In the latest “Under the Radar in the Premier League” we focus on some developing storylines as we build up to Matchweek 11.
**MORE** — [Latest Premier League schedule](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/premier-league-2025-26-fixtures-released-dates-schedule-how-to-watch-live) | [Standings](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/premier-league-2025-26-table-teams-standings-for-the-new-season)
Red-hot Haaland ready to break another Premier League record
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If Erling Haaland scores at least twice against Liverpool on Sunday he will become the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 100 goals. He’d do it in just 108 games, 16 fewer than Alan Shearer managed. That said, Haaland has scored just once in the Premier League against Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk has had his number in recent outings. But it is different this season. Haaland knows he is a machine, hence his robot goal celebration after scoring another double against Bournemouth on Sunday. Haaland has scored 13 Premier League goals in the opening 10 games of the season and he probably could have had closer to 20. City are playing more direct more often and his understanding with Rayan Cherki is very promising, so much so that Haaland likened the French playmaker to Kevin de Bruyne in midweek. Haaland insists he is not focused on breaking records. And he probably isn’t. He’s a goalscoring machine who looks angry after City took a huge nosedive last season. He isn’t used to not winning trophies and there has been extra pressure placed on him as a leader of this team following plenty of big summer departures. Haaland is rising to the challenge and he is ready to finally do the business against Liverpool this weekend to signify that City are going to be in this title race all season long.
Can Haaland, Man City put pressure on Arsenal?
Rebecca Lowe, Gary Neville, and Lee Dixon react to Manchester City's impressive 3-1 victory against Bournemouth to jump into second place in the table, trailing only the Gunners.
Thomas Frank has built a solid platform at Spurs, which is his main job
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As their 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea last weekend proved, Spurs are struggling to create chances. Understatement alert. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke are all out injured, so that’s part of it, but they have looked clunky in attack and are generating just 9.7 shots per game on average, their lowest number since 1997-98. Frank is a pragmatic coach and his Brentford teams were built on solid foundations and making the most of set-piece and counter-attacking situations. So far Frank is doing exactly what Spurs hired him to do: make them more solid, take less risks and be more efficient. It doesn’t look pretty but it works over the course of a season. And when some of his key attacking players return, the fluidity and goals from open play will too. For now Frank is doing exactly what was asked of him when he replaced Ange Postecoglou this summer. Spurs are outperforming their xG both in attack and defense by a larger margin (6.9 and 6.6 respectively) than any other team in both categories. They have been ridiculously efficient so far and Frank has built that solid base. The fluidity and creativity will come. Everyone just needs to give him time and remember that some of his best attacking players aren’t yet available to him. It’s okay. Spurs are two points off second place, going well in the Champions League and will be favored to beat Manchester United this weekend. Frank is the best possible person to be in charge of Spurs right now.
Lowe Down: 'I was disappointed for Thomas Frank'
Rebecca Lowe answers Gary Neville's and Lee Dixon's most pressing questions from Matchweek 10, including her thoughts on the state of Spurs under Thomas Frank, Erling Haaland's dominance, Wolves' next manager, and more.
Why it’s okay for long throws to take over
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When you look at the Premier League table after 10 games it is beautifully chaotic. Just nine points separates second place from 17th. The long throw renaissance is a big part of this. According to Premier League stats ahead of matchweek 10, there were an average of 3.99 long throws per match. That average is well over double what we saw last season. Brentford, Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Spurs are fueling this trend as they are responsible for 175 of the 359 long throws into the box so far this season. Two of these teams are newly-promoted, while Frank moving from a set-piece orientated team in Brentford to Spurs and Brentford then hiring their own set-piece coach in Keith Andrews to replace him shows you why the numbers are so high. But this tactic is back not just because a few managers like it. It is back because it’s working. Teams are not only creating more chances and scoring more goals from these opportunities, it is also giving them time to take a breather, to stay higher up in the opponents half for longer and it levels the playing field. In recent seasons the gap between the top and bottom of the Premier League has been too big. Teams who’ve been promoted have tried to go toe-to-toe with the big boys and it just isn’t sustainable with the different levels of resources. But teams have found a new way to disrupt the big boys and close the gap. Should teams be quicker when taking long throws? Of course. And that is something that will surely be looked at. But that will only result in more time to take long throws. Because it is working a treat and we should celebrate the increased parity it’s bringing to the Premier League.
Is Frank bringing the 'long throw' back in style?
The Generation xG crew examine Tottenham Hotspur's tactical setup under Thomas Frank, including a new, yet old, wrinkle into their attack.
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