Opening Weekend Fire in the Premier League: Wirtz and Ekitiké at Anfield and the Start as a Business
New season, same grind in the big league, brudda.
Anfield hosts Bournemouth as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké chase early Premier League impressions.
Bournemouth head into this game with a backline pulled by Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool this summer.
Defensive issues ain’t just on Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot says midfield slips showed up in pre season and they must sharpen up after the Shield against Crystal Palace.
Ryan Gravenberch will be missing again on Friday for family reasons, Slot confirmed.
There is no excuse when the league kicks off.
Liverpool v Bournemouth kicks off Friday at 8pm BST.
Aston Villa v Newcastle is on Saturday at 12:30pm.
Brighton v Fulham follows at 3pm on Saturday.
Sunderland v West Ham also takes place at 3pm on Saturday.
From a Palace lens, tempo matters most and we judge the start by commitment, intensity and rhythm.
Brighton talk their noise and vibes, but tempo wins games not chatter.
If anyone thinks Palace are vibes, tell Millwall the truth: they know how to bring pressure when it counts.
We will watch how teams answer the moment not just the name on the back.
TLDR
- Wirtz and Ekitiké chase Premier League impressions at Anfield as Bournemouth face a stern test.
- Liverpool must fix midfield sloppiness while keeping their defensive strength intact.
- Palace fans should watch tempo and rhythm this weekend more than names on shirts.
Florian Wirtz
Liverpool