A bigger kick-off than usual, for the most intense spell the game has seen

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( August 05, 2022 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   A bigger kick-off than usual, for the most intense spell the game has seen   The most exciting day in the game... and most misleading In the Manchester United squad, there has been a greater eagerness to get out there for an opening day than usual. That is down to more than the fact it is a new season, that also initiates a new era. Those circumstances just make the feeling more acute. It is really what the result might represent. First up are Brighton and Hove Albion, the team that subjected these players to a modern nadir in that 4-0 humiliation at the start of May. Meeting them again offers an immediate chance to set that right, while showing that there is now something different about the team under Erik ten Hag. And yet even if United do that, and offer a statement performance against a good Brighton side, it would be unwise for anyone else to draw many conclusions. The opening day of the season is the date in the calendar that has the most general optimism, but that also makes it one of the most deceptive days. So many results are products of the mood and emotional momentum of that afternoon, rather than wider realities of the teams. Some of them are often completely detached from the rest of the season. There are so many examples, and among the most telling is the game that will be given such recognition as the Premier League celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. Brian Deane scored the competition’s first ever goal, sending Sheffield United on the way to a 2-1 win over a drab Manchester United. You wouldn’t have guessed on that day that the Sheffield club would barely feature in the Premier League’s 30 years, or that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side would go on to dominate most of those three decades. It was one of many misleading dawns United endured on the way to titles, with the most infamous coming in 1995-96 when they couldn’t win one game against Aston Villa with kids. Further down, a total of 16 teams started the season with victories only to eventually go down. Some of them were so sensational that such struggles would have seemed inconceivable. Owen Coyle’s Bolton Wanderers thrashed Queens Park Rangers 4-0 at Loftus Road at the start of the 2011-12 season, one that saw QPR stay up at Bolton’s expense after the Sergio Aguero goal. Blackpool demolished Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the beginning of the previous campaign. One of them went down. It wasn’t Wigan. It almost sums up the lesson of the day, if you want to be a touch contrarian, and as suitably realistic as Neil Warnock. Be excited, sure. It’s an exciting day. But don’t get too excited. That saga again, and another twist... Highly relevant to the mood around United, word filtered around the market in midweek that they had pulled out of the race for Frenkie de Jong, just as Chelsea were feeling confident. Sources within the Old Trafford hierarchy have since denied this. They also maintain there is still belief the signing of the Dutch midfielder can be completed, that it’s still possible. It’s also possible that they don’t complete any more major signings. That genuinely can’t be ruled out. While a midfielder would seem essential, it has been said in this newsletter before that Ten Hag views De Jong as unique, and would rather just reshape midfield if he can’t get him. Elsewhere, figures at other clubs are talking about doubts over whether the new United regime are actually struggling to close deals. Much will depend on the last three weeks of the window - above all the rest of United’s season. Barcelona continue to perplex most of the game Some of the reporting on Barcelona’s business has led to considerable backlash, not least from supporters and even some media who cover the club. One argument put forward is that the reporting just doesn’t get what Barca are trying to do, are missing details, or just don’t understand the intricacies of the club. It’s nothing to do with any of that, though. It’s much more simple. It’s about the basic realities of economics and best business practice. And it is illustrated by one cold truth. It is virtually impossible to find any football figure, anywhere in the European game, who actually thinks what Barca are doing is a good idea. That isn’t based on “bitterness” or any of the usual accusations either. One prominent executive who has personally been close to Joan Laporta, and always felt he was “sensible”, confided to the Independent that he can’t believe what the Barca president is doing. Their actions continue to be described in phrases such as “absolutely ridiculous” to “completely bonkers”. “You just despair.” The source of greatest surprise has really been that Laporta is actually continuing in the same economic spirit as Josep Maria Bartomeu, building it all on debt, moving the problem down the road. There is of course a possibility this may work, that Robert Lewandowski hits the ground running in a new league at 34, that the team is exceptional, that Xavi is a genius. Media might be in Istanbul in May forced to praise Laporta for a great gamble that has paid off, as he lifts the Champions League. But the starker reality is that is close to what it’s going to take. There are already the immediate problems that their economic calculations differed from La Liga’s, meaning they still have to make up €150m in order to register new signings. It all remains such a huge risk. Another little positive from a monumental victory While the scenes at Wembley on Sunday caused hearts across England to soar, one Premier League executive has been talking of how it has also “given us a kick up the arse”. Many had been so reluctant to invest in the women’s game. Many had wondered about “the product”. Yet here was a huge audience. Here was popularity. Here was just football, as an event, at its best. The fact that the October friendly between England and USA is set to be a sell-out was meanwhile described as showing how “real” this is. Discussions of what it means for the women’s game will be covered by far more knowledgeable writers on the subject. It’s also possible that we won’t see the most profound effect until about 20 years’ time, since this will now cause so many young girls to take up the game, thanks to so many new role models. That’s what moments like this do. It also made figures in the men’s game take note of something else. That was the respect around the games, the very fact that the German fans and players actually stayed to watch England lift the trophy. One executive present at both European finals couldn’t help considering what many others thought, and compared the positivity of this day with the chaos of Wembley the year before. Added to the increasing debate about supporter unrest and civil issues, it has provoked more discussion in the men’s game about what can be done to actually make the atmosphere of games more like the women’s. It’s just one more positive step from this tournament.   Top stories [Keira Walsh, Lena Oberdorf and the battle that could determine the Euro 2022 final]( [Liverpool prioritise the long haul as Jurgen Klopp oversees a changing of the guard](   Miguel's Dispatches Tonight doesn’t just mark the start of a new season, but the start of the most intense period of football the modern game has seen. Even the intense schedule from the restart after the initial Covid lockdown will be surpassed. What we’re about to see is actually something that has hung over the game for over a decade, and will finally have its biggest effect. That is the manner a winter World Cup has altered the calendar, crunching the calendar. The very fact we’re starting in the first week of August is indication enough. Worse is that the Champions League group stage will be completed by the first week of November, with six matchdays in eight weeks. It is really why today kicks off five consecutive months of relentless football, in a way we haven’t seen before. It’s going to be demanding on the players - but also, if you’ll indulge this given the very nature of this newsletter, the media. Journalists call such periods “the hamster wheel”, as you find yourself going from game to game, city to city, and often country to country. It is one of the great joys of the job, but also a challenge. The hamster wheel will never have spun so fast.   Quote of the day "I’m not a gambler. I take calculated risks." Joan Laporta on his decisions at Barcelona this summer, in a New York Times interview   Reading the game quiz In 30 years of the Premier League, there have been seven seasons when the defending champions have lost on the opening day. Name the team, the season and - as bonuses - the results. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   INDYBEST /BEST SPORTS BUY](   11 best trail bikes that’ll help you tackle tough terrain We hunted down sets of wheels for both the uninitiated and regular riders alike and broken the reviews down into: frame, suspension, spec and overall ride. [Click here for our reviews](     Essential reading [Sarina Wiegman vs Martina Voss-Tecklenburg: Comparing Euro 2022 final coaches](   [Barcelona agree to sign Chelsea target Jules Kounde from Sevilla for £41.87m]( //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/28624663.10242/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvd2FsZXMtZ2FyZXRoLWJhbGUtdWtyYWluZS1hbmRyaXkteWFybW9sZW5rby1jYXJkaWZmLWIyMTEyMTEzLmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B1932bd01/email   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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