How did record nine new managers fare in opening round of Premier League games?

By

Chief football writer

Premier League history was made before a ball was even kicked this season as a record nine clubs started the season with new managers.

The post-Pep Guardiola era has begun at Manchester City under Enzo Maresca, while Andoni Iraola got his first taste of action as Liverpool manager after succeeding sacked Arne Slot. Xabi Alonso is the latest with his foot in the revolving door of managers at Chelsea.

So how did the new faces fare after an eventful first weekend of the new campaign?

Marco Rose – Bournemouth

The German successor to Iraola came within six minutes of starting his Premier League career with a statement win at Manchester City, only to concede two late goals to suffer a heartbreaking loss.

He will be frustrated at the manner of City's goals, with Marc Guehi unmarked at a corner for the equaliser then a slow reaction for Josko Gvardiol's stoppage time winner, but Rose was also shown in those first 84 minutes that he has plenty of materials to work with in a Cherries side that finished sixth last season.

Rose will have seen enough to deliver early signs of encouragement amid the disappointment of such a painful late loss.

Xabi Alonso – Chelsea

Not a bad start to take the lead after 31 seconds and a satisfactory start to Alonso's reign, but there was obvious good and obvious bad in what he watched at Craven Cottage.

First the good.

The attacking triumvirate of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and newcomer Morgan Rogers hit the ground running, all scoring and combining to devastating effect.

Equally devastating to Chelsea's Premier League chances and the Alonso revival could be the failure to find a better goalkeeper than the unreliable Robert Sanchez, who was at fault for both Fulham goals.

Alonso must find an answer quickly otherwise what Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers give with one hand Sanchez could take away with both hands.

Tactically Alonso used a back three with Reece James operating in midfield but also dropping back into defence.

Pierre Sage – Crystal Palace

Disappointing start for the highly-regarded Sage, who did such an outstanding job at Lens, with defeat at Everton but he also knows the outcome could have been a much more satisfactory one.

Palace's second half display will have disappointed him, but they had chances in the opening period to set up their first win at Everton since 2014. They hit the woodwork twice, while Jean-Phillipe Mateta was wasteful. Sage and his team paid a heavy price.

Sage's unhappy opening weekend will not have been helped by a contract row surrounding striker Mateta that puts his future in question, while he will want more numbers and quality to add to his squad.

Next up Manchester City at Selhurst Park, where Sage will sample the superb night game atmosphere as he searches for his first league win. No easy task.

Alvaro Arbeloa – Fulham

Tough opener and conceding within the first minute did not help Arbeloa's cause as he builds after taking over from Marco Silva.

It is already clear he needs to make sure Fulham can find some goals, although he will be delighted young debutant Gonzalo Garcia got off the mark. It was more of a struggle for another new arrival from Real Madrid, Cesar Palacios.

The jewel in Arbeloa's crown will be 19-year-old Josh King, who he described as "unbelievable". It is already clear the youngster will bear a heavy weight of responsibility under Fulham's new management.

Gary O'Neil – Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town have backed Kieran McKenna's successor with big money in the transfer market, £150m on a dozen signings, and Gary O'Neil was rewarded with a vital victory against Sunderland.

O'Neil may just be the beneficiary from lessons learned during Ipswich's last spell in the Premier League, when they took 11 games to get a win and went down with a whimper with just 22 points.

He will have been delighted with the impact of Julio Enciso, who he worked with at Strasbourg, and his early partnership with Brazilian striker Emersonn, the pair combining superbly for the latter's opening goal.

Plenty still to work on but O'Neil looked in the mood to enjoy his cup of tea and bar of chocolate while watching Match Of The Day on Saturday night.

Andoni Iraola - Liverpool

Iraola was spared the ignominy of defeat in his first Premier League game since succeeding Arne Slot by Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th minute penalty – but this was a sobering fact-finding mission for the new man in charge at Anfield.

He did not seem unduly concerned, but both Newcastle United's goals will have been hauntingly familiar to those who watched Liverpool's title defence collapse under Slot last season.

Newcastle cashed in on Liverpool's wide open midfield, a flaw from the last campaign that saw them so vulnerable to fast counter-attacks. Anthony Elanga sliced through Liverpool for the first then six of Iraola's team stood idly by as Yoane Wissa and Joe Willock combined for the second.

Iraola has suggested Liverpool will not strengthen in midfield with a 'number 6' type defensively-minded player. This early evidence (not to mention what was seen last season) suggests he should.

If not, the draw at Newcastle was a red flag showing Iraola needs to find an internal solution which is not currently obvious.

It's all very well targeting wide players such as Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh, but what about when teams are running straight through the heart of Liverpool's team?

Iraola must also find a way to make the subdued Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz look like the players Liverpool paid £241m for. Both were poor again at St. James' Park.

Enzo Maresca – Manchester City

It looked like it was going to be a losing start for Guardiola's successor before Manchester City pulled it around with two late goals to beat Bournemouth.

How Maresca needed it after City were pounded by Arsenal in the Community Shield. The Italian's emotions at the final whistle looked as much relief as celebration. He needs wins just to settle post-Guardiola nerves and ease the transition.

Maresca described the day as "perfect". It very nearly wasn't.

Erling Haaland's crop is not the only new look at City this season, but on occasions there were passages of play with lots of possession but little punch, a familiar pattern from Maresca's time at Leicester City and Chelsea. The use of Marc Guehi in midfield was a tactical twist.

Maresca will have wanted the win, no matter how it came, and City achieved it, even though it did carry a lot of the hallmarks of a work in progress.

Matthias Jaissle – Newcastle United

Seconds away from what would have been a very significant win against Liverpool, but still plenty for Jaissle to take away even with the concession of that late, late penalty.

The Toon Army were right behind the new manager and his team, reshaping after the loss of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, and they responded with real intensity.

The effort was there, the attacking style Jaissle wants was there, only the win was missing but enough to please him after fall-out from this summer's Tyneside turbulence.

Oliver Glasner - Nottingham Forest

Poor start for the Austrian who brought FA Cup and Europa League success to Crystal Palace, losing 1-0 to a late Leeds United goal at The City Ground.

Glasner claimed he cannot simply lay hands on players and they perform like "Real Madrid in the 70s", but this still was an unsatisfactory opening as he tries to bring stability and success to Nottingham Forest and their demanding owner Evangelos Marinkis after four managers were in charge last season.

He had no new signings in his starting line-up, with eight from Nuno Espirito Santo's team in the opening-day win over Brentford last season, although it looks like striker Liam Delap might arrive from Chelsea.

Every Forest manager needs wins (and very quickly) so to make a losing introduction was a real blow for Glasner.

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