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player ready...The 2018-2019 club season is in full effect after this weekend with new coaches, new transfers and new champions crowned throughout Europe.
This weekend, the English Premier League kicked off its season with new faces galore, while Spain and Germany crowned Super Cup champions before their regular seasons begin.
Here for you as always to recap it all is the latest weekend edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Inauspicious start
For the first time in 22 years, someone else not named Arsene Wenger sat on Arsenal’s manager seat on Sunday. The new era, however, is already off to a slow start.
Unai Emery made his debut as boss of the Gunners, succumbing to defending champions Manchester City, 2-0 at Emirates Stadium.
Obviously, there’s no shame in losing to this Manchester City, especially in the first game of a new project. The aesthetics of the loss, though, is concerning even after one match.
Emery will have his hands full to rebuild an Arsenal squad that still carries the defensive problems that plagued Wenger’s final few years. City thoroughly dominated Arsenal in the first half and managed to score the second goal when Arsenal seemed to have the momentum.
One single offseason does not a team build. But if Arsenal hope to return to the top four, Emery will have to put the puzzle together as soon as possible.
2. No blues for The Blues
On the other hand, Arsenal’s London neighbors already showed signs of progress despite a tumultuous offseason.
Chelsea got off to a flying start to the Maurizio Sarri era with a commanding 3-0 away victory against Huddersfield, showing plenty of signs that “Sarri-ball” is starting to gel.
Despite the drastic change in system by going from Antonio Conte’s defense-based approach to Sarri’s free-flowing, possession-based game, the Blues looked very much like a well-oiled machine.
And they did it all without Eden Hazard, who came off the bench to play a few minutes, and coming off a short preseason under Sarri after the whole Conte drama dragged on.
When this team finally hits its stride, don’t be surprised if they find themselves in the thick of things come May.
3. Best of the rest
The Premier League season officially opened on Friday with the champions’ rivals, Manchester United, who come off a frustrating summer in terms of the transfer window.
The Red Devils won their first three points against Leicester, 2-1, courtesy of a couple of goals by Paul Pogba (penalty kick) and Luke Shaw, who notched his first professional goal.
Speaking of transfers, one of the big spenders this summer, Liverpool, impressed in their league debut by thrashing West Ham United, 4-0.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane looked like the hadn’t missed a beat, picking up right where they left off last season with three of the four goals, while new goalkeeper Alisson got a clean sheet in the EPL debut.
Tottenham were the first team in the top five European leagues to go a full summer transfer window without acquiring a single player. That did not matter whatsoever on Saturday, as they took away a victory from their visit to Newcastle.
It wasn’t a great opening weekend for the newly-promoted teams, however. Fulham, who also spent big this summer, succumbed to Crystal Palace at home, while Cardiff suffered the same fate at the hands of Bournemouth. Only Wolverhampton managed a point this weekend, salvaging a home draw with Everton.
4. Super champions
Club season isn’t fully underway in Spain and Germany, but last season’s league champions in both countries already collected their first piece of silverware in the new season.
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Tanger, Morocco served as hosts of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday which saw Barcelona earn a late victory over Sevilla, 2-1. The win represents the 33rd title in Lionel Messi’s resume, a new club record.
Over in Germany, Bayern Munich picked off where they left off by absolutely thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt, 5-0, thus clinching their first trophy under new coach Niko Kovac, who ironically came over from Frankfurt this summer.
5. Goal of the weekend
Speaking of the Spanish Super Cup, the goal that secured the title for Barcelona wasn’t just any other goal.
Ousmane Dembele, whose future at the club is still in doubt, whipped out this rocket in the 78th minute to secure the win and another Super Cup trophy headed for Barcelona.