The 2022/2023 Premier League season has begun, and with it, the talking points are coming thick and fast. After just one round of fixtures, we have seen some big shocks, top performances and plenty of things to discuss.

As a result, we will be breaking down each round of fixtures by picking out 3 of the biggest talking points, covering the biggest results, goals and general talking points from the week. We then will round off by picking our player of the week and game of the week based on what we saw in that round of games.

Let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) if you have seen anything in a game that you think we should be talking about, or have anything to share from what you’ve seen at a game that week. Any funny stories, tactical analysis or general comments will be featured.

What Happened To Pre-Season?

Manchester United had a near perfect pre-season run, dominating Liverpool and playing impressively against Crystal Palace, however Ten Hag’s Premier League debut couldn’t have gone much worse. All glimmers of hope seem to have gone, as the side appeared disjointed, unsure of tactics and like they’d already had a full season of games under their belts. It didn’t appear like a revitalised and energetic team that we expected Ten Hag to put out, and as a result, they were well and truly beaten once again by Brighton as Pascal Gross grabbed a brace to silence the Old Trafford crowd on Sunday afternoon.

At the end of last season, Brighton’s 4-0 demolition of United appeared to be one of the lowest points of the clubs recent history, and the imminent arrival of Ten Hag signified a revitalisation and rejuvenation of the side, however this result shows how much work is left to be done for the new manager. Pre-season went so well that many thought that run of performances would blend seamlessly into the new campaign and could even make United title challengers once again, however this performance has instantly quietened that talk, and again they will be hoping things can get better and that top-4 doesn’t slip from their grasp before the seasons even truly begun.

Let’s now overlook Brighton however, and Graham Potter who once again has produced a quality performance from his side against the legendary club of Manchester United. Brighton under Potter are a real threat to almost anyone as they can produce some big performances, and with their expectations a bit unpredictable, there’s no reason they couldn’t be in conversations for European places, especially considering the places for the Europa Conference League. A perfect start for the south-coast side and they will be excited at what else they could achieve this season.

Premier League = Farmers League?

Can he actually do it in the Premier League? The Bundesliga is easy though compared to the Premier League! Will he actually fit into the system under Guardiola…

Well, Haaland has saved us from several weeks of mundane discussion on Sky Sports about whether he’s going to be a success or not, as he netted a brace and helped his City side cruise to victory over a toothless West Ham side.

West Ham are no pushovers based on recent seasons, and Moyes has made them European challengers, however they played this game like they were willing to accept defeat, be happy to get a tough game out of the way and move on to next week. They put up little/no fight, and their defence was made a mockery by Haaland, who outmuscled and simply outplayed the Hammers.

This is by no means the toughest game City and Haaland will face, and perhaps the real test won’t come for a few weeks until the return of the Champions League, however with potential title challengers Liverpool and Manchester United dropping points from the outset, and Haaland looking deadly in front of goal, we perhaps could be seeing the earliest ever title winners just about by the end of August.

It will be interesting to see how Haaland is used across the season however, as despite this impressive debut, will he play 3 times a week, even with the Champions League games midweek? Well, I guess he will say yes, but Guardiola likes to surprise us all, but if that was Haaland just getting started, then the Premier League needs to be wary of what’s to come.

Already Relegated? I’m Not So Sure…

After an intense Friday night game between Arsenal and Palace under the floodlights got the season up and running, the first early kick-off of the season provided plenty of drama, and gave everyone that early message of never putting money on the early game. Fulham are already down and might as well get themselves ready for the Championship next year, was the opinion of many (myself included in all honesty). They are far too good in the 2nd tier, but can’t quite do enough to stay in the top-flight. Despite this, Marco Silva worked some magic to get his side ignoring the sceptics, and their talismanic striker with 42 goals last campaign did the business in their season opener to earn his side a well-deserved point against a traditionally tough Liverpool side.

Taking the lead in the first-half, Liverpool were kicked into gear after a surprise Fulham strike, however they remained resolute until the 64th minute when Liverpool’s new boy Nunez equalised, and many thought the away team would go on and claim all 3 points. That wasn’t the case however, as Mitrovic drew a foul from Van Dijk to give the home side a penalty which the Championship goal machine slotted away with ease to give his side the lead. With 10 minutes to go, Liverpool continued to knock on the door of Fulham’s goal and finally managed to get their 2nd equaliser of the game to take a point and break Fulham hearts.

This result feels hard on Fulham who took the lead twice, however Liverpool were determined to get the second equaliser and so they won’t be too disappointed to get something from a game where they were likely expecting a bit of a hammering. Meanwhile, their main striking threat managed to nab a brace on opening day so he will be full of confidence for the season ahead, and if Fulham are to survive, they will need a few more performances like this from him.

Liverpool meanwhile has questions to be asked of themselves. They had a mixed bag of performances in pre-season, however, Klopp would have expected much more of his side on the opening fixture. Silly mistakes cost them on several occasions, and they were rather fortunate to get the equaliser late in the game, and for what many sides will see as an easy 3 points this season, it’s not a good start in their hunt for their 2nd Premier League title, especially with City showing early dominance.

Matchday 1 Player of the Week: Pascal Gross The goals, the result, the performance. Yes, we had Haaland getting a brace, Saliba making his long-awaited start and Mitrovic off to a scoring start, but Pascal Gross absolutely hammered Ten Hag’s side despite their impressive pre-season run of form. After possibly heading out of the club on a free transfer earlier in the summer, he impressed hugely with 2 goals, 100% shot accuracy, 4 recoveries and 1 chance created.

Matchday 1 Game of the Week: Fulham 2-2 Liverpool The first early kick-off of the season had plenty of action and almost a big shock to start off the first Saturday football of the season. Fulham impressed massively considering many had written them off before kick-off for the entire season, but a big point against a wobbly Liverpool side is a great result and is our game of the week for matchday 1.

Let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) what you made of the first round of fixtures, and what you’re looking forward to in the next game week.