High hopes as season begins with real bang
AS THE English Premier League rolled back into town at the weekend, we were quickly treated to a thriller as Liverpool and Leeds United went head-to-head in an opening day cracker.
It had all the ingredients of a classic – end-to-end action, eye-catching goals and defensive errors – but sadly it lacked one vital ingredient, a crowd.
Imagine the roar of the Anfield faithful as Mo Salah fired home the late winner from the penalty spot, or the vocal encouragement of the visiting fans as Leeds kept fighting back, refusing to go down lightly against the champions.
These two sides were involved in another 4-3 classic all of 20 years ago, with Mark Viduka scoring all four goals for Leeds in front of an appreciative audience as they stunned the Reds, and it’s a shame that no supporters were there in the flesh this time around.
Liverpool are well accustomed to that particular scoreline, with their 4-3 triumph over Newcastle United, when Stan Collymore smashed home the winner, widely regarded as one of the greatest Premier League games of all time, while who could forget Michael Owen’s late goal that earned Manchester United a dramatic victory against local rivals City in another seven-goal thriller?
On Saturday, Liverpool looked decidedly shaky against an ambitious Leeds outfit, with uncharacteristic errors making it a nervy afternoon for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
The Championship winners managed to lessen the customary influence of full-backs Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, and caused all sorts of problems for the usual sure-footed Liverpool defence by swarming forward in numbers.
The Reds looking less than assured may have been a departure from what we’d become accustomed to during the interrupted season just gone, but there were plenty of other things that haven’t changed – in fact, it was like the Premier League had never been away.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho continues to moan incessantly, telling all and sundry that his players were lazy and not fit enough after their loss to Everton, typically absolving himself of any sort of blame.
Just down the road, Arsenal fans are again excited about the season ahead after comfortably disposing of a piss-poor Fulham outfit, although they probably have a bit more reason to be positive this time around with Mikel Arteta laying a solid foundation to build on.
It doesn’t take a Nostradamus-style soothsayer to predict that the title race will again between Liverpool and Manchester City, but this time we should at least get a protracted battle for the
crown, rather than a procession for one or the other.
At the time of writing I haven’t seen Chelsea in action yet but, irregardless of their result against Brighton, given their activity in the transfer market they look best placed to take third spot, with Manchester United battling with them for that place as they continue to struggle to live up to past glories.
Leicester City will again be there or thereabouts in the hunt for a European place and could even snatch a Champions League spot should one of the big guns fail to fire on all cylinders.
With the astute Carlo Ancelotti in charge and a couple of decent signings in the bag, Everton fans will be dreaming big and they will
be in the mix with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester, Arsenal and Wolves for a coveted top four spot.
Things certainly don’t look promising for Tottenham Hotspur fans at the moment, and with growing discontent regarding Mourinho it seems there could be a difficult few months ahead for the Londoners.
What we witnessed at the weekend would suggest that newly-promoted sides West Brom and Fulham are in for long, hard seasons if they can’t adapt quickly to life in their new surroundings.
Leeds supporters certainly have more cause for optimism after the opening fixtures, but it should come with a large dollop of cau
tion, as several teams, like Norwich and Reading, have started the season with all guns blazing in the past, only to go into free-fall when they were hampered by the lack of depth in their squads.
Supporters of the once mighty Elland Road club are probably dreaming of a lofty top half of the table finish after going toe-to-toe with the champions, but if they manage to consolidate their position in the Premier League I’m sure they’ll be happy with their first season back in the big time.
One thing’s for sure, they’ll provide an interesting sub-plot as the usual suspects fight it out for honours, and if Saturday’s evidence is anything to go by we’re in for a thrilling ride.