⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[ITExpert]

As a Manchester United fan, so many times we feel as if we are not among the big clubs again as we can not even compete with the least club. Imagine Manchester United was even unable to play with wolves that had not gotten any win. Sometimes I always say very embarrassing to be a Manchester United fan, as we are completely out. Right now what I will say is to sell the team/club and this is what Manchester United really need now. If it will help the club. To be honest right now it is not the managing system but all others that is involved in Manchester United as a club. They need to sell the club, that is all. Let the club be in another managing system.

This is the extreme level of disappointment being the fan of Manchester United. And I think the situation is clearly justified with the performance of the team. Because it's been a long time since Manchester United is unable to provide or share any successful moment of them  with their fans and the viewers as well. In fact from Erik ten hag and after Erik ten hag there are no specific improvements which this team is achieved. I think the management of this team should take this situation now on the level of do and die and take every bold or smooth step which is considered as the factor of the team's failure every time. And this is true that if they are not able now to present themselves in a deserving way or they can't achieve anything big then I think the existence of the team is nothing but a continuous embarrassment and disappointment.

[Nahl]

The 22nd week matches are going to start with a Manchester derby...

At Old Trafford of course the expectations by Manchester United fans will be bigger. But can they win though? Or even steal a point from their powerful opponent? I'm doubtful about that.  

Carrick has already changed Amorim's 3-defender formation to 4-2-3-1 they say. New system and another time period of adaptation for it. I don't think Manchester City will leave points there.

Manchester city in the good form they even still unbeated in the last 9 games but indeed i can says their performance a bit decline because got 3 consecutive draw and the opposite condition for Manchester united that this team has just changing the manager after Amorim sacked but as new caretaker debut Carrick is not run well because lost from Brighton on Fa Cup although Manchester united playing as a host but it's hard for them to beat Manchester city

[satscraper]

Today Chelsea will face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. What’s the prediction here? In my view, Arsenal players are drinking more Carabao, so they’re bound to win. ^{Joke, of course.} I’m curious whether Arsenal will beat Chelsea on penalties, like they did against Crystal Palace, or finish the job in regular time by scoring two goals. My prediction is 2–1, and I’m betting on  Arsenal win.

You are absolutely right. Arsenal football team performance is good in the last matches because they won more matches against different teams and they could not lose any match out of 5 matches which is good sign for that team. Chelsea football team performance is very weak because they won only 1 match out of 5 matches and two matches lost by that team and two matches were ended with draw result. Arsenal team head to head performance is also good because they won 2 matches out of 5 matches and Chelsea team could not win any match against Arsenal team as that is not capable team and they will lose this match but they should try to give hundred percent to win this match.

Nevertheless, Chelsea showed some teeth in the second half and managed to score two goals. The match was actually very dramatic for them, and I think that if Garnacho ^{who scored those two goals against Arsenal} had been playing from the start, the result might have been different. Anyway, as I promised, I bet on an Arsenal win and it paid off, giving the boost to my bankroll. I also voted for Arsenal in the poll, and this match has confirmed that they are currently the strongest team in the league.

[Nightwatchmare]

It is a big maybe but I wouldn't also say no to seeing Xabi Alonso manage Liverpool.    He is a great manager who has proven his manager skills at Leverkusen. They wasted him at Real Madrid.

I know he resigned because of the players' attitude against him. But the board should have thought about what can be done on the recent incidents. You can't change your manager often because of that in the end.

We previously thought Slot would be the one to be sacked after Liverpool's previous performance had declined significantly, but so far he's held on, and Liverpool is slowly recovering. Xabi Alonso proved successful at Leverkusen, but when faced with problems at Real Madrid, he decided to resign, and I'm sure the pressure was too much for him. It's possible that Xabi Alonso will eventually become Liverpool's manager in the future, as he has a good relationship with the team, especially if Slot is ultimately sacked due to the team's continued problems with results in the Premier League.

Arne Slot is still a Liverpool manager because Liverpool was not in a hurry to sack Arne Slot if not Liverpool would have been the first big team to sack its manager this season, and the decision of Liverpool being patient with Arne Slot is paying off because Liverpool is slowly getting back to the Liverpool under Klopp. Xabi Alonso was a successful manager in Bayer Leverkusen, and his work in Bayer Leverkusen was the reason Real Madrid made Xabi Alonso their manager. Considering the good work Xabi Alonso did in Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso was seen as the right man for the Real Madrid manager, but Xabi Alonso proved us wrong just some few weeks after the La Liga kicked off.

[Amphenomenon]

Arne Slot is still a Liverpool manager because Liverpool was not in a hurry to sack Arne Slot if not Liverpool would have been the first big team to sack its manager this season, and the decision of Liverpool being patient with Arne Slot is paying off because Liverpool is slowly getting back to the Liverpool under Klopp. Xabi Alonso was a successful manager in Bayer Leverkusen, and his work in Bayer Leverkusen was the reason Real Madrid made Xabi Alonso their manager. Considering the good work Xabi Alonso did in Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso was seen as the right man for the Real Madrid manager, but Xabi Alonso proved us wrong just some few weeks after the La Liga kicked off.

I still don't consider Xabi Alonso performance at Real Madrid as disappointing, he came in a difficult time and he still did well. I still believe looking at his stat that there was a possibility of him winning a  trophy this season. That aside, Arne Slot likely would be sacked maybe before the season ends or by the end of the season. Their top priority before Arne Slot is free and if he is open to the job then I think they will go for him.

After all he still have a fair of good stat at Real Madrid and then an excellent one at Bayern Leverkusen.

[LGD2Business]

Is there any news about Xabi Alonso returning to the Premier League, or am I missing something? Xabi Alonso was just fired and I haven't seen any news about him talking to a new team. I don't think he'll be taking over at Liverpool right now. That won't happen unless Klopp gets fired. Of course, if Liverpool gets a surprise result against Burnley tomorrow, we won't know what will happen, but in terms of the standings, Liverpool is doing well. I don't think the management is in a hurry to change managers. The fans might want it, but that's a different matter.

[pawel7777]

(...)

Aside Manchester United I don’t think Xabi Alonso will get a job In the premier league next season. Chelsea just recently got a new manager, they were clear that they don’t want a care taker but a manager that will manage the team for years to come so it clear that they would stick to their new manager.

And as of Manchester city I think their plan is to bring in Enzo maresca if guardiola eventually leaves next season, it something that is clear, with Maresca being a premier league tested manager I think that would be the best call for them.

Manchester United is the only option for now because they are with a care taker and by the end of the season he would be replaced so maybe Xabi might be approached by the management and he might considering coming to the premier league.

Yeah, Xabi Alonso was really hyped up after his tremendous successes with Leverkusen, but he's lacking a bit in experience to be a comfortable choice for the top Premier League clubs.
I have mixed feelings about Maresca potentially taking over Man City, but I agree that Alonso would be too much of a gamble for them.

Man United would probably take him on with open arms, but I'm not sure if Alonso would be very excited about that. United's current owner doesn't have a good reputation/history when it comes to his relationship with managers and Man United started to look like a cursed club that is more likely to break managers' careers than to boost them up.

Personally, I think Liverpool would be the most likely option if they decide to part ways with Arne Slot.

[DYOR+BTC]

Is there any news about Xabi Alonso returning to the Premier League, or am I missing something? Xabi Alonso was just fired and I haven't seen any news about him talking to a new team. I don't think he'll be taking over at Liverpool right now. That won't happen unless Klopp gets fired. Of course, if Liverpool gets a surprise result against Burnley tomorrow, we won't know what will happen, but in terms of the standings, Liverpool is doing well. I don't think the management is in a hurry to change managers. The fans might want it, but that's a different matter.

Even if klopp is fired i don't see any possibility for xabi Alonso becoming Liverpools new coach because of his sentimental behavioural pattern that made him lose his job at Real Madrid some days ago. From his arrival to before his departure, he has made some players like luka modric leave the team in an unfavourable manner even benched some promising talent like Rodrigo that made him begin to nurse the idea of leaving the team so soon. If he is given Liverpool's job, instead of impacting positive changes that may lead to improvement he will make Liverpool go below this current level.

[Nightwatchmare]

Arne Slot is still a Liverpool manager because Liverpool was not in a hurry to sack Arne Slot if not Liverpool would have been the first big team to sack its manager this season, and the decision of Liverpool being patient with Arne Slot is paying off because Liverpool is slowly getting back to the Liverpool under Klopp. Xabi Alonso was a successful manager in Bayer Leverkusen, and his work in Bayer Leverkusen was the reason Real Madrid made Xabi Alonso their manager. Considering the good work Xabi Alonso did in Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso was seen as the right man for the Real Madrid manager, but Xabi Alonso proved us wrong just some few weeks after the La Liga kicked off.

I still don't consider Xabi Alonso performance at Real Madrid as disappointing, he came in a difficult time and he still did well. I still believe looking at his stat that there was a possibility of him winning a  trophy this season. That aside, Arne Slot likely would be sacked maybe before the season ends or by the end of the season. Their top priority before Arne Slot is free and if he is open to the job then I think they will go for him.

After all he still have a fair of good stat at Real Madrid and then an excellent one at Bayern Leverkusen.

Even if Xabi Alonso came to Real Madrid in a difficult time, the reason Xabi Alonso was made Real Madrid manager was for him to change the difficult situation in Real Madrid and win one major trophy, but since Xabi Alonso could not change the situation in Real Madrid, his performance in Real Madrid was a disappointment. Xabi Alonso would not have won any trophy this season if he had continued as Real Madrid manager. Who is the Liverpool top priority? I do not think Liverpool will sack Arne Slot because if they had wanted to sack Arne Slot this season, they would have done that long ago

[Iranus]

Nevertheless, Chelsea showed some teeth in the second half and managed to score two goals. The match was actually very dramatic for them, and I think that if Garnacho ^{who scored those two goals against Arsenal} had been playing from the start, the result might have been different. Anyway, as I promised, I bet on an Arsenal win and it paid off, giving the boost to my bankroll. I also voted for Arsenal in the poll, and this match has confirmed that they are currently the strongest team in the league.

It was very difficult to win against a team like arsenal. I had bet on Arsenal to win and arsenal won 3-2.

Although chelsea scored two goals, they attacked relatively little. If they had  played a little more attacking, they would not have lost. They only had 9 shots in the whole match. Grancho performed  brilliantly in this match. If he had been in the squad in the first half , chelsea's attacks would have been more intense.

[Sims25]

Arne Slot is still a Liverpool manager because Liverpool was not in a hurry to sack Arne Slot if not Liverpool would have been the first big team to sack its manager this season, and the decision of Liverpool being patient with Arne Slot is paying off because Liverpool is slowly getting back to the Liverpool under Klopp. Xabi Alonso was a successful manager in Bayer Leverkusen, and his work in Bayer Leverkusen was the reason Real Madrid made Xabi Alonso their manager. Considering the good work Xabi Alonso did in Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso was seen as the right man for the Real Madrid manager, but Xabi Alonso proved us wrong just some few weeks after the La Liga kicked off.

I still don't consider Xabi Alonso performance at Real Madrid as disappointing, he came in a difficult time and he still did well. I still believe looking at his stat that there was a possibility of him winning a  trophy this season. That aside, Arne Slot likely would be sacked maybe before the season ends or by the end of the season. Their top priority before Arne Slot is free and if he is open to the job then I think they will go for him.

After all he still have a fair of good stat at Real Madrid and then an excellent one at Bayern Leverkusen.

Even if Xabi Alonso came to Real Madrid in a difficult time, the reason Xabi Alonso was made Real Madrid manager was for him to change the difficult situation in Real Madrid and win one major trophy, but since Xabi Alonso could not change the situation in Real Madrid, his performance in Real Madrid was a disappointment. Xabi Alonso would not have won any trophy this season if he had continued as Real Madrid manager. Who is the Liverpool top priority? I do not think Liverpool will sack Arne Slot because if they had wanted to sack Arne Slot this season, they would have done that long ago

I see a lot of people criticising Xabi but Real Madrid has failed to succesfully replace some key players like Kroos, Modric, Marcelo, Carvahal. They were able to reinforce the attack but forgot the midfield and full backs as those were the strongest positions Real Madrid strive in under Zidane and Ancelotti. Camavinga has had to play as a full back too a couple of times. The sack was just too early because the team is clearly in a rebuild stage.

[Barikui1]

I see a lot of people criticising Xabi but Real Madrid has failed to succesfully replace some key players like Kroos, Modric, Marcelo, Carvahal. They were able to reinforce the attack but forgot the midfield and full backs as those were the strongest positions Real Madrid strive in under Zidane and Ancelotti. Camavinga has had to play as a full back too a couple of times. The sack was just too early because the team is clearly in a rebuild stage.

I don't think you are aware that xabi Alonso was not sacked for footballing reasons, he was sacked because of power struggle between him and some real madrid players. The president of the club prefers listening to the players over the manager, which I don't think it's the right thing to do.

Secondly, on the point you made about not replacing Luka modric and Marcelo, you are very correct, they have also fails to replace the chief conductor of their midfield, Toni kroos, and I think his absence is what real madrid has felt the most, so until all these players are replaced and an experience manager is signed into the club that the players will listen to without thinking twice, real madrid will continue struggling.

[$crypto$]

Is there any news about Xabi Alonso returning to the Premier League, or am I missing something? Xabi Alonso was just fired and I haven't seen any news about him talking to a new team. I don't think he'll be taking over at Liverpool right now. That won't happen unless Klopp gets fired. Of course, if Liverpool gets a surprise result against Burnley tomorrow, we won't know what will happen, but in terms of the standings, Liverpool is doing well. I don't think the management is in a hurry to change managers. The fans might want it, but that's a different matter.

Of course the news of Xabi Alonso returning to Liverpool rumors are always there --- https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/liverpool-already-set-foundation-xabi-063500065.html
This news is still uncertain how far Liverpool will take Xabi if Arne Slot fails this season.

I quite believe that Arne Slot can still bring Liverpool back on track, despite feeling unsatisfactory results but that's not a bad thing, this actually depends on club management.

Xabi to Liverpool --- then Wirtz will be happy, because when at Leverkusen he was good under Xabi.

[9ja Amaka]

Manchester city in the good form they even still unbeated in the last 9 games but indeed i can says their performance a bit decline because got 3 consecutive draw and the opposite condition for Manchester united that this team has just changing the manager after Amorim sacked but as new caretaker debut Carrick is not run well because lost from Brighton on Fa Cup although Manchester united playing as a host but it's hard for them to beat Manchester city

Mbuemo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo is back from AFCON. This is a huge boost for the club, ahead of the match against Manchester City.
The last game at Etihad was embarrassing, United lost 0:3, with Haaland scoring a brace and Foden sealing the win for Pep's side. This time around, the game will be played at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, Old Trafford is no longer what it used to be. I think Manchester City will win this game also. They now have a huge boost in their attack after signing, Antoine Semenyo.

[Alpha Marine]

Manchester United should hired a quality coach who can ignite the fires as old days and being back their former glory.

I have been saying this a lot, but people don't understand it. They need a good coach who can handle the club. A manager who can handle the dressing room, the egos of the players, and bring out the best in them. The manager also needs to have power over who he can sign or who he can sell. They need somebody who is respected by the management of the club, the players, the fans and the past players of the club.
There is no curse or whatever wrong with United, they just need better management. There is a reason why the last successful manager of the club was Alex Feguson. He had control of everything in the club including the players and that is what United needs now. The players need to be comfortable in the club instead of facing constant negative energy from the club, fans and past players.

It is embarrassing that Manchester United would go without winning any trophy.

It's no more emarasssing at this point. Its a normal thing for them. They have been going without winning any trophy for years. The fans are already used to it at this point.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

Mbuemo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo is back from AFCON. This is a huge boost for the club, ahead of the match against Manchester City.
The last game at Etihad was embarrassing, United lost 0:3, with Haaland scoring a brace and Foden sealing the win for Pep's side. This time around, the game will be played at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, Old Trafford is no longer what it used to be. I think Manchester City will win this game also. They now have a huge boost in their attack after signing, Antoine Semenyo.

Even though the match will be at Old Trafford, I'm a bit pessimistic about Manchester United's strength even though Mbuemo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo have returned from AFCON. Manchester City are on a good run and with the arrival of Antoine Semenyo their overall strength has also improved, making it difficult for Manchester United to keep up. Manchester United's squad is also not much better, so even though they are playing at home, the potential for losing points is also high and perhaps a draw would be more than enough for Manchester United because in the current conditions, it seems difficult to beat Manchester City.