Thomas Woods looks back at some of the key talking points from the second weekend of the 2016/17 Premier League.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
Too early to judge Liverpool
These first two games are going to be the story of Liverpool’s season aren’t they? Brilliant one week, average the next. Fantastic attacking talent held back by a dodgy defence. Complete unpredictability.
Jurgen Klopp will hope this isn’t the case and that his side can establish some consistency, but he won’t panic about the 2-0 defeat at Burnley, which followed a sensational 4-3 win at Arsenal on the opening weekend.
The key moments in the game fell perfectly for Burnley, with an early goal allowing them to sit back and soak up pressure and a second strike coming soon after. That Liverpool had more than 80 per cent possession and still lost is astonishing. They need to cut out defensive mistakes but this performance is probably a sign that anyone who jumped to a conclusion after the Arsenal game and proclaimed Liverpool champions elect were being hasty. The reality lies somewhere in between both performances.
Andre Gray key to Burnley’s survival
Burnley’s Andre Gray could easily have the same impact as Callum Wilson did for Bournemouth in 2015/16. Wilson hit five goals in his first seven league games before missing six months with injury and he would likely have added to that figure significantly had he stayed fit. But the striker’s early form set the tone for a successful season in which Bournemouth comfortably avoided the drop.
Like Wilson, Gray has followed a similar career path to the top flight, with both having fought their way up from non-league football. Gray’s goal and assist against Liverpool on Saturday showed what an striker he is. Gray is reminiscent of former Fulham striker Barry Hayles, another great non-league-to-top-flight striker, with pace, good finishing ability and a stocky build which gives him a low centre of gravity. If he can reach double figure in goals then it will go a long way to keeping Burnley up, especially if strike partner Sam Vokes chips in too.
Each promoted side has a candidate for a 15-goal season: Gray at Burnley, Alvaro Negredo at Middlesbrough and Abel Hernandez at Hull City. If either of the three new boys can get that sort of return out of their main striker, they will have a great chance of staying up.
Mata making himself undroppable
Juan Mata was sensational in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Southampton on Friday night. He may not have grabbed the headlines, thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's double, but he barely put a foot wrong. His vision, first-touch and passing set him apart and the link-up play with right-back Antonio Valencia was a highlight for United, setting up several dangerous attacking situations.
Considering he was a prime candidate to leave the club this summer, given his history with manager Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, it is remarkable that Mata has to be one of the first names on the team sheet at the moment.
He is one of the reasons why Henrikh Mkhitaryan, United’s big-money summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, has yet to start a game. But the way Mata is playing, it seems more likely that Wayne Rooney, who has underwhelmed, will be the player to make way for the Armenian’s inevitable promotion to the first team.
