EFL Championship Roundup - And Away We Go...

In this first instalment of the EFL Championship roundup, El Chumbazo's George Frith covers all the main talking points of the first week of English football's pride and joy, and looks ahead to the next week of fixtures.

Owls off to a flyer

Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 Plymouth Argyle

Everyone's hot tip for this season was to watch out for Danny Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday, and that seems to have been well-founded. Wednesday enjoyed an absolutely dominant performance against a Plymouth Argyle side who are certainly in for a tough season. Wednesday had a league-high of 31 shots against Argyle, 9 more than second-best Leeds, and created 4.68 xG from this, with 7 big chances. When the match momentum looks like this, you know it's been a strong performance.

A 4-0 demolition of a relegation rival from last season, who got the better of Wednesday to the tune of 3-0 in their first meeting last year, and were only narrowly beaten 1-0 by the Owls in the return leg is an excellent way to start the new campaign, and is sure to raise the spirit in Hillsborough going forward. On the flipside, a rough away day for Plymouth. Widely tipped to be in trouble this season under new manager Wayne Rooney, Argyle offered very little (5 shots, 1 on target), even with star man Morgan Whittaker playing a full 90 minutes here. With a month left in the window, we could very easily see Whittaker move elsewhere, his 19 goals last year crucial in Plymouth's survival. Were he to leave, Argyle would be a safe bet for relegation. Nervy times.

Match Stats At A Glance

Have you seen Luton's away end? It's bouncing...

Luton Town 1-4 Burnley

The 'cauldron' that is Kenilworth Road seems to have lost all that power that Sky Sports were sure would make it hard for teams to go and get a result there, as the first edition of Monday Night Football showed. On paper, this game seemed like it would be fairly even, and the stats reflect that notion. Yet somehow, the scoreline did not. Having watched this game, the only suggestion I can offer as to why was poor organisation in the Luton backline. They were caught out time and time again when one of the back three would step up, only to be taken out of the game almost immediately by a neat through ball. Such poor discipline from a newly-relegated side will have Rob Edwards absolutely fuming, especially since the match itself was relatively well contested from both sides. Losing the midfield battle here will be disappointing for Luton, and we could see this addressed in the final few weeks of the transfer window. From a Burnley perspective, what more could you want? Scott Parker's first game in charge away at a promotion contender is sure to have gone some way to convincing the Burnley faithful to get behind him. Not sure about the £1,260 bomber jacket, though.

Match Stats At A Glance

Leeds stumble out of the blocks

Leeds United 3-3 Portsmouth

Elland Road expected to see a new-look, promotion-bound Red Bull Leeds side following disappointment in last season's playoff final, and did see the Whites score three. Unfortunately for them, they also watched on as an incredibly spirited Portsmouth side equalled this goal tally, and in the end were unlucky to not record a monumental result here, only missing out on victory through a stoppage time equaliser by substitute Brenden Aaronson. Despite the final score, Leeds were absolutely on top for the majority here, and ultimately the result won't dampen their hopes of promotion too much. From a Portsmouth perspective, scoring three away at Elland Road will grant a huge boost to the morale around the squad, and indeed fanbase. They've shown themselves capable of scoring goals, and at the risk of sounding like Michael Owen, that's vital. Mainly because we seem to be witnessing a severe lack of goalscorers throughout the entire Football League. I would have to guess that at least 80% of English clubs go into this campaign lacking up front. The ramifications of Pep Guardiola's management career are starting to show. To score three, away, with 0.94 xG shows real promise.

Match Stats At A Glance

Oxford United enjoy memorable return to the second division

Oxford United 2-0 Norwich City

From one promoted side to the next. Relegation favourites Oxford United enjoyed an excellent first game back in the second tier of English football with a much more comfortable than expected victory and clean sheet over perennial playoff contenders Norwich. Des Buckingham's side enjoyed long spells of dominance in front of a jubilant home crowd as they scored once in each half and were perhaps unlucky that they were unable to get more here. For Norwich, a disappointing start but there's no use judging a team with their financial ability before the end of the transfer window. Blackburn Rovers travel to Carrow Road this weekend though, and a poor result there could see the wheels start to fall off before the bus has even started moving. Recording two shots on target against a newly promoted side who everyone reckons is destined for the drop is, undoubtedly, a pretty poor start.

Match Stats At A Glance

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Gameweek 2 Predictions

At the end of every Championship weekly review, I'll provide a list of the upcoming fixtures, and predict a winner, specified in bold (no bold = draw). I guarantee the one week I get them all right, I won't have put an acca on.

Friday

Coventry City - Oxford United

Saturday

West Bromwich Albion - Leeds United

Portsmouth - Luton Town

Derby County - Middlesborough

Burnley - Cardiff

Sheffield United - QPR

Norwich City - Blackburn

Watford - Stoke City

Plymouth Argyle - Hull City

Bristol City - Millwall

Swansea City - Preston North End

Sunday

Sunderland - Sheffield Wednesday