⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Cryptoprincess101]

Chelsea is one team that are on the top of their game this EPL season, something  that if we're to compare their performance of the immediate past season where every club in the EPL was eager to meet Chelsea because of how confident they were to to beating Chelsea and getting the three points, and as a Chelsea fan it was very horrible experience.

Yeah, Chelsea has made some good improvements this season when compared to how they were in previous season but they have just played 7 matches yet, so it's not enough to rate the performance of any team till they have maintained a stable form till at least after mid season, besides Chelsea still needs to work on their defense because as their strikers are doing good jobs, the defense also need to follow with same energy because if am not mistaken, apart from the match they played against Westham that they won by cleansheet if not the rest of their games in the premiership they always end up conceding goals. I see teamwork among Chelsea's teammates now so other clubs will  definitely be so scared of them when they meet now.

To this end, this season I doubt any club is that yearning to meet with the blues because there has been a massive improvement with the team playing style, the attacking front is now a threat to any team be it against Manchester City or Arsenal. Enzo Maresca is actually doing a great project and it's gonna be mind-blowing when Chelsea comes back much stronger to becoming the title contenders again as it were in the days of Didier Drogba, Frank lampard, Ramires etc. For now I do believe they are still in the blocks building process...

Mate don't be too quick in praising the frontline of Chelsea as against Arsenal and Manchester city because you and i can agree that so far as the premier league is concerned, in recent seasons now Manchester city and Arsenal have been the major title contenders and even looking at their form currently i don't see the both teams being scared of any team in the EPL so let us digest the performance of Chelsea for now till more convincing improvements are noticed. Kudos to Chelsea's Coach Enzo Maresca for his good work in the team, hope he continues just like he did for Leicester city before becoming Chelsea's head coach. If he continues with this good job, the club can extend his contract before it expires in 2029.

[SatoPrincess]

Chelsea is one team that are on the top of their game this EPL season, something  that if we're to compare their performance of the immediate past season where every club in the EPL was eager to meet Chelsea because of how confident they were to to beating Chelsea and getting the three points, and as a Chelsea fan it was very horrible experience. To this end, this season I doubt any club is that yearning to meet with the blues because there has been a massive improvement with the team playing style, the attacking front is now a threat to any team be it against Manchester City or Arsenal. Enzo Maresca is actually doing a great project and it's gonna be mind-blowing when Chelsea comes back much stronger to becoming the title contenders again as it were in the days of Didier Drogba, Frank lampard, Ramires etc. For now I do believe they are still in the blocks building process...

Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are showing signs that they may soon be able to compete at the top level again. Chelsea have started the season well and are playing well against the good teams in the league. I think the key to cracking the code for Chelsea is signing Victor Osimhen. Nicolas Jackson performance has been mid this season, they need a striker that can score multiple goals in a single match. That addition combined with Cold Palmer and Madueke will prove to be troublesome for opponents.

[Hanadawa]

snip

Kudos to Chelsea's Coach Enzo Maresca for his good work in the team, hope he continues just like he did for Leicester city before becoming Chelsea's head coach. If he continues with this good job, the club can extend his contract before it expires in 2029.

I think Chelsea is still far from the era of Lampard, Drogba and Terry. I agree Enzo Maresca has done a very good job. Chelsea is in impressive form at the moment. They have managed to fix their mistakes from last season. But honestly I still doubt Chelsea will be a title contender at least this season. City and Arsenal are still dominating and I still can't put Liverpool or Chelsea as part of them. At least I will wait until half a season. If Chelsea can continue to be consistent like Aston Villa last season I think we deserve to put Chelsea as one of the title contenders.

[knowngunman]

I think Chelsea is still far from the era of Lampard, Drogba and Terry. I agree Enzo Maresca has done a very good job. Chelsea is in impressive form at the moment. They have managed to fix their mistakes from last season. But honestly I still doubt Chelsea will be a title contender at least this season. City and Arsenal are still dominating and I still can't put Liverpool or Chelsea as part of them. At least I will wait until half a season. If Chelsea can continue to be consistent like Aston Villa last season I think we deserve to put Chelsea as one of the title contenders.

It's disrespectful to compare the Chelsea of today with Palmer, Jackson, Nkuku and the Chelsea of Lampard, Drogba and Terry era. For clarity sake, we can not deny their improvement as compared to last season but it doesn't make any sense raining praises on them or even see them as tittle contender already. In fact, I will even rate Liverpool ahead of Chelsea when we are talking about tittle. The recent results is just like a game of chance and even the least expect team can be ahead of a serious team but we can identify who is who when the season is halfway. Only then, I will change my stance on Chelsea if they still manage to maintain the present form until then. For now, they are still average team with average and overrated squad.

[emrecemsan]

Chelsea are of course still far from their best times. They need to have an impressive full season at first. They should be in the title rivalry. When that happens I can believe in them for real. Otherwise it would be too early.

But I must admit a fact here of course. They have started the season great. While everyone was wondering what was going to happen after such a hasty decision on Pochettino, they surprised many of us.    Palmer is an incredible player and I don't even know how much longer I will continue to say this. As long as Chelsea keeps him I will have bigger hopes from them. If they lose him early then it would be a big disappointment.

[Slow death]

Jose Mourinho never did what Erik Ten Hag did and lastly, Jose Mourinho's tactics for Manchester United was hell boring, outdated defensive strategy for Manchester United

 

I really confess that I am shocked, yes you are right, Mourinho did not do what Erik Ten Hag

On this day in 2016, Jose Mourinho was confirmed as manager of Manchester United on a three-year contract.

The Portuguese would become the first Manchester United manager in history to win two major trophies (EFL Cup and Europa League, and he has also won Community Shield) in his first season in charge.

After starting the 2018–19 season with just seven wins in the first 17 Premier League games, leaving Manchester United 19 points behind the league leaders, Mourinho was sacked by the club on 18 December 2018.

Now the 'Special One' is working as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

source: https://m.allfootballapp.com/news/All/OTD-in-2016-Mourinho-became-Man-Utd-manager-and-won-three-trophies-later-on/2354013

Has Erik Ten Hag already won the Europa League as Manchester United manager? Well, how much money did each coach spend on Manchester United? Here are the numbers:

Erik Ten hag = £560million on new players

How much has Ten Hag spent on signings?

Mourinho = £360million on new players

How well has José Mourinho spent money at Manchester United?

Mourinho had a good squad:



And if the board gave him more time, I believe that in a few more years he would win the Premier League. But the board was in a hurry and fired him. Strangely with Erik Ten Hag the board has been very patient, even though Manchester United is doing bad. It's true that Erik Ten Hag has achieved some things, but he hasn't won the Premier League and is far from it. The squad itself is bad even though they spent a lot of money. I also don't see Manchester United playing well. Honestly, I preferred Mourinho, even with his style of play. I believe he would improve with time.

[Pandu Geddon]

Chelsea are of course still far from their best times. They need to have an impressive full season at first. They should be in the title rivalry. When that happens I can believe in them for real. Otherwise it would be too early.

But I must admit a fact here of course. They have started the season great. While everyone was wondering what was going to happen after such a hasty decision on Pochettino, they surprised many of us.    Palmer is an incredible player and I don't even know how much longer I will continue to say this. As long as Chelsea keeps him I will have bigger hopes from them. If they lose him early then it would be a big disappointment.

The first step that Chelsea can take is to continue to maintain a position that is at least in the top 4 of the Premier League standings. Although the season is still long, they have started it well. Regarding the competition for the Premier League title, it might be quite tough. But for the Europa Conference League, Chelsea should have a chance. Palmer is indeed very good. He deserves to be maintained in Chelsea's plans. But I think the performance of other players has also improved. This might be in accordance with the playing character expected by the coach.

[Lida93]

~snip

Chelsea is one team that are on the top of their game this EPL season, something  that if we're to compare their performance of the immediate past season where every club in the EPL was eager to meet Chelsea because of how confident they were to to beating Chelsea and getting the three points, and as a Chelsea fan it was very horrible experience. To this end, this season I doubt any club is that yearning to meet with the blues because there has been a massive improvement with the team playing style, the attacking front is now a threat to any team be it against Manchester City or Arsenal. Enzo Maresca is actually doing a great project and it's gonna be mind-blowing when Chelsea comes back much stronger to becoming the title contenders again as it were in the days of Didier Drogba, Frank lampard, Ramires etc. For now I do believe they are still in the blocks building process...

I have really enjoyed Chelsea so far this season, unlike last season that wasn't too good for them. Like I have always said, this current team needs time, and it's gradually paying off. But I won't be too quick to compare them with those 3 ruthless teams that are seated above Chelsea on the table. City already faced Chelsea at the beginning of the season, and we all knew how that went. I think they will be facing Liverpool next, then arsenal. No doubt, they've been great so far, but when a team has specific goal scorers, then it might be a problem especially when they face another good side. From the Chelsea squad, we can easily pick players who score for them often, because they are few, unlike teams like City and Arsenal where any of the players can score.

But I feel if they continue with this fine form, and most especially try to adapt without key players like palmer, then they will definitely finish the season in top four, except they choose to fall asleep towards the end of the season, leaving the slot open for Villa who happens to be another very good side.

Actually you can't really predict what's going to happen before the season come to an end, rather you can only wish for the best for your preferred club because there are lots of factors that could influence or impact a team that has been performing very well, for example some teams always get off to a very poor start in beginning of season and later begin to adjust as the season progresses and try to recoup much to cover up their losses while some other teams begin to decline due to factors like injuries, fatigue due international break, introduction of a new manager and change in strategy, these and many more could also have a negative impact on a team. But trying to adapt without a key player in a team setting could be disastrous as well as very healthy because it will enhance the team's morale in the absence of that key player but also disastrous in the sense the player may start loosing his self esteem seeing that his team could do better without him which is a two way thing. However, let see what makes of the season eventually.

[ILuckyGuyI]

It feels really great to see a club different from Manchester City at the top of the standings.    Liverpool lead it but Manchester City are still right behind by only 1 point.

I would never say it would be easy to compete The Citizens for the PL championship. Obviously they will still be a big challenge. But especially in Rodri's absence they can have more difficulties in that.

But the club I want to see at the top the most is Chelsea.    As a fan of them in this league, I hope they can keep this up. Palmer is great but still they need the whole club for success. I hope to see top 4 finish at least.

[SatoPrincess]

I think Chelsea is still far from the era of Lampard, Drogba and Terry. I agree Enzo Maresca has done a very good job. Chelsea is in impressive form at the moment. They have managed to fix their mistakes from last season. But honestly I still doubt Chelsea will be a title contender at least this season. City and Arsenal are still dominating and I still can't put Liverpool or Chelsea as part of them. At least I will wait until half a season. If Chelsea can continue to be consistent like Aston Villa last season I think we deserve to put Chelsea as one of the title contenders.

It's disrespectful to compare the Chelsea of today with Palmer, Jackson, Nkuku and the Chelsea of Lampard, Drogba and Terry era. For clarity sake, we can not deny their improvement as compared to last season but it doesn't make any sense raining praises on them or even see them as tittle contender already. In fact, I will even rate Liverpool ahead of Chelsea when we are talking about tittle. The recent results is just like a game of chance and even the least expect team can be ahead of a serious team but we can identify who is who when the season is halfway. Only then, I will change my stance on Chelsea if they still manage to maintain the present form until then. For now, they are still average team with average and overrated squad.

source
The players from that era were built different. The likes of Didier Drogba, Terry, and Lampard were beasts on the pitch. When I watch their podcasts and interviews now, you can see that their mentality was very different. You can’t compare that team with the current Chelsea squad. To crown it all, they had the Special One, Jose Mourinho leading the charge. Chelsea were formidable in that time, a lot of Nigerians became Chelsea fans in that era and have been faithful ever since.

[Adams0001]

Who knows if Erik Ten Hang has a secret deal with Manchester United management. I say this because of the audacity he uses to approach the media after every poor performance he gives out weekly. He is so subjective and threats the Manchester United matter as if it is his personal affair or like he owes 35% share in the coy. I will be looking up to the day he will be sacked. I will want to know his statement that day.

Ten Hag very optimistic attitude about remaining Manchester United manager raises big questions, especially after the board of directors met for 6 hours and no decision was made that could burden Ten Hag. It is only natural that negative assumptions arise such as a special relationship or secret agreement between him and the management because his position seems untouchable even though Manchester United performance is getting worse. It is very interesting to follow Ten Hag's development at Manchester United, how strong the management is in facing pressure from external parties such as fans who continue to push for the dismissal of the coach who is considered incompetent in handling the club.

I would say to Manchester United that if their club gets worse they will realize that they need to change their manager. Why can't the United management understand that if their club is handed over to another manager then the performance of the team will definitely change. The simple fact is they are too late to understand, if it was the case that Manchester United don't have good quality players then maybe there would be no chance to blame the manager but Manchester United have many good quality players but still Manchester United can't do well with these players. But if a manager is not tactical, he cannot plan well against the opposition, as we are seeing now in the case of Manchester United.

If they continue to lose, they will undoubtedly change the manager and bring in a new one, because Manchester United has vital players in the team; it is only that the manager does not know how to play them on the pitch. Manchester United, unlike Chelsea, does not change coaches frequently. Erik Ten Hag was given the opportunity to improve the team, but he has yet to do so. The club is still failing to score and progress up the league table. Since the league has not progressed far, they can step up and do well in the league. Chelsea that I believe will not do well this season but they are the best now currently and if they can continue like this, they will achieve their goal and win the league title, because I believe Manchester City will not win the Premier League this season because they are not like last season, and Guadiola is missing some players and is considering what they can do without them this season in the league.

[Abu-Naim]

Chelsea are of course still far from their best times. They need to have an impressive full season at first. They should be in the title rivalry. When that happens I can believe in them for real. Otherwise it would be too early.

But I must admit a fact here of course. They have started the season great. While everyone was wondering what was going to happen after such a hasty decision on Pochettino, they surprised many of us.    Palmer is an incredible player and I don't even know how much longer I will continue to say this. As long as Chelsea keeps him I will have bigger hopes from them. If they lose him early then it would be a big disappointment.

Compare to the first season Tad Bohuly take charge as the new Chelsea owner, this is one of the seasons that Chelsea fans will be proud of because they are having a fantastic performance, and if you also consider their performances under Tuchel, Graham Pottrer, Frank Lampard, and Pochettinho, this can be said that it is the best time the team is having a good say in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca is doing great job as Chelsea manager, he is given the players all the confidence they need, and he is motivating them as well.

It is actually to early to judge Chelsea’s performance or to rank them among the best teams in the EPL, but we must said the truth about the transformation going on in the team right now, Enzo and Cole Palmer are having a great season, and Chelsea’s now becoming more competitive than it was in the last two seasons.

[SatoPrincess]

If they continue to lose, they will undoubtedly change the manager and bring in a new one, because Manchester United has vital players in the team; it is only that the manager does not know how to play them on the pitch. Manchester United, unlike Chelsea, does not change coaches frequently. Erik Ten Hag was given the opportunity to improve the team, but he has yet to do so. The club is still failing to score and progress up the league table. Since the league has not progressed far, they can step up and do well in the league. Chelsea that I believe will not do well this season but they are the best now currently and if they can continue like this, they will achieve their goal and win the league title, because I believe Manchester City will not win the Premier League this season because they are not like last season, and Guadiola is missing some players and is considering what they can do without them this season in the league.

Manchester United have shown no signs of progress yet Erik Ten Hag’s job has not been threatened. I don’t think anything will change now. Manchester United have made up their mind to stick with Erik Ten Hag and trust the process. I don’t blame them, after spending £560million on the transfer market to sign new players Erik Ten Hag wanted, they would not want to sack him and have to overhaul the team when a new manager comes in. I think in this case Manchester United bosses are putting the financial burden first before the team progression in competitions.

[HajiBagi]

It feels really great to see a club different from Manchester City at the top of the standings.    Liverpool lead it but Manchester City are still right behind by only 1 point.

I would never say it would be easy to compete The Citizens for the PL championship. Obviously they will still be a big challenge. But especially in Rodri's absence they can have more difficulties in that.

But the club I want to see at the top the most is Chelsea.    As a fan of them in this league, I hope they can keep this up. Palmer is great but still they need the whole club for success. I hope to see top 4 finish at least.

From my observation, this season is going to be different because I'm not sure that Manchester City will win the league title this season, Manchester City without Rodri is a team that can not defeat every opponent especially big teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, even Chelsea I don't think Manchester City will defeat arsenal in their next match become of Rodri, I know Manchester City have player's that can play the position but Rodri is different from them and we can see that from Manchester city that the absent of Rodri is affecting the team performance.

And about Chelsea being at the top of the league table I don't think that will happen, Chelsea still has a lot to do, Chelsea has not played against any big teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, and if Chelsea plays against Arsenal or Liverpool they will defeat Chelsea because they are playing well more than Chelsea, Chelsea can't be at the top but I believe they can be at the fourth position at the end of the season but it will depend on their performance.

[Palakka]

It feels really great to see a club different from Manchester City at the top of the standings.    Liverpool lead it but Manchester City are still right behind by only 1 point.

I would never say it would be easy to compete The Citizens for the PL championship. Obviously they will still be a big challenge. But especially in Rodri's absence they can have more difficulties in that.

The competition in the Premier League this season is very interesting, because several teams managed to be at the top of the standings with a very small point difference, although currently Liverpool is at the top of the Premier League standings and they look quite strong but I think their position at the top of the standings is still very insecure at the moment, especially Manchester City is still a team that has always been a big threat to the team challenging for the English league title, although without Rodri, I think Manchester City should can not to underestimated, because they still have other players like Gundogan and Kovacic who can cover the hole Rodri left at the moment.

But the club I want to see at the top the most is Chelsea.    As a fan of them in this league, I hope they can keep this up. Palmer is great but still they need the whole club for success. I hope to see top 4 finish at least.

If we talk about Chelsea, I think your team still has a great chance to be at the top of the standings later, because indeed the depth of the squad, their consistency and performance have started to increase drastically this season, but I think,  strategy from coach when facing a big team is also an important factor to be able to be a challenger for the Premier League title and against Liverpool next week will be one of the proofs from Enzo Maresca.

[len01]

From my observation, this season is going to be different because I'm not sure that Manchester City will win the league title this season, Manchester City without Rodri is a team that can not defeat every opponent especially big teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, even Chelsea I don't think Manchester City will defeat arsenal in their next match become of Rodri, I know Manchester City have player's that can play the position but Rodri is different from them and we can see that from Manchester city that the absent of Rodri is affecting the team performance.

We all know that losing Rodri who is currently absent is very worrying. But he is not everything because there are still some players who are able to be relied on. Here I am not underestimating Rodri performance, but we also have to think more positively because Man City is a strong team and has a very reliable coach. So losing 1 absent player will not make Man City worse.
In fact, Man City performance still looks consistent and most importantly, Man City still has great attacking players and is able to score so as not to lose points.
Don't worry, because Guardiola knows what he has to do for the future of Man City.

[Moreno233]

Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are showing signs that they may soon be able to compete at the top level again. Chelsea have started the season well and are playing well against the good teams in the league. I think the key to cracking the code for Chelsea is signing Victor Osimhen. Nicolas Jackson performance has been mid this season, they need a striker that can score multiple goals in a single match. That addition combined with Cold Palmer and Madueke will prove to be troublesome for opponents.

Chelsea have shown remarkable improvement and I can saw that Enzo Maresca have done a wonderful job in the club. The current team of Chelsea can face any of the top team and give them very tough fight. If they even meet Manchest City or Liverpool,  it will be a fight to finish because at present, Chelsea is on fire. I love how they are scoring now even though they still have a lot of work to do at the defense because they also concede too easily. I believe that Chelsea is going through a fine process that will produce a fine team.

[Velvet78]

We are witnessing once again how important Diaz and Salah for Liverpool now. As you can remember, they both were rumoured to leave last summer. Can you imagine both of them leaving at the same time?

I mean of course there isn't such thing as Liverpool can't fill their places. But they are both serious goal sources at the moment.    Nunez still can't contribute at a good level. Since he joined Liverpool from Benfica, something has started to went wrong. It doesn't look like he belongs with Liverpool. If one of these trio will leave the team, I would put him to the top. No offense... But he just can't improve man.

[Pokapoka124]

Who knows if Erik Ten Hang has a secret deal with Manchester United management. I say this because of the audacity he uses to approach the media after every poor performance he gives out weekly. He is so subjective and threats the Manchester United matter as if it is his personal affair or like he owes 35% share in the coy. I will be looking up to the day he will be sacked. I will want to know his statement that day.

Erik Ten Hag is who the ownership want. All that money spent and no progress has made since the season started. Erik Ten Hag’s attitude irritates me, Manchester United shouldn’t be happy with the draw to Aston Villa. Ten Hag has successfully manipulated United fans into accepting the mediocrity of mid level performance. Manchester United are not thinking of winning the Premier League or the Champions League again. It's a losers mentality and it won’t change with Ten Hag managing the club.

[Oluwa-btc]

I'm really impressed with Chelsea's performance this season.    After that manager replacement in an unexpected moment, I was really wondering what they were going to do with Enzo Maresca.

What do you say about their chance?

I'm no blue fan honestly but, so far so good, I can say that they've kicked off the season nicely and I hope to see them end well if they're having suchba great start under Enzo Maresca. He knows what it means to win a trophy and I'm sure that trophy with Leicester City wouldn't be his last. Chelsea has a good record when it comes to Italian managers and I'm certain Enzo Maresca wouldn't be the last Italian that'll succeed with this club. They have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League Competition and also winning a trophy this very season. But they need to know they're not so solid in defense and getting a CF should be mandatory.