⚽ Premier League 2026/2027 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Antotena]

The result of the match is not important, but the result of the plays is, friendlies are used to see how players actually behave with other teams, even if you have an idea during training, the friendly is like a testing ground.
Commitment, however, is put into playing. I like Xabi as a coach, I like his way of thinking. Getting young people to play is very important.

Let's be honest, friendly match is important. How is Chelsea going to know their optimum place to position players if they don't get it right now. By the time the season start fully, teams are not going to be doing that again, they know what's missing, they know their mistakes and they know what to fix to make the team work but look at what Chelsea is playing, two friendly match they didn't even draw anyteam, they loss two matches in a row for nothing.

Assuming Alonso is already a house coach, it will be understandable and people will not panic but this is his first job entry and he is not getting things right. How is the team going to perform if the friendly match is that hard to win. Everyone is furious about this performance, they expected more due to how Maresca disappointed the team, it would make sense if he is able to restore the glory of the club.

[Tmoonz]

Chelsea on the verge of losing a second pre season game, they lost to 10 men Tottenham, and now they are losing to juventus already. I know it just a pre season game and it not suppose to matter, but then winning pre season games always gives the players a very good mindset to go into the season. Chelsea are still without some of them big players, the likes of James, Enzo and even LaCroix.

A lot of changes were made by Alonso in this game, almost all the players featured including Mudryk who had just served is dopping punishment. Now I think Alonso needs to start picking the players he will work with next season.

It ended already and Chelsea lost to juventus in Hong Kong 0-1

Xabi started 16-year-old Nicoll-Jazuli in the starting eleven. We all know how much he loves playing with young players. Welbeck was also in the starting lineup. While they didn't play particularly well against Juventus, these are friendly matches and the results aren't important. What matters is how the players make the manager feel and what kind of impression they leave. I'm sure Juventus are happy to have won, but neither team really cares about matches like this. Right now, the managers are busy preparing their players in the best way possible. I'm really curious about their performance once the Premier League starts.

But how this preseason games is becoming much interesting this days Is still what baffles me the most, I can still remember when win or lose in the preseason games doesn't matter till the starting of the season, but to me it doesn't really matter, Chelsea might be weak in this preseason games but don't be surprised they might turn something else when the league starts, I trust Xabi Alonso on this, he knew exactly what he's doing, he will definitely put things in order I'm counting on him on this one.

[Sammye3]

But how this preseason games is becoming much interesting this days Is still what baffles me the most, I can still remember when win or lose in the preseason games doesn't matter till the starting of the season, but to me it doesn't really matter, Chelsea might be weak in this preseason games but don't be surprised they might turn something else when the league starts, I trust Xabi Alonso on this, he knew exactly what he's doing, he will definitely put things in order I'm counting on him on this one.

The preseason game might look like a casual game that does not decide the performance of a team in the upcoming league matches but that's a total lie, no match is to be taken unseriously whatever the competition might be, same with preseason matches.

Chelsea had a poor performance against Juventus and their performance was short of my expectations. We saw Mudryk grace the field again after four years though didn't make quite the impact on the pitch. Alonso should know better to take this preseason games seriously as that would help strengthen the mentality of players.

[B-BossMan]

Smiles, I bet you Vinicius junior is going nowhere, this is just a strategy to waist Arsenal's time, the time is ticking and people are making signing but Arsenal is there chasing after one player all this while, before they know it there won't be much time for them, by then they will lay hands on anyone that's available at that moment and the fans will start complaining, they should better look for the black goat while it's still day time, I say it again Vinicius junior is going nowhere trust me, Jose Mourinho needs him as much as he needs Kylian Mbappe.

It looks like Arsenal is about to get pranked again. Why is Arsenal still chasing after Vinicius, even though Real Madrid has already stated that they won’t sell him to any club this season? I’m surprised, Arsenal shouldn’t be pinning its hopes on something so uncertain. They’d be better off looking for other options before the transfer window closes, rather than wasting time on something so unclear.

Although Arsenal's can be so funny at times with thier imaginations. Thier dreams are always at a bigger levels and seems impossible, well it's good that way, but seriously I just hope they would get a better player sign this period even if it's not Vinicius. Because Vinicius deal actually looks difficult as seen, if at all Arsenal's need to sign new attackers again next coming season, because that was the only area they are lacking control and it has been affecting them for while, if they really do well and work on that, they will definitely be strong more than before.

[Queen uloma]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

[Hyphen(-)]

The purpose of pre-season is to learn from your mistakes and gain as much experience as possible before the start of the season so that players and coaches don't have to struggle in the main season. Pre-season matches are rarely valuable, but there is no reason to be too serious about pre-season matches.

Even the team's key players are not put on the field during pre-season, but young and new players are given the opportunity to play so that they can adapt to the team and understand the coach's strategy. After the defeat against Juventus, Xabi Alonso will definitely be able to identify his mistakes and will have a chance to correct them. Arsenal also struggled against Real Betis, trailing 3-1 in the first half

That’s right, but team mentality is usually built from preseason games, and this preseason is the time to test new players and bond them into the team as well. I am not saying that winning is necessarily, but trying to adjust after first mistake is a good thing for any manager that’s why I wasn’t expecting this second defeat even though it was against Juventus.

Nevertheless, I trust Alonso, and I believe the management trusted him as well and if he is given long period of time, he can make the team great again.

[SmartCharpa]

The result of the match is not important, but the result of the plays is, friendlies are used to see how players actually behave with other teams, even if you have an idea during training, the friendly is like a testing ground.
Commitment, however, is put into playing. I like Xabi as a coach, I like his way of thinking. Getting young people to play is very important.

Yes, the preseason results do not determine their success for next season. But the preseason games are also important for the players to give their best to prove they are ready for the next season. Chelsea have lost two preseason games in a row, losing against Tottenham Spurs and suffered another defeat to Juventus. I was very disappointed with the outcome, it was a game I expected Chelsea to win by scoring two or more goals.

However, I believe with the results of the last two matches will make some Chelsea fans to doubt whether Xabi Alonso is the right manager for the club. Xabi Alonso should not disappoint the club after they provided the players he wants to bring them back to winning ways. With this squad, Xabi Alonso should be able to compete for every title they play next season.

[Adbitco]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

Pre season games are just so much unpredictable, sometimes you will think there will be lots of goals scored because it's pre season na and we are used to seeing outrageous scorelines, one will go ahead to pick thee options, most of the times it fails because one or two teams from the selection will fail to produce the needed goals. Imagine someone who has always included both Chelsea and Arsenal on the over market, twice so far Arsenal matches has delivered because they had been ov 3.5 goals on both occasions, Chelsea games on the other hand has failed to do that on these two occasions. I'm always afraid of picking a team to win instead, I prefer over market, but it still doesn't come through most of the times for me.

[asriloni]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

There's no much hope to bet on Arsenal when they performed with that kind of squad. So many young lads composition, and some this is also first game for the new players like Tzolis. Then, you have to avoid any kind of bet in the pre-season game due to the uncertain result. I believe many people were not betting in this kind of game.

Beside that i saw Arsenal's defense may weakened, but Kepa has to be the one who get the lowest rate in this game. his clearance is so terrible, and he's washed.

Other than that there is still enough time for them to improve. Yet i believe Arteta uses this momentum as the right moment to know what loopholes still available in their squad. Pre-season has always been about trial and error.

Also look at their last season pre-season result too. My suggestion to always keep the distance from betting on pre-season.

[IceLincoln]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

Ahh!.. Pre season is one of the most unpredictable times for betting in football, the players are mostly not performing at their best and most teams field different players and not the regular starters… so determining who’ll win or lose becomes a problem.
For some reasons this preseason isn’t favourable at all to most big clubs: PSG lost 3:0 to Mallorca and Arsenal 3:1 to Real Betis, Madrid and Barca had a draw.

[Loyang]

Smiles, I bet you Vinicius junior is going nowhere, this is just a strategy to waist Arsenal's time, the time is ticking and people are making signing but Arsenal is there chasing after one player all this while, before they know it there won't be much time for them, by then they will lay hands on anyone that's available at that moment and the fans will start complaining, they should better look for the black goat while it's still day time, I say it again Vinicius junior is going nowhere trust me, Jose Mourinho needs him as much as he needs Kylian Mbappe.

It looks like Arsenal is about to get pranked again. Why is Arsenal still chasing after Vinicius, even though Real Madrid has already stated that they won’t sell him to any club this season? I’m surprised, Arsenal shouldn’t be pinning its hopes on something so uncertain. They’d be better off looking for other options before the transfer window closes, rather than wasting time on something so unclear.

Although Arsenal's can be so funny at times with thier imaginations. Thier dreams are always at a bigger levels and seems impossible, well it's good that way, but seriously I just hope they would get a better player sign this period even if it's not Vinicius. Because Vinicius deal actually looks difficult as seen, if at all Arsenal's need to sign new attackers again next coming season, because that was the only area they are lacking control and it has been affecting them for while, if they really do well and work on that, they will definitely be strong more than before.

Arsenal are currently in a very strong position and their attacking part is in a very strong position. But if Arsenal are able to add Vinicius to their team, then maybe we can assume that this will be one of the strongest attacking parts in Europe. Because currently we can see that Arsenal are weak in the left wing and if Arsenal are able to add Vinicius, then maybe the left wing will be a very strong position and then maybe there will be strong pressure on the opponent's defense. Just like we are currently seeing that there is extra pressure on Bukayo Saka and then maybe this pressure will spread to everyone.

[Shussainshah]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

It's just a pre season matchs and most of the manger want to test new season tactics in the pre season matchs. Arteta trying some kinda new variations of players and also use new transition in the counter attack. I watch the highlights and I like him thr new tactics they use in thr matchs but unfortunately the result are not in favour but technically they are good and they can use the same tactics for the new season, last season we think Arsenal can only defend and play Haramball but this season Arsenal's look very different in counter attack they use most of the full back in attack.

[satscraper]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

It's just a pre season matchs and most of the manger want to test new season tactics in the pre season matchs. Arteta trying some kinda new variations of players and also use new transition in the counter attack. I watch the highlights and I like him thr new tactics they use in thr matchs but unfortunately the result are not in favour but technically they are good and they can use the same tactics for the new season, last season we think Arsenal can only defend and play Haramball but this season Arsenal's look very different in counter attack they use most of the full back in attack.

Despite the fact that there was the case when Arsenal won the Premier League title two times in a row, I don't believe they will do the same in the 2026/2027 season. Yeah, they will be among the major contenders, but in my view, Manchester City will take the trophy this time. So no matter how Arteta rotates the squad, no good will come of it, though it is very interesting to see Arsenal playing with slightly different tactics.

[Bigjoe33]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

Ahh!.. Pre season is one of the most unpredictable times for betting in football, the players are mostly not performing at their best and most teams field different players and not the regular starters… so determining who’ll win or lose becomes a problem.
For some reasons this preseason isn’t favourable at all to most big clubs: PSG lost 3:0 to Mallorca and Arsenal 3:1 to Real Betis, Madrid and Barca had a draw.

Though it's a boost period and a time to do some technical analysis about your team to know your stand and what best is to be done so you stand ready for next season, but still, there is nothing special about it. Every loss may be painful but does not hold a special effect on the team as they begin the season.  I even like it when a team loses, so the manager and the board can speed up on some buys they never thought would be necessary in term of players.

I think the loss should push manager Arteta to see where he needs a push and get a stronger team to cover his weaknesses. Though it wasn't regular starters, but it's also a sign that the team needs to build up. Just like Chelsea lost two consecutive pre season matches, they would step up and plan better, so also Arteta should study and step up as the season is just in few weeks

[Nightwatchmare]

Chelsea on the verge of losing a second pre season game, they lost to 10 men Tottenham, and now they are losing to juventus already. I know it just a pre season game and it not suppose to matter, but then winning pre season games always gives the players a very good mindset to go into the season. Chelsea are still without some of them big players, the likes of James, Enzo and even LaCroix.

A lot of changes were made by Alonso in this game, almost all the players featured including Mudryk who had just served is dopping punishment. Now I think Alonso needs to start picking the players he will work with next season.

It ended already and Chelsea lost to juventus in Hong Kong 0-1

As you know pre-season does not matter and it is not true test to determine the performance of any team in the new season ahead, so Chelsea losing to 10 men Tottenham hotspur and 11 men Juventus does not really mean anything, if Xabi Alonso is able to figure out tactics that will comfortably fit Chelsea players, Chelsea will do well when the season starts despite their results and performance in their pre-season. Xabi Alonso is using the pre-season to know his players better, it is after Chelsea pre-season tour is over he will pick the players he will work with next season.

[Sarah Azhari]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

Hey, how dare you place a bet on a preseason match? I, for one, wouldn’t dare bet on a preseason match. As far as I know, preseason matches are just like serious training sessions, not real matches. So, it’s no surprise that Arsenal lost this match. Besides, this match can serve as a lesson for Arteta, he needs to immediately shore up his defense so Arsenal can start the season with a win. My advice is, you’d better not bet on preseason matches. You might end up suffering huge losses because matches like that are unpredictable.

[sergiorus]

I wasn’t expecting this loss from Arsenal. I was expecting them to win the match, I went far as to bet on this match, but I end up losing my bet.  I know that many people also bet that arsenal is going to win the match but they also end up losing their bet. The arsenal defense was very bad in today’s match that’s why they lost the match. I know it’s a friendly match but I expected them to win the match.

Hey, how dare you place a bet on a preseason match? I, for one, wouldn’t dare bet on a preseason match. As far as I know, preseason matches are just like serious training sessions, not real matches. So, it’s no surprise that Arsenal lost this match. Besides, this match can serve as a lesson for Arteta, he needs to immediately shore up his defense so Arsenal can start the season with a win. My advice is, you’d better not bet on preseason matches. You might end up suffering huge losses because matches like that are unpredictable.

You can bet on anything, lol. Of course they can play with reserve squad or junior players but you still can take a guess how it will work out for them. You also can wait for the squad announcement before making a bet. Pre-season or not, if the class of the players in the teams is in different universes it kinda make sense to bet that they will beat the weak opponent even in relax mode.

At the same time there is someone who took a risky bet against them and made some nice dough. Could be you or me.