Manchester City won 2-0. There was even the little lesson of Mateo Kovacic scoring the clinching goal after beating the two £200m-plus midfielders signed to replace him, with Enzo Fernandez not exactly showing the kind of resolve that would be expected of a captain.
His temporary elevation to that status will bring questions after a summer where he was forced to apologise to teammates after being caught on video chanting racist and homophobic slurs against members of the French team amid Argentina’s Copa America celebrations.
It was almost fitting that the game had two off-field stories before it – or the season – had even started. That came with the Chelsea lineup, which should be less surprising given that the sheer number of players is going to create issues every week.
More notable than anyone left was who had the captain’s armband. If that seems like quite a statement, it preceded an actual statement from Raheem Sterling after he was left out of the squad altogether. That all comes amid a recruitment policy that continues to cause surprise in the game.
Another reminder was when Conor Gallagher’s name was chanted shortly after Haaland scored, the English midfielder having essentially been forced to join Atletico Madrid.
This story is from the August 19, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the August 19, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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