Defending champions Manchester City got their title defence off to the perfect start with an ominous win over Chelsea, while Real Madrid dropped points in LaLiga.
City off to winning start in five-peat quest
Manchester City started their title defence in ominous fashion, seeing off a rather toothless Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Sure, it was the first game of the season. But Pep Guardiola’s men struggled on the road against top teams last season and any slip-up at Chelsea would have emboldened the naysayers.
Two-time defending Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland got the Citizens off the mark, neatly reorganizing his feet to chip the ball past a hapless Roger Sanchez. Matteo Kovacic shone in Rodri’s absence, scoring the 2nd goal after a typically penetrative forward surge. City were far from their fluid best but the fledging wing combination of Doku and Savinho offered plenty of promise for the season ahead.
Enzo Maresca must be slightly disappointed after his first game in charge. Chelsea played with little to no rhythm and Enzo relinquished the midfield battle in favour of trying to get people booked. Cole Palmer is coming off a career-defining campaign and he will attract far more scrutiny from the opposition this season. And he was swamped every time he received the ball and became more anonymous as the game progressed. It’s only been one game, but this pack of expensively assembled misfits doesn’t look any different to the side that struggled under Pochettino.
Arsenal and Liverpool keep City honest with opening-day victories
Gone are the days where you could ease yourself into the season ala Fergie’s United. You can’t afford to have a bad month during this period of City dominance. So, Arsenal and Liverpool will both be relieved after fairly routine opening-day wins. Arsenal looked a little leggy but still managed to ease past Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates.
Raya had little to do all day but did manage one blinding save to deny Larsen. Kai Havertz led the line admirably, scoring a brave header to give the Gunners a first-half lead. But it was star-boy Bukayo Saka who shone brightest, teeing up Havertz’s header before settling matters with a decisive strike in the 2nd half.
The Arne Slot era got off to a winning start as the Reds eased past newly-promoted Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road Stadium. Liverpool struggled to break down Kieran McKenna’s tenacious side in the first stanza (clearly adopting a more patient approach than in previous seasons). But they reverted back to heavy-metal settings in the second half, with Diego Jota and Mo Salah finally breaking down an obstinate Ipswich defensive line. It was a strong start as the Reds learn to navigate these post-Klopp waters.
Real held while Barcelona earn comeback win
This could turn into a selection conundrum for Carlo Ancelotti (probably one that most managers would kill for). How do you get Rodrygo, Vini Jr and Mbappe into the same team when they all seem to produce their best football coming off the left? Rodrygo and Vini Jr switched effortlessly last season but the arrival of Mbappe – who long to play through the middle- does complicate the scenario. Real struggled as they were held 1-1 at Mallorca.
They started the game well enough, with Rodrygo scoring an absolute screamer to give them the lead. But Vini Jr and Mbappe just never clicked and it will be interesting to see how they evolve going forward. Catalan rivals Barcelona showed plenty of gumption to come back from a goal down against an enterprising Valencia. New Barca boss Hansi Flick has a young, exciting squad at his disposal.
17-year-old Pau Cubrasi looks remarkably composed at centre-half and produced one sensational goal-line clearance. But for all their exciting young talent, it was veteran goal-poacher Robert Lewandowski who stole the headlines, netting a brace to give Flick the ideal start to his Barca reign.
Leverkusen add more silverware
Bayer Leverkusen secured their third trophy under Xabi Alonso’s tutelage, beating a resurgent Stuttgart side on penalties to claim the DFL-Supercup. It was a typically pugnacious performance from Alonso’s double-winning side, as they came from a goal down despite being down to ten men for much of the match.
Leverkusen’s entire 2023/2024 hero arc was riddled with character-building last-gasp comebacks and it just made sense that they started this season in a similar vein. Patrik Schick turned out to be the saviour on this occasion, equalizing in the 88th minute after a silky Leverkusen move. Kraetzig and Silas missed penalties as Stuttgart were denied their first piece of silverware in 17 seasons. Still, the game was a strong advertisement for what is shaping up to be a highly competitive Bundesliga season.
This was the first Supercup since 1993 to not feature either Bayern or Dortmund, hinting at a depth in German football that we have not witnessed for quite some time.
Juventus off to dream start under Motta
Could this be the return of the famed Old Lady? I openly lambasted Juventus’ football hierarchy for hanging onto Massimiliano Allegri for as long as they did. His stygian, soporific style became arduous to behold and he had lost the fans.
Thiago Motta brings a dynamic, possession-based approach to proceedings, inviting the wide players into the match as much as possible. Samuel Mbangula and Timothy Weah exemplified this tactic, both scoring in Juventus’ 3-0 win at home to Cesc Fabregas’ Como. It’s about time that the Bianconeri offered their supporters some genuine excitement.
The result was all the more pleasing as both Milan giants dropped points. But perhaps the result of the weekend came at Hellas Verona, where Antonio Conte’s Napoli went down 3-0. Conte became Napoli’s 5th coach in a year when he signed in June and the magnitude of his current task became apparent as they melted away against the Italian minnows.
Livramento and Mosquera (twice) scored on their league debuts to consign Conte to a shocking league defeat. To add insult to injury (or injury to insult), star playmaker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was forced off due to injury. Napoli are notoriously tight with their money and the appointment of Conte – who has a reputation for strongarming his bosses for resources- just feels really off to me.
Player of the Week – Marcus Thuram
Marcus Thuram was one of Inter Milan’s unsung heroes last season, providing the perfect foil for Lautaro Martinez to run amok. His contributions to Inter’s title-winning campaign have been seriously downplayed.
And he came up clutch at Genoa, scoring a wonderful late brace to put Inter on the cusp of victory (Messias foiled his glory with a last-gasp equalizer for the home side). I just have the feeling that Thuram is potentially on the precipice of something special this year.
