PL Gameweek 3 🎮⚽

1. BOU 0-2 TOT
2. ARS 2-2 FUL
3. BHA 1-3 WHU
4. SHU 1-2 MCI
5. NEW 1-2 LIV 😲😱🤯
6. Foundering The Transfer Window
7. Selling Salah? 🇪🇬🤝🏻💰
8. Remark On Man City
9. Fantasy 🔮
   • Wildcard Considerations 🃏

BOU 0-2 TOT

• Maddison X Kane would have ripped the league apart. Maddison is what Spurs have been missing for years.
  
  
• Enjoyed seeing Tottenham finally return to 4-2-3-1, which was last used regularly during the Pochettino era. This formation suits them so much more than the 4-3-3s of Mourinho and Nuno, and the 3-4-3 of Conte. Last season, Tottenham were agonising to watch—against weaker teams, they couldn’t even pass fluently, and it was not pleasant to see Kane being so relied upon. Postecoglou’s system is very fluid, and much more egalitarian.
  
  
• Porro is such a passionate player. He and Romero are forming a good partnership at the right side of defence.
  
  
• Kulusevski got a goal but his ball carries and crosses are not as good as they can be. He should learn how to cross with his left-outside foot, like Gareth Bale. That would make Spurs much more dangerous. Saw him fail to cross a painful number of times against both Man Utd last week and Bournemouth this week.
  
  
• Richarlison very frustrated. Looks to be trying very hard. Not sure why he can fire for Brazil but not Tottenham.
  
  
• Bissouma and Sarr excellent again. Wonderful build-up for the first goal.
  
  
• Though I would have liked to see Kane in this current Spurs side, I’m happy for them that they have moved on from each other, and I think it is the better for both parties.

ARS 2-2 FUL

• Gabriel out of favour. Doesn’t start although 2 defenders are injured. He started 73 consecutive league games before this!
  
  
• Partey shifted more centrally in the 2nd half in order to better influence the game. It is a bit of a waste to use him at right-back, even if he inverts often.
  
  
• Havertz’s role in Arsenal’s 4-3-3 looks clearer now. Arteta seems to want to mould him into the role Gündoğan played at Man City—a midfielder who plays in the half-spaces between the winger and the striker. He hasn’t been playing that role well however… less than a month into the season Havertz is already a very divisive figure at Arsenal, as many Chelsea fans warned…
  
  
• Arsenal were clearly better, but sometimes, you just drop points by conceding to 2 low-probability events.

BHA 1-3 WHU

• Rock-solid defence by West Ham. Nottingham Forest, who blew a 2-0 lead to Man Utd, need to learn from them!
  
  
• A classic, textbook-level counter-attack display by West Ham.
  
  
• Brighton’s defence are poor, however.
  
  
• West Ham have used Rice’s money superbly, on Kudus, Alvarez and Ward-Prowse, a very judicious selection of player profiles. An attacking midfielder, a defensive midfielder and a set-piece specialist. This trio is definitely an upgrade on their former captain.

SHU 1-2 MCI

• Haaland’s penalty technique did not look great. He needs to work on it. It doesn’t take much to score an individual penalty, but it requires high standards in a composite of skills, not least among them composure and ball-striking technique, to have a high penalty success rate.
  
  
• Man City’s starting lineup lacked anyone of the incisiveness of David Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Sterling or Sane. Walker is still terrible at crossing.
  
  
• Gvardiol looked excellent and very comfortable. He is a great defender and ball player. He looks much more natural at LB than Ake.
  
  
• Kovacic is solid and reliable with possession but offers little to the attack. Being a deeper-lying midfielder than Gündoğan, Kovacic allows Rodri to play in a more advanced position, which he also excels in.
  
  
• Every team in the world would want to have Rodri in their team. He’s City’s best player currently.

NEW 1-2 LIV 😲😱🤯

UNLEASH THE URUGUAYAN DEMON 🇺🇾

• It is unprecedented that, in a match between 2 evenly-matched teams, 1 side goes a goal and a man down so early in the game, then ends up winning the game! And it was captain Virgil van Dijk who was sent off!
  
  
• Newcastle had great chances and could have put the game to bed easily on another day, but Liverpool showed great resilience to just buckle down and not concede any more goals.
  
  
• Nunez has 0.87 G/A per 90. That probably makes him the best ever player to be so widely called a flop for so long.
  
  
• Hopefully Southgate, who was in the stands, will snub Trent for the upcoming international fixtures. He needs to be taught a lesson and penalised for his mistakes, which are getting far too frequent and costly.
  
  
• Szoboszlai and MacAllister are wonderful. The pair are good enough to match an opposing midfield trio.
  
  
• Szoboszlai should be on all corners and free-kicks.
  
  
• Nunez has not been preferred to start games so far as Klopp wants to play more systematically. But there is a case to be made that Liverpool should play more chaotically and thus give Nunez more minutes. Some reinvention of playing style could be invigorating, and the different character of the this new-look midfield could be more sutiable to free-flowing games of chaos.

Foundering The Transfer Window

Recent activities in the transfer window have underscored how important DMs are today. 60M and a 5-year contract for 30-year-old Casemiro, 40M for Bruno Guimaraes 115M for Caicedo, 60M for Lavia, 105M for Rice. Barcelona, desperate for a DM but cash-strapped, even got 31-year-old Romeu from relegated Southampton. Having that midfield anchor who can pass, destroy and hold the ball is so essential.

Liverpool’s transfer window has been awful. The players signed are good, but the nature of those signings and how the entire window panned out has to come under harsh fire. This window came after a anomalously poor season and calls for a huge makeover. However Liverpool have only:

• Activated 2 release clauses (MacAllister, Szoboszlai)
  
  
• Bought a 30-year-old for less than 20M thrown in immediately to be a key starting player (Endo)
  
  
• Acquired another team’s bench fodder (Gravenberch)

Liverpool also became the social media laughing stock after losing out to a bloated Chelsea on both Caicedo and Lavia, having already missed out on 2 midfield monsters Enzo Fernandez and Bellingham.

Nonetheless I like our signings. MacAllister and Szoboszlai are world-class, Endo is the Japanese national team captain and Stuttgart’s former captain and has great character, attitude and defensive stats in the Bundesliga. Gravenberch is versatile across midfield. I always like signings that provide lateral depth, which is why I really like Valverde and Araujo as possible signings for Liverpool, which would really make a statement and send shockwaves.

Selling Salah? 🇪🇬🤝🏻💰

Al-Ittihad put in a £150M package with many sources saying it could go up to £175M! Some even report a £200M deal. That’s almost irresistible. We’re getting so much money for to offload a 31-year-old who’s the club’s highest wage earner. Even in this inflated market, £150M can get you really good deals. Szoboszlai for 60M, Kudus and MacAllister for 35M each, Gravenberch for 30M, Tonali, Doku and Nunes for ~55M each, Timber and Maddison for 40M each etc.. Even compared to 100M for Gvardiol, 105M for Enzo Fernandez and 115M for Caicedo, 150M for Salah still feels like a lot. Remember age is a crucial determinant of players’ market value.

I feel the only issue with this transfer is that it only came a day before the English transfer window closes, leaving Liverpool with very little time to complete a transfer by the deadline. Liverpool wasn’t in the market for a RW. The Saudi Arabians may give up their pursuit of Salah come January, or not be willing to offer so much by then. Football is volatile.

If the bid came a week earlier, surely Liverpool would look to sell. Should Salah really leave, however, they could make a big move for Raphinha, Valverde or Chiesa. Liverpool may also be more willing to purchase a big-money centre-back, right-back or defensive midfielder. Unlikely we will get them, but I really like Araujo, and really liked Timber.

I think Liverpool should sell. Liverpool’s best chance of a trophy is probably the Europa League, and we will do fine in the group stages without Salah, and can reinforce in January. Look at how West Ham have strengthened with the amount they got for Declan Rice. The biggest blow would be be to our league performances, but I don’t think we have a realistic chance at the league title anyway.

Very peculiar that Al-Ittihad only made a bid so late. That weakens their bargaining position. The Saudi transfer window closes a week later than the English one, so the saga could continue for a few more days.

Remark On Man City

Whenever Man City sign a first team player, fans jump to criticise them for spending extravagantly and “ruining football”. This is unwarranted and perpetuates a misleading narrative. Man City have had low net spend in these few years, and other clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and even Nottingham Forest have spent much more in recent times. Man City urgently needed to reinforce their thin squad with Doku and Nunes. Did you see their bench in the Super Cup?

Part of why Man City receive flak so easily is due to their tremendous success. Supporters of rival clubs get jealous and insecure when they see an already-dominant team improve. Football discussion can help us appreciate the phenomena of fake news and deceptive narratives. Social media comments on football posts demonstrate how false impressions can be so rampant due to emotional biases, even over issues that are so simple.

Rival fans need to acknowledge that Man City are simply a very well-run club, especially when contrasted with their counterparts. Man Utd is massively underachieving what their spending suggests. Arsenal and Spurs had previously suffered many years of managerial turbulence. Liverpool have repeatedly suffered the repercussions of excessive frugality and still fail to reinforce their squad.

Fantasy 🔮

• Semenyo looks like a good FPL asset. He shifted more centrally in the 2nd half and was Bournemouth’s brightest offensive influence when their attack revolved around him. So far he has started 2 games and scored 1 against Liverpool. He got an assist in the game he didn’t start in. Archer, another 4.5M forward, seems like he would be a starter for Sheffield United.
  
  
• Spurs’ defence does not look very robust, but they look motivated and hardworking.
  
  
• Rashford and Fernandes punished owners who shipped them out after 2 consecutive blanks. Shows the importance of considering fixtures and underlying stats.
  
  
• Awoniyi in red-hot form, but there are so many strikers to choose from. Wissa, Jackson, Semenyo, Alvarez, Isak, Jesus, an in-form Antonio.
  
  
• Sterling and Maddison on fire.
  
  
• Cash will be excellent if Aston Villa continue their 5-at-the-back set-up. Bailey is often injured, and Emery may use the 5-at-the-back strategy against certain teams. So far Aston Villa have changed formations many times. This would be needed especially with their increased fixture demands this season. Their squad is also pretty well-rounded so there could be lost of rotation. Aston Villa, encouraged by West Ham’s victory last campaign, could have the Conference League title strongly in their view. It’s their best chance of a trophy, and would really enhance Emery’s reputation.

Wildcard Considerations 🃏

Played my wildcard this week. Goes against popular advice to play the wildcard later, but I feel I have enough information, and players to transfer out.

• Ship off Brighton players Estupinian and Mitoma due to fixtures. Brighton’s defence has been poor. Also, continental competitions are starting, which have a history of causing a drop in league form for non-Big 6 sides.
  
  
• Don’t fancy Rashford (Arsenal away).
  
  
• Seems like a very good time to own Maddison, Sterling and Mbeumo. They are all talismanic to their teams. Sterling and Mbeumo don’t have European competitions.
  
  
• Maddison is backed up by Lo Celso to play in cup competitions. Maddison seems undroppable in the league with Son, Richarlison and Kulusevski not in great form.
  
  
• Mbeumo is on penalties. When playing stronger sides, Brentford may switch to a 3-5-2 with Mbeumo playing more centrally.
  
  
• Want to have Bruno, but Sterling’s fixtures are better and Sterling will play less minutes outside the Premier League. Looking to swap Sterling for Bruno for GW9.
  
  
• Diaby looks good, but he does not take penalties and could be a rotation risk, with or without European competition.
  
  
• Want to swap Turner for Areola, who is rising in price.
  
  
• Want to get Chilwell in, who almost seems essential with his fixtures and how he’s playing.
  
  
• With Doku and Nunes in and no major injuries besides De Bruyne, I’m not a fan of Alvarez anymore. He’s on all set pieces besides penalties and was unlucky not to get a 3rd consecutive return last week, but CL starts between GWs 5 & 6, and they have Newcastle away in the Carabao Cup between GWs 6 & 7.
  
  
• Trippier and Isak are highly owned. Many people are discussing Trippier, who was essential last season, as Newcastle’s 2 most difficult fixtures are behind them now. But I’m highly suspicious of Newcastle assets. Newcastle are in a horrible CL group. Isak is already getting substituted off early and Trippier is too expensive for my liking. Livramento could play some games ahead of Trippier.