How Mesut Ozil, Christian Eriksen and three other debutants fared in the Premier League on Saturday
After the flurry, the fallout. With the transfer window having closed
just before the international break, Premier League clubs have had just
a fortnight to bed in new players - many of which were playing World
Cup qualifiers around the world.
Still, that lack of preparation
didn't seem to derail Mesut Özil, who caught the eye in Arsenal's 3-1
win over Sunderland. Nor Gareth Barry, superb on debut for Everton.
We look at how that pair and three more big-name signings fared as they made their debuts for their new clubs on Saturday:
Mesut Özil
You could hardly hope for better opponents on your debut. Even struggling with a bit of a stomach bug, the German
ran Sunderland's porous defence ragged, drifting to the left and then
nipping inside to link up with Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey. He picked
up his first assist in English football before the first half was out,
controlling a Kieran Gibbs channel ball with aplomb before sliding a
simple pass across to Olivier Giroud. He would have had more if Theo
Walcott hadn't left his shooting boots at home.
Debut in a word: Smöldering
Samuel Eto'o
At 32, you would forgive the former Barcelona man for being a touch
less athletic than he was in his prime. But the striker looked lithe and
strong at the sharp end of the Chelsea
attack. What let him down was a visible lack of match practice; Eto'o
got into decent positions but often delayed for half a second, allowing
the Everton defence to get back into position. Not a terrible debut by
any means, but not a particularly impressive one either.
Debut in a word: Rusty
Gareth Barry
Shunted down the pecking order at Manchester City over the summer,
the former England midfielder jumped at the chance for some more
first-team football at Everton. The Goodison Park
faithful will be glad he did on Saturday's evidence. Strong in the
tackle and diligent in his distribution, Barry was the best player on
the pitch as Roberto Martinez's side picked up their first win of the
season. A last-ditch block to deny Samuel Eto'o was particularly
impressive.
Debut in a word: Busy
Marouane Fellaini
The Belgian had to content himself with a spot on the bench as Manchester United faced Crystal Palace, but received a warm welcome upon his introduction
in the second period. Fellaini showed a few nice touches that suggested
he will fit nicely into the United midfield. The (non-) performance of
Anderson and Tom Cleverley's poor form mean he will surely muscle his
way into the starting XI soon.
Debut in a word: Promising
Christian Eriksen
For all their transfer-market activity, Spurs had been fairly
pedestrian in their opening three Premier League games. That all changed
at White Hart Lane on Saturday: Andre Villas-Boas' side were far more
potent in attack, terrorising the Norwich backline for much of the game.
The catalyst for this? The inclusion of playmaker Christian Eriksen.
The Dane took to Premier League football like a duck to water,
controlling the tempo with his measured passing.
Debut in a word: Convincing
source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-debutants-how-mesut-2275938
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