English Football Season 2025-2026. Here we go again.

That was exquisite quality from both Martinelli and Eze.

These big games used to feel a lot more fun and intense, but this one and Liverpool felt like such a slog.

It is satisfying seeing Pep park the bus against us for 80 minutes though when they used to run through us like the Harlem Globetrotters.

I cannot get my head around Villa. Decent last season and in pre season now for no apparent reason the players look like they cannot be arsed game after game. Emery gave up and went down the tunnel early this afternoon wtf is that about. No idea whats happened but something must have.

Yep. New players may really settle and then they just curbstomp.

It’s because Arteta insists on playing the most conservative **** ball ever. Again we face a team that is there for the taking and again we don’t create ****. Less than 1 xG vs a City team that’s really not that good. Hell they lost to Brighton and Spurs but ofc Arsenal can’t beat them.

I don’t know why Arteta continues to start these **** teams in these big games. Are we really going go try and win the league by beating all the teams outside the top 4 by 3/4 goals and then try and not lose vs the top 4?

Not at all convinced by Liverpool. Just being honest. The “luck” will run out at some point.

I think Arsenal have been best team overall, but still dropped four points already and Liverpool haven't dropped a single point (while having a tough start to the season with Bournemouth/Newcastle/Arsenal and the Merseyside derby albeit vs an admittedly meh Everton side).

It's only 1/7th of the way through the season though on all counts.

100% agreed. Arsenal will once again finish 2nd and it will be because Arteta refuses to try and win vs Liverpool and City and we’ll probably lose an odd game here and there vs Fulham like last few seasons.

That's certainly a possibility, but I would not hand them the title yet. Salah is 33 and won't sustain his level forever. He's at 1 npg so far in 5 games, so it's possible the decline has started already. Isak certainly could make up the difference, I do rate him a lot. Van Dijk is also 34 and Liverpool are heavily reliant on him. It's a lot of ifs.

Arsenal have had a much tougher schedule so far, and have already played through injuries to several of their best players, so being a few points behind is not the end of the world. It's early.

Five games in, points only dropped to City and a freak Liverpool goal and already Arsenal WhatsApp are losing their ****.

I don't think anyone is handing them the title lol.

Which of these two schedules are tougher:

Away to Utd
Home to Forest
Home to Leeds
Away to Liverpool
Home to City

or

Home to Bournemouth
Away to Newcastle
Home to Arsenal
Away to Burnley
Home to Everton

I do not in any way think that Arsenal's is "much tougher".

#artetaout

No, it's significantly objectively tougher. City and Pool are two of the best three teams in the league probably, and Newcastle (sans Isak as well) don't compare, plus the trip to OT is never easy.

EFC are already beaten when they run out onto the pitch.

Just a question to Arsenal fans about Iwobi - after his career start at Arsenal with criticism from fans about why he was playing or being brought on from the bench - you blokes happy that he has made a career at another London club in Fulham.

Rivalry doesn’t work the way you think it does.

We’ve never had a problem with Fulham. I’ve always quite liked them, and them being Chelsea’s local rivals helps.

Extremely happy. Wish nothing but the best to him and ESR...Nelson as well although different club. Just couldnt cut it a level above is all.

This was the picture before the season started. The big name underperformers here are Chelsea.

I did think Chelsea will be really good this season if they get a decent keeper and potentially a CB.

They did not so the clunky performance is not surprising to me with Sanchez in goal.

Don’t forget the Aston Lions got neutered making them, by a long way, the most underperforming.

Or not in goal for 85 minutes as the case may be

I do wonder if there's some in depth piece of analysis that has developed over the past year or so that makes defensive minded football seem like it has a higher EV, feels like more teams than in past have adopted this stance this year.

#samplesize I know

Nothing but love for Iwobi.

Apparently Madueke was injured vs City. That makes sense then why Trossard stayed instead of Noni.

I will assume it is due to everything being really meticulously calculated with risks. We do not see so many empty spaces, hence it seems like we have stopped attacking. We do not see people not tracking back hence defense seems to be a bigger focus - with everyone tracking back it is harder to overload on a counter and so on.

The same reason we see so few bangers now. People will rather try to pass it for a higher EV opportunity. Sometimes players do take punts, but then I'd imagine they have to sit through 6 sessions with assistant coaches that show them how much more of a chance they would have if they did a pass around the box to create max value. Not to mention that with punts that dont work out the opponent can counter.

This is probably the correct approach, but I still hate it.

It'll be a cold day in hell when I don't smirk at the use of the term "Aston Lions".

The follow up tweets