“As BBC Sport reported in September, the Football Association (FA) process included canvassing the opinions of the squad – and it has emerged that took place at a ‘full and frank’ meeting with head coach Thomas Tuchel at the start of the September international break. BBC Sport has been told the squad feel that now they have been able to have their say, they can move on from their heartbreak in Atlanta on 15 July. And this was demonstrated in the last international break when England, after a narrow defeat by Spain in the first game, went on to win the next three matches impressively. …”
BBC
Manchester City’s weaknesses under Enzo Maresca are being exposed
“Enzo Maresca seemed, if not quite baffled by his side’s Saturday defeat to Nottingham Forest, then at least a little put out. After seven straight wins from the start of the season, that’s now three straight defeats, a pattern so unusual that it’s been recorded only once before in top-flight English history, by Sheffield Wednesday in 1904-05. The three defeats were all different, Maresca said, although in all of them City had had more possession and more chances. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
Manchester United, Aston Villa and the unseriousness of a 4-4 draw
“Precisely 13,266 games have been played since the inception of the Premier League, and 19 of those matches have finished 4-4 (0.1%), a rarity in a division dominated by the mighty 1-0 (17.6%). It was about time we got one, though. The months of August and September, when teams are still fighting to define their top-flight seasons and fitness and motivation tend to be at their peak, have never seen a single 4-4 draw. As motivation decreases the chances of stupid scorelines increase, and that’s where the 4-4 creeps in. There’s a certain on-the-beachness inherent in the score, and it is no coincidence that it has occurred more in the second half of April, as thoughts drift to the close season and the ineffable pointlessness of a lot of late-campaign football becomes unavoidable, than in the entirety of any other month. …”
Guardian
Our League: Sprints and hugs at Nottingham Forest as Premier League sack race heats up
“This season, The Athletic is running a series called Our League, where we will attempt to tell some of the stories of the richest and most watched football league in the world, taking in the brilliance, talent, glitz, controversy, grift, venality and jamboree. No more hugs, Oliver Glasner had said, but this was a gross untruth. There were hugs for everyone on Saturday evening; hugs by the dugout, hugs for his staff and substitutes, hugs in the centre circle. From the 73rd minute onwards, this match was one giant hug-fest and Nottingham Forest’s head coach was the chief dispenser, haring down the touchline when Liam Delap pummelled his side’s third goal, right arm windmilling, grey boots flying and straight into the melee of celebrating players. …”
NYT/ATH
YouTube: Nottingham Forest v. Manchester City
“Arsenal battled to their first victory at Anfield for 14 years as a Kai Havertz goal was enough for three points against Liverpool. Arsenal took the lead after Martin Odegaard pounced on a mix-up between Alisson and Jeremy Jacquet, allowing Declan Rice to cross for the German to score. Liverpool reacted well and caused problems for Arsenal with their crossing. Alexis Mac Allister should have done better with a header while Florian Wirtz hit the bar from a free kick, but Andoni Iraola’s side, for all their attacking, failed to have a shot on target. Liverpool could have had a penalty when Jurrien Timber tugged at the shirt of Alexander Isak in the first half, but nothing was given. And early on, Arsenal may have thought two late challenges from Trey Nyoni deserved a booking. …”
“Scott McTominay was leaving nothing to doubt. He appeared to have scored with a close-range header early in the second half of Napoli’s game at home to Roma, but Pierluigi Gollini clawed the ball out from inside the goal. McTominay got his noggin to the rebound, nudging it back across the line. Roma’s keeper pushed away again, so the 
“A moment. A goal. A barrier broke down. New ground broken. A legacy cemented. There are many ways to become an iconic figure at a Premier League club. To mark UK Black History Month, our writers have paid tribute to a Black British icon from every club in the Premier League, from those that broke new ground to those still winning hearts and minds to this day. …”
“Welcome to week six of The Athletic’s Premier League performance table — a ranking system that will make the Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner instantly feel better. In case you’ve missed 
“The number of words in an article and touches of the ball share a common theme: only a few may not be enough, and too many can ruin it — you just need the right amount depending on the situation. The artists know precisely when to add an extra word to portray a performance by a talented player, such as Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki. Cherki also knows when to take an extra touch that mesmerises even top-level defenders, making them look like kids in a playground. In this example, from City’s 2-1 victory against Bournemouth in August, Cherki receives the ball in a pocket of space and tries to find an attacking solution as Tyler Adams and Alex Toth close him down. …”
“Last month, the Premier League confirmed The Athletic’s reporting that Manchester City 
“Football, the world’s most popular sport, played by laws drawn up in London in 1863. The 
“More than anything, what sticks in the mind is the sound of David Moores’ voice faltering. Standing in front of unhappy shareholders in the Bill Shankly Suite at Anfield, the Liverpool chairman sounded beaten, like someone hit by a sudden realisation that things had changed. It was January 2004, the 12th year of the Premier League era but the first of a new economic reality. Six months earlier, Chelsea had been bought by a Russian billionaire named Roman Abramovich, whose £120million-plus transfer outlay that summer was only just short of the combined expenditure of the Premier League’s 19 other clubs. In the famous words of David Dein, then Arsenal’s executive vice-chairman, Abramovich had ‘parked his Russian tanks on the lawn and (was) firing £50 notes at us’. Football had always been split between the haves and the have-nots. Now there was a division between the haves and the have-yachts. …”
“The internet: an apology. It turns out you were right. It was actually a simulation all along. Now, talk to me about chemtrails again. And yes, maybe Vinícius Júnior has been replaced by a handsome, baffled-looking waxwork. Welcome to the weirdest weekend of them all. We are now post-judgment, post-statement, postlapsarian. As the Premier League prepares to snap back into what must be described, out of habit, as reality, armed with the knowledge its serial champions have been the authors of 
“Even 18 years after the money arrived, six after their (overturned) Champions League ban, three-and-a-half after the charges were brought by the Premier League, and a week after 
“Premier League football is back after the three-week international break, and it’s time to assess potency. One of the key aspects that could be on the menu this weekend is shooting from long range. Across the first five rounds of the past five league seasons, 2026-27 has seen the largest proportion of shots from outside the penalty area — 36 per cent. Teams have converted just 10.1 per cent of their attempts into goals, the second lowest after the opening five rounds in eight seasons, behind 2021-22 (9.9). Some sides have prioritised quantity, while others have looked to work their way into the box. So, as Premier League action returns, who has created the most xG? …”
“Manchester City have launched their appeal against an independent commission’s decision that the club broke Premier League spending rules via a ‘Disguised Funding Scheme’ that 
“At this stage, the narrative changes. No longer should it be a debate about whether the Premier League would dare to drum Manchester City out of England’s top division. Now the question takes another form: how can you justify anything else? Attitudes can only harden now that the first official judgment has been published, subject to an appeal, and the sheer scale of deception is increasingly, and jarringly, clear. Nobody ever thought it would be pretty. We knew, City being City, that the numbers would be eye-watering. We knew there would be mountains of paperwork, legal arguments, redactions and recriminations. Even so, it was still quite something to read 
“How bad could it be, really? How serious can a breach of arcane financial regulations be, really? Just how damning can accountancy be? Even after Friday’s revelation that 
“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 
“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. …”
