10 Things We Learned from the First Day of the New Premier League Season

The new Premier League has finally started, and for me, the weekend is finally complete! The new Premier League season threatened to begin tamely as the London riots threatened to postpone a number of matches. In the end, only one match was postponed and it was raring to go.

The first day of the Premier League posed a lot of questions to some clubs: will Liverpool be able to deliver after a summer of much investment? Will Arsenal struggle to keep their place? Here are 10 things we learnt from Saturday's games.

Gary Cahill Is One of the Best Defenders in England

Gary Cahill showed us against QPR why people rate him so highly. After a summer of uncertainty, it would've been understandable if his head was muddled and not in the right place. Instead, he puts in a performance of severe quality, establishing himself as not only a great defender but also one who is capable of attacking magic.

Arsenal should look at the replays of that game and Wenger should finally realize: no Samba, no Scott Dann. If you want a defence that competes with the rest of England, it's Cahill and Vermaelen that you want in the heart of your defence.

Despite Claims That His Behavior Has Changed, Joey Barton Is Still a Thug

Okay, we get it, Gervinho may as well have dived; we're not sure. Fine, you manhandle him for the "spirit of football." But don't be a hypocrite, Joey Barton. After Gervinho merely rubbed your face, you act as if Floyd Mayweather just knocked you silly. We get that you're a volatile character, Joey, but you have talent and there's no doubt about it. Just don't criticize people for simulation and do the same thing 10 seconds later.

And then you claim to Robin van Persie that Gervinho punched you. That's really sad, man. Just shows you're as dumb as you look and all the Einstein tweets in the world aren't going to change that.

Adel Taarabt Can't Do Premier League

Okay, so he terrorized defences in lower leagues. With so much hype about him and people saying he was the messiah of QPR if they are to remain in the Premier League, we almost forgot why Tottenham sold him in the first place.

Thankfully, Bolton gave us a reminder. He looked severely toothless when faced against the likes of Gary Cahill. Imagine what a torrid time he'll go through against people like John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Phil Jagielka and Daniel Agger. PSG really dodged a bullet.

Sebastien Larsson Still Has the Ability to Become World-Class

Larsson looks the player that David Bentley was supposed to be. A great crosser, Larsson was often criticized for not scoring much. Good way to show the doubters, Larsson. I know you'll remember that goal for a long time. And if he tries, he can be Sunderland's talisman.

Stephan Sessegnon Is Severely Underrated

He has everything in the armoury to be a very good player. With pace, trickery and a great pass, Sessegnon was one of the main causes of Sunderland's revival in the second half. And whenever we think of Sunderland, we think of Asamoah Gyan (who was toothless), and Jack Colback (who was good, but only in the second half). Stephan Sessegnon has been good ever since he signed from PSG and this could be his breakout season.

Gervinho, Like Arshavin and Walcott, Seems to Lack the Killer Touch

A lot was expected of Gervinho, but he had a nightmare debut in the Premier League. Arsenal fans must've been disappointed by his red card, but the truth was he offered very little before that. Like Arshavin and Walcott, Gervinho seems to possess pace to burn but poor crossing skills.

Which begs the question: why play these guys on the wing when they seem to work much better in the center, Wenger? And you definitely can't squeeze them all on the center, so why buy them when there are so many in the same mould? You'd be much better off buying Juan Mata who seemed tailor-made for the position Gervinho played today.

Let's Not Kid Ourselves, Ramsey Can't Replace Fabregas

With Jack Wilshere injured, this was the perfect opportunity for Ramsey to stake a claim in the Arsenal midfield. What does he give us? An immobile, uncreative performance which should be a reality check to all the Arsenal fans who think he can replace Fabregas. Even Alex Song looked more creative than him.

Arsenal Have Missed Thomas Vermaelen

Despite Newcastle's ordinary attack, the fact remains that Arsenal remained impregnable at most periods of that match. You wouldn't expect that at all if Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny were playing together, and you certainly won't expect that if Sebastien Squillaci got close to the pitch. Thomas Vermaelen was dominant, putting in a few crunch-time tackles and ensuring Newcastle didn't score after Arsenal were reduced to 10 men. Even Laurent Koscielny looked great alongside him.

In Downing and Adam, Liverpool Have a Way of Getting Andy Carroll Back on Track

Both had good Liverpool debuts, and the quality of their crossing have given the Kop reason to cheer. Even though they drew, both Adam and Downing showed to us that in time, they could get £35 million signing Andy Carroll back on track to justify his mammoth fee. Adam's corners looked lethal and Downing was marauding. Even though Carroll looked isolated, I expect this to change in the coming weeks. Touchwood.

Jordan Henderson Is Good, but Not Better Than Kuyt and Meireles

I always thought it was a stupid move to bring Henderson in for a whopping £20 million, but hey, if you paid that much for him, you have to play him. At first look, he seems like an inferior Dirk Kuyt in the sense that he runs his socks off but doesnt have the attacking verve than Kuyt does. Nor does he have the discipline or passing skills of Meireles.

I get that you have to justify his fee, but not playing Meireles or Kuyt in favor of him could be a monumental mistake if you're in tight games where a second of quality play is going to make a difference. Exactly like the game against Sunderland.