-0 loss to Arsenal and now travel to Fulham which was curmudgeonly in the transfer market this summer, much to the chagrin of Manager Marco Silva. The only signing to date for the Cottagers is a backup goalkeeper. 

Bournemouth and Wolverhampton each allowed four goals in opening weekend losses. Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, however, scored two for the Cherries and put a scare into Liverpool. The homestanding Cherries seem the more dangerous side in this tilt versus Wolves.