Question marks over De Gea and the QPR defence

The Premier League is back, and although the opening weekend wasn't the most explosive ever there was plenty to discuss. Not least the fact that Bolton are sitting top of the table and QPR find themselves at the bottom.

NO HOME WINSFor the first time in Premier League history there were no home wins on the first Saturday of the season. To be fair there were only six games and only one of the 'big' teams, Liverpool, was playing at home. Four of the matches eneded in draws and in the other two Bolton and Wolves overcame QPR and Blackburn (two teams widely tipped to be in the relegation frame). Sunderland will probably be happiest with their afternoon's work, having seen Liverpool, or rather Luis Suarez, miss a penalty after just five minutes and then score after 12. Seb Larrson's wonderful volley to level things in the second half was worthy of earning them a point.

HAIR RAISING UNITEDThe most striking thing about Manchester United's success against West Brom on Sunday was arguably the fact that Wayne Rooney now has what could be described as a hairstyle. Ashley Young, who has no hair at all, put on a fine display on his league debut for the Champions but it failed to overshadow the fact that Rooney's new head of hair was different lengths in different places, and that it was a deliberate ploy. Could he be turning metrosexual? Also intriguing for those with an interest in the work of hairdressers in Lancashire was the appearance of Dimitar Berbatov. While Rooney grabbed the headlines this summer with his hair transplant, the Bulgarian striker, often indetified as a prime candidate for baldy status, appeared to have a far more lustrous head of hair than in previous seasons. Could there be Regaine in his gym bag?

DODGY DE GEASir Alex Ferguson will not be losing any sleep over ther respective merits of his players' haircuts, but he may have concerns about the keeper he has just splashed £18m on. As everyone knows Fergie has not had the best of luck with goalies down the years, for every Edwin Van Der Sar and Peter Schmeichel there has been a Massimo Taibo, Mark Bosnich or Roy Carroll. Which camp will David De Gea fall into? Worringly, he has been at fault for all three goals United have conceded this season, and his woeful attempts to stop Shane Long's weak shot on Sunday will not have been missed by Ferguson. De Gea's problem is now twofold, he will have a nervous manager with a twitchy trigger finger breathing down his neck, and Premier League strikers queueing up to have a pop from long distance to see if they can embarrass him further.

WELCOME TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE AVBAndre Villas Boas appears to have a good grasp on the size of the task facing him as new Chelsea boss. After watching his charges draw 0-0 with Stoke he described the situation as "impossible". However, this was a reference to Stoke's tactics rather than his chances of winning enough silverware to keep Roman Abramovich happy. The Portuguese was upset by the physicality of the Stoke side, although it can't have come as a surprise. "I think there’s a limit to the pushing and grabbing, and it makes things impossible," he said after the game. On the plus side Fernando Torres looked a lot happier than he did in Chelsea blue last season. He Spaniard failed to find the net, but there were flashes of skill that suggest he might be ready to start justifying his transfer fee.

BOLTON RUN RINGS ROUND THE HOOPSQPR's return to the top flight did not exactly according to plan. The Hoops won promotion last season thanks in part to their miserly defence, which shipped only 32 goals all season. At this rate they will have conceded that many by the time the clocks go back. Worryingly, Bolton had a terrible away record last season, so if they are knocking them in for fun at Loftus Road then it does not bode well for Neil Warnock's chances. However, QPR can write the match off as a case of first-day nerves. Of more concern may be the financial storm that is brewing in west London. There is talk of a takeover and yesterday former Brazil coach and captain Dunga instructed lawyers to recover a £750,000 loan he claims he made to QPR in 2006.

BARTON TAKES THE BISCUITArsenal against Newcastle is fast becoming one of the must see fixtures in the Premier League calendar. The football on display on Saturday evening may not have been spectacular but the various sub-plots made it compelling viewing. Alex Song was lucky not to see red for stamping on Joey Barton, but the real drama came later when debutant Gervinho went down in the box. There was a case for a penalty, but after the referee waved the Ivorian's appeals away Barton decided to adminster some justice of his own, hauling Gervinho to his feet and admonishing him. Gervinho responded in the melee and when Barton went down as though he had been shot it was the end for Gervinho. The return fixture should be something to behold. ·