“So it turns out none of that was real. Nothing that happened in English football between 2009‑10 and 2017-18 that involved Manchester City actually happened. City beating Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford? Fake. Sergio Agüero’s 94th‑minute winner to clinch the title in 2012? A figment of the imagination. That season City reached 100 points? Bobby Ewing dreamed it in the shower. Without those successes, City wouldn’t have been in the position they were for the past eight seasons (and 35 of the charges relate to a failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations between 2018 and 2023). The 14 successive wins that took them to the league title in 2018-19 would not have happened without what went before. Neither would the Treble of 2023 or the record four league titles in a row. So while it may turn out that those successes did indeed happen, they are tainted by what went before. …”
Guardian
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Ever feel you’ve been cheated? Consequences could be profound after Manchester City guilty verdict – Jonathan Wilson
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“Manchester City have spent much of the last decade dominating the Premier League but for the last three and a half years there has been a very different battle to fight. City, English football’s champions in six of the last nine seasons, were charged with over 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023, leaving the legacy of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team under a cloud, even as a new era is beginning under Enzo Maresca. 
“Who is the best player in the Premier League? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer — one that The Athleticwill continue to attempt to answer throughout the 2026-27 season. This is the second instalment of our Premier League Player Rankings, in which we use form, data and the eye tests of Phil Hay and Tim Spiers to assess exactly who the division’s top 50 footballers are. 
“… Some truths transcend culture. Some myths appear and reappear in every tribe and community across the globe. And in every sport in every nation in every continent, we all share one unchanging tradition: Overreacting way too soon into a season. The sample size is small. The season is long. The teams are still finding that magic we call ‘gelling.’ (Especially this year with a record number of new managers or head coaches in the Premier League.) And yet. We are human beings, and we are entitled to our overreactions! It’s called passion. So, with the season’s first international break upon us and Premier League action halted until October 10, we figured it was time: Welcome to the overreactions and hot takes edition of the Soccer Weekender. …”
“After the opening weekend of this season, the Premier League trumpeted a record of 100 per cent accuracy in key decisions made by match officials. Across those first 10 games, it listed 21 key match incidents (KMIs), ranging from penalty appeals and potential red-card challenges to goals being double-checked for possible offside. The league’s KMI panel agreed that the on-field officials had made correct decisions in 18 of the 21 cases — and that ‘following VAR intervention, 100 per cent of calls were deemed correct’. But that wasn’t quite the case. …”
“While London has a host of top-flight clubs and Liverpool have been regular contenders, the story of the 
“The Manchester derby was dominated by two controversial refereeing calls, with the goal from Erling Haaland — finally given after a long VAR check — proving decisive in City’s 1-0 away win. That came after an hour, with the striker looking offside as he slotted home a Josko Gvardiol cross, only for VAR to find him onside due to the position of United defender Patrick Dorgu’s foot as the ball came in. It was also decided that a diving Enzo Fernandez did not interfere with play as he tried to head the cross in before Haaland’s back-post finish. On Sunday evening, 
“Premier League representation is low when it comes to the 16 attacking players on 
“Welcome to week three of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — a ranking system that really does not appreciate tightly-contested matches. In case you missed 
“THE first ‘big six’ clash of the season saw two clubs with a 100% record come face-to-face. Arsenal played host to Chelsea at the Emirates but the hosts received a shock in the first minute when Morgan Rogers netted his second goal since arriving from Aston Villa. Former Chelsea man Kai Havertz scored the equaliser in the 25th minute with a shot that goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez should probably have stopped and the game was clinched by Martin Ødegaard in the 50th. Arsenal showed they are out to retain their title and Chelsea suggested they are a better equipped side than last season, but they are still some way from being contenders. Manchester City also have a 100% record after beating Coventry City with a goal from Erling Haaland. Liverpool secured their first win under new manager Andoni Iraola as they beat Ipswich Town at Portman Road (pictured). …”
Torino’s Nikola Vlasic equalises from the spot against Inter Milan in Serie A
“Welcome to week two of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — the sort of ranking system Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage refuses to take any comfort from. In case you missed 
“First things first, this isn’t the official Premier League table. It’s a performance one that will be updated weekly, which means you can go from top to bottom, and vice versa, in the space of seven days. There’s a clean slate at the start of each gameweek, which will be good news for some clubs — Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at this rate. Results matter, but when deciding where to rank teams from one to 20, we’ll be looking primarily at how well they played last time out, which means dissecting (or, in the case of this weekend, watching) every Premier League game. If nothing else, it will provide you with a snapshot of how each team performed in the 2026-27 Premier League, week by week. And, naturally, you’ll be in full agreement with every summary, given that it’s a totally subjective process. …”
“As dramatic television scenes go, it is one of the most open, raw and unfiltered you will see this year. … This loud, passionate, somewhat frantic character wildly gesticulates with his flailing arms as he continues to unleash his feelings on the group, with eyes wide and bright. … Where is this scene being filmed? Is the office admin guy having a bit of a breakdown? Nope, it’s just Pep Guardiola at Juventus away. Prime Video’s new four-part docuseries on Guardiola and Manchester City, A Beautiful Obsession, offers an at-times extraordinary glimpse into the final two seasons of the 55-year-old’s Etihad reign. …”
“The 2026–27 Premier League will be the 35th season of the 
Liverpool v Crystal Palace – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – April 25, 2026
“The 2025-26 Premier League season is done and dusted — so what better time than right now to predict who will win it next time? Arsenal were crowned champions, overcoming Manchester City and improving on three consecutive seasons finishing as runners-up, and Mikel Arteta’s team look like they’ll enter 2026-27 with momentum and stability in their favour. City are coming to terms with the new era following the departure of the iconic Pep Guardiola, and they hope to replace him with Enzo Maresca, while Manchester United will continue under the stewardship of Michael Carrick, who succeeded Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and oversaw their turnaround in the second half of the season. …”
Crystal Palace: love a long throw
“Andy Mitten recently re-completed ‘the 92’ — that is seeing a game at all the current football grounds in England’s top four tiers. Before the final weekend of the season, Andy, who has visited more than 600 stadiums at all levels, tells us his best and worst aspects of each of the Premier League venues. Andy, if you didn’t know, is a Manchester United supporter. … Liverpool – Anfield Like: The way Liverpool have redeveloped and expanded Anfield, bit by bit, pushing the capacity from 44,000 to 61,000. It was needed. Liverpool stalled in the 1990s as their main rivals United aggressively expanded Old Trafford, but they’ve made a smart job of it since with four distinct stands, it doesn’t look like any other stadium. The atmosphere before a big game and You’ll Never Walk Alone impresses, though it always sounds better — to me — with a ‘MANCHESTER!’ retort. Also, the Hillsborough memorial gets the space it deserves, the gates (and gable end murals on nearby housing) for former heroes, the proximity to Stanley Park. Dislike: A new Anfield Road stand means the worst view in football from the last two rows of the away end has gone. It’s much more spacious on the away concourse beneath the stand too, so I’m left not liking the lack of public transport options and that’s about it. Oh, and the fact that Liverpool play in such an impressive home. …”
“… After looking at 
“… This was the weekend when 
“Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens. Matchday 35 saw teams across the Premier League score 23 of their 46 big chances. That 50 per cent conversion rate is the third best of the season after Matchday 5 (59 per cent) and 20 (55 per cent). Opta defines a big chance as ‘a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually a one-on-one scenario or a shot from close range with a clear path to goal and low-to-moderate pressure’. So, in this week’s table, we compare how teams fared when it comes to creating and converting big chances across the first 18 games to the last 17, roughly a first half versus second half of the season. …”
“Manchester City are the only team to win the Premier League on goal difference, and this season they might need to repeat the trick. For those uninitiated in the competition’s most storied moment, Sergio Aguero’s last-minute goal for City in a 3-2 final-day victory at home against Queens Park Rangers in May 2012 meant they pipped Manchester United to the title by virtue of their superior goal difference, which was eight better than their crosstown rivals. The margins at the top could be even finer in the current campaign. …”
“Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens. The Premier League title race will likely see plenty more changes at the top before and potentially during the final matchday of the season on May 24. Arsenal are top — as they regularly have been since 2022-23 — but Manchester City hold a game in hand, with goal difference another factor. A couple of spots below them, Aston Villa are fifth, eight points ahead of sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion. It is unlikely another side will break into the top five with just four games left but multiple teams have jumped in and out of those Champions League spots since August. …”
“At half-time in 
“Football, Rayan Cherki said during a day-in-the-life feature with Manchester City earlier this week, is like art for him. The Frenchman talked about the joy he gets from entertaining people and playing in a way that allows supporters to forget about their everyday lives for 90 minutes. Prodigiously talented, equally comfortable on either foot and blessed with an extraordinary repertoire of flicks and tricks, Cherki would have lit up the Premier League in any season. …”
“This weekend’s crucial game in the title race may be billed as Manchester City versus Arsenal, but for some, the off-field battle between managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta could almost be as fascinating to watch. While referee Anthony Taylor tries to keep order on the pitch, fourth official Paul Tierney will have a similarly intense task of attempting to manage the technical areas. In the sky-blue corner, Guardiola will doubtless be as moody and intense as ever on his home patch. In the red, Arteta will likely be less ebullient than at the Emirates — and may even spend most of the match inside his technical area for a change — but will still be on edge throughout, depending on the scoreline. …”
“Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens. After looking at errors leading to shots and goals last week, we dive into long- and short-passing sequences that result in goals. As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or use the index at the bottom of the page to jump to a specific club. …”
“Real Madrid have been known to not take defeats well. This is the most successful club in Champions League history, with a record 15 titles, so it is perhaps to be expected that they are not used to losing. Many of the club’s players and officials infamously skipped the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony when 
“You may have seen a Premier League stadium up close. You might have seen one on television. But seeing one from a satellite uncovers things that are not obvious from the ground or television cameras. The Athletic tasked its expert writers with analysing their club’s grounds from above to see what they could find out. From the roads, railways and supermarkets that could cause problems for redevelopment to the regeneration of areas, this is what they discovered. …”
Enzo Fernández will miss Chelsea’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday after ‘crossing a line’.
Michael Owen scored on his Liverpool debut on May 6, 1997
“Liverpool will face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for the 27th time when they meet in the FA Cup this weekend. While we know it will be the last time Mohamed Salah plays in this fixture after announcing he will leave Anfield this summer, it could also be Guardiola’s last dance for City against Liverpool. 
“Considering the attritional nature of Premier League football at the moment and the focus on dead-ball situations, you could be forgiven for looking at a 2-0 Manchester City win against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, with two headers from a defender, and concluding it was another contest about physicality and getting the ball into the mixer. But City’s victory at Wembley on Sunday owed to a clever tactical plan, rotations of positions down the flank, and well-worked goals. …”
“‘My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership.’ Liam Rosenior’s explanation of the Chelsea huddle just before kick-off against Newcastle last weekend is destined to be one of the most memorable quotes of the season. Not only did referee Paul Tierney loom in the midst of the players’ centre-circle gathering like a sort of PGMOL meerkat, but their head coach also introduced the idea of reverence towards an important, but ultimately inanimate object: the PUMA Orbita Ultimate (Thrill Edition). …”
“As Real Madrid edged nearer and nearer to 
“The received wisdom was that the Premier League would have three, possibly four, of its six representatives in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It might now be lucky to have one. Expectations have flipped in 48 hours. It is one of the reasons we love this sport and, in particular, this competition. Fatigue has been the lens through which people have viewed the shortcomings of the Premier League teams halfway through the round of 16. …”
“Following Liverpool’s late defeat by Wolves at Molineux earlier this week, head coach Arne Slot lamented that it was the ‘same old story and sums up our season’. And it does. Liverpool have now lost five times to 90th-minute-plus goals this season, the most ever by a team in a single Premier League campaign. What should be a rare event has become worryingly commonplace for the reigning champions. 
“The first half of Everton versus Manchester United was a low-on-entertainment slogfest. The Monday night kick-off was in keeping with many Premier League games this season, with teams finding it harder to create goalscoring chances in open play and focusing more on set-piece opportunities. Football can often be described as “a game of mistakes”, and this season has seen an increase in games where teams are so focused on avoiding them that they lose sight of how to proactively force one from the opposition. Thankfully, the second half brought something more entertaining. …”
“The shock value is notable. The Serie A champions not making it through the Champions League league phase. The current best in class and league leaders by 10 points 
“Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday during this season, The Athletic will discuss three of the biggest questions to arise from the weekend’s football. This was the round where Arsenal answered a few critics with another 4-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool boosted their Champions League prospects with a smash-and-grab win at Nottingham Forest, moving them level on points with Chelsea, who stuttered at home to Burnley. We will ask whether talk over Arsenal’s supposed fragile mentality is valid, question just how much trouble Spurs are in and ponder what on earth has happened to Crystal Palace. …”
“One of the themes of Manchester City’s attack this season has been their ability to operate in a narrow or wide shape depending on the available players and the opponent’s setup. This flexibility was evident in City’s 2-1 victory away to Nottingham Forest in December, when the switch from a narrow 4-3-3 shape on the ball to a 3-1-3-3 in the second half stretched the opponent’s shape and created spaces between the lines. In either of those attacking shapes, the rotations and fluidity have helped City 
Tottenham Hotspur’s sporting director Johan Lange (left) and CEO Vinai Venkatesham, the men who will appoint a long-term successor to Thomas Frank
“Of the many ways that Pep Guardiola is not a typical football manager, the strength with which he holds his political convictions is especially striking. On Tuesday, a seemingly routine pre-match press conference, ahead of his Manchester City side’s League Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, turned into a global talking point. ‘Right now we kill each other for what? For what?’ he implored a room full of journalists, ostensibly there to get answers to questions about refereeing decisions and City’s inability to play well after half-time. …”
“Pep Guardiola was defiant in his press conference after Manchester City threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Spurs, but he did admit his side have ‘difficulties for many things’. They are the kind of things that mean City’s latest dropped points cannot be explained by the unusual Tottenham curse, which has seen them win just four of their 12 matches against the Londoners since the start of the 2021-22 season. If there is an underlying reason for that poor head-to-head record then it may be that Spurs, seemingly no matter how much they may be struggling, relish the opportunity to hit teams on the break, and have been able to turn over City when they have been trying to find some momentum themselves. …”
Dominic Solanke scores his spectacular second goal as Spurs fight back from two down to draw with Manchester City
“When UEFA changed the format of the Champions League, it was for nights like this. The Swiss model, now more famous than Swiss Cottage station on the London Tube network but not yet as famous as Swiss cheese, replaced the old eight groups of four model (less catchy) in 2024. The final day was pretty good last year, with 64 goals in the 18 games, but no big teams dropped out and the big will-they-won’t-they? of the night saw Paris Saint-Germain stroll past Stuttgart 4-1 to avoid an early elimination (wonder what happened to them). …”
Galatasaray should now make the play-offs, despite a tricky-looking final-day trip to Manchester City “We are down to next Wednesday’s final-day bonanza in the Champions League, with 18 simultaneous games to close out the initial league phase. Seven matchdays in, only Arsenal and Bayern Munich have guaranteed spots in the round of 16 in March. Third-placed Real Madrid and Juventus in 15th are separated by just three points, and with some of the teams in-between them playing each other in the final round of matches, expect the table to undergo a bewildering amount of change during Matchday 8. …”
“In the words of Jon Bon Jovi, we’re halfway there. Woah! As we enter a new year, the Premier League reaches the halfway mark, a perfect time to assess how each team has performed in their first 19 games of the season. We asked The Athletic’s writers to send in their report cards. Here, they grade each team and tell us what the biggest surprises and disappointments of the campaign have been so far. …”
