Just as soon as the 2019-20 English Premier League season ended, the 2020-21 season kicked off.
With just over a month between the final game of the 2019-20 season, and the start of the 2020-21 season, teams around the English Premier League didn't have much time to make changes to their roster. To accommodate for the shorter offseason, the transfer window was kept open for almost a month after the kickoff of the new season. While some teams made huge splashes while the transfer window was open, others were left wanting more when the transfer window slammed shut.
We'll start at the top of the Premier League. Liverpool didn't make many moves during the transfer window, but the Reds did make one of the splashiest, bringing in midfielder Thiago Alcantara from German giants Bayern Munich. Thiago is one of the top midfielders in the world, and should be a fixture in Liverpool's lineup once Alcantara has recovered from battling COVID-19. Liverpool was able to fend off Barcelona for Alcantara's services, as the Spaniard is looking for a new challenge.
Also joining Thiago at Liverpool is Diogo Jota, who spent the last three years at Wolverhampton, netting 33 goals. Jurgen Klopp has plenty of options at forward with Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane. The acquisition of Jota will only bolster one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League.
Chelsea striker Timo WernerJavier Garcia/BPI/REX
The Pensioners were able to bring in their top transfer targets, rounding out a squad that was already one of the most dangerous in the Premier League. The biggest signing by the Blues was of Leipzig striker Timo Werner, who netted 77 goals in 126 appearances over the last four years. The addition of Werner will help sure up production from the striker position for Chelsea, which saw Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud combine for 23 goals last year.
The biggest issue for Chelsea lately has been with their defense. To try and address their backline issues, the Blues brought in Thiago Silva from PSG and Ben Chilwell from Leicester City. While Silva is 36 years old, he is still one of the best central defenders in the world. After scoring just four goals in 99 league caps for Leicester City, Chilwell already found the back of the net in his first start for Chelsea on October 3.
The most important move for Chelsea during the transfer window was bringing in goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Kepa Arrizabalaga has been a disappointment since taking over for the departed Thibault Courtois, saving just 53.9% of the shots on target he has faced. Mendy already notched a clean sheet in his first start for Chelsea a couple weeks ago against Crystal Palace.
Early on in the transfer window it looked like Manchester City was going to make a giant splash by bringing in Barcelona's Lionel Messi, but the best soccer player in the world changed his mind and decided to stay in Spain. The Citizens tried to bolster their defense by bringing in Nathan Ake from relegated Bournemouth, as well as Ruben Dias from Benfica. Mostly set when it comes to their attacking, the only notable addition to the offense was forward Ferran Torres from cash-strapped Valencia.
The Gunners must have not been too broken up by finishing eighth in the Premier League last year, since they didn't do much to address their squad during the transfer window. Aside from bringing in Chelsea's Willian on a free transfer, the only other notable moves by Arsenal were to get young defender Gabriel from Lille and defensive midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid. We'll soon find out where Mikel Arteta's team stands, as their next three matches are against Manchester City, Leicester City, and Manchester United.
After finishing sixth last season, Tottenham has their eyes on a Champions League spot this year. Not only did Spurs bring back Gareth Bale on loan from Real Madrid, but Jose Mourinho was also able to sign left back Sergio Reguilon from the Spanish giants. Tottenham just dropped six goals on Manchester United before the international break. If Spurs are able to improve their defense after allowing 47 goals last season, they could be a major factor in the Premier League this year.
The team who has to be most disappointed with their haul during the transfer period has to be Manchester United. It's not a secret that the Red Devils were hot after Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, but they weren't able to bring Sancho in. Instead, United had to settle for Donny van de Beek from Ajax and an aging Edison Cavani. It could be a long season for the Red Devils, who not only lost to Crystal Palace and Tottenham by a combined score of 9-2, but also needed a Bruno Fernandes penalty 10 minutes into second half stoppage time to defeat Brighton & Hove Albion.
Everton midfielder James RodriguezAlex Livesey - Getty Images
The most shocking storyline of the young season has been the play of Everton, who have won all four of their matches so far. James Rodriguez was brought in on a free transfer from Real Madrid, and all Rodriguez has done so far is score three goals. After playing sporadically with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich since the 2014 World Cup, where he became known as one of the best young stars in the game, the Colombian is eager to remind the world just how talented he is.
Along with the acquisition of Rodriguez, a move that was just as big for the Toffees was the loan deal to bring in Roma goalie Robin Olsen. Despite being England's starting keeper in the 2018 World Cup, Jordan Pickford hasn't been very good over the last few years. After allowing over 50 goals last year, Everton knew they had to make a move to try and light a fire under Pickford, and the addition of Olsen could do just that.
Everton has been the biggest surprise in this young season, Aston Villa is right on their heels. Aston Villa finished just one point clear of relegation last season, but so far is perfect through three matches. There might not be a more unpredictable result this year than what the Lions did to Liverpool right before the international break, torching the Reds 7-2 at Villa Park. Propelling Villa to the incredible result was Ollie Watkins, who netted a hat trick, becoming the first player to record a hat trick against Liverpool since Dimitar Berbatov did so for Manchester United a decade ago. Watkins was brought in on a transfer from Brentford.
One of the more under-the-radar moves this season could end up being the acquisition of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal. Martinez recorded clean sheets in his first two matches of the season for Aston Villa, becoming the first Villa goalie to record back-to-back clean sheets since Brad Guzan in 2014. If Martinez is able to continue his solid start, Villa will be fighting for a spot in Europe instead of battling to avoid relegation.
As Ferris Beuller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
NFL
The first instances of the NFL schedule being affected by positive COVID-19 cases occurred over the past week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game has been moved to Week 7, and the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens was in turn moved to Week 8. After multiple cases came out of the Tennessee organization, they're being investigated by the league to determine if they broke protocol. If that were to be the case, they would be subject to further punishment by the league.
Also rescheduled due to COVID-19 is the matchup between New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, which was moved to tonight; we will now have two Monday night football games on the schedule. Cam Newton tested positive, and his loss will be a huge blow to the Patriots' chances of getting a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Some notable results from Week 4 of the NFL include the Panthers winning their second game of the season without Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow getting his first career win over the Jaguars, the Browns outlasting the Cowboys in a thriller bringing them to 3-1, and Seahawks continue to cook as they improve to 4-0.
For more NFL coverage, check back for the Weekly Round Up article released every Tuesday.
Winning is fun— Joey Burrow (@Joey Burrow) 1601850554.0
MLB
So many good matchups. Next week is gonna be fun — MLB playoffs: Bracket, schedule, dates, with divisional round se… https://t.co/X4VKHPw03d— Tim White (@Tim White) 1601723505.0
Last week's Wild Card Round resulted in six of the eight series being 2-0 sweeps. Oakland defeated the White Sox in three games, and it took three for the Padres to dispose of St. Louis. The Divisional Round games start Monday as the two AL series begin.
FERNANDO TATIS JR. THE FACE OF BASEBALL HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! https://t.co/uaA3Hu8o5a— Jared Carrabis (@Jared Carrabis) 1601606762.0
The Yankees will take on division rival Tampa Bay as the top two AL East teams fight for a spot in the ALCS. The Rays' starting rotation may be the best in baseball, and they had an 8-2 record against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season. The Yankees will look to get two solid outings from Gerrit Cole in this series and hope that their bats continue to produce as they did against Cleveland.
Yankees vs. Rays on Monday 😁 https://t.co/0hFTqITGXh— Ballplayer Buzz (@Ballplayer Buzz) 1601753060.0
After taking out the talented young White Sox squad, the Oakland A's have Houston in the second round. The Astros seek to continue to silence their critics which will only grow louder if they continue to advance. The A's will need to get a better start from Jesus Luzardo in this series, but their bullpen has been reliable when called upon. This matchup will come down to whether the Oakland pitching can be better than Houston's bats. Unfortunately, the Astros have the advantage in this series.
The Marlins were the surprise from the first round after sweeping the Cubs; they will be matched against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took the last regular season series against Miami 2-1 and certainly have the lineup to produce plenty of offense featuring Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins will need to get repeat performances from starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez in order to win this series.
The other NLDS series includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorite to win the World Series, and they will face the Padres. San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams to watch all season, and that trend has extended into the playoffs. Facing elimination in Game 2, the Padres' resilient group fought back to overcome a 4 run deficit twice to even the series. They carried that momentum into Game 3 to close out the series, and hopefully they can continue their run against Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and the loaded Dodgers team. This is a must-watch series that features the blue blood Dodgers against the upstart Slam Diego Padres.
Clayton Kershaw was lights out 😤 🔹 8 IP 🔹 0 Runs 🔹 13 Strikeouts 🔹 W https://t.co/Z9qUwIG1ef— ESPN (@ESPN) 1601615041.0
NBA
LeBron walked off the court with 10 seconds left. https://t.co/zTvwZhHDq5— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601865857.0
We have seen the first three games of the NBA Finals now, and Jimmy Butler has yet again proven that we know nothing about the Heat. After the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, everyone assumed Miami was dead in the water–especially since the Heat lost two starters in the series opener and Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) missed both Games 2 and 3.
Game 3 was expected to be LeBron and the Lakers laying the groundwork for a sweep, but instead Miami was able to get Anthony Davis into early foul trouble, which limited his impact in the first half. While Los Angeles struggled to get anything going offensively, Miami's confidence grew behind the play of Jimmy Butler. The Lakers were sloppy with the ball and at times looked uninterested, if not distracted, by the thought of hoisting the championship trophy. They finished with 19 turnovers and allowed Miami to score 52 points in the paint.
Jimmy Butler was spectacular and had one of the all time playoff performances of this generation. Playing 45 minutes, Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The catalyst for Erik Spoelstra's team, Butler played the best basketball of his life on the biggest stage. While Tyler Herro and the rest of the team struggled to contribute, Butler put his team on his shoulders and carried them to the finish line.
Jimmy Butler is the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist LeBron James in a Finals game, including Le… https://t.co/r7OlCsAemQ— Marc J. Spears (@Marc J. Spears) 1601866079.0
This series is NOT over yet. If we've learned anything from the Heat this postseason, it's to never count them out. So I'm done doing that and I'm just going to tune in on Tuesday night to see what happens. LeBron has seen his fair share of losses in the Finals, so he is very aware of what a team looks and feels like when they aren't in a good place to finish the job. Game 3 was certainly an example of a team that wasn't ready to close. It may have explained James' poor sportsmanship, as he left the floor before time was up, forcing Frank Vogel to pull someone off the bench to run out the clock.
WNBA
The Seattle Storm has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart set the tone for the series going for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1. Stewart added 22 points and 5 assists Sunday night in Game 2 and Sue Bird had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists in 27 minutes. In Game 1 Bird set the WNBA Playoff and Finals assist record with 16!
HISTORY FOR SUE BIRD. Bird sets a WNBA Finals record with 12 assists in a game ... and it’s only the third quarter… https://t.co/aEg2KouUlU— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601684451.0
The Aces have missed the presence of two-time sixth woman of the year, Dearica Hamby, who is sidelined with a knee injury. A'ja Wilson has been good, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far in the Finals, and Angel McCoughtry has provided two solid performances for Las Vegas. Until they can figure out how to slow down the Storm's offensive attack, however, getting back into this series will be an uphill struggle.
English Premier League
James Rodriguez scored twice helping Everton to a 4-2 win over Brighton and now sit atop the table with 12 points and a 4-0-0 record to begin the new campaign. Rodriguez is coming off lackluster tenures with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but seems to be rejuvenated with his new club. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton in every match so far this season, including a hat trick. If they can continue to maintain this level of attack, then they may find themselves in contention to win the league.
🤣 | A reminder that Richard Keys said this after we announced Rodriguez: "I'm not convinced by James Rodriguez.… https://t.co/DgskaKY81d— The Everton Way (@The Everton Way) 1601797299.0
Trailing Everton at 9 points each include Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. On Sunday Villa deconstructed the Liverpool defense for 7 goals including a hat trick for Ollie Watkins.
Man United and Liverpool fans when they see each other at work/school/college today https://t.co/iKovFahrou— Troll Football (@Troll Football) 1601905110.0
Manchester United also suffered an embarrassing loss to Tottenham. After Bruno Fernandes put away an early penalty, Tottenham quickly responded to draw even at 1-1 and then controlled the pace of play until Anthony Martial was red carded and sent off in the 28th minute. Playing with 10 men, Manchester United looked overwhelmed and overmatched as Tottenham controlled 62% of possession and outshot their opposition 22-5. The result was a 6-1 Tottenham victory, and they now have the look of a team ready to compete for trophies. As for Man U, they are towards the bottom of the table and have the look of a team in danger of being relegated.