⚽ Premier League 2026/2027 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Franctoshi]

Finally, at least there's a headway in this case even though I'm not convinced a serious punishment will be melted on Manchester City, how can a team have some many count charges and if hasn't been resolved for donkey years, how many teams gets up to this before their case is being decided and punishment melted. Chelsea has been punished more than once, Everton has been punished as well. Funny enough what these 2 clubs had been punished for are included in City's case yet nothing so far. I had this feeling that they were given a special treatment, I can see people talking about this news of City being guilty. Premier league will just ask them to pay a certain amount of money, in my opinion, I still don't see any serious punishment they would receive, I would be surprised if they receive a suitable punishment after their appeal, but I'm seriously not banking on that.

I knew the end was near when Pep left the club, he probably knew that the club was going to be found guilty this year. However I’m concerned that even though City have been found guilty, the premier league still will not be able to punish them accordingly. The right thing to do would be to strip them of their titles but we know that’s not going to happen. The Saudis have invested heavily in the club and in Manchester’s economy. I’m afraid they do not want to lose the flow of that oil money in the PL.

Pep Gaurdiola is a wise man, I guess all thses were committed under his watch as manager, though it's something that involves the club and its management not the manager.
They're guilty of all these count charge, let's see if they will be strip off some of the trophies they won during these period or get relegated to division 1. I know even if they punished city at last, they will steal appeal their punishment.

[YOSHIE]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

In fact, I think the Man City team is one of the teams that is still perfect at the moment in the 2026/27 Premier League, having collected 15 points from the five matches they have played, What is clear is that Man City has now achieved a 5-3 victory over Sunderland, which has moved them to the top of the Premier League standings, so what makes you doubt the Man City team.

In my view, on the contrary, Man City is a team that can be said to be successful in the Premier League this season, as is the Arsenal team, I can't wait to see the continuation of the Man City vs. Liverpool next October, although many football fans say a tough test for Man City but I am sure the Man City team will do their best.

[Halifat]

I knew the end was near when Pep left the club, he probably knew that the club was going to be found guilty this year. However I’m concerned that even though City have been found guilty, the premier league still will not be able to punish them accordingly. The right thing to do would be to strip them of their titles but we know that’s not going to happen. The Saudis have invested heavily in the club and in Manchester’s economy. I’m afraid they do not want to lose the flow of that oil money in the PL.

Pep Gaurdiola is a wise man, I guess all thses were committed under his watch as manager, though it's something that involves the club and its management not the manager.
They're guilty of all these count charge, let's see if they will be strip off some of the trophies they won during these period or get relegated to division 1. I know even if they punished city at last, they will steal appeal their punishment.

Immediately they say something about this case, it wasn't a surprise to me because I thought Pep Guardiola will spend the exactly 2 years contract is signed, but unfortunately he left which I begin to find reason why he just have to go, actually it wasn't his fault that was why I did not even blame him starting from the beginning, when I get to know the full details I begin to blame the management because it was all their fault and I am sure that with this cheat, that is how they come about winning a lot of trophies just because they are able to get the kinds of player they needed. Honestly it is not going to be funny for Manchester City to recover, because I am so much confident that some of the players win leave.

[len01]

Fabian Hürzeler explains his strict philosophy and how he deals with players who lack effort:
“We have red lines and non-negotiable principles. When we lose the ball, we must win it back within five seconds, and everyone must sprint back at full speed.
If a player doesn’t do that in training, I stop the session and make the whole team run as punishment. The next day, we show the clip in the video meeting in front of everyone. No player wants to be embarrassed in front of his teammates for not running.”

https://www.facebook.com/61589317884129/posts/fabian-h%C3%BCrzeler-explains-his-strict-philosophy-and-how-he-deals-with-players-who/122125132419310596/

Sorry for the Facebook link, I saw this in a video somewhere, but I can't find where anymore.
The rules are quite strict, but the point is that training also shapes your mindset, which helps later in games. Discipline and hard work always yield results. But I think you understand that in order to establish such rules, he must have complete power and zero competition - I don’t think this is possible in modern top clubs because there are inevitably players who have a big ego and “weigh” no less than the coach. This works at the lower and middle levels, but not above them.

Thank you for the information.

But from my understanding, Fabian Hürzeler realizes that the competition in the EPL is really difficult and requires very strict discipline. So he gives the players very intense training so they can develop a strong mentality and be able to compete against and beat other top clubs. But, the negative impact that could happen is that it may actually put other players at risk. When players are required to win the ball back within 5 seconds, a player will try various ways to win the ball back, even making dangerous tackles.

[sergiorus]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

~Snip~
 so what makes you doubt the Man City team.

1. Severely weakened defensive midfield zone - there's no good substitute for Rodri

2. Silva is probably not as irreplaceable, but it could potentially become a problem especially in case of injuries

3. Maresca is simply riding the wave built by Guardiola. One day it will stop working and he will have to build the wave of his own and there's no guarantee he will succeed at it.

[Plutomanian]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

Manchester City should not be overlooked because Pep Guardiola is no longer managing the club, but they did have Enzo Maresca. Manchester City are in good hands, they're elevating and winning games this season, this is the kind of things to expect from the citizens because they will always become very competitive and knowing exactly what they want to achieve in the English premier League. It's fine to see City going far this season although it's going to be a really long season.

[Ale88]

3. Maresca is simply riding the wave built by Guardiola. One day it will stop working and he will have to build the wave of his own and there's no guarantee he will succeed at it.

To be fair this current Manchester City team is way different from what Guardiola had. During the past years Guardiola spent a lot of money but he's never really been able to replace the main players he had over the years and others didn't perform as they hoped they would be. De Bruyne was an incredible player, and you can notice he's not there anymore. Foden is already 26 years old and it's still not clear what kind of payer he is because instead of improving he got worse during the last years. And they lost Rodri, who was the team's brain.
In my opinion Maresca basically has to rebuild the team and change several things that stopped working years ago.

[Oluwa-btc]

1. Severely weakened defensive midfield zone - there's no good substitute for Rodri

2. Silva is probably not as irreplaceable, but it could potentially become a problem especially in case of injuries

3. Maresca is simply riding the wave built by Guardiola. One day it will stop working and he will have to build the wave of his own and there's no guarantee he will succeed at it.

Between Anderson Elliot and the young Moroccan recently signed, they can be good replacements for Rodri if properly utilised.

What is the work of Ryan Cherki? I honestly think he is the perfect replacement for Bernardo Silva although, I hate to see him showboating.

Enzo Maresca is tested and trusted, he is not riding under the system set up by Josep Pep Guardiola. This guy has literally proved himself in the past. He knows how to win trophies. This season? With the 115 charges against them, they could be relegated.

[Rhow]

3. Maresca is simply riding the wave built by Guardiola. One day it will stop working and he will have to build the wave of his own and there's no guarantee he will succeed at it.

Guardiola's hand-built Manchester City system didn't happen overnight. Guardiola's contribution to Manchester City will be remembered for a long time. Even after taking on a new coach, it is normal to rely on the structure created by Guardiola to some extent in the beginning.

But I would not underestimate Maresca's contribution in this regard. It is normal for every manager to take some time to create his own structure within the team. It is not even the fact that Maresca is only using Guardiola's system that has no contribution. There have been many successful managers who have built their own identity by working on the foundation created by the previous coach.

[Tmoonz]

Finally, at least there's a headway in this case even though I'm not convinced a serious punishment will be melted on Manchester City, how can a team have some many count charges and if hasn't been resolved for donkey years, how many teams gets up to this before their case is being decided and punishment melted. Chelsea has been punished more than once, Everton has been punished as well. Funny enough what these 2 clubs had been punished for are included in City's case yet nothing so far. I had this feeling that they were given a special treatment, I can see people talking about this news of City being guilty. Premier league will just ask them to pay a certain amount of money, in my opinion, I still don't see any serious punishment they would receive, I would be surprised if they receive a suitable punishment after their appeal, but I'm seriously not banking on that.

I knew the end was near when Pep left the club, he probably knew that the club was going to be found guilty this year. However I’m concerned that even though City have been found guilty, the premier league still will not be able to punish them accordingly. The right thing to do would be to strip them of their titles but we know that’s not going to happen. The Saudis have invested heavily in the club and in Manchester’s economy. I’m afraid they do not want to lose the flow of that oil money in the PL.

Pep Gaurdiola is a wise man, I guess all thses were committed under his watch as manager, though it's something that involves the club and its management not the manager.
They're guilty of all these count charge, let's see if they will be strip off some of the trophies they won during these period or get relegated to division 1. I know even if they punished city at last, they will steal appeal their punishment.

That is not wiseness, that is greed, you might think it was a wise act then but now it want to back fire at them, and again his legacy is tainted, by this act, so it's not really a wise move by him, now rumors has it that the only clean trophy he's won in his entire career, has been like this and that's not really nice to his name, now Manchester City is about to face a penalty that I believe it's force by a single man, because be it the manager or the management while going against the rules they all knew it was bad, but went ahead to exhibit it, so to me there's no reason to praise him here.

[Sobz]

This is a big blow to Manchester City as they were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges. No sanctions have been announced yet. However, according to the Premier League’s handbook, the club could face an unlimited fine,  points deduction, or even expulsion from the league. The club might also lose some of its Premier League trophies it won during the period under consideration. The club made a statement claiming that they are innocent and will appeal the judgement.

English clubs that took second position when City won the Premier League might be crowned champions if the judgment is upheld by higher judicial bodies. While other clubs are seeking legal advice on whether they are entitled to compensation from City,

This is the second time in history we are seeing a Pep Guardiola related to such a case again. What do we say about him and his legacy,it sends a negative message about him even if he remains a genius. I want to see Arsenal awarded our two trophies so I will be looking forward towards seeing Manchester City being stripped off their trophies especially during the years they cheated. Being demoted should also not be forgotten, they must be taught a hard lesson and used as an escape goat for any other club who attempts to pull out such stunts. Apart from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are also other clubs who will crowned Champions in the years they came close towards winning it.

[Pi-network314159]

Finally, at least there's a headway in this case even though I'm not convinced a serious punishment will be melted on Manchester City, how can a team have some many count charges and if hasn't been resolved for donkey years, how many teams gets up to this before their case is being decided and punishment melted. Chelsea has been punished more than once, Everton has been punished as well. Funny enough what these 2 clubs had been punished for are included in City's case yet nothing so far. I had this feeling that they were given a special treatment, I can see people talking about this news of City being guilty. Premier league will just ask them to pay a certain amount of money, in my opinion, I still don't see any serious punishment they would receive, I would be surprised if they receive a suitable punishment after their appeal, but I'm seriously not banking on that.

I knew the end was near when Pep left the club, he probably knew that the club was going to be found guilty this year. However I’m concerned that even though City have been found guilty, the premier league still will not be able to punish them accordingly. The right thing to do would be to strip them of their titles but we know that’s not going to happen. The Saudis have invested heavily in the club and in Manchester’s economy. I’m afraid they do not want to lose the flow of that oil money in the PL.

Pep Gaurdiola is a wise man, I guess all thses were committed under his watch as manager, though it's something that involves the club and its management not the manager.
They're guilty of all these count charge, let's see if they will be strip off some of the trophies they won during these period or get relegated to division 1. I know even if they punished city at last, they will steal appeal their punishment.

Maybe he knew what was coming that's why he decided to jump ship before it comes sinking under him, Manchester City will not escape this, 114 count charges found guilty out of the 115, this is massive, it took this long because the consequences will be felt by all. Points deductions, relegation and trophy stripping will be done to them. Manchester City was a good team but that team was assembled with illegal money, that's the problem. I read where Rodri said what they achieved can never be taken away from them. What if the Premier League stripes the league titles away from them, will be calling himself a premier league champion. History will be rewritten if this happens, Guardiola will not have any premier League title to his name.

[WatChe]

Brighton has actually been performing quite well so far, especially in scoring goals they’ve been pretty productive, and even when they lost to Chelsea, they managed to score two goals. Brighton confidence has increased after beating Manchester United in an impressive way with an amazing comeback, followed by a win against the defending champions Arsenal. So it’s very understandable that many people predict Brighton could finish in the top 4, but considering the EPL has only played 5 matches so far, I’m not sure Brighton will secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.

Because the EPL is always tight and competitive, not just in the race for the EPL trophy but also in the fight for a UCL spot. Considering the journey is still very long, I doubt Brighton can maintain their consistency given that their squad depth isn’t as good as Chelsea, Liverpool or even Man United. But whatever it is, Brighton’s performance so far deserves appreciation especially after beating Arsenal who are a solid team and the defending champions. We’ll just have to see if Brighton can keep their consistency.

I was looking at points table of 2025/26 season and after week 5, Brighton was at number 14th position, while this time they are at 3rd position after week 5. Of course its just start of the season and based on previous performance of Brighton its difficult to say whether they will be able to finish among top 5 or not. Brighton got good start of the season and they just need consistency in coming games, if they were able to achieve that in next 10 weeks then they defiantly have some chance of getting good results in this season.

[Rabata]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

Manchester City should not be overlooked because Pep Guardiola is no longer managing the club, but they did have Enzo Maresca. Manchester City are in good hands, they're elevating and winning games this season, this is the kind of things to expect from the citizens because they will always become very competitive and knowing exactly what they want to achieve in the English premier League. It's fine to see City going far this season although it's going to be a really long season.

I think Manchester City are in good hands because Enzo Maresca has worked with Guardiola since the academy and was on Guardiola's coaching staff during the treble-winning season. So his relationship with City is very old. Here we can't just call him a new manager, he is deeply involved with Manchester City. And the biggest thing is that he can also play according to Pep's system. This does not put a whole new pressure on the players, which means they have been able to maintain the same consistency. So, Maresca's familiarity could be important in keeping City ahead of the competition in the new chapter.

[Alex077]

1. Severely weakened defensive midfield zone - there's no good substitute for Rodri

There is indeed some weakness in midfield but overall City is still performing quite strongly. They have scored 13 goal and conceded only 5 in 5 match. Definitely this is very good result. Even though finding any replacement for Rodri is challenging but City's midfield seems stable to me even without him. Foden, Fernandez and Cherki each have capability to perform well. City is unlikely to make any significant change to midfield during this winter transfer window either.

3. Maresca is simply riding the wave built by Guardiola. One day it will stop working and he will have to build the wave of his own and there's no guarantee he will succeed at it.

You might have forgotten that Maresca was City's assistant manager during 2022-23 season. And it was in this very season that they won Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He has experience working with Guardiola. He is well aware of Guardiola's working style and tactic. I am certain that Maresca is implementing Guardiola's tactic but he has modified them further. Therefore likelihood of a sudden slump in City's performance is very low.

[Shineup]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

In fact, I think the Man City team is one of the teams that is still perfect at the moment in the 2026/27 Premier League, having collected 15 points from the five matches they have played, What is clear is that Man City has now achieved a 5-3 victory over Sunderland, which has moved them to the top of the Premier League standings, so what makes you doubt the Man City team.

In my view, on the contrary, Man City is a team that can be said to be successful in the Premier League this season, as is the Arsenal team, I can't wait to see the continuation of the Man City vs. Liverpool next October, although many football fans say a tough test for Man City but I am sure the Man City team will do their best.

They should keep being the favorite till they deduct some point from them for the financial fair play they violated, maybe after striping off of something 20-30 points I will see how they will want to keep up with the competition, so they should gather enough points as possible while they can, so they will have nothing much to worry about, unless they decide to let that case slide, then I will be sure they are, but for now I can't still count on them, Arsenal still remain the favorite to me from now on.

[Taricoins]

Maybe he knew what was coming that's why he decided to jump ship before it comes sinking under him, Manchester City will not escape this, 114 count charges found guilty out of the 115, this is massive, it took this long because the consequences will be felt by all. Points deductions, relegation and trophy stripping will be done to them. Manchester City was a good team but that team was assembled with illegal money, that's the problem. I read where Rodri said what they achieved can never be taken away from them. What if the Premier League stripes the league titles away from them, will be calling himself a premier league champion. History will be rewritten if this happens, Guardiola will not have any premier League title to his name.

I highly doubt Pep ran away from this because this charges where still hovering over Man City's head even before the start of last season, if he wanted to jump before because he was scared, that would have been the best time. Still it's an unlucky circumstance for Enzi Maresaca because it seems like he was really getting this manager stuff right, this will be a huge set back as there will definitely be points reduction, and for that huge count of charges, atleast we are looking at 10 points

[eightdots]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

Manchester City should not be overlooked because Pep Guardiola is no longer managing the club, but they did have Enzo Maresca. Manchester City are in good hands, they're elevating and winning games this season, this is the kind of things to expect from the citizens because they will always become very competitive and knowing exactly what they want to achieve in the English premier League. It's fine to see City going far this season although it's going to be a really long season.

I think Manchester City are in good hands because Enzo Maresca has worked with Guardiola since the academy and was on Guardiola's coaching staff during the treble-winning season. So his relationship with City is very old. Here we can't just call him a new manager, he is deeply involved with Manchester City. And the biggest thing is that he can also play according to Pep's system. This does not put a whole new pressure on the players, which means they have been able to maintain the same consistency. So, Maresca's familiarity could be important in keeping City ahead of the competition in the new chapter.

Manchester City's squad is packed with high-quality players, allowing the manager to effectively implement his desired tactics on the pitch. The team has made a strong start to the league season and currently sits in first place; I believe they will maintain this level of performance. Enzo Maresca's familiarity with Manchester City is another factor contributing to this success.

The team plays a style suited to Pep's system, and Enzo Maresca is well-versed in that system. His knowledge of the setup enables him to work more seamlessly with the squad.

[Amphenomenon]

Same goes for Man City, although they are definitely among favourites and most likely will finish in top-3, those 5 games don't mean anything just yet. A long and difficult season ahead.

Manchester City should not be overlooked because Pep Guardiola is no longer managing the club, but they did have Enzo Maresca. Manchester City are in good hands, they're elevating and winning games this season, this is the kind of things to expect from the citizens because they will always become very competitive and knowing exactly what they want to achieve in the English premier League. It's fine to see City going far this season although it's going to be a really long season.

I doubt anyone will be overlooking City. Pep Guardiola built a team with structure and identity,  also picking a successor who grew under him.

The quality of players they have and style of play is still scary, the hunger for goals have always been there and we can still see it even while they are still trying to get back on track to being more exceptional and dominating. The fact that City has been having a difficulty time in recent seasons and still finishing well enough is good point to show how scary City are.

[sergiorus]

You might have forgotten that Maresca was City's assistant manager during 2022-23 season. And it was in this very season that they won Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He has experience working with Guardiola. He is well aware of Guardiola's working style and tactic. I am certain that Maresca is implementing Guardiola's tactic but he has modified them further. Therefore likelihood of a sudden slump in City's performance is very low.

Yea, that was kinda my point, he knows how to manage the current Man City, and so far he succeeded, but it's a marathon, not sprint.

Managers face many challenges throughout season and it's the experience that makes them push through them successfully.

Maresca is very young and unexperienced, especially compared to a giant like Guardiola. We are yet to see if he's capable of navigating the huge ship that is Man City himself.

My bet is simple - even if he proves he's capable of it, it's probably not gonna be this season.