Master and disciple at Old Trafford
When Frank Lampard makes his way to the Chelsea dug-out at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, it will have been four years and four months since his last involvement in a Premier League match. That was in his farewell appearance for Manchester City against Southampton, a game in which he captained the side and scored the opener, his 177th Premier League goal, no less.
It’s a very different role he’s in this time round of course and there’s no ‘gimme’ opening match for him to start his Premier League managerial career in style. If Chelsea are going to get off to a flyer, they’ll have to defy odds of [3.6], the biggest of the three match odds outcomes.
And if it’s a big season for Lampard, it’s also an important one to the heir of his famous number eight shirt at Chelsea. Ross Barkley has been hailed as the next big thing in English football ever since making his debut for Everton as a teenager but injuries and loss of form have prevented him from kicking on. At 25 he’s no precocious youngster anymore and for someone who has been around for almost a decade, less than 200 league appearances is a pretty poor return for someone so talented.
He’s got no excuses this time round. New manager, no Eden Hazard, no new signings allowed and injuries to players in similar positions to him including Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi mean he should get enough chances to remind us of what all the fuss was about when branded the ‘new Paul Gascoigne’ all those years ago. It’s 9/2 on the Sportsbook he scores on the opening day of the season.
Steely competitor Jagielka back at the Blades
Phil Jagielka has the unique distinction of having played for Sheffield United in their last Premier League season back in 2006-7 and their first one back in the big time.
After more than 300 league games for Everton, he’s back at the Blades and as a 36-year old senior pro who has seen it all before at this level, is under no illusions about the task at hand.
They’ll be trying to do what they failed to do back in 2006-7 and stay up. Odds of [1.8] suggest it’s not going to be any easier this time round. They kick off proceedings away at Bournemouth at 15:00 on Saturday.
Who’s going to do a Suarez?
It would be no surprise if Mo Salah or Roberto Firmino had a field day against Norwich as the new season gets under way on Friday night when Liverpool host the newly-promoted side at Anfield. It’s 9/1 the Egyptian gets a hat-trick and 14/1 the Brazilian does it but whatever they do, they’ve got a long way to go if they’re to match Luis Suarez’s record against the poor Canaries.
The Uruguyan (below) was the first player in history to score three hat-tricks against the same club in the Premier League, accounting for nine of the 11 goals he scored in just five matches against Norwich.
Mane has history in his sights
The third member of Liverpool’s famed front three, Sadio Mane, would bite your hand off if you offered him just a single goal.
Why? Because a goal on the opening day of the season would be the fourth consecutive time he’s achieved the feat after doing so for Liverpool in each of his three seasons so far with them: against Arsenal, Watford and West Ham last year.
Only Teddy Sheringham ever did it in the Premier League for four seasons in a row.
Mane will do well to start the game, though. After his AFCON exploits, he’s only just returned to training so may be a tad rusty and may have to come off the bench to get that record-equalling goal.
He’s just 4/9 to get it and 21/10 to score two.
Who’s Zaha going to turn out for?
At the time of writing, Wilfried Zaha is a Crystal Palace player. That of course could well change by the time Palace’s game against Everton comes about on Saturday afternoon because the transfer window closes at 17:00 on Thursday.
The great irony of course is that it’s Palace’s opening day opponents Everton who are the club most likely to sign him at odds of 5/4, with only the chance of him staying at Crystal Place shorter in the betting when the window closes.
It makes for a pretty strange situation whereby he’s 3/1 to score in the match, a pertinent question being ‘Yes, but for who?’
Source: Betfair Premier League
