1) Greater challenges loom for Van Gaal

Harry Redknapp did not seem terribly impressed by the new-look Manchester United. It was not like other times in his managerial career, he said, when he had “come to Old Trafford and been smashed to bits”. He could remember United having only four shots to reach 3-0 before half-time and he said he would like to see how Louis van Gaal’s team might get on against, say, Chelsea. The tone in his voice suggested he did not imagine it would go well. He sounded suspiciously like a manager who was trying to make it sound like it had been better for his team than it actually was. Yet it is important to measure this victory against the fact that United’s opponents played with so little distinction. It was a “new start”, to quote Van Gaal, and at last there was the sense of a club back on an upward trajectory, but let’s perhaps wait a little while before judging the scale of recovery and not make any kneejerk reactions. United have a run of four games starting next month that will feature Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. That is the point when we will know a lot more about their real position. Daniel Taylor

• Manchester United 4-0 QPR
• ‘This is just the beginning,’ says Van Gaal
• Manchester United: five talking points
• Amy Lawrence: Van Gaal era on upward curve
• Kagawa out to hurt Arsenal after returning to ‘family’
• Exclusive interview: Thomas Müller

2) Chelsea forward line feels complete

Diego Costa drew the focus. How could he not, with a hat-trick on Saturday to swell his goal tally from four Premier League games to seven? The Spain international is this team’s new battering ram and principal finisher, providing the bite that was missing last season when Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres supplied only 19 league goals between them. Yet Costa has suspect hamstrings. His first few weeks at Stamford Bridge have proved that much, with scares before the games at Everton and Swansea, the last twinge having forced him out of international duty before Spain’s opening Euro 2016 qualifier. There will be times when, whether the forward likes it or not, he will need resting. Didier Drogba, too, will surely provide only cameos in his second coming at this club. So what was arguably as heartening as Costa’s trio of goals on Saturday was Loïc Rémy’s immediate impact as a Chelsea player.

The France international clearly boasts pedigree of his own. He is an established Premier League performer, with 14 goals on loan at Newcastle last year and a brief flurry of rewards in a struggling Queens Park Rangers team the previous season. He can operate wide or centrally, is quick and muscular, and the whipped finish from Oscar’s cross to score with virtually his first touch for the club was a reminder of his quality. He is too good a player to be considered a third-choice back-up behind Costa and Drogba. He offers his own threat and his own style and he, too, appears likely to fit in seamlessly with this set-up. Chelsea’s achilles heel last season was their misfiring forward line; now their attack is the most potent in the Premier League. Dominic Fifield

• José Mourinho compares Diego Costa to Didier Drogba
• Match report: Chelsea 4-2 Swansea City
• Chelsea’s loan stars: is it time to change the rules?

3) Wenger’s scant defence hit by injury already

This was always likely to happen, what with Arsène Wenger exiting the summer transfer window with six defenders in his squad and Arsenal hardly being the sort of the team that avoids injuries. But they are now in danger of being seriously stretched. Wenger lost Mathieu Debuchy on Saturday against Manchester City to a bad ankle sprain and he will now rely on another summer signing at right-back – the 19-year-old Calum Chambers, who is also the only back-up in central defence to Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. At left-back, there is Nacho Monreal and the fit-again (but rarely fit for very long) Kieran Gibbs. Wenger mentioned the 19-year-old Academy right-back Héctor Bellerín as a possible option – the Spaniard is yet to start a first-team game for the club but Arsenal can ill afford any further setbacks. David Hytner

• Wilshere keen to break through in Europe

4) Liverpool’s new-look squad fail first rotation test

The Champions League has disrupted Liverpool’s season before it has started. With Daniel Sturridge injured, Raheem Sterling rested before the Champions League return, you-know-who gone and three of Liverpool’s attacking quartet making their Anfield debuts on Saturday, it was understandable their forward play lacked its usual fluency against Aston Villa. Brendan Rodgers did not accept that get-out when offered, insisting there should not be disruption with players of the quality of Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic to drop in. But this was the first test of Liverpool’s ability to handle the dual demands of the Premier League and Champions League this season and the results were not encouraging. Villa stifled Rodgers’ attack comfortably, whether led by Balotelli or comprising Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini, and the manager’s belief in his new recruits will be seriously tested in a period of seven matches in three weeks. “People have to get used to more changes than in recent seasons,” the Liverpool manager said. “I think last year we had consistency from playing one game a week but with Europe we have to find a consistency with two games. It will be there, but there will be bouts of rotation in there because of the amount of games we have.” Andy Hunter

• Match report: Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa
• Liverpool and Coutinho ready for Champions League
• Villa’s Grealish turning into the real deal

5) Pardew up against it at Newcastle

To an extent Alan Pardew is a patsy. He was not responsible for selling Yohan Cabaye, whose departure seemed to spread disillusionment among the rest of the squad, nor is he the main influence on transfers. It is not his fault that Fabricio Coloccini, for example, looks to be in terminal decline and Newcastle do not have a better centre-back on their books. You could even cut Pardew some slack over the loss of Hatem Ben Arfa given that the Frenchman has a habit of falling foul of managers. However, Pardew is not entirely powerless: he can affect the team’s tactics and mindset and should be able to inspire displays of cohesion, energy and drive. There was little sign of such qualities during Saturday’s abysmal performance at St Mary’s against a team that have lost more key players than Newcastle in recent months. The manager may not be the biggest problem at Newcastle but it is increasingly difficult to make a case for him being part of the solution. Paul Doyle

• Pardew set to hold on to job despite defeat
• Pardew’s job on the line after defeat
• Pardew pleads for patience with new imports
• Match report: Southampton 4-0 Newcastle

6) Leicester show the value of consistency

The back four of Ritchie De Laet, Wes Morgan, Liam Moore and Paul Konchesky all excelled in Leicester’s 1-0 away win at Stoke City. The quartet have been brilliant and ever-present this season, Leicester conceding just five goals to the considerable strike forces of Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke. What’s more, this is a defence that remains unchanged from last season’s Championship-winning side. This is a doctrine followed by another of the promoted sides, Burnley, who have also retained and started the same four players – Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, and Ben Mee – as last year and now have clean sheets against Crystal Palace and Manchester United to show for it. Compare this with QPR, who have added the likes of Steven Caulker, Rio Ferdinand and Mauricio Isla for considerable sums, and to little effect. Is this indicative of a wider trend? The Leicester manager, Nigel Pearson, has been wise not to change a winning formula, and his side’s strength at the back has been forged from a collective understanding between the four players – proving that tactical organisation can be honed on the training ground and does not have to be bought, even in the top tier. Michael Butler

• Stoke City 0-1 Leicester

7) Poyet must work out how to incorporate Giaccherini

The fact that Sunderland stole a 2-2 draw at home against a vastly superior Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was partly due to Emanuele Giaccherini’s belated introduction from the bench. The Italy international attacking midfielder also played a big part in last spring’s escape from relegation, creating a few of Connor Wickham’s drop defying goals. Unfortunately Poyet’s current formation – essentially 4-1-4-1, although it sometimes looks like 4-3-3 – is not really suited to Giaccherini’s subtle talents so the system needs to be narrowed and re-configured round him. I’d love to see Sunderland’s manager experiment with 4-3-2-1 with this team: Mannone; Jones, Brown, O’Shea, Van Aanholt; Cattermole, Bridcutt, Rodwell; Johnson, Giaccherini; Wickham.

Sharing the hole with Giaccherini would also suit Johnson who often did better in a more central attacking role than on the wing in his Manchester City days. Having two of them in that area would also allow scope to roam wide. Clearly true width would be sacrificed but Jones, whose attacking inclinations put him ahead of Santiago Vergini, and Patrick van Aanholt could compensate by overlapping from full-back. Meanwhile a midfield three of Lee Cattermole, Liam Bridcutt and Jack Rodwell – although there is a case for swapping Bridcutt with Sebastian Larsson – should offer the stability required for Poyet’s ball-retaining blueprint.

Another benefit of 4-3-2-1 is that Jordi Gómez, recruited from Wigan this summer, and Ricky Álvarez, signed on loan from Inter, could easily play alongside Giaccherini or Johnson in the attacking midfield role. Indeed, this formation looks perfect for both Álvarez and Gómez. There is an argument for saying that both Bridcutt and Cattermole in midfield is too much like belt and braces but Cattermole had some good games for Middlesbrough on the right of midfield – one against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico sticks in the memory – and stationing him slightly to that side of Bridcutt could help out Jones defensively. Meanwhile, Steven Fletcher would provide competition for Wickham and Vergini and Sebastián Coates should put pressure on John O’Shea and Wes Brown. Louise Taylor

• Poyet changes mind on reborn Giaccherini
• Match report: Sunderland 2-2 Tottenham
• Cattermole dreams of England after cleaning up act

8) Wilfried Zaha lifts Crystal Palace up a notch

I was not looking at the pitch when Crystal Palace’s players emerged from the tunnel for kick-off. It is not an especially significant event; seen one, you’ve seen them all. But the cheer that came from the Palace fans a few seconds later made me lift my head from my laptop, because it turned out that Wilfried Zaha had hung back behind the rest of his team-mates and had made a grand entrance on his return to Selhurst Park by running out on his own. It was not clear whether it was intentional on his part but Zaha was clearly in the mood to be a showman and the sight of him back in a Palace shirt certainly lifted the crowd and the roof would have been raised if the winger had scored at the end of a weaving run. Instead he shot straight at Burnley’s Tom Heaton, though, and had faded by the time he was substituted after 69 minutes. It will take time for Zaha to regain his confidence after his nightmarish year at Manchester United and he was clearly not quite up to speed or in sync with the rest of Palace’s attack yet. He is talented and Palace’s supporters are understandably delighted that one of their favourite sons is back but they may have to be patient while he finds his feet. Jacob Steinberg

• Crystal Palace 0-0 Burnley
• Warnock backs Zaha to shine again

9) Martínez eager for European action

Everton start their Europa League adventure this week, at home against Wolfsburg on Thursday night, and if Roberto Martínez is true to his word – and there is no reason to suspect the Spaniard will not be – Goodison Park will be treated to a club taking the competition seriously from the word go. “Last year we had to work so, so hard for 38 games to achieve that [qualification], so it would be nonsense or stupid to say that we don’t want to be giving everything we’ve got,” the Everton manager said following the 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. “We really want to go all the way in the Europa League.” All of which felt refreshing to hear. After all, there have been numerous cases over the years of Premier League clubs qualifying for the competition but treating is as an inconvenience. This season there is a Champions League place on offer to the winners – something that Uefa arguably should have done years ago – although Martínez never mentioned that prize once when he spoke at length about the competition. The Everton manager was more interested in talking up the chance to develop his players tactically against top clubs from overseas as well as the prospect of giving Everton fans an opportunity to relive memorable European nights of yesteryear. Who knows, Everton might go and win the damn thing in the process. And isn’t that why fans follow clubs – to see their team win a trophy, rather than finish one place higher in the Premier League? Stuart James

• West Brom 0-2 Everton
• Irvine pleads for the time to take WBA forward

10) City feel Touré’s absence

Manchester City’s battling title win last season owed a particular debt to the efforts of Yaya Touré. The Ivorian started 35 league games and scored 20 league goals from a nominal holding position. In the three league games Touré missed last term, City collected only five points. The Ivorian was absent for City’s trip to Arsenal, with Manuel Pellegrini opting to audition squad members for the gaping hole he leaves behind, rather than test Touré’s travel fatigue, as he may have done last term. Touré’s absence was keenly felt at times, particularly in the frantic early exchanges. Frank Lampard made his City debut but lasted 45 minutes, rendered a walking red card by Aaron Ramsey’s energy and movement. In the second half, James Milner was shifted from a left-sided attacking berth to a central holding role – neither being his preferred position.

Both players took shifts alongside Fernandinho, whose intense work ethic complemented the laid-back Touré last season. The Brazilian suffered a torrid World Cup, however, and is yet to start alongside the £12m arrival Fernando, who also missed the Emirates trip. The former Porto midfielder looks to be an improvement on both Javi García and Jack Rodwell, and could form a formidable alternative partnership with his compatriot. Pellegrini would have been concerned by the opportunities afforded to Jack Wilshere and others on Saturday, but the makeshift midfield base held together as City rallied to finish the game on top. City may be without Touré’s supernatural talents in January as another Africa Cup of Nations looms (should Ivory Coast qualify). Pellegrini must find a viable alternative; easier said than done, but despite mixed results at the Emirates, the Chilean is at least tackling the problem head on. Niall McVeigh

• Pellegrini blasts referee but City leave Arsenal fuming
• Agüero in a class of his own but Welbeck shows promise

Pos	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	4	9	12
2	Aston Villa	4	3	10
3	Swansea	4	3	9
4	Southampton	4	5	7
5	Man City	4	3	7
6	Tottenham Hotspur	4	2	7
7	Arsenal	4	1	6
8	Liverpool	4	1	6
9	Man Utd	4	3	5
10	Everton	4	-1	5
11	Leicester	4	-1	5
12	Hull	3	0	4
13	Stoke	4	-1	4
14	Sunderland	4	-1	3
15	West Ham	3	-1	3
16	QPR	4	-8	3
17	Crystal Palace	4	-3	2
18	Burnley	4	-3	2
19	West Brom	4	-5	2
20	Newcastle	4	-6	2