⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Nightwatchmare]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

[Iranus]

Especially Tottenham... They had a horrible season man. They were even on the verge of relegation for weeks you know.    Really dark days for them.

However now De Zerbi is making investments into the team by bringing talented players. He has full authority on nearly 10 signings as far as I have seen on the internet.

I believe in him to make this team much better again. I hope to see them in a Champions League spot race next time.

Tottenham's performance was also very bad in the previous season. They finished the season in 17th place in the table. They should have strengthened the squad in the previous season. But they did not do it. As a result, we have seen atrocious performance from the team this season as well. Perhaps now Ttottenham management has been able to understand the weakness of their squad. They are trying to add new players to the squad. However, the large amount means Tottenham management is not interested in spending. It is very difficult to add talented and experienced players to the squad and form  a strong squad unless there is a large fund in the premier league.

[Jaycoinz]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

It's a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach and I think Chelsea were the ones that actually called and I believe Liverpool were already had their sight on the Bournemouth manager. The real deal now is for xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team because trust it's not gonna be an easy task at all since Chelsea are facing serious crisis in their performance and again they failed to qualify for any European competitions which would have given them an edge in trying to sign new players.

[Fakhrulenclix]

That’s a big ask. Where did Chelsea finish on the league table last season? You expect the new manager to perform miracles and win the premier league with the same players. Xabi Alonso needs time to work and perfect his strategy at Chelsea. A trophy should not be not be your immediate concern for the time being rather how he can build a dynasty at Chelsea.

In agreement! It is a lot different from Antonio Conte who came in meeting a good squad set up by Jose Mourinho after he was sacked by Chelsea. Xabi Alonso has not met that, rather, he has come to manage a broken club with an unserious management who do not genuinely care about the footballing aspect of the club. I fear they will suffer but I don’t really think I can tell if they make it to the Premier League Competition top five clubs for the Champions League competition next season. I don’t expect much from him, he just has to repair the squad and get them going and winning games.

Actually, it's not that difficult for Xabi Alonso because overall Chelsea's squad is already quite good since they have quality players in every line, especially with the many potential young players, it should actually make it easier for Xabi Alonso to build this team, although I also can't deny that Xabi Alonso still needs time to adapt. But at least there are positive progress signs; if not, it's not impossible that Xabi Alonso might end up having the same fate as previous Chelsea coaches.

[9ja Amaka]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

It's true that Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool  for 5 years, but we should understand that playing and coa hing are two different things. I have always said that he is a decent coach, but let's not forget that the premier league is definitely one of the hardest league in Europe if not even the hardest. This is his first time managing a team in the Premier League and he is not even coming to a team that has already been competing lately, rather he is coming to rebuild the team. I am not saying that he is not going to do well, but I think right now he does not need the pressure of winning the premier league on his shoulders in his first season, I think the most important should be how he is going yo improve the team and maybe try to get them to the champions league at the end of the season.

[ILuckyGuyI]

It's a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach and I think Chelsea were the ones that actually called and I believe Liverpool were already had their sight on the Bournemouth manager. The real deal now is for xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team because trust it's not gonna be an easy task at all since Chelsea are facing serious crisis in their performance and again they failed to qualify for any European competitions which would have given them an edge in trying to sign new players.

That's the interesting part if Liverpool really had eyes on Iraola from the beginning instead of waiting for a chance to bring Xabi Alonso instead... Because it's Xabi Alonso man!

What does the guy need to do more than this to prove himself for top clubs? He made Leverkusen a record-breaking champion in the Bundesliga ahead of the dominator of the league - who is Bayern Munich...

[Nightwatchmare]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

It's a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach and I think Chelsea were the ones that actually called and I believe Liverpool were already had their sight on the Bournemouth manager. The real deal now is for xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team because trust it's not gonna be an easy task at all since Chelsea are facing serious crisis in their performance and again they failed to qualify for any European competitions which would have given them an edge in trying to sign new players.

You are correct that it is a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach, and i believe Liverpool would have gone for Xabi Alonso if he was available when Arnie Slot contract was terminated. Succeeding at Chelsea is never an easy task especially now that Chelsea is in the rebuilding stage it is going to be difficult for Xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team but if Chelsea board trust him and give him time to understand his players surely he will start winning games with this Chelsea team.

[ITExpert]

I believe Xabi Alonso is here to rebuild the club from scratch because most of the key players have exited Stamford Bridge and some are still keen on leaving, this is entirely a new project for Chelsea and I believe the club will work entirely to make sure they can come up with good players to replace their old ones. There's this thing called transition and Chelsea happen to be one of the EPL elite sides to pass this phase, it's going to be extremely tough but one thing is certain, Chelsea will bounce back and when they do, winning games will become much more easier, it won't just be about winning games but lifting major trophies with consecutive winnings.

Xabi Alonso is a coach with a great reputation and highly experienced and I think this is the reason Chelsea management choose him as the new coach of the team so that he can bring them into the lighter zone. Because there is a lot of things which needs to be changed in the Chelsea and also require a great improvement so that the very firstly they can stand between the four top spots. And I think these changes will not happen until he will not add some new and strong face into the team because this is very necessary in the upbringing if the team. So let's see what will happen in the xabi Alonso era at Chelsea as he has a four years contract with this team. Because Chelsea team is a very inconsistent team so i think the main target for him is to make Chelsea consistent and make their position stable

[Hyphen(-)]

You are correct that it is a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach, and i believe Liverpool would have gone for Xabi Alonso if he was available when Arnie Slot contract was terminated. Succeeding at Chelsea is never an easy task especially now that Chelsea is in the rebuilding stage it is going to be difficult for Xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team but if Chelsea board trust him and give him time to understand his players surely he will start winning games with this Chelsea team.

Considering the fact that Alonso has played in Liverpool, and he have coached well in Bayer Leverkusen, he should have been given Liverpool job instead of Chelsea because he knows the team and have played for the team, but the Liverpool management are still relying on Arne Slit because they wanted him to stay towards the end of the season, but when the realized that they need to sack him, Chelsea has initiated talks and has agreed to sign him.

Chelsea board needs to give Alonso some time because their players are not in order, he need to rebuild the team and make sure they are fit to compete for titles, but I still believe he can do well to make sure the team performed better next season compare to last season.

[Frankolala]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

It's a matter of choice from the teams that needed a coach and I think Chelsea were the ones that actually called and I believe Liverpool were already had their sight on the Bournemouth manager. The real deal now is for xabi Alonso to deliver this Chelsea team because trust it's not gonna be an easy task at all since Chelsea are facing serious crisis in their performance and again they failed to qualify for any European competitions which would have given them an edge in trying to sign new players.

Since Chelsea didn't qualify qualify for any European competition, they have all the time to improve their performance and bring out the best in them because they will have enough time to train with less pressure on them. They will also have enough time to rest and prepare for their EPL matches. It depends on the kind of players Chelsea want to sign that will determine if the players will come or not because they ain't in any European competition.

[Distraction]

I have heard of Manchester United's interest also in Julian Alvarez. They must be wishing to have a star striker to play more seriously for the PL championship next season. 

However I doubt they can convince the player to sign for them while Barcelona is also trying to sign him... Because his dream seems to be playing for the Spanish giant ASAP.

[rachael9385]

What happens with Manchester City is they have so high standars that not being champions of the Premier LEague or the Champions League it seems like a complete failure of a season but we all know that is not real, they still manage to do a magnificent season being in the second position of the PL and winning some of the national cups.

Manchester city's performance started changing after they lost a game that was crucial to them winning the premier league title, they didn't really lose per se, the game was a draw but they didn't gain more points to surpass arsenal which gave arsenal an advantage over them later on. At some point we were beginning to think that city would win the league title but that didn't happen.

[Phoenix Anka]

What happens with Manchester City is they have so high standars that not being champions of the Premier LEague or the Champions League it seems like a complete failure of a season but we all know that is not real, they still manage to do a magnificent season being in the second position of the PL and winning some of the national cups.

Manchester city's performance started changing after they lost a game that was crucial to them winning the premier league title, they didn't really lose per se, the game was a draw but they didn't gain more points to surpass arsenal which gave arsenal an advantage over them later on. At some point we were beginning to think that city would win the league title but that didn't happen.

I also thought they would win the Premier League at some point during the season. They started winning consecutively, and during that time Arsenal started dropping points. However, from what I saw, Manchester City also started dropping points, and Arsenal began winning in pursuit of the cup. At the end of the season, Arsenal won the cup, their first trophy in many years. If Manchester City wants to be better next year, they need to build a stronger squad along with their new manager.

[GiftedMAN]

Since Chelsea didn't qualify qualify for any European competition, they have all the time to improve their performance and bring out the best in them because they will have enough time to train with less pressure on them. They will also have enough time to rest and prepare for their EPL matches. It depends on the kind of players Chelsea want to sign that will determine if the players will come or not because they ain't in any European competition.

That is if they make good signing this summer and not depend on the players that are yet to improve, Chelsea has the big chance to fight for the league because teams like Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United will be busy in the champions League so it's going to be a good moment if they utilize the less competition they will be involved in to focus so much on the league if they don't win the league they will be sure of qualifying for the champions League next season.

[FanEagle]

As long as people expect Xabi Alonso to take a team that finished 10th place, and then make them 44th place, then the result will be disappointment and we are going to see them fall and be a lot lower. I think it's really funny to realize that people have very low patience with managers, when in reality keeping up with them makes it better.

Arteta, Gasperini, and many more, if you keep the coach for many years, teams do get better. You just have to believe that you got the right coach, and if you did then nothing will change and you will be fine. Many people ended up being a lot worse because they keep firing coach after coach after coach, and that's why they never get good. Alonso should have a 10 year contract here, because I bet you, if they do not fire him, they will eventually win the title. But if they do, they can have 10 coaches in 10 years and they will win nothing.

[Mustang Shelby]

Since Chelsea didn't qualify qualify for any European competition, they have all the time to improve their performance and bring out the best in them because they will have enough time to train with less pressure on them. They will also have enough time to rest and prepare for their EPL matches. It depends on the kind of players Chelsea want to sign that will determine if the players will come or not because they ain't in any European competition.

That is if they make good signing this summer and not depend on the players that are yet to improve, Chelsea has the big chance to fight for the league because teams like Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United will be busy in the champions League so it's going to be a good moment if they utilize the less competition they will be involved in to focus so much on the league if they don't win the league they will be sure of qualifying for the champions League next season.

Considering the tough Champions League matches other teams have to play, Chelsea should use this to their advantage. At least, they should use it as an advantage, given the fact that they'll have more rest for the Champions League qualification. The players will have more rest, and it should be easier for them to get three points. They also changed managers, and Xabi, who worked wonders at Bayer Leverkusen, has arrived. Chelsea will be one of the teams to watch next year. If Xabi fails at Chelsea after his Real Madrid career, it will be a disappointment for him.

[ejikeme24]

Tottenham's performance was also very bad in the previous season. They finished the season in 17th place in the table. They should have strengthened the squad in the previous season. But they did not do it. As a result, we have seen atrocious performance from the team this season as well. Perhaps now Ttottenham management has been able to understand the weakness of their squad. They are trying to add new players to the squad. However, the large amount means Tottenham management is not interested in spending. It is very difficult to add talented and experienced players to the squad and form  a strong squad unless there is a large fund in the premier league.

I was actually expecting Tottenham management to bring in more talented and experienced players by now, but instead they only signed one player which is Jan Paul van Hecke while the rest of the three was free transfer. And I feel that these players they accepted for free transfer is unlikely to change the team, Although I don't know how they are going to perform in Tottenham. it seems that the club  does not  have enough money to buy players or maybe the management feel that they can start with these few players they have got? Personally I don't think it's enough they still need more capable player's.

[Adams0001]

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

Playing in a team and coaching in a club is something different and the 5 years can give him experience on how to perform well in a pitch but currently that is a coach he need to learn the tactics Dey well so that he can handle the club’s. Everything have change in football and is not like before that is playing. When he coach in Bundesliga he really do well and achieve a trophy for Bayer Leverkusen in the club. Chelsea are struggling since last season and now they have seen Gh new manager xabi Alonso,Let was watch how the new season will go and know if he can be capable to managing Chelsea for next season.

[Mate2237]

Building a team that will be competitive in the future should be the overriding the agenda of Chelsea now . Whether they are resting more or not should not be the basis for them to play well come next season. Chelsea coach should not think about even wining a single trophy in this  first season as a coach .


Chelsea performance was just not impressive this just concluded season, and that that should be a enough reason for this new coach to do a proper job. In terms of finishing up in a comfortable position Chelsea should not put so much expectations and pressure on this new manager over the premier League.

[SatoPrincess]

Xabi Alonso will adapt to the league without waiting for a long time I think. He is already familiar with this league by the way. I don't agree with the people who think he isn't.

He played at Liverpool for 5 years in his footballer career. How can you think like that in the first place?    I hoped to see him managing Liverpool but it didn't happen. Maybe one day...

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009 which is 5 years. The 5 years is enough for him to know the in and out of the premier league so adapting to the league will not take a long time because he is familiar with the league. Had the been Xabi Alonso is the coach of Arsenal that already had a strong team he would perform well at the start of the premier league season, people would have seen the league will not delay him to perform well. But even as he is familiar with the league, Chelsea will make him to struggle since he will have to build a team he can use and win matches for Chelsea. Had the been Xabi Alonso was not hired by Chelsea, Liverpool would make him their new manager after they sacked Arnie Slot.

That’s funny. You believe just because he played in the Premier league twenty years ago, he knows the “in and out” of the EPL. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t studying the league in case he becomes a manager in the future. Just so you know, Liverpool had the opportunity first of signing Xabi Alonso but they passed the former Liverpool defender for Iraola.

Most importantly, what’s the relationship between Xabi and Arsenal here?