Premier League 2026/27: Sky Sports' writers assess early talking points including Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City

22.09.2026, 17:50 skysports.com

Are Manchester City really title contenders? Is history repeating itself at Manchester United? Why do big-spending Tottenham still lack a backbone? After just five games, a number of storylines are already emerging.

Here, Sky Sports' team of writers assess the early talking points across an eventful start to the 2026/27 season...

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Enzo Maresca was asked in his press conference whether he considered Manchester City to be title contenders after his side beat Sunderland 5-3 in one of the Premier League's most frenetic encounters to date. He gave the standard answer. "Too early to tell".

There is a pragmatic truth in that response. Five games is a small sample size. But I've seen enough to stick my neck out and say they will be right up there.

Maresca has so far made this exciting, dynamic City squad work for him, partly by design, partly by luck. He's lucky he has Erling Haaland. He's lucky the club believe so heavily in his cause they were willing to spend £320m on an entirely new midfield department.

But there is no doubt this squad is packed with entertainers who are determined to win. I like that the burden of scoring responsibility has been more equally shared; both Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki can boast as many goal involvements as Haaland.

And there is obvious momentum after winning seven in a row in all competitions. There will be times where City come unstuck because defensively they are fallible. Haaland will suffer his inevitable dip at some point. Injuries will occur because City's most explosive players, Jeremy Doku in particular, are prone.

The Premier League is an ever more demanding beast and City are no longer Pep Guardiola's possession-based puppets.

But this is a team that will also get better with time. Maresca can now spend the next three weeks polishing up the bits he doesn't like, ready to go again. Barring any major injuries, City can - very probably will - rival Arsenal in the race.Laura Hunter

Inevitable expectations followed when Spurs went big this summer - bigger than they've ever gone before.

Their £334m outlay sat them only behind perennial big spenders Chelsea and Man City across the transfer window.

Of course, any dreams of a return to the halcyon days at the top were always going to be tough to reach in the short term, as many previous clubs have found after a significant turnover of players.

But even with the patience required, sitting bottom of the table, with just two goals and as many points from their opening five games is miles below-par.

Spurs and Roberto De Zerbi's greatest concern will be that his side's issues are more than just teething problems.

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"In my 14 years as a coach, I've never seen a team like us, so fragile and inconsistent," De Zerbi said after their 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

For all the money spent, there is still no sign of a Spurs backbone. They are approaching two years since they last conceded first and went on to win. The pressure of even playing at home remains a problem - their lavish stadium has seen more Beyonce concerts than home wins over that same period.

And given the £85m outlay on Savio and future £60m on Omar Marmoush, fans and De Zerbi would hope for far more than the worst xG per shot of any team in the Premier League, and just two consolation goals in that Villa loss.

With the quality brought in, and flashes of showing already, things will improve and three uninterrupted weeks on the training ground will do the likes of James Maddison the world of good.

But after comfortably the biggest spend in their history, he lingering worry that Spurs still have so many areas left to address is not a problem fans had anticipated facing just five games into this new era.Ron Walker

Statistically, Manchester United had the easiest start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign. Five points from five games later, it feels like the Red Devils have turned the clock back a year and there are more questions than answers.

Michael Carrick’s reign began with an incredible level of intensity when his side beat Manchester City. Compared to now, United look like a shell of that team. Constantly outrun and outfought.

Having only strengthened in the midfield over the summer, the defence looks out of date and vulnerable, conceding fewer than two goals in the Premier League just once.

While their attacking overhaul in the summer of 2025 made them look a threat, they now appear disjointed. Injuries to Amad Diallo and Benjamin Sesko have clearly hurt, while Marcus Rashford’s reintegration has hardly led to on-field results.

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As if that’s not bad enough, they are also being held to ransom by 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, with reports suggesting that the teenager’s representatives want him to be allowed to leave because United have fallen behind other European giants.

Carrick was part of the backroom staff when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt similar pressure. Five years on, the story is the same.

A cult hero returns on an interim basis, does the job asked of him, is given the keys to Old Trafford and is then almost immediately under scrutiny.

When will the rerun of the same programme finally come to an end? Before that, Carrick has to ensure that he doesn’t hand another one of his former clubs their first Premier League win after the international break when United host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham. Lose, and it's anyone’s guess where things go.Callum Bishop

Many expected Arsenal to dominate the league this season, partly due to the lack of a competitive rival capable of taking their Premier League crown.

But the 3-0 loss to Brighton on Saturday, coupled with Man City continuing their perfect start to the campaign, has tested that theory.

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Yes, we're only five games in, and the jury is still out on whether Arsenal are truly better than the team that won the league last season in terms of quality.

The Gunners signed Ezri Konsa to bolster their defence but he has replaced the injured William Saliba in the team, so is not exactly seen as an improvement in that area, other than depth.

Bruno Guimaraes was another marquee signing and showed his worth against Sunderland. But his underwhelming performance at Brighton raised early questions about whether he too is an improvement on Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is perhaps better-skilled than the Brazilian in handling a high-pressing opponent.

Arsenal have won every Premier League game in which Lewis-Skelly has started in midfield.

Christos Tzolis has been a successful buy overall but he is yet to score for Arsenal. The goalscoring output that the now-departed Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli provided last season are yet to be replaced.

Other than those three players, Arsenal are pretty much the same squad that won the league last season.

The likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have found some early-season form that they lacked last term - but the next batch of fixtures post-international break will test the claims about whether Arsenal have improved. It will test their title defence.Sam Blitz

Liverpool's hard-fought 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday maintained head coach Andoni Iraola's unbeaten record since taking charge of the club in the summer which when also taking into account pre-season friendlies, now stretches to 12 games.

In fact, the Basque is the first Reds boss to remain unbeaten in his first five league matches since Joe Fagan all the way back in September 1983.

However, do not let those statistics trick you into thinking Iraola has Liverpool back firing again, with the Reds having passed the eye test in only a handful of competitive contests so far this season, while at the same time needing late goals to rescue a point against bottom-half sides Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

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And despite having now kept three consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since September 2024, the back line still looks shaky, especially when defending set plays.

Meanwhile, the midfield is not clicking as the new man tries to find the right balance and £116.5m playmaker Florian Wirtz remains the elephant in the room, although less so after Jamie Carragher's analysis of his anonymous and error-strewn display at the Vitality.

Do not forget either that Iraola has been handed a relatively gentle start to this campaign, although that all changes after the international break when the Reds face far sterner tests at home to league leaders Man City and in-form Brighton, with a tricky-looking trip to high-flying Brentford in between.

Come through those examinations unscathed and we can start talking about a Reds revival under their new boss.Rich Morgan

Chelsea's mixed start is captured perfectly by their mid-table position. Their attack has dazzled but their defence has been disastrous as Xabi Alonso looks to find a balance with his 3-4-3 formation. They must do better.

There have been few issues with the 'JP Morgan' frontline which is living up to its billing. Morgan Rogers has made a fast start to his Chelsea career following his £117m move with three goals and an assist.

His partnership with Cole Palmer is blossoming, and his form earned him a recall to the England squad, while Joao Pedro's three goals and three assists got him back in with Brazil.

Entertainment hasn't been in short supply. Chelsea have won 3-2, 4-3 and 6-3 but their last two results, a 2-2 draw with Hull City and a 3-0 defeat at Brentford, have raised concerns that their leaky defence will prevent them from mounting a title challenge despite signing experienced goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

They were bullied against Brentford, overpowered in the second half and conceded from another set piece, the fourth time this season - taking their overall tally