The 2026/27 Premier League season is back in action again this weekend with Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City vs. Liverpool headlining a host of tantalizing matchups. But as we await the next games, let’s take a look at five teams that we are all having a hard time figuring out just where they will end up in May when the season concludes.
Chelsea
Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table right now, and their defense looks like a mess. They have clearly missed Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park both defensively and even going forward in possession, and they have to be honest and say that losing Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City was a pivotal switch that does not bode well for their hopes of getting back to European football.
The Blues have talent on their team, especially in the attack. On paper, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Estevao Willian is one of the best attacks in European football when everyone is healthy. And they have better depth than they did last season. But the problem is that everyone has not been healthy, and the attacking quality means very little when the rest of the team is incapable, which was exemplified by that blowout loss to Brentford in which the Blues could get nothing going offensively anyway.
You would think that with the talent Chelsea have at their disposal and a former Real Madrid manager who went undefeated in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in former Champions League and Premier League icon Xabi Alonso, the Blues would be in safe hands. But Chelsea look as bad as they did last season, and Alonso is not answering the doubts about him from his Madrid days. We just have no idea if Chelsea are capable of getting back into the top five at this stage.
Everton
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Everton have been much better than expected. Now, they did start hot last season with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye in great form on the wings before fading badly, and maybe Thierno Barry is just a flash in the pan at striker to start the season, as he did have a terrible debut campaign at Goodison Park in 2025/26.
Even with Barry on a bit of a hot streak, Everton are going to struggle to score goals and are barely scoring one per game, but, defensively, they have been rocks. And that defense has Everton in seventh, tied on points and goal difference with Liverpool. What sets Everton apart defensively is that everyone defends. From James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the midfield to the center back pairing of Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski, there is a lot to like about how Everton swarm teams and win the ball.
But you can’t qualify for European football in the Premier League just on that. You have to have the right attacking quality, explosiveness, and end product. Ndiaye is a huge loss, and all that’s left is Tyrique George as far as players who can create that something out wide on the ball with their dribbling. And Barry is the only Evertonian with more than one goal. So it’s hard to figure out if the Toffees are going to have enough juice to stay in the top half of the table.
Brighton
If Brighton can keep this up, they could honestly be Premier League title contenders. It sounds insane to say that, but they literally beat the defending champions 3-0. Arsenal had been playing amazing, arguably even better than last season especially offensively, and then they ran into a buzzsaw. Brighton are leading all Premier League teams with 16 goals scored and a +11 goal difference, and their center back partnership of Lewis Dunk and Luka Vuskovic in front of Bart Verbruggen is looking borderline elite.
I’m not sure it is sustainable for Brighton to be THIS good, because even though they have depth and quality, nobody on this team really stands out as a superstar player. Pascal Gross is a club legend and is honestly playing like a superstar right now, but he was horrendous and looked genuinely past it a year ago for Borussia Dortmund. If that ugly version of Gross crops up again at some point this season, Brighton are screwed, because they just can’t sustain this scoring.
But then again, can they not? Brighton are more about the system and the collective than the individual, and they have a lot of decent, capable players who play for each other. And in this day and age, that’s actually way more important than catering to one overrated star to pad stats for you. I guess it’s just hard to wrap your head around Brighton being a contender, and it might take a couple of more months for that to actually set in for people.
Manchester United
Manchester United seemed to have turned it around last year, but they are back to being disappointments again. And even though Michael Carrick is a club icon who brought the Red Devils back to Champions League football last season, the England international is already finding himself on the hot seat while people talk more and more about the possibility of Antonio Conte or another big name taking over. Of course, that’s just going to blow up the whole project and lead to more signings that don’t quite fit any specific philosophy.
Nobody knows what Man United are going to do. Are they finally going to back a manager and reward what Carrick did last season, believing in someone who knows the club and its values? More importantly, are they really this bad? Because they actually might be. Last season is starting to look more and more like a purple patch, because there’s nothing overtly impressive about this side.
The attacking players are pretty mid in the context of the Premier League Big Six, the midfield is horrible, Bruno Fernandes pads stats but has never won at the highest level and often holds back the other players from having an influence in the attack, and the defense is just filled with the rotting corpses of players who should really be in Turkey or MLS.
READ MORE: The biggest takeaway for each Premier League Big 6 club before 2026/27 season resumes in October
Liverpool
Liverpool were easily the best team in the Premier League in 2024/25, and then they were lucky to have finish as high as they did in sixth place last season to barely squeak into European football. And to be quite blunt, if it weren’t for the fact that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea were so poor, in addition to other usual contenders for Europe, the Reds would have been barely fighting for a spot in the top half of the table.
There is nothing overly impressive about Liverpool either. They are better than Chelsea, Spurs, and Man United this season so far, but that’s only because those four teams look like they don’t belong at all. Liverpool are getting something out of Alexander Isak, finally, and Cody Gakpo has paradoxically improved without the coach who was forcing him down our throats in Slot.
But Florian Wirtz is still a passenger in most games, and the entire midfield is lucky that he has been such a target for the media because all of them have been rubbish, too. That being said, Liverpool look a lot better defensively, and Andoni Iraola greatly improving the team’s tactics over Slot has made a clear difference, especially for the attack. I don’t know if the Reds are back to being a Champions League team, though, and that’s the big question we have to see answered.
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THE TRIVELA EFFECT
Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won’t be able to guess my favorite team.