Judging from the first day's matches, Ancelotti's Chelsea still has some significant problems.
Hull City barely avoided relegation last season, but they are by no means a weak team.
At one point, after the ninth round, they were ranked third in the Premier League, level on points with second-placed Chelsea. Last season, they were considered one of the league's dark horses.
Although their form declined as the season progressed, they were still in sixth place by Christmas, after 18 rounds.
Isn't that an impressive record?
However, following the grueling Christmas fixture schedule, their form plummeted, and they barely escaped relegation, finishing 17th in the league.
This shows just how crucial the Christmas and winter schedule is for a Premier League team.
Hull City had an interesting statistic last season, whenever they took the lead, they were never overturned. This suggests they were a very stable team when ahead.
But there's a first time for everything.
In the first round of the new season, Chelsea managed to come from behind and turn the game around.
Even though Chelsea eventually secured the win and seemed to have an overwhelming advantage on the pitch, anyone who watched the match closely would notice they actually struggled quite a bit.
Why?
Because their ball progression was problematic.
That's why, after the match, Ancelotti publicly stated that he wanted to bring in a right-wing attacker.
...
Compared to Chelsea on the first day, Manchester United's match against Birmingham on the second day followed a similar pattern.
The only difference was that Chelsea conceded first before scoring twice to complete a comeback, while Manchester United secured a narrow victory thanks to Rooney's goal.
As a newly promoted side, Birmingham had plenty of Premier League experience. Their deep defensive setup made it difficult for United to advance the ball.
Rooney returned to his most familiar center-forward role, partnering with Berbatov, while Valencia played on the right flank.
The veteran winger performed exceptionally well in the opening round. Aside from Rooney, who was named Man of the Match, Valencia was arguably United's best player. Whether driving down the flank or cutting inside, he displayed outstanding individual ability.
More importantly, his partnership with Fabio on the right flank became United's main source of attacking threat.
However, the problem was Berbatov's lackluster performance.
How poor was he?
After the match, the Manchester Evening News mocked the Bulgarian striker:
"Neuer ran more than you last night and was more active than you. At least he contributed eight interceptions and one tackle. What about you? Was your shirt even wet?"
Ferguson substituted Berbatov after just 70 minutes, bringing on Owen—a clear sign of his frustration with the Bulgarian forward.
This is United's biggest issue at the moment.
If they want their striker to link up play and feed the midfield, then Berbatov is crucial. Rooney alone won't be enough.
But the problem is—Berbatov is unreliable.
From what we saw in the first round, United's left-flank duo of Nani and Evra, as well as the right-side partnership of Valencia and Fabio, both performed well. The only issue was Berbatov's lack of presence in the middle. If he had been sharper, United could have secured a much bigger win.
But who can fix this problem?
That's why, after the game, rumors emerged that Ferguson was considering bringing in Uruguayan striker Cavani from Napoli.
However, Napoli's top scorer won't come cheap, and it remains uncertain whether Ferguson and Manchester United are willing to pay the price.
...
What surprised Gao Shen the most, however, was Benítez's Liverpool.
He and his coaching staff watched this match live.
At White Hart Lane, Benítez deployed his signature 4-2-3-1 formation with a double-pivot midfield. His new signing, Biglia, partnered with Mascherano to form an all-Argentine defensive midfield duo.
The two players are close friends and highly familiar with each other, and once they paired up, they immediately clicked.
Ahead of them, Gerrard played in the attacking midfield role, with Torres leading the line. Babel and Kuyt occupied the flanks.
Throughout the match, Tottenham were completely dominated.
Modric struggled alone in midfield. Against Liverpool's intense pressing and solid midfield setup, the Croatian playmaker found himself isolated and powerless.
If Gao Shen remembered correctly, Tottenham Hotspur only truly took off after Van der Vaart joined the team. The Dutchman became Modric's midfield partner, sharing much of the defensive burden, which allowed Tottenham's midfield to function properly.
But now, Modric was left to face Liverpool's midfield trio—Biglia, Gerrard, and Mascherano—on his own, with no support.
Despite this, Liverpool failed to score in the first half.
The reason was simple: the Reds lacked speed.
Biglia's passing, particularly his long balls, was impressive. He had a style similar to Xabi Alonso, with strong organizational ability. With Mascherano supporting him, Liverpool's midfield control was solid, but it wasn't enough to rely solely on Torres up front.
As a result, the match developed into an intriguing stalemate.
Liverpool dominated the midfield and created chances, but Tottenham's defense managed to contain Torres and Gerrard, preventing the Reds from posing a real attacking threat.
In the 60th minute, Benítez substituted Babel for Benayoun, which sparked Liverpool's attack into life.
In the end, they scored twice in quick succession, securing a 2-0 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
This result surprised Gao Shen and, at the same time, put him under pressure.
Liverpool was clearly stronger than the team he remembered from his past life. The arrival of Biglia had filled the void left by Xabi Alonso, resolving Liverpool's midfield issues.
Their attack still wasn't particularly potent, but when had Liverpool ever been known for their attacking prowess?
At the very least, with Torres, Kuyt, and Benayoun, they had enough firepower to remain competitive in the Premier League.
Now, Gao Shen really felt like he had shot himself in the foot.
Of course, he couldn't entirely blame himself—after all, he was just a head coach.
Even though Biglia had been nurtured under his guidance, how could he have stopped him from making the transfer?
...
Due to the South Africa World Cup, the Premier League had adopted a tight schedule from the very beginning of the season, immediately entering a run of midweek fixtures.
With just three days between the first and second rounds, Manchester City had little time to adjust and prepare. After their opening match against Blackburn, they immediately began preparing for their next game against Everton. The coaching staff had already done extensive pre-match analysis.
"From the first round, it's clear that Arsenal's key to beating Everton was their passing game," said Lucas, the team's analyst, as he broke down Everton's current form.
"I reviewed the footage, and Arsenal's passing speed and accuracy in the first match were exceptional. Their efficiency was remarkable. Wenger's team has clearly hit the ground running and is in excellent form."
One statistic best reflected Arsenal's dominance: their shots on target.
They registered nine shots on goal, six of which found the back of the net.
No one could be too harsh on Everton's goalkeeper, Tim Howard. Arsenal created several high-quality chances, and there was only so much a keeper could do. This also highlighted just how strong Arsenal's chance creation was at the moment.
"According to reliable sources, Arteta and Jagielka, two key players, are still recovering from injuries and are unlikely to feature in the second round," Lucas continued.
Arteta was the core of Everton's midfield and had been performing exceptionally well, while Jagielka was the backbone of their defense. Together, they were crucial to Everton's midfield and defensive structure.
Their absence had played a major role in Everton's heavy defeat in the opening round.
"Are you sure they won't play?" Carlo asked cautiously.
Lucas nodded with confidence. "I've cross-checked information from multiple sources. I'm certain neither of them will feature."
All eyes turned to Gao Shen.
Arsenal's passing and movement were indeed formidable, but Manchester City weren't far behind.
Although City hadn't fully refined their tactical system yet, they were at least on par with Arsenal, if not stronger.
This wasn't arrogance, nor was it an overestimation of Arsenal.
Everyone knew Arsenal typically started the season strong but struggled after the winter break. The main reason was their high-intensity running and heavy workload, which took a toll on their players' fitness as the season progressed.
In the first half of the season, Arsenal would always be a force to be reckoned with.
At the moment, Manchester City's attacking width hadn't been fully activated, and Robben was still adjusting to his role as a right winger. In terms of offensive firepower, City might not be superior to Arsenal just yet.
"I think after the first round, Moyes will have recognized the problem," Sarri chimed in. "Our passing and possession play isn't weaker than Arsenal's, and Moyes knows it. He won't let us dominate possession the way Arsenal did."
The more everyone thought about it, the more sense it made.
Without Jagielka and Arteta, Everton had no proper replacements.
In the first round, they had allowed Arsenal too much freedom. If Moyes didn't learn from that and let City control the game just as easily, he might as well return to Scotland and start herding sheep.
As Sarri pointed out, Everton would likely prioritize defense in the second round. Playing away from home, their main goal would be to steady themselves and recover from the crushing defeat in the opener.
Gao Shen asked himself—if he were in Moyes' position, would he do the same?
With only three days between matches, there was no time for major tactical adjustments.
The most logical approach for Moyes would be to set up defensively, just as Sarri had analyzed.
If Everton could grind out a draw at the Etihad and come away unscathed, that would be a solid result for them, considering how badly they had suffered in the first round.
"So, this match will be a real test of our ability to break down a deep defensive block," Gao Shen chuckled.
The rest of the staff laughed as well.
The Premier League was truly brutal. Every opponent was strong.
"Then let's dedicate some time to set-piece drills and fine-tune Giroud's role as the focal point in attack," Gao Shen instructed.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The fire of the Premier League had been ignited, and Gao Shen was determined to make it burn even brighter.
The league was in chaos, far different from the Premier League he remembered from his past life. But that only fueled his competitive spirit and desire to win.
(To be continued.)
***
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