The first weekend of the Premier League has brought plenty of drama and excitement already and the second looks set to offer up some more and I have picked out five key games to keep an eye on...
1: Manchester City v Liverpool: Naturally the focus of much attention will be on Monday night when last season's champions play the runners-up Liverpool. Despite coming so close to winning the league it is the opinion of many people that Liverpool won't be able to stay toe-to-toe with City as they did last season and if that is to be the case then this fixture will surely underline that.
The home side were not at their best in their first game but showed the determination that was characteristic of their run-in to win the title whilst Liverpool struggled to overcome Southampton at home. The two teams served up a thrilling game in pre-season which followed two previous exciting league games. City will look to put an early marker down but Liverpool will be keen to show they are not to be ruled out just yet.
2. Everton v Arsenal: There are many people who have played up Arsenal's chances of winning the league and we don't have to wait long for the first big test of their title credentials. Not only is a trip to Goodison Park a difficult task on any weekend (as Arsenal found last season losing 3-0) they are arriving after a demanding and frustrating midweek trip to Turkey in the Champions League and a surprisingly difficult opening league game against Crystal Palace.
This fixture under such conditions in most previous seasons would be an excuse for a limp defeat by Arsenal but if they are to challenge this time around Arsene Wenger knows all too well that this is when his team will need to stand up and be counted.
3. Chelsea v Leicester: Anyone who tipped Chelsea to win the league would have been feeling pretty happy about their selection after seeing their response to falling behind at Burnley on Monday.
What was symbolic of that turnaround was the fact that it was influenced by two of the club's flagship signings - Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. Both players helped Chelsea in a game they may have struggled in for much longer last season when they had less creativity and a goal threat. A Leicester team buoyant by their comeback against Everton will arrive at Stamford Bridge relishing the tough challenge they face and, uncharacteristically for Mourinho teams, Chelsea found such home fixtures difficult last season so everyone will be looking to see if there are any more ominous signs of improvement.
4. Sunderland v Manchester United: There was no fairytale opening to the season for Louis van Gaal as his reign in charge of United got under way and whilst many may have viewed a home defeat to Swansea as a 'shock' it was actually a reminder of the fact that there is no quick fix to the problems they have been facing. Simply put, Manchester United still need more quality in their squad and, as I mentioned in my pre-season preview of the team, until that point they won't be in title contention again. This fixture might give us an idea of whether, like last season, United actually do better in the road due to there being less pressure on them and also an insight into van Gaal's managerial skills and whether he can get the team to bounce back quickly.
Sunderland didn't look entirely convincing in the opening weekend but showed similar spirit to that which kept them up at the end of last season which overall makes for a game which looks hard to predict and potentially good watch for the neutral.
5. Swansea v Burnley: This fixture might not look the most attractive on paper but I think it's an interesting one to keep an eye on. Swansea are coming into this game on the back of a famous and impressive win away at Manchester United whilst Burnley were eventually mauled by Chelsea in their first outing of the season. Swansea fans would have been buoyed by what they saw in the first game but their team will now be strongly backed to beat Burnley and the players will already have to deal with heightened expectation.
As for the visitors, the last time they were in the Premier League their away form was terrible so they will need to improve at least moderately if they are to stay up and will be looking for the first signs of that here. Regardless of the scoreline Burnley need to at least be competitive in their away games and whilst some fixtures would seem unrealistic for gaining points on the road, this one would seem a more achievable prospect.
