The 2021-22 Premier League season has got off to an exciting start and the action we have seen so far ticks a lot of boxes which could make it one of the closest fought campaigns in quite a while.
Manchester City had won 3 out of the last 4 titles with Liverpool piping them to the 1st position once heading into this season. But the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have strengthened while Virgil van Dijk is back for Liverpool. And with City failing to land a replacement for Sergio Aguero there is a good chance of a scramble at the top of the table.
Today, we take a look at the 3 winners and 3 losers in the Premier League after the first three rounds of the competition.
Winners #1: Nuno Espirito Santo
The Harry Kane transfer saga dominated the headlines for much of the summer before the Englishman publicly announced his intention to stay at the club. This came as a huge fillip to Spurs and new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who will be pumped to have the services of Kane at least for one season.
The north London club have surprised many by winning the first three matches as the new Spurs boss’s “defence first” approach has paid excellent dividends so far. Son Heung-Min has been superb for them, while the defence has looked strong as well.
He has got rid of a couple of unwanted players and has recruited well.
Possible contenders for a Champions League spot? Time will tell.
Losers #1: Arsenal
Spurs are top while their fierce rivals are shockingly rooted to the bottom of the table.
Arsenal were the heaviest spenders in Europe but many believe the personnel brought in will struggle to turn things around for the club.
The Gunners have lost all three opening games, against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City. The attack looks toothless, and they have faced injury and COVID issues which have severely affected them. Arteta’s job seems to be on the line at the moment.
Winners #2: Michail Antonio
West Ham United have started the season similar to how they left off last season winning two and drawing one of their opening three fixtures. Striker Michail Antonio has been exceptional so far and is the league’s leading goalscorer with four goals and three assists as well.
The 31-year-old seems to have all the confidence in the world in front of goal and if he continues his good form the Hammers could once again challenge for a European spot at the end of the season.
Losers #2: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves, under new manager Bruno Lage, have been unlucky as they have lost all three games despite playing some excellent football at times. They were impressive against both Tottenham and Manchester United and will rue the fact that they didn’t get a point in either game.
What will be worrying is that they have yet to register a goal in their opening three league games despite carving clear cut opportunities.
Lage will be pleased with how his game plan is turning out on the pitch but he has to make sure that this barren patch is put to an end immediately after the international break.
Winners #3: Manchester United
Manchester United, perhaps, had the best transfer window of any Premier League club this season. They have brought in two serial winners and world-class players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane, while also bringing in an exciting, young player in Jadon Sancho.
The Red Devils have a stacked attack that could tear apart defences on their day, and a solid defender in Varane, who was superb on his Premier League debut.
Losers #3: Manchester City
The 5-0 hammerings of Norwich City and Arsenal may not be an indication that Manchester City lack a potent goalscorer, but both teams are poor defensively and aren’t the strongest sides in the league. Pep Guardiola missed out on signing two world-class strikers – Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo – which could come back to haunt them in the Premier League and Europe this season, especially in the big games.
Guardiola has a wide variety of attackers who can play the false 9 role or score from wide areas, but in tight games against quality opposition, they might miss the lethal nature of a Kane or a Ronaldo inside the box. Gabriel Jesus has played well so far, but it remains to be seen if he can deliver consistently, which has been a bugbear for City fans in the past.
As of now, Pep is using Ferran Torres as a false 9 but it will be interesting to see how long this experiment lasts at the Etihad.