1 So much for Alan Shearer’s prediction that Wayne Rooney would ‘stick one on Ronaldo’ when they returned to Old Trafford after the World Cup. Man Utd’s ruthless 5-1 defeat of hapless Fulham proved that Rooney just loves to play football – at one stage, it seemed as it R&R’s love-in might see them hold hands and skip back to the centre circle.
2 If you’ve got Claude Makelele in your fantasy team, drop him now, ’cause I (rashly) predict that Michael Essien will start as regularly as Frank Lampard and be one of the players of the season.
3 With Martin O’Neill, Adrian Boothroyd and Neil Warnock added to the managerial mix, post-match interviews should be worth watching.
4 Don’t try and predict Rafa Benitez’s starting Liverpool XI. You won’t be able to.
5 Man U in 1st, Chelsea in 2nd – it ddin’t take long for the table to look depressingly familiar.