The 2025-26 Premier League season has reached a key stage and the so-called traditional “Big Six” — Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — have experienced wildly contrasting fortunes on their way to the 10-game mark, though they all currently sit inside the top eight, with Bournemouth in fourth place and Sunderland in seventh.
Every top-flight team — aside from Sunderland and Everton who meet on Monday night — have now played 10 league games and given themselves a clear indication of what they can, and can’t, achieve between now and May.
Four managers have already been fired: Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou (both Nottingham Forest), Graham Potter (West Ham) and Vitor Pereira (Wolves). And others, including United’s Ruben Amorim, have found themselves under intense pressure.
But at the top of the table, the pressure is on the “Big Six” to live up to expectations and deliver silverware and UEFA Champions League qualification. Some are progressing beyond expectations and others are well off the pace, so with over a quarter of the season now done, how are they shaping up?
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ARSENAL: 1st
GRADE: A
STORY SO FAR: After three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Premier League, this season might have been billed as “Now or Never” for Mikel Arteta’s hopes of winning Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2004, especially with the club spending over £250 million on new signings this summer.
But despite some criticism for a lack of risk-taking by Arteta, especially when losing at Liverpool and drawing at home to Manchester City, Arsenal are flying high at the top of the table with a six-point lead and look on course to end their title drought.
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Arsenal are the most consistent team and their mastery of set pieces gives them an advantage over their rivals. And their defense, which has conceded just three league goals in ten games, is a big reason why they are looking so formidable.
The Gunners have a big November ahead, with London derbies against Spurs and Chelsea, plus a trip to in-form Sunderland, but with midfielder Declan Rice and defender Gabriel in the best form of their careers, Arsenal have nothing to fear.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? Arsenal should, and will, blank out the noise about their lack of flair and creativity, but more goals from their forwards would be a huge step toward the title. New striker Viktor Gyökeres is their top scorer with just four league goals and winger Bukayo Saka (2) is the only other attacking player to have scored more than once this season. But the flipside is that 11 players have scored at least one league goal for the Gunners so far this season, and that shows that Arteta’s side carries a threat from all areas.
1:29
Did Manchester City reignite the title race with Bournemouth win?
Don Hutchison believes “there’s no reason” why Manchester City shouldn’t consider themselves title challengers to Arsenal following their 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
MANCHESTER CITY: 2nd
GRADE: C
STORY SO FAR: It has been a strange season for Pep Guardiola’s side so far. It is clearly a team in transition and has been inconsistent to the extent that it has already lost three Premier League games. But despite their obvious flaws, City still find themselves in second spot as Arsenal’s closest challengers and they will believe that their title-winning experience can be a significant factor if they are able to keep pace with the Gunners until the run-in.
The biggest element of City’s ability to climb as high as second, however, has been the goals of Erling Haaland. The 25-year-old has already scored 11 league goals, which puts him five clear of the rest in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot. But, worryingly for Guardiola, City’s second-highest scorer is Burnley defender Maxime Estève following his two own goals in a 5-1 defeat at the Etihad in September.
Rodri’s struggle for fitness since returning from a cruciate ligament injury has restricted the Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder’s appearances and City have looked vulnerable in central areas, but they go into Sunday’s clash with champions Liverpool at the Etihad in a strong position despite their difficulties.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? City simply have to find more goals from players who aren’t called Haaland. If the Norway striker avoids injury, then he could fire City to the title, but Guardiola said after Sunday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth — when Haaland scored twice — that would be “tough for us” without him. That’s a statement of the obvious, but if Haaland does miss a period of games, City need goals from somewhere else to keep their hopes alive.
1:22
Nicol: Mo Salah’s goal vs. Aston Villa ‘huge’ for Liverpool
Steve Nicol talks about the importance of Mohamed Salah’s contributions during Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa to return to winning ways.
LIVERPOOL: 3rd
GRADE: D
STORY SO FAR: Liverpool have been all over the place, starting the season with five straight league wins, and then following it up with four successive defeats that ended only with Saturday’s 2-0 home win against Aston Villa.
The truth is that Arne Slot’s team rode their luck with so many late goals in the five-game winning streak, which painted a false picture of their performances, while their losing run was also down to fortune evading them, especially during the 2-1 Anfield defeat against Manchester United when Cody Gakpo hit the woodwork on three separate occasions.
But although Liverpool sits third, seven points behind Arsenal, they have certainly misfired this season and their £415 million summer spending spree has done little to improve the champions. With six first-team players coming in and six moving on, plus the tragic death of Diogo Jota, Slot has been unable to find consistency and the team looks imbalanced.
Big signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have failed to deliver when selected and Liverpool have really missed goalkeeper Alisson Becker since he was injured during the Champions League defeat against Galatasaray in September. The win against Villa might have stopped the rot, but two huge games against Real Madrid and City this week will tell us where Liverpool really are.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? Every area of the team needs to do better. Only summer signing Hugo Ekitike and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai have played to anything like their capabilities so far. But while Mohamed Salah is still searching for form, the big weakness of the team has been in defense. Liverpool have conceded 14 goals in 10 games and both center backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté have looked vulnerable, while Slot has struggled to find a consistent full back on either side of the pitch.
1:09
Did Thomas Frank get it wrong for Spurs vs. Chelsea?
Janusz Michallik reacts to Tottenham’s “disappointing” performance during their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League.
TOTTENHAM: 5th
GRADE: C
STORY SO FAR: When viewed in the context of last season, when Spurs finished 17th (one place above the bottom three) on the back of 22 league defeats, their start to this season should be seen as a successful response under new head coach Thomas Frank.
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Spurs sit in fifth, eight points behind Arsenal, but the optimism and positivity generated by three wins in their first four games — including a 2-0 win at Manchester City — has now evaporated and things turned sour with the team being booed off following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat against Chelsea. That loss means that Spurs have won just four of 19 home league games since beating Aston Villa on Nov. 3, 2024 and Frank has been unable to halt the slump which began under predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
Injuries to key players including midfielder James Maddison and striker Dominic Solanke have hit Spurs hard and the departure of Son Heung-Min to LAFC has taken crucial experience and leadership from the squad. Spurs face Manchester United (H) and Arsenal (A) in their next two league games, so they have the chance to turn the tide against “Big Six” rivals. But if the opposite happens and they lose both, Frank will be under increasing pressure from a notoriously impatient fan base.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? Winning at home is always a good start to improving the mood on and off the pitch, and three points against United on Saturday would likely take Spurs into the top four. But wins can often paper over the cracks and a wider issue that Frank needs to address is his style of play which goes against the Spurs tradition of entertaining and attacking football. Frank’s style is to be more direct, with long throws and long balls from deep and a focus on set pieces; if he is to avoid losing the faith of the fans, the former Brentford coach needs to get results and also raise the entertainment levels.
1:25
Michallik brands Moisés Caicedo a midfield ‘monster’ for Chelsea
Janusz Michallik sings the praises of Moisés Caicedo after his starring performance in Chelsea’s Premier League win over Tottenham.
CHELSEA: 6th
GRADE: C
STORY SO FAR: The world champions — yes, we must give Chelsea their correct title following their FIFA Club World Cup triumph this summer — are the most inconsistent and unpredictable team in the Premier League this season. They are a side that have already beaten Liverpool and Spurs, but have also lost at home to Brighton and Sunderland.
Chelsea are performing like a team of inexperienced young players, which is precisely what they are. When they are good, they look like potential title challengers, but on their off days, Chelsea perform like a side that could struggle to finish in the top four.
Enzo Maresca’s team are unconvincing defensively and it lacks a reliable goalkeeper, but despite injuries further forward to Cole Palmer and Liam Delap, it has scored as many goals as Arsenal and Liverpool, with only City (20) hitting as many as Chelsea’s 18 so far. Discipline is proving to be a problem, with three red cards in the league already and five in all competitions, but overall, Chelsea are still in touch with the leaders.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? Maresca needs to make his team more solid at the back because Chelsea certainly have goals in them and the expected return of Palmer from a groin injury this month will further sharpen their attacking threat. But what Chelsea need most is experience and that can only come with time on the pitch, unless the club abandons their policy of signing young players by adding a couple of older heads in January. That is unlikely to happen, though, so Chelsea’s growing pains are likely to continue, which means more unexpected defeats and needless red and yellow cards until the players develop the maturity that comes from playing regularly.
1:42
Michallik: Man United’s demons returned in Forest’s quick-fire double
Janusz Michallik pumps the brakes on talk of Manchester United’s resurgence as they’re held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest.
MANCHESTER UNITED: 8th
GRADE: C
STORY SO FAR: Welcome to world’s most unpredictable and long-running rollercoaster. Manchester United are getting better, but they have still endured some lurches into the depths this season, including a humiliating Carabao Cup defeat against Grimsby Town — United’s first defeat against fourth-tier opposition in their 147-year history. But Ruben Amorim’s team has also had some big highlights, none more so than a 2-1 win away to Liverpool which was United’s first at Anfield since 2016.
After enduring their worst-ever Premier League campaign to finish 16th last season, United and Amorim finally seem to be heading in the right direction and are now unbeaten in four league games. Summer signings Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have made United stronger as an attacking force, while Senne Lammens has, so far, resolved the goalkeeping issue by proving himself a much more reliable and composed option than either André Onana or Altay Bayindir.
United have the worst defense in the top 10, however, having conceded 16 goals and their squad are lacking depth and quality beyond Amorim’s starting XI. But they are firmly in the race for Champions League qualification and a corner seems to have been turned. Consistency is now the key, and that is what United have lacked for years.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE? Casemiro has silenced his doubters by performing well for United this season, but when the 33-year-old defensive midfielder is out of the team, neither Manuel Ugarte or Kobbie Mainoo is good enough to fill the void, so the club really needs to bolster Amorim’s midfield options in January.
The lack of reliable alternatives is an issue throughout the squad and the likely monthlong absence of Mbeumo and Amad Diallo for the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January will leave Amorim without adequate cover. So the onus is on the club to make improvements to the squad when the window opens to give United a chance of securing a Champions League spot. If Amorim can keep the team progressing until the new year, it will put pressure on the Old Trafford hierarchy to find the money for much-needed new players.
