A Premier League start with more questions than answers

1 Is Steve Bould the new George Graham?

Three games and three clean sheets for Arsenal suggests that there is more of a balance between defensive security and attacking innovation than there has been for years. Colin Murray seems to find that the name "Steve Bould" provokes a knee-jerk outburst of "near-post flick-on", but to everyone else the elevation of the least decorated of Arsenal's celebrated back four to a prominent first-team coaching role has been credited with reviving meanness as a fundamental requirement of the on-field strategy, rather than an agreeable asset. He may have strengthened the defence without recourse to Graham's offside trap, which wouldn't work in the age of active and inactive rulings, and restored Per Mertesacker from a set of temporary traffic lights into an assured presence at the heart of the defence, but Bould is no Graham – certainly not the ultra-caution and midfield sterility of the Scot's last years at Highbury. He hasn't got a decent touchline suit for a start.

2 Has Michael Owen still got it?

First you have to define "it". His critics would contend that if you meant a love of the limelight, a refusal to accept the truth about his fragility, an overvaluation of his worth or being more engaged by his second career in horse racing, then he definitely still has it. But, according to the testaments of his former Manchester United manager and colleagues, his character is impeccable and few players have the capacity to be such a positive off-field influence on a club and its players. On the field is where the problem lies. On the plus side, and in terms he will understand, he is a lightly raced veteran whose legs weathered far more miles as a teenager than they have over the past seven years. From 2005-2008, in 560 minutes for England playing in combination with Peter Crouch, he scored seven goals to the No9's four, so there is evidence that they can flourish as a partnership, but whether they will again at Stoke depends on the state of his fitness and stamina after so many injuries. A role as a substitute coming on when the tireless Jonathan Walters has sapped defences looks his most likely fate but one that is linked to better fortune, at least with his health, than he has enjoyed since he first began to shave.

3 When did Clint Dempsey become any club's saviour?

Brendan Rodgers's disappointment at not signing the USA's goalscoring midfielder from Fulham on the last day of the transfer window elevated the effective if unglamorous Dempsey to the role of Anfield's lost salvation. His versatility, timing and finishing made him perfect casting for the new Liverpool manager's system and he will now have to persevere with Steven Gerrard as his sole messiah and banish any covetous thoughts about false idols or "expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years", as they are known by the club's owners. Dempsey, for his part, played his first competitive match in three months on Friday, for USA against Jamaica. He scored after 35 seconds.

4 Is Dimitar Berbatov any good?

While heretics obsess over their fatuous evaluations of the Bulgarian's work-rate, those besotted by "Berbarotica" rave about the strength, spatial awareness, nerve and masterly technique of Fulham's new centre-forward. Berbatov is not "good", he is marvellous – a languid, brooding, contemptuous magician who can kill a ball with one foot better than Robert Green can with two hands. Whether he will be any good for Fulham will be settled by the supply from Damien Duff, Kieran Richardson and Bryan Ruiz. His skill trumps just about everyone else's in the league but his flaw is a lack of consistency – he can slouch through games and slow his side down. Sheer instinctive brilliance is adequate compensation for any flaws.

5 Do QPR know what they're doing?

They were caught utterly cold by Swansea on the opening day, had their defence exposed again by Norwich before rallying to secure a 1-1 draw and then looked more solid despite losing 3-1 to the champions. Having signed 12 players and let 16 leave it was always going to take time for QPR's new team to bed down, but despite all the trading their full-backs remain weak defensively while some of the signings hint at a trolley dash approach. Relatively new owner plus relatively new manager and a brand new team. What could possibly go wrong?

6 Will Liverpool's season be a struggle?

The Reds' worst league start since 1962-63, the shallowness of their resources up front following Andy Carroll's departure on loan and Luis Suárez's squandering of chances, some gung-ho positioning from Glen Johnson and irresponsible passing diagnosed as "overplay" by Alan "get rid" Hansen expose the teething problems at the start of Rodgers's overhaul of Liverpool's squad and tactics. Throw in the board's refusal to back him over Dempsey and you have the makings for mischief and strife. Joe Allen and Raheem Stirling, however, give grounds for optimism as does the manager resisting the route of self-pity, telling his squad to "man up" instead.

7 Is the new Carlos Tevez too good to be true?

The work put in over the summer has been rewarded by the slim, mobile and motivated forward's excellent start to the season. After last year's sabbatical he returned to play cameos – the space hopper he seemed to be smuggling up his shirt not hampering his effectiveness around the box but blunting his contribution elsewhere. Whether the prodigal's commitment to the club lasts is uncertain given his track record but, as long as it does, he wins both ways, redeeming his reputation at City and making him a more attractive proposition if he still wants to move.

8 Will a Premier League player dare try another Pirlo-style penalty?

After Robin van Persie's Panenka pratfall against Southampton it remains unlikely to be tried in the next round of matches, but eventually someone will have the chutzpah and execution to pull it off. That sounds like an invitation Berbatov or Mario Balotelli could not refuse.

9 Can Chelsea win the title?

They were at best third-placed in the pre-season predictions, but the manner in which Eden Hazard has started his debut season in England, with six assists and one goal in three games, suggests that Roberto Di Matteo's gradual releasing of his players off the leash is bearing impressive results. Yet should injury strike Fernando Torres (and who would have written that last year?), they have not yet convinced that the owner-tickling creative midfielder splurge was not negligent in failing to recruit an alternative orthodox centre-forward to cash in on the supply.

10Will we learn to love André Villas‑Boas?

Tottenham were booed off after their third game under the former Chelsea manager and, like his lucrative but excruciating mission last season, he will need time to implement a new strategy and personnel. There is something about his manner – perhaps his youth, his occasionally harrowed look, the vulnerability he exudes when squatting on the touchline like a jittery rabbit and the contrast with that scent of self-regard – that has made him an easy target in 2012. He now has the players he wants to make his system work and, if it does, the R-E-S-P-E-C-T will take care of itself.

sumber: http://www.guardian.co.uk