Ten Takeaways from the Premier League's Opening Weeks

We're a month into the Premier League season, and as the teams head into the international break to prep for Euro 2021 and World Cup qualifying, here are some storylines to follow. 

Chelsea: $270 million spent, it’s up to Frank now

Chelsea succeeded in reeling in big names in the summer window, including Hakim Ziyech of Ajax, Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen, Timo Werner of RB Leipzig, Ben Chilwell of Leicester, and former PSG captain Thiago Silva. Offense isn’t a concern for the West London side. Like last year, defensive miscues and the shortcomings of the world’s most expensive keeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, have hindered Chelsea’s ability to string together good results. This led to Frank Lampard bringing in Rennes keeper Edouard Mendy a week before the window shut, all but signaling the end of Kepa’s time at Chelsea. If Lampard can’t secure a Champion’s League place for next season, or a trophy this year, his tenure as manager of the club he’s remembered as a legend at will be in danger of ending after two years. 

Leeds United: Bielsa’s boys take the league by storm, and nobody is surprised

The odyssey is finally over. Leeds’s return to the Premier League after 16 years has produced exciting, end-to-end football. Marcelo Bielsa’s side took runaway champions Liverpool to the last kick in their opening game, falling 4-3. They have gone unbeaten since, with an offensive masterclass dispatching Fulham 4-3, grinding out a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, and containing Manchester City in a thrilling 1-1 draw. Bielsa’s tactical prowess has worked wonders for his side in the early weeks of the season, as they look to secure a finish in the top half to cap their dream return. 

Liverpool: Shock Defeat Before Break isn’t Concerning 

The champions were stunned on a wild weekend all across England, as they were soundly beat 7-2 by Aston Villa at Villa Park. This is especially shocking in that they lost their first game of last season a week before the Premier League shutdown. Granted this last game they were without star players in forward Sadio Mane and keeper Alisson Becker, the international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Jurgen Klopp to get his squad fit and ready for a title defense. A healthy Liverpool is a dangerous Liverpool, and a dangerous Liverpool is an exciting Liverpool to watch. 

Manchester City: Not the same City from 2 years ago

By no means are Manchester City a team in decline. They are, however, a team in transition. Last season was the first without longtime defender and captain Vincent Kompany, who returned to Belgium. They clearly missed his leadership and conceded 12 more goals than they did in their 98-point title winning season of 2019. This year, they are without another club icon in David Silva, who left for Real Sociedad after 10 years. Options in forwards and midfielders are no problem for City. Pep Guardiola recognized that his team still haven’t found an effective replacement for Kompany, and believe they found their man in 23-year-old Ruben Dias. While they did fall 5-2 to Leicester City in their last fixture, the season is far from over. With Sergio Agüero recovering from knee surgery waiting to rejoin a squad that includes the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, and reigning PFA Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne, City will be poised to reclaim their title. 

Manchester United: Ole or Woodward? One has to go

Manchester United’s summer transfer window can be labeled many things: a failure, a disaster, shambolic. The days of winning title after title under Sir Alex Ferguson and luring star players to Old Trafford look like distant memories. From spending £80 million on a fridge named Harry Maguire, to failing to land Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, Ed Woodward has clearly not properly backed manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær in strengthening their squad. This failure to address key weaknesses showed in their last match, where former boss Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham rolled to a 6-1 win at Old Trafford. The failure to address defensive deficiencies was highlighted by Maguire, whose mistakes resulted in 3 goals. Ole may be at the wheel for now, but it's been clear for a while that the wheels have come off. 

Tottenham Hotspur: “Mourinho Magic” has brought the best out of Spurs

I’m going to be honest. I was skeptical of Jose Mourinho succeeding Mauricio Pochettino. But the results are showing early for Spurs. After a strong finish to Project Restart saw them qualify for Europa League, Mourinho and Chairman Daniel Levy strengthened their squad by adding former Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Wolves wing back Matt Doherty. While they looked drab in a 1-0 defeat to new-look Everton, the loss provided Mourinho and Levy enough incite to fuel more moves in the window. In a stunning move, Gareth Bale returned to North London seven years after leaving for Real Madrid, alongside Europa League winner Sergio Reguilón, and Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius. The competition added to the squad has seen Spurs’ performances trend straight up, closing out a week of playing four matches in three different competitions with a resounding 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford. With Bale set to turn the already dynamic duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son into a prolific trio following the international break, many are hopeful that this is the year a trophy finds its way to N17 after 12 long years.  

West Bromwich Albion: Are they Doomed to be Labeled a Yo-Yo

Like Fulham, West Brom are a “yo-yo” club in England: they win promotion, get relegated, repeat. They’ve suffered 5 relegations from the Premier League in their history, most recently in 2017-18. Their second-place finish in the Championship last season secured their return and look to survive on the back of Brazilian playmaker Matheus Pereira. Like Fulham, they are favorites to get relegated, and early results including a 3-3 draw against Chelsea, a game they led 3-0 at halftime, shows their vulnerability at the back and inconsistencies attacking look to condemn the Baggies to spending next season in the Championship. 

Fulham: Same story as last time, no creativity or defending

It’s happening again. Another year of promotion, and big spending, only to boast the worst defensive record in the league. It’s a story Fulham are all too familiar with. This played out the last time they won promotion to the Premier League in 2018-19, where the West London side cycled through 3 managers en route to being relegated in April. Fulham believes Scott Parker is the man that can keep them up after leading the team to a victory in the Promotion Playoffs over Brentford, but a series of shambolic defensive performances and a failure to create attacking opportunities with any consistency show why Fulham are the odds-on favorite to finish bottom of the table, yet again.

Burnley: BACK SEAN DYCHE

For Burnley, finishing in the upper half of the table with considerably less resources than most clubs in the Premier League is a huge win. Last season’s 10th place finish is the second time in the last three years the club has finished in the top half of the standings. Their stay in the top-flight is threatened this year, as the Clarets are winless through their first four games. Manager Sean Dyche has pleaded with the board to bring in new players to remain in the Premier League. If he is not backed after an impressive track record with a fifth of the resources of other clubs, Burnley will surely find themselves in a relegation battle this season. 

Sheffield United: Trust in Wilder

Chris Wilder’s men stunned the Premier League last season with an impressive campaign, finishing 9th in their return to the division after 12 years away. This season, Wilder’s men have gotten off to a rough start, losing their first 4 games. Despite this start, Wilder and the Blades know they have what it takes to stay in the Premier League, and the signing of talented 20-year-old Rihan Brewster from Liverpool means the club is not giving up on the season just yet.