Wow, who doesn’t just love the international break?
After the excitement and drama brought on by the brilliant England national team, I’m sure all you football fans will be disappointed to return to the comparative dullness of the Premier League.
I really hope everyone could detect the ever so subtle sarcasm there.
As much as we love to pretend we are still interested in the failures of our national team, we’ve all been counting down the days to the return of the Premier League (and of course draft fantasy football!).
Before setting our lineups for the coming feast of football, it is first worth having a glance back at what happened in the last game week.
Manchester United 2 – 0 Leicester City
Three games, 10 goals, three clean sheets. Even Jose Mourinho will struggle to find something to complain about when it comes to Manchester United’s start to the season.
Leicester proved the biggest test the Red Devils have come across so far this season and held out for 70 minutes.
It looked like things might start to unravel for Mourinho’s side when Romelu Lukaku missed his penalty in the 53rd minute, much to the dismay of many a draft fantasy manager.
They showed strength of character to persist, and finally got the breakthrough, with super sub Marcus Rashford converting Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s corner kick. That makes it an impressive five assists for the little Armenian.
Leicester showed defensive resolve and it was by no means a poor performance. Harry Maguire is looking worth every penny of the £17 million spent on him.
Some cause for optimism for both sides, and it’s certainly time to start taking Mourinho’s giants seriously.
Manchester City 2 – 1 Bournemouth
A 97th minute goal from Raheem Sterling was all that separated the two sides come the final whistle. Everybody’s favourite draft fantasy defender, Charlie Daniels, scored an absolute rocket to throw a spanner in the works.
Pep’s side responded well though, and fought back with Gabriel Jesus getting his first goal of the season. Bournemouth put in a very good shift in defense and based on this performance it’s hard to believe they are yet to pick up a point this season.
City’s persistence paid off though and caused manic scenes when Raheem Sterling scored the winner with just about the final kick of the game. Bizarrely he then managed to get sent off for celebrating too passionately.
This was a statement from the Manchester club, and is further proof, if any was necessary, that they have what it takes to go all the way.
Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Swansea City
Crystal Palace’s terrible start to the season continued against Swansea. Their reliance on Wilfried Zaha to provide the creative spark has been exposed.
At the other end of the pitch the Swans were finally showing that they can survive this season, scoring their first two goals of the season. Tammy Abraham was a particularly bright light in their attack, scoring as well as setting up a few chances.
Things will have to change for this Palace side if they are going to bear any draft fantasy fruit. Rumour has it that Frank De Boer will be the first manager to be sacked this season if his side lose to Burnley this weekend, so watch this space.
If a new manager is brought in and Palace can start to hit some form then Christian Benteke and Zaha will both be at the heart of things.
Huddersfield 0 – 0 Southampton
Admittedly, prior to the season starting I was backing Huddersfield to really struggle this term. Having watched them these last three weeks I have been nothing but impressed with how they have gone about things.
Yet to concede a Premier League goal and two wins and a draw so far this season is a very good return. Southampton are no easy opposition and to keep a clean sheet against them is nothing to be sniffed at.
Southampton, meanwhile, struggled to contain the Northern side early on. They grew into the game and in the second half started to create and could have stolen the win late on with Bertrand having his header cleared off the line.
This was about as exciting a goalless draw can get, and it really is refreshing to see a newly promoted team try to play an attractive brand of football.
Chelsea 2 – 0 Everton
This was the Chelsea of last season that turned up against Everton. Dominant and comfortable throughout the game.
Alvaro Morata is looking like a real player, and more than capable of filling the boots left behind by wantaway Diego Costa. Another goal and assist for the Spaniard.
Question marks remain over their squad depth, although deadline day signings Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater may ease the burden on their starting 11.
They still have the smallest squad of the top six clubs and it remains to be seen how they will cope when the Champions League comes around this month.
This Everton performance was proof of the hangover midweek European tournaments can cause. They struggled to really get into their stride and it is obvious they are lacking a true goalscorer, having lost a certain Belgian striker this summer.
This month could be testing for both sides with the games coming thick and fast, and we will soon know if their squads can handle the pressure.
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