It’s almost two months since the start of the 2021-2022 season in European football. In this edition, we score how the European mega-clubs have started the season. We will analyse their performances since the start of the season in detail and predict their prospects for the future.
In our first instalment of the series, we take a look at the Premier League, arguably the best league in the world right now. In a league where the competition is getting fiercer by the year, have the mega clubs managed to get off to a flying start? Let’s find out.
The Premier League mega-club table
In this edition of the Premier League, we take a look at the so-called ‘Big Six’ – Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. Here’s the table with the scores
| League | position Score | |
| Chelsea | 1st | 90points |
| Manchester City | 3rd | 90points |
| Liverpool | 2nd | 85points |
| Manchester U | 4th | 75points |
| Tottenham | 8th | 60points |
| Arsenal | 11th | 60points |
Let’s move on to a detailed analysis of each club and why they scored the way they did.
Chelsea
Score: 90 points
Last season’s European champions, Chelsea, came out on top with 90 points. With the signing of Romelu Lukaku, who helped Inter Milan win the Serie A title for the first time in 11 years, Chelsea have been on a roll since the start of the season and are still on top of the league table. They haven’t been top of the table for three years, since September 2018, when Maurizio Sarri was in charge.
The Belgian international has added depth up front, but Chelsea’s strongest point is in the defence. They have conceded just three goals so far this season and have kept 24 clean sheets in the 41 games since Thomas Tuchel took over, more than half of them without conceding a goal.
So far, so good, but if there’s anything to be worried about, it’s the big clubs. The Blues have conceded just one goal in each of their two games against the so-called ‘big six’, Manchester City and Liverpool, but their attack has been poor, conceding just one goal. In order to win the league title for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, their attackers will have to step up, especially against the big clubs.
Manchester City
Score: 90 points
Joining Chelsea on 90 points is last season’s Premier League champions, Manchester City. After a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham in their opening game of the season, which was their first defeat since the 2008/09 season, they have recovered to finish third in the league with four wins and two draws. This is a good result considering that four of the seven games completed were against the Big Six. If we don’t lose too many games to lower ranked teams, we should be able to pick up more points.
The main concern is the lack of a pure centre forward. Sergio Aguero, who has been a part of the team for many years, has left and Gabriel Jesus, who played most of last season as a centre forward, has moved to the wing this season. Jack Grealish have been playing centre forward.
The tactical flexibility of having so many players up top is appealing, but it also means that there are no scorers to force goals in difficult situations. This was the case in the scoreless draw against Southampton on matchday 5. It will be interesting to see how the lack of strikers will affect the team, especially against a lower-ranked side who will defend deep in their own half. That will be a key factor.
Liverpool
Score: 85 points
Despite not making any significant additions to their squad this summer, with only centre-back Ibraima Konate joining the club in the summer transfer window, Liverpool still have a destructive attacking force. They have scored 17 goals so far, the most in the league. In addition to the familiar trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota has been making more appearances this season. The Portuguese international has won the trust of Jurgen Klopp and has scored three league goals so far, behind only the aces Salah and Mane. He has added another attacking dimension to Liverpool’s game.
The only concern is the defensive line, which has conceded five goals in the last two games. Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have been the CB pairing for most of the games, but Van Dijk has been out of action for a long time and his partner Matip has been injured and lacks continuity. The key question now is how quickly the new signing Konate will fit in. Klopp’s policy has been to ease his new players into the Premier League gradually, but with the number of goals conceded, the defence line needs to be strengthened. If Konate is fit, it will be a big advantage for Liverpool.
Manchester United
Score: 75 points
Manchester United have been on a spending spree this summer, spending £140million to bring in the likes of Jayden Sancho, Raphael Varane and former ace Cristiano Ronaldo. They started well, winning four and drawing one of their first five games.
But then came the defeat to Aston Villa and the draw with Everton. But then came the defeat to Aston Villa and the draw with Everton. The worst thing is the quality of the football. There is not much variety in the attack, and the crosses from the flanks are all over the place. Sancho, who came in with a bang, has failed to fit in, with no goals or assists, and Bruno Fernandes is the only one who can add to his tally. To make matters worse, Varane and Maguire, the backbone of the defensive line, are both out injured. With Leicester, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City in the next four games, this is a big blow. It will be interesting to see what Manchester United can do in the next four games against the big boys.
Tottenham
Score: 60 points
Tottenham got off to the best possible start under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, winning their opening game against last season’s champions Manchester City, followed by back-to-back wins against Wolverhampton and Watford. However, three consecutive defeats in their next three games have all but destroyed that momentum.
And what’s worse, they’ve lost all of them. They lost 0-3 to Crystal Palace, 0-3 to Chelsea and 1-3 to Arsenal, scoring just one goal and conceding nine in the three games. One thing that has become clear during the losing streak is how much they rely on Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Harry Kane has been out of form since the start of the season, with no goals or assists to his name. When Son Heung-min was shut down, they were unable to create any attacking shape. This problem has not improved since Mourinho’s time in charge and it will be interesting to see if Nuno can come up with new attacking tactics. Tottenham’s fate will depend on the performance of their two aces, Kane and Song.
Arsenal
Score: 60 points
Arsenal made a big splash in Japan with the arrival of Takehiro Tomiyasu, but they faced an unprecedented crisis at the start of the season. They were beaten by promoted side Bledford in their opening game, and then lost to Chelsea and Manchester City. Their attack was monotonous, their defence was fragile and it was the worst performance since Mikel Arteta took over.
The following two games, against Norwich and Burnley, were also less than satisfactory, with narrow 1-0 wins. It was only in the sixth game against Tottenham that things started to look up. Arteta’s quick, high-pressing style of football paid off in a 3-1 victory over their North London rivals. Goals from ace striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well as promising youngsters Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka gave the team a boost.
The challenge now will be to ensure that the performances continue. When they are playing well they are capable of beating the big six, but can they do it every game?
In the seventh game against Brighton, the home side were outplayed from start to finish and only managed to bring home one point.
It will be interesting to see how the Gunners can continue their good performances, including dealing with the injuries that have plagued them for years.
Are there any Premier League player cards available on Sorare?
Several Premier League players have been available for sale on Fantasy Football Sorare.
For example, the Liverpool player Roberto Firmino has been sold as a rare, super rare and unique card. If a limited edition card were to go on sale, it would probably fetch a higher price.
After all, the Premier League is so popular that the most popular players are almost always the most expensive. But on the other hand, if you can buy them, you may be able to resell them and make some money.
You will have to check out the players you are interested in in the Premier League now.
That’s it for the “Start of the season diagnosis of European mega clubs [Premier League edition]”!
