• Playing scrappy football under the direction of rookie Maresca, Chelsea looked a mess against Manchester City who dominated midfield, upfront and in defence and all without the magnificent Rodri.
• The ins and outs at Manchester United this summer have not rivalled Chelsea but plenty of changes as the Reds, under new part-owners INEOS, strive for the top four. Joshua
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Chelsea fans were moaning on Sunday afternoon... “Oh no, not again! Same old, same old Chelsea!”
After spending another £150m (Sh25bn) this summer, Chelsea are no better than they were last season and instead of buying a decent striker, they bought yet another winger.
There are more wings at Stamford Bridge than at a Kentucky Fried Chicken shop!
Raheem Sterling was left upset, angry and bemused after being told by Enzo Maresca that he does not feature in his plans.
Maresca told the England man to consider his future, perhaps look for another club. Bringing back Joao Felix has caused dismay amongst Blues’ fans.
Last year, Felix spent six unsuccessful months at Chelsea and most critics reckon Sterling is the better player.
Playing scrappy football under the direction of rookie Maresca, Chelsea looked a mess against Manchester City who dominated midfield, upfront and in defence and all without the magnificent Rodri.
It was too much for Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly, who left early with his head in his hands.
Vice-captain Ben Chilwell, Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Conor Gallagher were nowhere to be seen.
Mauricio Pochettino’s style suited Cole Palmer, who won applause from all round the game.
Being pushed onto the left wing by Maresca left him isolated and out of touch. It was another mistake by the coach and as he is on probation until he proves himself in the Premier League, he is the choice of many to be the first coach to be sacked this season.
Boehly and his directors cannot allow more of their heavy spending to fail. Their ability to manage a Premier League club has been criticised and Maresca’s tactics are being severely questioned too.
Chelsea bought 11 new players this summer before Felix’ arrival. None of them started against City.
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Guardiola switches sides
Pep Guardiola is delighted with his two wing options in new signing Savinho and Jeremy Doku since it gives him options.
He spent time with the pair last week and prepared them for his plans against Chelsea. Doku regularly played on the left during his first season at Manchester City and Savinho likes playing on the right.
However, the pair started on opposite wings which Chelsea was not expecting. Guardiola instructed both players to move along the wings then cut inside and deliver balls to Erling Haaland. It didn’t go to plan, forcing him to return the wingers to their natural positions.
Guardiola jumped up from his seat 12 times during the first four minutes of the Chelsea game and he kept waving at his midfielders to get the ball out wide to the wingers.
That was his main plan. After Haaland’s goal, he again switched the players to the opposite wings. The plan ended when Savinho suffered an injury and spent the second half with an ice pack on his knee.
Guardiola’s next challenge is fitting Jack Grealish back into the starting line-up and either Doku or Savinho will probably make way.
After becoming disillusioned with life in Barcelona, IlKay Gundogan is returning to the Etihad Stadium. He earns £300k (Sh50.7m)-a-week in Spain and the Catalan club needed to reduce their wage bill to bring in Dani Olmo, who impressed for Spain at the Euros.
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Spurs go for youth
Spur’s coach Ange Postecoglou has gone for youth in his rebuild and fielded several teenagers against Leicester City in their opening match on Monday.
He had explained his plans to the players before kick-off. The new boys knew they would get some minutes. 18-year-old Archie Gray from Leeds United and 18-year-old Swedish star Lucas Bergvall are considered two of Europe’s brightest prospects.
Many fans were shocked when goalkeeper Vicario screamed and shouted at Bergvall after he lost the ball and as a result, Wilfred Ndidi forced Vicario to make a desperate save.
However, Postecoglou later explained to us that he had permitted Vicario to behave in such a way to train the youngsters in the team. To keep them focused and alert.
The Australian coach said one of the reasons he signed Vicario was because of his excellent ball-stopping qualities and he was impressed with the Italian’s temperament and leadership.
He said: “As soon as I had a conversation with him, I knew he was the right bloke for us. Beyond being an outstanding goalkeeper, he is an outstanding human being.” Spurs fans can expect more shouting from the goalkeeper if he thinks a player deserves it and Postecoglou has encouraged him to be a loud and important voice in the dressing room.
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Villa’s Duran comes out on top
Aston Villa coach Unai Emery is hoping Jhon Duran will stay at the club. It is ironic that he came off the bench and scored against West Ham, the club he nearly joined several months ago. The Hammers ended up signing Niclas Fullkrug.
Emery replaced a tired Ollie Watkins and Villa’s medical team say he needs to recover fully to carry on from his excellent performance in the Euros. Emery is being cautious speaking about Duran, who is still not convinced he will stay at Villa.
He said: “We are always open to players being approached by other clubs with lucrative offers and he is one of those players. But we know his potential and I don’t want him to leave.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has signed a new deal which keeps him at the club until 2029.
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United clever at balancing the books
The ins and outs at Manchester United this summer have not rivalled Chelsea but plenty of changes as the Reds, under new part-owners INEOS, strive for the top four. Joshua
Zirkzee enjoyed a debut to remember and with seven transfer days left, he is one of four to arrive. United decided to spend and have almost matched Chelsea with Zirkzee (£36.5m), Leny Yoro (£59m), Noussair Mazraoui (£17.1m) and Matthijs de Ligt moving in.
INEOS are business people and balancing the books is a speciality and so far they have recouped £58million by selling Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alvaro Fernandez, Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambala and Donny van der Beek. Another £18million will be banked from Facundo Pellistri joining Greek club Panathinaikos.
High wages have also been saved by moving on Raphael Verane to Italian Serie A club Como and Anthony Martial who has yet to find a new club.
United want to make one more big sale and favourites to leave are Jadon Sancho or Scott McTominay or both. They would bring in an extra £35million. Victor Lindelof, Hannibal Mejbri, who is of interest to Burnley, and Antony are available for sale.
With money to invest, Manuel Ugarte is the type of player Erik Ten Hag is looking for. At 23, he is a lively, aggressive midfielder who can tackle and hold the ball.
Casemiro has done well in that position but he is likely to feel the pressure of fast flowing football and slowed down considerably at the end of last season. PSG want £50m for Ugarte but United have only put £35million on the table so far which has been rejected.
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City to double Rodri’s wages
If you own the best midfielder in the world, it is wise to offer him wages which reflect his quality, importance and respect. Manchester City have done just that and Rodri will see his salary double to match the club’s top earners Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
Rodri can earn a basic £375k (Sh63m)-a-week which is fair for the Spanish midfielder who was voted Player of the Tournament in the Euros and is of special interest to Real Madrid if they could afford him. 28-year-old Rodri has three years left on his contract.
Haaland is also in line for a wage increase but De Bruyne will have to take a pay cut if, at 33, he is to stay at the Etihad.
Jota looking for more goals in the centre
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota says he is happier with the club thanks to new coach Arne Slot. The Portugal international says Slot has told him to play more centrally and to operate like City’s Erling Haaland.
Under Jurgen Klopp, he spent four seasons on the left wing but still managed to score. He scored against Ipswich last weekend playing as the centre forward in Darwin Nunez’s absence.
Jota said: “It’s obviously a bit different from Klopp where I, maybe, was useful out wide. The new coach wants our wingers a lot more in one-v-one and I think we have better options than myself."
"If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do the best so you can take that into the season.”
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Gomez faces Liverpool decision
Joe Gomez faces a big decision this transfer window: stay at Anfield as a bench player or leave. Gomez is the club’s longest-serving player with nine years.
The 27-year-old was due to be part of the Newcastle deal which would see Anthony Gordon switching from east to west. There are plenty of admirers who would be interested in signing Gomez such as Aston Villa and Newcastle.
However, the Baggies have turned their attention towards Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi but the London club have turned down an offer of £65m.
Ipswich strengthen upfront
Taking advantage of the Chelsea player clear-out, Ipswich have signed Amando Broja on loan for the season with an obligation to sign the striker permanently if the club escapes relegation. Town have already signed striker Liam Delap — who joins Freddie Ladapo and George Hirst as frontmen.
Skipp encouraged by Leicester
Newly signed 23-year-old Oliver Skipp watched his new club Leicester give Tottenham a good game on Monday evening and could be seen laughing and joking with several other players in the 1-1 draw, including Conor Coady. He is clearly settling in well at the King Power Stadium.
Down to earth with a bump for promoted teams
Newly promoted clubs Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester found the going tough back in the Premier League and not one of them recorded a win as the season kicked off.
Ipswich lost at home for the first time in a year, Southampton couldn’t hold Newcastle away — although they did well. Only Leicester came away with a point at home to Tottenham.
After each game the coaches spoke about their teams and all said they had learned valuable lessons and fitness was key to playing for 90 minutes every time. All three clubs stepped up their training schedules this week.