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With so many unanswered questions and almost half of the Premier League starting under new managers, it is difficult to know exactly where to focus on the opening weekend.

It is a huge weekend beyond the Premier League and beyond England too, with must-watch fixtures in the Championship and La Liga as well.

Just scrap your plans, ignore your responsibilities and feast on the lot.

Game to watch – Newcastle vs Liverpool One of three opening matches featuring new managers in both technical areas, this looked a brutal draw for Newcastle, in such a fragile position, when the fixtures were announced against Liverpool.

Even before the Magpies were stripped of their best players and lost their most popular manager since Sir Bobby Robson, they had failed to beat the Reds at St James’ Park in their previous nine attempts. In the Premier League, whether home or away, Liverpool are unbeaten in 19 against Newcastle.

So Matthias Jaissle could hardly have asked for a more demanding examination to begin life as Newcastle manager before everyone rushes to pass judgement on him.

But the Reds do not appear any more upbeat about the new season under Andoni Iraola than their Geordie hosts.

At least Jaissle is not burdened by the same level of expectation as Iraola. Both clubs can argue they are in transition, but the circumstances mean the Newcastle boss has more room to stumble early than his Liverpool counterpart.

Not that too many would point the finger at Iraola if Liverpool fail to make a flying start. The Reds’ issues are not of his creation, but they are now his to manage.

Liverpool have been slow to fill the gaps in their squad and even if they do manage that before the deadline, Newcastle have a clear opportunity here to take advantage.

Team to watch – Tottenham Hotspur Two thirds of the supposedly brand-new, surely-not-rubbish-anymore Spurs begin their campaign on Saturday evening with a rebuilt defence, a reshaped midfield and the same familiar attack.

Either side of their London derby at Brentford, where they are unbeaten in the last five visits, Tottenham are likely to spend the rest of the weekend trying to complete a double deal with Manchester City while also hoping Liverpool finish their own transfer work so Spurs can take Cody Gakpo off their hands.

That means much of the inevitable knee-jerk reaction will centre on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Brentford’s record signing, Mamadou Sangare, will certainly be measuring himself against the £185million duo, eager to show why so many believe the Bees have got a bargain.

But even if Tonali and Fernandes dictate the game, Spurs still need to find a way to score until their new forwards arrive.

Player to watch – Enzo Fernandez So many debutants will draw excited attention this weekend, but the players still trying to force through transfers are just as intriguing.

At the top of that list is Chelsea vice-captain Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez is attracting interest from Manchester City, with the Argentina midfielder keen to follow Enzo Maresca to the Etihad – and he has not exactly gone out of his way to disguise that wish.

That led to a mixed response from Chelsea supporters when Fernandez appeared in their final pre-season friendly last weekend. Some of those unhappy fans may well have been the Blues supporters he stared down at the Amex last season, when it seemed obvious he would leave this summer if the chance came.

With City and Chelsea still some distance apart in their valuations, the former ignoring the latter’s deadline last week, Fernandez will be one of the most compelling figures to watch.

How far is he willing to push for the transfer? And what impact will that have on his attitude and display at Fulham on Monday night? Fernandez seems the type to overdo things, either by making an exaggerated show of commitment to Chelsea or by dropping not-so-subtle hints that he would rather join another club.

Manager to watch – Enzo Maresca The new Manchester City manager has endured a difficult week.

It started with a pummelling at the hands of Arsenal in the Community Shield and carried on with the release of Pep Guardiola’s strikingly honest documentary, which reminded City supporters of the manager – and the affection – they lost this summer.

The new man already faced a major challenge in convincing those who feared City had replaced Pep with a lesser imitation. Those doubters will have felt encouraged by the dramatic contrast last week in Cardiff between the champions and the runners-up.

Arsenal did not have to play particularly well to brush aside a City side that looked made up of far more strangers than the one new signing on display – their new £115million midfielder.

In every department, City looked a long way short of being ready for their first season after Pep. The question is how much Maresca can fix in a single week.

European game to watch – Espanyol vs Real Madrid Four of Europe’s big five leagues begin this weekend, and Inter vs Monza on Saturday evening is also worth following around Spurs’ trip to Brentford, with a couple of England defenders set for their Serie A debuts.

But, as ever, the main attraction on Saturday night will be Jose Mourinho as he starts his second spell as Real Madrid manager away to Espanyol.

So far, Mourinho’s return to the Bernabeu has been strangely subdued. In fact, he appears to have avoided the spotlight which, based on everything we know about Jose, surely cannot be a permanent arrangement.

With Mourinho steering clear of media duties after Real’s pre-season friendlies and the club also breaking with tradition by not holding any sort of unveiling, very little is known about how he plans to begin the rebuild at the Bernabeu.

Real have taken a similarly understated approach with their new signings, including £115million Yan Diomande, perhaps to underline a singular focus on performances rather than the usual noise that Mourinho and Florentino Perez have rarely resisted in the past.

That makes the opener at Espanyol the first real chance to judge the size of Mourinho’s task and what he has managed to put in place so far.

EFL game to watch – West Ham vs Charlton Lincoln’s first home match against Portsmouth is one of three Championship games being shown on Saturday lunchtime, but we are more interested in seeing West Ham back at the London Stadium for a London derby.

The Hammers are favourites to win promotion back to the Premier League, but much may depend on how they handle those expectations.

The pressure coming from outside the club will be nothing compared to what they will feel from their own supporters. If the team can get the London Stadium behind them, this season could become a successful and enjoyable spell in the second tier.

But if they cannot, things could quickly turn ugly. West Ham are already slightly on the back foot after throwing away a two-goal lead at Burnley last week.

The Hammers must also cope with the burden of being regarded as the Championship’s biggest target. Charlton fans, travelling six miles across London, will fill the first of several sold-out away sections at the London Stadium, and visiting players will enjoy that opportunity just as much as the supporters will.

West Ham cannot afford to let their own ground become more intimidating for themselves than for the opposition once again. A strong start to the home season is vital.