The Premier League is back! theScore examines the most important developments and discusses the biggest talking points from Saturday’s busy slate of action in England’s top flight.
Is there enough energy in Liverpool’s midfield?
Fulham’s attackers diligently tracked back while Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha, positioned in front of the defense, frustrated Liverpool and kick-started attacks. Crowd favorite Tim Ream was committed at the back. It was a studied and industrious performance, one which suggested this iteration of the Cottagers is more assured and settled than other Fulham teams that reached the Premier League in recent years.
But this was more than an earned point for Fulham; there were some issues with Liverpool’s midfield that led to a disappointing 2-2 draw to begin the Reds’ title challenge.
True, Liverpool are currently short-handed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, and Naby Keita were already dealing with injuries before Thiago Alcantara joined them after suffering a hamstring problem during the second half. However, even before these ailments, there were legitimate concerns over the fitness and consistency of Thiago, Jordan Henderson, and the rest who play in front of Fabinho in midfield.
Before his 50th-minute substitution, Thiago was overrun and unable to orchestrate attacks in his usual unruffled fashion. He attempted just one through ball, and that failed. Meanwhile, Henderson was once brutally exposed by the excellent Aleksandar Mitrovic. He did almost pinch a win for Liverpool with a smash against the crossbar in injury time, but he was otherwise too frantic and didn’t always appear in the right positions.
It was a game where Liverpool needed more energy. It was a game where they would’ve benefited from more midfield exuberance. It was a game where Harvey Elliott would’ve been more useful playing as a No. 8 from the start, rather than coming off the bench to team up with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold down the right flank.
Major Leeds Soccer
There was a North American flavor to Leeds United’s 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was evident in Leeds’ match-winning tally. Rayan Ait-Nouri’s own goal in the 74th minute was a culmination of New York Red Bulls product Tyler Adams’ involvement and pressure from ex-Philadelphia Union standout Brenden Aaronson. Former Montreal Impact and Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch high-fived his coaching staff after the final whistle, while former New York City FC winger Jack Harrison lapped up Elland Road’s applause on the pitch.
There no doubting it: Major League Soccer is an established breeding ground of top-end talent.
Aaronson and another summer arrival from Red Bull Salzburg, Rasmus Kristensen, were among Leeds’ best performers. Aaronson faded a little in the second half, but that was understandable given his all-action performance. His pressing helped squeeze out the opportunity that resulted in Rodrigo’s equalizer, he held up the ball well, and he was generally the most threatening attacker in Marsch’s ensemble. It was no surprise Aaronson was breathing down Ait-Nouri’s neck during the full-back’s own goal.
It’s doubtful that any current Leeds player will reach the high standards of Raphinha – who joined Barcelona this summer – but the ease in which Aaronson has slotted into Marsch’s side is extremely promising. He’s on course to earn himself a starting berth for the United States at the World Cup.
Kulusevski thriving in Conte’s system
Southampton had no answer for Dejan Kulusevski. The 22-year-old posed a threat every time he collected the ball. Southampton’s Moussa Djenepo tried his best to contain Kulusevski’s runs on the right flank, dropping deeper every time his opponent picked up the ball. Every time, Kulusevski left Djenepo behind.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-1 win Saturday offered ample evidence of Kulusevski’s individual brilliance. He stretched play and switched gears to accelerate into open space, and he spotted teammates on the run by playing with his head up. His Premier League-leading ninth assist of the calendar year came off of a brilliant cross-field pass to Ryan Sessegnon in the first half, a bullet of a cross that met his opposite number as he ran into the box. Kulusevski then scored a goal of his own, opening up his body in the area before firing into the far corner.
He was simply too much for Southampton. Because the visitors lacked the pace to handle Kulusevski’s constant change of speed, they had no choice but to backpedal to cover the space behind them. Kulusevski accepted the trade-off, cutting inside to deliver balls with incredible pace and accuracy.
Antonio Conte’s system allows Kulusevski to do all of the things he does well. With a wing-back to his side, the Swede can focus on making darting runs without worrying about tracking back. Not that he doesn’t do the dirty work. Kulusevski attempted a team-high seven tackles, including five in the opponent’s half.
“Dejan made a big impact (Saturday), but also last season,” Conte told the BBC. “He and Rodrigo (Bentancur) integrated really good with the squad. Dejan has continued in this way, but he has to continue to work in this way with his behavior and ambition. He has a lot of ambition, he wants to become one of the best players in his role. I think this ambition is good, if he is humble and works … he can do that.”
Gerrard could soon feel the pressure
Steven Gerrard can’t blame any of Aston Villa’s failings on a lack of support from the boardroom. Following a January window that included a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho and moves for Lucas Digne and Calum Chambers, Gerrard welcomed Coutinho (this time permanently), Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, and others to Villa Park this summer for over £45 million total.
But the Villans’ 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth shows there’s still a lot of work to do for Gerrard. The Cherries deserved their three points and gave Carlos and Kamara tough introductions to English football. Villa’s big-name players were outclassed by Marcus Tavernier, the midfielder whose move to Bournemouth from Middlesbrough last week was lost amid the transfer chaos.
Gerrard had a strong six games to start his Aston Villa tenure, but his team finished the rest of the 2021-22 season with a worse record than relegated Burnley.
Now, his summer recruitment has significantly lifted exceptions. This is his squad, and an improvement on last season’s 14th-placed finish is needed. Two-goal defeats to newly promoted teams shouldn’t be part of the script.
It won’t take long for fans to get on the Scouser’s back if results don’t improve. His recruitment drive has forced previously established – and largely popular – first-team players like Emiliano Buendia, Douglas Luiz, Tyrone Mings, and Ollie Watkins onto the bench. Some of those changes seemed unnecessary. The Coutinho signing was arguably a huge waste of resources given Buendia’s ability to influence games with more consistency than the Brazilian. Mings often draws plenty of criticism, but is the impulsive Carlos really that much better?
If Gerrard’s signings don’t work out quickly, the fans will be on his back and, by extension, be questioning the work of chief executive Christian Purslow.
Everton limping from the get-go
Everton are already looking worse for wear just 90 minutes into the new season.
The Toffees took the pitch Saturday against Chelsea without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, their only recognized striker. They then lost defender Ben Godfrey to a gruesome-looking ankle injury midway through the first half. Fellow center-back Yerry Mina also went off with an ankle issue.
Manager Frank Lampard could now have a serious shortage of options in defense and attack. Everton don’t even have the funds to go out and sign replacements. That doesn’t bode well for a team many had regarded as relegation fodder before kickoff.
“When it rains,” Lampard said afterward, “it pours.”
The players, however, don’t seem as short on spirit. They hustled for possession all game and only lost because of a penalty kick midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure conceded toward the end of the opening period. Anthony Gordon won tackles in his own half, and left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko made crucial blocks. Gordon, Demarai Gray, and summer signing Dwight McNeil ran nice passing sequences. The effort was there, and the game was for the taking. Everton were just missing a presence up front.
There’s some irony here. Despite the obvious lack of depth, the club allowed Ellis Simms, one of the only other center-forwards in its ranks, to leave on loan. The 21-year-old, who’s at Sunderland for the rest of the campaign, served up a timely reminder of his ability with a two-goal performance earlier Saturday.
Unfortunately, Lampard likely knows the deal by now. He’s not going to get much help from majority owner Farhad Moshiri, who’s shown no desire to reinvest the funds from Richarlison’s £50-million transfer to Tottenham. Everton suffered pre-tax losses of £372 million over the last three years, severely handicapping what they can spend on the transfer market. Solutions will have to come from within.
Breaking down thrilling EPL title race with 10 games left
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One of the most intoxicating title races in Premier League history is, mercifully, ready to resume.
The quirks of the calendar – an FA Cup weekend succeeded by an agonizing international window – means the titanic tussle between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City will have been on hiatus for a full three weeks before it gets back underway on Sunday.
But there are no more impending interruptions. With 10 matches remaining for each title contender, we’re barreling toward a resolution to the type of three-way battle that’s exceedingly rare in England’s top flight. There’s never been a season in the Premier League era where three teams went into the final day with a chance to hoist the trophy. This could be it. The last time it happened was the 1971-72 campaign, when Derby County won an incredible four-team fight, narrowly beating Leeds United and, ominously, Liverpool and Man City to the crown. We’re overdue for that kind of drama.
That three sides have converged this way at all is, frankly, remarkable.
These are the three best teams in the country by an enormous margin. They’re the only ones with an expected goal difference per game of plus-1.0 or greater this season. The next best mark, surprisingly, belongs to Mauricio Pochettino’s erratic Chelsea team at plus-0.36. So, yeah, it’s not close.
The three of them are also on a tear and show no signs of slowing down. Arsenal have won all eight of their league games in 2024, scoring 33 goals in the process; Liverpool have collected 22 of a possible 27 points in that time; reigning champions Manchester City have racked up 23 of 27 points. They’ve combined for just one loss since the calendar flipped – Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat against Arsenal in early February.
The only sides that look capable of halting their progress are each other, which makes this weekend’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad all the more significant.
Euro 2024 playoffs: Miraculous Ukraine comeback, big result for Wales
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Wales, Greece, and Poland registered statement wins Thursday, joining three other teams in next Tuesday’s playoff finals for the three remaining places at Euro 2024.
Ukraine staged an incredible late comeback against Bosnia and Herzegovina in its semifinal to keep its Euro dream alive.
The highest-placed team in FIFA’s rankings that’s no longer in contention to reach the tournament in Germany is 60th-placed Finland.
Here’s how the playoff semifinals across Path A, B, and C played out.
Path A
Mateusz Slodkowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Poland 5-1 Estonia
Estonia barely stood a chance. Down to 10 men as early as the 27th minute, the northern Europeans could only muster a consolation goal in a 5-1 loss to Poland. The Polish achieved the rout without Robert Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet and remain unbeaten in 21 Euro qualifiers at home, a magnificent run dating back to September 2006. Poland is trying to make up for a poor qualifying campaign in which it finished third in Group E, four points behind the Czech Republic and Albania. The country hasn’t missed the Euros since 2004.
Wales 4-1 Finland
The Red Wall might descend on Germany this summer. Wales’ raucous supporters have legitimate hopes of traveling to another major tournament after the Dragons scorched Finland without the retired Gareth Bale and with Aaron Ramsey, 33, on the bench after more injury problems. Teemu Pukki gave the visiting team some hope just before halftime following well-taken finishes from David Brooks and Neco Williams. But Wales needed just 73 seconds of the second period to restore its two-goal cushion via Brennan Johnson’s tap-in. Daniel James took advantage of a defensive error before rounding the goalkeeper in the 86th minute to give the host a resounding victory.
Playoff final: Wales vs. Poland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path B
David Balogh – UEFA / UEFA / Getty
Israel 1-4 Iceland
Iceland’s Albert Gudmundsson stole the show with an emphatic hat-trick against Israel on Thursday. His stunning free-kick into the top right corner canceled out Eran Zahavi’s opening goal for Israel, and he created a nice cushion for his country with a pair of markers in the final 10 minutes. Just before that, Zahavi blew an incredible opportunity to equalize the match at 2-2, missing a penalty awarded for handball against Iceland’s Gudmundur Thorarinsson. A red card to Israel’s Haim Revivo didn’t help the trailing side. Iceland is now a game away from making only its second-ever appearance at the Euros following its quarterfinal run in 2016.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Ukraine
Ukraine scored twice with just minutes remaining in regulation to snatch what seemed to be a sure victory from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. Bosnia controlled play for most of the match and took the lead in the 56th minute when Mykola Matviyenko turned in Amar Dedic’s shot into his own net. But a colossal defensive lapse cost the Bosnians a chance to make it a record four countries from the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024. Roman Yaremchuk came off the bench to equalize in the 85th minute and teed up Artem Dovbyk’s sensational winning header three minutes later to turn the playoff semifinal on its head. Ukraine now faces Iceland with a third consecutive Euro appearance at stake.
Playoff final: Ukraine vs. Iceland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path C
GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP / Getty
Georgia 2-0 Luxembourg
Two clever finishes from Budu Zivzivadze in Tbilisi assured Georgia of a place in Path C’s final – and all without the help of suspended talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But it wasn’t that simple for the host. Luxembourg thought it equalized during the second half, only for the goal to be eventually snatched away due to Maxime Chanot’s apparent foul 45 seconds earlier. Luxembourg’s Chanot was controversially sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and Zivzivadze effectively ended the match six minutes later with his second strike. Kvaratskhelia is available for the final.
Greece 5-0 Kazakhstan
Anastasios Bakasetas lashed home a penalty, Dimitrios Pelkas headed into the net’s roof, Fotis Ioannidis tapped in from close range, and Dimitrios Kourbelis added another header. And that was all before halftime. Kazakhstan’s impressive 2022-23 Nations League campaign and notable Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Denmark, Northern Ireland (twice), and Finland suddenly seemed ages ago, as Greece recorded its biggest halftime lead since October 1978 (5-0 against Finland). Aleksandr Marochkin’s embarrassing own goal in the 85th minute made Kazakhstan’s day even worse.
Playoff final: Georgia vs. Greece, Tuesday 1:00 p.m. ET
Look: Nike unveils beautiful kit selection for Euro 2024, Copa America
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Nike released a stunning batch of threads ahead of Euro 2024 and Copa America on Monday.
Days after Adidas launched its lineup for the summer’s top two tournaments, Nike followed suit with an array of colorful designs.
The U.S. manufacturer also announced redesigns for Canada and Poland, even though they’ve yet to qualify for their respective tournaments. The Canucks face Trinidad and Tobago in a one-off Copa America qualifier on Saturday, while Poland must navigate a four-team playoff to reach Euro 2024.
(All images courtesy of Nike)
Euro 2024
Croatia
Home
The square-shaped design that gives Croatia its unique look gets a slight upgrade. The home shirt features larger squares than ever before.
Away
Croatia’s away shirt plays on the national flag, with the traditional checkered pattern now on a slant.
England
Home
Influenced by England’s 1966 training gear, the home shirt has a classic feel with a rich blue collar and gorgeous trim along the cuffs.
Away
England embraces a deep purple hue for its away selection. The crest stands out with a contrasting off-white tint that makes the three lions pop.
France
Home
France’s home shirt may have the biggest crest of all of Nike’s offerings. The oversized rooster defines this shirt as much as the royal blue that’s made France’s kits a crowd-pleaser.
Away
The pinstripes mirror the colors of France’s national flag and span the width of the shirt in a simple, yet elegant design.
Netherlands
Home
Nike could’ve offered anything orange here, and it would’ve been perfect. But the Netherlands has something bolder and better to wear. The zig-zag pattern adds edge.
Away
The orange collar and cuffs pop alongside the three shades of blue Nike has chosen to create the abstract design on this work of art.
Poland
Home
Poland dedicates premium real estate on the country’s home shirt to its imposing crest.
Away
Poland’s away shirt is a daring choice. The graphic treatment adds texture, giving it a rugged feel while separating from the red tones of years past.
Portugal
Home
With possibly the best home shirt in Nike’s collection, Portugal leans heavily into its traditional red-and-green motif with a polo collar and thick cuffs. The logo sits prominently as well. A smash hit.
Away
Here’s another winner. Portugal’s away strip has a stunning textile imprint that gives off a cool summer vibe.
Turkey
Home
This is a menacing look. Turkey will look like a whirring red army with these imposing shirts.
Away
The classic red band returns to Turkey’s away uniform. Like the others, it features an oversized crest in the middle of the shirt.
Copa America
Brazil
Home
Nike goes big with Brazil’s crest and adds an intricate design to the same yellow hue the Selecao have used for decades.
Away
Brazil’s secondary strip feels like the beach. A horizontal wavy pattern covering the entire shirt mimics the country’s picturesque coastline.
Canada
Home
The only blemish in Nike’s lineup. Why is there a circle around the swoosh? And why are the shoulders so much darker than the body? None of it makes sense.
Away
The 13 pinstripes are supposed to represent the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Unfortunately, the rest of the shirt looks incomplete.
United States
Home
The United States men’s national team gets a classic home shirt with patriotic detailing along the color and sleeves.
Away
The gradient works perfectly with the red shorts the U.S. will wear at the Copa America.