The first round of league games is always my barometer for assessing how I think teams will do over the entire season.
By then, every opponent has been met and every player has had the chance to settle into a new club, playing style and new location.
That said, even after just four league matches, there are strong signs that Dundee will continue their excellent progress from last season – and that United might be the surprise Premiership package.
There’s plenty to be positive about in the way both clubs have kicked off their campaigns.
So far, it looks like recruitment on both sides of the street has been solid.
No doubt some signings will wax and wane in form over the season, but the business done by Tony Docherty and Jim Goodwin seems spot on so far.
The trick now is maintaining their bright starts and ensuring consistency of performances and outcomes.
The stand-out star at United, for me, has been Will Ferry, whose composed use of the ball – which he very seldom squanders – and his calmness in possession gives them much better effectiveness on the left side than previously.
I’ve also been very impressed with Jort van der Sande; his physical strength and hold up and link play puts real pressure on opposing defenders and offers United a perfect focus for an out-ball.
Dundee goalie can help strikers
None of the new signings look out of place and the Tangerines‘ current unbeaten status in third spot – and with the third-best defensive record behind champions Celtic and a rejuvenated Aberdeen – is well-merited and augurs well for the season ahead.
At Dundee, Simon Murray has been the marquee summer signing, and the six-figure fee to Ross County for his services looks better business with every outing.
Over the years he’s added real craft and game intelligence to his pace and stamina and that all adds up to a bundle of problems for opponents.
The return of keeper Jon McCracken has boosted the Dark Blues at both ends of the park.
Even with the way-going of Luke McCowan, Dundee still have a midfield with bite, that can craft passes for their mobile front line, but the goalie’s ability to launch long, direct ammunition from the back also offers a deadly form of attack.
Against St Mirren, the efficacy of his phenomenal kicking power was clear, at Dundee’s first goal, from a mighty shelled ball from his six-yard line.
That thunderous delivery covered three quarters of the pitch, with the bounce unimpeded by a defender, and allowed Curtis Main to fire home with a superbly improvised scissor kick.
Few keepers can distribute the ball with such distance and accuracy, and that gives Dundee a powerful tool to vary their attacking threat, which, as the second-top scorers in the league, is already substantial.
Work still needs done defensively to cut out some of the soft goals conceded, but the upside to that is that when a team is as free-scoring as Dundee are, the harm caused by defensive frailties can be negated.
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