Whale.io 🐳 | ⚽ English Premier League Season: 2025/2026

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

If I had to choose between Chelsea and Newcastle United, I am confident Chelsea will finish above them but when it comes to Nottingham Forest I am unsure at the moment. Under normal circumstances I suppose it would be safe to say Chelsea will win more of their remaining games than Nottingham Forest but who knows what will happen this season.

I haven't checked the schedules for the remaining games for both teams but I think everything has to depend on which teams Chelsea or Nottingham will be facing next. Atleast we should look at their next 5 games as that'll determine the momentum of the club because the momentum are builts as games are being won. Chelsea haven't done well against top clubs so I'm not convinced yet about our performance.

We are all waiting for Nottingham Forest to run out of steam and exhaust their squad, they are still are 4 points ahead of Chelsea. There is a chance Manchester City will go back on a losing streak and drop out of the top four race altogether.

Nothingham might just suprise us. Isn't it the same way Aston villa was moving last season and it was as if they'll run out of steam but they held strong and ended the season in the top 4 and are currently playing in the champions league.

[igebotz]

If strikers do not score you would expect a world class midfield to produce the goals. Until they find a solution to their striker problem other players have been stepping up even from defence to score and that is a good sign.

That's precisely what Palmer has been doing, and every manager now understands that keeping Palmer quiet is the only way to keep the goal away, so he's been man-marked, and it's working because Jackson and the others aren't real threats. When a club begins to rely on a specific player(s) for goals, the team suffers when they underperform or are man-marked.

As for David Moyes, I really think the club should have stuck with him instead of pleasing the fans and appeasing the dressing room just go try to make everything run smoothly.  It was the wrong decision.  They were on the verge of going through hard times at the time and the best manager to go through it all is Moyes imho.

He inherited one of the best squads and a winning team at the time, so all he had to do was keep the dressing room and maybe add some new things while also implementing some SAF philosophy.

I agreed he was sacked far too soon, but there was no reason for him to fail with the team he had. It was impossible to explain how he managed a low-budget Everton yet failed to do so with the league's top squad.

[tokeweed]

^  Actually no...  Man United at that time wasn't one of the best squads at the time.  Well, it could be seen both ways.  It was good of Alex Ferguson was at the helm, but would any other manager really bring a lot of success with that squad?  Even Guardiola?  I doubt it tbh.

The 'SAF' philosophy...  The 'Manchester United way'...  That's where they're failures throughout the years came from.  They couldn't get out of that mold.  They tried so hard but it brought them nothing.

[tokeweed]

Some good match ups today...  Nottingham Forest vs Brighton, Bournemouth vs Liverpool and Newcastle vs Fulham.  I like Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in both if these spots but Fulham tho...  It looks like good value being lined at 4.80.    It's tempting tbh.

I know some of you guys would disagree but dunno...  I feel like Marco Silva could outfox second tier managers anytime of the week in the EPL.

[NotATether]

If strikers do not score you would expect a world class midfield to produce the goals. Until they find a solution to their striker problem other players have been stepping up even from defence to score and that is a good sign.

That's precisely what Palmer has been doing, and every manager now understands that keeping Palmer quiet is the only way to keep the goal away, so he's been man-marked, and it's working because Jackson and the others aren't real threats. When a club begins to rely on a specific player(s) for goals, the team suffers when they underperform or are man-marked.

You guys seriously need to be going in for a striker and some wingers in the summer. ^{(funny how I write this, since Nkunku and Joao Felix absolutely bombed at your club)}

This over-reliance on Palmer is going to suffocate you when trophies are on the line.

[igebotz]

^  Actually no...  Man United at that time wasn't one of the best squads at the time.  Well, it could be seen both ways.  It was good of Alex Ferguson was at the helm, but would any other manager really bring a lot of success with that squad?  Even Guardiola?  I doubt it tbh.

The 'SAF' philosophy...  The 'Manchester United way'...  That's where they're failures throughout the years came from.  They couldn't get out of that mold.  They tried so hard but it brought them nothing.

No one asked him to win trophies in his first season but a lot was expected of him - not the best team but the same squad won a trophy a season before.

This over-reliance on Palmer is going to suffocate you when trophies are on the line.

We're already suffocated and trophies are not even on the line yet.

[JollyGood]

Welcome back to the thread. You should post here more often  

All things aside, you have hand a lot of credit to Maresca because he was a new manager out of his depth at Chelsea and he had to take tough decisions to trim his squad. Apart from the recent drop in form where Chelsea dropped points, they were chasing Liverpool until that point. As for the strikers, something needs to change and he needs to solve it because is Palmer underperforms or is out of the team they will probably suffer a defeat. Relying on Palmer to rescue Chelsea in every game is impossible.

Is Jackson really up to the job, there are better strikers they can buy to replace him with. Rumours about Nkunku leaving do not help the situation but Jackson does not score enough and Felix is not scoring at all therefore Maresca needs to change something.

You guys seriously need to be going in for a striker and some wingers in the summer. ^{(funny how I write this, since Nkunku and Joao Felix absolutely bombed at your club)}

This over-reliance on Palmer is going to suffocate you when trophies are on the line.

This the current Premier League table:




These are the fixtures for this weekend:

Saturday 1st February:
12:30   Nottingham Forest vs Brighton and Hove Albion   
15:00   Bournemouth vs Liverpool   
15:00   Everton vs Leicester City   
15:00   Ipswich Town vs Southampton   
15:00   Newcastle United vs Fulham   
17:30   Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa   

Sunday 2nd February
14:00   Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur   
14:00   Manchester United vs Crystal Palace   
16:30   Arsenal vs Manchester City   

Monday 3rd February
20:00   Chelsea vs West Ham United

[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]

RESULTS:

Nottingham Forest 7-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Bournemouth 0-2 Liverpool   
Everton 4-0 Leicester City
Ipswich Town 1-2 Southampton
Newcastle United 1-2 Fulham
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Aston Villa   

There were some fantastic unexpected results yesterday. Fulham winning away at Newcastle United was a surprise as was Southampton winning away at Ipswich Town. I expected Aston villa to win the derby away at Wolves but that was a big win for Wolves.

Congratulations once again to Nottingham Forest on their chase for the title and on their massive 7-0 win against a very good Brighton team. They continue to impress.

[igebotz]

Welcome back to the thread. You should post here more often 

Come to the other threads - You will see more of Tether and also I want to see your posts on those threads too.

Is Jackson really up to the job, there are better strikers they can buy to replace him with. Rumours about Nkunku leaving do not help the situation but Jackson does not score enough and Felix is not scoring at all therefore Maresca needs to change something.

No, Jackson is not up to the task and the manager knows it too but he's too proud to admit it and to do the right thing which is to try Felix as the false 9 or we get another urgent striker better than Jackson.

Citeh and Manutd  are spreading legs for everyone except for Chelsea- says a lot about Enzo Mascara against big teams.

[JollyGood]

RESULTS:

Brentford 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United 0-2 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 5-1 Manchester City

Tottenham did well do beat Brentford away but congratulations to Crystal Palace for a big win over Manchester United. As for Arsenal, they destroyed Manchester City and Guardiola knows he will face a battle to finish in the top four.

If Liverpool and Arsenal are guaranteed a place in the top four, it leaves Manchester City battling Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and of course Chelsea for the other two places.

[tokeweed]

^  Actually no...  Man United at that time wasn't one of the best squads at the time.  Well, it could be seen both ways.  It was good of Alex Ferguson was at the helm, but would any other manager really bring a lot of success with that squad?  Even Guardiola?  I doubt it tbh.

The 'SAF' philosophy...  The 'Manchester United way'...  That's where they're failures throughout the years came from.  They couldn't get out of that mold.  They tried so hard but it brought them nothing.

No one asked him to win trophies in his first season but a lot was expected of him - not the best team but the same squad won a trophy a season before.

This over-reliance on Palmer is going to suffocate you when trophies are on the line.

We're already suffocated and trophies are not even on the line yet.

But you gotta consider the difference in what Ferguson could bring on contrast to Moyes.  And mind you, he was prolly earmarked by Ferguson to bring stability first and foremost, for the transition to the next manager after him.

And yeah, no one 'asked' him to win trophies but at that time just right after Ferguson retired it sure didn't feel that way when I was following the EPL a lot more closely.  And I could see, during that time, I prolly was following it closer than most of the guys here at BCT judging from the posts made in here.

[JollyGood]

There is one game taking place this evening 3rd February:

Chelsea vs West Ham United

This is a must win game for Chelsea if thy want to keep up a solid chase in their hopes of either catching Liverpool or trying to finish second. If they win they will be 13 points behind leaders Liverpool therefore highly unlikely they will be contenders for the Premier League but a win would put Chelsea just 7 points behind second place Arsenal. With a last 6 games record of W1 D2 L3 they need a win.

As for West Ham United, they arrive with new manager Potter returning to Chelsea after getting sacked by them. I hope the Chelsea fans give him a warm reception. With a W2 D1 L3 last 6 record, they might get away with a draw unless Chelsea are focused throughout the game.

[igebotz]

But you gotta consider the difference in what Ferguson could bring on contrast to Moyes.  And mind you, he was prolly earmarked by Ferguson to bring stability first and foremost, for the transition to the next manager after him.

And yeah, no one 'asked' him to win trophies but at that time just right after Ferguson retired it sure didn't feel that way when I was following the EPL a lot more closely.  And I could see, during that time, I prolly was following it closer than most of the guys here at BCT judging from the posts made in here.

That's exactly my question - did he bring stability to the club after SAF left? I understand SAF left with so many over 30 world class players at that time. Why does it feel like we're both on the Same page and at the same time it feels like we're not?

I've been following the league for more time than I can remember. SAF was good but we shouldn't forget how he got the entire FA in his pocket.

[tokeweed]

^  No, Moyes didn't but only because he couldn't bring the results Ferguson gave.  They were supposed to be ready for life without Ferguson and should have stuck with their manager.  But what did they do?  Spend a lot of money on players, rushed and changed managers a few times to chase glory...  But did that make a difference?  Nope.

Now they have to accept their fate and stick with their current manager for stability.  Any player who causes instability in the dressing room should be dealt with.  The Man U brass should also empower their manager.

[JollyGood]

RESULT:

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United

West Ham were on the verge of a win until Chelsea stepped up and started controlling the game. The deflected goal by Palmer was worthy of winning any game, seriously where would Chelsea be without him. Every time he gets the ball he either slows down the play time controlling the play with short passes to or he wants to run at the opponent. He deserved the goal.

Potter was applauding the Chelsea and West Ham fans at the end of the game, it was good for to him acknowledge them and many Chelsea fans clapped for him too.

[igebotz]

^  No, Moyes didn't but only because he couldn't bring the results Ferguson gave.  They were supposed to be ready for life without Ferguson and should have stuck with their manager.  But what did they do?  Spend a lot of money on players, rushed and changed managers a few times to chase glory...  But did that make a difference?  Nope.

Now they have to accept their fate and stick with their current manager for stability.  Any player who causes instability in the dressing room should be dealt with.  The Man U brass should also empower their manager.

That is true; different managers, different projects, and different calibres of players causes distability . The only manager who came close to delivering consistency at some point was Ole; he got some good players, built up a really solid project, hit a hard patch, and everyone gave up on him. Chelsea is going through exactly the same thing; the only difference is that we have some good players who have produced results individually.

They now have another shot with Amorim, a tactical coach with excellent talent ID.

[JollyGood]

These are the next set of games taking place in the Premier League:

Wednesday 12th February
Everton vs Liverpool

Friday 14th February
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea

Saturday 15th February
Leicester City vs Arsenal
Aston Villa vs Ipswich Town
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest
Manchester City vs Newcastle United
Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth
West Ham United vs Brentford
Crystal Palace vs Everton

Sunday 16th February
Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

David Moyes has returned to Everton and they are playing exceptionally well. It is the last time Liverpool will travel to Goodison Park in the Premier League (because Everton should move in to their new stadium next season) therefore this should be a classic. Liverpool might be favourites to win the Premier League but I am in no doubt Everton will win the Merseyside derby 

[tokeweed]

^  Yeah...  Solksjaer had a good start...  And he had Ferguson right hand man Mike Phelan with him too.  It was gonna be good.  But I just don't know what it is with the Man United brass that when the tough gets going, they fold and get pressured by the fans and the dressing room to give their manager the sack.

They should've just stuck with him through thick or thin and especially when the odds are against them.  But oh well...  I hope they stick with Amorim for the whole duration of his contract.  Which isn't really that long.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

These are the next set of games taking place in the Premier League:
Friday 14th February
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea

We getting a double win against Brighton in few days both in the FA cup and the premier league. I'm not scared when we play them because we own them. Brighton aren't in their best form that we shouldn't be able to win them and beside this is going to be an away game which we kind of play better and score lots of goals in. As for the rest of the fixtures;

Win: Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston villa, Nottingham, Newcastle, Tottenham.
Draws: WestHam/Brentford, Crystal palace/Everton and Southampton/Bournemouth

[JollyGood]

^  Yeah...  Solksjaer had a good start...  And he had Ferguson right hand man Mike Phelan with him too.  It was gonna be good.  But I just don't know what it is with the Man United brass that when the tough gets going, they fold and get pressured by the fans and the dressing room to give their manager the sack.

They should've just stuck with him through thick or thin and especially when the odds are against them.  But oh well...  I hope they stick with Amorim for the whole duration of his contract.  Which isn't really that long.

Things are not looking good for Amorim at the moment but he does need a run of games starting from the new season (2025/26) at least until the new years eve/day games to have an understanding of what his chances of remaining as manager will be.

Solksjaer did brilliantly when he was interim coach but things soured as soon as he signed his three year contract. If Solksjaer lost the dressing room it would have been impossible for him to stay but Amorim seems as though he is taking charge by pushing Rashford out and making tough decisions (just as Maresca at Chelsea had to do).

Win: Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston villa, Nottingham, Newcastle, Tottenham.
Draws: WestHam/Brentford, Crystal palace/Everton and Southampton/Bournemouth

I will post mine soon  

[igebotz]

They should've just stuck with him through thick or thin and especially when the odds are against them.  But oh well...  I hope they stick with Amorim for the whole duration of his contract.  Which isn't really that long.

Things are not looking good for Amorim at the moment but he does need a run of games starting from the new season (2025/26) at least until the new years eve/day games to have an understanding of what his chances of remaining as manager will be.

This is the exact fan pressure we're talking about: he was always going to have a poor season with the dismantled squad he inherited; he knew it wouldn't be easy, but he accepted it nevertheless. The best he can do this season is make it to the Europa League semi-finals and possibly finish in the top 10.

Everyone needs to lower their expectations so they won't get disappointed and start calling for his head.