While England will be involved in another World Cup qualifier on Tuesday after yesterday’s match against Moldova in Chisinau, the Premier League is observing its first recess of the season.

One only has to remember how the Premier League title was decided last season to realise how important are the points won at the start of the season and those at the end.

At present, Chelsea have nine points and they’re the only side with a 100 per cent record.

Chelsea were thrashed in the UEFA Super Cup last week by Atletico Madrid in Monaco but on to the domestic scene the Blues did well to gather maximum points from two matches at home and one away, scoring eight goals and conceding two in the process.

Eden Hazard, their summer signing from Lille, showed that he can also be effective in providing assists besides his knack to score great goals.

Three teams – Swansea, West Brom and Manchester City – are behind Chelsea on the seven-point mark after two wins and a draw each.

Swansea have continued where they left over last season despite the change in manager as Michael Laudrup replaced Brendan Rodgers.

A major setback for the Swans is that defender Neil Taylor will be out for the season after he fractured his ankle last weekend.

Midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung, having left Celtic to join Swansea, is becoming a big attraction at the Liberty Stadium.

West Brom, also under a new manager, Steve Clarke, have won both their home matches against Liverpool and Everton.

Striker Shane Long has cautioned his team-mates at The Hawthorns that last season Wolves also started with seven points from three games but everyone knows what happened to them in the end.

City manager Roberto Mancini was delighted that he was finally given the cash to bolster the squad just before the transfer deadline on August 31.

Real boss Jose Mourinho was at the Etihad Stadium last week to watch his Champions League rivals more closely.

But, it seems, the ‘Special One’ was not really impressed with what he saw as City, who were held by Liverpool at Anfield to a 2-2 draw in a precious match, laboured to beat QPR.

Manchester United have shown that the purchase of Robin van Persie will go down as the best buy of the season, notching his first hat-trick against Southampton (3-2) after he had missed a penalty.

On Sunday, Ferguson chalked up another milestone as he was in charge of his 1,000th league game. He must have been satisfied with Van Persie’s goals but in his opinion it was the introduction of Paul Scholes and Javier Hernandez that swayed the tide in his team’s favour.

After two wins on the trot, Everton met their Waterloo at West Brom. But the Toffees will go far this season as the new signings start to fit in.

At the Hawthorns, manager David Moyes held his hand up and admitted that his tactics against the Baggies were wrong.

Everton’s neighbours Liverpool are at the deep end and only have themselves to blame for their predicament. Manager Rodgers has said that he had erred when on the final day of the transfer window he let Andy Carroll leave for West Ham without signing another striker.

That was mostly due to US owner John Henry who failed to produce enough cash for the club to purchase Clinton Dempsey from Fulham.

Lloris must wait

Tottenham Hotspur are also struggling to find their feet but the captures of manager Andre Villas-Boas in the transfer window will make Spurs formidable once more even if the fans booed the side after the 1-1 draw against Norwich at White Hart Lane last weekend.

Villas-Boas has already warned new French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris that he needs to work overtime to topple the current no.1 net-minder Brad Friedel who had another sound game against Norwich City.

Arsene Wenger wore a wide grin on his return from Liverpool after Arsenal registered their first win of the season on Sunday.

Wenger was also glad to learn that midfielder Jack Wilshere is showing steady progress and should return from injury within a month.

The critics had rave notices about the Gunners’ defence which they described as a mean machine after three clean sheets − the only side to boast a nil in their against goals column so far.

This time last season Arsenal had leaked in ten nettings.

Fixtures...

Playing Today

League One

Brentford-Colchester
Bury-Preston
Crewe-Tranmere
Doncaster-Oldham
Hartlepool-Carlisle
Notts County-Shrewsbury
Scunthorpe-Sheff. United
Swindon-Leyton Orient
Walsall-MK Dons
Yeovil-Bournemouth

Tomorrow
Coventry-Stevenage13:15
Crawley-Portsmouth15:30

League Two

Accrington-Bradford City
Barnet-Gillingham
Bristol Rovers-Aldershot
Morecambe-Fleetwood
Northampton-Wimbledon
Oxford-Exeter
Port Vale-Rotherham
Rochdale-Burton
Southend-Dagenham
Torquay-Plymouth
Wycombe-Cheltenham
York City-Chesterfield