The Premier League has finally returned and matchweek 1 certainly didn't disappoint. The opening fixtures produced a staggering 34 goals, a total that has only once been surpassed on the opening weekend of the season. On top of that, not a single match ended in a draw.
In a weekend full of headlines, we'll take a long at some of the biggest winners and losers with observations mixed in.
Winner: Brentford
If you hadn't heard of Brentford before Friday, you certainly have now. The London club announced its Premier League arrival with a comprehensive victory over perennial "big boy" Arsenal. This marked the Bees' first match in England's top flight for 74 years.
The stand-alone fixture on Friday gave Brentford the perfect opportunity to grab a firm hold of the footballing world's attention. And that they did. Completely outclassing Arsenal for the full 90 minutes, the newcomers showed that the gap between the traditional "top and bottom" of the league is not so large (One of the primary reasons why the Premier League is often regarded as the best league in the world).
Everything about the night was perfect from a Brentford perspective. From front to back, the Bees' performance was impressive. Sergi Canos' near-post strike in the first half sent the Community Stadium into rapture and Christian Nørgaard's header off of a long throw sealed the victory. David Raya showed well for himself, commanding his area, confidently claiming crosses and making a superb save late-on to preserve his side's clean sheet. Ivan Toney did not score, but he played well and won a handful of aerial duels.
The atmosphere was incredible as Brentford welcomed their fans to the Premier League in supreme style. They also christened their new stadium with a victory after moving from historic Griffin Park, which had been their home for over 100 years.
The club that has relied heavily on analytics and intense scouting during their rise through the English footballing pyramid showed that they might just be up for the task this season. Their performance showed that they can do it in multiple ways—high pressure, counter attacking and direct play. It really feels like there is a special bond at the club between players, coaches and fans, which was emphasized by the heartwarming post-match scenes.
We'll see if Brentford can sustain this quality throughout the season. One thing is for sure though. On Friday, they were head-and-shoulders better than Arsenal.
Loser: Crystal Palace
Patrick Vieira's managerial debut for the Eagles ended in disappointment with a 3-0 thrashing away to Chelsea. Vieira had never lost to the Blues during his time as a player, but his fortune quickly shifted once he stepped into the technical area.
Chelsea is a good side, and Palace historically struggle against them, so should this loss really worry Eagles fans?
Yes. Palace were completely outclassed on the day. They were outshot by a six to one margin and were inept going forward, barely troubling the Chelsea goal. The attack was only able to muster one shot on target, and if it weren't for some quality saves from Vicente Guaita in goal, it could have been a much more lopsided scoreline.
What's even more worrisome for Vieira is the lack of depth in the squad, especially in attack. The matchday squad featured only two new signings—Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen—both of whom are central defenders. The bench featured four youth players, which on the surface is not a bad thing, but it does speak to the lack of first-team depth at the club. I fear that Palace will miss the creativity of Eberechi Eze, who is out indefinitely after an achilles injury, and Andros Townsend who departed for Everton in the summer.
Palace were a bit lucky last season that the relegation battle was done and dusted with weeks left to play. They weren't great down the stretch, and if they aren't careful, that form will continue into this season.
Vieira needs one of two things—either productivity out of familiar faces or the ability to sign more attacking options before the transfer window closes. He will look to Wilf Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke to lead the line, as they have been able to do in past Premier League campaigns.
I just worry it may not be enough. If Palace does not sign more players, they could be in for a long season.
Winner: Nuno
Tottenham Hotspur opened their season with an impressive shutout victory over defending Premier League champions Manchester City.
Headlines before the match were consumed by the debut of Man City's new signing Jack Grealish and the absence of Spurs' start Harry Kane. Kane has been rumored to be a transfer target of the Cityzens and was mysteriously absent from the Tottenham matchday squad.
Much of this overshadowed what could have been a larger story—Portuguese manager Nuno Espírito Santo taking charge of his first competitive match for the club. Nuno led Wolverhampton to promotion in 2018, and then immediately to back-to-back Europa League berths and 7th place finishes. After an underwhelming 13th place finish, the Portuguese was recruited to Spurs to succeed José Mourihno.
Many, including myself, questioned this appointment from Spurs perspective. However, Nuno hit the ground running, shocking the champions without their star forward and last-year's golden boot winner.
Spurs didn't seem to miss Kane too much, though. Son Hueng-min, playing in an advance role, was brilliant and scored a goal worthy of winning any match. Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn was a bright spot and looked positive going forward, while young player Japhet Tanganga staked his claim for the starting right back position as the season goes on with a Man of the Match performance.
Nuno seems to have generally stuck with Spurs tactics from last season, while implementing some tweaks. The London club mostly played on the counter-attack, something they often did last season. However, this was likely also dictated by the opponent, as City is known for out-possessing basically everyone they play. While Spurs were out-possessed by a two-to-one margin, shots and shots on target were generally pretty even.
Nuno stated prior to the match that Kane was not included in the matchday squad due to a lack of fitness. Whether that is the case or not, what better way to send a message to the star-man than to defeat the defending champions who he is rumored to be joining.
It's a joyous start to a new era for Nuno and Spurs, and possibly a statement to Harry Kane on where he should play his football in the future.
Loser: Steve Bruce
It's clear by now that Newcastle United are in capable hands when it comes to Steve Bruce. However, it's a continuous theme that the club refuses to back their manager with the financial support necessary to strengthen the squad.
Newcastle named a matchday squad with zero new signings. The only player that was new to the squad this season was their goalkeeper, Freddie Woodman, who was out on loan in the Championship last year. They have made one signing in this window in the shape of Joe Willock, and that deal was completed just this weekend.
The Magpies finished 12th last season, but that finishing position is a bit inflated, as they catapulted themselves three spots with a victory and other teams' losses on Championship Sunday.
Clearly, defense is the issue for Newcastle. They conceded 62 goals last season, which was 5th most in the league. Now, on top of his outfield defenders, Bruce is struggling at the goalkeeper position. First-choice Martin Dúbravka is sidelined with a foot injury that he incurred while playing at EURO 2020 with Slovakia. Likely deputy Karl Darlow is still out as he recovers from a spell with COVID-19 that saw him hospitalized in last month.
This leaves 24-year-old Woodman as Bruce's first-choice. Woodman appears to be a capable replacement coming off of a career season with Swansea City last year. The Welsh side was within one win of promotion to the Premier League through the playoff, and Woodman was a huge part of the Swansea defense that conceded less than a goal per game. Multiple Championship clubs have shown interest in Woodman, but Bruce is unlikely to let him go due to his current lack of options in between the sticks.
On Sunday, the Magpies fell to West Ham United 4-2, further solidifying their defensive woes. Going forward, the team created chances and looked threatening. There are reasons to be positive in that regard, since this is all without Willock, who was a live wire for Newcastle last season when he was on loan on Tyneside.
However, Newcastle's downfall was their inability to defend. They led twice in the match, and both times managed to forfeit the advantage. Woodman made five saves, including a penalty save on which the rebound was scored.
The board needs to give Bruce the ability to go out and sign Premier League-quality players. In the mean time, the gaffer has the tough task of addressing the defensive woes. If they are not addressed, I could see Newcastle in a difficult spot down the stretch.
Winner: Manchester United's midfield
Manchester United kicked off the season in some style, thrashing Leeds United 5-1. Energized by the pre-match announcement of new arrival Raphaël Varane, the Red Devils utilized an incredible second-half to pull away from Leeds.
The Yorkshire club generally possesses a very strong midfield, a requirement under manager Marcelo Bielsa. While they were without standout and England international Kalvin Phillips (rest), Leeds was utterly dominated in the middle of the park on Saturday. Man United's midfield was truly where the match was won, and was the reason that it was done is such sumptuous fashion.
Paul Pogba, who has been the brunt of much criticism since his return to Man U in 2016, showed why there is no such player like him on his day. The Frenchman provided four assists (yes, you read that correctly), including one to his midfield mate Fred who rarely scores. With this feat, Pogba became the 7th player in Premier League history to assist four goals in a single match and the first ever Man United player to do so.
Oftentimes, if you record four assists, you won't have much trouble claiming the headlines and the Man of the Match award. Attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes made it difficult on Pogba, though, as he net a hat trick.
Fernandes finished 3rd in the race for the golden boot last year, netting 18 goals. However, he received some criticism as half of these came from the penalty spot. On Saturday, Fernandes scored all three goals from open play, showing a range of striking and finishing ability in the process. It's clear that the Portuguese is out to prove the haters wrong this season.
The rest of the midfield showed well for themselves as well, including a positive outing from Dan James, for whom the criticism has not ceased since his arrival at Old Trafford. Fred got on the scoresheet and Scott McTominary, the other holding player, did well in his role of protecting the back four. Leeds United looked unlikely to score if not for Luke Ayling's wonderstrike just before halftime. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was also able to hand new signing Jaden Sancho his debut as a substitute.
Overall, it was an extremely successful beginning to what Man United hope to be a run at the title. And it was especially impressive from the midfield bunch.
Loser: Mikel Arteta
This list would be incomplete without an Arsenal representative somewhere in the loser category. Thus, the manager gets the nod here after the team's inept performance against Brentford.
It's harsh to wholehearted blame Arteta for his team's performance on the pitch. However, as the manager, the backlash naturally falls on him when the team struggles.
A lack of signings is absolutely not the problem for the Arsenal manager. The starting XI included new arrivals Ben White and Albert Sambi Lokonga, as well as Emile Smith Rowe who just signed a new long-term contract with the club in the days before the match.
White, having been a centerpiece for Brighton and Hove Albion last season, should have no problem "adapting" to life in the Premier League. He seemed comfortable enough in the match, but right back Callum Chambers looked completely out of place, as he was beaten and exposed multiple times. Sambi Lokonga was virtually invisible. Arteta handed academy graduate Florian Balogun the start at striker in the absence of P.E. Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, but the young player failed to create anything and Arteta was forced to remove him after 60 minutes.
The manager was without his star forwards, and elected to bring Bukayo Saka off the bench, likely due to his lack of rest over the summer as a result of his role with England at EURO 2020. However, the job does not look to be getting any easier in the coming weeks, as news has come out that both Aubameyang and Lacazette seem to be ill and may miss Arsenal's clash against Chelsea at the weekend.
Arteta is under increasing pressure after last season's eighth place finish and its missing out on European football. On top of that, rumors have now come out that Arsenal may be open to selling Aubameyang before this transfer window closes.
If Arteta is to survive these early difficulties, his attacking midfielders must preform well in the absence of the club's star strikers. Saka will likely be restored to the starting XI to take his place along side Smith Rowe. Gabriel Martinelli, coming off an Olympic gold medal with Brazil, and Nicalos Pépé must also step up and produce for their manager if the side is to push for European football this season.
Big Winner: Fans and Spectators
We all saw how different football was during the pandemic for a myriad of reasons. The most difficult and odd part of it all was surely watching football matches with empty stands.
The return of live fans to Premier League grounds this weekend was a victory for everyone. One could even see the quality and intensity of matches increased in some situations, as fans willed their teams on. There is nothing like hearing the explosion of noise when a goal is scored.
It's also important to mention that the reintroduction of spectators allows clubs to start collecting ticket revenue. While this may not be as vital for Premier League clubs, lower league clubs have been desperate for this, as many of them have experienced financial struggles throughout the pandemic.
While live spectators were certainly given a treat, even those of us that tuned in to watch electronically were rewarded. Only four teams failed to score, and as previously mentioned, the 34 total goals was the second-most ever on the opening weekend of the season. There wasn't a single match, really, where a brilliant goal was not scored.
Another aspect of the new season in which the fans benefit is the new points of emphasis in regards to refereeing. In short, there are three new VAR implementations that will be applied in the Premier League this season;
Marginal offside decisions
When to raise the flag in regards to offside decisions
Amount of contact that equates to a foul
There will always be disagreements when it comes to officiating, and naturally, VAR. These three changes all come in situations when VAR is utilized, so it's important to discuss that too. These changes, though, have already benefitted the flow and watchability of matches in matchweek 1.
Tomáš Souček was initially flagged offside when he scored West Ham's 3rd goal against Newcastle on Sunday. After a very quick VAR review, the goal was given. The time it took to make the decision and continue with the match, in comparison to last year, was significantly less. Also, there were multiple occasions where which contact took place inside of the penalty area and teams argued for potential penalties. On every occasion, the VAR official deemed there was not enough contact to award a penalty. In past seasons, we've seen simple, even incidental contact turn into a penalty decision. It seems, with these new changes, this may be in the past.
The new changes allow the game to flow more and restarts to be quicker. Also, it's a relief to see the offside flag going up right away in certain situations now, as well as no longer utilizing virtual lines to measure whether a player is onside or offside.
Overall, the first weekend of the Premier League season was a huge victory for fans of the game. We saw brilliant and heartwarming scenes, like those at Brentford and Liverpool home fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone for the first time in nearly two years (at capacity).
The beauty and drama of the Premier League is back, and with changes to make the game more free-flowing, we all get to enjoy it.
Bonus Winner: Referees
The three new points of emphasis and tweaks to how the laws of the game will be applied actually symbolize a big victory for Premier League referees.
With every season that passes, the league will continue to review and make changes to VAR in an effort to improve it. These changes allow referees and assistant referees to increasingly call what they see and have it overturned by VAR at a lower frequency.
Linesmen can now raise the flag immediately when the offside player is not providing "an immediate and obvious goalscoring opportunity."
This was much needed as some situations in past seasons were allowed to continue (because that was the rule) and injuries could have easily occurred, even when the linesman was confident that the play was offside. It also saves time in regards to restarts and having the ball in live play.
As for the change to marginal offside decisions, the Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) has given the benefit of the doubt back to attackers on close offside decisions. The "one-pixel lines" that fans have been so accustom to seeing will no longer be used, but thicker "broadcast" lines will be. If they overlap, the goal will be given. Mike Riley, the head of the PGMOL, says that this would have resulted in about 20 more goals being given/upheld last season.
As for what contact equates to a foul, this is quite simple. Some penalties that were given, many of which after VAR intervention, were just too soft. Most of these situations occurred when referees let play continue on the field and then were called to the monitor by the VAR official.
In all three situations, the changes allow referees to be more confident in their abilities. They will be allowed to make decisions based on what they see in the moment and will be backed by VAR at a higher rate, as opposed to being undermined by it.
This will allow the standard of refereeing to be even higher. Even before VAR, Premier League referees teams were stupid good at their jobs, getting an incredible amount of decisions correct during live action. Since the introduction of VAR, it seems that there has been an effort to be "perfect," something that will never be possible.
These changes will allow some of the best in the world to do their jobs in an assured manner, while still having the protection of VAR for any clear and obvious errors. And let's face it, that's why we have VAR.
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