We have now run through two weeks of action, however, I am no closer to knowing where to place my allegiances. That being said, I remain undeterred. Over the last week, I watched Aston Villa versus Newcastle, Arsenal versus Chelsea, West Ham versus Leicester City and most of Wolves versus Tottenham. Also, last Friday, I spent my lunch break watching Manchester United versus Leeds again, but this time, paying more concentrated attention to what United were doing on the pitch.
The two football podcasts that I've been spending time with spent so much time last week raving about what happened at Old Trafford (where Manchester United play) that I began to wonder if I hadn't missed something. I struggled a bit when I watched the match the first time around because I already knew the finish so it was hard to get too excited watching shots that you absolutely know are going to find the back of the net. The second time around, I made a concerted effort to watch and follow Paul Pogba as moved around the pitch. In doing so, it was hard not to marvel at Bruno Fernandes as he racked up three goals with relative ease. It also helped seeing his tweet after the match where he said he had simply been waiting for fans to be present before registering his first hat trick. They looked so strong against Leeds but then they drew with Southampton, so there's some balance out there I suppose. While we are talking about Manchester United, we have to acknowledge their away kits which are just divine. However, all that being said, I cannot hop aboard the United train; the idea of it feels so boring.
The big highlight from the Aston Villa versus Newcastle match was not Villa's kits, although they remain pretty great, but rather the wild goal that ended the first half. It may still be early in the season, but there's no doubt that that was the best goal yet. It was picturesque. It's the sort of play that any fan of any sport can at least appreciate. In conducting research and reading around the internet, it seems that Villa are actually considered to be one of the cooler clubs around. At the very least, people who talk about football for a living seem to really want them to succeed this season after seeing Jack Grealish leave for Manchester City. It's my understanding that Villa spent the Grealish transfer money very wisely and really strengthened their club. Also, as mentioned before, their home kits are very nice and yesterday I discovered that their away kits are almost equally appealing. Villa Park was a lively atmosphere, and by all accounts, their owner is a pretty ok dude.
So, not to state the obvious, but Chelsea are incredibly strong and incredibly deep at every position. Saturday saw the return of Romelu Lukaku (he had played for the club before) and he made his presence felt almost immediately. He scored early, and probably could have scored again. Arsenal just looked powerless for much of the match. Despite finishing eighth last year, they managed to be Chelsea twice so there was a thought that perhaps they had Chelsea's number. They don't, or at least, they didn't on Saturday. They're a bit short on players at the moment, including a number of guys that they've paid handsomely for their services, but that doesn't really help explain away what happened on Saturday. That being said, that sure looked like a penalty on Saka there toward the end. It's hard to say when relief will arrive for Arsenal and its supporters as they are scheduled to take on Manchester City this upcoming weekend. Also, worth noting, I didn't love the Arsenal home kit as much as I expected. It's nice and plenty good, but the all white sleeves and red base moving around came across a little too disconnected for my tastes. Still, it's hard not to feel for Arsenal and their supporters as they struggle like this so early in the campaign.
Leading up to yesterday's match, Leicester City had really emerged in my mind as a club to watch. Their outsider status is great, Jamie Vardy is great, Jannik Vestergaard is great, their coach seems intense but in a one-step-ahead-of-everyone tactician kind of way. However, for as much as I appreciate these various things about the club, the fit still felt a little off. Maybe it's the other teams, organizations and people in my life that I throw my support behind. Historically speaking, I almost never ride with a team that other people like or appreciate (your loss, folks. The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Wizards are fantastic franchises and I will continue to run with them.) Anyway, yesterday happened and West Ham just rocked Leicester City. This was my first time seeing West Ham in action, so it's hard for me to say if yesterday's effort was in line with their usual output or what, but I do know that they finished directly right behind Leicester City in the standings last season so I'm inclined to think, yes, they are in fact a highly competitive club. Declan Rice seems like a real stand-up guy, talking with everyone throughout and helping to de-escalate things after the red card. Their kits are also claret and blue, which as has already been documented here, is just great.
If there was a battle of kits this week then it was, hands down, Wolves versus Tottenham. The Wolves kits aren't mind-blowing or revolutionary or anything like that, but yellow and black is a great, sharp color combination. Also, their full name, the Wolverhampton Wanderers sounds like something out of Harry Potter (please note: this not an endorsement of Harry Potter or its distressingly transphobic creator.)
Tottenham were the away team in this match, which means that they wore their away kits. Simply put, they are awesome. Their home kits are so clean, which is great in its own way, but these away ones look like they'd come alive underneath a black light. In reading about the Spurs, I've gleamed that their supporters don't seem to know what to make of them anymore. Some fans have posted online that the club should let Harry Kane go and fill his trophy case as Tottenham aren't really poised to compete for the title this year. Other fans come across as far more mystified and unsure what the answer for the Spurs is or what that would even look like. All I've learned about the owner is that he refuses to agree to a Kane transfer. I think I said this before, but it bears repeating. I'm very hesitant to take the side of a rich, white guy but it would just be so dull if another star player joined the Man City roster.
Speaking of Man City, they'll take on Arsenal this upcoming Saturday in a match that will probably be talked about tons between now and then.
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