Liverpool off to a winning start

Simon Mingolet could not have asked for a better start to life at Liverpool; his 87th minute save gave Liverpool all but three points to start the season. A feat not achieved on opening day by the legendary King Kenny or English Manager Roy Hodgson; the last time Liverpool won on opening day Fernando Torres scored in the 83rd minute to give a victory over Sunderland in 2008. That was the season Liverpool went on to finish second in the league. 

On a rainy day at Anfield Liverpool started brightly by forcing impressive saves from Asmir Begovic (Man of the match); both teams hit the goal post but Liverpool looked the stronger side with Coutinho pulling the strings from midfield. Iago Asapas looked bright in the opening minutes and had a few shots on goal while Toure put in a solid performance at center back. Stoke looked lost and struggled to transition from their long ball playing style to Mark Hughes' more preferred passing style. As the season goes on it will be interesting to see how Hughes transitions his midfield players into playmakers, and  gets his center backs to pass the ball instead of launching it forward to Crouch and Walters. 

For Liverpool the victory against Stoke on opening day might just be the boost they need to break defensive teams at home.  Over the years Liverpool have been guilty of dominating games against "smaller" teams without squeezing out a result; this result might just be the inspiration Rodgers' men needed. 

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa - Preview

The Premier League is back, and promises to provide more excitement than it did the last time around. Almost all of teams in the league have strengthened, while we have been doing a lot of bloodletting. We’ve let 9 first-teamers leave, and a host of kids from the second string.  The only addition to the squad so far is Yaya Sanogo. None of the Arsenal support is enthused about this situation, which manifested itself in boos at the Emirates Cup.

Boos. At a friendly tournament. Not cool.

It’s not all the fault of the support though. We were made to understand that Arsenal were going to “compete for the best” in the summer, and our “exertions” so far in the transfer market have yielded a rookie striker half-ready for the trials of the Premier League.

However, the first match of the season is upon us, and now is not the time to crib about what-could-have-beens. Aston Villa have bought well and will more than give us a game this evening. We’ve lost none of our core players from last season, which is a good sign, so we conceivably have enough in the tank to take 3 points from today’s game.

I’m writing this preview in a real hurry because I was too lazy to do it earlier in the day—and my honesty wins me brownie points.

Aston Villa will play with Benteke upfront flanked by fast wingers, and with three in midfield. We can expect Aston Villa to sit back and let Arsenal have the ball in the middle of the park. Villa will keep their shape while defending but the midfield three will look to press tenaciously in the their own half and get the ball to their wingers quickly on the counterattack. Arteta’s ability to keep and distribute the ball under pressure and his astute positional sense will be sorely missed. Hopefully Ramsey, who will be deputizing for him today, picked up a few tips from him during the pre-season. Cazorla’s mesmerizing ball skills in the final third could hurt Villa if their pressing is unorganized—despite this being the opening game of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we get a 5 goal thriller today. From Arsenal’s perspective, the Mertecielny axis—as the Gunners have come to call them—could be crucial in nullifying Villa’s attacking intentions. Walcott could be in for a tough day if Villa stay organized at the back. However, their left back Antonio Luna is new to English football, and his duel with Walcott will be interesting. In a nutshell, here are the two duels that could conceivably decide the game: Mertecielny vs. Benteke, Cazorla vs. Villa midfield.

Have fun wherever you’re watching the game. COYG!