We may be just 11 game weeks into the 2025-26 Premier League season. But debate and discussion is already swirling on the perceived quality of the football on display.
It has mainly come from the social media hotbed of hot takes, X (formerly Twitter), as well as pundits, namely Jamie Carragher who recently said the league has regressed from its on-field zenith of 2018-19 when Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were going toe-to-toe.
The stats do somewhat back up the argument. This season so far has seen fewer goals per game (2.74) than any other the past four campgians. And it’s a significant drop from the 2023-24 season which had the most goals per game average in Premier League history (3.28).
There have also been fewer goals from open play, more headed goals, fewer shots on target and fewer chances created. As you are likely aware by now, we are living in the latest era of the set piece with corners, free-kicks, and long throws back in fashion.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Premier League 2025-26: The season of storylines
However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The high-possession, play-from-the-back, death by 1,000 passes might have been fantasy football to some but it was joyless and boring to others. And a world away from the blood and guts style long associated with English football.
To a lot of fans, football is about drama, moments, and storylines. It is what people talk about in pubs, clubs, and WhatsApp groups. And if we’re judging seasons off that, this current campaign has been the most exciting in years. Everywhere you look in the table, from top to bottom, there is something to talk about.
No side has been more scrutinised for their style of play than Arsenal. An apparent over-reliance on set pieces is seen as a blemish against their success so far this season. It has rather bizarrely near-become more of a plotline than their quest to finally shed the bridesmaids tag and end a 22-year wait for the league title.
That quest hit an obstacle last weekend when Sunderland stunned the leaders, rescuing a late point in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light. It ended runs of 10 wins and eight clean sheets in all competitions for the Gunners and was the latest chapter in the real story of the season.
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Promoted and crisis clubs create a relegation battle
Only Hull City in 2008-09 have had a better points total than Sunderland as a promoted side in the Premier League era after 11 games. And it’s safe to say no one saw this coming when Regis Le Bris’ side went up via the play-offs.
They sit fourth and appear certain to be the first side to stay up following promotion since the 2022-23 season. Which is a huge positive for English football as a whole.
They might not be the only one either. Leeds United and Burnley both sit outside the relegation zone in mid-November. Both look destined for a season-long fight for survival but is a major improvement from 12 months ago when Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town were as good as down by Christmas.
The chaos at Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers has helped their cause. But that in itself has been a story. Angelos Marinakis is on his third manager in three months, Nuno Espirito Santo has landed at a London Stadium engulfed in civil war while Wolves could yet break Derby County’s all-time low point record.
There are the ongoing soap operas at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And it’s been a torrid league season so far for Newcastle United. Elsewhere, Bournemouth, Brentford and Crystal Palace continue to defy the odds in what is a remarkably tight league.
Do we talk about tactics and trends too much?
It’s not just about teams either. Some of the character development has been fascinating. Danny Welbeck, weeks away from turning 35, is the top-scoring English player in the league, Igor Thiago is the top scorer not called Erling Haaland and his Brentford teammate Michael Kayode has become the heir apparent to Rory Delap.
Then there’s Liverpool. Enough has been said at this point but it’s rather startling to see a repeat of Manchester City’s 2024 winter collapse. Man City’s dominant win on Sunday rather ironically likely already ends the Reds’ hopes of a first title defence since 1984 and breathes new life into Guardiola’s side.
Perhaps some of this has been missed with the over-analysis of tactics and trends. And maybe that’s part of the problem. Would we talk so much about set-pieces and long throws if they weren’t pointed out all the time? Or if set-piece coaches weren’t given such profiles? Albeit Keith Andrews is proving the exception there.
After all, Liverpool had the most goals from set piece situations in that fabled 2018-19 season.