Man Utd and City not absolute favourites yet, Dominic Calvert-Lewin set for fine career
THE BALL arrives at pace and he controls it with an instant feather touch. His brain is working at high speed too. In a blur of glory Kevin De Bruyne changes his body angle, zips a precision pass forward to a team-mate, who knocks home another winning goal.
Manchester City are favourites to win the Premier League
We have seen this sublime magic so often in recent days and it is why the team most likely to win the Premier League is Manchester City. On current evidence they are deserved favourites with the bookmakers.
Across town it is different. Here, the imposing presence of Romelu Lukaku thoroughly intimidates defenders. When a cross arrives he is forever first to the ball, directing a powerful header into the net, or if the first effort is saved, knocking home the rebound.
A goal in every match from the £70million striker means another team very likely to challenge for the title is Manchester United.
Down south there is the supreme authority of a centre-back. He sees the pattern of play two moves ahead, like great snooker players and cricket captains, and he always appears perfectly placed to quell danger. Toby Aldeweireld moves forwards with ease too when required; the best defender in the best defence in the division,
We have seen this sublime magic so often in recent days and it is why the team most likely to win the Premier League is Manchester City
This is why Tottenham Hotspur will more than likely be title challengers this season.
A shake of the hip, a dummy sold that puts an opponent on the floor, Eden Hazard swerves past the next man and the next one as well before delivering a cross or a goal.
His jinking genius, on return from injury, is why champions Chelsea are also likely to be title contenders this season. They possess the second best defence as well.
Two lessons should be clear from all this.
One is that Belgium will be a formidable team at the World Cup --- far superior in overall quality to England and almost any other nation.
Look at their squad which also contains Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele, Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens among others. Talent is the first ingredient of success, and Belgium’s cup is overflowing.
Sergio Aguero’s top goals for Manchester City 2017
The second lesson concerns the folly of thinking that this Premier League campaign will be a straight fight between the two Manchester clubs because they have rushed out of the blocks so swiftly.
It is a ridiculous notion --- yet one peddled by an army of blinkered pundits. Perhaps they are prisoners of an inability to look beyond the end of their noses, or maybe they are merely jumping without thought onto a simple-minded bandwagon.
Only seven rounds of matches have been played. The story of a League is never clear after seven matches. Never.
It is astonishing so many can think so. It is absurd.
Football history is full of examples to prove this, but we only have to recall how it was 12 months ago, when Manchester City blazed though early matches but faded away as Chelsea recovered from a crushing autumn loss against Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola, the philosopher-king of City, knows that better than anyone. So, while he purrs with pleasure at some of the magnificent football his team are playing, he scorns predictions about what it means.
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Enjoy the game, marvel at all the Belgians, and see where it goes.
Jose Mourinho, the arch-realist emperor of United, knows it too, saying the other day that what has happened so far means “absolutely nothing”. Quite right.
The joy and the glory of the Premier League is its strength in depth, and how during a long season there will be so many twists of momentum and changes of mood and rollercoaster of fortunes. This is why it is so valuable in global TV rights.
So much will happen --- injuries, fatigue to star players competing in several competitions through the winter months, managerial meltdowns, loss of form, controversies that endure into a crisis, periods when collective confidence is blown away on the wind.
Arsenal have recovered from a crushing loss at Liverpool. They look physically stronger than for some time and they are possible contenders.
No, they don’t have a brilliant Belgian in their side, but the elegant, fleet-footed Alexandre Lacazette looks a proper goal-scorer.
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Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette is standing out for the Gunners
Liverpool have already been comprehensively written off because they have the leakiest defence of the top six clubs.
Perhaps that’s a sound judgement. Or maybe it is wiser to see how they fare at home to Manchester United in a titanic collision next Saturday lunchtime.
So much of this season is likely to rest on what happens in these colossal confrontations between the giants of the Premier League.
A month from now, for example, there are two mighty fixtures on Guy Fawkes Day --- with Chelsea at home to Manchester United and Manchester City hosting Arsenal.
Will the picture be clearer on Bonfire Night as fireworks fill the night sky?
I doubt it. This is a Premier League that will be ablaze with possibilities for the whole season. Shouldn’t we revel in that rather than leaping to facile conclusions?
England's Calvert-Lewin scores in the Under-20 World Cup final
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ONE of the particular delights of a fresh season is the arrival of unheralded newcomers to the circus; footballers you see for the first time and think, yes, that’s a real player.
Amid the struggles of Everton it’s clear enough that the skill and energy of young striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is destined for a fine career. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he makes the World Cup squad next summer.
Another outsider to do that is James Tarkowski, the 24-year-old central defender who has been outstanding for Burnley so far this season after claiming a regular place in the team with the transfer of Michael Keane.
My eye has also been taken by another impressive young defender Andreas Christensen. He looks superior already to Gary Cahill, which could be tough for the England stalwart.
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THE threat of a strike by professional rugby union players in England is growing by the day, and it is no wonder.
Look at the statistics about injuries revealed in the past few days and you can only but think the sport is heading for crisis and showdown.
Some clubs in the Premiership are struggling to muster 23 players required for match-day squads --- and we are only a few weeks into the season.
Harlequins have 25 players out injured last weekend. Gloucester had 15 unavailable. Wasps had 15 on the injury list too.
When England stars like Billy Vunipola talk about industrial action in the fight to improve player welfare, we should back them 100 per cent.
