The 2017-18 Premier League finally kicked off last weekend. Here are five things we learned after the first round of matches.
Arsenal’s defense is (still) a joke
With all due respect to Sead Kolasinac’s, Arsenal’s key signing this summer was Alexandre Lacazette, who scored less than two minutes into his debut against Leicester last Friday. With Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker out injured, the Gunners were in a precarious situation.
Arsene Wenger opted to stick the back three that revived his side toward the end of last season, with Nacho Monreal between Kolasinac and Rob Holding at the back, and Hector Bellerin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as wing-backs. Not exactly a formula for shutdown defense, and it showed.
Arsenal struggled dealing with crosses into the box, and were unable to live with the pace of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki. Were it not for the miraculous efforts of super-subs Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, this would have been a terrible start for Wenger, completely due to the extremely porous defense on display. Speaking of which …
Liverpool’s tradition of late defensive breakdowns continues
Last season Liverpool showed an inability to close games, especially away from home (most notably losing 4-3 at Bournemouth in the last minute after leading 3-1, and tying 2-2 away to Sunderland after leading 2-0). Rest assured, Liverpool fans, this tradition appears alive and well in the new season.
The Reds’ poor defending came in different shapes and sizes against Watford. The opening goal came when Stefano Okako headed in a corner kick completely unchallenged from inside the 6-yard box, the second was the result of an avoidable miscommunication and a sloppy clearance and the third, a last-minute equalizer, saw Liverpool yet again fail to clear the ball off a set piece.
The replays show there was an offside on the final play, but nevertheless the Liverpool defense should have done better. This is becoming a disturbing trend for Jurgen Klopp’s side, both due to their inability to defend and to adjust their style according to the score line. There’s a skill to shutting games down when leading, which championship-caliber teams usually elevate to an art form, and which Liverpool are completely lacking at the moment.
It’s Huddersfield’s title to lose
After an emphatic 3-0 away win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Huddersfield sat atop the Premier League, 90 years after winning the First division (the precursor to today’s Premier League). Featuring an energetic, disciplined unit — the biggest names on the pitch were the relatively obscure Beninese striker Steve Mounie and Tom Ince, son of former England international Paul Ince — the Terriers became the big story of the first Saturday of the season.
Following the same formula that got them promoted — well-organized, mistake-free, disciplined soccer, looking to exploit any fissures in the opponent’s system — Huddersfield came away with a very deserving win. Whether this is an indication of great things to come or the Terriers will spend the rest of the season looking to avoid relegation as expected, one thing is certain: the win guaranteed David Wagner and his men became instant darlings of neutral fans everywhere.
Next: Premier League 2017-18 season preview
On a serious note, Manchester United look ready to challenge for the title
Half a billion dollars and a dozen marquee transfers later, Manchester United team are built in the Jose Mourinho mold. World-class striker comfortable playing as a true number 9? Check. Strong spine down the center? Check. Speedy, crafty wingers with world-class counterattacking transition ability? You got it.
This was all on display against West Ham as Manchester United showcased one of the more exciting renditions of Mourinho-brand soccer. Don’t give the opponent an inch of extra space (or any opportunities, at least), lull the game to a slumber and pounce in transition as soon as the ball is recovered. Once Romelu Lukaku broke the ice in the 34th minute, it was game, set, match for the Red Devils. Circle your calendars for Oct. 21, as United visit Huddersfield, a potential six-point affair that could determine the title.
After a weekend that saw Arsenal give up three goals at home, Liverpool drop two points late after a number of gaffes, Manchester City unable to impose their style upon lowly Brighton and Chelsea embarrassed at home by Burnley, it’s fair to say Manchester United made the best first impression.
Chelsea look like a shadow of last season’s team
The new season couldn’t have started worse for the current title holders, who were down to 10 men with less than 15 minutes gone in the game, following Gary Cahill’s expulsion for a dangerous tackle. Antonio Conte was forced to shuffle the lineup, bringing in young Danish defender Andreas Christensen and essentially leaving young forward Michy Batsuahy isolated on an island up front.
To keep in tune with the rest of the title contenders, Chelsea put on their own display of shambolic defending, which, to no one’s surprise, proved very costly, as they found themselves down 3-0 at halftime.
Beyond the scoreline, the game served as a potential cautionary tale for Blues fans as far as what their team might look like this season. Without three key pieces from last year’s team (Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard), Chelsea were a mere shadow of the team that won the title. Clearly the replacements are nowhere near the level of those three key pieces and it showed. Hazard’s return from injury will obviously help, as long as he’s not sold to before the end of the month, while Matic’s replacement, Tiemoue Bakayoko, will add greater solidity in midfield when he returns from an injury of his own. But the Blues’ lack of squad depth was clearly exposed.
Chelsea apologists could argue that this game was somewhat of a fluke due to Cahill’s early red (and to a lesser extent Cesc Fabregas’s red later on), but it should be pretty clear that without some notable signings before the end of the window, Chelsea will struggle to keep up with the Manchester teams, and maybe also Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal.