⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[BlackBoss_]

Gyokeres' performance has declined drastically. Since the start of the season, Gyokeres' performances have been quite good, but for some reason, he hasn't scored in a long time. Gyokeres must evaluate himself and improve his performance if he doesn't want to be benched, especially with Gabriel Jesus returning to his best form after recovering from injury. Arsenal brought Gyokeres in with high expectations to provide a solution in attack, but his performance has been truly poor.

His performances in earliest matches for Arsenal look promising but his performance quality actually declined recently and perhaps there are reasons for it. It can be his personal problems or it is from Arsenal's tactic and player choices for the squad, but whatever reasons Arteta must figure it out and unlock Gyokeres' best performances as it is important for the club.

Arsenal did not have a good striker and it was reason they bought Gyokeres and if they can unlock Gyokeres, they will have a goal producing machine that can help them becoming stronger and having better ability to win Premier League title.

Is it really his performance or Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are not playing to his strength. They should go watch how the players at Sporting Lisbon adapted to him to enable him score goals. It is eleven games since he returned from injury and he has not just been poor but also stop scoring goals. I meant, he has just scored once in the last eleven games for Arsenal. Now imagine if he was playing for clubs like Chelsea and Man United who constantly gets the media attention, critiques and bashing. He should do better

It seems after his return from an injury, he had big problems with either his boby, confidence and performance and other people in the club must tighten their hands to support and help Gyokeres. It can be the player's individual problems or a whole team problems but they win and lose together from matches to titles. It's very important for Arsenal to help Gyokeres exit from his personal crisis as if their main striker plays better, scores more goals, Arsenal will become more competitive in Premier League and with advantage they have now, that means they will have very better opportunity to win the title.

[Danica22]

Certainly agreed! Some people see Liverpool as easier to beat because of not being able to meet the expectations this season. However things can change a lot in such big matches. Just as it happened in this one...

Arsenal really struggled a lot. Who would have thought they would play unwillingly? If Bradley's shot didn't hit woodwork maybe even Liverpool were going to win the match! 

I am not at all satisfied with Arsenal's performance in this match. Arsenal should have performed better. They are at the top of the table. And it was Arsenal's home match. Arsenal should have performed better considering it is a home match. On the other hand, I would  not say that liverpool played badly. Players like Salah, Ekitike and Isak were missing in the attack. Naturally, liverpool would attack less in this match, it was expected. But Arsenal should have performed better since they  played at full strength and  also got home advantage.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Just a little bit of advice, if anybody bets on any English games today (it’s only Cup and lower leagues) then be aware that there has been bad snow across a lot of the country. There will probably be lots of games postponed due to the weather so just bear that in mind. Often games are cancelled close to kick off because they have late pitch inspections.

[Egii Nna]

Certainly agreed! Some people see Liverpool as easier to beat because of not being able to meet the expectations this season. However things can change a lot in such big matches. Just as it happened in this one...

Arsenal really struggled a lot. Who would have thought they would play unwillingly? If Bradley's shot didn't hit woodwork maybe even Liverpool were going to win the match! 

I am not at all satisfied with Arsenal's performance in this match. Arsenal should have performed better. They are at the top of the table. And it was Arsenal's home match. Arsenal should have performed better considering it is a home match. On the other hand, I would  not say that liverpool played badly. Players like Salah, Ekitike and Isak were missing in the attack. Naturally, liverpool would attack less in this match, it was expected. But Arsenal should have performed better since they  played at full strength and  also got home advantage.

Yeah, everyone expected Arsenal to win that game, but it turned out to be something else. Both teams had very strong defences, which were hard to break. Although situations like this happen, I never thought the game would end in a goalless draw. In the first half, Arsenal played really well and created some attacks, so I was expecting a goal in the second half. However, in the end, it finished as a draw. I hope Arsenal do more next time to prove they can really defend that position on the table.

[pawel7777]

The Manchester Derby is coming up next Saturday (the opening game of matchday 22). I think this will be the most exciting game of that round.

Man City are obviously a favourite here, and the odds (from 2up) are:
Man United: x3.70
Draw: x3.95
Man City: x1.81

So the bookies don't necessarily expect a walk in the park for Man City.
United will be led by Darren Fletcher, an interim manager who took over after the sacking of Ruben Amorim. Fletcher's first game leading the senior squad was not very successful, as United split points with a weak Burnley (2-2), which caused them to drop down to 7th place.

Man City's recent form is also far from ideal. They drew 3 games in a row. I probably wouldn't be betting on them to win. I think going for a safe double chance bet might be a better idea, as a draw is quite likely.

[WatChe]

Yeah, everyone expected Arsenal to win that game, but it turned out to be something else. Both teams had very strong defences, which were hard to break. Although situations like this happen, I never thought the game would end in a goalless draw. In the first half, Arsenal played really well and created some attacks, so I was expecting a goal in the second half. However, in the end, it finished as a draw. I hope Arsenal do more next time to prove they can really defend that position on the table.

Liverpool is defending champion and they are not having good time in ongoing season but they are still good enough to beat any team. Liverpool draw against Arsenal is an indication that are still a strong team. Arsenal won't mind this draw because both of it's competitor i.e. Man City and Aston Villa also draw there games of Week 21. That means Arsenal is still six points ahead of City and Villa. Arsenal next match is against Nottingham Forest, which should be an easy win for Arsenal.     

[Alpha Marine]

When does he think about being any use for the team you think? This is just ridiculous statistic. 0 shots in whole 7 matches??? Man your job is to score goals. You had one job but you couldn't even shoot once...

Arsenal's playing style limits the way he plays. Gyokeres is a box attacker, or at least, he should be close to the box. When you watch Arsenal, they're mostly in their own half; that is why they play better with a false 9. Merino is a midfielder. He knows how to manipulate the ball better.
If Arsenal were very attacking and always in the opponents' half, then Gyokeres would be in better positions to take shots, but when he is always in his own half defending and momentarily switching to the opponents' half, he is limited.
I don't believe he is a bad player, because I have watched him a couple of times. He may not have the qualities of the best strikers I history, his first touch and heading are not elite, but he is a good finisher and good at positioning.
Very few top strikers currently like Harry Kane and Mbappe can play a game where they are mostly in the opponents half or far away from the 18 yard box and still be effective.

[1kodumtek7]

I thought he could adapt swiftly as he looked so good at the outset, but for some reason, he's playing badly these days. The transition does not seem to be going well, and this may be related to an injury he once suffered, but if he doesn't mend his ways quickly, then he might lose his place.

Arsenal spent so much money to sign him, that's why he's facing such high expectations from the club and fans. So when things didn't go well, then he would get criticized.

To be honest, I'm curious as to what Arteta will do in the January transfer window. Given the situation Gyokeres is going through, will Arteta bring in a new striker?

Strikers coming from smaller leagues don't always manage to adapt to an environment like the Premier League.

Because you know the game is much faster here than the Liga Portugal for example considering we are talking about Gyökeres here. He isn't fast and can't score goals in another way either.

You know Nunez also came from Benfica to Liverpool and his finishing got much worse immediately.  

[Xcode7]

Yeah, everyone expected Arsenal to win that game, but it turned out to be something else. Both teams had very strong defences, which were hard to break. Although situations like this happen, I never thought the game would end in a goalless draw. In the first half, Arsenal played really well and created some attacks, so I was expecting a goal in the second half. However, in the end, it finished as a draw. I hope Arsenal do more next time to prove they can really defend that position on the table.

Liverpool is defending champion and they are not having good time in ongoing season but they are still good enough to beat any team. Liverpool draw against Arsenal is an indication that are still a strong team. Arsenal won't mind this draw because both of it's competitor i.e. Man City and Aston Villa also draw there games of Week 21. That means Arsenal is still six points ahead of City and Villa. Arsenal next match is against Nottingham Forest, which should be an easy win for Arsenal.     

Yes, that's true, I think this is a fair result because Liverpool and Arsenal are both strong Premier League teams, despite Liverpool's slightly slumped condition this season, but when the match between two big teams is of course different, and I don't think there is any problem with this result because Arsenal is still at the top of the standings.

[IjawMan]

It is better to play draw than to see a defeat as outcome. The both team are trying to play safe especially for Liverpool that is not in form benching one of their skilled players for no tangible reason that have resulted in multiple loses for the entire team.
Arsenal has become one of my favorite team currently I know that their chances winning the league is high.

They have always have a higher chances of winning the English premier League title in the past few seasons that they gave it away to Manchester City, even when everyone thought that it was their year to be crown champions.

I can't recall the year but I can still remember when arsenal was leading Manchester City by eight points gap and it was remaining only seven games to the end of the season, that year everyone expected arsenal to win the league and even have some few games to spare, but to the surprise of everyone, the bottled it by being inconsistent during that period, so that was how they lost the league title that season. So because of that past record of arsenal being a bottler, I am still not confident in them till they changes my perspective about them by winning this year English premier league title especially now that they are in a promising position.

Many disappointment has been experienced by the lot of us who has placed confidence on Arsenal winning the premier league in other seasons but this season can be different for the gunners to dispel that loss of hope they have unintendedly created in the minds of premier league fans that Arsenal is a "bottler club".

The problem with Arsenal's team has been with stability of performance throughout a season cause it is either key players are suffering injuries in the mid season or the players are overwhelmed with fatigue from the various competitors they participating in the season.

If Arsenal can concentrate on one one trophy at a time then the premier league can be in the gunners shelve this season if they can make it their priority this season and forfeit the UEFA champions league which they are competing in.

[Sarah Azhari]

I thought he could adapt swiftly as he looked so good at the outset, but for some reason, he's playing badly these days. The transition does not seem to be going well, and this may be related to an injury he once suffered, but if he doesn't mend his ways quickly, then he might lose his place.

Arsenal spent so much money to sign him, that's why he's facing such high expectations from the club and fans. So when things didn't go well, then he would get criticized.

To be honest, I'm curious as to what Arteta will do in the January transfer window. Given the situation Gyokeres is going through, will Arteta bring in a new striker?

Strikers coming from smaller leagues don't always manage to adapt to an environment like the Premier League.

Because you know the game is much faster here than the Liga Portugal for example considering we are talking about Gyökeres here. He isn't fast and can't score goals in another way either.

You know Nunez also came from Benfica to Liverpool and his finishing got much worse immediately.  

Yes, many strikers who used to perform impressively outside the Premier League but once they play in the Premier League, very few can perform and that is also experienced by Gyökeres because the playing style in the Premier League is super fast and requires physicality does not always match the playing style of strikers who come to the Premier League as experienced by Gyökeres where his playing style does not match the tactics implemented by Arteta so that Gyökeres' performance has decreased drastically.

[DanWalker]

Yes, that's true, I think this is a fair result because Liverpool and Arsenal are both strong Premier League teams, despite Liverpool's slightly slumped condition this season, but when the match between two big teams is of course different, and I don't think there is any problem with this result because Arsenal is still at the top of the standings.

Agree... Liverpool's squad cannot be considered weak in any way. They have spent more than 400 million on their squad this season. This is a  huge amount. They have a lot of talented  players in their squad. So a draw in this match cannot be  called a bad result. But I had high expectations from Arsenal. If the match  had been drawn after Arsenal's good performance, I would not have been so disappointed. arsenal's performance  was weak in this match. They should have tried to attack more. Arsenal will have to be more careful in the upcoming matches. If arsenal keeps losing points against big teams , then staying at the top of the table will become uncertain for them.

[rachael9385]

Yes, that's true, I think this is a fair result because Liverpool and Arsenal are both strong Premier League teams, despite Liverpool's slightly slumped condition this season, but when the match between two big teams is of course different, and I don't think there is any problem with this result because Arsenal is still at the top of the standings.

Agree... Liverpool's squad cannot be considered weak in any way. They have spent more than 400 million on their squad this season. This is a  huge amount. They have a lot of talented  players in their squad. So a draw in this match cannot be  called a bad result. But I had high expectations from Arsenal. If the match  had been drawn after Arsenal's good performance, I would not have been so disappointed. arsenal's performance  was weak in this match. They should have tried to attack more. Arsenal will have to be more careful in the upcoming matches. If arsenal keeps losing points against big teams , then staying at the top of the table will become uncertain for them.

They spent a lot of money to get a good formation but it hasn't been reflecting that much this season, for a very long time i have not seen them perform as poorly as they this season. But arsenal underestimated Liverpool, maybe they thought that winning would be wasy but they got surprised at the end of the day. Arsenal would need to put in more efforts to make sure that they don't lose points

[asriloni]

The Manchester Derby is coming up next Saturday (the opening game of matchday 22). I think this will be the most exciting game of that round.

Man City are obviously a favourite here, and the odds (from 2up) are:
Man United: x3.70
Draw: x3.95
Man City: x1.81

So the bookies don't necessarily expect a walk in the park for Man City.
United will be led by Darren Fletcher, an interim manager who took over after the sacking of Ruben Amorim. Fletcher's first game leading the senior squad was not very successful, as United split points with a weak Burnley (2-2), which caused them to drop down to 7th place.

Man City's recent form is also far from ideal. They drew 3 games in a row. I probably wouldn't be betting on them to win. I think going for a safe double chance bet might be a better idea, as a draw is quite likely.

It's good take for Manchester derby. However, i think i'm a bit in favor for City to win the game. They have signed Semenyo, which was also showing he can blend to the club well against Exeter today. It's fine it is just exeter, but i like the amount of confidence he has(^{one goal & assist)}. So i can expect City to end with Doku as LW and Semenyo as RW. It gives me confidence to raise my expectation to them, though it's gonna be away derby.

[Promocodeudo]

Liverpool isn't really an average team but for a while they have been performing like an underdog team which might make it easy for anyone to write them off when they play against a team like arsenal but fortunately for them they were able to give arsenal a tough time inspite of their weaknesses this season..they got points from this game and now they are at the fourth position on the board

If you are been asked to rate Liverpool present performance what will be your rating, despite that in the recent time they keep playing draw which I will say is better than losing, anyone that call them average team didn't make any mistake because their performance says it all, from the beginning of this season, Liverpool has not been giving out those good performance of last season that made them become the defending champions of this very English premier League title, Chelsea had a draw with Manchester City recently, a kind of reminder but does that mean that they well perfromed I think they answer is no, Liverpool gave arsenal a tough tim just as you said but their next match will determine if they are still where they are or has improved.

[Juicyhome]

They spent a lot of money to get a good formation but it hasn't been reflecting that much this season, for a very long time i have not seen them perform as poorly as they this season. But arsenal underestimated Liverpool, maybe they thought that winning would be wasy but they got surprised at the end of the day. Arsenal would need to put in more efforts to make sure that they don't lose points

Liverpool bought so many players into the team and they really have to be patient for them to adapt, that's why they were struggling in the begining of the season and we thought is the coach, but we you having watching their recently match you can see some improvement and it showing that they will do better with time.

Arsenal didn't underrated Liverpool, Arsenal played their best but Liverpool also gave their all, it was hard for both team. Arsenal is still favorite to win the title, and they have to keep winning games. The leat results should be draw, Manchester city and Liverpool are now inform, and if Arsenal fail to put in more effort they might miss this opportunity again.

[Woodie]

Antoine Samenyo what a player, gets his first goal in blue colours for the  Citizens barely a week since he left Bournemouth, he has jumped straight into business without wasting anytime   at least they didn't waste time with these small team's, big teams produce big results  

Waiting to see the Villa game, hope Spurs will be cooked.

[Velvet78]

Liverpool bought so many players into the team and they really have to be patient for them to adapt, that's why they were struggling in the begining of the season and we thought is the coach, but we you having watching their recently match you can see some improvement and it showing that they will do better with time.

Liverpool has made a big change in its squad last summer. Some crucial names such as Luis Díaz, TAA left the team. Sometimes even Núñez's absence is felt because of injury problems in the attacking line. 

Isak can't meet the expectations and he is injured again. Frimpong has also suffered injuries quite often. Kerkez isn't good enough. Wirtz is newly getting better in the recent games. Salah isn't like the last season anymore.

Arne Slot doesn't have the same strong squad for now and this causes him big issues.

[JoyMarsha]

Yeah, everyone expected Arsenal to win that game, but it turned out to be something else. Both teams had very strong defences, which were hard to break. Although situations like this happen, I never thought the game would end in a goalless draw. In the first half, Arsenal played really well and created some attacks, so I was expecting a goal in the second half. However, in the end, it finished as a draw. I hope Arsenal do more next time to prove they can really defend that position on the table.

Liverpool is defending champion and they are not having good time in ongoing season but they are still good enough to beat any team. Liverpool draw against Arsenal is an indication that are still a strong team. Arsenal won't mind this draw because both of it's competitor i.e. Man City and Aston Villa also draw there games of Week 21. That means Arsenal is still six points ahead of City and Villa. Arsenal next match is against Nottingham Forest, which should be an easy win for Arsenal.     

Well, Arsenal won't mind the draw, they shouldn't let it happen again because they won't find themselves lucky as this, to have Manchester City and Aston Villa draw with them in any week's match.

However, I will count this draw that Manchester City and Aston Villa had as the savior of Arsenal because if it had been Manchester City and Aston Villa had won their week 21 game, they would have drawn closer to Arsenal by points, leading to pressure on Arsenal not to lose or draw their remaining matches.

[Akbarkoe]

Antoine Samenyo what a player, gets his first goal in blue colours for the  Citizens barely a week since he left Bournemouth, he has jumped straight into business without wasting anytime   at least they didn't waste time with these small team's, big teams produce big results  

Waiting to see the Villa game, hope Spurs will be cooked.

Dai got his share of the 10 goals scored, what a unique match. LOL

The Bournemouth and Newcastle United game needed extra time to decide and I thought they would go to penalties, I thought that but Harvey Barnes managed to take advantage to score a goal so in this extra time they were saved from going to penalties and ended with a score of 3-2, what a thriller.

Aston Villa are definitely capable of beating Spurs, I'm looking forward to this match.