- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Can you smell it? Can you feel it? Yes, after a good three month absence the English Premier League is again among us.
This first weekend of EPL action has been a turbulent one that embodies the allure the Premier League provides us. Surprise upsets, cracking goals and truly bizarre incidents have underlined how valuable the EPL is to a football lover’s life.
The EPL never fails to reignite a passion and love for all things football, and here are five reasons why I (and many others) love it so.
1. The Goals
A weekend of EPL football is sure to provide its fair share of brilliant goals, and Matchday One was no different. Within the first 90 minutes of the season, Rooney salvaged Manchester United a goal with an impressive and trademark over-head kick.
Not to be outdone however, was a rare goal to Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole who drove the ball home from beyond the 18 yard box in his side’s 2-2 draw and Chelsea new boy Cesc Fàbregas marked his Premier League return with an inch perfect assist to teammate André Schürrle to notch his side’s second goal in a 3-1 win over Burnley.
2. The Upset
Although often seen as a one-sided competition where the top six has been virtually decided before the first ball of a season is even kicked, the EPL like most leagues is renowned for its upsets and boy did Matchday One provide.
Manchester United under new coach Louis van Gaal looked set for a routine home victory over Welsh team Swansea, after a promising pre-season that involved a win over Real Madrid, only for a 72nd minute goal to Swansea player Sigurdsson see the Red Devil’s hope of new dawn under Van Gaal cast under another dark cloud.
Elsewhere, Liverpool only narrowly defeated Southampton 2-1, a team they’ve robbed of many star players including Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana. Now that would’ve been an upset for the ages!
3. The New Boys
After many a negotiation, some of which are ongoing, the new EPL season brought with it debuts for quite a few new faces that had to prove they were worth their hefty price tags.
As touched upon, Cesc Fabergas had a stellar debut for Chelsea and proved he will be a true asset this season. Fellow Chelsea arrival Diego Costa continued his positive pre-season form with a debut goal that proved crucial to quelling Burnley’s hopes of an upset.
Elsewhere, ex-Barcelona player and Chilean star Alexis Sanchez made his professional debut for Arsenal setting up Koscielny for his side’s first goal and proving a real threat throughout the match.
4. The Atmosphere
As always the stadiums were churning in England for the opening weekend of EPL action with silence the only thing absent from football-crazed crowds.
Old Trafford was packed out with inevitably distraught fans, Anfield was on edge as Liverpool left it late to beat Southampton and Turf Moor reached an incredible height of ecstasy when Burnley grabbed an early goal only for such cheers to give way to demoralised groans as Chelsea proved just too classy.
As an A-League fan I can only dream of the day Australia provides such atmospheres on a regular basis, the RBB does its best but struggles to match the deafening noise created by crowds upwards of 60,000.
5. The Memorable Moments
An EPL Matchday wouldn’t be complete without its share of hilarity and bizarre moments. A gem was captured early on in the Manchester United game when Ashley Young was expertly targeted by a bird taking a ritual dumping. To follow this up was a pitch invader in the West Ham vs Tottenham game who took the Spurs free-kick with surprising accuracy actually forcing a save out of West Ham keeper Adrian.
Complimenting all of this were the inevitable flood of ‘memes’ surrounding Van Gaal’s failed debut, many of which will surely dog the coach for years to come if he fails to turn Manchester United’s successes around.
These are but a few reasons why the EPL is so great, and with a lively season ahead of us I’m sure many more reasons to become an EPL fan will present themselves. Regularly the catalyst of world football dramas, stunning football, triumphant underdogs and riveting rivalries; I can’t find one reason why a person wouldn’t love the EPL.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.