2025/2026 English Premier League Thread

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

The root cause is financial inequality between club budgets.
The small clubs had to play closed football or get torn apart by open play against the mega clubs. The big clubs then have adapted to breaking down the defensive walls and set pieces naturally become more important.
Now everyone is coaching towards these very structured & rigid systems.

I also wish they'd go back to 3 subs from 5. I get why they upped it, but I think it vastly unfairly advantages bigger, wealthier teams. You can change half of your outfield.

Well...smaller clubs dont have squads like that.

I also understand that bigger clubs play more matches in more competitions, but still...I think its an unfair advantage.

[The Big Chill]

We are seeing this issue across all sports though, even where financial inequality isn’t as big of a factor. MLB is all about home runs and strikeouts, NBA taking 50 3s a game, NHL playing within a system. All of these things are making it more boring to watch.

I think it’s the result of the base level of athleticism being higher then it ever has been due to elite sports science programs being widely available, plus years of in-depth analytics being used to change the way the game is played.

The athleticism makes the skills harder to pull off, and the analytics has coaches removing risk and increasing the safer, high percentage plays.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I might buy some of these arguments if we didn't just watch those Klopp/Pep teams have no issue with mid and low blocks. They always seemed to play just fine despite playing against very negative teams. Arsenal, lets face it, they simply cannot break teams down. They are devoid of creative, attacking players (Odegaard's regression has played a huge part as well). Then you add in Arteta's comically conservative approach (go look at the numbers from yesterdays game after Chelsea went down a man. Embarrassing stuff), and rightly or wrongly they've become the poster boy for everything wrong with the sport right now.

But yeah the financial inequality is why Super League has to happen eventually. It's genuinely for the best for the sport. But as I've said before the financial advantage to finishing fifth means targeting fifth is always the #1 priority. Send these big clubs off on their own and maybe without the constant financial fears they'll actually play better. But yesterdays game was just another in a long line of embarrassing games from top six clubs. Both teams combined with an xG under 1 in open play. Multiple billions spent by both teams and it was a game only bin Laden could enjoy. Revolting.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I might buy some of these arguments if we didn't just watch those Klopp/Pep teams have no issue with mid and low blocks. They always seemed to play just fine despite playing against very negative teams. Arsenal, lets face it, they simply cannot break teams down. They are devoid of creative, attacking players (Odegaard's regression has played a huge part as well). Then you add in Arteta's comically conservative approach (go look at the numbers from yesterdays game after Chelsea went down a man. Embarrassing stuff), and rightly or wrongly they've become the poster boy for everything wrong with the sport right now.

Arsenal didn’t make football the way it is, football made Arsenal the way they are. For over 20 years, even when winning sporadic titles, they were relentlessly criticised for their naivety. Now the same asshats that criticised Arsenal’s creative play are yapping about their pragmatic approach.

[Senator Clay Davis]

If they win, the ends justify the means. If they lose, #### them for wasting our time. Can't disagree.

[devo22]

I would add that the bloated calendar has had a huge effect on the quality as well. It's just way too many games these days.

[Senator Clay Davis]

But it speaks to the fundamental issue: Clubs want to earn more money, players want to earn more money (or at least not take a pay cut), and somehow that needs to be done with less games. Math doesn't really work with those constraints in mind.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Wolves miracle run picking up steam. Speaking of steam, this chase for the last couple UCLs is a steaming pile of dog####. Everton UCL, let's go???

[Slava]

Sports overall is just plain over coached. It’s made things more boring and teams just get more and more conservative because it works. We had to endure Jose Mourinho playing this way at Spurs, and as long as you were winning games it was almost tolerable. When you stopped winning, it was the worst of both worlds because the games were just painful, and you had the loss on top of it.

Overall, it’s not too complicated. It’s boring, terrible anti-football and 19 other teams hate it. At the end of the day, winning cures all.

I think it could be fixed in this case with better officiating. Crackdown on what’s happening during corners and force teams not to rely on interfering with goalies and things like that.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Locke

I also wish they'd go back to 3 subs from 5. I get why they upped it, but I think it vastly unfairly advantages bigger, wealthier teams. You can change half of your outfield.

Well...smaller clubs dont have squads like that.

I also understand that bigger clubs play more matches in more competitions, but still...I think its an unfair advantage.

Like Wolves!!
Late match bastards!

[Senator Clay Davis]

That should seal the title for Arsenal, but since everyone sucks I really don't know.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Yeah, huge 2 point boost; but I won't be confident until it's a mathematical certainty.
Very good day though

[Senator Clay Davis]

Might be time to consider Arsenal Satan's team, like we saw with several NFL teams this year.

[MegaErtz]

West Ham with another win today. That last relegation spot could go to any one of Forest, West Ham, Spurs, or even Leeds.

[cam_calderon]

I'm still pulling for Arsenal because of Saka and Odergaard, and I like Arteta, but once they win, I can't keep supporting this haramball.

[Senator Clay Davis]

United losing to 10 men twice this season is pretty lol. Maybe just send all eligible PL teams to Europa League next year?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

I'm still pulling for Arsenal because of Saka and Odergaard, and I like Arteta, but once they win, I can't keep supporting this haramball.

Saka is so overrated. He has something like 5 goals and a few assists this year? It’s laughable.

But, it is what it is. Probably the worst team ever to win the league and apparently nothing can be done.

[Winsor_Pilates]

but but, we scored from open play today. Isn't that all that matters?