Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Premier League Week 2 Results: Manchester City Wins Early Showdown; Seagulls Soar; Chelsea Transfers Flop; Bees Swarm Cottagers; United Mounts Little Challenge at Spurs; Villa Rebounds Against Hapless Toffees; Arsenal Survives Selhurst

Manchester City asserted its championship pedigree with a 1-0 victory in an early season challenge over rising contender Newcastle. Phil Foden looked more than comfortable in the central playmaking normally occupied by the injured Kevin De Bruyne. The England international set up Julain Alvarez for the match’s only score and repeatedly set up opportunities for striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker failed to make the scoresheet on Saturday but his connection with Foden could prove ominous for upcoming league opponents. Bernardo Silva was ill for the match, which provided the opportunity for Alvarez to start in the Citizens’ midfield. The natural striker delivered the match winner from his unaccustomed position. Newly purchased Matteo Kovacic also proved his value in a revamped City midfield which met the challenge of a Newcastle squad which had dominated the pitch a week earlier versus Aston Villa. The Magpies were unable to generate the attacking prowess that resulted in five goals on the opening weekend. On the bright stage of the Etihad, Newcastle was held to one shot on target, with that one unthreatening attempt not coming until the 70th minute.

In contrast to Newcastle’s diminished output, Brighton lit up the scoreboard for a second consecutive week in a 4-1 win at Wolverhampton. The Seagulls won by the same lopsided score for a second consecutive week as a three-goal barrage inside a nine-minute span early in the second half sent Wolves down to a second consecutive defeat. Brighton veteran Solly March struck for a brace in the match, assisted both times by Julio Enciso.

Manchester United, narrow winners over Wolves earlier in the week, stumbled Saturday to a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. A Lisandro Martinez own goal in the 83rd minute ended hopes for the Red Devils as new Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou was victorious in his home debut. The Spurs midfield, particularly James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, helped execute Postecoglou’s  up-tempo style of play which is much appreciated by Spurs fans frustrated by the club’s unimaginative play of the past few seasons.

Manchester United, meanwhile, has several early season concerns. Marcus Rashford has been exceedingly quiet up top, newly acquired midfielder Mason Mount has failed to impress in his two starts, and Casemiro has looked a step lower in protecting Manchester United’s back line.

Brentford had one major question entering this season and that was how to replace the 20 goals of the now suspended Ivan Toney who will not be returning until January. The question was answered in the Bees’ first two matches by forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. Mbeumo scored two goals and Wissa added one in a 3-0 drubbing of Fulham, one week after both players had tallied in an opening 2-2 draw. The Bees are now undefeated in their last 11 London derbies. Fulham supporters, who saw their club reduced to 10 men in the 64th minute of the home defeat, received more bad news after the match when it was confirmed that striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will be departing for the Saudi Arabian league.

Liverpool was similarly reduced to 10 men at home but were undeterred in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth. Reds’ forwards Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota all scored to bring Liverpool back after an early Bournemouth goal.

The Cherries’ early lead resulted from another error by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold who continues to deliver mixed results from his hybrid midfield positioning. The Reds’ plethora of quality attackers was able to carry the day, however, despite Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister being shown a red card in the 58th minute.

Arsenal was also victimized on Monday by the fifth red card assessed by Premier League officials in this week’s nine matches. A second yellow card incurred by Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu saw the Gunners park the bus beginning in the 67th minute as they successfully clung on to a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at a raucous Selhurst Park. The Eagles defended tenaciously but switched off for a critical moment early in the second half. Arsenal moved quickly to take a free kick before the Crystal Palace defense was set. Gabriel Martinelli found an unmarked Eddie Nketiah who barreled unfettered towards goal before being taken down by Crystal Palace Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. Martin Odegaard’s ensuing 54th minute penalty kick was to be the match’s only score as Arsenal would revert to a low block to frustrate the Eagles following Tomiyasu’s exit.

Chelsea also enjoyed a man advantage from the 67th minute on in their match at West Ham. Like Crystal Palace, Chelsea was unable to capitalize. Highly priced midfielders Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez did more harm than good Sunday against the Hammers. Caicedo, the most expensive player in Premier League history, entered the pitch as a second half substitute in time to commit a penalty which sealed the match for West Ham’s 3-1 victory. Fernandez, who previously was the highest priced transfer in the league before Caicedo’s signing, missed a first half penalty which could have given Chelsea a lead and changed the course of the match. Chelsea’s best moment was a dazzling first half goal by Carney Chukwuemeka. Unfortunately for the Blues, Chukwueneka became the eighth injury casualty of the young season for the Blues later in the half. The 19-year-old will miss an estimated six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Mykhailo Mudryk, yet another expensive transfer signing, entered the match for Chukwueneka and posted a notably poor performance. A Mudryk shot in the second half was so poorly hit that the ball skied backwards rather than towards the goal. Possessing the ball for just 24% of the match, West Ham was content to sit back and capitalize on Chelsea mistakes. The first Hammer goal, only seven minutes into the match, was scored by an unmarked Nayef Aguerd from a West Ham corner kick. The second Hammer goal was scored by Michail Antonio on the counterattack where the Jamaican international easily got the better of two different Chelsea defenders. Then came the penalty which marked the inauspicious debut of the Premier League’s most expensive player in Caicedo. West Ham’s far more economical transfer purchase, James Ward-Prowse, assisted on both of West Ham’s first two goals in his London Stadium debut.

Nottingham Forest’s Serge Aurier also had two assists for Nottingham Forest as the Tricky Trees prevailed at home in a 2-1 win over Sheffield United. As many Premier League squads search for a top-notch striker not named Haaland, Forest seems to have discovered gold in Taiwo Awoniyi. It took less than three minutes on Friday for the Nigerian striker to score in a sixth consecutive Premier League match. Some 86 minutes later Aurier provided his second assist of the match on a cross expertly headed in by Forest’s Chris Wood, the former Burnley striker. Nottingham Forest won their fourth consecutive home match at the City Ground dating to last season.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin returned from his extended injury absence only to go off in the 36th minute of a 4-0 loss to Aston Villa. Everton has little hope of scoring without their oft injured striker and on Sunday the Toffees also saw their defense collapse. Everton’s errors bordered on the comical as one Villa throw-in found Leon Bailley for a quick stroll through the Everton box for one goal. A second throw-in, this time by Everton, was easily intercepted and resulted in a later breakaway goal by Aston Villa. Everton Manager Sean Dyche is squarely on the hot seat. Aston Villa Manager Unai Emery, meanwhile, can be ecstatic at the response to his club’s humbling opening week defeat to Newcastle. Four different players scored in Villa’s eighth consecutive win at home.

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Friday, August 18, 2023

Premier League Preview: Week 2

The match of the week pits Manchester City versus Newcastle at the Etihad on Saturday. The Citizens were rocked this week by news that Kevin De Bruyne could be sidelined for up to four months with a hamstring injury which could need surgery. Newcastle, meanwhile, made a huge statement with its pounding of Aston Villa last week. Alexander Isak provides the Magpies with a dangerous threat up top while Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are formidable in the midfield for Eddie Howe’s club. Manchester City, meanwhile, will likely look to Phil Foden to pick up some of the slack for the missing De Bruyne. The absence of Ilkay Gundogan, now at Barcelona, will be more keenly felt now with De Bruyne out of the Manchester City midfield. Manager Pep Guardiola, however, still has an abundance of roster options and his club will be anxious to throw down a marker Saturday as Manchester City seeks a fourth consecutive Premier League championship.

Arsenal has its own injury issues to deal with as the Gunners prepare for Saturday’s visit to Crystal Palace. Defender Jurrien Timber incurred a serious knee injury in his Premier League debut and will be out for an extended period.

Striker Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, continues to rehab from his own knee injury. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, is regrouping this season after losing its best attacking player and club legend, Wilfried Zaha, who signed with Galatasaray. One of those expected to help cushion the loss of Zaha is promising winger Michael Olise who spurned interest from Chelsea to sign a new four-year contract with the Eagles this week. Olise, however, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. While Selhurst Park can be a tough place to play, Arsenal should have little trouble claiming its second victory of the season and sending the Eagles down to defeat.

Manchester United were fortunate to escape Wolves last week when goalkeeper Andre Onana’s reckless challenge in stoppage time was negligently ignored by the now suspended referee and VAR officials. Raphael Varane scored a rare goal to provide the winning margin in a match where former Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount was invisible and forward Marcus Rashford was ineffective. Not helping the Manchester United problems in attack is the fact that newly acquired striker Rasmus Hojlund is still recovering from a stress fracture that he brought with him from Atalanta.

The Red Devils travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday where Spurs will try to figure out their own problems up top. The departure of club legend Harry Kane has left a massive vacuum unlikely to be even partially filled by his current replacement, Richarlison. The Brazilian last week showed no improvement on the poor form which saw him score just a solitary goal last season. Transfer addition James Maddison provided some midfield magic for new manager Ange Postecoglou last week, but the Spurs’ forward line looked rather harmless in the absence of Kane. Look for Spurs to get a boost from home supporters this weekend, however, as Postecoglou makes his home debut.

Brighton had no difficulty finding goals against Luton Town last week but will face a stingier defense at Wolverhampton this week. Wolves, however, can’t score and the defense tired in the late stages versus Manchester United on Monday. Brighton scored three times after the 70th minute last week and late match fireworks could again be in store for the Seagulls.

Liverpool has an abundance of attacking threats but still managed only one shot on goal against Chelsea last week. The Reds are home at Anfield this week and should enjoy more opportunities against the wide-open style of new Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. The new manager and his Cherries can’t help but improve on Bournemouth’s last visit to Anfield when Liverpool rolled to a 9-0 victory.

Chelsea looked much improved in their opener at Stamford Bridge last week and new manager Mauricio Pochettino will be anxious to carry that momentum into a London derby match Sunday at West Ham. Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia should both be available as the heist of both players in the transfer derby with Liverpool is complete. Pochettino will need to decide whether their limited training time with the club will allow them to play a role on Sunday. Someone definitely not playing a role on Sunday is Chelsea right back Reece James who has suffered his fifth hamstring injury in the last two years. 20-year-old Malo Gusto, a January transfer from Lyon, is likely to deputize. West Ham Manager David Moyes has never beaten Maricio Pochettino in five previous Premier League matches and that streak is unlikely to change this weekend as the Hammers are retooling after the loss of Declan Rice to Arsenal. Incomings have been scarce to date for Moyes’s club though former Southampton player and set piece specialist James Ward-Prowse could make his West Ham debut on Sunday.

Aston Villa may need to do further business this transfer window after center back Tyrone Mings’s serious knee injury and Pau Torres’ ineffectiveness as a substitute in last weekend’s thumping at the hands of Newcastle. At least defensive worries shouldn’t be a problem this weekend as woeful Everton pays a visit. Everton, a goal starved relegation battler the last two seasons, trudges to Birmingham with serious doubts as to where its goals will come from this season. Perpetually injured Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin purportedly took part in a training session this week but would be a longshot to influence Sunday’s match.

Fulham, victors over Everton last week, will face a livelier attack when Brentford visits Craven Cottage on Saturday. Despite the gambling related long-term suspension of striker Ivan Toney, scorer of  20 Premier League goals last season, Brentford looked dangerous in last week’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur as dual strikers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa each notched a goal in Toney’s absence. The absence of Fulham midfielder Paulina, out with a shoulder injury, could make the Cottagers vulnerable to the Bees’ rapid counterattacking style. The Cottagers will also be without striker Aleksandar Mitrovic who injured an ankle last week even as his long-term future in London remains in doubt amid Saudi Arabian approaches. Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, signed from Wolves, has failed to score in his last 24 Premier League matches. It will thus be a tough order for the Cottagers to win for just the second time in their last nine Premier League home openers.

Looking forward, Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun has been rumored as a possible solution to a Mitrovic departure. Nottingham Forest played well in its one goal loss at Arsenal last week and the City Ground should be buzzing when the Tricky Trees host Sheffield United Friday. Sheffield United were dreadful against Crystal Palace last week with only the wastefulness of Crystal Palace preventing a rout. The Eagles launched a total of 24 shots against the Blades last week. Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga, acquired from Manchester United, recorded an assist in a substitute appearance last week and could be in the starting lineup Friday for the Trees. This will be the first Premier League meeting between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United since 1993.

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Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Premier League Week 1 Results: Magpies Come Out Flying; Manchester City Win Match, Lose De Bruyne; Arsenal Clip Forest; Manchester United Barely Escapes Wolves; Seagulls Bombard Hatters; Chelsea and Liverpool Deadlock On Pitch As Blues Win Transfer Battle

Newcastle emerged from the Premier League’s opening weekend with a statement win, thumping Aston Villa 5-1 at St. James Park. Newcomers Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes both scored in their Newcastle debuts while Alexander Isak tallied in each half of the romp for the Magpies. Callum Wilson joined in the scoring fun while Anthony Gordon continued his fine play from the summer U21 Euros. Aston Villa’s disastrous day was not limited to the scoreline. Tyrone Mings was stretchered from the field with a knee injury in the first half and is expected to be out for months. Newly acquired defender Pau Torres did not impress in his relief role and reports on Monday were linking Harry Maguire with a possible move to the depleted Villans. Maguire’s move from Manchester United to West Ham hadn’t yet crossed the finish line as of early this week and Villa could now enter the fray.

The smashing win by Newcastle sets up an interesting matchup at the Etihad next weekend between Newcastle and Manchester City. The defending titlists easily disposed of Burnley 3-0 on Friday as Erling Haaland burst from the gate with two first half goals to open the Premier League season. Unfortunately for Manchester City, however, Kevin DeBruyne pulled up lame with the same hamstring injury he incurred during the spring Champions League finale. The absence of service from last season’s Premier League assists leader could be the only thing that can stop Haaland.

Arsenal looked ready to cruise over Nottingham Forest after a wonder goal by Bukayo Saka put the Gunners in front 2-0 just past the half hour mark. The Tricky Trees hung around, however, and made the Gunners sweat when Taiwo Awoniyi halved the deficit in the 83rd minute. The 2-1 final put three points in the book but the inability to effectively kill the match and a knee injury suffered by new Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber took some of the glow off the victory at the Emirates.

Manchester United were even less impressive in their 1-0 home victory over Wolverhampton. Wolves controlled the midfield throughout the contest as new signing Mason Mount made no positive impact for the Red Devils. The match’s only goal came from unexpected sources as fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaca, often criticized for his lack of contribution on the offensive end, chipped a beautiful ball into the box which center back Raphael Varane headed past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. It was only Varane’s second career Premier League goal and followed a goalless 2022/23 season for the former Real Madrid star.

United is going to need more conventional goal sources going forward and one can only hope Rasmus Hojlund, currently sidelined with a stress fracture, proves a viable answer at striker for the Red Devils. New Wolverhampton manager Gary O’Neil, meanwhile, is due to catch a break. After keeping Bournemouth up last season, he was abruptly sacked. His club performed beyond expectations on Monday and came away with nothing. Worse yet, his club probably should have had an opportunity to salvage a point but for a referee decision in stoppage time. Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana clattered into Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic in an ill-timed, reckless and unsuccessful attempt on the ball. No penalty, however, was awarded in a head scratching decision. O’Neil claimed to have received an apology immediately after the match from Jon Moss, head of the referees’ association, for an incorrect call. The culpable referee and VAR officials have now reportedly been dropped from participation in next weekend’s Premier League fixtures. At the end of the day, however, Wolves were unable to find the opponents net which could well prove their undoing this season. Their anemic attack managed only 31 goals in 38 games last season and appeared no sharper in the final third on Monday.

Brighton, meanwhile, put on a fireworks show for its home supporters as the Seagulls scored three second half goals in a 4-1 win over Luton Town. Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra both scored in their Brighton debuts as the Seagulls showed little effect from the absence of last year’s stars Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. An injury time goal by 18-year-old Evan Ferguson was one of three goals on Saturday for the Seagulls by a player 21 years old or under. Luton Town, meanwhile, looks in for a very long season.

Chelsea and Liverpool were still wrestling for the signature of Moises Caicedo on Sunday as the two clubs battled on the pitch to a 1-1 draw. The clubs deadlocked for a seventh consecutive meeting in a match for which the implications are open to  interpretation. An away point at Stamford Bridge would normally be a good result for Liverpool. Chelsea, however, were terrible last year, losing six times at home. Liverpool would thus justifiably have hoped for more out of the match. Chelsea supporters, meanwhile, were borderline thrilled with the result.  Despite dropping points at home on Sunday, the match hinted at better things ahead for the Blues this season. The club which took the pitch for new manager Mauricio Pochettino looked much improved and the Blue’s energetic play provided a welcome contrast to the lethargic drudgery of last season. New signing Axel Disasi scored in the 37th minute of his Chelsea debut to offset an earlier first half goal by Luis Diaz of Liverpool.

Winger Ben Chilwell and striker Nicolas Jackson posed continuing threat to the Liverpool defense while midfielder Enzo Fernandez was accorded Man of the Match for his best performance since joining Chelsea last year. Fernandez should be unleashed to show his talent further up the pitch as Chelsea has now closed the deal for ace defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo this week. Liverpool was the loser in the Caicedo sweepstakes and reports this week indicate Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is also posed to choose Chelsea over Liverpool in what would be yet another humiliation for the Reds. Meanwhile, the Trent Alexander-Arnold positional experiment at Liverpool again presented a high risk/ high reward element in Sunday’s match. Alexander-Arnold failed to get back and allowed Disasi a free run for the equalizing goal. The hybrid defender/midfielder, however, beautifully set up Salah for what would have been a winning goal but for an offside ruling. Salah was not a happy man when later lifted from the match in the 77th minute. Salah’s dramatic trudge to the sideline was enjoyable theatre for the Chelsea home supporters.

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou gained a point in a 2-2 draw at Brentford as the club transitions to life after Harry Kane. The former Spurs captain had already made his debut for Bayern Munich by the time Spurs took the field on Sunday. New Tottenham Hotspur player James Maddison assisted both goals, the second coming on Emerson Royal’s equalizer in the first half stoppage time. Despite the away point, Tottenham Hotspur supporters should be concerned by another non-productive effort by Richarlison. The Brazilian forward was asked Sunday to lead the line in replacement of Kane after scoring just a single league goal for Spurs last season.

Richarlison’ s former club, Everton, were once again without their only bona fide scoring threat when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was absent for the Toffees’ 1-0 loss to Fulham. Bobby De Cordova-Reid had the goal for the victorious Cottagers.

A similar 1-0 scoreline played out at Bramall Lane where visiting Crystal Place put newly promoted Sheffield United to the sword. Odsonne Edouard scored the winner as the Eagles began life without club talisman Wilfried Zaha who is now in Turkey. Crystal Palace uncharacteristically controlled 68% of the possession against the hapless Blades.

New Bournemouth Manager Andoni Iraola earned a point in his Premier League debut in a 1-1 home draw against West Ham. Dominic Solanke equalized for the Cherries in the 82nd minute to neutralize an earlier goal by the Hammers’ Jarrod Bowen. Solanke had ironically been the subject of recent transfer rumors involving the Hammers. An interesting milestone was marked by the second half introduction of newly acquired Bournemouth player Justin Kluivert. At just 24 years of age, Kluivert on Saturday became just the fourth player to have appeared in each of Europe’s top five leagues - the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

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