Raheem Sterling proving his worth at Man City after a miserable summer.
Guy Bailey
Editor’s Note: Guy Bailey writes columns for The Yanks Are Coming throughout the Premier League season. In those columns, he’ll discuss the happenings overseas in the world’s most popular sports league, as well as The Championship, where many Americans ply their trade. Guy offers a unique perspective on the league as a Brit who lived for a long while in the United States before moving back to Teeside a year ago. He can be reached at guyrbailey@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter all EPL season at @guyrbailey.
What new ground? – 24.8.16
Who plays in goal can sometimes be a moot point when you have such a lethal armoury up front as Manchester City. The eyes were on Willy Caballero at the back again but they switched forward to somebody who looked the spitting image of feckless England flop Raheem Sterling and had the same name too. Sterling started (resumed?) playing like a superstar, cutting swathes through a tried and tested Stoke rearguard almost at will.
Combined with the ever reliable Sergio Aguero twice and the new kid on the block Nolito twice later on it felt like the penalty awarded to the home time as a mercy although not quite as much as the final whistle. When they can turn this on, City look as irresistible as Chick-Fil-A lemonade.
But keeping pace all the way will be the anti-Pep across town with Ibrahimovic defying every stereotype and rolling back the years with vintage performances and goals for no other reason one would think than to spite this particular reporter. Maybe he’s just the flat track bully I secretly suspect but Southampton are no mugs even though Jose Fonte would not have done his cause of a move to Man Utd much good as Zlatan made him look like one. The Manchester Derby can’t come quick enough.
Chelsea beat an ominously anemic looking Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road and it would be a shame if neither Troy Deeney nor Ighalo could replicate their marvelous form from 12 months ago. Actually this is a bit unfair on Watford as they were winning but you always sensed that Chelsea had another couple of gears to go through and so it proved as new boy Michy Batshuayi and interested looking Diego Costa combined for the win. If dancin’ fool Conte can get inside Sicily’s Most Wanted’s head and get him focused on whacking the ball into the net not the opposition or capo’s from other families then they might still represent London’s strongest challenge.
Arsenal and Leicester served up a 0-0 draw out of keeping with their #1 and #2 status from last season. Arsenal fans lamented the result, because that’s what Arsenal fans do, and in truth, most the Premier League royalty has its doubts about the champions. Nonetheless, shared spoils was fair as the game was a cautious midfield slog, with both sides trying to reestablish themselves and their identities, but perhaps for different reasons.
Dead-cat bouncing were Hull City, this time winning well 2-0 at relegation rivals Swansea. Seems strange to be writing that sentence in August but I fully expect these two to be there or thereabouts along with Sunderland and Burnley. David Moyes thinks so too based on their shoddy opening home defeat to local neighbours Middlesbrough. A stunning 30-yard Stuani strike (above) set the Teessiders on their way but the second intricate team goal was just as pleasing on the eye.
Alvaro Negredo miscontrolled when clean through after 60 minutes otherwise it would have been three and goodnight but Brad Guzan blotted his copybook palming a shot into the path of Patrick Van Aanholt to pull one back and nearly doing the same for Adnan Januzaj minutes later. The Boro held out and onto the points but Teflon Brad will have to step up to dislodge Victor Valdes when his hamstring heals.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Further proof, if any were needed, that the only statistic that matters is the score came as Burnley raced into a 2-0 lead against Liverpool and spent the rest of the game making a pillow fort achieving a paltry 19% possession against Jurgen Klopp’s knocking but that’s how it ended and the Clarets are off and running exposing some of the mental frailty that was apparent in the reds last season.
It feels like the seasons are turning as we look forward to the Champions League draw and the last round of fixtures before the first international break of the new season. Spurs welcome Liverpool in the early game while Southampton look to get their season underway against Sunderland and seal an unwanted record of six years without an August win for the Black Cats. Hull put their title credentials to the test against Man Utd while Man City entertain West Ham and the country breathes a sigh of relief that it’s away so we don’t have to sit through another half hour’s gushing about their new flipping ground that we all paid for.
As noted, Guy Bailey writes on the Barclay’s Premier League for The Yanks Are Coming. Want more Guy Bailey? We highly recommend his new book, Blessay From America, a collection of writings made while living in America, where he was married to a southern belle and saw his son born. Wnat to read the book? Then purchase here.