Life returned to English football with the launch of the new version of the Premier League, which witnessed mixed results for the major teams, and the opening matches of the season painted a preliminary scene of the form of competition in the new season.
New season, same story in Manchester United
Was it really a surprise that Manchester United this season showed the same performance as the team that faltered so much under the leadership of Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season?
Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Brighton seems surprising, but given Graham Potter's ninth-placed side last season, it is not surprising that Brighton's collective performance continues.
Der Kaiser at the double.
đź‘‘ @BrightonTools pic.twitter.com/W2iHiNuXZp
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 7, 2022
In pre-season United needed more work and turnovers from players than the five teams that finished above them in the standings last season, but they made fewer high-profile deals than their rivals.
Coach Eric Ten Hag started his first game in the league relying on Scott McTominay and Fred in the middle of the field, and this duo never appeared at the required international level.
With Cristiano Ronaldo's future ambiguous and Anthony Martial injured, Ten Hag was forced to play without a spearhead, and despite the constant fears of the right-back position, Diogo Dalot got another chance to convince.
United's signing policy has come under attack from critics in recent years, and the past few months have shown that there has been no change.
Manchester City have no problem adapting to Haaland
One of the burning questions regarding the pre-season transfers was: Can champions Manchester City's style adapt to the classic spearhead of Erling Haaland?
The answer seems clear now that the Norwegian striker from Borussia Dortmund scored two goals in the 2-0 win over West Ham United in his first match in the Premier League, because City not only adapted, but also added a dangerous weapon to his arsenal.
.@KevinDeBruyne 🤝 @ErlingHaaland#ManCity pic.twitter.com/QbSBOKozCC
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 7, 2022
Haaland is a traditional striker, meaning he is tall and strong in the air, but he showed his effective touch in front of goal in the second goal and revealed his speed and tactical prowess as well.
It may be difficult to continue his average goals in the German League, but who can bet that he does not continue the scoring profusion in England?
Darwin Nunez ready to boost Liverpool's seriousness
Perhaps the only good thing from Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday was the performance of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, who left a creative mark after coming on as a substitute by scoring a goal and creating another.
Nunez, 23, confused the Fulham defense and cooperated well with Egyptian star Mohamed Salah after a first half without offensive teeth from the runners-up last season.
If Nunez continues at this promising level, everyone will soon forget Sadio Mane's move to Bayern Munich, as well as the lackluster start to the season after the disappointing draw at Craven Cottage.
Goals from Nunez and Salah saw us leave Craven Cottage with a point in our Premier League opener ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/I1FkNr7QHv
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 6, 2022
Aston Villa needs work after disappointing performance
Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard was frustrated by the performance against Bournemouth, despite possession lacking efficiency in the last third to lose 2-0.
The team, which cost a lot of money to assemble, looked dull and only hit twice on goal out of a total of 15 attempts, playmaker Philippe Coutinho was out of action and striker Danny Ings failed to leave an imprint.
"We lacked creativity and we need to improve a lot," Gerrard said.
Conte and Arsenal
Tottenham's strong start was one of the most prominent scenes of the first round of the Premier League, as the team - led by Italian coach Antonio Conte - achieved a great victory over its guest Southampton 4-1, and confirmed that it was ready to compete for a better result than the fourth place that the team won at the end of last season. .
🇸🇪 The goal his performance deserved 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Yc6eh6g9sa
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 6, 2022
After quality contracts that included Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus and full-back Oleksandr Zychenko, attention turns to Arsenal, which succeeded in its first test when it beat its host Crystal Palace 2-0, which boosted the "gunners" hopes of achieving a return to the podiums with Spanish coach Michael Arteta, and why Looking no further than the fourth-placed Champions League qualification which has been the club's greatest ambition in years past?
Doubts Tuchel and Chelsea
Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Everton was not enough to send messages of reassurance to the "Blues" fans after the problems that afflicted the team at the end of last season due to the departure of the former Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
It seems that German coach Thomas Tuchel faces a complex task to withstand against Manchester City and Liverpool, the most prominent candidates for the title, and the team will face the first serious test starting from the second stage of the competition when it faces Tottenham in an early London derby next week.