Ian Darke's early Premier League takeaways: Reason to doubt Liverpool repeat? Chelsea as title contenders?

Only 3 gameweeks person been played successful the Premier League play truthful far, and already immoderate observers are handing the rubric to Liverpool. The defending champions person spent astir £450 cardinal to amended their squad, and they are the lone squad with 3 wins to commencement the 2025-26 campaign. Signing striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United astatine the extremity of the transportation model seals the deal, right? The rubric is Liverpool's to lose.

Well, not necessarily.

Admittedly, the Reds are the favorites, but truthful were Manchester City if you crook the timepiece backmost 12 months. City had won the erstwhile 4 titles and started the 2024-25 play with 3 victories. They went unbeaten until November earlier they unexpectedly imploded -- implicit a agelong of 9 league matches, they mislaid six and drew two.

In different words, archetypal impressions tin beryllium misleading. Arne Slot's squad is apical of the array without hitting apical form, which mightiness beryllium a interest for its rivals. Liverpool person needed precocious goals to bushed Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal and debar dropping points, but their frightening firepower is unmistakable erstwhile you look astatine the goal-scoring imaginable of Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and, of course, past season's Premier League Golden Boot winner, Mohamed Salah.

If the Reds person a concern, it's a shortage of antiaircraft screen aft the signing of England defender Marc Guéhi fell done connected deadline day. It leaves them successful a precarious position. They cannot spend to suffer halfway backs Virgil van Dijk oregon Ibrahima Konaté to semipermanent injury, particularly portion recently arrived fullbacks Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez proceed to acclimate.

Arsenal volition anticipation to instrumentality vantage of Liverpool's weaknesses, but their caller nonaccomplishment astatine Anfield owed to Dominik Szoboszlai's fantastic escaped footwear reopened the statement astir whether manager Mikel Arteta is sometimes excessively cautious successful large games. The Gunners were a shadiness excessively passive and played for a constituent they did not get. They were not large contempt winning astatine Old Trafford against Manchester United, either, though they hammered Leeds United easy enough.

It's mode excessively aboriginal to constitute disconnected Arsen...