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Club football is here! The Premier League and the Ligue 1 commenced this weekend to start the glorious nine months of football. The likes of La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga will begin in the coming weeks but let's have a look at the two set of fixtures which were completed this time.
All but one of the Premier League's big six won their opening games. The lone casualty were Arsenal, who were pitted against champions Manchester City. A number of new boys had memorable performances, which included Ruben Neves, Richarlison, and Naby Keita.
In France, Marseille kicked off proceedings by beating Toulouse on Friday. After an action-packed weekend, PSG rounded off the week by comfortably beating Caen 3-0.
The domestics super cups were also played out in Spain and Germany, as Barcelona and Bayern Munich lifted silverware. Surprise, surprise.
In the 20 odd matches that were played out, there were certain team performances which stood out. Here are three impressive team performances from the weekend.
#3 Liverpool 4-0 West Ham United
After an impressive season last term, Liverpool strengthened considerably in the summer. They recruited the likes of Alisson, Naby Keita, and Fabinho; all expected to play key roles this season. The pressure was on Jurgen Klopp's side to start with a bang, and they did not disappoint.
The Reds were hugely impressive throughout, and the outcome seemed inevitable when Mohamed Salah put his side ahead early on. Sadio Mane added two more and substitute Daniel Sturridge completed the rout in the dying stages.
Favourably for the Anfield faithful, Liverpool looked ominous in the attack, with the trident of Firmino, Mane, and Salah carrying over their form from last season. Keita appeared to be omnipresent, contributing on both the fronts.
Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, both the full-backs were really lively, a key component of Klopp's strategy. Alisson faced no real trouble in goal, which is a testament to the tight defence in front of him.
That being said, West Ham offered little resistance to Liverpool's dominance so the optimism should be measured as of now. But it was a perfect day at Anfield, which places them on the top of the table.
#2 Angers 3-4 Nimes
Your reaction might be 'Who?', but don't let the nondescript teams fool you. Promoted Nimes tasted top-flight football for the first time in 25 years, and they certainly made the most of it.
Granted, they were pitted against a 'lower' team in Angers, but promoted teams don't usually come up with such performances. Nimes opened the scoring in the fifth minute, and it looked like all was going well for the newcomers.
But Angers turned the tie around, and by the hour mark, they were leading 3-1. Clement Depres pulled one back in the 76th minute, but a comeback still seemed unlikely. Furthermore, Florian Miguel got sent off for Nimes and the game looked well beyond their reach.
But they had other ideas. A man down and a goal down, Nimes roared back to score twice within three minutes to spark wild celebrations. The three points gained will be vital in their season, but the performance they put in will go a long way in raising their belief that they can survive in the Ligue 1.
#1 Bayern Munich 5-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
But the Bundesliga has not started, right? That is correct but the German domestic season got underway with the DFB Super Cup and Bayern put in a monstrous display.
Frankfurt won the DFB-Pokal final against Bayern last season but this time around they were annihilated. Granted, the Frankfurt manager that day Niko Kovac was in the Bayern camp yesterday but he was still facing a tough side nonetheless.
The Bavarians ripped them to shreds, and Robert Lewandowski was the star man. He scored a hat-trick, and Kingsley Coman and Thiago also got on the scoresheet. Everyone in red was impressive and the only dampener was David Alaba's injury.
Kovac's reign in Munich has got off to the best start imaginable and it will be interesting to see whether he can match Bayern's lofty expectations.
