Who would have believed it? Chelsea and Manchester City are the best teams in England. The most predictable opening to a Premier League season was completed by the outclassing of a lively Burnley by Jose Mourinho’s team. A day earlier it had been Newcastle’s turn to encounter a different stratum in the form of Manuel Pellegrini’s superstars. Newcastle ran and pressed as if their lives depended on it and still the vast superiority of Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Sergio Aguero was evident. At Turf Moor it was a similar story. A flash of wonderful technique from Scott Arfield was answered a dozen times over by Cesc Fabregas and the ruthlessness of Andre Schurrle and Diego Costa did the rest. Had the fixture computer delivered them different opponents, Newcastle and Burnley might have started with three points each and standing ovations. But, frankly, City and Chelsea looked a division above even Arsenal and Liverpool — and two above Manchester United — in the opening exchanges. Let’s hope first impressions turn out a little misleading, for the joy of last season was that Christmas came and went without our being sure which of three, four or even five teams would take the title. Only in February and March, by being battered at Liverpool and Chelsea, did Arsenal vindicate critics who had written them off on the basis of a thrashing at City. Now they look stronger (though they must be wary of Besiktas in Istanbul tonight). The frustration for their fans is that Arsene Wenger could have got Fabregas back.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 17:53:19 +0000
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