The 2024 Premier League season has started with a bang with drama, excitement, late comebacks, and goals at a premium. Star players have delivered match-winning performances, and new signings have made an instant impact on their respective teams.
With just three games into the new Premier League weekend, we are already getting a sense of how the competition is shaping up. Let us take a look at five things we learned from the Premier League so far.
Everton’s early struggles signal a challenging season ahead
Everton has had a difficult start to the new season, losing all their three opening matches. Brighton and Tottenham battered them in the opening two games and they suffered a heartbreak against Bournemouth after leading the game 2-0 at Goodison Park. Despite Dyche’s reputation for constructing solid, defensively strong teams, Everton has struggled to earn points, leaving them rock bottom of the table early on in the season.
This has put Dyche’s job under scrutiny and he would be eager to change things around after the international break when they play Aston Villa at the Villa Park.
West Ham’s season looks promising
Despite just one win from three, West Ham’s season is full of promise thanks to their on-field performances. The Hammers seem to have adapted to Julen Lopetegui’s style of play and they made Manchester City sweat in their most recent match hitting the woodwork twice, through Kudus and summer signing Crysencio Summerville, while Tomas Soucek had an opportunity to equalize at 2-2 during a lively second half.
The partnership of Kudus, Bowen, and Paqueta has looked promising so far, and if they get their main man Michail Antonio to bang in goals regularly, the Hammers could well push for a European place this season.
Manchester City and Haaland look unstoppable
Manchester City have continued where they left off last season. They have three wins out of three and again look the team to beat this season. The form of Erling Haaland has been nothing short of frightening for opponents as the Norwegian has already bagged 7 goals including two hattricks.
As the season unfolds, Manchester City’s commanding performances and Haaland’s impact indicate that they are poised to be the champions of the fifth season in a row.
Ten Hag and Manchester United have to prove it all over again
After an opening day win against Fulham, Manchester United suffered two consecutive defeats, first against Brighton and Hove Albion and then at home to rivals Liverpool. Their performance in the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool was dreadful and if the Reds had taken their chances, the scoreline could have easily been 6-0.
The start of the campaign highlighted the gap in quality between Manchester United and their rivals and has put increased pressure on Ten Hag. The Dutchman would be eager to get back on the winning ways to prove himself as the right man for the job amid increased pressure.
Arsenal should not panic
Arsenal got off to a decent start, winning their opening two games against Wolves and Aston Villa. However, the Gunners were held by Brighton at home 1-1, losing early ground to Manchester City in the title race. They were reduced to 10 men in the second which eventually led to Brighton’s equalizer but Mikel Arteta’s men did show fight, creating chance after chance until the final whistle.
With a robust squad and strategic insight, Arsenal are again expected to go neck and neck with Manchester City and mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title.
Read More: 3 Ways Saudi Pro League Can Become a Bigger Threat To Europe
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
