Opening Weekend’s Treacherous Hopes and Fears

A year ago, Britain was buzzing with Oasis fever. Sixteen years after their breakup, Liam and Noel Gallagher had reunited. The band performed several UK shows to rave reviews and planned an international tour. While the media buzzed, the brothers stayed silent about the tour. They skipped interviews, except for Noel’s radio appearance on Talksport, where he discussed Manchester City’s opening game, a 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Noel commented, “I was amazed at how good and fluid it looked. The new lad, Tijjani Reijnders, looked amazing. The ‘keeper, James Trafford, looks solid, Rayan Ait-Nouri looked great, Rayan Cherki looked great coming off the bench. No one’s talking about Oscar Bobb, who was as big a miss for us as anything last season. He was brilliant. So all the signs are good.”

Reijnders, however, was later transferred to Al Qadsiah after an unremarkable season. Bobb left for Fulham midway through, and Trafford was relegated to backup status before departing. These first-day impressions can mislead; City eventually stumbled, and Pep Guardiola ended his decade-long tenure. Excitement and panic remained high this season after an eventful start. What other false notions arose from last season’s opener, and previous ones?

2025-26

Tottenham Hotspur impressed in a 3-0 victory over Burnley after a solid UEFA Super Cup performance against Paris Saint-Germain. Despite this start, manager Thomas Frank was sacked, and Tottenham barely avoided relegation. Fans remained unconvinced by his leadership. Meanwhile, Brentford looked set for struggles under new manager Keith Andrews. After being 3-0 down at halftime against Nottingham Forest, they lost 3-1. Forest’s Dan Ndoye shined, scoring his lone league goal.

However, Brentford eventually vied for European spots, with Igor Thiago becoming the league’s second-top scorer. Not everything was misleading. Arsenal secured a 1-0 win at Manchester United through a set piece, and Liverpool appeared vulnerable in a 4-2 victory over Bournemouth, highlighted by Antoine Semenyo’s performance.

2024-25

Manchester United found their new forward in Joshua Zirkzee, who scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Fulham. Unfortunately, he only scored in one more match. Surprisingly, he remained with the club two years later.

Another deceptive start came for Manchester City, beating Chelsea 2-0 without Euro 2024 star Rodri. Although this hinted at adaptability, his injury in October proved costly. Guardiola faced his toughest managerial slump.

2023-24

Aston Villa’s heavy 5-1 defeat at Newcastle cast doubts about their Champions League ambitions. Yet, Sir Alex Ferguson had faith, telling NBC, “I watched Aston Villa vs Newcastle, and I can’t believe the scoreline. Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost bad goals.” Villa ended fourth, their best since 1996, proving early results deceptive.

2022-23

Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Brighton raised questions about Erik ten Hag’s impact, with Lisandro Martinez criticized for his height and Cristiano Ronaldo’s exclusion causing a stir. Defender Harry Maguire called it “the worst possible start.” However, this season proved positive for United, finishing third, reaching two domestic cup finals, and winning the Carabao Cup. Ten Hag succeeded without Ronaldo, who left mid-season.

2021-22

Manchester United began well, thrashing Leeds 5-1 with Paul Pogba making four assists. Yet, Pogba only managed five more all season. United finished sixth. City started poorly, losing 1-0 to Tottenham, seen as a positive for Spurs under Nuno Espirito Santo. He claimed, “It was a good day,” despite lasting just ten league games.

Japhet Tanganga was praised for his defensive display, but his fortunes waned after a red card against Crystal Palace and subsequent injuries.