The English Premier League. The most famous & the best league across world football. On the 5th August, the new Premier League 22/23 season kicked off.
Written by Oshome Johnbosco
The fans’s enthusiasm all summer, has led up to this moment. The joy, the banter and the drama will all come to every club this season. This article here will outline ether five key talking points from Match day 1.
ONE : Mohammed Salah’s GW1 syndrome. :
The Egyptian King Mohammed Salah once again scored in GW1 for the fifth season running, he’s scored in every opening day fixture for Liverpool since he joined the club in 2017. In total, he’s scored 8 GW1 goals, drawing him level with Premier League greats such as Sergio Aguero and Alan Shearer.
TWO : Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland. :
Much expectation is on players shoulders when making their debut in the Premier League, even more when you’re a striker, when you’re expected to deliver. This is the exact situation young forwards Darwin Nunez, who signed for Liverpool from Benfica and Erling Haaland, who joined Man City from Borussia Dortmund. Surprisingly, they both hit the ground running. Coming on as a substitute vs Fulham, Nunez grabbed a goal and an assist in his short cameo. On the other hand, Erling Haaland scored twice, for the first, he converted a penalty after he was fouled in the box, then he slotting home a through ball from Belgian Kevin De Bruyne. I believe these two strikers will reignite the amazing races for the Golden Boot days, starring the likes of : Drogba, Rooney, Aguero and much more.
THREE : The resurgence of Arsenal. :
I’m very sure, that I’m not the only one who thinks Arsenal mean business this season. After a good spell of matches in the 2nd half of last season, which almost got them back to Champions League football, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is leaving no stone unturned, and has gone big this window. With the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleskander Zinchenko and Fábio Viera arriving at the club, much to the delight of Arsenal fans. Also, not to discount the return of William Saliba, who has enjoyed spells on loan for the past 3 seasons, after joining the club in 2019. With a pre season full of goals, and a good win vs Crystal Palace, it’s no question that they can challenge for Champions League qualification, and maybe even disrupt Man City, who are favourites to win the Premier League this season. But… I won’t conclude too early, but watch out for Arsenal this season.
FOUR : Another newly promoted side going back down to the Championship, straight away? :
A trend has formed in the Premier League over the past few seasons, showing that at least one club who’s promoted the previous season, gets relegated goes back down to the Championship, the season after! Judging from GW1, Nottingham Forest look like they could go down. Alongside newly promoted clubs Fulham and Bournemouth, it’s clear they have the least Premier League experience, also with loanees from last season Djed Spence & James Garner not returning, it could be a long season for Forest fans. On the other hand, they’ve boosted their squad a lot, with over 10 players, and with smart additions such as Jesse Lingard, who knows… it’s the Premier League after all.
FIVE : Erik ten Hag’s ‘tricky’ Reds. :
It’s impossible not to talk about this seasons GW1, without mentioning Man Utd and Erik ten Hag. After a solid start to pre season, results deteriorated, with no win in the last 3, and this form has followed into the season, after a lacklustre performance resulted in a 2-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford. For me, I don’t think it’s the managers problem anymore, it’s the recruitment. With only 3 incomings so far, in : Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia, following Ralf Ragnick saying Man Utd maybe needed 10 new players for their rebuild, it’s not gone very well. With the Frenkie de Jong saga going on, like it has been for the last 90 days, and with targets ten Hag wanted such as Antony not being recruited, in general it’s been a very poor summer. Now with recent rumours coming out mentioning Adrien Rabiot could come to the club, it’s a glimmer of hope for Man Utd fans. For sure however, and can’t be debated, Erik ten Hag is a fantastic manager, who should be backed and given a lot of time, so he and his team can bring Man Utd back to the good old days.
Box To Box Football 