Could Fulham be the new Leeds?
Fulham really went for it in their opening day draw with Liverpool by pressing them at every opportunity and causing them problems. After the performance they put in against a side as good as Liverpool; Could they be the new Leeds?
When Leeds came up a couple of years ago they started the majority of their games on the front foot and really went for it against the big teams including Liverpool and Man City. They gave Liverpool a good game on the opening day of that season and later went on to beat Man City and Spurs as well as taking points off Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United.
The way Fulham approached their game against Liverpool was similar to the way that Leeds approached their games a couple of years ago in starting games on the front foot and really going after teams. Their performance will certainly give them confidence going into the rest of the season and the majority of teams in the league will certainly be wary of what they can offer going forward.
Nottingham Forest to take time to get going
Nottingham Forest have brought in a lot of players this summer and have also let a lot of players go with the majority of them leaving after the expiration of their contracts. With a huge number of players being brought in and Forest themselves being a newly promoted team, it's definitely going to take some time for them to get into their stride.
Their opening day defeat to Newcastle proved this as they looked disjointed for most of the game. You could see why they were disjointed in that it was the first time the majority of their players played with each other. They had to make a load of signings because a number of players left in the summer and in order to survive in the Premier League you need to make signings in order to improve your team. But with the amount of signings they actually made, it's definitely going to take some time till Steve Cooper finds his best 11.
Southampton will be in a relegation battle
Southampton are one of my tips for relegation this season and their 4-1 defeat to Spurs on Saturday showed why. They looked all over the place defensively like they did at times towards the end of last season with all the goals they conceded being poorly defended. Spurs were brilliant on the day but you can't defend like the Saints did at Premier League level. Especially against a team like Spurs.
One of the reasons why I expect them to be in the relegation mix is because they don't have a regular goal scorer in their team. With their defence not looking very watertight at all, I can fully expect them to be down there because of that very reason alongside their lack of a goal scorer issue. The pressure was on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl going into the season and that pressure has now increased.
United job now even tougher for Ten Hag
Erik Ten Hag knew that he had a tough job on his hands the moment he arrived at Man United. But after their opening day defeat to Brighton, his task has been made even more challenging than it was when he first arrived and their performance against the Seagulls showed us why.
They were poor throughout against Brighton as their work rate off the ball was poor and defensively they looked all over the place. Both goals were poorly defended as no one picked up Pascal Gross or was told to keep an eye on him and their work rate off the ball leading up to their second goal was just unacceptable. It will take them time to get used to Ten Hag's methods but they still could've put in a bit more effort on the day with it being their first game under their new manager. Ten Hag himself will have learnt a lot about his team after this defeat.
Haaland gives City what they lacked last season
Erling Haaland got his Premier League career off to the best possible start by scoring twice on his debut in Man City's 2-0 win at West Ham. His overall performance was impressive as he made runs in behind and acted as a focal point which is the kind of payer that City haven't had for the last couple of years. He ran in behind to win his side a penalty which he scored and he certainly offered them a focal point for his second goal where Kevin De Bruyne picked him out and he scored the winning goal.
They may have won the title last season without a recognised striker but there were certain games where they needed one. Particularly against the teams who defend with a low block. Haaland will surely be the difference maker in those kind of games this season as he's someone who can offer a focal point which is something City didn't have last season due to them playing without a recognised striker. Some people said in pre-season that it will take him time to get used to the Premier League, but after an impressive debut he'll be full of confidence and eager to score more goals.
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