The first weekend of the Premier League season is over, let’s run over some of the best and worst of the weekend’s action.
Winners
Mike Phelan and Hull
No one saw this coming! With just 13 fit players and planned protests before the game, caretaker manager Mike Phelan masterminded a 2-1 victory over champions Leicester. Ben Clucas and Curtis Davies were the outstanding performers in the game. The Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint however and it could still be a major struggle for them.
Pep Guardiola
Everyone was excited to see what Pep would do with his Manchester City side and he reinforced the fact that he’s a tactical genius. The wing backs were playing as attacking midfielders at times, whilst it’s interesting to note that Kolarov was preferred in central defence. Most importantly though, Guardiola showed that he’s not afraid to make the big decisions, as he left Joe Hart out of the starting line-up. Hart’s future is now in doubt and he might not feature much under Guardiola.
Liverpool
It was tense at the end, but the 4-3 win over Arsenal was just their second in 20 visits to the Emirates. They still have defensive frailties, but four goals is a good start, especially against one of your main rivals. Philippe Coutinho was superb and it’s a strong start to the season for the Reds.
Tony Pulis
Amongst all the glitz and glamour of new arrivals in the Premier League, the rugged demeanour of Tony Pulis is still there. Some things never change and Pulis’ sides can still scrape a win by one goal. Crystal Palace dominated the game, but the Baggies scored against the run of play to take a valuable three points.
Gary Lineker
Hats off to the Match of the Day presenter for keeping his word and presenting in his boxers. Just a shame that Match of the Day clashed with Team GB winning a load of medals in the Olympics.
Eric Bailly
There’s so much excitement surrounding the arrival of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jose Mourinho that you might have forgotten the young Ivorian defender who was signed for £30 million. Bailly put in an assured display that was better than anything that was on display last season. He’s still very raw, but he could prove to be a great signing for the Red Devils.
Losers
Joe Hart
Head and Shoulders’ own Joe Hart’s Manchester City future looks to be in doubt under Pep Guardiola. As already mentioned, the England goalkeeper was dropped by his new manager, with his poor distribution skills held culpable. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but now aged 29, this could be one lesson that Hart might never get to grips with.
Paul Pogba
He’s no loser considering he didn’t actually play, but thanks to the FA, football fans across England had their hopes dashed when the most expensive player in the world was told to serve a suspension from his time in Italy.
Alberto Moreno
If James Milner’s still not fit for next weekend, many Liverpool fans would forgive Klopp for sending out a 10 man team, such was Moreno’s uselessness at the weekend. After his performance in the Europa League final, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to never see him play for Liverpool again. He was responsible for the first goal, whilst he spent too much time ball watching and not watching the opposition.
Arsene Wenger
It took until the second day of the season (or for Arsenal’s first game) for Wenger to put himself under pressure. Arsenal weren’t too bad for the first half an hour, Walcott’s missed penalty aside, but they were blown away in a 14 minute period before and after half time and they’re desperately short in reinforcements. It could be a long season for Arsenal if they don’t beat Leicester next weekend.
Alan Pardew
Crystal Palace may have made the FA Cup final, but they’ve only won twice in the league in 2016. They should have beaten WBA on Saturday, but the long standing problem of goals remains an issue. Dwight Gayle didn’t get a good run in the team and was eventually sold and Palace are now desperate for a striker. Other teams are aware; hence the price rises even more. How much longer before Pardew faces the fans’ wrath?
Jack Butland
With Hart being dropped from the Manchester City squad and a new England manager in place, Butland had the perfect opportunity to stake a claim for the England goalkeeper’s position. Unfortunately he was ruled out with injury and didn’t get a chance against Middlesbrough. His time will come though.
Jamie Vardy
Vardy was one of the best strikers in the Premier League last season, but the only thing of note he did against Hull was punch himself in the face. He turned down a move to Arsenal over the summer, but he could end up regretting it, especially if Riyad Mahrez decides to leave the King Power before the end of the window.
