Lots of Industry Not Enough Inspiration
That was how one of the announcers described Newcastle's performance in the 0-2 loss at home to Manchester City. I think that's about right. Recall that I had low expectations for a result and was more interested in how the Magpies played. Though outplayed in the first half, they performed gamely, refusing to be "outphysicaled" (hey I got the word from an English teacher so it must be legit) by a much bigger side. But eventually the Citizens broke through on a clever pass from Dzeko that Silva slotted past Krul. The second half was better for the home side and they came agonizingly close several times, most notably when Sissoko missed from the top of the box in the 83rd minute. Aguero added an insurance goal in stoppage time to make the final score look a bit more comfortable than it really was. Though the victory was earned, the result could as easily been 1-1.
High marks for the Magpies in most areas except one - finishing. Their work rate, to a man, was excellent. A lot of possession and creative play to get the ball into the final third. Alas, that was where things broke down. They could not find the killer pass or the strike to convert the effort into a goal. High marks for Cabella; he was unafraid to possess the ball in a crowd, which means we may not have to depend on long balls so much this year. Colback and Janmaat were also excellent in their debuts. The jury is still out for me on striker Riviere. We also did not get to see midfielder de Jong, who was out with an injury.
Another Opening Day Upset for Aston Villa
Uh-oh - the Villans may have discovered that a well-organized defense doesn't require them to pull back into a shell. This could spell trouble for all the other mid-table teams out there. They looked solid in a 1-0 road win over Stoke. Vlaar is a known quantity on defense but Senderos impressed as well. Dennis adds:
This is probably a case of misplaced optimism so early in the season and after only beating a mid-table team 1-0, but this match felt completely different than a typical AV match from last season (aside from already picking up 3 yellows) . The offense felt similar to last year with a little energy added, but the defense felt like a transplant from another team. They were calm, composed, and organized on nearly every Stoke attack, though Guzan made some uncharacteristically sloppy plays. It appears that some "veteran presence" did wonders, despite the term usually referring to old guys that can't play anymore. If the defense can be this stout against other teams and the offence can remain at least average until Benteke returns, the Villans might be able to secure safety well before the last weeks of the season.
Around the League
There were several matches that caught this viewer's eye. Foremost was probably the wide open, flowing match between Liverpool and Southampton. Despite losing many key elements from last year, the Saints still play an appealing brand of football - at least on this Sunday they did anyway. Clyne's goal on a sweet back heel pass from Tadic is my choice for this week's YouTubeable Moment. But Liverpool had some good moments of their own to take away a 2-1 win.
Though the joy was short-lived, you had to share the excitement of the fans at Turf Moor, the home park of newly promoted Burnley, after midfielder Scott Arfield had given his side an early lead against Chelsea. Quality will out and Chelsea rolled to a 3-1 win but the moment was still special. And add Turf Moor to the list of awesome names for home parks. As a bonus, the match also featured the first BFS of the season. I thought it could have been anything from a red card for DOGSO to a no call to a yellow for simulation so I awaited with bated breath Dennis's analysis of Diego Costa's "dive."
Luke and Michael P (Arsenal 2-1 over Crystal Palace) have nothing to complain about, except for maybe Alexis Sanchez's folded shorts, which is not a wardrobe malfunction but a quirkly habit of the Chilean. Michael B seemed happy enough about Tottenham's
stoppage time goal to steal three points on the road against West Ham. Jeff K, a relatively quiet Everton fan, probably wasn't thrilled by Leicester's tying goal in the 86th minute, but what I saw of the match was entertaining. And what to do about Man U? The story line last year from Old Trafford was always about how that was the first victory for [insert side name here] since WWII. But this year was going to be different with Louis van Gaal at the helm. Except maybe not as Swansea City got its first win ever at the venerable park. An assist and a goal by Chester Blue Gylfi Sigurdsson sank the Red Devils. Another year that will test Jeff H's patience? Check out this Grantland article that assesses which EPL sides should be worried after one whole week of play.
Union Busting
My heart is not into reporting on this disappointing 0-1 road loss to the Houston Dynamo. Quite demoralizing. It's not that they were awful. In fact, I thought they played a little better than in the win over Montreal. Just left me with serious doubts as to whether this team is good enough to challenge for a playoff spot. The only encouraging news from this match for me was the relatively strong MLS debut by rookie keeper Andre Blake. He did make some poor decisions as you would expect a young keeper to do but he also displayed incredible athleticism. I would prefer the Union keep him and see if MacMath can fetch something in the trade market.
Chester Splits
We didn't get thrashed by Everton. Didn't get a result either, falling to the Toffees in our first trip to Goodison Park 0-1. Possession was 39-61 and shots were 2-22 so maybe it wasn't as close as the score suggests. We fared better back home, defeating West Ham 3-1 in a match where we were slight underdogs. Took a beating though as three starters picked up injuries that will have them out between 8 days and 3 weeks. Next match is Hull City.
Secret Derby
This weekend features the derby that is known only to readers of this blog; this Saturday's Aston Villa - Newcastle match will be the second Fillebrown Derby. With the season so young, it's hard to get much trash talking going. I will say that Newcastle has much better hair than Aston Villa but it appears the oddsmakers are not swayed; the Villans go in slight favorites, probably based on the home field advantage. Last time out these two sides played competitive if not quality soccer; off of their opening day performances we have some hope of seeing a decent match. They were both impressive from goal line to 18, not so much inside the opponents' 18. Perhaps we might see that seemingly oxymoronic combination of exciting but scoreless soccer. Dennis adds his reverse trash talking, displaying confidence typical of an AV fan:
Newcastle looked stronger against City than AV did against Stoke. And I think we can all agree that Stoke is no Manchester City. Combining that fact with already having a win this season and playing at home where they were atrocious last season, I do not have high hopes for Villa in this match. I will take this time to note that AV is 6th in the table, while Newcastle sit at 20th, so my team is better by at least one theoretical measure. Since I expect the Villans to be soundly beaten this weekend, I'll grasp at whatever straws I can reach.
Some good stuff from the schedule makers this early in the season. Everton will host Arsenal. and Man City plays Liverpool at the Etihad; both should be good matches. Tottenham really shouldn't be tested by QPR at White Hart Lane. Not sure what to make of Man United at Sunderland; the Red Devils are heavy favorites and that seems right but they couldn't beat Swansea City at home so who knows. Chelsea gets to host Leicester and has every expectation of an easy win.
On the MLS side, the Union host San Jose, one of the weaker Western Division squads. With 10 games to go and just 7 points separating 3rd through 9th, every match is important. But they'll need to play better than the last two times out. The Red Bulls host the dreadful Montreal Impact, which should give them a chance to solidify their playoff credentials.
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