Hello all, and welcome to the first edition of the American Premier League, a blog focusing on the most popular sports league in the world; English Premier League football (soccer). Every week, I will break down the previous weekend's action across the league, including analysis of player and team performances, as well as my Starting XI of the Week and power rankings for all 20 clubs. Without further adieu, let's get to it.
Southampton 1 - 1 Manchester United
Another match, another not-too-sure showing from the Red Devils of Manchester United. ManU opened the campaign with an impressive 4-0 route of Chelsea in mid-August, but since then, more questions have arisen than answers have been found, and the Devils' 1-1 draw at St. Mary's Stadium did little to shine light on the future. One promising figure for Manchester United however has been 21-year-old Daniel James. The Welsh winger has already recorded three goals in four appearances with his new club. James opened the scoring for ManU in the 10' minute with a wonderful strike to the top corner and put another three shots on target. Through four games, James has taken 11 shots, according to the Premier League stats.
Another bright spot for the Devils has been Paul Pogba, the club's seasoned French midfielder. Pogba was ever-present in Saturday's draw and has already assisted two of United's seven goals this season. He has also completed the third most passes of any PL player this season with 306. David de Gea, Manchester's goalkeeper, looked stronger than he has shown this season and at the end of last season, recording ten saves in four games and one clean sheet.
Elsewhere on the pitch, however, it has looked shaky for United. Poor communication in the back nearly led to an early goal for Southampton and Jannik Vestergaard's free header several yards out was enough to bring the hosts level. Marcus Rashford, the Devils' striker, looked almost lost in Saturday's match, committing three fouls and putting four of his six shots off target. Likewise, Manchester United failed to capitalize on their opponents being a man down for 24 minutes due to a red card to Kevin Danso.
As for Southampton, the 1-1 draw will certainly be a welcoming result, especially after Danso's sending off. The Saints earned their first points of the season last week against Brighton in a 2-0 victory and actually looked quite comfortable against ManU on Saturday.
While their opposition led in possession, shots and shots on target, Southampton had few moments of major concern through the 90-plus minutes.
Danny Ings, the Saints' striker, has already recorded a goal this season, along with seven shots. With James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg supporting him as midfielders (322 combined completed passes), the potential for a mid-table finish is certainly possible. The Saints also have seasoned mid Nathan Redmond who is out with an ankle injury. His return could mean even higher possibilities.
On top of that, the backline looked solid, especially after falling a man down, and youngster Angus Gunn (23) at keeper should continue to be a presence, already recording 15 saves and a clean sheet this season.
Chelsea 2 - 2 Sheffield United
Like Manchester United, Chelsea is a difficult team to read. As stated above, Chelsea was blown out of the water by ManU in head coach Frank Lampard's debut, but then promise looked possible when the Blues went to penalty kicks with Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup just three days later. Along with Saturday's meh performance against newly-promoted Sheffield and last week's scrappy 3-2 victory over also promoted Norwich City, a lot of questions remain for the historic club.
The highest of hopes for this club is the success the young players are showcasing thus far. Tammy Abraham, just 21, is tied for fourth in goals this season, with four, including two on Saturday. Both of Abraham's goals came from mistakes via Sheffield players, but ultimately, the young striker showcased his intelligence and clean finishing in both and put the hosts up 2-0 at half.
However, just as we saw against Norwich the week prior, Chelsea struggled to keep a lesser opponent at bay. Lazy defending allowed the Blades to earn a goal back less than a minute into the second half, and with it, the questions about this new-look Chelsea mounted. Just as Sheffield's first goal game early in the half, their equalizer came in the 89' minute via a Kurt Zouma own goal.
While Abraham has been the star for Chelsea thus far, the positives have come from the young players as a whole. The only other player to score for the Blues this season has been 20-year-old Mason Mount, who has two on the season. Christian Pulisic, the 20-year-old American, has also been a huge figure so far, assisting on one of Abraham's goals, completing 107 passes and creating five big chances. Mount and Ross Barkley have added another 248 passes for the club.
As we move further down the lineup, it seems the issues arise with the back four. Chelsea has conceded nine goals already this season, to have a goal differential of -3, the third worst in the league. A consistent issue throughout this game and the season as whole has been arrant passes, which directly led to both Sheffield goals.
As for newly promoted Sheffield United, the result is quite the positive. While both of Abraham's goals were from direct mistakes via the visitors, the resilience to come from two behind at Stamford Bridge is certainly something to rest your hat on.
Dean Henderson made a mess of an Abraham shot, failing to hold the half volley and allowing it to skip back to the striker, who put it in the back of the net. The English shot-stopper is still young, however, and making his first appearances in the top flight takes a little adjusting. Henderson finished the match with three saves, including an impressive point-blank range strike from Abraham on search for his hat trick, and has recorded nine total and a clean sheet. The Blades have a capable keeper anchoring them this season.
As with the first goal, a blunder allowed Abraham to score in the 43'. A mix up on the backline saw the ball fall favorably for the young striker, who put the hosts up 2-0. Playing a back-three, as Sheffield does, is always a risking investment, and we saw the downsides here. But like Henderson, the backline handled the potential threats of Chelsea comfortably, as a whole. While the hosts dominated possession, their ratio of shots was average, limiting the Blues to just five on target.
As for the attacking potential for Sheffield, the possibilities were certainly there. Callum Robinson was the star attacker for the Blades, recording the first goal to go along with three other shots, including a diving header he probably should have put away. Likewise, it was the Irishman's wonderful cross into the six-yard box that pressured Zouma into putting the ball in his own net. Over four games, he has taken eight shots, so a little more composure in front of the net could allow the 24-year-old to tally up some goals.
Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Aston Villa
Certainly the talking pointing of this match was the perplexing ending, which saw the visitors, despite a man down, net a 90+6' minute equalizer, only to have it disallowed for an apparent dive. Aside from this memorable and debatable finisher, I think the biggest takeaway is the disappointment Crystal Palace has been this season. While yes, the Eagles are sitting at fourth in the table, and showed resilience to down Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, they have looked quite unimpressive, including a 1-0 loss to Sheffield United in matchweek two.
Palace and Villa split possession quite evenly Saturday, with the hosts having a slight advantage at 53%. And while the Eagles were in the opposition's attacking third much more than vice-versa, the quality in said area was simply lacking. The sole *standing* goal came in the 73' minute, following a Trézéquet red card in the 54', from what was a well orchestrated counter attack. Jeff Schlupp fed Jordan Ayew in beautifully down the flank, and with a bit of good fortune on a split, Ayew found the bottom corner nicely.
However, aside from that moment, I was, and have been, quite unimpressed with a team that stole eight points off the Big Six last season. Interestingly enough, the Eagles have more points (seven) than they do goals scored (three). The hero Saturday was also the hero against ManU, and has two goals on the season.
Two players that I am typically high on that have been underwhelming have been Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend. The club's two strikers recorded ten goals and five assists and six goals and four assists last season, respectively, yet neither have recorded either stat thus far.
But for the lack of attacking I have seen from Palace, I must say their defense and goalkeeping has been clearly solid. Vicente Guaita, the Eagles' keeper, has recorded two clean sheets, eight saves and only two goals conceded. Helping the Spanish goalie has been a huge reason for their place in the table, as three Eagles have recorded more than ten goals. Townsend, James McArthur and Joel Ward all have dispossessed opponents 11 times. With 85 tackles as a team, Palace sits at No. 3 in the league and its 93 clearances ranks seventh.
As for Aston Villa, its been a rather frustrating reappearance in the top flight, and clearly a frustrating loss after what unfolded in stoppage time. Villa opened the season at Tottenham and found themselves leading inside 10 minutes and until the 73' minute, they maintained that lead, but ultimately fell 3-1.
Then, a 2' minute penalty put them down against Bournemouth the following week, and despite drawing one goal back, they lost 2-1. Success finally came as they defeated Everton 2-0 last weekend, only to have the chaos that took place Saturday send them back to the bottom three.
But potential is there for the newly-promoted club, led by rising star Jack Grealish, who is just 23. The midfielder is third on the team in completed passes with 155, while adding one assist. The potential is there for the historic club, but I don't know if they will be able to stay above the relegation line.
Leicester City 3 - 1 Bournemouth
Leicester may be on its way to having the best season since its incredible Premier League title in 2015-16. The Foxes defeated a solid Bournemouth team 3-1, thanks largely to an astounding showing from their striker Jamie Vardy. The 32-year-old opened the scoring with a sensational volley from a Ben Chilwell assist from nearly his own penalty box. However, Bournemouth showed their abilities as they drew level just three minutes later, but the Vardy show took over to give Leicester its second win of the season.
Vardy fed Youri Tielemans wonderfully to regain the lead just before half, then the young Belgian returned the favor in the 73' minute, sealing three points for the hosts.
Vardy has certainly been the best player so far for Leicester, but its certainly not the only player that has played well. Through four matches, Vardy has recorded three goals on six total shots, while adding an assist. James Maddison, at just 22, has shown huge promise for the Foxes in midfield, leading the team with assists at two. He and fellow youngster Tielemans have recorded 385 completed the passes, the two highest for Leicester midfielders.
Along with veteran Vardy, another familiar face for the club that has been doing well thus far has been Kasper Shmeichel in goal. While he has only recorded one clean sheet this seaon, the Dane has picked up eight saves. But ultimately, his lack of action is thanks to a formidable back line, anchored by Ricardo Pereira, who is second in the league in tackles with 20. Wilfred Ndidi, the Foxes' defensive midfielder, ranks fifth with 15. Jonny Evans, who plays on the right side with Pereira, is fourth in clearances with 24.
As for Bournemouth, the loss is not the end of the world. The Cherries have some extremely impressive players this season, including Harry Wilson who scored a wonderful free kick against Manchester City last week, as well as Callum Wilson (no relation) and Joshua King. The offensive power is certainly there, as Wilson, Wilson and King have scored four goals between them.
The issues arise from the back, as Bournemouth will need to size up its defense and goalkeeping. Between the posts is 21-year-old Aaron Ramsdale, who has shown potential with 13 saves, but has seen eight goals enter the back of his net. I believe Bournemouth will be towards the bottom of the table, but should be just above relegation.
Manchester City 4 - 0 Brighton and Hove Albion
The defending champions have picked up pretty much exactly where they left off last season. It took less than 100 seconds for Kevin De Bruyne to open the scoring, as the Citizens routed the Seagulls 4-0. Little went wrong for Man City, except the injury to Aymeric Laporte in the first half, which could see him out until 2020, according to ESPNFC.
The league's top scorer, Sergio Agüero continued his prowl, scoring twice Saturday, bringing his total to six. He also provided an assist on Bernado Silva's goal. Likewise, De Bruyne, the league's top assist man, his fifth of the season.
Not only is Man City the highest scoring team in the league (14), they also have a stout defense, allowing only three goals through four matches. The Citizens have the best goal differential with +11.
Clearly, there is little to say negatively about the side, as even in the only match they dropped points in (2-2 draw against Tottenham), they dominated. The side has completed the most passes of any club this season with 2,483 and control possession, having 3,188 touches, also the most of any team and 55.5% of possession in four matches. Man City also has 13 assists on 14 goals.
As for Brighton, the team has some upside to its season so far. Despite hitting a losing streak of two straight, the Seagulls did open the season with a 3-0 wallop of Watford. Matthew Ryan, Brighton's seasoned keeper, is a positive player to have commanding this side. The Australian has already made nine saves and completed one clean sheet. He has conceded seven goals, but four came over the weekend against the firepower that is Manchester City. The biggest area of improvement for another team that will likely be near the bottom of the table is attacking. The Seagulls have only scored four times and have not done so in two straight matches.
XI of the Week
Goalkeeper - Lukasz Fabianski, West Ham United
Defense - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool
Jonny Evans, Leicester City
Patrick van Aanholt, Crystal Palace
Midfield - Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
Richarlison, Everton
Youri Tielemans, Leicester City
Matteo Guendouzi, Arsenal
Striker - Sergio Agüero, Manchester City
Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
Power Rankings
1.) Manchester City
Place in table: 2
2.) Liverpool
Place in table: 1
3.) Arsenal
Place in table: 5
4.) Tottenham
Place in table: 9
5.) Leicester City
Place in table: 3
6.) Manchester United
Place in table: 8
7.) Chelsea
Place in table: 11
8.) Crystal Palace
Place in table: 4
9.) Everton
Place in table: 6
10.) Burnley
Place in table: 12
11.) Bournemouth
Place in table: 15
12.) West Ham United
Place in table: 7
13.) Southampton
Place in table: 13
14.) Wolverhampton
Place in table: 17
15.) Sheffield United
Place in table: 10
16.) Newcastle United
Place in table: 14
17.) Norwich City
Place in table: 19
18.) Brighton and Hove Albion
Place in table: 16
19.) Aston Villa
Place in table: 18
20.) Watford
Place in table: 20