Football: Early Lessons About the Season

The opening round of the Premier League season didn’t disappoint with a number of shock results, some astonishing goals and a hint of a potential fairytale story in Huddersfield Town. There are 37 rounds to go but some things are already clear about the new season.

Liverpool Has Defensive Problems

Jurgen Klopp’s men threw away more points from good positions last season than any other team in the Premier League and it seems they’re out to do it all over again.

The Reds clawed their way back into their opening round game against Watford via some sublime football but then blew their chance of picking up three points.

It came down to Klopp’s team being unable to defend simple set pieces and as always a number of individual defensive errors cost Liverpool the points. The Merseysiders seem to still be cursed with being unable to defend balls into the box, which raises the questions of what they actually get up to in training.

Unhappy players get injured

Players who want to leave their clubs have a strange habit of picking up injuries.

Ross Barkley (left) went into the season with his mind on a move to Spurs, while Philippe Coutinho was thinking about Barcelona, Virgil Van Dijk about Liverpool, Gylfi Sigurdsson about Everton and Alexis Sanchez about moving somewhere in Europe.

All of those players missed the opening weekend of football and they have one big thing in common – their desire to leave their current clubs. Surely they can’t all get hurt at the same time, can they?

Wayne Rooney’s heart is Blue

The ex-Manchester United captain had all eyes on him in the opening round at Goodison Park and did not have to wait long to score his first goal since his return to his boyhood club.

An excellent move was finished with a sumptuous header by the Englishman but his celebration and roar of delight showed the passion that has been missing from his game for the last two or three years.

The delight on his face made one think that he had somehow been kidnapped by United for all those years, eventually escaping to land back at his true home, a happy man at last.

Dele Alli is the real deal

After being kicked up in the air by Newcastle United players a number of times in Tottenham’s opening round clash the ex-MK Dons man fired back with a goal.

Alli was given the rough treatment by the Magpies, probably in an attempt to wind up him with late tackles including a nasty stamp from Jonjo Shelvey.

The England midfielder kept his cool, waited his turn and then slotted home the crucial goal on the opening weekend. He really does have it all in the locker.

Chelsea is not the same

Two red cards, a defeat to Burnley and another spate of headlines about the falling out with star striker Diego Costa were not the start that the Blues wanted for their title defence.

Antonio Conte may have had a dream first season as a Premier League manager but it seems to be all about to go wrong for him in his second season in charge at Chelsea.

A lack of options showed how naïve the club was in selling Nemanja Matic, and the decision not to allow Diego Costa to play simply exposed the squad’s lack of steel going forward. An embarrassing opening weekend showed why the Blues could have a long season ahead of them.

 

by Nubaid Haroon

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