Whale.io 🐳 | ⚽ English Premier League Season: 2026/2027

[JollyGood]

I don't think any right thinking Chelsea fans would expect a team that finished 10th last season to automatically compete for titles the following season just because we got a new manager. The main target for him, is finishing the team in the top4 anything less is unacceptable.

It seems I'm the only Chelsea fan who doesn't get hyped up easily; they see success, I see a struggling unbalanced team with too many dead words. Totteham would do wonders

I think a decent FA and Carabao Cup run and finishing in the top four would be classed as a successful first season for Alonso. He has had pre-season with his players and he is a brilliant manager therefore there can be no excuses if Chelsea fail to make an impact in the Premier League.

If you add Chelsea and Tottenham as contenders for the four Champions League spots alongside Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa then you have six teams chasing four positions. Manchester City also have a new manager (Maresca) and he has to find immediate success. It will not be easy for the new managers.

Having said all that, I have a feeling that even after all of the money spent by Tottenham it will be Chelsea that will finish higher than them at the end of the season  

@JollyGood if you want, you can use this tool: https://talk2tag.com/tableague/index.php?liga_code=PL

It can provide a more interesting perspective on the game list and beyond.
Any suggestions, let me know.  

MATCH DAY 1:
^{21.08 19:00} Arsenal vs Coventry City
^{22.08 11:30} Hull City vs Man United
^{22.08 14:00} Ipswich Town vs Sunderland
^{22.08 14:00} Nottingham vs Leeds United
^{22.08 14:00} Everton vs Crystal Palace
^{22.08 16:30} Brentford vs Tottenham
^{23.08 13:00} Man City vs Bournemouth
^{23.08 13:00} Brighton Hove vs Aston Villa
^{23.08 15:30} Newcastle vs Liverpool
^{24.08 19:00} Fulham vs Chelsea
_{Info: day.month. time (UTC)}

I appreciate you sending the link, I will definitely take a look. If there any tools that can help or enhance this thread then I will use them.

[tokeweed]

And just like Klopp, Iraola will evolve too.  Remember, Klopp's tenure at BVB too sucked at defense.  But he evolved in Liverpool. 

Yes, he did good considering he only spent 200m+ on defensive assets ( GK included) while Pep spent 500m+ at that time - I'm looking forward to which of the new managers would give Arteta run for title this season. Arsenal is currently the favorite at x5 odds to retain the title.

A friend of mine says that with Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes acquisition and with his possible pairing with Declan Rice, Arsenal has the best midfield pairing in the EPL...  This true?  I haven't really watched the EPL too closely in recent years.

But if he's right then Arsenal is prolly a solid bet now that the EPL is without Guardiola.  But we'll see.  Maybe it's Alonso, maybe it's Maresca...  Maybe even Carrick? 

[JollyGood]

Arsenal will face a massive problem, every team in the Premier League wants to beat the champions or wants to stop them from winning. Without a doubt, Arsenal have a very strong squad but if they intend on winning the Premier League again they will have to be mentally prepared for a difficult season.

Newcastle United accepted a £75 million offer from Arsenal for Guimaraes. Also, adding the right players to any squad is essential and Arteta wants the best players.

A friend of mine says that with Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes acquisition and with his possible pairing with Declan Rice, Arsenal has the best midfield pairing in the EPL...  This true?  I haven't really watched the EPL too closely in recent years.

But if he's right then Arsenal is prolly a solid bet now that the EPL is without Guardiola.  But we'll see.  Maybe it's Alonso, maybe it's Maresca...  Maybe even Carrick? 

[tokeweed]

^  So what...  Is my friend right?  Was it right for him to say that Arsenal has the strongest midfield with the up and coming Guimaraes - Rice partnership? 

I haven't really taken notes on football matches on players for the last couple of seasons so I wouldn't really know.  But I did a quick search and found this...

https://footballanalytics.ai/data/best/premier-league/cm/2025-26

So I guess he's right..

[igebotz]

Having said all that, I have a feeling that even after all of the money spent by Tottenham it will be Chelsea that will finish higher than them at the end of the season 

Have they ever finished above us in the last 10 years or so? Nah, the last time they did was in 2015/2016 when Leicester City won the league if I could remember correctly. We could see some improvement from last season, but they'll not finish above Chelsea this season.

^  So what...  Is my friend right?  Was it right for him to say that Arsenal has the strongest midfield with the up and coming Guimaraes - Rice partnership? 

So I guess he's right..

Yes, Bruno G is a beast; I've always liked him, and he has been the heart of Newcastle United's midfield since his arrival. Arsenal has a gem on their hands. He was likely one of the top 5 best midfielders in the league last season, alongside Bruno F, Rice, Enzo, and Cherki imo.

Arsenal have by far the finest midfield options( Eze, Bruno G, Rice, Merino, Odegaard and Zubi) bloody hell..

[JollyGood]

^  So what...  Is my friend right?  Was it right for him to say that Arsenal has the strongest midfield with the up and coming Guimaraes - Rice partnership? 

Without a doubt on paper, they Arsenal have a strong midfield and it will simply get stronger by adding Guimaraes. It is a different matter altogether if Rice and Guimaraes will be able to work together and be compatible in midfield. Sometimes you can have the best players on the pitch but if they do form a partnership the team will suffer. Both Rice and Guimaraes are experienced players, they should dominate most of the games they play together.

Have they ever finished above us in the last 10 years or so? Nah, the last time they did was in 2015/2016 when Leicester City won the league if I could remember correctly. We could see some improvement from last season, but they'll not finish above Chelsea this season.

I think De Zerbi has more chance of losing his job than Alonso if both teams have a disastrous start to the new season. Tottenham have backed De Zerbi by spending phenomenal amounts of money to rebuild the squad, there will be a massive amount of pressure on him. It will be a surprise if Tottenham finish above Chelsea but in the Premier League it is not impossible.

[igebotz]

I think De Zerbi has more chance of losing his job than Alonso if both teams have a disastrous start to the new season. Tottenham have backed De Zerbi by spending phenomenal amounts of money to rebuild the squad, there will be a massive amount of pressure on him. It will be a surprise if Tottenham finish above Chelsea but in the Premier League it is not impossible.

I'd say for a team that almost got relagated to the Championship in the last two seasons their objective would be for the new manager to push them up a little bit on the table, build a stable project and then aim for the Top 4 in the second or third season - it'd be too much of a demand to ask a manager to push a team from 17th to 4th or 3rd in his first full season.

I think the pressure will be on Alonso more; not only the one from Chelsea but also from the English and Spanish media for who he is and how he ended up at Chelsea. The media doesn't give a fck about Zerbi or who Totteham manager is haha 

[tokeweed]

^  So what...  Is my friend right?  Was it right for him to say that Arsenal has the strongest midfield with the up and coming Guimaraes - Rice partnership? 

So I guess he's right..

Yes, Bruno G is a beast; I've always liked him, and he has been the heart of Newcastle United's midfield since his arrival. Arsenal has a gem on their hands. He was likely one of the top 5 best midfielders in the league last season, alongside Bruno F, Rice, Enzo, and Cherki imo.

Arsenal have by far the finest midfield options( Eze, Bruno G, Rice, Merino, Odegaard and Zubi) bloody hell..

So based on how good their midefiled is, which club do you think has a chance against Arsenal?  Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool or Chelsea?

I think Liverpool based on how I think they'll play.  They'll prolly win their home match against the champions.

^  So what...  Is my friend right?  Was it right for him to say that Arsenal has the strongest midfield with the up and coming Guimaraes - Rice partnership? 

Without a doubt on paper, they Arsenal have a strong midfield and it will simply get stronger by adding Guimaraes. It is a different matter altogether if Rice and Guimaraes will be able to work together and be compatible in midfield. Sometimes you can have the best players on the pitch but if they do form a partnership the team will suffer. Both Rice and Guimaraes are experienced players, they should dominate most of the games they play together.

Yeah we'll see and only time will tell.  Can't wait for the season to start!  LFG!!

[igebotz]

So based on how good their midefiled is, which club do you think has a chance against Arsenal?  Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool or Chelsea?

I think Liverpool based on how I think they'll play.  They'll prolly win their home match against the champions.

I wanted to give  bias opinion on this one and mention Chelsea but even a blind could see the lies  we don't have a chance and it's been over 5 years or more since we won a game against Arsenal - I'd say Liverpool, City and Manutd do have a good chance to not allow them run away with the title too early.

Beating Arsenal will mean a lot to me this season - I want to have that feeling one more time.

[JollyGood]

I'd say for a team that almost got relagated to the Championship in the last two seasons their objective would be for the new manager to push them up a little bit on the table, build a stable project and then aim for the Top 4 in the second or third season - it'd be too much of a demand to ask a manager to push a team from 17th to 4th or 3rd in his first full season.

I think the pressure will be on Alonso more; not only the one from Chelsea but also from the English and Spanish media for who he is and how he ended up at Chelsea. The media doesn't give a fck about Zerbi or who Totteham manager is haha  

Tottenham are not a successful club but they are considered a big club. They have surprised all of the Premier League by spending a phenomenal amount of money. Nobody expected them to be the team that would spend the most.

I think De Zerbi could face a lot of pressure if Tottenham do not win enough Premier League games by the end of December and/or the beginning of January. I feel far more relaxed about Alonso. I doubt he will face immense pressure if Chelsea do not have a good start to the new season.

Yeah we'll see and only time will tell.  Can't wait for the season to start!  LFG!!

You seem to know an awful lot about the Premier League when you stated you do not follow it too much  

[igebotz]

Tottenham are not a successful club but they are considered a big club. They have surprised all of the Premier League by spending a phenomenal amount of money. Nobody expected them to be the team that would spend the most.

I think De Zerbi could face a lot of pressure if Tottenham do not win enough Premier League games by the end of December and/or the beginning of January. I feel far more relaxed about Alonso. I doubt he will face immense pressure if Chelsea do not have a good start to the new season.

Of course they're a big team and will also be playing just like any other big clubs to win the title and that's a normal standard as a "big club"  what I was saying is; if he fails to take them to the TOP 4 it won't be much pressure compared to Alonso equalling failing to make the Top 4 with Chelsea.

There's a lot expections from Alonso; some are even pushing him to win the title this season but nobody is mentioning Zerbi and titles in the same category. They're going to have a season and probably make into the Europa or Conference league. No doubts

[Sandra_hakeem]

So based on how good their midefiled is, which club do you think has a chance against Arsenal?  Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool or Chelsea?

I think Liverpool based on how I think they'll play.  They'll prolly win their home match against the champions.

I wanted to give  bias opinion on this one and mention Chelsea but even a blind could see the lies  we don't have a chance and it's been over 5 years or more since we won a game against Arsenal - I'd say Liverpool, City and Manutd do have a good chance to not allow them run away with the title too early.

Beating Arsenal will mean a lot to me this season - I want to have that feeling one more time.

I was waiting to see you comment Chelsea, then I'd jump in and remind you where you're supposed to be. Eh, but you're humble for a start so I'll give you and your new coach a benefit of doubt.  

Naysayers have already started talking down on him. They said he failed for the 7 months that he was asked to take charge of Madrid, so I'd like to ask; are we expecting anything better than that? I know it's a comparison between two different teams, but that says a lot about his potentials.

[igebotz]

Naysayers have already started talking down on him. They said he failed for the 7 months that he was asked to take charge of Madrid, so I'd like to ask; are we expecting anything better than that? I know it's a comparison between two different teams, but that says a lot about his potentials.

He didn't do anything spectacular at real Madrid and I was of those who predicted he would get sacked early while JollyGood was hyping him and saying he'll bring back the Real Madrid we all knew if I remember correctly. I stood alone and I was right at the end.

I'd want to give him the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that he probably didn't like it at Real Madrid and the environment was too toxic for work. I would be lying if I said I don't expect him to help us, but dominating? Na. Na.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Naysayers have already started talking down on him. They said he failed for the 7 months that he was asked to take charge of Madrid, so I'd like to ask; are we expecting anything better than that? I know it's a comparison between two different teams, but that says a lot about his potentials.

He didn't do anything spectacular at real Madrid and I was of those who predicted he would get sacked early while JollyGood was hyping him and saying he'll bring back the Real Madrid we all knew if I remember correctly. I stood alone and I was right at the end.

I'd want to give him the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that he probably didn't like it at Real Madrid and the environment was too toxic for work. I would be lying if I said I don't expect him to help us, but dominating? Na. Na.

"The environment was too toxic". Permit me to ask, how was that? We're talking about a club where he played for 6 seasons and won most of his trophies including the UCL. I know how abusive Madrid fans can be if they don't like a person, but I don't think that was his problem?

JollyGood may have been too confident due to his previous records as a player, but in most cases (not saying it doesn't happen), great players don't make good coaches. I can't fuckin' wait for the days to run out fast so I can feed my eyes. I really miss the EPL view on a 4k screen dayum!

[JollyGood]

There's a lot expections from Alonso; some are even pushing him to win the title this season but nobody is mentioning Zerbi and titles in the same category. They're going to have a season and probably make into the Europa or Conference league. No doubts

Imagine what would happen if Tottenham and Chelsea both qualified for the Champions League. That would leave just two other places remaining for Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa to fight for. At the end of the season, if neither team manages to secure at least the Europa League, then it will be deemed as a massive setback. I hope they perform well.

JollyGood may have been too confident due to his previous records as a player, but in most cases (not saying it doesn't happen), great players don't make good coaches.

I was a player? Kindly enlighten me