The transfer window is open right up until then so squads are going to be moulded in that time, although it could mean some of the teams are already below par in terms of points and expectations.
A little tangent- the saying 'life is short' is one that most will use in every day life, but I really don't know if anyone really thinks too deeply about it unless something tragic happens.
It certainly feels that way for me as a good friend sadly passed away on Wednesday evening.
He was a truly top bloke and someone who could be relied upon through good times and bad.
A good life that has impacted so many others and the outpouring of messages just shows the value of the person.
I just hope he is somewhere where he can see how much people admired, respected and loved him, even if it feels the world has been robbed at a young age.
RIP mate, I'm sure we will see you down the road.
United Corner- Is this Rock Bottom?
Most Manchester United fans would have expected it would take Erik ten Hag some time to get his methods across to the players and really start to build momentum, but even in the worst nightmare scenario, not many would have predicted United would lose both opening Premier League games.
The defeat to Brighton saw Manchester United try and fight back after giving up a 0-2 half time lead, but the capitulation at Brentford was embarrassing with the team trailing 4-0 after just thirty-five minutes.
In the cold light of day, you could argue that mistakes have proved to be the difference for Manchester United, but this is far from an ideal start and the side are sitting bottom of the Premier League table. With Liverpool to come on Monday, things may get worse before they get better and a really poor summer of recruitment is being shown up.
Everything that was stated by the club and the suggestion of acting in a new and improved way has turned out like most things under the current ownership- a mixture of bluff and bullshit!
The bottom line is that very little has changed at the top, even with the change in CEO, and Manchester United are clearly lacking direction. The recruitment has been a massive problem over the last decade and the blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the Glazer Family who have left incompetent people in charge of the club for far too long.
As long as the dividends were being paid, the Glazers could not care less about the on-field performances and that is clearly based on their experiences in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have recently won the Super Bowl, but struggled for almost two decades as poor ownership decisions left the team floundering and a similar approach has hurt Manchester United.
One major difference is that the NFL has much of their financial success earned as a collective so all franchises will make money and work under a salary cap regardless of whether turning out successful or not.
Not in European Football.
Failure to play in the Champions League is a major dent to the Glazer approach and the failure to push through the European Super League and the guaranteed place in the top European competition has hurt the financial power of the club. With an ownership all about how much they can take, it is no surprise the pursestrings have been tightened and now reports suggest the Glazers are looking for an investor.
This is a critical time for a fanbase that have opposed this takeover since 2005 and I do think we are as close to seeing them finally take their money and leave as we have ever been.
There is only so much the Glazers can do to maximise the commercial appeal of Manchester United and Dick 'Ed Woodward has proven to be off the mark when he suggested that on-field performance will not affect the commercial power of the club. Sponsors are getting nervous, the big contracts are on the verge of running out and it feels like the club is running on fumes in terms of cash.
With a Stadium and training facilities that need a lot of work, and with the team struggling massively on the pitch, the Glazers have to be considering all options.
Further protests on Monday should continue to highlight the issue for the media and I am hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of this crappy ownership.
Even the potential signing of Casemiro stinks of desperation and a last ditch effort to appease the fans.
I don't doubt his quality, but this is yet another thirty year old who is leaving a huge club to come to Manchester United and the club have signed so many of those in recent years that have failed to pan out. Ultimately the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich do not sell players they don't wish to sell and Casemiro has won it all in his career, so motivation has to be questioned.
He will be playing in an unfamiliar League, and it does smack of a last throw of the dice from the club to cool the growing tensions between the owners and the fans.
I always hope United are successful, but defeats may not be a bad thing if it means the Glazers decide its best to cash in- they are simply not going to ever do what is needed to make United successful as a Football Club again and that has been proven ever since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill left in 2013.
Instead of appointing the very best players to fill football roles at the club, the owners have been happy as long as they can pick up dividends and build their own bank balance, but it feels there isn't much more room to operate in that manner. They are now reaping what they sow with a mess of a playing squad and I can only imagine how toxic Old Trafford is going to be if the old rivals rock up and secure another big win on Monday evening.
With the television cameras around for the big fixture, I expect the sentiment against the Glazers to be broadcasted around the world for all to see.
The players don't get a pass from me, especially after they dropped their heads in the loss at Brentford. The poor performances have been dragging on for months and I don't blame Cristiano Ronaldo for wanting to leave considering the lack of effort or desire shown by his team-mates.
It may be best for the club in the long-term anyway, but I am not sure Ronaldo deserves some of the abuse that parts of the fanbase feel he does. Standards have slipped massively at the club since he left in 2009 and Ronaldo's frustration could be on display for all to see if he does take part in an interview he has suggested he will be releasing after the transfer window closes.
On Monday I just want to see the eleven starters show they know what it means to play for Manchester United, but even that basic request seems to have been beyond the players over the last six months so I won't be holding my breath.
Premier League Picks GameWeek 3
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves Pick: It might not have been a direct sequel to 'Battle of the Bridge' in 2016, but Tottenham Hotspur's draw at Chelsea was a feisty affair all the way past the final whistle.
Antonio Conte was sent off alongside Thomas Tuchel and that means he could be facing a potential touchline ban for this Premier League fixture. The Italian has had a major impact on the Tottenham Hotspur squad as well as the boardroom, but he should have his team well prepared even if he is forced to watch from the stands/outside of the Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford to use that as an excuse as they prepare to face bogey club Wolves, a team who have won 3 of the 4 Premier League fixtures hosted by Spurs since 2018. Last season Wolves left with a 0-2 win and they have been a team who have been able to create plenty of chances against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, it is hard to expect the same when you think of how toothless Wolves have looked in their first two League fixtures. There is creativity within the squad, but Raul Jimenez has been a big miss and finding someone to put a finishing touch on the football being played is a major problem for Bruno Lage.
Wolves are likely to be active in the transfer market right up until the deadline, but they may be a little short this weekend.
This has been a tough match for Tottenham Hotspur, but they have scored six goals to open the Premier League season and have plenty of quality in the final third. There does feel like a few more options off the bench too and I do think Spurs are going to have enough to secure the three points on Saturday, even if they have to overcome a couple of mental obstacles to do so.
Under Antonio Conte, the players have looked much more hardened though and I do think they will have the better of the play if not spotting Wolves a two goal lead within 18 minutes as they did in February. Conditions should be much more comfortable for the players compared with last weekend and Spurs will feel this transitioning Wolves team are still looking a little vulnerable at the back.
Add in the strong home form in the Premier League that Tottenham Hotspur have produced and the fact that Wolves have lost 4 of their last 5 away games and I have to believe Spurs will be too good.
I have to credit Wolves for being a stubborn team that are rarely blown away, especially away from home, but Tottenham Hotspur may have enough goals in the team to cover this Asian Handicap line.
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa Pick: Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard were combative midfield generals in their playing days in the Premier League and both are pretty big personalities now their main roles are giving instructions from the dugouts.
Both will be expected to push Crystal Palace and Aston Villa further along after their first season (or number of months in Gerrard's case) as managers of their respective clubs.
Crystal Palace certainly drew the short end of the stick when it came to the opening fixtures, but Patrick Vieira has to feel his side have deserved even more than the solitary point earned against Arsenal and Liverpool. They have played pretty well in both games, but there is also an improvement needed in defence as well as better composure in the final third if Crystal Palace are going to kick on up the League table.
Their visitors Aston Villa were perhaps a little unfortunate to lose at Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago, but just about held on for the three points against Everton last weekend. Steven Gerrard is looking for more consistency from his players, but the injury to Diego Carlos is a big blow.
While Aston Villa took four points from Crystal Palace in the Premier League last season, the underlying numbers suggest The Eagles were very unfortunate in both games. Despite playing better opposition than Aston Villa, Crystal Palace have arguably looked the more dangerous this season too and I think they can get the better of this opponent this time around.
Lacking a clinical finisher is an issue for Crystal Palace, but I expect they can create the better chances on the day and may just nick the three points on offer.
Everton v Nottingham Forest Pick: Both of these teams were involved in pretty exciting football matches in the Premier League last weekend, but Everton paid for starting slowly at Villa Park as they were beaten 2-1 at Aston Villa.
They almost rallied from 2-0 down and had some late chances to equalise, but Frank Lampard was too late in changing tactics and a close match went against his team.
On the other hand Steve Cooper's attacking approach paid off for Nottingham Forest as they won their first Premier League game in twenty-three years when beating West Ham United. That attacking approach may have been pleasing on the eye, but Nottingham Forest were poor at the back and only a lack of composure and a couple of inches prevented The Hammers from taking a deserved point back to East London.
I do think Nottingham Forest will be involved in some high-scoring games this season with that approach in mind, but they will have to tighten up defensively if they want to avoid relegation. On another day, those inches would have gone against them and Nottingham Forest would have had to take the loss even though they created plenty of chances of their own.
Home form is going to be key for Nottingham Forest, but they will travel to Goodison Park feeling like there is a real opportunity to earn something.
Everton have been struggling for months under Frank Lampard, and injuries have perhaps blunted them in the final third. Goodison Park proved to be a big factor in Everton avoiding the drop last season though and I do think Frank Lampard will look for his team to get on the front foot much earlier than he allowed them to do against Chelsea and Aston Villa.
He will feel that Nottingham Forest's defence will offer up chances, but I do think Steve Cooper's team will be better than they were in a one-sided loss at Newcastle United on the opening weekend. Everton have signed the likes of Conor Coady to give them a better balance defensively, but big chances continue to be given away and it will take time for the organisation to really come together.
An early goal could really get this fixture going on Saturday and I do think the porous defences we have seen from the opening two weekends could be exposed. Everton's attack has question marks, but they created enough chances at Aston Villa to be confident and Nottingham Forest will be playing with real belief after their first win of the season too.
Backing at least three goals to be shared out looks to be the play.
Leicester City v Southampton Pick: Pressure has to be building on both Brendan Rodgers and Ralph Hasenhuttl as respective managers of Leicester City and Southampton.
Brendan Rodgers overachieved with Leicester City as they missed out on the Champions League places on the final day in back to back seasons, but last season the injury bug knocked them down to 8th place. Financial balancing of the books means Leicester City have not been as active in the transfer window as Rodgers would have wanted, while Wesley Fofana is unsettled and the likes of James Maddison and Jamie Vardy have been linked with moves away from the club.
That will make it even more difficult for Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City have not made the start to the season that they would have hoped.
Blowing the 2-0 lead over Brentford on the opening weekend would have hurt, but Leicester City have continued to show they can create chances and score goals. That will be encouraging as they prepare to face a Southampton team that have conceded at least two goals in 8 straight Premier League games.
Most of those have ended in defeat, unsurprisingly, and Ralph Hasenhuttl is feeling the pressure from the stands as well as reports that players are no longer convinced about the manager and his ability to get the best out of them. There is some character in the squad as shown in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United last weekend after Southampton recovered from 0-2 behind, but the defensive issues have yet to be resolved.
I expect Leicester City to take advantage of those with the obvious quality they have in the squad, but Brendan Rodgers will be hoping for better from his own defensive players. They have conceded six goals already this season, but Southampton have scored six goals in their last 8 away Premier League games and I think Leicester City can be backed to win a game that features at least two goals.
Bournemouth v Arsenal Pick: Go back a couple of weeks and there were not many people who would have expected big things from Bournemouth, especially not in light of the comments Scott Parker had been making about the lack of squad depth.
There won't have been many expecting Bournemouth to beat Aston Villa, but Scott Parker's men showed they are willing to fight for their manager. Those three points will give Bournemouth confidence, especially in their home games, but they were shown last Saturday that there is a big gap to bridge against the very best teams in the Division.
This is going to be a big test for Bournemouth, but Parker will be determined to see his players work as hard as possible to contain an opponent who will be feeling very good about themselves.
Arsenal have won both opening Premier League games and are one of just two teams to do that, while the summer signings have made strong impacts already. Gabriel Jesus in particular was in stunning form in the 4-2 win over Leicester City last Saturday and Arsenal will be travelling to the south coast looking to keep the momentum going before home games against Fulham and Aston Villa.
The away form was a little inconsistent last season and that proved to be costly for Arsenal in their bid to finish in the top four. An opening victory at Crystal Palace will be another boost, while Arsenal won away games at Burnley, Norwich City, Leeds United and Watford last season.
They scored at least three goals in 3 of those 4 away victories against some of the biggest strugglers in the Premier League and I do think Arsenal have the attacking players to secure a good win here.
Scoring first will be very important for both clubs- Arsenal have yet to come from behind in a match, but they will feel an opening goal will allow them to dictate the tempo of the match and wear down the newly promoted hosts.
I expect Bournemouth to play with some discipline and look to fill up spaces to try and contain Arsenal. It worked against Aston Villa, but Bournemouth have not really found the balance between attack and defence and I think Arsenal are plenty creative and can find the scoring chances to secure a strong win on their travels.
Leeds United v Chelsea Pick: The Romelu Lukaku experiment has to be seen as a failure at Stamford Bridge and the Belgian international has left to return to Inter Milan this summer.
Timo Werner is enough to depart for a former club where he had found his goal-scoring boots, but it does leave Chelsea with the same problem they have seemingly had for a couple of seasons.
Namely scoring enough goals.
It wasn't an issue in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but there is still a feeling that a more composed number nine than Kai Havertz may have made the difference for them. Chelsea created some really good quality chances, but needed a centre back and a right wing back to score the goals and that is hard to expect every week.
A Penalty secured the win at Everton on the opening weekend in another game where Chelsea created some good openings, but could not find someone to take the chances created. It is a problem for Thomas Tuchel and may be the main reason Chelsea are not able to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool this season.
Creating chances should not be a problem against Leeds United who have allowed Wolves and Southampton to find good avenues towards their goal. Jesse Marsch will know that their relegation battle was largely down to the huge amount of goals Leeds United shipped last season and conceding to those first two opponents is a worry.
This weekend Leeds United will be facing a much stronger team than Wolves and Southampton, although the manager has to be happy with what he has seen from his team going forward. Losing Raphinha will have stung, but Leeds United have seen Rodrigo step up and this is a team that have been creating chances and will put opponents under pressure.
The win over Wolves will be a real boost for the players and the fans who had gotten used to seeing Leeds United being beaten in games at Elland Road towards the end of the last campaign. They actually lost 6 of their last 8 at Elland Road in the Premier League, but fighting back from a goal down to defeat Wolves will be confidence boosting.
However, this is a big step up and it was only in May that Chelsea left Elland Road with a deserved 0-3 win. On that day Mason Mount got things going early, but goalscorer Christian Pulisic and Lukaku will be unlikely to be involved (the former is being linked with a move away and Lukaku has moved back to Inter Milan as mentioned).
Chelsea did create decent openings in that win and managed to score three goals in the home win over Leeds United too. I do think they will have enough in the final third to break down a team giving up too many chances and the likes of Mount, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz should have opportunities to get off the mark.
Leeds United will always be tough at home where the fans get right behind them, but they have lost plenty of games here over the calendar year and I think Chelsea will win a relatively high-scoring encounter.
Newcastle United v Manchester City Pick: Two unbeaten Premier League clubs that have links with the Middle East will meet on Sunday afternoon at St James' Park in the second live offering of the day.
It may take a little bit of time, but Newcastle United fans will be hoping their club follows the path set out by Manchester City who have used state-sponsored funds to move to the top of English Football.
At the moment it is a slow burner for Newcastle United who have to deal with different financial rules compared with those around when Chelsea and Manchester City were taken over. So instead of the vast sums of cash being splashed out this summer, Eddie Howe has been tasked with bringing quality to improve the squad and he looks to have done that.
Nick Pope, Kieran Tripper, Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes have been signed in the last couple of windows and definitely give Newcastle United a stronger look. The manager also should be given credit for extracting more out of the players he inherited when taking over from Steve Bruce and Newcastle United have responded to Eddie Howe which is most highlighted by the strong results earned since he moved into the manager's office.
Eddie Howe will know this is a tough test for his players though and it cannot be ignored that his Newcastle United team were beaten by all of the teams that finished in the top four in the second half of last season. Liverpool won here narrowly, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City thumped Newcastle United at home and this is a litmus test as to where the current group stands.
Being at home is a big help and there is no doubt the fans at St James' Park will come out and get behind their team.
However, they are facing a Manchester City team who look to be in mid-season form already having beaten West Ham United and Bournemouth without breaking much of a sweat. The numbers have been very strong at both ends of the pitch in those wins with Manchester City creating plenty of chances, but not giving too much away at all, and I think they will have the quality to wear down Newcastle United.
Eddie Howe's team have won 8 of their last 9 home Premier League games and should be respected, but Manchester City have been dominant at the top of the Division. They look a very big price to win this one with another clean sheet when you think of some of the issues Newcastle United had in creating chances at home last season (according to the underlying numbers), but I will move past that simply because of the threat posed by the home team from set pieces and the pacy counter-attack.
Containing Manchester City may be the approach, but this is a team that can beat you in multiple ways now they have Erling Haaland leading the line. I think Newcastle United have to try and play on the front foot at home, which could aid the Norwegian striker, while a more defensive approach could see the creative midfielders slowly wear down the defenders as they tend to do.
I very much doubt this game is won by four or five goal margins as Manchester City secured over Eddie Howe's Newcastle United last season, but I do think the visitors will prove to be too strong on the day.
The clean sheet may come, but even without it, Manchester City have shown enough in the attacking third to believe they can cover this Asian Handicap line that has been set.
MY PICKS: Tottenham Hotspur - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Bet365 (2 Units)
Crystal Palace Draw No Bet @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
Everton-Nottingham Forest Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Leicester City & Over 1 Total Goal @ 2.15 Bet365 (2 Units)
Arsenal - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.99 Bet365 (2 Units)
Chelsea & Over 1 Total Goal @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Manchester City - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.84 Bet Victor (2 Units)
August 2022: 7-10, - 7.86 Units (34 Units Staked, - 23.12% Yield)
Fantasy Football GameWeek 3
There have been complaints about the pricing of players in the official fantasy football game this season and that has allowed teams to be created with only players from the big six clubs.
Underachieving results from Liverpool and Manchester United have dented the totals of those that have gone in that direction, but the main template looks to be one that is paying off for most.
Joao Cancelo, Reece James, Gabriel Martinelli, Erling Haaland and Gabriel Jesus have all had big hauls already this season and they are forming the spine for most.
The key is to get the best out of the 'others', but my team has been let down by Marcus Rashford and Leon Bailey. People seem to be moving players much more quickly than normal so I lost a touch of value on Rashford on Saturday night in the aftermath of Manchester United's thumping at Brentford, but I decided to move him out prior to losing another 100,000 in team value.
Pascal Gross was the choice in a bracket that is lacking some options, while I had to also settle for value being dropped in Leon Bailey.
Going into Friday my main choice is either upgrading Bailey or Nico Williams and go for five at the back- Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur look like they can produce some clean sheets and I do think my focus is on improving Williams ahead of Nottingham Forest's games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
However, Ivan Perisic's doubt about minutes makes it easier to target an Arsenal player, even if I missed the price rise on Oleksandr Zinchenko. Their fixture list looks kinder than the Spurs games coming up and I do think Arsenal have been playing well enough to put some strong results together before the visit to Manchester United early next month.
I can then have a think about what to do with Andrew Robertson by giving him two more games to try and impress from a fantasy standpoint, while Leon Bailey won't be lasting much longer. However, my decision on what to do with Bailey could depend on Robertson and whether he needs a major downgrade to rebuild the midfield options in the squad.
Last week was a pretty solid one with 70 points on the board, but I was fed up with the lack of impact Marcus Rashford and Leon Bailey have had.
I'm giving the two Liverpool defenders two games to see how they respond to the poor start of the season, while my decision to move Rashford out for Pascal Gross was largely down to wanting to avoid another hit to the transfer budget. I do like how Pascal Gross has started the season for Brighton and there looks to be some solid fixtures coming up between now and the September international break, the most likely time I will be using my Wild Card.
As I have mentioned, I might not need Leon Bailey to start this week if I strengthen the final defensive position in my squad.
The Captain choice comes down to one of three players- Erling Haaland, Gabriel Jesus or Mohamed Salah.
I hate placing the armband on someone who is playing Manchester United, but if they don't want to be a serious club, the head has to rule the heart. Liverpool have scored at least four goals in each of their last two Premier League visits to Old Trafford, while they also hit four against their old rivals at Anfield.
With Manchester United giving up plenty of chances, Mo Salah could have a very big game and he has scored eight goals in the last four games between United and Liverpool.
Gabriel Jesus is going to have his backers after a two goal, two assist performance last week against Leicester City. He can be inconsistent and I would only use him as Captain if I am planning to stick with him across the next three games, which all look strong for Arsenal on paper.
Finally Erling Haaland who only touched the ball eight times last week, but who had an assist with one of those. I think he may actually be more effective away from home when Manchester City are likely to have more spaces to exploit, although Haaland would have scored last week if Phil Foden was less selfish when shooting instead of giving the Norwegian an easy tap-in.
He is a solid choice if Newcastle United defend as they did at Brighton last weekend. However, Eddie Howe's team have been stronger at St James' Park and it does feel like Mohamed Salah is the best selection, even if the heart is doing its best to overrule the head.
