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Julian Alvarez, man, what a player – and what a perfect fit for Atletico. On the other hand, I wonder how long it’ll take Xabi Alonso to get Real where they want to be. I wouldn’t necessarily call him a systems manager, but he is a proper coach, who needs buy-in and time to inculcate his ideas and principles – not easy when you’ve a squad full of superstars and a famous impatient boardroom.
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I mentioned earlier that we’ve some European fun this afternoon, but before we properly look forward to that, let’s look back at last night.
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On which point, what a start Sunderland have made to the season – I think they call that a segue. They spent a load of wedge, granted, but turning that into points isn’t easy, though they were handed a friendly start, and if they could win their next two games – Man United away, Wolves at home – they’ll be a long way towards staying up.
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On which point:
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A brace of own goals, goodness me.
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On which point, who on earth is going down? I fear for Burnley, but you can make a decent case for every other team will stay up – including the current bottom three, Wolves, Villa and West Ham.
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We should, though, note that Brentford played really well. A Sunderland-supporting mate of mine told me that Keith Andrews’ side are the best his lot have met this season, and they looked very well organised and prepared yesterday. I thought they’d struggle this season and maybe they still will, but so far, they’re in decent shape.
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On Sunday Supplement, they’re talking about Man United’s midfield. It really is mind-boggling they didn’t buy anyone for that position in the summer – and that was obvious at the time.
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We will, of course, be bringing you updates on all the WSL action and all the goals as they go in, in this very blog.
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Also today, we’ve Barcelona v Sociedad and Milan v Napoli; that second match, third v first, should be an absolute belter.
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We’ve got some right tasty fixtures in the WSL this afternoon. Manchester City take on London City; Spurs travel to Leicester; Brighton meet Everton; and Liverpool face Manchester United. Those are our midday kick-offs, after which we’ve West Ham v Chelsea. Not bad.
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How far can Glasner’s Palace go?
I was at Selhurst a couple of seasons ago when they walloped Man United 4-0, and I was seriously impressed with Daniel Muñoz. I know he’s not the biggest name they’ve had, but he’s a very, very good player.
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I actually think Newcastle were pretty fortunate to get a player as good as Isak so early in their PIF era – likewise Bruno Guimarães. Obviously I understand why their fans were disappointed he wanted to leave, but he was crucial in winning them a trophy and his desire to leave should’ve come as no surprise.
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Updated at 03.57 EDT
Here’s Jonathan Wilson’s Sunday column:
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Our matches today:
Aston Villa v Fulham
Arsenal v Newcastle
I’m looking forward to these. Villa badly need points and will have taken confidence from their win over Bologna in midweek, but they’ll face a different challenge in Marco Silva’s side.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will have taken heart from Liverpool’s defeat, but Newcastle are perhaps the most physical team in the league with one of its best midfields.
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Amorim was, though, right not to blame the ref for his side’s abjectivity, but I’ve not a clue how Nathan Collins escaped a red card for fouling Bryan Mbeumo. The rationale is that Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball, but he was looking for a one-touch finish, so had no need to be, and had he not been deliberately impeded by a defender making no effort to make a legitimate challenge, he might have scored.
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Another manager under pressure is Ruben Amorim. I’m not sure United’s performance yesterday was entirely his fault – the issue wasn’t the system nor its principles, rather a lack of composure and intensity – but ultimately that too is his responsibility.
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Incidentally, I absolutely loved Daniel Welbeck’s finish for Brighton’s third goal. His peak years were sadly hampered by injury, but his dotage has been brilliant. He’s still got it physically, while his touch, imagination and intelligence are even better than before.
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Across London, meantime, aggravation: Chelsea lost again, their performance in beating PSG to win the Club World Cup a distant memory. On the one hand, a dip after that was inevitable; on the other, it was one game, and there’ve been precious few others of similar standard.
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I was out last evening – get me – so I’m only just catching up with Spurs v Wolves and, in particular, Jose Palhinha’s late equaliser.
I also enjoyed this comment from @Xhong_Zina30 under the above link:
As a Spurs fan I’ve really enjoyed Frank’s tactical flexibility, seeing the team drop points in different ways beats dropping points the same way like last season.
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And what a celebration from Oliver Glasner. That man knows something.
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Imagine Crystal Palace had the resources to hang on to their best players – they’re second in the table having lost Michael Oliseh and Eberechi Eze. Keep them, and you’re talking about a title challenge.
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I’m glad Goals on Sunday is back on Sky. Real talk: I’ve not a clue why it was binned to begin with. Someone with expertise chatting about their unique experience, while reviewing action, what’s not to like?
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Preamble
Morning all and welcome to your Sunday football blog. As ever, there’s a good lot of action to enjoy and we’ll be looking forward to it here, from now. Feel free to send in your plans; we’ll be bringing you Villa v Fulham and Arsenal v Newcastle, as well as reflecting on yesterday’s typically ridiculous Premier league action.
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Updated at 03.05 EDT
