Van Gaal, who has also coached in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, said other leagues helped clubs in Europe by bringing domestic matches forward to Friday nights in order to give them more preparation time. In three of those seasons when they started so poorly, they finished 11th or lower. City are strongly tipped to get their season back on track by coming away with maximum points.
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It’s easy to overlook a team’s most creative player. De Bruyne showed what a fantastic footballer he is as the Belgian dictated play throughout as City dominated and sought an equaliser, and his ability to pick passes and use spaces for his team-mates saw the home side overrun West Ham at times-only the final ball from his colleagues was lacking.
Juventus had a summer of wholesale changes, letting go of players of the pedigree and experience of Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, Fernando Llorente and bringing in a mix of youth and experience but players not quite in the bracket of the departed stars. Of course, by this stage of that campaign, manager Jose Mourinho had already been sacked.
Yet they outplayed Chelsea for much of this game and probably deserved to take all three points.
Another cause for worry is the efficiency of Juve’s attacks. Juventus have averaged a shot conversion rate of only 24 percent this season, down from 34 percent in 2014/15.
The weekend’s Premier League fixtures threw up some surprising results, as Man City suffered a touch of 4-1 hubris at White Hart Lane, and Chelsea fans’ frustration intensified with a draw at St James’s Park.
Manchester United’s sudden leap to the top of the table adds yet more competition for a title that has essentially been between Chelsea and Manchester City (and anomalously, Liverpool) for the last two seasons.
Only one club, Chelsea, has managed to reach the last four in the previous three seasons, while none made it past the round of 16 in last season’s competition.
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Even if these are early days, the continued struggles bode poorly for the two clubs, and the sooner they can sort out their troubles, the better it will be.
