Mikel Arteta. Photo: Getty Images
Manchester City open Matchweek Two of the Premier League with a 5am AEST kickoff against Crystal Palace in a round that extends all the way to Arsenal’s visit to Aston Villa on Tuesday.
In between, Manchester United will be desperate not to lose to another promoted club, as they host Ipswich while the prime time Saturday night slot will have all eyes on Anfield, when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest.
What the world is talking about ahead of the weekend
Matchweek Two takes place with the backdrop of the clock ticking on the European Summer Transfer Window, which closes 8am AEST on Wednesday.
Managers have one eye on matters on the park, another on deals they need done for their seasons ahead. There is no bigger talking point than the speculation Arsenal could add former Manchester City striker, Argentina World Cup winner and wantaway Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez, with a $245 million price tag being mooted. It’s a signing that would take Mikel Arteta’s already formidable unit, who got off to a flying start against Coventry, to another level; a world class marksman is the one position Arsenal have long coveted to complete their squad.
Meanwhile, outgoings and firesales will be a big subplot over the next week – none more so than at Aston Villa. After being thumped by Brighton & Hove Albion, Unai Emery grisled when asked by the press why England striker Ollie Watkins was absent. He is angling for a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.
The transfer window’s influence in football is pervasive and can create dominoes for years to come. After watching Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle on the opening day, Reds icon Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports that if Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak don’t come good, that lavish transfer window that cost Arne Slot his job last season, could set Liverpool back a couple of years.
“If this doesn’t change in the next two or three months under [Andoni] Iraola and these players (aren’t) improving, I think we’re going to be looking at that as arguably the worst transfer window we’ve probably seen in Premier League history when you consider the fees for these players and what they were going to do for Liverpool,” he said.
The game you cannot miss
Based on the opening weekend, settle in at 11pm AEST Sunday evening for Chelsea’s first home game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion. Xabi Alonso’s era got off to a pulsating start in a 3-2 win over Fulham, scoring within a minute, before playing their part in an end-to-end encounter where Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro looked back to their best. Brighton are sitting pretty at the top of the table courtesy of their 4-0 thumping of Aston Villa, with Fabian Hürzeler’s men picking up where they left off last season as a side very easy on the eye.
The game you need to set your alarm for
Tottenham fans will wearily do so for 2.30am AEST Sunday. The best part of life before Matchweek One is hope. Now, reality sets in. Roberto De Zerbi’s side got off to a shocker, thumped 3-0 by Brentford. At home, a rebound is essential, before suffocating pressure builds in north London after the horrors of last season. Newcastle are a motivated, difficult opponent to achieve this against, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage-time a cruel loss of two points for Newcastle in their 2-2 draw on the opening weekend at home to Liverpool.
Aussie Watch
After the stunning win over Manchester United, Hull have a remarkable opportunity to build on their start when they travel to fellow promoted club Coventry on Saturday night at midnight AEST. Frank Lampard’s side won the Championship last season but were outclassed by Arsenal on the opening day of the Premier League campaign. Lucas Herrington, who looked at home in his half-hour cameo on debut to shore up the Tigers’ 2-0 lead, will be dreaming of a starting spot in a match both sides will have pencilled in for points as they adjust to life in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, 9.30pm AEST on Saturday night sees Liverpool host Nottingham Forest, who boast an Australian in their dugout. James Holland, a former Socceroos midfielder, has been fast-tracked into life as a coach, so highly rated that Oliver Glasner lured him straight out of his playing career to Crystal Palace, before taking the Australian with him to Forest. Can he mastermind an upset at Anfield?
The star you need to tell your mates about
Brentford’s new midfielder Mamadou Sangare looks like being an absolute steal, lured from Lens in France for $95 million. For context, the Tottenham team they wiped 3-0 included Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, who were lured for $191 million and $162 million respectively, but Sangare was the clear standout.
The 24-year-old Mali midfielder is Brentford’s record signing but his all-action display on the opening weekend, from a player who made France’s Ligue 1 team of the season last term in a field packed with Paris Saint-Germain’s superstars, looks like an incredibly shrewd acquisition.
What happened to his hair? ‘The vikings, they go short as well!’
Even Erling Haaland was nervous to tell people he was about to cut his famous long locks. The Manchester City striker surprised everyone when he trotted out with a crew cut on the opening weekend, but City and Norway fans will be hoping his mythical goal-scoring prowess is not tied to his luscious locks because he fired a rare blank against Bournemouth.
“This beautiful blond hair…time to let it go,” Haaland said on his YouTube channel. “I was thinking about doing it straight after the World Cup, but I was so busy so I didn’t do it. The season starts now so it’s time to get a fresh start.
“The only thing is, Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) told me never cut your hair, because your strength is in your hair.”
Matchweek 2 Fixtures (coverage start times) on Stan Sport
Saturday 29 AugustCrystal Palace v Manchester City – 4:30am AEST
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest – 8:30pm AEST
Bournemouth v Everton – 11:50pm AEST
Coventry City v Hull City – 11:50pm AEST
Sunday 30 AugustTottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United – 2:20am AEST
Chelsea v Brighton and Hove Albion – 10:50pm AEST
Leeds United v Brentford – 10:50pm AEST
Sunderland v Fulham – 10:50pm AEST
Monday 31 AugustManchester United v Ipswich Town – 1:20am AEST
Tuesday 1 September
Aston Villa v Arsenal – 4:00am AEST