Arsenal's pragmatism. Arsenal is showing a very different look - without needing to dominate or create too many opportunities, they still know how to control the game and win all three points. At Villa Park, the "Gunners" waited patiently and immediately punished the moment of distraction of Aston Villa's defense with Bukayo Saka's only goal.
In this match, Aston Villa missed the target 7 times. This is the 16th time Arsenal have not allowed an opponent to shoot on target in the Premier League in the last five seasons, far ahead of the next-placed team, Liverpool, with eight matches. This is also Arsenal's 14th 1-0 victory in the Premier League in the last three seasons, at least six more than any other club in the same period.
David Raya kept a clean sheet for the 50th time after 109 appearances in the Premier League - a parameter that no goalkeeper has touched since he joined Arsenal in the 2023-2024 season.
Against Coventry and Aston Villa, Arsenal only had to face 11 shots, of which exactly one ball was on target, and the expected goals index (xG) was at 0.52. These are all the best defensive parameters of a club through the first two rounds of the Premier League this season.
Bruno shined, Mainoo also impressed. Bruno Fernandes continued to play the role of hero when he scored a hat-trick to help Man Utd beat Ipswich 5-2 at Old Trafford. The Portuguese midfielder was voted the best player in the match, but Kobbie Mainoo's performance was the most positive signal for Man Utd.
The English midfielder dribbled more than any other player on the field, handled the ball effectively and had three successful tackles. Carrick said that Mainoo's efforts were the foundation for the home team's victory.
Mainoo has experienced many ups and downs even though he was soon noticed at Man Utd. He had few opportunities under Ruben Amorim, and was not allowed to play a single minute in the 2026 World Cup. However, his performance against Ipswich showed that Mainoo can develop under Carrick's guidance, if given more time on the field.
The challenge for Mainoo is still huge when Man Utd has many quality options in the midfield. This summer, the "Red Devils" recruited three rookies, all midfielders - Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Carrick emphasized finding the right combinations in midfield, and the performance against Ipswich was an important step for Mainoo to prove he deserves a place in it.
Liverpool does not support coach Iraola? Liverpool started the season with two 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, and exposed many problems every time their opponents attacked.
Gary Neville believes that Liverpool is leaving new coach Andoni Iraola in a difficult position with an uncompetitive squad, because they do not strengthen the right-back and left-back. He believes that Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are more suitable as wing-backs in a three-center-back system, instead of taking on two full-back positions in a four-man defense.
"If they use Kerkez and Frimpong on the flanks without a holding midfielder, Liverpool will concede a lot of goals," Neville warned. He also assessed that Trent Alexander-Arnold, although criticized for his defensive ability, still defends better than Frimpong and is capable of contributing 15-20 assists per season.
Liverpool has reinforced two midfielders Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo and two wing strikers Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz. However, Anfield's owners have not yet found a real replacement for Fabinho in the No. 6 midfielder position, while Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas are backup options on the flanks but do not stand out in terms of defensive ability.
Cherki is taking over De Bruyne's role. If Erling Haaland is the one in charge of scoring goals, Rayan Cherki is emerging as Man City's new "conductor". In the context of the team needing a player to make a difference in the midfield, the French midfielder is the most prominent name.
Cherki has two goals and two assists in just the first two games of the season. At Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park, he directly decided the match with two classy moments - a tricky dribble through the opponent's defense before finishing, then a bold shot from distance with his non-dominant foot.
Many people thought that Phil Foden would be the player to succeed Kevin De Bruyne in the role of leading Man City's play. However, with his spontaneous and bold style, Cherki is making Foden more like a supporting character than the center of the team.
At this week's PFA awards ceremony, Bruno Fernandes even predicted that Cherki could break the assist record he just set three months ago. With an impressive start, Cherki seems to not only be aiming for the title of King of Assists that Fernandes holds.
Is there anything to worry about if Chelsea has little possession of the ball? Chelsea fans have reason to be satisfied when witnessing the home team's fast and sharp attacks in the 4-3 win over Brighton.
However, the match also witnessed Chelsea's record low ball control rate. The London team only held the ball 25.6% and completed 146 passes - the lowest since the 2003-2004 season. In the opening match against Fulham, "The Blues" only controlled the ball 38%, thereby owning the third lowest average rate in the Premier League this season.
But is that really something to worry about? Probably not, as long as Chelsea continues to win. New coach Xabi Alonso emphasized the need to put the numbers in the right context. Chelsea almost led Brighton the whole match, similar to the match against Fulham, so the opponent is the team that must proactively attack. After Chelsea led 3-0 in the 30th minute, Alonso admitted that his players were a bit too focused on preserving their advantage instead of continuing to play their way.
"What matters is not the data, but how you play and what can be improved," Alonso said. The Spanish coach believes that Chelsea does not need to set a goal of controlling 60% or 20% of the ball, but the important thing is to prepare well and play competitively.
The first two matches of the season showed that counter-attacking is a formidable weapon for Chelsea under Alonso. However, with Enzo Fernandez absent and Moises Caicedo seemingly having physical problems again, Chelsea still needs to find a way to control the match better. "It's a process," Alonso said.
The record transfer period has not been able to change Tottenham's mentality. After losing 0-3 to Brentford in the first round, Tottenham continued to lose 0-2 to away team Newcastle, thereby having their worst start to the season since the 1974-1975 season.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi admitted that changing mentality is the biggest challenge at Tottenham, after spending more than 400 million USD to bring in eight new recruits. "You cannot buy psychology in the transfer market," he said, emphasizing that changing many players in one transfer period can cause the team to need more time to find balance.
The Italian coach still believes that Tottenham will not repeat the previous two seasons, when they both ranked 17th in the Premier League. De Zerbi affirmed that the two defeats at the beginning of the season cannot change his belief in the quality of the squad. "I am very disappointed with the results and apologize to the fans. Maybe after two losses, some people think this is the story of the last two seasons. But I don't think so," De Zerbi said. He believes that Tottenham is not ready for many reasons, but believes that the team will improve when the players increase their connection, improve their playing style and organize their defense.
Elanga and Wissa revived under Jaissle. "With Elanga and Wissa, it's like Newcastle has two more rookies," Jamie Carragher commented on Sky Sports, after these two players scored to help Newcastle win 2-0 at Tottenham Stadium.
Anthony Elanga scored his second goal since the beginning of the season, after an impressive performance in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the opening round. Yoane Wissa scored the winning goal against Tottenham, showing that the duo who were once considered to have not met expectations are gradually finding their form.
New coach Matthias Jaissle is doing what Eddie Howe could not do with Elanga and Wissa, players Newcastle spent a total of nearly 150 million USD to recruit last summer. The German coach also gave midfielder Nico Gonzalez a chance to debut, and it was this rookie's pass that opened Elanga's goal.
Before the season, Newcastle was predicted to face many difficulties under the new coach, especially after an unsatisfactory transfer period. But after the victory at Tottenham Stadium, the away team's fans left the field singing towards Europe.
Those lyrics may be joking, but Newcastle has reason to be optimistic. Jaissle is helping the team play more freely and cohesively, thereby rekindling hopes of competing for a spot in the European Cups.
Hull is the bright spot of the rookie group. Coventry - last season's Championship champion - received many expectations when returning to the Premier League. But Hull is the team that is flying high the flag of the rookie group, winning 2-0 against Man Utd and 1-0 against Coventry.
The win over Coventry was particularly impressive. Hull proactively cedes control of the ball, accepts pressure and patiently waits for opportunities. When the opportunity appeared, Liam Millar took advantage of it successfully. Striker Oli McBurnie also emphasized that these are matches with special meaning, which can become important when the season enters the decisive phase.
Coach Sergej Jakirovic did not want to get caught up in the cheers, even though Hull fans started chanting chants about winning the championship. Perhaps this coach is alert enough to understand that the season is still very long.
