The new Premier League season is now underway, and with matchday one in the books there were plenty of surprises, upsets, and exciting individual performances. With all that action needing to be unpacked, we are starting our new series where we will provide an in-depth review. We have a few different interesting categories to dive into, so let’s crack into our maiden review of a Premier League matchday.
Fantasy Steal of the Week: Daniel Ballard
The best value on the fantasy market this week came from one of the promoted sides, in Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard, who had about as good of a fantasy performance as possible. As we all know, the Black Cats marked their return to the Premier League with a dominant 3-0 win over West Ham. Ballard was a key reason for their dominance all over the park, and that was reflected in his 17 fantasy points this past week.
From a statistical standpoint, he recorded 14 defensive contributions, kept a clean sheet, and even managed to get on the end of a wide delivery to nod home a goal. Through this dazzling 90-minute display from the 25-year-old, he has now announced himself as a fantasy-relevant option, currently priced at a modest £4.5m.
Now the question is whether he’ll be able to replicate those numbers without the goals, which you’d expect to dry up as the season progresses. And how likely is it that Sunderland can hold higher-quality sides to clean sheets, compared to a team like West Ham?
All in all, his matchday one performance is certainly something on the minds of millions of fantasy owners around the world.
Under 21 Wonderkid: Josh Acheampong
Chelsea lost Levi Colwill to a torn ACL in their first preseason training session, following a brief three-week break. It was a major blow that ripped one of the key members of their spine away just as the season was set to begin. Manager Enzo Maresca had been clamouring for the board to sign him a new central centre-back, as that role is crucial to the way his team builds up play and breaks lines.
With the board seemingly biding their time on that front, the plan was for 27-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo to fill the void. However, he was also unavailable for matchday one due to injury. This opened the door for 19-year-old Josh Acheampong, who was handed the chance to start in one of the most important roles in Maresca’s system.
The youngster didn’t miss a beat, going head-to-head with Premier League bully Jean-Philippe Mateta. Acheampong put his defensive duties first, keeping Mateta quiet and limiting him to virtually no real opportunities. The stats backed that up, as he won 11 of his 14 combined aerial and ground duels. On the ball, he made one mistake, but otherwise carried it well and completed 87 of his 93 pass attempts, finishing with an impressive 94 percent accuracy.
Acheampong still has a few things to clean up, which will come with time, just as it did for Levi Colwill in Maresca’s system. But all signs point to Chelsea having a serious talent on their hands.
Well Off-Target: Viktor Gyökeres
All eyes were on the new focal point of Mikel Arteta’s attack as Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on opening weekend. That man under the microscope was 27-year-old Viktor Gyökeres, who, after a few prolific years at Sporting, is now expected to be the player who takes the Gunners to the next level and helps them win a trophy.
However, his first appearance in a Gunners jersey on the Premier League stage was one to forget. By the numbers, he had just 22 touches of the ball, recorded a passing accuracy of 44 percent, completed zero successful dribbles, and lost five of his six aerial duels. Of his three touches in the United box, Gyökeres was unable to create any chances or get a shot off. All of this amounts to a disappointing performance, even though his side came away with the win.
To add some context and offer a reprieve for Arsenal fans, it’s fair to say it may take time for him to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League, especially when it comes to playing with his back to goal, holding up the ball, and linking up play. Plus at the same time, Arsenal need to play into his strengths and give him as many shooting opportunities as possible, which they were unable to do against United.
Man of the Matchday: Richarlison
One of the most unlikely players in my mind to be winning such an award this weekend was Spurs attacker Richarlison. During his time in North London, he has been something of a disappointment, with the club seemingly always looking to buy players in his position. However, this weekend he was given the start through the middle under new manager Thomas Frank, and he absolutely made the most of his opportunity.
He was absolutely scintillating at the heart of the Spurs attack. He effectively linked up play, held up the ball, and took on defenders when needed, coming out on top every time. But the most impressive part of his game was his sheer tenacity to rip as many shots as possible toward the Burnley goal, as if he had a bone to pick with their keeper, Dubravka. By the numbers, he registered five shots, with three on target, and managed to find the back of the net twice.
Now, both of his goals need to be talked about. While I understand the praise being given to his second, the first was also a very clinical finish. He arrived on the penalty spot to meet an inviting ball into the box, which took a high, awkward bounce. Richarlison managed to whip his body around and guide a volley into the bottom left corner with great control and precision.
As for the second goal, it’s already an early contender for goal of the season. Battling at the back post with a Burnley defender, he managed to carve out a bit of space for himself. The cross came in behind him, forcing the Brazilian to contort his body with his back to goal, and he unleashed an extremely powerful bicycle-kick–volley hybrid. It seared into the net and sent the billion-pound stadium into absolute euphoria.
Highlight Result: Sunderland vs West Ham
I’ve already discussed this game a few times, once in the betcha Top 3 Sporting Moments of the Week, and also when talking about Daniel Ballard’s fantasy performance. For me though, I just can’t get enough of the way Sunderland have announced themselves back into the Premier League. They’ve done so in a way that recently promoted sides haven’t managed in quite some time.
As I’ve mentioned, they’ve had a great transfer window, bringing in exciting young talents alongside proven Premier League quality in their captain, Granit Xhaka. The boost that has brought to the club was on full display as they were welcomed back into the top flight by a buzzing home crowd to take on West Ham, a side that has been a solid Premier League team for many years.
While they didn’t dominate West Ham in terms of possession, Sunderland played their role as underdogs perfectly. They defended clinically, gave up very few chances, hit on the counter effectively, and showed great efficiency on set pieces. The game plan from manager Régis Le Bris was sensational and gave fans something to believe in as they head into what will no doubt be a tough season.