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1) Chances are dwindling for Chelsea Academy kids
Much of the praise Frank Lampard received for this time last year centered on his apparent enthusiasm for finding a place in the first-team setup for academy graduates who had suffered collateral damage from money and the splendor of the it was Abramovich. But against Liverpool, last season’s home team spearhead Tammy Abraham was banked for £ 47m. Timo Werner and Kai Havertz for £ 72m was chosen ahead of Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose mettle was will test when Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic are in shape. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not on the team at all. Fikayo Tomori’s emergency presentation was the first time he kicked a ball since February. And Mason Mount is playing in Havertz’s preferred position. Suddenly, Lampard’s new Chelsea starts to look like his old one: expensive signings, a team brimming with pedigree, and a coach who needs to get results in the here and now. Alex Hess
• Match report: Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
2) Silky James helps Everton regain their steel
Everton were not flawless against West Brom. “We didn’t get the balance right from the start,” Séamus Coleman said after his 250th outing with the club. “When people overlapped, we weren’t covering.” But among the many impressive characteristics of his performance was character, something the captain acknowledged was missing last season. Everton stayed cool after falling behind and, led by prominent James Rodriguez, took control before Kieran Gibbs’ stupidity made their afternoon easier. It was a marked departure from his reaction to the setbacks of the last few seasons. “These elite players bring that sense of calm,” Coleman reflected. “James is pretty cool picking these passes in the last third and he’s not forcing it. His passing range and decision making is fantastic. It’s been great in the locker room too, it’s been great for a couple of our other foreign guys who are really getting into their own business as well. ” Andy Hunter
• Match report: Everton 5-2 West Brom
3) Slackers need to adjust to new life as underdogs
It says something about Everton’s dominance in the second half that only two West Brom players attempted more passes throughout the game than Kieran Gibbs, who was sent off before the break. Last season, the Baggies collectively averaged 446 passes per game; in the first two games of this season, that figure has dropped more than 25%, to 329. The equivalent figure for Fulham and Leeds, the other promoted teams, is a comparatively trivial 10%, and West Brom’s statistic has not been. particularly biased by the red card, as they only attempted 14 more passes at home to Leicester in the opening weekend. Obviously, it’s premature to make a judgment, after just a game and a half in full force, but Slaven Bilic’s side will inevitably be more reactive and less dominant in this division, and the question is how long it will take them to get used to. the. Simon Burnton
4) Bielsa learns an old-school lesson from Mitrovic
Old-fashioned center forwards have been weakened in modern football, but Marcelo Bielsa is confident they still have a future. The Leeds manager was brutally honest about why his side broke a sweat in a first Premier League win when they should have been home and dry after going 4-1 up early in the second half. The reason was Aleksandar Mitrovic. “Our defenders couldn’t cope with Fulham No. 9,” Bielsa said. “He caused all the danger.” Mitrovic’s pace of work is questionable, as is his temperament, both reasons why Rafa Benitez didn’t always like him at Newcastle. But he will cause problems for most defenders and almost did enough to rescue one point from a seemingly hopeless situation on Elland Road. That can say as much about the Leeds defense as the Fulham striker. As Bielsa says, it will take a few more games to tell it. Paul wilson
• Match report: Leeds 4-3 Fulham
5) The hectic schedule takes its toll on slow United
From Ole Gunnar Solskjær to Luke Shaw, understandable unease was expressed after Manchester United’s capitulation. What is fascinating now is how, or if, United can bounce back and embark on another unbeaten Premier League streak similar to the 14-game sequence that ended with Roy Hodgson’s impressive squad. The United manager and his left-back are right not to offer excuses and at the same time point out, as they did each, an almost non-existent closed season (Solskjaer spent four days in Norway with his family) and then the preseason: Shaw said that the The entire team only had a week together in preparation for Palace. At Old Trafford United they looked what they are: a group of tired and slow players looking for a spark. So unless they can tap into prodigious power reserves, they’ll be fighting seriously in a run-down campaign that continues with Tuesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Luton Town ahead of Saturday’s visit to Brighton. Jamie Jackson
• Match report: Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace
• Jonathan Liew: United needs time more than money or Sancho
6) Nketiah’s nose adds depth to Arteta’s arsenal
Eddie Nketiah has played exactly 1,400 minutes for Arsenal’s first team and has scored eight goals. That’s a slightly better ratio than one goal for every two full games and it reflects well on a 21-year-old striker with a rare gift. Nketiah has that knack for showing up in the right place, specializing in the kind of poacher strike that seems out of date at times. His touch defeated West Ham and it is not by chance that Nketiah finds himself in such positions; His movement is sharp and skillful, and his willingness to learn is one of the many things that have impressed Mikel Arteta. There’s something old-fashioned about Nketiah and how that will serve him in the long run remains to be seen, given the demands now placed on full games from center forwards. His best use this season may be off the bench, like Saturday, but it will be intriguing to see if Arteta can turn him into a high-level starter in the next few years. Nick ames
• Match report: Arsenal 2-1 West Ham
7) The saints offer a haunting reminder of an unforgettable loss
The first anniversary of that infamous 9-0 beating is fast approaching but, while Ralph Hasenhüttl’s team bounced back from that episode to finish comfortably without a hitch last season, it is worrying that there are shadows of that loss as Southampton unraveled against the Spurs at St Mary’s. Every time Tottenham lunged forward, the Saints looked susceptible and José Mourinho’s team would surely score. In the end, the Spurs found the net with five of their six shots on goal, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min combining to devastating effect to extend Southampton’s desperate start to this season; they have lost all three games so far this season, including a cup loss to Brentford, and the Saints coach can only hope that this latest humiliation provides another defining moment. “If we need such a result to clear our heads, I will take it,” Hasenhüttl said. “At the moment we definitely can’t turn on for 90 minutes.” Ben fisher
• Match report: Southampton 2-5 Tottenham
8) Tireless Lamptey Leaves Bruce’s Men Bruised
Newcastle left-back Jamal Lewis was left with a potentially nasty eye injury after being caught by Yves Bissouma’s dangerously high boot, but Tariq Lamptey had already ensured that Steve Bruce’s side suffered further damage. Graham Potter’s 19-year-old right-back stood out when Brighton threatened to win by six or seven. “It was pretty perfect, aside from the red card,” Potter said, without any hint of exaggeration. “We were really in the lead.” Newcastle, which still beat Brighton in the Premier League since the clubs ascended together three years ago, hope to be able to have 10,000 fans inside the 52,000-capacity St James’ Park in their next home game, against Burnley in early October. Had that number been present here, Lamptey’s reign of terror would have ensured Bruce’s players were booed. Louise taylor
• Match report: Newcastle 0-3 Brighton
9) West Ham improves but faces a difficult stretch
In the first weekend Newcastle convincingly beat an extremely disappointing West Ham, and in the second Newcastle was a disaster losing at home to Brighton and West Ham far better even in the loss to Arsenal. Some teams have given us a pretty decent indication of what’s to come, and the performances of others have been so different in character that it’s hard to see anything being revealed. “We just have to take the positives out of this game because as a team I think we played well,” said Arthur Masuaku. “We need to play as a team and be difficult to beat. We have shown that we can compete against these teams. We have a strong team and if we play like we did on Saturday, we will win games ”. The question is when, though: West Ham’s next five league games are against the teams that finished last season seventh, fifth, sixth, second and first. Simon Burnton
10) Dyche faces a long run with a limited team
Sean Dyche’s dissatisfaction with his lack of resources at Burnley is barely hidden. Only two players have entered this transfer window so far, and one of them, Will Norris, is a substitute goalkeeper. Ben Mee and James Tarkowski were not in Leicester, and the latter proposed to leave. It took away from Burnley a proven quality in central defense. Jimmy Dunne, previously loaned out to Barrow, Hearts and Fleetwood, made his Premier League debut alongside fellow Irishman Kevin Long, who, despite 10 years in the claret, was only playing his 36th Premier League match. Dunne scored a goal and looked like Burnley’s most confident defender, but that said little. For example, Timothy Castagne, the Leicester winger, created big problems on his left side. These may be the early days, but guiding this underpowered group to safety may be the biggest challenge of Dyche’s eight years on Turf Moor. John brewin
• Match report: Leicester 4-2 Burnley
