General Premier League Thread 2024-25

The 3 teams promoted in 2023 (Luton, Burnley, Sheffield United) got relegated in 2024. The 3 teams promoted in 2024 (Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton) are most likely going to be all relegated in 2025

I think this could be the trend for a while. It might take a few efforts, get your parachute money and keep rebuilding.

League will be wrapped up by April, fair play to them well deserved even though it kills me to say it.

I would think it's more that the same results/performances were happening even when Arsenal's front line were fit. The attack wasn't playing good enough when they were fit, so this narrative that is being pushed online via social media and in the media such as Ian Wright / MOTD etc that the injuries to Arsenal's attack is the primary reason behind why Arsenal's title race has curtailed is nonsense really. I think it's just a deflection tactic by some. I think they need to look closer to home first.

Dyche's Everton at home + Fulham away. Arsenal drew 2 games back to back with a front 3 consisting of Trossard/Martinelli-Havertz-Saka with Odegaard behind them. Jesus came on as a sub in both games too. That's a fully fit attack, and they all played in each game. The only goal scored across the 2 games was from Saliba the CB.

Saka started 16 league games this season. His goals were the 2nd in a 2-0 win against Wolves, the 3rd in a 3-1 win against Southampton, the 1st in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool, the 1st in a 3-0 win against Forest & a penalty to make it 5-2 against West Ham. His set piece taking is a massive loss though, and general chance creation/assisting goals and occupying defenders to leave space for others, but it's not like he was scoring for fun.

Martinelli has scored in back to back league games only once all season - Leicester & Southampton.

Gabriel Jesus wasn't exactly in the goals before his injury either, this season or last season. Didn't he go 12 months without a league goal?

Arsenal has been a 2 ppg team all season. Given their injury woes and the aftermath of two draining 80+ point campaigns, that's probably fine. I don't think they "bottled" anything because there has been no wild drop-off or oscillation in their ppg pace throughout the year.

From the outside looking in, serious questions should be asked about the investment in the squad. Has enough been done in the transfer market to build on the momentum of two good seasons in succession? Throwing on Raheem Sterling's corpse to try and save games is unserious in 2025.

Is the belief there in the stands? Emptying as 10 men tried to find a goal against West Ham was unserious when a win would have brought Arsenal within 5 points.

I would ask whether Real Madrid would keep Arteta in these circumstances. I don't think they would. A fresh approach with some investment might be needed to take this group over the line.

While i agree he has improved Arseanl, if liverpool lost Salah, they have Jota and Nunez to come in, even jones could play up there.

Yeah Liverpool's attacking options are pretty deep:

Salah - Egypt - 103 caps

Jota - Portugal - 46 caps

Núñez- Uruguay - 33 caps

Díaz - Colombia - 61 caps

Gakpo - Netherlands - 36 caps

Chiesa - Italy - 51 caps

Doak - Scotland - 6 caps

Koumas - Wales - 5 caps

So that's 8 attackers who are senior internationals for a start, and then you'd go to the likes of Szoboszlai, Elliott, Jones to fill in there before you end up with some of the youth players (all also youth internationals) who've played for the club in the past - Jayden Danns, Kaide Gordon, Trent Kone-Doherty

It's a far cry from the Balotelli/Lambert/Borini days hoping Jerome Sinclair or Samed Yesil would come good and having to play youth goalkeeper Shamal George up front in a friendly because of no available fit attackers!

Now imagine if they lost all of them to injury at the same time. Arsenal have Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, Jesus out long term with an academy kid Nwaneri in and out of fitness.

Having the starting front line all out and majority of their replacements as well is pretty rare and any club would struggle immensely.

If Liverpool had all of Salah, Jota, Núñez and Jones injured at the same time their front 3 would be Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz and Szoboszlai who have 36 goals between them this season. Chiesa would also get more minutes.

Have to wonder how big a loss Edu was there as well.

Nonsense to suggest Arsenal bottled anything, they have their problems but they never really got anywhere near Liverpool.

Should they have been the ones to benefit with Liverpool having a new manager and City having an off season? Absolutely but they have failed to address the striker situation for about 3 seasons.

As a Liverpool fan I constantly hear crap spouted about FSG, but I continue to constantly impressed at how they and the people they hire manage the club. I'm fully confident the right decisions on the contracts will be made whatever they are.

CL qualification is what the owners of every club want bar Man City, Arteta is safe as houses in that regard. Arsenal owners aren't going to invest a penny of their money much like FSG at Liverpool. You spend the money the club has, if it makes you champion great, if it doesn't the financial reward of 2-4th is much the same, that is what these owners largely care about.

City just spent 200m in January and I've no doubt they will spend more in the summer, are Arsenal's owners willing to spend more to bridge the gap? Unlikely

Its not misleading - its factual. There was no guarantee that Liverpool would win. In fact, they were 2-1 down with a half and hour to go in that game, but saved by a late Mo Salah brace. Points on the board is the only metric that counts.

More recently than that, everyone who was counting Liverpool's away trip to Everton as 3 points was wrong, and that result, coupled with the subsequent draw with Aston Villa meant that they got 5 points from 9, the win being a very, very difficult tie against Wolves. Dropping 4 points there meant that a door was open for anyone who fancied applying a bit of pressure, but there were no takers.

In fact their first 8 games of 2025 included 4 draws so they were there to be got at, and had Arsenal or Notts Forest won all their games, the gap would have been down to 1 point (not technically true for Forest, as they were one of those 4 draws!)

Liverpool have had three poor results in the league this season. Loss at home to NF, Man United draw at home and away to Everton where we conceded when we should have seen it out. I don't consider draws away to Arsenal, Newcastle, Villa and NF as dropped points. Those are good points to gain, Even Fulham in the context of the game with a man down and behind a draw really isn't a poor result.