A new phenomenon in the Premier League: Corner Kick FC, Spurs’ rise, City fearing counterattacks, Man United’s new front three go scoreless in two rounds.

Nine matches have been completed in the second round of the Premier League, revealing four new patterns this season: Arsenal’s corner expertise, Spurs’ advancement, City’s fear of counterattacks, and Man United’s new front three failing to score.

Arsenal has established itself as the Premier League’s corner kick FC. In only two rounds this season, they have netted three goals from corners, achieved back-to-back wins, and climbed to the top of the table. Perhaps Arsenal’s tactics resemble Manchester City’s—slow, possession-based play struggling to break down dense defenses. However, Arsenal’s mastery of corner kicks is their secret weapon: when the game is tight, they rely on corners to score. In the first round, a corner goal secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester United; in the second round, they broke the deadlock with a corner goal and scored twice from corners in a 5-0 thrashing of newly promoted Leeds United.

Tottenham Hotspur have become a newly elevated team. After two rounds, they not only boast two straight wins but have also kept clean sheets in both games. Coach Flick, who managed Brentford for years, has quickly transformed Spurs into a genuine powerhouse with balanced offense and defense and sharp counterattacks. The 2-0 away win over Manchester City marked a breakthrough under Flick’s leadership, making this Spurs squad one to watch this season.

Manchester City has become the Premier League team most afraid of counterattacks, and Guardiola has no solution for this. The Club World Cup loss to Al Hilal is a classic example, and now Spurs have become City’s nemesis. Guardiola struggles with the slow possession style against compact defenses. His response is to keep buying players—when a mistake happens at Old Trafford, he buys Donnarumma. Yet, against defensive blocks, City’s attack remains sluggish and ineffective. Guardiola’s tenure at City appears to have hit a ceiling; perhaps it’s time for him to move on, as he can no longer help City improve and the team has developed a serious fear of counterattacks.

Manchester United’s new front three have faced the embarrassment of scoring zero goals in two rounds. This summer, United refreshed their attack by signing Premier League mid-to-lower table stars Cunha and Mboma, along with Leipzig striker Scheschko. But the results? In the opener against Arsenal, they had chances but failed to score; in the next match against Fulham, the new front three collectively lost their way. All three rated below 7: starting Cunha got 6.7, Mboma 6.5, and substitute Scheschko 6.6. Despite being hyped by fans as high-quality signings, the new front three couldn’t find the net even against a mid-lower Premier League side like Fulham. United have zero goals after two rounds, with only Jorginho causing an own goal. The trio’s silence, combined with Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty and struggling to connect with them, suggests the Portuguese star might consider the lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah United.