Premier League Week 2: A few random thoughts

I've no idea how long I'll be able to keep up my dedicated EPL fandom before time and scheduling
constraints and my own admittedly-short attention span get in the way; however, for the time being I've decided to keep a running tally of my thoughts each week on the games I do manage to catch:

Newcastle v. Aston Villa: Woke up at 7:45 EST to watch this nil-nil snoozer, which for me (a non morning person without kids) was a real accomplishment for a Saturday morning. My eagerness paid off in a total of about five shots on goal (between both squads) and a lot of mid-field shimmy-shammying that nearly put me back to sleep. Remy Cabella was largely ineffective and the sparkle already seemed to have worn off him. Striker Riviere seemed to get a few more runs, which hopefully means the Magpies will come alive in subsequent weeks and score...I don't know...A GOAL OR TWO? I've watched 180 minutes of Newcastle soccer so far this season and -- apart from a few hair-raising moments -- they've not yet scored. But I'm determined to stick with them; I need a scrappy, underdog team to root for and they supply that niche.

Chelsea v. Leicester City: I continue to like what I see from this Chleasea team, particularly the play of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. For me, this team is cornering the market on exciting football right now, rivaled only perhaps by Manchester City. The intelligence and playmaking skill of Fabregas and the hammer-and-tongs effectiveness of the lumbering Costa have combined for what I think is some simply brilliant play so far. Granted, in the first two weeks they've blanked teams that spent last season in the Championship (league below Premiership), they're taking the opportunity to get sharp before they face-off against some more serious competition.

Manchester United v. Sunderland: I feel the same way about Man Utd. that I do about the Yankees or any dominant, big-market, big-spending pro sports team that perennially packs its team with stars, substituting creativity and grit with money and star power...and most of the time still winning the championship. Have to say, nothing struck as particularly note-worthy about this game and the second half was a Newcastle-like snoozer. The only reason I watched was because it was the only game on when I showed up at the bar.




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