Patience only works when there is a plan
The title race is already taking shape
Manchester City and Mikel Arteta’s side, Arsenal will play out the title race because they look stronger, deeper and far more reliable than everyone else. Both sent reserve sides into the Carabao Cup and cruised through, which tells you plenty about the quality underneath their best eleven.
Brighton are the side capable of embarrassing the established order. They have made a terrific start, have lost only two of their past seven or something close to that, and their record at Old Trafford is outstanding. They are not plucky outsiders anymore; they are a very good football team chasing Europe, and I would not be surprised if they finished above several richer clubs.
I still think Arteta’s side will beat them because momentum matters, but Brighton will arrive buoyed by their Carabao Cup win at Old Trafford. They will not be frightened.
Carrick is right, but United must stop wasting games
I think Michael Carrick is the right choice for Manchester United, and this is not another case of déjà vu. He was calm after the latest disappointment, did not sound like a bloke selling fantasy, and clearly believes his team are closer than the results suggest.
That argument has a short shelf life. United surrendered a two-goal lead when the game should have been finished, Rashford usually converts that one-on-one, and the derby and Carabao Cup matches were also there to be won. Across those three games, United should have collected six league points and progressed in the cup. They did neither.
They remain too reliant on Bruno Fernandes, who is still seeing and playing passes few others can, even below his absolute best. He probably has another two strong seasons before the decline begins, so United cannot waste them.
I think they will beat Fulham, but four or five points from the first 15 would be unacceptable. The fire has not started, but the fuel is sitting there.
Spurs are running hard and going nowhere
Spurs are trapped on a hamster wheel, and changing the manager again will not fix a club that keeps arriving at the same crisis. Ange Postecoglou delivered a Europa League triumph, the first trophy in decades, and was still removed; about 14 months later, after Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor failed to make it work, Roberto De Zerbi is carrying the burden.
De Zerbi was the dream appointment for plenty of people, but the team now looks disjointed, the players look like strangers and I think there is a genuine shortage of quality. It is early, but it is certainly not looking good.
Aston Villa will walk into a tense stadium with Unai Emery, a top manager who understands exactly what is happening. That makes this the weekend’s must-watch game: not because the football is guaranteed to be beautiful, but because the suspense and the possibility of something horrible are impossible to ignore.
Leeds prove patience is not weakness
Leeds held their nerve with Daniel Farke and have been rewarded. He came desperately close to dismissal while they hovered around the relegation places, but they now look solid, attack with purpose and defend well apart from that wild 6-3 result.
That is what patience looks like when a coach still has the dressing room and a clear idea. It is not blind loyalty; it is recognising progress before the table catches up.
Newcastle provide the warning on the other side. They won the premiership and premiers plate last season but have since lost their four best players, and the heavy Asian Champions League defeat was coming. I hope it was a one-off, although it may signal a very different season.
Australian affection for Leeds remains strong because of Harry Kewell and Viduka. Big Dukes rarely does television now, so seeing him return for a Leeds game and sit-down will matter to supporters who found the club through that era.
Matt Ryan has earned a proper farewell
Leaving Matt Ryan out while he is playing regularly and saving penalties in La Liga is harsh. Football is never fair, but this omission stands out because his form is not the problem.
Ten players from the World Cup squad are absent for the two matches against Brazil, with Cristian Volpato and Jordan Bos injured, while Aiden O’Neill is just returning from injury. Mathew Leckie is probably finished at international level after a fantastic career. Ryan is different because he is still performing in one of Europe’s strongest leagues.
I think Tony Popovic has decided Patrick Beach is the future, and a national coach has every right to make that call. It does not erase what Ryan has given the Socceroos. He deserves a farewell match at Suncorp Stadium, just as Popovic received one himself.
There is no guarantee Popovic remains after the Asian Cup, having rejected a four-year deal, so nobody should decide Ryan’s feelings for him. But if this is the end, it cannot finish through a quiet omission.
The A-League must open its doors
The A-League’s greatest selling point is obvious: it produces the players who become Socceroos. Most of the current squad were born in the competition, just as Matt Ryan came through the Mariners, and supporters regularly watch young players before they move overseas.
That pathway matters more than glossy promotion. The league is our breeding ground, as the NSL was before it, and newcomers should understand they are watching careers begin rather than finished products arrive.
But the APL’s financial position is serious, and locking pre-season friendlies behind closed doors is the wrong response. I think money and the cost of security are driving it, yet clubs still have to find a way: open the gates, ask for a gold-coin donation, take matches into regional areas and make them community days.
You sometimes have to spend a little to make anything. Empty grounds create no connection, no new supporters and no momentum before the Australia Championship begins in October. A competition short of money cannot afford to hide its football.
