General Premier League Thread 2025/2026 - See Post #1 for Mod Note

Its so predictable. On the corner thing, if they change rules etc, Arsenal will just work on it again with Nicolas Joever. Might see even more corner goals when the likes of Gabriel and Timber cant be touched.

Im also an NFL fan of the Eagles. And fans of other teams kept whinging about the "tush push" and asking for it to be banned. Next we'll be hearing they need to ban corners from the sport.

We would clean up at corners if it became a fair contest, scoring many more. We would probably let in a few more, but Raya is the best claimer of crosses in the League, so that might not happen if he is free from impeding.

A record low points tally to qualify for the Champions League tells you that the overall standards are higher than ever, because it is more difficult to beat teams. Highest number of points for over a decade to avoid relegation. Lowest number of points for a while to win.

Why? Because there are an awful lot of very good teams at a high standard. Yes, there was no clear outstanding attacking team, but the standards of one team do not reflect the standards of everyone.

We were lucky to see one of the greatest defences in action, which, if you love football in all its aspects, will be something to talk about for years to come.

Its not greatest defenses in action, it is the greatest systems in action. Who are the great defenders these days, Marc Guehi? Maldini he ain't.

Its not a PL thing, I thought it was widely accepted that there is a huge lack of genuine superstars in football at the minute. So we have a lot of well coached sides that can compete against each other because there is a lack of true "difference maker" players.

The PL champions are going to have none of their attackers in the team of the season (If it is picked rationally anyway). Thats just insane. Bruno Fernandes is player of the season, he won **** all but he at least was creative and there wasn't much competition for that part of the game this season.

The majority of football matches have always been crap, there is nothing new in that. But the lack of top players is becoming a real problem in my opinion.

You could be right. I doubt in any 3 year Regis le Bris plan, they have considered getting into Europe. The squad is going to need some expansion and I wonder where the budget for that might exist?

Look at where West Ham's European adventure has left them?

I type that tongue-in-cheek as I heard that Moyes was doing some serious work at the club, and theses jobs weren't replaced when he left. He wasn't just the manager by all accounts, but it suited the owners as they were saving wages. They now can't afford Bowen, Fernandes, Diouf and Summerville, and will definitely struggle to come back up, probably sans Nuno too!

I think teams are more competitive with each other now, overall yes, because the quality has been dragged down downards. The top teams are not expansive attacking teams who will cut open the bottom 10 and put multiple goals past them. For years, the physicality and set pieces are what the bottom half clubs used to their advantage to try and get one over on the top teams. Think Bolton, Stoke, Burnely, David Moyes and all those type of teams. They weren't going to win by passing it around you, so they when down a different route. Which is fine, but because of the lower quality and smaller budgets after gaining promotion etc, it was what they needed to do to survive.

And now the majority of teams are using set pieces as their desired route to goal. It's not just the bottom half teams now, it's the top half too. Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Newcastle all favour this route too. These are teams that spent 50/60/70 million on multiple new attackers this summer but the best route to goal is still wrestling and pushing at set pieces and landing a ball on a big square head at the back post after someone held the GK back. Where's the ingenuity in that?

The league in general is being reduced to a game of pushing and wrestling at set pieces. Whoever scores the first set piece can then sit back in their shell shape and force the slog of a game with the other team trying to break down deep defences. It's negating the flair side of the game completely.

Games now are just slogging matches. Games are low quality, settled by those pushing routines. Hence why teams are beating each other. Set pieces decide games now, not footballing ability. It's a leveler, which could be good, but it's boring.

Who are the top attackers in the league? Sterling, Aguero, KDB, Salah, Mane, Firmino and the likes have all left the league now. Those players who were fluid and cut through teams at will through interplay and creativity. Both team building attacks and individual moments of brilliance. Those players aren't there now. And if they did, the league wouldn't be a good place for their talents to be showcased as the league is too attracted to big physical players who will overrun you like a big 5'10" 14 year old who hit puberty early running through midfield in underage GAA games. The players who were being touted to being the next star attackers like Saka have developed into set piece takers, or players designated to try and win corner kicks. It's why the likes of Semenyo is highlighted so much because his game just feels natural and free, and not over-coached or told to head for the corner flag to win a corner.

It says a lot that the players nominated for player of the year are largely defensive minded players, or players who excelled at set pieces, or both.

Tbf the lack of attackers has been coming for a while. When Peps Barca were at tiki-taka almost every single coach started prioritising possession first above all else. Theres a huge dearth of quality strikers outside of Haaland/Mbappe in this generation.

The likes of Klose, Ronaldo, Inzaghi, Van Nistelrooy and Raul, have been replaced by the likes of Havertz, Thiago, Kean, Depay and Morata. Its all around the world strikers have become a rariety.

I think its a bit simplistic to say players in England are just fitter and stronger than their European counterparts and that's why they're winning out. Outside of a few top clubs in Europe the better technical players are now generally in England (because of the buying power obviously of clubs in England). This is reflected in European results. If it was just physical prowess any league in Europe could copy what English teams are doing and succeed.

& I don't think United ran over the opposition in Europe last season because they could bully them, I don't remember them particularly bullying any team in Europe last year! Spurs and themselves just generally had better players than the opposition in my view.

I'm not a fan at all of the current preference for set plays etc. but I think that's a rules issue that needs to be sorted out. Hopefully it will be and the game in England in particular will return to a more satisfying spectacle. It would be real shame if the smaller technical players are pushed out of the game. I don't think it's a skills issue in England, it's just that the current standard of refereeing / rules allows teams to game the system (and why wouldn't they before Arsenal fans are on to defend their team).

It will make the Arsenal v PSG game an intriguing battle of styles.

yes very true another very negative manager now gone from the league . Lampard and McKenna have generally been more possession based too so if they stay where they are they will probably try to play somewhat that way next year.

They were talking about David Moyes on 5Live and the guys in the know said he was fulfilling a lot of roles at the club, more than a typical manager would, so when he was out of the club they should really have been employing about 3 or 4 people. He was managing, coaching, even looking at new players. The owners were happy as they didn't want to spend and have, ironically, paid the price now.

Apparently John Terry has been usurped.

The gloves are on.

Was great to see Arteta in the Red and White after the game yday also - glory days!

Not new at all. Ben Foster talked about this very thing on his podcast this time last year.

This thread keeps on delivering.