Winners and Losers: Premier League Gameweek 1

The Premier League kicked off this weekend, and there’s so much to unpack. This was the first time we really got to see all the teams perform and understand what we could expect from these teams this season. Let’s jump right in with the winners and losers of this gameweek.

Winners

1. Spurs Ain’t Playing Around

Tottenham put on a show on Saturday as they took on Southampton at their home ground. Smashing the Saints 4-1 at the end with Kulusevski, Sessegnon, Dier getting on the scoresheet and an own goal by Salisu. Kane and Son together contributed only an assist showing that Spurs aren’t solely dependent on their two star forwards.

This Spurs side now looks like a “Conte team”. You can even find similarities between this squad, his Inter squad and his Chelsea squad and the last two ended up winning the league. Although next week’s fixture against Chelsea will really show us where this Spurs team stands, the fans couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season as they sit pretty at the top.

2. Haaland delivers

Twitter was rife with memes when Haaland missed a sitter against Liverpool in the Community Shield, but everyone already knew he would score as the whistle blew on his Premier League debut. He scored a hattrick on his Dortmund debut, a hattrick on his Champions League debut and although he couldn’t complete his hattrick, a brace was a brilliant appetizer.

Just as well all expected, it was a through ball that undid the West Ham defence on both occasions. First, it was a Gundogan through ball that Haaland latched onto first to win a penalty and then it was de Bruyne who played him in for his second. The hype is real, Haaland is a freak athlete with the body of a big man but the acceleration of a winger.

Premier League defences better tighten up because Haaland is here to plunder.

3. Mitrovic has his day

2 years ago, Fulham and Mitrovic were unceremoniously sent down to the Championship, having failed to make any worthwhile impact. Talking about making an impact, how about a brace against one of the best teams in the world, how about forcing Van Dijk to concede a penalty, well ask Mitrovic about it.

He tormented the Liverpool backline, who just couldn’t cope with his size and strength. The rest of the Fulham team deserves a lot of credit, as they were able to keep up with Liverpool for most of the game. Pressing, passing, and movement, Fulham were able to match the Reds for most of the game. If they can replicate this performance, they will surely avoid the drop this time around.

Losers

1. Nightmare Start For Erik ten Hag

Well, that didn’t go to plan. In spite of a solid preseason where they seemed to play some beautiful football when it came to performing when it mattered, the team crumbled. The Manchester United squad is so low on confidence that they ended up reverting to what they knew and started playing as they did under Ole.

Ronaldo was brought on in the second half, which didn’t really do much, but at least it meant he had to stay till the final whistle! All jokes aside, Ten Hag is in choppy waters with the match against Liverpool not too far away. Expectations are low, and spirits are even lower but given time and resources, he can definitely turn this around.

2. Saints In Trouble

Southampton went into this season with many putting them in among the relegation battlers. This result further proved their point as the Saints looked dire. Carved open time and again by the lethal Spurs attackers, Hassnehuttle’s men just couldn’t keep up.

While they may have scored through JWP’s trademark long-range strike, he can’t bail his team out every week; that is Southampton’s biggest issue. They lack a player who you can count on scoring 10-15 league goals.

Time and again, Hassnehuttle’s men get pumped, and while this result wasn’t as bad, the blame needs to fall on the manager and his tactics after a point. Another average season could mean the manager gets moved on.

3. Leicester Paid The Price

Leicester is the only team in the top 5 leagues yet to register a new player. You could say their current squad is weaker than the one they ended the season with. The lack of squad depth showed as the manager made only one substitution.

Despite firing blanks in the transfer market, Leicester scored two goals and were comfortable for the game’s first hour. The substitutions made by Thomas Frank undid all of the Foxes’ hard work.

Although Leicester came out of this game with a point, that is only because VAR saved them as Brentford’s winner was ruled out for offside. Still, a few weeks left to go in the transfer window, and there is still time for Leicester to save their season.