Things We Learnt from Premier League opening day fixtures: Manchester United

United began their hunt for the 20th Premier League title on a losing note. 18 Yard Box' s Pranav Shenoy has a close look at the Red Devil's performances.

Sir Alex Ferguson would have loved to put the last season heartbreak behind him and start off fresh. However, ironically, Manchester United started their campaign against the team that cost them the title last season, Everton. The recent addition of Robin Van Persie did less to save their grace as United were outplayed in their Premier League opener.

18 Yard Box looks at things we can learn from the Goodison Park encounter.

Where is the defense?

United need to get their defence sorted as soon as possible. As the match got underway the absence of first choice defenders was evident from the very first minute. Carrick and Valencia alongwith Vidic and Evra formed a make shift defence which was susceptible to Everton attacks. David De Gea was the lone standee who kept his team in the game with brilliance at the goal. United need to sort out their defence by getting their injured players back on their feet.

Defence went to sleep as Fellaini headed the ball home

Scholes' time up, Cleverly poor

Scholes is well past his prime and the veteran's poor tackling kept him in danger of being sent off. United need to find themselves a replacement for Scholes as this legend will be dearly missed next season. Cleverley was clearly outmuscled by Fellaini in the centre of the park. The English midfielder had an injury ravaged season which kept him out for the good part of the previous campaign. Things will take time before he feels at home again. United should be careful that inspite of the arrival of Van Persie, Rooney should not be played in the whole. It will be a waste of talent.

United need to replace this midfield maestro

All good things come in small packages!!

Shinji Kagawa was the lone bright spark in midfield that United needed the whole of last season and the summer signing was at the heart of United's play as he linked the central midfielders and strikers with deft touches and flicks. Kagawa surely brings quality which United has been lacking since several years- an out and out central attacking midfielder.

Shinji Kagawa was the man of the match

Key Stats: Shinji Kagawa

Games started	1
Assists	0
Shots at goal	0
Fouls Drawn	1

End of an E(v)ra?

                                           

Patrice Evra has gone from being a valuable player to a liability. He neither broke through the left flank nor kept Osman at bay. His defensive work also left a lot to be desired.  Evra has been a highly efficient left back for the past 4 years but age seems to have caught up with the Frenchman. The arrival of  Buttner could spell the end of Evra.

Evra could well be on his way out

United to improve as season progresses

Scoring their first goal will do the team a world of good. As the season progresses, the defense will improve as and when the likes of Ferdinand, Jones, Evans and Smalling return to action. Kagawa and Van Persie would need to learn and adapt to United's system of play very soon. Kagawa's ability to setup goals are unquestionable and his match-winning performances for Borrusia Dortmund are evidence for the same. With Nick Powell bought, United can look forward to the young lad to surprise everyone. United's strike force looks menacing and when they start to fire, can be almost impossible to stop.

Happier times could soon be back at Old Trafford

Comment: As of now, their noisy neighbours  have the upper edge but with Sir Lex at the other end, Mancini & his men can’t afford to rest one bit. The Premier League is no longer a two-horse race with Chelsea clearly showing signs of performing consistently over the season and Mancini’s men getting over early jitters to overcome newly promoted Southampton. For now the crown seems to be painted Blue rather than Red.

Written By,
Pranav Shenoy

Pranav is an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box

Things We Learnt from Premier League opening day fixtures: Manchester City

Champions began their campaign with a nervy 3-2 win over the newly promoted Southampton. 18 Yard Box's Rishabh Ghai  analyses their performance.

A new season and a new beginning for Manchester City but the same old story. The defending champions started in the same manner in which they left off. A smash and grab come from behind victory. It was all drama just like the last day of the previous season as City won the contest in the dying minutes of the game.

18 Yard Box checks what we can learn about the champions from this 3-2 win.

A nervy look worn

City wore a nervous look as they took on Southampton. As expected from a newly promoted side, the Saints were not afraid of them as they played there free flowing football. Although City attacked with authority their defense looked weakened. City are in search for centre back this summer, with Daniel Agger the first priority. It might be of great help should City land the Danish international from Liverpool. 

Nasri's breakthrough season? 

Samir Nasri's first season with City raised quite a few eyebrows. But the French international showed his class as he linked up well with the forwards throughout the game. His play alongwith Silva suited City. Moreover his goal gave City the edge in the final scoreline. But Nasri surely knows that only one good performance is not going to enough to earn him a regular first team place in City's star studded line up. This could be the make or break season for Nasri.

Nasri is the player to watch out for this season

Sergio Aguero's loss could prove too costly for City

The sight of Aguero being stretchered off will worry the Citizens. An important cog in City's machinery, Aguero scored 23 goals last season to win City the title. With him not around City will have to play Dzeko and Balotelli. No doubt both strikers have quality but lack of play time has harmed their reputation since they have joined City. Tevez's return to City's lineup might help share the goal scoring burden but should he misfire City might face a daunting task of equalling their goal scoring fiesta last season.

City fans will hope to see Aguero back in action as quickly as possible

Jack has to live upto his 'Titanic' reputation

City's transfer window has been very quiet this summer as they have only Jack Rodwell to show for their signings. Rodwell has showed class in the Everton shirt but did not enjoy a fantastic debut for City. The former Evertonian might have got less time to train with his team mates but a midfielder of his class was expected to fire from the start. However it remains to be seen if he can deputise Yaya Toure well enough to replace Barry in the starting lineup. Things could only get better for the young lad.

Jack Rodwell will have to do better to impress the fans

City Still the favourites to win the League

Manchester City start their campaign as favourites to win the Premier League title and rightly so. Despite teams like Arsenal trying hard to catch up with City, Mancini's stellar signings of last year might just have enough in their tanks to win the League again this year. A team which can boast of two quality squads can surely win the title? But will they? It remains to be seem.

City favourites to defend the title

Written By, 

Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh Ghai is a writer who writes for Goal.com India and also is an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box

Things We Learnt from Premier League opening day fixture: Tottenham And Newcastle

The high profile clash between Tottenham Hotspurs and Newcastle United was the perfect beginning to the Premier League campaign.18 Yard Box has a look at the performances of the two teams involved.

Tottenham and Newcastle, both, showed last year that they were no pushovers. Both teams missed the Champions League spot by a whisker. For Newcastle it was a happy campaign and for Tottenham it was a heart breaking one.

With Lukas Modric priced away from the club, Tottenham would have had to come up with something special to beat the Toons who possessed arguably the Premier League’s two best strikers. We have a look at what we learnt from Newcastle's 2-1 win over Tottenham.

Gylfi Sigurdsson might prove to be Modric’s replacement

The former Swansea midfielder was taken into the team by the new manager Andre Villas Boas. Sigurdsson looked to be a part of the Spurs midfield as he controlled the ball well. His dead balls looked menacing and so did his corners. With Modric’s move to Real Madrid all but sealed, Sigurdsson has big boots to fill. But he certainly looks to be heading into the right direction in doing that. Considering that he is new to the team, Sigurdsson gelled brilliantly with the forward line of Gareth Bale, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon and could provide telling crosses to Emmanuel Adebayor.

Sigurdsson could prove to be the signing of the season for Tottenham

Key Stats: Gylfi Sigurdsson

Games started	1
Assists	0
Shots at goal	3
Shots on target	1

Tottenham should play Van der Vaart and Lennon more often

Although Lennon had a poor season with the Spurs last year, he looked impressive with his pace and trickery. He is some player which makes something happen from nothing. He was instrumental in setting up Defoe’s equalizing goal. Tottenham will be relying heavily on the winger to provide the forward line with telling crosses. Alongwith Lennon another man that should get more game time is Rafael Van der Vaart. The Dutch striker’s quality in the midfield may prove threatening for the teams. Although he did very little to impress against Newcastle, Van der Vaart, alongwith Sigurdsson could solve Tottenham’s midfield problems.

Lennon impressed with his pace and trickery against Newcastle

Newcastle not a single season miracle

Newcastle United proved on Saturday that their last season’s achievements were not a mere fluke. Their performance against Tottenham, especially in the second half showed that they will certainly be competing for the honors this season. Jonas looked sharp, Ben Arfa looked good, Ba and Cisse looked exquisite. The unsung hero for Newcastle United has been Tiote and he showed his class by patrolling the midfield. Newcastle looked sharp enough considering that they came out of pre season.

Ba and Cisse- A match made in heaven

The Senegalese pair Demba Ba and Papis Cisse have lit the Premier League on fire ever since their arrival. Last season’s first half was dominated by Ba and the second by Cisse. In these two strikers, Newcastle have one of the best striker force of the Premier League. Moreover, playing for the same country also helped as they combined well upfront. To add to that Newcastle also have Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye to round off a perfect attacking force.

Ba and Cisse make up Newcastle's attack

These teams are still to watch out for

Although Tottenham have been weakened by Modric’s departure they are still in contention for the top 4. With AVB's managerial qualities witnessed at Porto, Totttenham fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they have a good replacement for Harry Redknapp. Even Newcastle are a team to be reckoned with. Ben Arfa will the man to to watch out for as he will look to make this campaign his. Both, with their free flowing attacking game can be a hurdle in the so called ‘Big 4’s ‘ title amibitons.

Comment: Although Tottenham and Newcastle have a decent squad, they fall behind when it comes to the quality that City, United, Chelsea and Arsenal possess. It will be a tough fight for the 4th spot again this season and an upset may be on the cards.

Written By,

Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh Ghai is a writer who writes for Goal.com India and also is an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box

Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter

Things We Learnt from Premier League opening fixtures: Liverpool

The Reds got off to the worst possible start this week by getting a 3-0 thumping from West Brom. 18 Yard Box's Pranav Byatnal analyzes Liverpool's 3-0 loss to the Baggies.

Week one match one! Champions League spot chasers Liverpool were up against probable relegation candidates West Bromwich Albion. With reinforcements in the form of Joe Allen & Fabio Borini, Liverpool were looked to be heading for an easy win. But it wasn’t meant to be. A loss wasn’t predicted at all let a alone a 3-0 scoreline. A wayward, out of sorts Liverpool side couldn’t match the hunger and desire of the Hawthorns. 18yardbox analyses the Reds’ start to the campaign-

 Rusty Reds or Bullish Baggies?

With both managers making their debuts at their respective clubs & it being the first match of the season, the game was never expected to flow smoothly. But Steve Clarke and his boys looked pretty comfortable with Rodgers’ Liverpool. Right from Ridgewell’s first attempt from outside the box their intentions were clear: Smash and Grab. On the other hand Liverpool were average looking for a well constructed move to score.

Stuart Clarke's men bullied Liverpool

Luis Suarez VS Goals!

Luis Suarez was probably the lone bright spot for Liverpool but the back of the net eluded him yet again. As he always does, he did it again. He ran down the pitch, weaved his through the defenders, positioned himself nicely & even hit the ball well but the ball just refused to go in. Either due to some world class keeping or due to shambolic finishes.He looks set for a fantastic season this time, controversies having marred his campaign last season.  Its time his efforts pay rich dividends.

Goals have eluded Suarez off lately

 LIVERPOOL-Too big for Rodgers?

For a man who was No.2 to ‘The Special One' no club would seem impossible to handle. But then Rodgers was managing a lowly Swansea last time around & so questions have popped as to whether The Reds are too huge an asset for him to manage. Too early to draw conclusions maybe, only time will tell if Rodgers is the Man who will bring back the glory days for LFC.

Is Brendan Rodgers the right man for Liverpool?

Dan’s the Man

Joe Allen looked hardly convincing & looks a little bit of a misfit in this side or maybe the fact that he is now part of Liverpool Football Club hasn’t sunk in yet. He & Borini will be under the pundits’ radar throughout this season.  That aside, Daniel Agger is the man Liverpool HAVE to keep. His Red card might have cost the Reds this time but then his abilities & potential are known to all. He and Skrtel look like a pair which will ensure minimum leakages at the back.

Liverpool must keep the City badge away from their man Dan

Looking Ahead -->>

With City, Arsenal and Man United up next, Liverpool have to pull their socks up & hit the ground running. And with their Merseyside rivals off to a flyer its imperative for them to make a strong statement soon or else the dream of Champions League football next season will get over before it takes off.

Come what may the LFC fans will never let the club 'Walk Alone'

Comment: Although Liverpool fans must be expecting a lot from their club, the harsh reality is that the club has not moved forward. The signings of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini puts the club nowhere near the other top clubs who are further strengthening their squad. Livepool fans can only hope that Rodgers works his magic and bring back the glory days which the club has been lacking for quite sometime.

Written By,
Pranav Byatnal

Pranav is an Editor and writer at 18 Yard Box.

Things We Learnt from Premier League opening fixtures: Arsenal

Arsenal began their campaign with a 0-0 draw against the Black Cats. 18 Yard Box analyses the performance of the Gunners.

After 3 weeks of heavy spending, Arsenal looked to be a team to look out for this season. The arrivals of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla had the Gunners dreaming of a silverware after 7 barren spells. However Robin Van Persie had other ideas.

Van Persie’s decision to jump the ship in search for greener pastures was expected. But making Manchester United his next destination left a bitter taste in the mouth of not only fans but also the players.  Arsenal took on a resurgent Sunderland a day after his departure to kick off their campaign. Here is what we learnt from Arsenal’s first game of the 2012-13 season.

Martin O’ Neil- An ever existing road-block for Arsenal

Martin O’ Neil has created problems for many big teams during his time at Aston Villa manager. A person who can be deemed as the ‘giant killer’ has always troubled Arsenal. Where many managers are left guessing as to how to stop Arsenal’s free flowing game, O’Neil’s strategy against Wenger’s play is perfect- Park the bus and catch Arsenal on counter. Sunderland defended stoutly to restrict the red army from breaking the deadlock.

Cesc wont be missed this season

Cesc’s departure last year coupled with Wilshere’s year long injury saw the Gunners struggle to find the right midfield combination last season. Eventually Rosicky came to their rescue. However, the arrival of Santi Cazorla might change all that. The Spanish international looked very comfortable with the Gunners’ style of play as he linked with Podolski and Giroud pretty well. Creating many chances, he also took shots at goal showing his long range shooting abilities.  Although Cazorla’s concentration was right up there at the top, his physical fitness has to be taken care of. It will be critical to say the former Malaga man showed signs of tiring early in the second half but it has to be taken into account that Premier League’s pace takes the wind out of the best players’ sails. Cazorla alongwith his Spanish counterpart Arteta and returning Wilshere looks to have solved Arsenal’s midfield crisis.

Santi was the man of the match against Sunderland

Key Stats: Santi Cazorla

Games started	1
Assists	0
Shots at goal	4
Shots on target	1

Arsene Wenger’s eternal love for Walcott never fades

The former Saint’s midfielder has grown under Wenger’s guidance but it should be said that he hasn’t lived up to the expectations. The second highest goal scorer for Arsenal last season, Walcott’s play is unidimensional. Although he has got pace, with no tricks up his sleeves, Walcott turns out to more of a flop than a hit. His crossing abilities have improved last season but it is still not consistent enough to trouble the best of defences.  However Arsene Wenger seems to have utmost faith in the winger and has started him every possible match including the one against Sunderland. Again he proved futile as he had only a couple of decent crosses and a half decent shot at goal to show for his play.

Theo Walcott will have to do a lot more to impress the fans

Arsenal’s play predictable?

Arsene Wenger’s over reliance on the 4-2-3-1 formation has caused their game to become predictable.  Although it works most of the times, Sunderland showed teams of how to battle against such a formation. Wenger’ failure with rotations and also sticking to one formation saw his team have tough time against Sunderland.

Arsenal's 4-2-3-1 formation against Sunderland

The Dutch shoes still to be filled

Departure of Robin Van Persie has left Arsenal with a gaping hole up front. They only have Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Maroune Chamakh and Park Chu Young to take care of the goal-scoring department. Lukas Podolski went straight into the starting XI but showed signs of his old self at Bayern Munich. Though great things can be expected of the 100 times capped German international. Arsenal fans’ biggest worry is Olivier Giroud. Although he topped the French Ligue 1 goal-scoring charts, Giroud missed a sitter which could have won the game for the Gunners.  Arsenal fans can take peace from the fact the 26 year-old Frenchman as he looked keen to get on the ball. He adds a new dimension to Arsenal’s play which Van Persie lacked. Giroud’s heading ability alongwith his shooting prowess makes him the man to watch out for despite of his shambolic miss. However Arsenal will look to sort out their striking department sooner rather than later to avoid further disappointments.

Giroud will rue his miss if Arsenal lose the season by a point

Comment : Arsenal failed to score a 3 pointer on their opening day fixture but they can be happy of what they have witnessed on the field. The new signings look convincing (except for the miss) to end Gunners’ trophy drought.

Written By,
Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh Ghai is a writer who writes for Goal.com India and also is an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box

Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter