Less than two weeks have passed since the return of the Premier League and a number of fascinating narratives are already in play.
Both Arsenal and Man City have picked up right where they left off last season having achieved two wins from two in their opening fixtures.
Joining them is Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton. The Seagulls currently sit top as they attempt to navigate the difficult task of competing with the biggest clubs domestically while managing a fixture list that will only become more congested as they embark on their first European adventure.
Meanwhile, the host of new regulations announced over the summer have seen officials offer a much stricter enforcement of the rules with every single team having at least one player booked in addition to several red cards being handed out.
With plenty of action to analyse, Mail Sport goes through the 10 things we learned.
Five players were sent off this weekend as officials enacted stricter enforcement of the rules
Ward-Prowse is perfect for West Ham
After suffering a devastating relegation with his boyhood club, it is fair to say that James Ward-Prowse’s career had reached an impasse this summer.
With more than 400 total appearances under his belt for Southampton, the midfielder was faced with the prospect of trying to keep his England dreams alive while playing in the second-tier for the first time in his career.
As such, a move to West Ham earlier this month was imperative for the 28-year-old to keep himself in contention for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next summer’s euros.
Questions of how Ward-Prowse would adapt to his new team were quickly answered in his performance as the Hammers played host to Chelsea on Sunday.
The ever-present threat from set pieces Ward-Prowse provides is perfect for David Moyes’ side and a pair of assists in his debut will only boost his confidence for the season to come.
James Ward-Prowse enjoyed a dream debut as West Ham defeated Chelsea 3-1 on Sunday
Chelsea’s recruitment remains a sour spot
As one debutant enjoyed a perfect start to life at his new club, another endured an afternoon to forget at the London Stadium.
Moises Caicedo’s British-record transfer fee is bound to bring a significant weight of expectation to Mauricio Pochettino’s new signing, with the Blues dramatically beating Liverpool to the punch by securing the defensive midfielder’s signature.
However, Caicedo failed to live up to his billing after appearing as a second-half substitute, giving away a crucial penalty after just 33 minutes on the pitch to allow Lucas Paqueta to seal the hosts’ win.
Caicedo’s performances for Brighton last season prove he has to potential to be the defensive lynchpin of Chelsea’s midfield for years to come if given time to develop.
But with the Blues yet to secure a secure a Premier League win after another high-spending summer, the pressure is on for the Ecuadorian to find his form and live up to his sizeable fee.
But the same could not be said for Chelsea’s £115million summer signing Moises Caicedo
Brighton are top four contenders
For most clubs, losing arguably their best player can be enough to put an early dampener on their season, to lose two? Cause for all-out panic.
Not Brighton though. While Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister struggle to find their feet after departing for pastures new this summer, Roberto De Zerbi has continued seemingly unphased at the Amex with his side sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table.
The Seagulls’ collective strengths punctuated by moments of individual brilliance was on full display in their rout of Wolves on Saturday.
Kaoru Mitoma’s first-half run and finish offered just the latest proof of his sublime skill on the ball, and their spell of dominance after the interval should serve as a warning to every team looking to rival them for European football this season.
Can they maintain their momentum throughout the campaign? Only time will tell as they ply their trade on the continent for the first time, but make no mistake about it, Brighton are contenders.
Losing two of their biggest stars over the summer seems to have had little impact on Brighton
Rice can grind out wins for the Gunners
After a campaign as heartbreaking in its conclusion as it was exhilarating throughout its duration for Arsenal fans, Mikel Arteta needed to make a statement of intent in the transfer market to ensure his side’s momentum was not squandered.
The Gunners’ failure to land Moises Caicedo and Mykhailo Mudryk in January despite being heavily linked with both failed to inspire confidence, but the arrival of Declan Rice for a club-record fee is proof the club are prepared to invest to compete at the highest level.
After securing a comfortable win against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League opener last week, Arsenal were made to work to secure three points against Crystal Palace.
In a hard-fought victory, Rice was integral to his team’s success, pulling the strings and being named man of the match as the 10-man Gunners emerged victorious at Selhurst Park.
If Arteta’s side are to have any chance of keeping pace with Man City this season, these are must-win games, and the quality and stability Rice brings to the club’s midfield will be essential.
Declan Rice was instrumental to Arsenal’s success as they defeated Crystal Palace on Monday
Everton are already in trouble
While Arsenal set their sights on a title charge, Everton must already be fearing the possibility of finding themselves in another relegation battle come the end of the season.
Recruitment has been slow for the Toffees this summer, and while they remain hopeful of signing Wilfried Gnoto from Leeds, their performances off the pitch have shown little signs of improvement.
While some encouraging signs could be gleaned from the club’s clash with Fulham, Sunday’s defeat to Aston Villa was nothing short of a walkover.
To make matters worse, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury nightmare continued on his return to action, with the 26-year-old forced off sporting sizeable swelling after a clash with Emi Martinez.
Clashes with Wolves and Sheffield United await Sean Dyche’s side, with victories already seeming necessary to avoid the club once again spending the campaign teetering on the precipice of relegation.
Everton’s second consecutive Premier League defeat was made worse by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury
United need to sign a striker
After so much cause for excitement during the latter part of Erik ten Hag’s maiden season at Old Trafford, Man United’s position after two games feels strangely familiar.
Of course, the pressure on the Dutchman to find success isn’t quite as intense as it was after defeats to Brighton and Brentford last season, but it is unquestionably present.
While the growing pains of United’s midfield three of Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, and Mason Mount is undeniably a cause for concern, the club’s lack of goals must be addressed as a priority.
The controversy surrounding Mason Greenwood’s future at the club will have no doubt been an unwanted distraction, but Ten Hag must now look to move forward with finding a solution to his side’s issues in front of goal.
Rasmus Hojlund is expected to be the answer to United fans’ prayers when he returns from injury, but the youngster remains unproven in the Premier League and there is little depth to rival him for a starting place, particularly with Anthony Martial poised to leave.
A lack of attacking options is a serious cause for concern for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United
Toney’s future could be away from Brentford
After enjoying his most prolific season in the top flight last term, Ivan Toney’s world came crashing down with the news that he had been banned from all footballing activities for breaching FA betting regulations in May.
The 27-year-old remains unable to return until January, but revealed on a podcast that he has ambitions of a move away from the club he joined in 2020.
Speculation mounted throughout the summer that Toney could be Harry Kane’s successor after the England captain departed for Bayern Munich, but Toney revealed he has always seen himself playing on the other half of North London.
Speaking to Diary of a CEO, the England international insisted he harboured ambitions of playing ‘at the highest level possible’ and named Mikel Arteta’s side as the place he’d most like to do that.
‘The next club I go to if I was to move, it would be the right club. I’ve been a Liverpool fan my whole life but from young, I’ve liked Arsenal, watching Arsenal, how they play & how passionate the fans are.’ Toney said.
Ivan Toney indicated he sees a future away from Brentford in a recent podcast appearance
Stricter rules are having an effect
One of the main talking points heading into this season came following the announcement that officials would enact stricter regulations surrounding dissent and timekeeping.
As with any changes to the laws of the game, players, managers and officials will have to adapt to the new protocol. This has become immediately apparent, not just with the amount of stoppages added on in games, but also in the sharp uptick in the number of red cards being handed out.
This past week saw five players sent off across nine games, with Alexis Mac Allister, Matheus Nunes, Tim Ream, Nayef Aguerd and Takehiro Tomiyasu all seeing red.
Comparatively, last season marked a record low in red cards, with just 30 sendings off across the entire season.
Should the current trend continue, this week’s five, combined with Anass Zaroury’s red on the opening day would average out to a total of 114 over the course of the campaign, significantly higher the the record 71 reds handed out in 2014-15.
Alexis Mac Allister was one of five players to see red in the second Premier League weekend
Ange has Bissouma revitalised
Ange Postecoglou inherited an unenviable task when he departed Celtic to take the job as Tottenham manager in June.
Spurs had just recorded their worst league finish in more than a decade, missing out on European football on the final day of the season by a single point.
To make matters worse, Kane, one of their few standout performers in an otherwise dismal campaign, left for Bayern Munich leaving the club lacking in attacking options.
But if Saturday’s win over Man United is anything to go by, Postecoglou is the man to revitalise a Spurs side that has been largely bereft of attacking flair since Pochettino’s sacking in 2019.
With a disappointing maiden season at the club put behind him, Yves Bissouma produced an excellent performance against United and demonstrated he has the ability to be the orchestrator of Postecoglou’s re-energised midfield.
Yves Bissouma was at the heart of everything as Spurs defeated Man United on Saturday
City are still the team to beat
Perennial winners, Pep Guardiola’s Man City have an uncanny ability to secure three points even amid unfavourable circumstances.
City entered their clash with Newcastle with the knowledge that talisman Kevin De Bruyne will spend months on the sidelines with injury and that Lucas Paqueta’s mooted move had collapsed amid a betting probe from the FA.
And yet, the club’s depth in talent remains enough that they can defeat would-be contenders to their crown comfortably even with a weakened side.
Given the opportunity to start at the Etihad, Phil Foden demonstrated he has all the quality to be a guaranteed started for almost any other team in world football, creating Joel Alvarez’s winner on a rare off day for Erling Haaland.
Guardiola complained about his side’s congested schedule before the game, but those kind of performances will do little to declutter their calendar as City aim to progress in every competition and enjoy an even more successful campaign than their last.
Phil Foden was excellent as a rotated Manchester City side comfortably saw off Newcastle
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