The English Premier League has returned to our screens for two matchdays now, bringing drama and excitement in equal measure. New signings, new managers, new tactical systems, new officiating rules and even new jerseys, have meant this is shaping up to be the most interesting Premier League season yet. Before we get into the early season review, Betking - Nigeria’s best online sports betting platform gives you a chance to win millions by maximizing the best odds on the market for betting on Premier League fixtures. Now, let us dive into the performances, storylines, and subplots of your favourite EPL teams. **The Defending Champions - Manchester City** Manchester City have won 4 of the last 5 Premier League titles and the standards set by Pep Guardiola are so high that anything less than a combination of trophies, including a fourth EPL title in a row, would be considered a failure. Under normal circumstances, a 3-0 victory on the opening night of the new Premier League season would indicate all is well. But Manchester City supporters left the game feeling somewhat pessimistic after Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring injury flared up again. The Belgian has now been confirmed as out for the next four months, making it imperative for the club to bring in reinforcements or for someone else to step up in the absence of the talismanic Belgian maestro. Enter: Phil Foden, who delivered a man of the match performance over the weekend against Newcastle, and showed that he can replicate De Bruyne’s effect, at least short term. If he can maintain that performance level for the next four months, City will be well-placed to defend the EPL this season again. The mood around the team improved over the weekend though. Guardiola’s men played extremely well, scaling the hurdle that was Newcastle United. **Our verdict so far:** Manchester City are still the best team in the division. Take advantage of our betting tips and high odds for Manchester City’s next Premier League fixture.
**The Contenders - (Arsenal, Man United, Newcastle & Liverpool)** Last season saw an exhilarating title race, up until March when Guardiola’s men turned on the style and left Arsenal choking on their fumes. The Gunners will be proud of last season’s campaign, despite falling short at the end - they ran Manchester City close, leading the table for the first 7 months of the season before an inexplicable collapse. Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool rounded off the top four last season and will be expected to challenge again this season. **Arsenal** The Gunners began their season with a hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest. Arsenal’s victory over Nottingham Forest was impressive, despite the game ending 2-1. Gunners’ fans might have been concerned by the lack of clear goalscoring opportunities, but they had total control of possession (78.3 per cent) and should have won by a bigger margin. Head Coach manager, Mikel Arteta, had brought in significant reinforcements over the summer including former West Ham captain, **Declan Rice,** versatile defender **Jurrien Timber,** Germany international **Kai Havertz,** who arrived from Chelsea and goalkeeper, **David Raya** from Brentford. There was some early bad news for Arsenal though. Just like City, a key player is out for a significant period of time as new signing Timber ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and will now be sidelined for several months. This is certainly a huge blow to Arteta’s plans and means Oleksandr Zinchenko’s return at left-back comes at the perfect time, especially with Takehiro Tomiyasu’s sending off against Crystal Palace on Monday. Gabriel Jesus’s knee problem is less of a concern but what looked like Arsenal’s near-perfect transfer window has now been truncated by these early-season issues. Arteta will be relieved, however, to have taken 6 points out of a possible 6, following the slim win over Crystal Palace (1-0). There is much work to be done but Arsenal are showing they can win, even in difficult circumstances. **Our verdict so far:** Arteta is currently making life harder for himself than it should be. However, the Gunners are still the best of the rest in the EPL, at least based on what we’ve seen so far.
**Manchester United** The Red Devils have made a rather worrying start to the season. After an extremely lucky 1-0 victory over Wolves on the opening weekend, Erik ten Hag’s men continued their listless start to the season against Tottenham. The narrow win against Wolves sent alarm bells ringing and they did nothing to quiet the noise against Spurs a week later. Manchester United played fairly well in the first half at Tottenham, but their failure to take advantage of created opportunities was a familiar sight, likewise their panic after conceding. It is certainly not out of place to criticize Erik ten Hag, who seems to be struggling to get his squad fit and up to speed. New signing, Mason Mount, has looked out of sorts and some of the manager’s tactical decisions have left a lot to be desired. United host Nottingham Forest next weekend and must get a victory to ease the mounting pressure from supporters. **Our verdict so far:** The Red Devil’s struggling attack means goals may be in short supply until things start to click again. The best odds for United games at the moment should be the ‘Under 3.5 goals’ option.
**Newcastle** Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side started the season in incredible fashion. They demolished Aston Villa 5-1 on the opening weekend, thanks to a brace from Alexander Isak and contributions from Anthony Gordon and new signing Harvey Barnes. That victory sent shock waves around the league, with Howe’s men proving they belong at the top end of the league. However, the Magpies lost their second game of the season to Manchester City, but they more than held their own at the Etihad. They lost 1-0 but could have equalized and were gutted to come away with nothing after a fine showing. The Magpies host Liverpool next and no one can bet against them taking all three points. **Liverpool** Liverpool began their season away to Chelsea and looked quite formidable in the opening moments. Up until Mohamed Salah’s disallowed goal around the half-hour mark, Chelsea had been kept at arm’s length. However, as the second half went on, the momentum swung Chelsea’s way, and from then on, they ruthlessly pinned Liverpool back; thanks to superb energetic performances from their midfielders. Chelsea finished the game with 64.9% of possession, the most in any Premier League match against Liverpool since possesion stats were first compiled. That astonishing statistic showed just how badly Liverpool missed having Fabinho (or any decent holding player) at the base of their midfield. In the end a 1-1 scoreline was just about a fair result for Jurgen Klopp’s men. The Reds did bounce back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth that saw Mohamed Salah finally open his account for the season, and Luis Diaz score for a second game running. **Our verdict:** Newcastle have shown they can hold their own against the very best. Their final position on the EPL table last season is no fluke. Liverpool need to sort out their issues in defensive midfield ahead of the trip to Newcastle. In their current state, the best betting tips for this game should be for both teams to score and Alexander Isak to find the net for the hosts.
**Elsewhere** Chelsea followed up an energetic and exciting performance against Liverpool with a shocking defensive display against West Ham; losing 3-1. Moises Caicedo, Chelsea’s record signing, gave away a penalty on a debut to forget, after coming on as a second half substitute. Enzo Fernandes, the man who Caicedo will be partnering in the middle for years to come, also had an evening to forget as he missed a penalty in the first half leading to the Blues’ capitulation. Brighton, on the other hand, are determined to prove that their 6th place finish last season was no fluke. The Seagulls have started the new season with consecutive 4-1 victories over newly promoted Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers to send a firm message to the rest of the league.
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