Mikel Arteta couldn’t have dreamt of a more comfortable start to Arsenal’s title defence, sauntering to a stress-free 3-0 win over Frank Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry City. It was the type of unerring performance that will have sent a bit of a shudder throughout the rest of the league.
Arsenal open league account in ominous fashion
Mikel Arteta couldn’t have dreamt of a more comfortable start to Arsenal’s title defence, sauntering to a stress-free 3-0 win over Frank Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry City. It was the type of unerring performance that will have sent a bit of a shudder throughout the rest of the league. Arsenal wasted little time in pulling ahead, with Kai Havertz cooly slotting home Califiori’s cross in the 15th minute. Arsenal doubled their lead soon after, as Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth could only parry a Tzolis cross directly into the path of a grateful Bukayo Saka. Martin Odegaard was exceptional throughout and got his just desserts in the 2nd stanza, awkwardly bundling a ball home to make it 3-0 to the Gunners. This felt like a statement win in a weekend where several would-be title contenders stumbled (United lost at Hull while Liverpool drew at Newcastle).
City leave it late
Manchester City were the one top side who were able to answer Arsenal’s call. But barely. Enzo Maresca’s first league match in charge of City was ten minutes away from ending in disaster. The Citizens looked directionless during large portions of their clash against Bournemouth, lacking speed in wide areas while looking vulnerable on the counterattack (which is a holdover of the Guardiola era). Tavernier swept Bournemouth ahead in the 28th minute, giving the Cherries the perfect platform to implement their counterattacking game. Haaland and Guehi both missed gilt-edged chances in an afternoon that just never felt like springing into life. The Guardiola exit has sparked a mass exodus of players that is threatening to end City’s title charge before it begins. But the Citizens showed real grit against this battle-hardened Bournemouth side, levelling matters through a powerful 84th minute Guehi header. French mastermind Rayan Cherki then produced a moment of genius from off the bench, providing a defence-splitting pass for Gvardiol to net a stoppage-time winner (his 2nd assist of the match). But make no mistake: this City side is leagues behind Arsenal at this point. Whatever you think of Anderson, he can’t replace Rodri, Silva, Stones, Ake and Reijnders.
Bayern Munich predictably win German curtain-raiser
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich got their season off to a solid start, seeing off a typically well-organized Dortmund side 2-1 to claim the German Supercup. Bayern barely needed to get out of first gear during their dominant first-half performance. Debutant Nathaniel Brown gave Bayern the lead, finishing off after Michael Olise had chested the ball into his path. The mesmeric French winger then got on the scoresheet himself, taking advantage of some lacklustre Dortmund defending before going on a typically mazy run and finish. Superb. Niko Kovac’s rigidly defensive side were allowed a bit more freedom in the 2nd stanza and laid siege to the Bayern goal for the final 20 minutes. Mercurial striker Fabio Silva gave Dortmund a whiff of hope after pulling one back in the 75th minute. But Die Schwarzgelben just couldn’t get out of their own way, as Bensebaini was sent off for a straight red while Beier fluffed a one-on-one chance. All in all, it was a comfortable day for Die Roten, who had 20 shots compared to Dortmund’s eight. It’s hard to see the balance of power in German football shifting anytime soon.
Italian giants thrive in opening Serie A fixtures
Serie A returned with a bang this weekend, as stunning goals and controversy reigned supreme. Inter looked unfazed in the first match of their title defence, sweeping past Monza 4-1 despite all the Lautaro transfer speculation (the Inter president insisted that Martinez is not for sale). Inter were just superior from start to finish, with Calhanoglou and Esposito both scoring special goals. Allegri’s Napoli had to do things the hard way, weathering plenty of Genoa pressure before escaping with a controversial 2-0 away victory. De Bruyne appeared to give Genoa captain Johan Vasquez a proper shove in the build-up to his opener. VAR looked at the incident and somehow backed the referee’s initial decision to allow the goal. It is perhaps the most blatant foul that I have ever seen VAR ignore in Italian football (they tend to award fouls at the mere suggestion of contact). Elsewhere, Juventus and AC Milan both picked up gritty away victories.
Espi saves Mourinho at Espanyol
Jose Mourinho began his 2nd tenure at Real Madrid with a tricky little away trip to Espanyol. The arch-pragmatist opted for Dumfries over Alexander-Arnold in that right-back role, drawing a clear line in the sand when it comes to that debate. Real were on the front foot from the get-go, taking the lead after Jude Bellingham rose to meet a delicious Guler delivery. Turkish playmaker Adra Guler was pulling all the strings for Los Blancos, helping to paper over ineffectual performances from star men Mbappe and Vini Jr (they were getting in each other’s ways again). The Madrid giants lost their lead before halftime, as Calatrava drifted into the box and finished emphatically. Mourinho then did Mourinho things, yanking Guler off early in the 2nd stanza to audible sighs of frustration. Mourinho fortunately had time to redeem himself, bringing on summer signing Carlos Espi in one final push for the three points. And it worked a treat, as the former Levante man cleverly jinked his way around the Espanyol keeper before firing in the winner. Can you imagine the headlines if Espi hadn’t bailed him out? It wouldn’t have been a good look after the entire Rodri fiasco.
Barcelona run riot at Elche
And to think, Rodri didn’t even feature in last night’s demolition of Elche. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona proved they are not only the best team in Spain, but they are also on the verge of challenging PSG as the best team in Europe. Barcelona were sluggish out of the gates but roared into life after Raphinha was clumsily fouled inside the box. Raphinha duly converted to begin the rout. New signing Karim Adeyemi made it 2-0 just before the break, cooly slotting home to herald his arrival. Anthony Gordon made his La Liga debut as a 2nd half sub and had an immediate impact, expertly feeding Raphinha to make it 3-0. Gordon showed complete selflessness for Barca’s 4th, squaring the ball to Fermin Lopez when he had the goal at his mercy. Fermin Lopez would complete the 5-0 thrashing in the 79th minute, turning adroitly before another composed finish. Wunderkind Lamine Yamal didn’t look fit, but it didn’t matter. These are worrying signs for Mourinho and co.
Player of the Week- Raphinha
I was struggling to come up with a viable candidate for this week’s Player of the Week. That was until Raphinha ripped through the Elche side like a demented velociraptor. The Brazilian had one of his best nights playing in that central role, producing an all-action showing that highlighted what Brazil missed out on when injury brought his World Cup to a premature end. He won and converted the penalty that opened the scoring. He then deliciously threaded the ball through for Adeyemi to make it 2-0 just before the break. He then completed his brace in the 2nd stanza, latching onto Gordon’s through-ball before cunningly finishing at the near-post. Raphinha kept Elche’s defence pegged right back, inviting his Barcelona teammates to suffocate the home side.
