5 Truths: Sterling the superstar, managers earning their money, how to stop 0-0s

Before the season started, Eurosport's team of writers were polled about who they thought would win various awards this season – the league, Player of the Year gong and so on.

One of the team went with John Stones as his pick for the 'PFA Young Player' prize, and was initially lambasted for having done so before pointing out rather cleverly that, after making a big money move despite an atrocious 2015-16 campaign, his would be the kind of return-to-glory story that wins plenty of votes.

Well, Stones's Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling has that going for him ten-fold. His fall from grace was even greater, and higher-profile; the schadenfreude surrounding his poor form last season even more gleefully bitter; and, as a goalscoring player for both club and country, the heights he can hit are higher.

If he continues at even two-thirds of the quality he showed against West Ham, there won't be a player to touch him by the time the votes are counted next Spring. Thanks to Guardiola, he could be one of the players of the season.

There are three clubs locked together on nine points from three games at the top of the Premier League – all three of whom appointed new managers this summer. At some of the biggest clubs in the country, the impacts made by Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte are already apparent. In what Arsene Wenger called the “world championship of managers” the big names are producing in the early part of the season.

As City passed their way around West Ham using pleasing patterns on Sunday, the Guardiola effect was clear. A team which had the style and character drained from it in the final season under Manuel Pellegrini has been revitalised; City are playing to the required standard again, and there is much more to come.

Meanwhile at United, Mourinho has liberated the team he inherited from Louis van Gaal. The additions of players such as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have given United a much-needed infusion of arrogance and academy product Marcus Rashford scoring in Fergie Time against Hull City was perhaps a hint that some of United’s best traditions could be revived.

Finally, Conte has had the biggest rebuilding job on his hands, thanks to Mourinho of course, and although it has been a quieter summer at Chelsea in the market, the purchase of N’Golo Kante was a superb one, providing the foundation for an impressive start to the campaign.

The big managerial names are earning their pay at the moment.

Sam Allardyce named his first squad as England manager on Sunday night and the only completely fresh face was West Ham's Michail Antonio.

Perhaps it should be no surprise. Antonio is probably the best header of a ball in the Premier League at the moment (see below) and we know that Allardyce likes a set-piece or two. Plus, the West Ham man has performed to a consistently good standard under Slaven Bilic.

Theo Walcott is back in favour, along with Luke Shaw after he recovered from his serious leg injury, but Ross Barkley has been axed from the squad which went to Euro 2016. Notably, Wayne Rooney was listed as a midfielder, but in all honesty, it's pretty much business as usual.

The only other thing to note is that if Mark Noble can't get an England call-up now, he likely never will.

When Sergio Aguero swung out his arm in deliberate fashion and caught a bit of Winston Reid’s face, two opposite but equally explosive possibilities were thrown up.

Firstly, the Football Association does the correct thing and charges Aguero with violent conduct, before finding him guilty and banning him for three matches, starting with the Manchester derby after the international break.

Secondly, that Aguero is let off the hook, and Jose Mourinho gets very angry indeed. Mourinho is at his most agitated when discussing various disciplinary crimes against his own players, or questioning why rivals get special privileges. When you throw Guardiola into the mix, you get fireworks.

So either way, Aguero has set something big in motion...

Truths is not militant in its dislike of overly defensive football. Not for us such hare-brained schemes as widening goals to ensure higher-scoring matches, or having penalty shootouts at the end of every drawn match. Not a bit of it: football must be sport first and entertainment.

But West Brom's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough was neither sport nor entertainment. It was simply dreadful. Stan Collymore tweeted during the match that it had all the atmosphere and passion of a pre-season friendly. Frankly, that's something of an insult to the International Champions Cup.

So why should either side walk away from the Hawthorns with anything? 0-0 draws should be punished by making sure neither team is rewarded with a point. Harsh on the rare 'good' match which finishes 0-0, but 95% of the time it would be justified - and even the most appalling game would surely be rescued by the sight of two sides with nothing to lose going all-out at each other in the dying minutes.

And while we're at it, shouldn't teams earn a bonus point for scoring three or more goals per match? Purists might fear what could follow, but a similar bonus point system turned rugby into a far more attacking, open and watchable game.