3 major takeaways from the Premier League's opening weekend

The first weekend of the Premier League has come and gone and nobody had a better time than the title favourites. Defending champions Manchester City got a perfect start with a 2-0 win over Arsenal. Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all won their first game of the season further cementing their names as front-runners in the game.

As the second batch of games is already upon us, we look back at three major takeaways from the opening weekend:

#1 The London clubs need time for their transition

The weekend saw Chelsea bagging an easy win against relegation-tipped Huddersfield Town. However, new manager Maurizio Sarri is yet to reach perfect team compatibility. The man himself has accepted that it will take time to adjust squad to his plans for the West London club.

Historically, the Italian played attacking football that hardly exercised caution. And with a particular kind of football, comes a particular set of players. Alvaro Morata who signed for the club last season for a fee of £58 million, hasn’t had the greatest time in England. Morata was eventually bogged down by injuries and was never confident enough to be convincing. Despite Sarri giving the striker a chance, Morata simply does not seem fitting for a role at the new Chelsea.

The Emirates is also witnessing a completely different style, seen in their game against Manchester City. Unai Emery’s style is reflective of a one he’s always favoured - a high defensive press and playing the ball out from the back. That the players will take time getting used to it was evident in their first home game.

Starting Petr Cech over Leno only helped to shed light on the 36-year-old’s inability to play the Emery way. At one point, Cech almost passed the ball into his own net, making watchers, particularly fans, incredibly anxious.

It is clear that the two London club managers have different approaches in mind for their team and are adamant in implementing them as well as they can in the league. This will obviously be accompanied with even more off-loading and buying, despite the close of the transfer window. They both look like they are a few transfer windows and training sessions away until they can say they’ve got a complete, functional squad.

#2 The Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League promises an exciting season

The Wolverhampton Wanderers are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2012 and their 2-2 draw against Everton was, just as expected: an incredibly thrilling game.

Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, the most expensive player in Championship history, shone for the newly-promoted side having scored an incredible free kick and setting up the team’s other goal for Raul Jimenez. With 111 touches and 93 passes, more than anyone else in the game, Neves has just begun.

The Wolves are set to have a season as exciting as their winning season at the Championship and with Neves as their potential talisman, it’s going to be one worth watching.

#1 Manchester City still a force to be reckoned with

The Champions proved that they still have a hunger for silverware, and will fight to break the curse and retain their title. Manchester City breezed through Arsenal with a 2-0 win against the Gunners as Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva made it to the score sheet.

Even without three important players starting the game - Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and captain Vincent Kompany - Pep Guardiola’s side proved to be a threat in their attacking while also showing off their impeccable ball distribution.

While Arsenal had a few creative moments, they were mostly outplayed by the champions, while also struggling to play the ball out from the back paired with a lot of glaring mistakes defensively.

With the addition of Riyad Mahrez and the return of Silva and Kompany set soon, Manchester City looks like a team that is still in the race towards the title with little chances of slowing down.

The injury layoff of Kevin De Bruyne will come as a big blow to the CItyzens but with an impressive squad depth, Pep Guardiola's side still has what it takes to retain the PL crown.