After the conclusion of the second round of the Premier League, The Guardian published a special commentary, summarizing the ten main highlights of this round. Here is an excerpt translation.
The first highlight is “Ten Hag’s frustration with Manchester United.” After Pedro scored the winning goal, Ten Hag said, “We need to be more composed in both penalty areas.” This might be right, but why can’t it be achieved? If the players are not doing the basics well, how can it be corrected? This is the third season for the 54-year-old Ten Hag as the manager of Manchester United!
The second highlight is “Sharp Haaland sends a warning to all opponents.” In the recent 68 Premier League matches, Haaland has scored seven hat-tricks, the same number as Rooney did in 491 games for Manchester United. Haaland’s astonishing statistics are an ominous signal for Manchester City’s title rivals. Ipswich was shocked by the forward’s destructive power. Norway’s absence from Euro 2024 has already had a positive impact on Manchester City’s pursuit of a record fifth consecutive title.
The third highlight is “Madueke’s active Sunday.” Chelsea experienced joy in their victory over Wolves, Palmer returned, Jackson demonstrated the versatility of a modern center-forward, and Madueke scored a hat-trick under pressure. At the beginning of summer, Madueke was just one of Chelsea’s new stars, and he could leave the club before they see his best performances. Although Maresca did not lavish praise on Madueke, he knows that he now has an explosive winger at his disposal. Perhaps the wisdom of letting go of Sterling is starting to show. Of course, the challenge lies in finding a club willing to pay Sterling’s wages, and also, how to provide enough playing time for an ambitious player like Madueke.
The fourth highlight is “Rotation is key to Arsenal’s hopes.” Arsenal has the potential to become the first team in history to improve their Premier League points tally for five consecutive seasons, which certainly depends on whether Arteta can better manage rotations. Last season, seven players participated in at least 30 league matches, helping Arsenal achieve 89 points. Everyone knows Arteta’s best lineup, but this brings up two issues: how to keep the core players fresh and how to maintain the confidence of fringe players. At Manchester City, Guardiola’s team performance does not drop when rotating second-line players, and Arteta must learn from his former club.
The fifth highlight is “The Hammers’ heroes (Souček, Bowen) step up.” The sixth highlight is “Bissouma gets back on track at Tottenham.” The seventh highlight is “Smith Rowe serves Silva at Fulham.” The eighth highlight is “Barnes pushes for a Newcastle start.” The ninth highlight is “The sluggish Saints (Southampton) must sign a striker.”
The tenth highlight is “Diaz performs another opening act for the Reds,” noting that Liverpool’s Diaz celebrated his hundredth appearance for the Reds with a goal and an assist in a splendid manner. The Colombian international’s goal was the first Premier League goal of the season at Anfield. Since joining the Reds in 2022, Diaz has scored the first home league goal for Liverpool for the third consecutive season. He deservedly won the Man of the Match award and became a contributor to Coach Slot’s winning start.