Arsenal First Division
After 3 consecutive second-place seasons, Arsenal entered the 2025-2026 campaign with the motto "now or never". Spending more than 250 million pounds and keeping a stable squad, Mikel Arteta builds an effective, disciplined and brave team. With no more wasteful stumbles, The Gunners played more practically and coolly.
The defense is the solid foundation of the "Gunners" with only 3 goals conceded/10 matches - the best defensive record in the tournament. Declan Rice is on the rise, Gabriel is in the prime of his career. With a 6-point advantage and a sense of victory in the form, Arsenal showed that they are ready to break the 22-year wait for the championship.
Manchester City - 2nd place
Man City has never been as competitive as it is now under Pep Guardiola. 3 defeats after 10 rounds spoke about the instability of the team that had won the Premier League 4 times in a row. They rely too much on Erling Haaland - who has scored 13 goals, accounting for nearly 2/3 of the Citizens' total goals.
The Citizens' biggest concern is that the remaining players in the squad have not scored more than 2 goals. Pep Guardiola needs to find a solution to output goals for Man City in case Erling Haaland does not play.
Rodri, meanwhile, is struggling with fitness after a ligament injury, significantly weakening Man City's midfield. However, experience and courage still help them still chase Arsenal.
Liverpool Third Division
Arne Slot started with 5 consecutive wins, but then fell free with a series of 4 losses. Liverpool are living on inspiration and late goals, rather than a consistent style of play. This past summer, they spent 484 million pounds ineffective when Florian Wirtz was lackluster, Alexander Isak struggled, many key players were injured, especially Alisson Becker.
The team also experienced a psychological shock when losing Diogo Jota. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah is no longer as excellent as before and Liverpool have lost their attacking advantage. The defense is also more fragile, having conceded 14 goals/10 matches, the Van Dijk - Konate central defenders are uncertain, and the wing is constantly being exploited.
Tottenham - 5th place
From 17th place last season to 5th place now, Spurs are improving under Thomas Frank. However, good memories were fading away at the start when Tottenham were defeated by Chelsea at home and had to cry in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Injuries to James Maddison and Dominic Solanke and the departure of Son Heung-min have taken away Tottenham's creativity and experience this season. 3 out of the last 4 home matches, "The Rooster" did not know the taste of victory.
Chelsea 6th place
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup champion is a place where many "geniuses but erratics" are. The Blues beat Liverpool and Spurs but lost poorly to Brighton and Sunderland. This is a truly young team that has never created peace of mind for fans.
Despite Cole Palmer and Liam Delap's long-term absences, Chelsea's attack is still scoring well. The biggest problem is the lack of solid defense and weak discipline when receiving 3 red cards in the Premier League and 5 red cards in all competitions.
Manchester United 8th place
Man United entered the season with a bad memory when they finished 15th last season. However, Ruben Amorim is gradually changing the atmosphere at Old Trafford. From the humiliating defeat to Grimsby to the historic 2-1 victory at Anfield, Man United is like an emotional game.
The attack has more vitality thanks to Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo. Young goalkeeper Senne Lammens eases worries about the goal. However, the 16 goals conceded have exposed the fragility of the defense. The team still lacks depth and quality of substitutes, especially when Mbeumo, Diallo and Mazraoui are preparing for the Can Cup. If they want to be in the top 4 this season, the Red Devils need to spend more in January with positions such as midfield or full-backs.
