⚽ Premier League 2026/2027 Discussion Thread ⚽

[liasbaa]

Maresca have to build is own team different from Pep guardiola's own, they are not playing the same pattern so definitely he have to make it on his own way so that he can be able to achieve the kind of result you want. For very long time now Manchester City have been losing some good players, but despite that they always bounce back, which I expected that to happen under the leadership of Maresca. Maresca is a great manager that can bring out the best in him with Manchester City so let's see how is performance will look like.

It's not just a matter of losing important players, but the very team play setup that is different.
Basically Manchester City have a good team, certainly improvable but of good quality. By changing the style of play and strategy you don't always get along well right away, it could yield results in the long run, it certainly doesn't look very promising now.

Recently Enzo Maresca took over Manchester City and Pep Guardiola was in charge for the last 10 years and his achievements were very outstanding. The players had a good understanding with him and the team was performing well but no one is permanent for a team. Many fans unsure about the new coach Enzo Maresca but he has inherited a strong team and if he manages the team with his own strategy it would not be unfair to expect more from him because he is an experienced manager and has managed big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City in the past.

[Joeboy]

Definitely Enzo Maresca will do a good job here in Manchester City, but certainly not this season, he's still got some huge work to do for now, he doesn't understand Pep pattern so he will have to rebrand the pattern of play from the team to his own, and that will take him time to achieve, so deep down I am not really expecting anything from him now, the least I'm expecting from him is making it to the UEFA Champions League next season, but lifting a trophy is a no to me, nothing even the FA cup.

Even in EPL, I am really not expecting too much competition from Maresca team this season since he is still trying to fit in into the team, and also get all the players fully settled into his own system... And there is still a lot of work that needs to be done since many of the players are already used to Pep Guadiola style of play..  The strategy he had City play against Arsenal still shows that he still need to get a lot of things figured out.. That strategy didn't work and so I expect Maresca to learn form that and make the necessary adjustments while going forward with the team-- coz if he can't still think of re-using that same approach when their major opposition has already gotten it figured out...A change is needed if he wants his team to go far across the different competitions...

[Fakhrulenclix]

Definitely Enzo Maresca will do a good job here in Manchester City, but certainly not this season, he's still got some huge work to do for now, he doesn't understand Pep pattern so he will have to rebrand the pattern of play from the team to his own, and that will take him time to achieve, so deep down I am not really expecting anything from him now, the least I'm expecting from him is making it to the UEFA Champions League next season, but lifting a trophy is a no to me, nothing even the FA cup.

Even in EPL, I am really not expecting too much competition from Maresca team this season since he is still trying to fit in into the team, and also get all the players fully settled into his own system... And there is still a lot of work that needs to be done since many of the players are already used to Pep Guadiola style of play..  The strategy he had City play against Arsenal still shows that he still need to get a lot of things figured out.. That strategy didn't work and so I expect Maresca to learn form that and make the necessary adjustments while going forward with the team-- coz if he can't still think of re-using that same approach when their major opposition has already gotten it figured out...A change is needed if he wants his team to go far across the different competitions...

It will take time for Enzo Maresca to adapt and develop Man City, especially after Pep Guardiola has long established the team's structure. It will certainly be a bit difficult for him to continue. This reminds me of the Manchester United team when Sir Alex Ferguson left.
And regarding my confidence, I share yours, but whatever it is, Enzo Maresca must also give himself time to prove himself. If he succeeds in his first season, that would be great, but if not, I think that's understandable.

[Sarah Azhari]

In my opinion, this season has got to be the easiest league title ever for Arsenal. The usual suspects are not in form, the only club capable of posing a real threat to Arsenal is Manchester United unless some dark horse comes along and cause upset like the time Leicester City won the league. With the quality Arsenal has, I’d say they can very well compete for the champions league without feeling pressure, and hopefully win their first under Arteta.

In the Premier League, Arsenal’s path to reclaiming the title might seem smooth, as top teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea are currently in a transitional phase due to coaching changes. However, even though Manchester United might appear to be a contender for Arsenal, their squad isn’t strong enough. However, when it comes to Arsenal winning the Champions League title, I’m a bit pessimistic, not because of the quality of their squad, but more because of their winning mentality. We saw last season how Arsenal lost in the Champions League final precisely because they lacked that winning mentality.

[SatoPrincess]

In my opinion, this season has got to be the easiest league title ever for Arsenal. The usual suspects are not in form, the only club capable of posing a real threat to Arsenal is Manchester United unless some dark horse comes along and cause upset like the time Leicester City won the league. With the quality Arsenal has, I’d say they can very well compete for the champions league without feeling pressure, and hopefully win their first under Arteta.

In the Premier League, Arsenal’s path to reclaiming the title might seem smooth, as top teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea are currently in a transitional phase due to coaching changes. However, even though Manchester United might appear to be a contender for Arsenal, their squad isn’t strong enough. However, when it comes to Arsenal winning the Champions League title, I’m a bit pessimistic, not because of the quality of their squad, but more because of their winning mentality. We saw last season how Arsenal lost in the Champions League final precisely because they lacked that winning mentality.

I disagree. Arsenal has a strong winning mentality. They have built resilience over the years and finally won the EPL title. Don’t forget they lost the final to a PSG - a far better team that’s won the CL multiple times and do not have the challenges of the premier league. I wouldn’t use that loss to conclude that Arsenal do not have a winning mentality.

[sergiorus]

Definitely Enzo Maresca will do a good job here in Manchester City, but certainly not this season, he's still got some huge work to do for now, he doesn't understand Pep pattern so he will have to rebrand the pattern of play from the team to his own, and that will take him time to achieve, so deep down I am not really expecting anything from him now, the least I'm expecting from him is making it to the UEFA Champions League next season, but lifting a trophy is a no to me, nothing even the FA cup.

Even in EPL, I am really not expecting too much competition from Maresca team this season since he is still trying to fit in into the team, and also get all the players fully settled into his own system... And there is still a lot of work that needs to be done since many of the players are already used to Pep Guadiola style of play..  The strategy he had City play against Arsenal still shows that he still need to get a lot of things figured out.. That strategy didn't work and so I expect Maresca to learn form that and make the necessary adjustments while going forward with the team-- coz if he can't still think of re-using that same approach when their major opposition has already gotten it figured out...A change is needed if he wants his team to go far across the different competitions...

It will take time for Enzo Maresca to adapt and develop Man City, especially after Pep Guardiola has long established the team's structure. It will certainly be a bit difficult for him to continue. This reminds me of the Manchester United team when Sir Alex Ferguson left.
And regarding my confidence, I share yours, but whatever it is, Enzo Maresca must also give himself time to prove himself. If he succeeds in his first season, that would be great, but if not, I think that's understandable.

The difference is that Ferguson left Man United as EPL champions with the morale at the top and moreover the successor got to maintain all the key players of the squad.

Man City already failed to win the EPL last season and what is even more dramatic, just lost not one but two of their best players: Silva and Rodri.

Thing look quite a bit more challenging for them than they were for Man United back then.

Two things make me very optimistic about them though: Haalland and the amount of money the owners are willing to spend on the team.

[ZeroVinsonN]

It will take time for Enzo Maresca to adapt and develop Man City, especially after Pep Guardiola has long established the team's structure. It will certainly be a bit difficult for him to continue. This reminds me of the Manchester United team when Sir Alex Ferguson left.
And regarding my confidence, I share yours, but whatever it is, Enzo Maresca must also give himself time to prove himself. If he succeeds in his first season, that would be great, but if not, I think that's understandable.

Pep's shoes aren't easy to fill so even if Maresca is unable to perform up to per this season that doesn't mean he is a bad coach, a club like Manchester City has had Pep Guardiola for so long that the entire players are used to him to the point that even with a new coach they are still likely to want to play the way they used to when Pep Guardiola was still with them.
They've been conditioned to play the way he instructs them and now they will need to unlearn that play pattern and adjust to Maresca and it might take them more than a single season to pull that off.

[9ja Amaka]

They will dominate the Premier league competition for the next two seasons with the look of things. They're by far the best and can go ahead to steal whatever talented player in the Premier League Competition to play for them. Community Shield officially won,now they will go on to prepare for the opening fixture come friday night.

This is officially the end of an era and the beginning of a new era. It is predicted that they're favourites again just as we saw from the bookmakers last season. It gladdens me watching the Greece international Tzolis. Brilliant youngster.

You woke up on the right side of the bed when you said this. Finally, you've stopped believing Michael Carrick will take you to glory anytime soon. Michael Carrick is a promising head coach. I believe that with the talent given to him, he will go far in the Premier League. But it is not in the next two years. The Arsenal team remains a hard side to beat. I watched how they dominated Manchester City in a final. It was scary. 

The Arsenal team have known each other for a while. The new players that were signed this summer have merged with the old boys. It didn't take them too long.

[TastyChillySauce00]

Following the result of community shield. I feel skeptical my team City can battle Arsenal for the title contender. I just wanna be a realistic person if the current City is not the City's pep that could trouble Arsenal in winning the trophies. So many mistakes showed by Maresca, and it's really pissed me off. I hope Maresca can fuck off from my club asap. It's why i think Arsenal is keeping their EPL title again.

They're the only ready to win title team at this moment. I said that because other clubs such as my club(City), Chelsea, Liverpool are still rebuilding back their club. However, the potential club that may able to struggle Arsenal to win EPL maybe my club's rival/MU.

But MU feels underpriced here. Any opinion about the outrights?

If you are true City fan, you will not make such early predictions now. I knew Arsenal will win the shield, because City is at the point of adapting to the new manager's tactics, and we know how difficult this is. Enzo Maresca is a good coach, and we saw him win 2 trophies at Chelsea, it is just time he needs to adapt. And the frustrating thing is that his first official game was against Arsenal, how wish it was other average teams, It would have been a chance for him to test run which of the best tactics works for his team,  but unfortunately it is Arsenal. But at least am glad he would learn which tactics to use and not to use.

I don't know why football fans are already predicting City's performance next season, instead of giving them time to adapt and see what happens. As for me, I will not judge an performance until after one full month,  then I can finally predict.

I just try to be realistic. No PL chance for my team this season. Pep is gone as well as Bernardo and Rodri. So my team is lacking the depth in the midfield, and it's getting worsen with mini pep who often did dumb experiement when he was at Chelsea.
The result against Arsenal is enough to conclude my team won't have chance to compete for the PL title.

The quality has declined so hard compared when Pep was still there especially in term of gameplay. Lack of disciplinary, putting players not in their position, and minipep's tactic makes entire players have no clue what to do.
Just because i'm a fan of City. It doesn't mean i must be fnatic.

When they play bad, i have to admit they play bad.

[Nightwatchmare]

Many don't know that Manchester United is considered more than Chelsea when we talk of lifting the trophy next season, the Chelsea i know did have a very poor performance last season and will continue with such performance this season even of they will do better,  that doesn't mean they will win the league tournament next season because they don't have the players needed to become the champions of England.
As for Manchester United, I am confident that the quality players they have can help them secure that trophy confidently without obstruction.

You are using Manchester United and Chelsea performance last season to believe Manchester United has more stake than Chelsea when it comes to lifting the league title in the season ahead, no doubt Manchester United finished ahead of Chelsea last season but it does not put them ahead of Chelsea in the league title talk because as will have not seen Manchester United and Chelsea performances in the new season no-one is certain if Manchester United would be better than Chelsea, and do not underestimate Chelsea, they can win the league title if they are ready to fight for it.

[IceLincoln]

Definitely Enzo Maresca will do a good job here in Manchester City, but certainly not this season, he's still got some huge work to do for now, he doesn't understand Pep pattern so he will have to rebrand the pattern of play from the team to his own, and that will take him time to achieve, so deep down I am not really expecting anything from him now, the least I'm expecting from him is making it to the UEFA Champions League next season, but lifting a trophy is a no to me, nothing even the FA cup.

Even in EPL, I am really not expecting too much competition from Maresca team this season since he is still trying to fit in into the team, and also get all the players fully settled into his own system... And there is still a lot of work that needs to be done since many of the players are already used to Pep Guadiola style of play..  The strategy he had City play against Arsenal still shows that he still need to get a lot of things figured out.. That strategy didn't work and so I expect Maresca to learn form that and make the necessary adjustments while going forward with the team-- coz if he can't still think of re-using that same approach when their major opposition has already gotten it figured out...A change is needed if he wants his team to go far across the different competitions...

It will take time for Enzo Maresca to adapt and develop Man City, especially after Pep Guardiola has long established the team's structure. It will certainly be a bit difficult for him to continue. This reminds me of the Manchester United team when Sir Alex Ferguson left.
And regarding my confidence, I share yours, but whatever it is, Enzo Maresca must also give himself time to prove himself. If he succeeds in his first season, that would be great, but if not, I think that's understandable.

The difference is that Ferguson left Man United as EPL champions with the morale at the top and moreover the successor got to maintain all the key players of the squad.

Man City already failed to win the EPL last season and what is even more dramatic, just lost not one but two of their best players: Silva and Rodri.

Thing look quite a bit more challenging for them than they were for Man United back then.

Two things make me very optimistic about them though: Haalland and the amount of money the owners are willing to spend on the team.

The Situation is not the same at all. Since Ferguson left United they’ve not won the league again. Manchester City still have what it takes to fight for the title, though some people might be saying that it’s the end of an era and the beginning of Arsenal’s reign but that’s yet to be seen.
Arsenal have a good squad and Manchester City also  have a sufficient squad. The only difference now is that Arsenal still have their team together.

[Spaceman1000$]

Maresca have to build is own team different from Pep guardiola's own, they are not playing the same pattern so definitely he have to make it on his own way so that he can be able to achieve the kind of result you want. For very long time now Manchester City have been losing some good players, but despite that they always bounce back, which I expected that to happen under the leadership of Maresca. Maresca is a great manager that can bring out the best in him with Manchester City so let's see how is performance will look like.

It's not just a matter of losing important players, but the very team play setup that is different.
Basically Manchester City have a good team, certainly improvable but of good quality. By changing the style of play and strategy you don't always get along well right away, it could yield results in the long run, it certainly doesn't look very promising now.

Recently Enzo Maresca took over Manchester City and Pep Guardiola was in charge for the last 10 years and his achievements were very outstanding. The players had a good understanding with him and the team was performing well but no one is permanent for a team. Many fans unsure about the new coach Enzo Maresca but he has inherited a strong team and if he manages the team with his own strategy it would not be unfair to expect more from him because he is an experienced manager and has managed big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City in the past.

Lol😂 your write up just made me to remember the immediate past Liverpool coach Arne Slot, he inherited a perfect team from Jurgen Klopp, but couldn't stand the test of team with such a unique team that was handed over to him. Truth is that, if it's not Pep Guardiola, then it can never be it. I don't want to move with the bandwagon of saying, a good team was handed over to Enzo, he will definitely have his shortcomings, so what should be expecting of him now is to try his best in keeping the club afloat, but expecting the excellence of Guardiola then that's pretty too early.

[Issa56]

It will take time for Enzo Maresca to adapt and develop Man City, especially after Pep Guardiola has long established the team's structure. It will certainly be a bit difficult for him to continue.

Enzo Maresca is really having a lot to do when the season starts, he will have to adapt to the team as soon as possible, because Manchester city won’t be comfortable losing in matches. I hope Manchester city will be able to give him enough time for him to stabilize the team, because right now there will be pressure on him. Pep Guardiola has set a high standard already, so Enzo Maresca will have to maintain the standard, if he can’t maintain it, then there will be problem with them.

Next season is going to be a interesting one, because all the top clubs in the premier league are really trying to build their squad, even teams which we don’t expect them to perform well might end up surprising us, so Enzo Maresca is really having lots of work to do, am not really satisfied with Manchester city performance yet.

[Solodoski]

In my opinion, this season has got to be the easiest league title ever for Arsenal. The usual suspects are not in form, the only club capable of posing a real threat to Arsenal is Manchester United unless some dark horse comes along and cause upset like the time Leicester City won the league. With the quality Arsenal has, I’d say they can very well compete for the champions league without feeling pressure, and hopefully win their first under Arteta.

I did would have loved to agree with you that this is definitely going to be the easiest league title for Arsenal,  but I will like to tread with caution,  because this is the premier league and it's full of surprises. Arsenal is definitely the favorite to win the premier league in my opinion,  because I think they have got the best squad and also have stability now, but its a very long season and we don't know what will happen along the way, so I will not say it's going to be the easiest league for Arsenal. They have got a very good squad to go all the way and I still think they are the favorite for it, but I will not want to make that prediction now, until probably after 10 matches into the season.

[sotelorene]

I disagree. Arsenal has a strong winning mentality. They have built resilience over the years and finally won the EPL title. Don’t forget they lost the final to a PSG - a far better team that’s won the CL multiple times and do not have the challenges of the premier league. I wouldn’t use that loss to conclude that Arsenal do not have a winning mentality.

You can not possibly say Arsenal has a winning mentality simply because they won the premier league after so many years of getting to the top and could not win it. Arsenal may have a winning mentality in normal matches but they don't have winning mentality when it comes to lifting trophy, if they have as you claim they would have won more than a trophy or two this very last season and if not for Manchester city lapses they would have lost the premier league.

[Joca97]

I disagree. Arsenal has a strong winning mentality. They have built resilience over the years and finally won the EPL title. Don’t forget they lost the final to a PSG - a far better team that’s won the CL multiple times and do not have the challenges of the premier league. I wouldn’t use that loss to conclude that Arsenal do not have a winning mentality.

You can not possibly say Arsenal has a winning mentality simply because they won the premier league after so many years of getting to the top and could not win it. Arsenal may have a winning mentality in normal matches but they don't have winning mentality when it comes to lifting trophy, if they have as you claim they would have won more than a trophy or two this very last season and if not for Manchester city lapses they would have lost the premier league.

Everything is changing currently and i think that Arsenal now have the winning mentality. It cannot be said after one season but they are sharp now and after winning these titles i think they are far the best team in the premier league currently and i think no one is close to them. I think they can win the title really easily if they start really well

[Nwadiche]

I disagree. Arsenal has a strong winning mentality. They have built resilience over the years and finally won the EPL title. Don’t forget they lost the final to a PSG - a far better team that’s won the CL multiple times and do not have the challenges of the premier league. I wouldn’t use that loss to conclude that Arsenal do not have a winning mentality.

I disagree with you, because Arsenal managed to win Premier league last season doesn't mean they have a winning mentality ok, i think for over 22years now this is only when they've managed to win the league. You can say they have winning mentality in community shield which we all knew is their most winning trophy you can easily find in their trophies room, check in the history of Arsenal they haven't won any Premier league back to back and don't be surprise that this very season they might just end in top four in Premier league table maybe you think since Guardiola has left no other coaches will be able to withstand Arteta? This very season will be a very tough one for every coaches in Premier league.

[Princess Leah]

I disagree with you, because Arsenal managed to win Premier league last season doesn't mean they have a winning mentality ok, i think for over 22years now this is only when they've managed to win the league. You can say they have winning mentality in community shield which we all knew is their most winning trophy you can easily find in their trophies room, check in the history of Arsenal they haven't won any Premier league back to back and don't be surprise that this very season they might just end in top four in Premier league table maybe you think since Guardiola has left no other coaches will be able to withstand Arteta? This very season will be a very tough one for every coaches in Premier league.

Winning the league gives lots of confidence to a team, Arsenal has already proved that by beating Manchester City in the Community Shield, we can't tell if they'll win the league this season but their confidence would be very high, better than other teams. Arsenal has been runners up for years before they finally won it, you could imagine the level of confidence they'll have this season.

 Pep Guardiola is gone, so for now I don't see any coach that would be threatening to Arteta until others prove otherwise when the league has gone far to an extent, let me still use the Community Shield as a reference cause that should let everyone know how prepared they're for this coming season.

[Stormisover]

Maresca have to build is own team different from Pep guardiola's own, they are not playing the same pattern so definitely he have to make it on his own way so that he can be able to achieve the kind of result you want. For very long time now Manchester City have been losing some good players, but despite that they always bounce back, which I expected that to happen under the leadership of Maresca. Maresca is a great manager that can bring out the best in him with Manchester City so let's see how is performance will look like.

It's not just a matter of losing important players, but the very team play setup that is different.
Basically Manchester City have a good team, certainly improvable but of good quality. By changing the style of play and strategy you don't always get along well right away, it could yield results in the long run, it certainly doesn't look very promising now.

Recently Enzo Maresca took over Manchester City and Pep Guardiola was in charge for the last 10 years and his achievements were very outstanding. The players had a good understanding with him and the team was performing well but no one is permanent for a team. Many fans unsure about the new coach Enzo Maresca but he has inherited a strong team and if he manages the team with his own strategy it would not be unfair to expect more from him because he is an experienced manager and has managed big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City in the past.

Enzo Maresca is definitely winning something with Manchester City but certainly not this season, maybe next season, all he should focus on is how to make the players adapt to his tactics, because his tactics is different from that of Pep, and the players are already used to Pep's tactics so it will stress them a little bit, that's why I'm not expecting any trophy from him now, that goes to Xabi Alonso too, they are both on putting things in order first before they can kick start of planning to win any trophy for their various clubs.

[pawel7777]

Enzo Maresca is definitely winning something with Manchester City but certainly not this season, maybe next season, all he should focus on is how to make the players adapt to his tactics, because his tactics is different from that of Pep, and the players are already used to Pep's tactics so it will stress them a little bit, that's why I'm not expecting any trophy from him now, that goes to Xabi Alonso too, they are both on putting things in order first before they can kick start of planning to win any trophy for their various clubs.

I feel the same way. If the City finish in the top 3, this would be a success, but I don't see them winning the league this season, not if Arsenal keep their performance consistent with the prior season. Plus, we might see Man United and Liverpool waking up this year.

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