EPL WEEK 1: 606, HARRY & MOISES

Week 1 is in the bag. (Evil Empire apart - they don't count!) Oh, how I have missed the fan phone's in!! Ninety minutes (ok, 105 minutes under the new rules) and the fate of their team has already been determined for 23-24. Leading the way, as in the past two seasons, are Everton. A 1-0 home defeat to a "Mickey-Mouse" club (to quote one EFC fan), Fulham, means they are back on track for the end of the world. Mickey-Mouse, incidentally, has won their last three visits to Goodison. The first caller to Radio Merseyside's "Post-Game" told the listeners that Sean Dyche should be replaced despite his sterling work keeping the Blues in the Premier League. He then gave a list of several player/tactical issues the manager needed to attend to when setting up his team. Can we arrange for this guy to take over from Dyche? He makes the job sound so easy.

Everton created a string of good chances against Fulham. They did have a goal called back, one which was legit. Fulham keeper drops the ball bumping into James Tarkowski. Micahel Keane sticks the ball in the net; the ref calls a foul by Tarkowski. Tarkowsi was just standing there, ref! Where was VAR? It's unlikely VAR would show up as their colleague. It was a goal!

Overall, missing chances means you can only look at yourself. I do feel sorry for Neal Maupay. He's a good player at this level, having to play a role that doesn't suit his skill set. The growing pressure on him from the fans is very tangible. It isn't helping. Maupay isn't a prolific goalscorer. At Brighton, he scored one goal in every four games for Graham Potter. Potter's Brighton were good but didn't score many goals. At Everton, Maupay has netted a resounding one goal so far. He's good but not good enough. Who would be prolific for this current Everton side?

On the plus side, Everton created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. It may have been a loss, but that is still something. Obviously, they have to improve. They will, and Everton will be alright under Dyche. Realistically, there won't be huge improvements but a move up the table and progress. Make that slow progress. Everton doesn't have the players to make a giant leap forward. To that mardy Evertonian … expect more losses to Mickey Mouse teams along the way. Support your team, encourage Neal Maupay and other struggling Blues, and you never know; things may start to get better.

Earlier, I watched Arsenal's 2-1 over Forest. In the end, Arsenal scrapped it. The verdict from the fans is in. Arsenal won't win the league!! In truth, another 18 clubs in the EPL are in the same position right now. Saka! What a player. Brilliant goal and three points for the Gunners. Arsenal have a lot of good players and are an excellent team. With them, it is going to be all about handling expectations.

We are being told that the statement win was Newcastle's 5-1 victory over a good Aston Villa side. The Geordies did impress, even Anthony Gordon, a lad who previously I'd wondered what all the fuss was about. The star of the show was the new midfield acquisition Sandro Tonali. He looks like being a major player on Tyneside this year. The Newcastle and Villa fans I've heard on the radio so far have taken the result on board in reasonable fashion. Mind you, the Geordie who phones regularly claiming that his team will win everything in short order, including the Grand National and The Derby, was not featured. Thirty-seven games to go; plenty of time for him to throw in his ten cents. His team did look good. I understand that they are interested in Kieran Tierney of Arsenal. It would be a great signing, even though it would displace local boy Dan Burn on the team. Tierney is wasted at Arsenal and would be a prime addition to most top teams.

Harry has gone. Finally! Pundit Chris Sutton is adamant that Kane has let new manager Ange Postecoglou down. Really? Harry Kane has given everything for the club. Daniel Levy would never allow Kane to leave for another Premier League club. Finally, he is presented with a suitable alternative, even though it is out of the country. All this chatter about damaging his legacy is nonsense. If he allowed his contract to run down and then left, that would not be helping the club. This way, Tottenham gets a good amount of money, and from Harry Kane's perspective, he plays for a top team in the Champions League. Meantime, Postecoglu has a decent squad of players with money to spend. It would have been very selfish to see his contract out and leave the club without transfer money to spend. Tottenham made a good start today at Brentford. It may have been a draw, but it was an exciting match nonetheless.

Ditto. Chelsea vs Liverpool. Liverpool started very well, but once Chelsea equalized, the Reds fell away. All credit to Pochettino. Chelsea was the better team in the second half. They clearly have talent, and Poch had them set up well to nullify the Reds. Cue the turn of Liverpool fans to whine over the airwaves. Realistically, Liverpool's squad needs to be deeper to challenge for the title. You don't need to be a genius to see that LFC is vulnerable defensively. They are still capable of brilliance going forward, as the Diaz goal and the disallowed Salah strike showed. However, second half, once Chelsea took charge of possession, they offered very little in attack. Two good midfielders have been added to the mix, but without experienced additions at the back and midfield, LFC may find the going tough this season. Be realistic, Reds; this isn't the team of two years ago; it's a team being rebuilt. Top four at best.

Of course, there is a secondary story to this game and one that is going the way of Chelsea. Moises Caicedo! For me, Caicedo is the outstanding midfielder on the market this summer. Above even Bellingham and Rice. Chelsea's been chasing him all along, as the transfer fee quoted was over £100 million. Who could afford him? Is any midfielder worth that amount of money? Of course not. However, in 2023 that is the market price of the top-calibre midfielders. Suddenly, it's a massive surprise that Liverpool has made an offer for Caicedo, which Brighton accepts after all of Chelsea's previous bids have been rejected. Elation for me for all of five minutes! Caicedo wants to go to Chelsea. What to make of it all?

Caicedo is a young South American who apparently " gave his word". There was the previous situation in January when Arsenal tried to sign him, and there was a big to-do because he wanted to leave the Amex. Presently, he's definitely going, and Brighton manager De Zerbi has "forgotten about him already." Money aside, it feels like bridges have been burned. Is "the word" his, his agent's or whoever. If Barcelona or Real Madrid turned up on his doorstep, what would his word be worth then? To my knowledge, Caicedo doesn't have an entourage like some superstars, but it may be moving in that direction. The subplot is Southampton's Romeo Lavia, who may well be Chelsea bound as well. As I've written before, Chelsea's FFP balance sheet must make interesting reading.

It could be a better look for the Reds. A gamble was taken, and it appears not to have come off. Some are questioning Liverpool's move in light of their previous history in the transfer market. Liverpool doesn't go for the bug bucks transfers. Aren't the answers obvious regarding some of the questions surrounding Liverpool's Caicedo bid?

1). Why didn't Liverpool go after Bellingham with that kind of money? Liverpool didn't have the funds to go after Jude Bellingham earlier this year. They can bid for Caicedo with £52 million from the Saudis to add to their transfer kitty. Liverpool is a wealthy club though not at the level of several of their peers; the Saudi Money swelled the coffers. In recent years Liverpool has usually had to sell to fund their most significant buys, e.g. Coutinho to Barca for VVD and Alisson. This is comparable.

2). Why didn't they buy Lavia when they had the money? Perhaps they don't rate him worth the money. I wonder if Liverpool will return for Lavia, as the fee will probably have risen by now.

Liverpool still needs two top players, a #6 and a defender. Prices for players Liverpool is interested in have just risen after the Caicedo debacle!

One game to play in Round 1. United tomorrow. A win over Wolves has to be fancied. The EPL is back; thankfully, weekends can return to normality here in Boston once more!

YNWA

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