⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[baeva]

Definitely did not expected Liverpool to drop the ball this way. Sure Villa isn't some terrible team, but I did expected them to do better. Now if Arsenal wins, which I am sure they will, that will make it to be just a 5 point gap, and that is very tough for Liverpool. They could have kept the possibility of 7 points, while also getting a win means 10 point gap with one extra game.

In the end, we should not be really looking into this as a big deal, we are not looking at it like a big deal at the moment. All in all, Liverpool should pray that they do fine rest of the season, so that they could end up with some good results, otherwise this makes no sense for them and they will regret these type of games without a doubt.

No reason to worry even now I think6 as 5 points (so far potentially), although a small gap in global terms, is huge in the context of the EPL. Yes, a lot can change at the end of the season, but unless Liverpool start losing drastically all the time, they will still win the title. It's just a draw, there's nothing wrong with that

[Nheer]

Definitely did not expected Liverpool to drop the ball this way. Sure Villa isn't some terrible team, but I did expected them to do better. Now if Arsenal wins, which I am sure they will, that will make it to be just a 5 point gap, and that is very tough for Liverpool. They could have kept the possibility of 7 points, while also getting a win means 10 point gap with one extra game.

In the end, we should not be really looking into this as a big deal, we are not looking at it like a big deal at the moment. All in all, Liverpool should pray that they do fine rest of the season, so that they could end up with some good results, otherwise this makes no sense for them and they will regret these type of games without a doubt.

If you ask me I still think Liverpool did better to even get a point at Villa Park. Right from the beginning of the match I just knew that it will not be an easy game as everyone expects it to be because Liverpool are the away team and Aston Villa is not some terrible team and despite not being top performance I expect them to be able to challenge Liverpool at home. Liverpool needs to be more careful now as the points is getting closer and Arsenal looks like a threat even with their inconsistent performances they cannot be ruled out. The premier league will get more interesting if Liverpool drops any more points again. Liverpool might have 7 points gap but it is not a guarantee that they will win the title just yet, we still have a few more games to play.

[skarais]

~~~

No reason to worry even now I think6 as 5 points (so far potentially), although a small gap in global terms, is huge in the context of the EPL. Yes, a lot can change at the end of the season, but unless Liverpool start losing drastically all the time, they will still win the title. It's just a draw, there's nothing wrong with that

Liverpool will test their winning mentality again in the next two matches against Manchester City and Newcastle. If Liverpool can get through these two matches with a win, then they will definitely be safe without too much pressure. The problem is that the competition will be increasingly difficult considering that Manchester City and Newcastle will fight hard to maintain their position. So, Liverpool certainly cannot be completely confident that they will be able to get through without the risk of losing points.

I hope Manchester City can win full points in the next match. So, they can keep their distance from competitors in the race for Champions League places. Chelsea and Bournemouth are at the bottom with a low points gap, so of course Manchester City can't just play without fighting to win. Arsenal clearly have the hope of closing the gap again, but they also cannot afford to lose any more points.

[AYOBA]

Liverpool performance has dropped recently, they are beginning to play draw in matches which they are not suppose to draw, Liverpool played draw against Everton which I never expected, they played draw against Aston villa, those are matches which Liverpool are suppose to win, Liverpool are not suppose to be dropping points at the moment if they really want to win the premier league title this season, then they will have to improve their performance.

Serious Liverpool performances is not powerful like before, because if we take look at their recently performance is very different from how they started the seasons; Liverpool has lose most of their previous matches and could imagine that those matches that they play draw was against weak team that they suppose win, but unfortunately they refuse to win.

If Arsenal can win their next match, then they will be getting close to Liverpool, after staying at the top for some time, it’s going to be painful if Liverpool doesn’t win the tittle this season. Even as Liverpool performance has dropped, i still have confidence in them winning the title this season, because Arsenal performance has dropped also, they are not really playing like before.

This Arsenal coming match will be very interesting match to watch, because I knows that Arsenal will try as much as possible to bring out a positive result against west ham; with the currently performance of arsenal I also confidence that they can find the match very easy to win without too much pressure.

[pawel7777]

The Champions League adventure is over for Man City this season.
I was hoping they could pull off a surprise and go through to the final 16, despite losing at home 3-2 in the first leg, but nope. They looked rather pale in Madrid yesterday, struggling to create any decent chances and making rookie mistakes in defense that caused them to concede another 3 goals.
Oh well. At least they can now focus entirely on the Premier League. I am no longer optimistic about their chances of beating Liverpool this weekend, not with defence playing that poorly.

[Alpha Marine]

But do I believe in them to win the PL title this season? Nah, not so much.    Because they are still lacking a proper striker. No Gabriel Jesus now. He constantly gets injured. It's high time they signed a worthy centre-forward for this squad.

If Arsenal wins West Ham, they will still be 5 points behind Liverpool. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it can be a lot because even though I expect Liverpool to drop more points, I expect the same of Arsenal. As you said, their lack of a striker and Saka being injured till early April doesn't do them any good. Martinelli is also injured too. When you consider all these injuries, I don't think Arsenal can leapfrog Liverpool to win the league.

I would like it to be a tight race, I don't want one team to run away with the league, but even in a tight race, my bets are still on Liverpool. Arsenal is known for bottling opportunities to win the league and even if they get another opportunity, they might blow it, again.

[TelolettOm]

And finally the result of the match between Aston Villa vs Liverpool ended in a draw with a score of 2 - 2.

Just like a joke, Aston Villa Is now is big team both in England and Europe out large. It is now very difficult for Liverpool to beat Aston Villa and Aston villa is qualified in the Champions League that they don't need to struggle like Manchester City struggle and finally crashed out. I give all the accolades to Emery who transformed this club. Big names are now in the club and currently Aston Villa is much better than a club like Manchester United.

Who knows if Villa will go far this season's champions league and surprise the world of football. Not being defeated by Liverpool is a signal that wonders may happen.

Yes, very well, this time Aston Villa did it very well. In the EPL, they were able to draw against Liverpool, although if you look at the overall performance, this season in the EPL, it has been quite a decline, seeing how their position is currently ranked 9th only. However, they continue to struggle, even though in the last 5 matches their performance was not good enough.

Only in the UCL, yes you are right, they managed to qualify for the round of 16 without a play-off, much better than Man City who have even been eliminated. And in the Round of 16 later, Aston Villa's opponent will likely be Club Brugge or Dortmund. If Club Brugge, then their chance to qualify for the quarter-finals will be much higher.

[KingsDen]

But do I believe in them to win the PL title this season? Nah, not so much.    Because they are still lacking a proper striker. No Gabriel Jesus now. He constantly gets injured. It's high time they signed a worthy centre-forward for this squad.

If Arsenal wins West Ham, they will still be 5 points behind Liverpool. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it can be a lot because even though I expect Liverpool to drop more points, I expect the same of Arsenal. As you said, their lack of a striker and Saka being injured till early April doesn't do them any good. Martinelli is also injured too. When you consider all these injuries, I don't think Arsenal can leapfrog Liverpool to win the league.

I would like it to be a tight race, I don't want one team to run away with the league, but even in a tight race, my bets are still on Liverpool. Arsenal is known for bottling opportunities to win the league and even if they get another opportunity, they might blow it, again.

At this period of time in the title race, a team does not necessarily need to put into consideration what another team is playing. The most important thing is to concentrate in your own matches and try as much as possible to go home with three points in each match you play. If you could not go home with three points due to some settings circumstances, at least you should go home with one point and have it as a bad match day. But if as a team you continue to see yourself losing points at this time of the season, know that you are not in the title race. To be in the title race this time around and especially in a league the English Premier League, you don't only need to win, but you need to win consistently. Consistency is what we regard as being in the title race. If you are not consistent, you will be surprised how your position will change in the league. 7 points is not just a big deal it is just 2 wins and 1 draw. I have seen Arsenal in past seasons top the league with 12 points but ended up not winning it.

[blue Snow]

Serious Liverpool performances is not powerful like before, because if we take look at their recently performance is very different from how they started the seasons; Liverpool has lose most of their previous matches and could imagine that those matches that they play draw was against weak team that they suppose win, but unfortunately they refuse to win.

Liverpool is still on track since the beginning. Maybe they are a bit saturated due to the tight tournament that they have to face every week. When I look at them, it's even sharper, It's just the opponent that looks more stronger than before because they knew what strategy Liverpool was implementing. Aston villa is coached by Unay Emery, he more understands how to overcome it. As we can look at previous encounter, Aston Villa also held them 3-3 on previous session which mean Liverpool accustomed to draw when meet that club, not because of a decrease in performance.

[tusandii]

Serious Liverpool performances is not powerful like before, because if we take look at their recently performance is very different from how they started the seasons; Liverpool has lose most of their previous matches and could imagine that those matches that they play draw was against weak team that they suppose win, but unfortunately they refuse to win.

Liverpool is still on track since the beginning. Maybe they are a bit saturated due to the tight tournament that they have to face every week. When I look at them, it's even sharper, It's just the opponent that looks more stronger than before because they knew what strategy Liverpool was implementing. Aston villa is coached by Unay Emery, he more understands how to overcome it. As we can look at previous encounter, Aston Villa also held them 3-3 on previous session which mean Liverpool accustomed to draw when meet that club, not because of a decrease in performance.

I agree with you just because Liverpool got a draw against Aston Villa does not mean it can be concluded that Liverpool has declined because Aston Villa is not a weak club in the EPL so getting a draw is not bad for Liverpool especially they are playing away in this match. Aston Villa sometimes play well when playing against strong clubs so I am not surprised if they can hold Liverpool to a draw but I think if Liverpool meets another club that is weaker I am sure Liverpool can get full points from what I see Liverpool is still quite consistent in all competitions.

[mamesso]

Definitely did not expected Liverpool to drop the ball this way. Sure Villa isn't some terrible team, but I did expected them to do better. Now if Arsenal wins, which I am sure they will, that will make it to be just a 5 point gap, and that is very tough for Liverpool. They could have kept the possibility of 7 points, while also getting a win means 10 point gap with one extra game.

Initially I thought Liverpool would not have any problems when facing Aston Villa because the opponent was only able to get 3 draws and 1 loss in the last four games in the EPL, but the final result really surprised me, Aston Villa was able to appear dominant to force Liverpool to work hard so as not to lose points. Losing 4 points from three games requires Arne Slot to re-evaluate the depth of his squad, if it continues like this, then his position will soon be taken over by Arsenal.

[Alpha Marine]

7 points is not just a big deal it is just 2 wins and 1 draw. I have seen Arsenal in past seasons top the league with 12 points but ended up not winning it.

The thing is, Arsenal is not a team that can chase down a team like Liverpool and overtake them when Liverpool is already on a 7 points lead. I'm not saying this because Liverpool is in very good form, I'm saying this because knowing Arsenal, they might drop more points than Liverpool before the end of the season.
Arsenal doesn't have what Man City had to overtake them when they were 12 points ahead. Man City had consistency, Arsenal doesn't have that. They drop points unexpectedly. If it was Man City behind Liverpool and Liverpool were ahead by 7 points, I would be scared for Liverpool, but Arsenal just don't got it.

[Velvet78]

The Champions League adventure is over for Man City this season.
I was hoping they could pull off a surprise and go through to the final 16, despite losing at home 3-2 in the first leg, but nope. They looked rather pale in Madrid yesterday, struggling to create any decent chances and making rookie mistakes in defense that caused them to concede another 3 goals.
Oh well. At least they can now focus entirely on the Premier League. I am no longer optimistic about their chances of beating Liverpool this weekend, not with defence playing that poorly.

Manchester City weren't even very willing to play in the rematch. It wasn't like they were on the pitch in the first half you know. Their going back to life later on didn't help them either as it was over already.  

Now there are 2 tournaments left for them to focus on: Premier League and FA Cup. But when it comes to their realistic title chance, I can only say the latter.

Because the Premier League title race ended for them weeks ago. They can still win the FA Cup one at least. But even about that I have big doubts...

[jstyler]

I feel for City fans, they had some great moments in CL but it's clear they're out of the title race now, think FA Cup is their only realistic hope for some silverware this season

[Pokapoka124]

Just like a joke, Aston Villa Is now is big team both in England and Europe out large. It is now very difficult for Liverpool to beat Aston Villa and Aston villa is qualified in the Champions League that they don't need to struggle like Manchester City struggle and finally crashed out. I give all the accolades to Emery who transformed this club. Big names are now in the club and currently Aston Villa is much better than a club like Manchester United.

Who knows if Villa will go far this season's champions league and surprise the world of football. Not being defeated by Liverpool is a signal that wonders may happen.

It was a disappointing result because I staked Liverpool to win and lost my bet. Liverpool's lack of concentration in the final third led to them surrendering their lead and settle for a frustrating draw. This result has reduced their points at the top of the standings making the race for the English Premier League more open.

[emrecemsan]

I feel for City fans, they had some great moments in CL but it's clear they're out of the title race now, think FA Cup is their only realistic hope for some silverware this season

It is what it is! This season we have just watched them in pain in the PL. Guardiola is thinking realistic and targeting to finish the season in top 4 only. Even that target isn't guaranteed to achieve to tell the truth. 

Because there are multiple teams going for the same thing and the point difference is really low among them. Manchester City will need to be really consistent from now on. The players will be much less exhausted now as their focus is divided into 2 competitions only. If they don't qualify for the Champions League next season it would be a huge disappointment. I can't imagine them in the Europa League or even below truthfully. With this kind of a squad they have especially... They spent hundreds of million pounds in winter for transfers.

[Kristiyana]

The Champions League adventure is over for Man City this season.
I was hoping they could pull off a surprise and go through to the final 16, despite losing at home 3-2 in the first leg, but nope. They looked rather pale in Madrid yesterday, struggling to create any decent chances and making rookie mistakes in defense that caused them to concede another 3 goals.
Oh well. At least they can now focus entirely on the Premier League. I am no longer optimistic about their chances of beating Liverpool this weekend, not with defence playing that poorly.

Manchester City weren't even very willing to play in the rematch. It wasn't like they were on the pitch in the first half you know. Their going back to life later on didn't help them either as it was over already.  

Now there are 2 tournaments left for them to focus on: Premier League and FA Cup. But when it comes to their realistic title chance, I can only say the latter.

Because the Premier League title race ended for them weeks ago. They can still win the FA Cup one at least. But even about that I have big doubts...

Me too I will doubt it If someone told me that manchester city will win any of this trophy this season, because their performance prove it all. I think they shouldn't think of winning any trophy this season. what they should think of doing right now, is how to build the team to the normal standard. that's the only thing they need to work on right now, Against next season.

[Lannakosa]

It is what it is! This season we have just watched them in pain in the PL. Guardiola is thinking realistic and targeting to finish the season in top 4 only. Even that target isn't guaranteed to achieve to tell the truth. 

Because there are multiple teams going for the same thing and the point difference is really low among them. Manchester City will need to be really consistent from now on. The players will be much less exhausted now as their focus is divided into 2 competitions only. If they don't qualify for the Champions League next season it would be a huge disappointment. I can't imagine them in the Europa League or even below truthfully. With this kind of a squad they have especially... They spent hundreds of million pounds in winter for transfers.

Now that City are out of the Champions League, they can focus all their energy on the Premier League, and it is already clear that their task will be to secure a top 4 finish. They just need to get through these difficult times, they need to admit that this season has been difficult and accept the fact that they will not be able to defend the title and move on. It is important for Guardiola to spend the end of the season in the best possible way, otherwise if City are out of the top 4, he may even lose his job as head coach at City.

[SatoPrincess]

The Premier League always has an interesting story to unfold at the end of every season, last two seasons it was Manchester City we saw overtake Arsenal towards the end of the season when Arsenal slipped up. This season it is Arsenal and Liverpool who are favorites for the title, Liverpool  currently lead with eight points whilst Arsenal follow. Will Liverpool slip up and let history repeat with Arsenal this time?

[Obari]

The Premier League always has an interesting story to unfold at the end of every season, last two seasons it was Manchester City we saw overtake Arsenal towards the end of the season when Arsenal slipped up. This season it is Arsenal and Liverpool who are favorites for the title, Liverpool  currently lead with eight points whilst Arsenal follow. Will Liverpool slip up and let history repeat with Arsenal this time?

History repeating itself this season? We can not be the judge of what will happen because football comes with more surprising outcome. Football imposes different angle of scenarios, one can be acceptable while the other might not. Arsenal are bottlers in English Premier League. Can they do any other thing than been bottlers? Let's point out the fact in football, Liverpool is not Arsenal that will slipped up from the main track, the Reds are very consistent in maintaining streak winnings.

Arne Slot is vital for Liverpool this season. He's winning the EPL title in his first season managing Liverpool. This will be historic event in his managerial career. He's well known to be one of the few bald coaches that have good chemistry towards the players, ensuring he secured every move to increase the odds of winning the league title.