⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[skarais]

~~~

It seems Saliba committed a pretty hard foul, because the referee immediately gave him a red card without giving a yellow card first as a warning. Clearly, the red card made Bournemouth who played at home managed to have good statistics, although Arsenal remained good in ball possession but it was not enough to end the match with a draw. But at least, with results like this I also feel that Arsenal still does not have a champion mentality, because they only played with 10 players against Bournemouth who were not predicted to win at all, but in reality Arsenal still lost with a score of 2-0.

Indeed, I also admit that it is difficult to get good results with only 10 players but at least, if Arsenal has a great champion mentality then Arsenal should be able to hold a draw even with only 10 players. But yes, there are still many matches ahead that Arsenal will maximize to stay in the top four but I think, it seems that this season Arsenal will really have a hard time because the tight schedule certainly has to be able to maximize player rotation which may also have a bad impact on their performance and results later.

Things become difficult for a coach and players when they only have 10 players on the field.
Bournemouth managed to develop their game and take advantage of Arsenal's weaknesses in the second half, the first goal was truly charming. This was a defeat that Arsenal couldn't help but accept, but I wouldn't say they were completely bad.

In my opinion, this is not because Arsenal don't have a winning mentality, but they are less effective with their strategy when only playing with 10 players. Bournemouth pressed well and forced Arsenal into mistakes for the second goal. But it's true, there are still many matches ahead that Arsenal can maximize to win points and get back on track for the title race.

[EL MOHA]

Even before the goal Manchester United players did well, they played better and did well to take control of the game during the first half. I'm blaming both the medical team and the official for the goal scored by Brentford United. The medical team should have provided a long term solution for the bleeding while the match official should have just let De Ligt on the pitch until the first half comes to an end. ( Finally I get his decision, Health First ). Newcastle United coach has also been fumbling but not being talked about and the same with West Ham. It's either they dislike Erik ten Hag or they dislike Manchester Uniteds success. Today, I'm giving Marcus Rashford and Garnacho his flowers. A striker who can convert chances would definitely solve 90% of them issues.

Manchester United were actually controlling the game before the goal came, United should’ve been on front from the first half had Garnacho, Ericksen and Rashford converted their chances in that match. The goal once again was definitely on the medical team of the club and not any officials, no wonder how injury crisis are just getting worse every day. The officials cannot allow him to continue playing because of two rules, which is he can’t play with blood stains on his body and he was bleeding, secondly it was an head injury which base on rules needed to be treated as emergency. The medical team had more than one chance to sort that out but they were just not doing anything. Today’s goal conceded right after De Ligt left the proves how important he is to the club.

Yes both Eddie Howe and Julen Lopetegui are struggling but the problem is they are not Manchester United and since they were top of Manchester United in the league doesn’t allow the biased media to come after them. Funny thing is both the managers have been linked by the manager has a better replacement of Ten Hag

[Charles-Tim]

Seriously, did you realize that Arsenal are now 2-0 behind Bournemouth?
Arsenal played with 10 men since William Saliba was sent off with a red card in the 30th minute of the first half, but Bournemouth's two goals came in the 70th and 79th minutes of the second half. It's surprising because we all basically favor Arsenal to win this away match. The red card has clearly ruined all of Arteta's plans for this match, so they really need to make up for it in another match.

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Seriously, did you realize that Arsenal are now 2-0 behind Bournemouth?
Arsenal played with 10 men since William Saliba was sent off with a red card in the 30th minute of the first half, but Bournemouth's two goals came in the 70th and 79th minutes of the second half. It's surprising because we all basically favor Arsenal to win this away match. The red card has clearly ruined all of Arteta's plans for this match, so they really need to make up for it in another match.

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

It's very unfortunate and I am very disappointed with the outcome of today's match between Arsenal and Bournemouth, this is still an unbelievable outcome to me and I am trying hard to come to terms with how this can be reality, even if an Arsenal defender got a red card in just 30 minutes into the match, it really can not justify their shameful loss against Bournemouth, I have watched several football matches where 10 players still beat a complete 11 players, and knowing how strong the Arsenal players are, this should have been an easy one for them to pull off, Bournemouth is not so a strong football club afterall.

What I suspect really happened that caused Arsenal to loose this match was loss of interest, which in other words, I would say that they lost morale and their spirit weakened when Saliba was given that red card, this demoralized them and this is what lead to their loss, it's not really about 10 men against 11.

[bangjoe]

<snip>

Zidane is a very good coach to become a candidate, but indeed I am also doubtful whether he will return you from his current situation because it is a problem in the next season that makes some people feel that something is wrong with MU management, Zidane likes freedom in the selection of players and Firm in making a strategy, and I doubt that the club owner gives a flexibility to a coach, but if negotiations are successful with Zidane and he has the freedom in regulating the squad he will lead, I might say that Man United will return to get bright light.

I agree that Zidane is good as a potential Manchester United coach in the coming seasons, but the problem is I really doubt he is interested in this team. All coaches who have managed Manchester United know exactly how much pressure a coach receives when coaching a team, not only the big expectations for titles, but there are many other things.

Manchester United's transfer approach so far is not really beneficial for the team, I mean they don't have any truly reliable players in their squad. Ten Hag was never able to solve the problem of this team's performance, in fact now I am considering leaving him instead of staying. The team's performance was ultimately getting worse and worse and it was becoming increasingly difficult to win games, he was really having a hard time finding a solution.

In addition to the problems that exist in Manchester United regarding the players who have been brought in, do not provide a large impact to Man United so far, also a number of other things that need to be improved at Man United that I feel a lot of work is messy at Man United, I think Zidane will also be made exhausted with the current state of Man United, he certainly needs time to restructure Man United to perform better, his heavy burden must be a lot of expectations from fans of new coaches, and that is not an easy thing to do to be able to make Man United Changed in one night.

[Amphenomenon]

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

Ironic to see them lost, though Bournemouth can be a difficult team sometimes and now being down with one of their main defence, will definitely affect them. Though I would have expected them to at least draw, after holding the match  to the 70th minutes, I guessed they're still not gotten to their best.

Now another difficult game await them in their next EPL game against Liverpool,  since they won't be with Saliba this may still lead to another lost. Though this all depends on how they play and how well Liverpool pressed them.

[BITCOIN4X]

~Snip

Manchester United were actually controlling the game before the goal came, United should’ve been on front from the first half had Garnacho, Ericksen and Rashford converted their chances in that match. The goal once again was definitely on the medical team of the club and not any officials, no wonder how injury crisis are just getting worse every day. The officials cannot allow him to continue playing because of two rules, which is he can’t play with blood stains on his body and he was bleeding, secondly it was an head injury which base on rules needed to be treated as emergency. The medical team had more than one chance to sort that out but they were just not doing anything. Today’s goal conceded right after De Ligt left the proves how important he is to the club.

Under certain circumstances, a player cannot be forced to play even if his team needs him on the field. Matthijs de Ligt had to be treated first before he continued the match because his head was bleeding, but Brentford took advantage of that and scored a goal. Matthijs de Ligt is a good defender and he is really needed, so it is natural for Manchester United to come under pressure when he is on the sidelines for treatment.

However, the most important thing is not that the goal was conceded, but that the expected victory was actually realized. Manchester United got their first win after going 5 matches without a win. Ten Hag is happy with this result, but it certainly won't make his position safe as coach.

[Velvet78]

Ironic to see them lost, though Bournemouth can be a difficult team sometimes and now being down with one of their main defence, will definitely affect them. Though I would have expected them to at least draw, after holding the match  to the 70th minutes, I guessed they're still not gotten to their best.

Now another difficult game await them in their next EPL game against Liverpool,  since they won't be with Saliba this may still lead to another lost. Though this all depends on how they play and how well Liverpool pressed them.

I got really shocked to see it. Just what was that Arsenal?    This wasn't a team fighting for the Premier League title and I assume you would agree. But of course the biggest role played by Saliba on that. Such an unnecessary red card... He was only a little ahead of the centre. He wasn't going to only touch the ball to score.

When it comes to Arsenal - Liverpool, it would be hell of a game.    As it is at Emirates, maybe Arsenal could make themselves forgiven by the fans.

[uchegod-21]

I was once again like "Ah shit, here we go again." about Manchester United at first. However they made a really nice comeback. Good for them and Erik ten Hag especially! Because you know he is like the most debated coach in the recent times.    It must be tough to handle such pressure.

He has always been confident about his job for quite a while. We will see about that. It is really assertive for a coach in his 3rd year without a PL title.

Even before the goal Manchester United players did well, they played better and did well to take control of the game during the first half. I'm blaming both the medical team and the official for the goal scored by Brentford United. The medical team should have provided a long term solution for the bleeding while the match official should have just let De Ligt on the pitch until the first half comes to an end. ( Finally I get his decision, Health First ). Newcastle United coach has also been fumbling but not being talked about and the same with West Ham. It's either they dislike Erik ten Hag or they dislike Manchester Uniteds success. Today, I'm giving Marcus Rashford and Garnacho his flowers. A striker who can convert chances would definitely solve 90% of them issues.

Even if Manchester United coach has found it difficult to get the desired result expected of him, we can see that his team is playing some kind of good football this season than last season. Also knowing too well that Manchester United has improved her team this season is a stepping stone to confidence of good performance. Let's believe ETH knows what he is doing, even if we have our doubts.
It is not time to judge, but let's see how Manchester United will be able to escape their shameful position in the table this season.

[SUPERSAIAN]

Seriously, did you realize that Arsenal are now 2-0 behind Bournemouth?
Arsenal played with 10 men since William Saliba was sent off with a red card in the 30th minute of the first half, but Bournemouth's two goals came in the 70th and 79th minutes of the second half. It's surprising because we all basically favor Arsenal to win this away match. The red card has clearly ruined all of Arteta's plans for this match, so they really need to make up for it in another match.

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

Arsenal lost 2-0 today at the most important point of the season when the fixture was so close. Arsenal always does surprising things. It was very unfortunate that they were down to 10 men today, they started playing with one less man in the 30th minute and that's why the team started playing more closed and behind and they were defending well.

After a while in the second half, Arsenal's resistance was broken and Bournemouth managed to score two goals.

[Mustang Shelby]

Seriously, did you realize that Arsenal are now 2-0 behind Bournemouth?
Arsenal played with 10 men since William Saliba was sent off with a red card in the 30th minute of the first half, but Bournemouth's two goals came in the 70th and 79th minutes of the second half. It's surprising because we all basically favor Arsenal to win this away match. The red card has clearly ruined all of Arteta's plans for this match, so they really need to make up for it in another match.

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

Saliba received a red card that disrupted Arsenal's balance. The team's game changed completely. I also congratulate the Bournemouth team for taking advantage of this. They showed how good a team they are by beating a team that is one of the championship candidates in the English Premier League. Of course, the red card Arsenal received in this match had a big impact, but in the end they beat Arsenal.

[Stable090]

Even if Manchester United coach has found it difficult to get the desired result expected of him, we can see that his team is playing some kind of good football this season than last season. Also knowing too well that Manchester United has improved her team this season is a stepping stone to confidence of good performance. Let's believe ETH knows what he is doing, even if we have our doubts.

Do you think there is any difference in  Manchester United performances? I think their performance is just the same as last season, or I will say their performance is even worse this season. Manchester United haven’t played anything special this season, there performance have been poor, they have been disappointing their fans since the season started. I won’t say because Manchester United won their match today, then I will start praising Ten Hag, a match can’t be used to judge if there is improvement in a club's performance. Manchester United played well today, but I won’t be surprised if they end up performing poorly in their next match.

[len01]

Seriously, did you realize that Arsenal are now 2-0 behind Bournemouth?
Arsenal played with 10 men since William Saliba was sent off with a red card in the 30th minute of the first half, but Bournemouth's two goals came in the 70th and 79th minutes of the second half. It's surprising because we all basically favor Arsenal to win this away match. The red card has clearly ruined all of Arteta's plans for this match, so they really need to make up for it in another match.

Like an unfair and very disappointing match seeing my bet losing.
Even though at first I thought when William Saliba got a red card, at least Arsenal could hold the match draw and preferred to survive. But unfortunately this is what I don't like from Arsenal always has a big ambition to continue to ambitious to get victory without seeing the condition of the team that ends with mistakes.
We see how Mikel Merino gets a very good chance but he wants to score too quickly but ended with failed.
If only Mikel Merino could score a score and defense players did not make mistakes, I was sure he could end up a draw.

[SatoPrincess]

After the International break, you can always expect to see interesting results when the Premier League returns to your screens. Today’s games were entertaining to watch. Arsenal losing to Bournemouth was a big surprise, the Gunners have been in very good form this season and have solidified themselves as contenders for the title, the last thing I would expect from them is to lose 2 nil to Bournemouth. Manchester United fought their way back from a poor first half to score two and winning the game. What do you think about the games played today?

[Huppercase]

Things become difficult for a coach and players when they only have 10 players on the field.
Bournemouth managed to develop their game and take advantage of Arsenal's weaknesses in the second half, the first goal was truly charming. This was a defeat that Arsenal couldn't help but accept, but I wouldn't say they were completely bad.

In my opinion, this is not because Arsenal don't have a winning mentality, but they are less effective with their strategy when only playing with 10 players. Bournemouth pressed well and forced Arsenal into mistakes for the second goal. But it's true, there are still many matches ahead that Arsenal can maximize to win points and get back on track for the title race.

There is no way Arsenal was going to win that match despite the fact that Bournemouth isn't on form this season, this is clearly a god advantage for them and they use the generosity to clear thier 3 points on the table. I feel down because I think we are already losing the war already, no way Arsenal is going to win this league because the thing is getting difficult every day as we give it a trail, the first season of Arteta was better than the second and better than this one.

This is their second time of having red card in a match this season, the last one they had against Manchester City could have been 3 points but because of the red card, they had to switch to defending style to balance the team and Manchester City were able to equalized the goal they made initially and now to this again, this is going to be very tough for Arsenal.

[pawel7777]

So the biggest shocker of today's round is Man United finally winning a game   The win might have been minimal, but they actually could create decent chances, so there was some progress in the attack, but the opponent was not of the highest level. Anyhow, this could be a lifeline for Ten Hag in keeping his position.

The other surprise was Arsenal losing 2-0 to Bournemouth, mostly due to Salibe being sent of for tactical foul in the 30th minute of the game. I believe the referee decision (made after consultations) was in line with the rule, but given how far away from the goal the situation took place, the yellow card could have been sufficient.

An easy game for Man City tomorrow (Vs Wolves who only scored 1 point in this season so far) and a potentially tough game for Liverpool who are hosting Chelsea. So there's a chance MAn City will jump back up to the 1st place.

[aylabadia05]

<snip>

In addition to the problems that exist in Manchester United regarding the players who have been brought in, do not provide a large impact to Real Madrdi so far, also a number of other things that need to be improved at Man United that I feel a lot of work is messy at Man United, I think Zidane will also be made exhausted with the current state of Man United, he certainly needs time to restructure Man United to perform better, his heavy burden must be a lot of expectations from fans of new coaches, and that is not an easy thing to do to be able to make Man United Changed in one night.

I don't think we're talking about Real Madrid here, but you failed to focus when maybe you were watching the Celta vs Madrid match some time ago. Ah forget it, but you have to fix it so it's not misleading.

Manchester United's victory today made me happy. This was a long-awaited victory after they had gone quite a number of games without a win. I checked again and found Manchester United had failed to win in their previous five games, so this was a win that broke a bad trend so far. I expected more from the appearance of the existing squad, but it feels like Ten Hag failed to do its job.

[Obim34]

I was once again like "Ah shit, here we go again." about Manchester United at first. However they made a really nice comeback. Good for them and Erik ten Hag especially! Because you know he is like the most debated coach in the recent times.    It must be tough to handle such pressure.

He has always been confident about his job for quite a while. We will see about that. It is really assertive for a coach in his 3rd year without a PL title.

Even before the goal Manchester United players did well, they played better and did well to take control of the game during the first half. I'm blaming both the medical team and the official for the goal scored by Brentford United. The medical team should have provided a long term solution for the bleeding while the match official should have just let De Ligt on the pitch until the first half comes to an end. ( Finally I get his decision, Health First ). Newcastle United coach has also been fumbling but not being talked about and the same with West Ham. It's either they dislike Erik ten Hag or they dislike Manchester Uniteds success. Today, I'm giving Marcus Rashford and Garnacho his flowers. A striker who can convert chances would definitely solve 90% of them issues.

Even if Manchester United coach has found it difficult to get the desired result expected of him, we can see that his team is playing some kind of good football this season than last season. Also knowing too well that Manchester United has improved her team this season is a stepping stone to confidence of good performance. Let's believe ETH knows what he is doing, even if we have our doubts.
It is not time to judge, but let's see how Manchester United will be able to escape their shameful position in the table this season.

Why do we only call out Ten Hag, even if the results of the team lies on him, win or no win but from what we see in the team including from previous season, not every fault is coming from the manager. If we can count how many opportunities the players are failing to convert during their games then we know that the missed chances is enough to send them up the table and the coach isn't whom to be blamed. Quality chances was missed today, even the substitute that came in could not add any value to their current state, Zirkzee in particular could not hold the ball confidently on his feet, very bad performance from the team today despite their win.

[MainIbem]

So the biggest shocker of today's round is Man United finally winning a game   The win might have been minimal, but they actually could create decent chances, so there was some progress in the attack, but the opponent was not of the highest level. Anyhow, this could be a lifeline for Ten Hag in keeping his position.

The other surprise was Arsenal losing 2-0 to Bournemouth, mostly due to Salibe being sent of for tactical foul in the 30th minute of the game. I believe the referee decision (made after consultations) was in line with the rule, but given how far away from the goal the situation took place, the yellow card could have been sufficient.

An easy game for Man City tomorrow (Vs Wolves who only scored 1 point in this season so far) and a potentially tough game for Liverpool who are hosting Chelsea. So there's a chance MAn City will jump back up to the 1st place.

Very surprising, I expected another draw or an embarrassing lose again but I think the players mght have heard enough complains from the fans and decided to put a smile on their faces, there's no Manchester United fan that's not currently happy or discussing about the outcome of this victory somewhere right now and it's understandable cause they've been longing for such good performance from their team even though it was against Brentford. I don't know what Erik Ten Hag told those players today in the dressing room but i think he needs to keep it up cause if they can remain consistent for a longer period it would not only elevate them on the standings bur also boost the teams morale. Also, Manchester United lost many chances so I think they should work more on their conversion rate. As for Arsenal, they have received their own share of a red card and defeat, it's surprising to everyone but they should understand that the impossible is sometimes possible in football, that's just it. Manchester City would win easily against Wolverhampton but I think Chelsea would give Liverpool a tough game tomorrow.

[Pokapoka124]

I was surprised to see Bournemouth won with 2 goals. William Saliba got a red card in 30 minutes and he is a defender. 10 men against 11 is not easy at all. There are times the team can be so good that the opponent will not win but Arsenal lost the match this time. There is still hope if Arsenal continue to play good but I just know that something might again hinder Arsenal this season. I wish the club can win the league once again but something will always happen that will hinder it from happening.

Arteta needs to talk to the players because they have been getting a lot of red cards lately, luckily for them they have not been severely punished for picking red cards early in games. Delan Rice picked a red card against Brighton and managed to get a draw; Trossard got a red card against Manchester City and drew that game 2-2; today it’s Saliba’s turn to pick a red card. William Saliba is a crucial part of Arsenal’s defense, and with Odegaard and Saka absent in the game, the odds were already stacked against them.