General Premier League Thread 2025/2026

There is a world of difference between doing a huddle on the field at some point pre-game, and doing a huddle specifically on the centre circle regardless of whether people are already there or not.

One is a natural coming together of the team to share a message, the other is completely performative.

I've had coaches like that in the past, they think they are amateur psychologists and come in with fad nonsense that they think will get inspire players, the sad reality is that players know these are just gimmicks and all it does is diminish the managers standing within the team.

Thats where 90% of huddles happen. Chelsea have just commited to being a meme hence surrounding Tierney instead. I dont mind laughing at daft eejit refs but he didn't do anything that odd tbf just got surrounded.

Rosenior was vocal abour Arsenal being in Chelsea's half recently.

"I’ve never asked my team or my coaches to encroach on the opposition’s territory. In that moment, I didn’t think it was right where they were operating. They were affecting my lads’ warm-up and my staff’s warm-up. So I asked them, maybe not politely, to make sure they stay in their half. I’m not here to have mind games. It’s just what I think is right and respectful. Hopefully, we respect that and other teams do too."

Looks like half his players were in Newcastle's half there :)

How would they respect the ball then!

City will be delighted to see that punishment. They'd happily write a cheque for a fine like that while publicly displaying their anger

That happens at every game I've gone to. Main team trains in their half but goalkeeping coach or backup goalies are routinely in the other half collecting kick outs

No sorry now that's not true

You lost Diaz and Trent from the 1st team. That's it.

Nunez was considered a flop and went to Saudi. Jota was tragic but he was a squad player with injury issues.
2 further back squad players in Quansah and Elliott who would be handy but not players that add 20/30 points on over a season.
And a backup keeper in Kelleher.

Whereas, you brought in for 1st team : Isak, Wirtz, Ekitiké, Frimpong and Kerkez.
With squad players being Leoni and Mamardashvili.

You got unlucky / planned poor in defence with Leoni but the attack got a major boost.
You replaced your 2 fullbacks with excellent options and kept Robertson as a backup.

Center back is the only real position on paper that maybe got weaker AND you did try to move for Marc Guehi so there was obviously still funds available for that, but someone choose to not pursue another center back for whatever reason.

It's not unusual for a winning team to turnover 2 1st team players and a handful of squad players.
It doesn't usually result in a 20/30 point drop off.

It was a phenomenal summer all things considered.
Slot is massively underperforming with the talent available to him.

Even if you were "just replacing" what you lost…. It doesn't excuse a potentially 20/30 point difference between you as the reigning champions and the next champions

'Bar the 3 first team players, and 1st sub to come on in every game when not starting, who did you lose'.

Nunez played 45 games for Liverpool last season, from a possible 56. After the decision was made in late January to avoid paying another bonus payment to Benfica, his starts finished and the sale was put in motion. He would be a better option this season than any of Isak, Gakpo or Chiesa have been. Jota was fit for 40 games and played in 37 of those games. He also would be a better option than any of Gakpo, Isak and Chiesa have been.

They were absolutely first team players whether you want to admit it or not. You'd swear they were players who never played and sat on the bench or treatment table every single game. That's not the case tho.

As a result of those players leaving, Gakpo has been promoted to a permanent starting position, instead of being an impact sub or rotational player and Chiesa is now the 1st or 2nd choice attacking sub coming on. He was 6th choice last season permanently rooted to the bench.

But the point still stands, the summer spend was not solely additional players on top of what was already at the club. It was not just just squad players or aging players leaving. First team players in their prime left. Ekitike came in while Diaz went out. Isak came in while Nunez went out. Jota went out and nobody came in. The attack has been massively blunted, and its been magnified because of Slot's terrible style of football.

So if Arsenal sell Gabriel, Sailiba, Rice and Zubimendi this summer, having to spend to replace them is irrelevant? That's their first choice defence and a main portion of their attack BTW.

If they spend 100m+ on the replacements for Zubimendi and Saliba you'd expect them not to fall apart and be fighting for CL qualification.

deleting comment as no point..

And before anyone says it, it's not an excuse for performances. I simply don't like seeing it dismissed like that in isolation.

The other squad changes are absolutely fair debates