For the most part, where the Premier League Big Six clubs land in the 2026/27 table after five Matchdays is pretty similar to where they were last year, with the exception that Manchester United find themselves in the bottom half of the standings right now after looking resurgent last season. Tottenham Hotspur are somehow ranked lower despite playing better, Chelsea still stink, Arsenal and Manchester City are still at the top, and Liverpool are somehow falling behind the likes of Leeds.
Before the Premier League returns this October following a lengthy international break, it’s time to dissect the biggest takeaway from each of the Big Six clubs after five matches played in 2026/27.
Arsenal
I think Arsenal’s biggest takeaway is that they have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. The defense is as strong as ever, the midfield is theoretically better after signing Bruno Guimaraes, and the attack honestly flows so much more with Christos Tzolis on the left-hand side and Kai Havertz in the middle. Plus, with Manchester City set to weaken and now being dealt that psychological blow of the charges, there’s really no reason why Arsenal shouldn’t repeat as champions. They themselves are as strong as they were last year, and I like what they are doing with the ball more.
Now, the Brighton loss was a big blow and a reminder of how tenuous things are in the Premier League with how well-managed some of these mid-table clubs are, but, to me, Arsenal are more dangerous, finding an even better mix of that annoying Mikel Arteta style and a bit more champagne and pop with the quality of Tzolis and arguably the most complete version of Havertz we have seen to date.
Manchester City
It’s unavoidable that the biggest takeaway from Manchester City’s season so far has to do with the 114 charges, even if that story has yet to be written and the true fallout has not been decided. Rayan Cherki and the new-look Man City midfield with signings Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson are giving Man City a new flavor, and depending on how the punishment goes and what has to happen in the winter transfer window, I still think they are title contenders. And I honestly don’t see this club getting as phased by what they are going through as, say, another club might in terms of the mentality of these players and what has been instilled in their DNA by Pep Guardiola.
At the same time, the Citizens most convincing win was against Crystal Palace, and they showed some cracks against Manchester United, Sunderland, and Coventry. I think they have a couple of positions that are weaker than the others and have a less complete team than Arsenal, and my takeaway is that while they are in first, the arrow is trending down on them.
Manchester United
I don’t know what to make of Manchester United, to be honest. Looking at the talent they had on paper, their great 2025/26 season was a bit fluky under Michael Carrick, and while there is an element of regression to the mean, a spot in the bottom half of the table and no wins in the month of September is an underperformance greater than what I would have expected.
Manchester United have cycled through a lot of defensive transfers over the years, but it feels like none of them are particularly impressive. That Man United are primarily still starting Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire in 2026/27 really tells you a lot about what you need to know regarding the state of this club. They just don’t do enough to win the ball and force the issue, and when Maguire is your sharpest reader of the game defensively, that’s a huge problem if you want to still maintain Champions League football. I just don’t think it’s a good enough base to build off of as a squad.
Liverpool
Even though Liverpool are still sixth in the Premier League table, they aren’t losing games and look significantly better when you actually watch them. And my biggest takeaway for the Reds is the improvement in performances from Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak. We can only hope that these two talented forwards stay healthy, because they are providing end product and sharpness in the final third that Liverpool simply didn’t have last season.
Liverpool invested a lot in Isak, and with Hugo Ekitike now out, the Swedish international is essential. He isn’t going to give you that much all-around, which is why Liverpool have Ekitike, but with four goals in five games, the version of Isak we saw challenge Erling Haaland for being the best striker in the 2024/25 Premier League season while with Newcastle is peeking out.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have to be so glad they didn’t sell Gakpo to Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham or to Enzo Maresca and Manchester City, because he also has four goal contributions this season and has been the best inverted wide creator in the league. He looks like he has more of a spark and is playing a much more suitable role in the side under Andoni Iraola.
Chelsea
Xabi Alonso became the world’s darling when his Bayer Leverkusen side won its first ever title, going undefeated to break up Bayern Munich’s streak of Bundesliga titles in what has to be the greatest season ever in the German top flight, considering the context. But Alonso got blown out by Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta 3-0 in the Europa League Final, looking completely unprepared. His follow-up season with Leverkusen was a disappointment, and then at Real Madrid, he was one of their worst ever managers, blowing up the locker room and alienating everyone against each other, including the fans on the players.
At Chelsea, Alonso is off to a terrible start, and it has to be said that the Blues look even worse than they did under Liam Rosenior. Joao Pedro is the only player benefiting from Alonso. The midfield and defense are terrible, and while that’s not on Alonso, it says something that even with the addition of Morgan Rogers – and the former Aston Villa man being better than advertised – Chelsea still can’t get out of the doldrums. It’s early, but I have my doubts that Alonso is the answer after watching him fail his first test in “big club football” at Real Madrid. He just can’t handle coaching these kinds of clubs yet.
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Tottenham Hotspur
It might not make any sense to say this about a Tottenham team that is 20th in the table and hasn’t even won a single game yet, but my biggest takeaway for the Lilywhites is that they are playing much better football this season as a whole. They really screwed themselves over by not signing a new striker and probably shouldn’t have alienated Richarlison when everyone who watched the 2025/26 season could have already told you that he was going to be better than all-time transfer bust Dominic Solanke, but Omar Marmoush has to come around at some point.
There’s a lot to like about this team. They have a clear identity now that they didn’t have last season, and unlike Ange Postecoglou, this approach can actually work against Premier League managers. When healthy, the defense is one of the better units in the league, the midfield should be elite once they can get a healthy creative player, and Spurs might have the best collection of pure dribblers in the world besides Real Madrid and maybe Barcelona, no exaggeration.
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.