Analysis

Arne Slot's dressing-room admission shows early insight into Liverpool reign - Premier League hits and misses

Plus: Newcastle's defensive showing is welcome throwback in Southampton win; Jacob Greaves one of many positives for Ipswich despite Liverpool defeat; Man Utd remain unconvincing despite Joshua Zirkzee heroics against Fulham

Sunday 18 August 2024 15:24, UK

Slot shows his ruthlessness

Arne Slot revealed the away dressing room at Portman Road wasn't a happy place at half-time.

Slot, taking charge of his first Premier League game, saw his Liverpool team not hit the intensity levels required to win in this division - no matter the opposition. Ipswich were brave, bold and aggressive as their in-your-face approach wasn't matched by the visitors. He wasn't impressed - and let his players know.

Of the 53 duels that were competed in the first 45 minutes, Ipswich won 58 per cent of them.

A high percentage of those duels were being won by Ipswich centre-forward Liam Delap, who gave Jarrell Quansah a tough time. Slot spotted that issue and wasted no time in replacing Quansah at the break with Ibrahima Konate - it was not an injury related substitution, it was purely tactical.

The Frenchman's power and influence helped Liverpool regain control by stopping the flow into Delap and provided the launchpad for their second-half performance to rocket. Konate helped their duels-won ratio leap to 55 per cent after the break.

A haul of 2.61 expected goals from 15 shots in the second half, 13 of them from inside the box resulted in two goals and three points for Slot as Liverpool's tactic of exploiting Ipswich's very risky game of one-on-one defending up against Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah was exposed. It was a very encouraging start for the new boss.
Lewis Jones

Focused Raya crucial to Arsenal starting strong

Winning player of the match on the opening weekend of the season is low on David Raya's 2024 honours list after his Premier League Golden Glove and Euro 2024 triumph, but it does feel significant.

Despite Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka getting the goals, the Arsenal goalkeeper was crucial to their opening 2-0 win over Wolves. His three saves - the most impressive to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen, then second-half parries against Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia - were vital to the victory. Without them, Arsenal may have slipped up.

They were the only three actions Raya had to do but that made his display even more impressive. Arsenal give away so little to their opponents that concentration when the opposition do come forward can be challenging.

But while Raya is known for his footwork and build-up ability, his shot-stopping looks on form as Arsenal aim to go one better this season.

Praise for Arsenal's defence mainly revolved around the partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel or the industrious nature of Ben White last season. Raya's role was not discussed too much. Perhaps that might change.
Sam Blitz

Newcastle's miserly defence is a welcome comeback

Newcastle ended their first game of the season having faced an xG of 1.79, 19 shots and 30 crosses - but with a clean sheet from a stoic defensive effort.

After Fabian Schar's first-half red card and Joelinton's opener against the run of play, Eddie Howe sent his troops out from the break to defend what they had.

Despite a few close shaves, they earned victory through sheer organisation and hard work. It was a throwback to the kind of stoic defending which saw them reach the Champions League and concede only 33 goals in Eddie Howe's first season in charge.

Injuries played a part in shipping almost twice that figure last season, though the Magpies lost something in their structure and solidity too.

Howe was well aware of that need to improve, and told Sky Sports after beating Southampton: "We were free-scoring last year and we prided ourselves on that, but without the ball we had to improve and we've done a lot of work on our defensive shape in pre-season."
Ron Walker

Greaves one of many positives for Ipswich

Ipswich's long-awaited return to the top flight didn't necessarily go to plan. It's probably wrong to assume there were any real expectations for the Tractor Boys in their opening fixture against Liverpool but there were some positives to take.

Namely, their first half was impressive. Ipswich carried a greater threat in the first period than Liverpool. They limited the away side to very little in the way of chances, making it awkward for the opposition. Ipswich also created some opportunities of their own owing to their aggressive approach before the half-time interval.

No one in a blue shirt caught the eye more than Jacob Greaves, who is one of Ipswich's summer additions brought in from Hull City. He was named in the Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season for 2023/24 and picked up Hull's Player of the Year award. It's easy to see why he's so highly rated.

On his Premier League debut, against one of the division's leading sides, the 23-year-old centre-back won 100 per cent of his ground duels and made the most clearances in the game with eight.

Greaves also won three fouls and made two interceptions in a performance worthy of the level he's now playing at. Ipswich shipped two goals, but the centre-back ensured it wasn't an undeserving embarrassing result at Portman Road.

Greaves is one to keep an eye on going forward as he could prove to be the club's most important player in their hunt for survival.
William Bitibiri

West Ham's attacking approach excites - but leaves them open

After 30 minutes at the London Stadium, it was tempting to wonder whether West Ham were being bitten by what they had wished for. An array of exciting attacking summer signings, talk of a new approach under Lopetegui and the shackles of the David Moyes era cast off... But there was the sight of Aston Villa carving through the home side at will.

The visitors really could have been well clear before the penalty was awarded at the other end. After Onana's free header from a corner - amid defending which would have disgusted Moyes - Rogers was able to charge through the lines, Bailey was free to run onto a ball over the top before hitting a post, and McGinn should have converted at the end of a swift counter which had the Hammers players all over the place.

But after the equaliser West Ham showed their attacking threat too. Mohammed Kudus was excellent, Tomas Soucek should have scored a couple - particularly in the final seconds when he sliced over from close range - and Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug excited off the bench.

The challenge for Lopetegui will be to shore-up the backline while keeping the cut and thrust of the attacking play seen on Saturday. Until he cracks that, it could be a bit of a bumpy ride into this new more cavalier era for West Ham supporters.
Peter Smith

Promising signs for Brighton under new man Hurzeler

Brighton fans will be heading home south from Merseyside with high hopes for the season under new manager Fabian Hurzeler if their 3-0 destruction of Everton is anything to go by.

Hurzeler, who was likened to former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp by James Milner, took charge of his first match at Goodison and it could not have gone any better for the youngest-ever Premier League coach.

The 31-year-old's side were confident in possession, especially when playing out from the back, snappy in the press and lethal on the counterattack, especially exciting summer signing Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma, who both combined for the opening goal.

Another close-season arrival, Mats Wieffer, also impressed in midfield, while Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro were a constant threat in midfield as the visitors ran amok in the second half, especially after Ashley Young's sending-off.

There will obviously be harder tests to come, starting with Man Utd at the Amex on Saturday lunchtime, but for now the future looks very bright for Brighton.

Ominous already for shot-shy Everton

Boos rung out around Goodison park at the full-time whistle after Everton recorded their third straight opening-day Premier League loss and in truth it was a dispiriting display that signals a potentially long season ahead for Sean Dyche's side.

The hosts actually started brightly and were unlucky not to be ahead early on, but as soon as Kaoru Mitoma gave Brighton the lead, there was only ever going to be one result as the visitors dominated.

Everton were not helped by having a penalty decision overturned, much to Dyche's fury, right at the start of the second half and then seeing Ashley Young sent off, but after having the game's first shot on target in the fourth minute, they failed to register another attempt on target for the rest of the match as they again struggled to create.

And Dyche's biggest puzzle to solve this season will again how he gets his team to score enough goals to avoid another relegation battle.
Richard Morgan

Man Utd remain unconvincing despite Zirkzee heroics

The No 7 is a digit seeped into the culture of Manchester United and Old Trafford and it struck again in Friday's 1-0 win over Fulham.

While Joshua Zirkzee wears No 11 for United, the deft flick from the Dutchman to win the game - his seventh of the game after coming on at the hour mark - has created a feel-good factor at the club, for now.

It was another far from convincing display from United. It was last season's levels of 'tough watch', as Marco Silva's side looked dangerous every time they went over half way. Parallels can be drawn between how they opened last season - a tense 1-0 win over Wolves where Andre Onana was fortunate not to concede a penalty late on. Their season failed to take off from there but needs to now.

And it looks like Erik ten Hag was right: his side aren't quite ready for this season yet. Diogo Dalot still continued to struggle in a left-back role that misses Luke Shaw, two centre-backs were tactical substitutions while chasing a goal with five minutes to go, while Marcus Rashford, who failed to have a single shot against Fulham despite playing the whole game, still looks far from his best.

Ten Hag's challenge is to make sure this win does not paper over the cracks - and as his new-look squad and club hierarchy continue to gel, they learn from their mistakes and current mistakes.
Sam Blitz

Forest frustrated by Bournemouth again

Nottingham Forest will be kicking themselves after letting their lead slip as their poor run of results against Bournemouth continues.

Forest are now winless in their last nine games against the Cherries and they have now gone seven years without winning on the opening day of the season.

It was a positive start from the home side, with Forest showing tremendous character after a quite awful injury sustained by midfielder Danilo, who required lengthy treatment before he was stretchered off and replaced by Ryan Yates.

Yates was involved in the build-up to the goal - a well-taken effort from Chris Wood - and Forest had chances to put the game to bed, only to be undone late on by Antoine Semenyo's strike.

Nuno Espirito Santo will have a lot to ponder after this game His side didn't kill the game off, they looked vulnerable defensively, and it looks like Danilo may well now face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed that he had sustained a broken ankle.

Forest have already brought in six players this summer, but it could all point to a busier than expected end to the transfer window for Nuno.
Dev Trehan

Wolves test 'Plan A' against the best

Gary O'Neil admitted he would usually change his tactics when coming up against an opposition as strong as Arsenal but wanted to test his "Plan A" - and Wolves will be encouraged by what they saw.

Wolves could have been blown away by a dominant Arsenal in the first half but hung on before giving the title hopefuls a scare in the second, with a rusty Matheus Cunha wasting a good chance.

Bukayo Saka was allowed to cut inside and fire home on his left foot to kill the game which was one of several moments that frustrated O'Neil.

"I have spoken to them because carrying [the plan] out well, coming up short on a few details is obviously not good enough," he said.

"When your mate is through on goal, being able to make sure the pass is right. When you get a look at (David) Raya in a 1v1, can we find a corner? Some details in the defending, like the two goals and Saka coming inside.

"The players understand the importance of it and for what they've given today, I can definitely sign up for it."

O'Neil can keep Plan B up his sleeve for now.
David Richardson

Strength from the bench matters for Emery

Most onlookers will have been impressed by Aston Villa's summer business. Amadou Onana was signed for a hefty £50m from Everton but proved his worth within four minutes of his debut at the London Stadium.

Then came the second-half introduction of Ian Maatsen, signed for £37.5m from Chelsea, whose delicious reverse pass into the path of fellow substitute Jacob Ramsey crafted the game's decider.

As it happened: How Villa won at West Ham

Villa have been shrewd in their dealings, and sagacious in the way they have been used on opening weekend. Nothing short of what we have come to expect from the sharpest of operators in Unai Emery.

Jhon Duran has now scored six Premier League goals from just 616 minutes played, an average of one every 103 minutes, and the most of any player from the bench in the league (five) since the start of last season. Only Erling Haaland can boast a better goals-per-minute ratio.

But it was the part played by all three attacking substitutes - who combined for the winner - that impressed most. Emery will be rubbing his hands at the strength in depth he's been afforded this term.

Football is of course a squad game, and only by utilising his correctly can Emery hope to be able to complete ably in the league while simultaneously fronting a European campaign too.
Laura Hunter

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