As always, TFA will help you stay up to date with the world of FPL throughout the entire season.

In this article, we start by looking at the most-selected defensive asset ahead of the new campaign, compare two big summer signings to see which one might be the better pick, and lastly, look at the highest-owned players in each position.

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FPL Gameweek 1 Deadline

The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 deadline is Friday, 21 August 2026, at 18:30 BST

FPL Gameweek 1 Fixtures

Arsenal gets the season underway at home against Coventry.

Manchester United are away to Hull.

Everton will be hosting Crystal Palace.

Sunderland will travel to Ipswich.

Nottingham Forest welcomes Leeds.

Spurs have an away game against Brentford.

Brighton have a home game against Aston Villa.

Bournemouth will face Manchester City at the Etihad.

Newcastle will host Liverpool.

Chelsea are heading to Fulham to conclude Gameweek 1.

FPL Managers Expect Riccardo Calafiori To Deliver

The highest-scoring defender in FPL last season was Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães, who is currently priced at £8.0, making him the most expensive defender in the game.

However, despite Gabriel’s impressive campaign, it is his teammate Riccardo Calafiori who has emerged as the most-selected defender ahead of the new season, with a global ownership of 31.0%.

Calafiori started 22 Premier League games last season and finished the campaign with one goal and two assists.

Those numbers do not suggest that he should be the most popular defensive option in FPL heading into Gameweek 1.

However, much of the interest surrounding the Italian has come from his performances during pre-season.

Calafiori has scored twice and provided an assist, showing considerably more attacking threat than his numbers from last season might suggest.

That attacking potential becomes particularly interesting when combined with Arsenal’s defensive strength.

At just £5.5, Calafiori provides FPL managers with a relatively affordable route into one of the strongest defences in the Premier League, while also offering the possibility of attacking returns.

With a favourable opening fixture against Coventry coming up, it is easy to understand why his ownership has climbed so significantly.

At his current price, Calafiori looks like one of the most promising defensive options heading into the new FPL season.

Bruno Guimarães Vs Elliot Anderson

Two very high-profile midfield moves have taken place over the transfer window, as Bruno Guimarães moved from Newcastle to Arsenal in a move worth £75 million, and Elliot Anderson left Nottingham Forest for Manchester City, who spent £116 million to secure his services.

These midfielders have very different profiles, but which makes the most sense from an FPL perspective?

Last season, Elliot Anderson (now priced at £6.5m) started 37 games, accumulating a total of 3,332 minutes, during which he scored a total of 180 FPL points.

Bruno Guimarães (now priced at £7.0m) started 10 fewer games than Anderson, played a total of 2,456 minutes last season, and scored a total of 154 FPL points.

When converting that to PP90 (Points Per 90), Elliot Anderson averaged 4.86 FPL points every 90 minutes across 2025/26, while Bruno averaged 5.64.

Elliot Anderson made 515 defensive contributions last season, averaging an incredible 13.9 defensive contributions per 90 minutes.

Bruno Guimarães made a total of 251 defensive contributions, averaging 9.2 per 90 minutes.

Their xA (expected assists) figures are very similar, with Bruno having an xA of 4.96 and Anderson having an xA of 4.79.

When looking at their overall expected goal involvement, Anderson had an xGI of 7.73, while Bruno had an xGI of 10.55.

With Anderson picking up consistent DEFCON points for his relentless defensive contributions and Bruno offering a higher xGI, it will be interesting to see who finishes the season with more points, especially considering both of them are playing in better sides this season.

Top 3 Highest-Owned FPL Players In Each Position

Let’s take a closer look at the most popular FPL players across all positions ahead of the new FPL season:

Goalkeepers:

1) David Raya

Ownership: 35.8%

New Price: £6.0

Total Points Last Season: 162

2) Antonín Kinský

Ownership: 21.9%

New Price: £4.5

Total Points Last Season: 20

3) Martin Dúbravka

Ownership: 21.1%

New Price: £4.0

Total Points Last Season: 96

Defenders:

1) Riccardo Calafiori

Ownership: 31.1%

New Price: £5.5

Total Points Last Season: 109

2) Gabriel Magalhães

Ownership: 29.4%

New Price: £8.0

Total Points Last Season: 209

3) Pedro Porro 

Ownership: 22.8%

New Price: £5.5

Total Points Last Season: 117

Midfielders:

1) Bruno Fernandes

Ownership: 49.8%

New Price: £12.0

Total Points Last Season: 235

2) Dominik Szoboszlai

Ownership: 41.4%

New Price: £7.0

Total Points Last Season: 160

3) Bryan Mbeumo

Ownership: 33.4%

New Price: £8.0

Total Points Last Season: 148

Forwards:

1) Erling Haaland

Ownership: 69.5%

New Price: £15.5

Total Points Last Season: 239

2) João Pedro

Ownership: 61.7%

New Price: £7.5

Total Points Last Season: 177

3) Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Ownership: 28.6%

New Price: £6.0

Total Points Last Season: 142

Top 3 FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks:

1. Bruno Fernandes vs Hull
2. Erling Haaland vs Bournemouth
3. Gabriel Magalhães vs Coventry

Differential Captain Pick Of The Week

Christos Tzolis

Arsenal’s new winger has been looking fantastic in pre-season.

Christos Tzolis has provided seven assists and scored one goal since joining his new side.

With his minutes looking guaranteed for the opening weekend against Coventry, Tzolis will have the opportunity to properly introduce himself and reward the FPL managers who invested in him right from the start.

FPL Gameweek 1 Team Suggestion: 

Those who are looking for team suggestions might find some value in our FPL tips for GW1 below:

GK: Antonín Kinský (£4.5m)

DEF: Trai Hume (£4.5m)

DEF: Harry Maguire (£5.0m)

DEF: Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m)

MID: Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m)

MID: Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m)

MID: Christos Tzolis (£6.5m)

MID: Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m)

FWD: João Pedro (£7.5m)

FWD: Erling Haaland (£15.5m)

FWD: Dominic Calvert-Lewin  (£6.0m)

BENCH: Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m)

BENCH: Leif Davis (£4.0m)

BENCH: Diego Gómez  (£5.0m)

BENCH: Joe Rodon (£4.5m) 

Final Thoughts

With the new Premier League season finally getting underway, FPL managers now have to turn weeks of planning and tinkering into their final Gameweek 1 decisions.

The opening weekend always brings plenty of uncertainty, particularly after a busy transfer window and a pre-season period that has given managers a number of new options to consider.

Ownership percentages can provide a useful indication of where the FPL community is placing its trust, but they should never be the only factor behind a selection.

Price, expected minutes, fixtures and the different routes a player has to points all remain important when building a squad.

As always, one Gameweek will not define an entire FPL season, but a strong start certainly helps.

Make sure your team is locked in before the deadline, choose your captain carefully and enjoy the return of Premier League football.

Who Is Djed Spence?

Inter Milan have secured the signing of England international full-back Djed Spence from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported €30m transfer fee.

Spence is lined up as the replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, leaving an obvious gap within Inter Milan’s system.

Inter Milan struggled to replace Dumfries when he got injured last season, and they failed to do it properly since all of the options used did not have a similar quality to that of the Dutch defender.

With Dumfries providing a versatile selection of potential roles and remarkable input both in defence and attack, it was nearly impossible to replace him mid-season.

More importantly, Dumfries’ crucial role in transitions and in penetrations towards the box was something that only a few right wing-backs could repeat.

That’s why Inter Milan considered replacing Dumfries as one of their top priorities in this summer transfer window, and decided to opt for a confirmed player like Spence to provide the required input on the right wing.

In this Djed Spence scout report and player analysis, we explore the profile of Spence, his abilities and strengths in terms of roles and how he would adapt to Inter Milan’s system, as well as compare him to Dumfries.

Djed Spence Potential Roles At Inter Milan

Djed Spence comes to Inter Milan with various mastered roles and positions, even though he is needed essentially for the right wing-back position.

Spence is already experienced in playing on both sides, whether as a left-back, left wing-back, right-back, or right wing-back.

He played in these positions on numerous occasions at the highest level and therefore has the experience needed to perform well in any of those positions and provide extra depth to Inter Milan’s squad.

Under the management of Cristian Chivu, Spence is expected to play mainly as a right wing-back, becoming the first-choice replacement for Dumfries.

At the same time, Spence proved whenever he was used as a left wing-back that he can be extremely useful, especially in playmaking, cutting inside and making progressive runs from the wing.

Playing as an inverted wing-back makes Spence use his explosive runs and dribbling qualities well enough to avoid marking and provide some valuable playmaking solutions, and that’s an aspect that should not be neglected.

In fact, the only issue with using Spence as a left wing-back when Federico Dimarco is unavailable or tired is the fact that Inter Milan do not actually have valuable alternatives for the right wing-back role, apart from Andy Diouf, who is being converted to play in that position.

For the right wing-back role, Spence provides extra defensive security and will be very useful in this regard.

He proved previously, and especially during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that he is a very attentive and reactive defender who cannot be surpassed easily.

He often uses his acceleration to retreat on time or reach opponents who have already beaten him.

His ability to intercept passes, reach opponents and resort to sliding tackles successfully to save his team from dangerous situations makes him an extremely valuable defender.

More importantly, Spence can guarantee the sort of attacking efforts and missions that Dumfries used to execute previously.

In other words, Spence has the athletic abilities and the physical strength to advance frequently and still retreat on time in case of conceding counterattacks.

Having played in the Premier League a lot, he is used to the rhythm of quick transitions and will find no issues in coping with the rhythm of Serie A, which is slower than that of the Premier League.

Spence will be very useful for Chivu, especially when it comes to finding solutions in playmaking and in attack.

His resistance to defensive disturbance and ability to carry the ball forward and use his explosive penetrations from the right wing make him a valuable asset for Chivu’s 3-5-2 formation.

In addition to that, he proved on many occasions that he knows how to deal with situations that require key passing or crossing.

Knowing when to opt for passing and crossing while advancing makes Spence even more useful in the attacking phase, as that’s something that Chivu needs to work on with Spence so that he succeeds in creating the needed chemistry between him and the strikers.

If Spence does succeed in building the needed chemistry with Lautaro Martínez, Pio Esposito, and the rest and follows their movements without the ball inside the box with well-timed crosses/passes, then Spence’s playmaking role can be successful at Inter Milan.

Even though Spence is not as powerful as Dumfries in terms of attacking positioning and finishing, he can still be dangerous enough inside the final third through his powerful shots from distance.

Overall, Spence offers plenty of solutions both in the defensive phase and in the attacking phase in a way that will make him valuable to Inter Milan’s system following the departure of Dumfries, even though there are some differences between the two, especially in attack.

The following heat map confirms that Spence is used to playing on both wings, and that’s already proof of the versatility and the ability of Spence to be used in more than one position in defence/midfield.

Djed Spence Career Heat Map

Djed Spence Playmaking Solutions & Variety

Spence has got the passing and crossing skills needed to impress at Inter Milan and be very useful for Chivu’s system.

Thanks to his experience in advancing into the opponent’s half so often when playing on the right flank, Spence is capable of using his dribbling qualities and acceleration to get away from tough opponents and eventually provide key passes into the box.

Even though his number of assists on average is not that high, his attempts in terms of key passes towards the box have often been dangerous, especially in the last few seasons, and that’s an aspect that can be further developed under the management of Chivu.

Spence can be extremely useful for Inter Milan in this regard, as he proved more than once that he can get through more than one opponent.

The following example highlights his ability to surpass his direct marker and avoid getting into crowded areas, meaning that he knows how to use spaces and take the right acceleration/dribbling decisions, even when facing tough teams like Arsenal.

Set-pieces were a major topic of discourse during the 2025/2026 Premier League season.

Title-winning Arsenal's physical and repetitive approach to corners garnered attention from fans and managers alike.

Broader Premier League tactics have increasingly aligned with this approach, and the regulatory bodies took notice of this physicality.

IFAB introduced VAR interventions for attacking fouls on corners before the ball is in play.

Following the recent rule changes, corner tactics at the 2026 FIFA World Cup diverged from the past season's norms, and the expectation was that these new tactical trends could extend to the English top flight.

This Premier League tactical analysis uses data analysis to compare last season's corner statistics to early pre-season data, and set-piece analysis to identify the subtle changes occurring in corner tactics.

Rule Changes Driving Tactical Adaptation

The Premier League was at the forefront of the set-piece movement last season.

Clubs favoured low-risk routines, built around inswinging deliveries into a crowded six-yard box.

The derisively named 'meat-wall' tactics rely on obstruction: pinning, grappling, and otherwise restraining players through legally questionable means.

In an attempt to reduce this sort of contact, IFAB expanded the scope of VAR to include attacking fouls before the corner is taken.

The rule changes debuted at this summer's World Cup, where teams made significant tactical shifts in reaction to the increased scrutiny on attacking conduct.

In the previous Premier League season, about 70% of corners were inswinging deliveries, while only 51.2% of corners in the World Cup Group Stages were inswingers.

International teams, including England, opted to use outswingers as a more prominent feature of their corner tactics.

Even during inswinging deliveries, the grappling featured in the Premier League was largely replaced with attacking movements designed for space creation.

International teams seemed to consider the risks of congestion in the six-yard box to outweigh the benefits.

The World Cup appeared to be an inflection point in set-piece tactics, with the rule change acting as a catalyst for new tactical evolution.

Since the IFAB rule change applies to the Premier League, one may expect similar tactical shifts to follow in the upcoming season.

Surprisingly, the 'Premier League Big Six' (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur) are persisting with the corner tactics of last season.

Pre-Season Statistical Trends - Data Analysis

It is important to preface that this data analysis utilises pre-season data, which, for a multitude of reasons, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Personnel restrictions and squad rotation typical of pre-season fixtures can result in forced tactical changes.

If a team does not have a left-footed player on the pitch, they are not capable of taking inswinging corners on the right side.

Additionally, coaches are unlikely to deploy their most intricate and practised routines in a pre-season friendly, since opposition analysts will be watching the matches.

Nonetheless, pre-season tactics still reflect the tactical preferences of managers, since it would be wasteful to prepare differently from the team's planned approach.

The data from last season shows how strongly the Premier League Big Six favoured inswinging deliveries.

As a group, Big Six corners (n=1,307) were comprised of 69.1% inswingers, 15.2% outswingers, and 15.7% short corners.

Premier League Big Six Corner Delivery Stats 2025/2026

Data from three of each club's pre-season matches indicates that managers still prefer inswingers despite the rule changes.

As a collective, 73.7% of pre-season Big Six corners (n=76) were inswingers, with outswingers and short corners each making up 13.2% of corner deliveries.

Cardiff City hosted Wrexham for their first fixture of the 2026/2027 EFL Championship season, and the match ended with a 1-1 draw.

The Red Dragons could arguably be coming away even more disappointed than the Bluebirds about this draw, as they had the lead throughout the match before conceding a last-minute goal from a free kick.

Wrexham knew how to exploit Cardiff City’s weaknesses and played on them to score their goal and create several other valuable goalscoring situations.

However, Phil Parkinson’s players were unable to be clinical enough in front of goal in order to further secure their win, leaving the door open for Cardiff City to equalise at any time.

With that said, the way Wrexham played in this away match can only be positive for the team, as they showed a lot of desire to score and willingness to defend well enough throughout the match, except for those final minutes.

That lack of discipline to concede the free kick late on in the game is something they'll need to address in order to find themselves in the promotion fight this season.

On the other hand, Cardiff City should also be disappointed both with the result and with their overall performance.

Brian Barry Murphy's side struggled to create dangerous actions against Wrexham, and they were unable to secure their defensive line from Wrexham’s attacks and counterattacks.

A lot of defensive errors were recurrent in this match too, and that is already worrying for the rest of the season.

In this Cardiff City vs Wrexham tactical analysis, we focus mainly on these defensive issues and how Wrexham succeeded in exploiting them in their favour.

The analysis will try to identify these defensive weaknesses in detail and show how Wrexham were able to intelligently build on such errors to create dangerous attacking actions.

Cardiff City Vs Wrexham Lineups & Formations

Cardiff City Lineup Vs Wrexham

Murphy started the match using the 4-1-4-1 formation with Nathan Trott in goal, Perry Ng at right-back, Gabriel Osho and Joel Bagan as centre-backs, with Calum Scanlon at left-back.

The midfield was made up of Alex Robertson as the defensive midfielder, with Cian Ashford and Jack Moylan as central midfielders.

In attack, both Chris Willock and Ollie Tanner played on the wings, with Yousef Salech as the main striker.

Wrexham Lineup Vs Cardiff City

For Wrexham, Parkinson relied on a 3-4-3 formation with Anthony Patterson as the goalkeeper, Zak Vyner, Dominic Hyam, and Callum Doyle as centre-backs, with both Daniel Imray and George Thomason playing as wing-backs, while retreating when necessary to form a back-five defence.

In midfield, Parkinson used Matty James and Lewis O'Brien as central midfielders, with Nathan Broadhead and Oliver Rathbone as wingers, and Kieffer Moore as the main striker.

Wrexham Opportunistic Attacking Strategy

The match started with Wrexham taking the attacking initiative and trying to disturb newly-promoted Cardiff City’s defence early in the game in order to push them into committing errors.

Their plan was eventually successful after they won a free-kick, executed it and knew how to exploit the second ball to surprise the advancing defensive block.

In fact, Wrexham exploited Ashford’s clearance and gave no time for Cardiff City’s defenders to reorganise themselves and get on the same line.

The quick first-time long pass of Imray towards Cardiff City’s box, specifically to Moore, made all the difference in this action and led to a very dangerous situation.

But even though Imray’s pass was surprisingly accurate and quick, the blame should be put on Cardiff City’s defence for conceding this goal.

First, Osho was not quick enough to advance and position himself within the same line where his defence teammates were standing.

This kept Moore in play and allowed him to receive that long pass in a regular position and not in an offside one.

Second, Bagan, who had to mark Moore, was focusing on the linesman and waiting for him to raise the offside flag rather than following Moore in order to intercept the ball or at least prevent him from shooting/push him towards the wide areas.

This poor defensive behaviour during such a crucial action also contributed to making Wrexham’s action successful.

Furthermore, Bagan was unable to disturb Moore physically, as a slight hand push from Moore was sufficient for him to make Bagan stop and let the Welsh striker advance freely with the ball.

Third, Moore made things complicated for the whole Cardiff City defence as he was very quick and opportunistic in his finishing.

Letting the ball bounce twice and shooting with accuracy and power towards the opposite angle as soon as the ball hit the ground for the third time made it nearly impossible for Osho and Bagan to prevent or block the shot.

Who Is Bruno Guimarães?

In the January window of 2022, there were whispers that Olympique Lyonnais' Bruno Guimarães was coming to the Premier League.

The Brazil international's name was making waves across Europe, and Arsenal looked the likely destination.

What stalled the move was a reservation about scalability, the familiar doubt over whether a midfielder dominating Ligue 1 would still dominate in a more physical, fast-paced league.

While that question was being debated, Newcastle United moved aggressively for the then-24-year-old, paid Lyon around €50.1m and made him one of the first significant signings of the PIF era.

He has been at the heart of the most successful period in the club's modern history.

This includes being the captain for the last two seasons, an EFL Cup winner in 2025, and the author of 30 goals and 25 assists in 153 Premier League appearances, with goal involvement roughly every three matches from central midfield.

Four-and-a-half years later, at 28, Arsenal have signed him for a reported €87.5m.

Everything that was uncertain about him in 2022 is now evident.

This Bruno Guimarães scout report and player analysis analyses Bruno Guimarães’ player profile, his tactical fit at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s use of him, and the overall benefits his arrival would bring to the squad.

Bruno Guimarães Style Of Play

He is a dual-coded: a No. 6 and a No. 8, rather than a No. 6 who can shuffle forward when asked.

He has been explicit about this himself, per Sky Sports:

"I can play both positions, but Eddie [Howe] has a choice to make and, for me, the most important thing is just to play and to help Newcastle get the three points.

I think my best position is at No 8, but I can play at No 6.

It's not a problem for me."

The proof of the flexibility is in the output, shown when former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe used him as the deepest midfielder to return four goals and five assists, followed by seven and eight.

Later, Sandro Tonali took the No. 6 role, and Guimarães moved into his preferred box-to-box position on the right of a midfield three with encouragement to press and arrive late.

Guimarães is very comfortable on the ball and is at the heart of keeping play ticking, as well as being able to pick good passes while being closed down.

In a league win against Crystal Palace, Sandro Tonali plays a pass to Bruno, who is immediately pressed by Jefferson Lerma.

Bruno still manages to slip an outside-of-the-boot pass into space for Yoane Wissa to run onto.

The pass is perfect, which lets Wissa keep his speed and stay composed in the box, creating a clear chance on goal.

Last season, he was fouled 2.71 times per 90, inside the top 1% in the league.

Opposition find it difficult to legally take the ball from him, so they stop him illegally instead.

For a team that builds patiently against aggressive man-oriented pressing, a midfielder who converts pressure into free-kicks can be a structural reset.

Also, Bruno completed around 12 accurate forward passes and three long passes per 90.

He hits flat, early balls to start counterattacks the instant possession turns, and he has the vision to thread through small gaps against a deep block.

This is what produced Gabriel Martinelli's stoppage-time winner against Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he found the pocket between the lines and slid the pass in.

Bruno receives the ball and uses a quick shimmy to buy time, allowing Martinelli’s run into the box to develop.

He then times a slipped pass into Martinelli, who scores and sends Brazil through to the quarter-finals.

Burnley, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers were relegated from the Premier League last season, with Wolves finishing in last place.

The 2026/2027 EFL Championship started on Friday, and each of the three relegated teams started their campaign with a draw.

Burnley and West Ham faced each other in their opening fixture, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s team starting the match well and taking a 2-0 lead.

However, Zian Flemming scored twice in the last 10 minutes to bring the Clarets back into the contest and secure a 2-2 draw.

In this Burnley vs West Ham tactical analysis, we examine Nuno Espírito Santo’s tactics and the ideas of new Burnley coach Nicky Hayen, who is embarking on his first experience in England at Turf Moor.

Burnley Vs West Ham Lineups & Formations

Burnley Lineup Vs West Ham

Hayen set his team up in a base 4-2-3-1 shape with Max Weiß in goal behind a back four of Oliver Sonne, Kyle Walker, Max Alleyne and Bashir Humphreys, from right to left.

Hannibal Mejbri and Ugo Raghouber started in midfield behind Aaron Ramsey as the No. 10, with Marcus Edwards and Jacob Bruun Larsen on the wings and Zian Flemming up front.

Hayen made five changes to his team during the match.

Mejbri and Raghouber were withdrawn after 57 minutes, making way for Josh Laurent and Zeki Amdouni.

Another two changes followed in the 76th minute, with Ramsey and Humphreys coming off for Armando Broja and Lucas Pires.

Then, in the 82nd minute, Jacob Bruun Larsen came off for Mike Trésor.

West Ham Lineup Vs Burnley

Nuno set West Ham up in a 4-4-2 shape, with Mads Hermansen in goal behind a back four of Kyle Walker-Peters, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, and Oliver Scarles, from right to left.

Lewis Orford and Mohamadou Kanté played in central midfield, with Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon occupying the flanks.

The centre-forward positions were held by Pablo and Taty Castellanos.

Nuno made three substitutions during the match, the first of which came at half-time, when James Ward-Prowse replaced Pablo.

In the 87th minute, El Hadji Malick Diouf came on for Scarles, and in the 89th minute, the Hammers' final change saw Joël Veltman replace Manor Solomon.

From Four to Three: Burnley & West Ham Build-Up Structure

In low build-up, both teams started with a back four.

Burnley shifted into a 4-3-3 with an inverted midfield triangle.

Raghouber established himself as the deepest midfielder, while Mejbri shifted up into a more advanced position, alongside Ramsey.

West Ham used a different midfield structure.

Orford and Kanté sat deeper, while Pablo dropped into the No. 10 position to create the triangle.

Arsenal won the FA Community Shield after defeating Manchester City 3-0 at the Principality Stadium.

The match was always going to be significant, with two Premier League title contenders facing each other in the ceremonial season curtain-raiser, but several additional storylines made this particular encounter even more intriguing.

The biggest one concerned Manchester City, as this was their first game of a new era under head coach Enzo Maresca, who takes charge following Pep Guardiola’s departure.

However, the start of this new era did not go in the Italian’s favour.

The defeat gave Maresca the joint-record for the heaviest defeat suffered by a Manchester City manager in his first game; he shares that honour with Harry Newbould from 1906.

On the other side, Arsenal enjoyed a convincing victory and lifted the trophy in style.

Their 3-0 win over Manchester City was the biggest margin of victory in a Community Shield since 2014, when the Gunners defeated City by the same scoreline.

Arsenal started the game with a clear intention to return to North London with the trophy.

Riccardo Calafiori’s goal after just 23 seconds helped them take control from the beginning.

It was the first opening-minute goal in the Community Shield since Bobby Owen scored for Manchester City against West Bromwich Albion in 1968.

From there, Mikel Arteta's side managed the game effectively before adding two more goals to secure a convincing victory.

However, beyond the scoreline and the trophy, the game provided several interesting tactical themes.

Arsenal were able to create problems for City in different phases, while their defensive organisation limited City’s ability to turn possession into consistent danger.

At the other end, Arsenal found ways to exploit space and create decisive situations.

This Arsenal vs Manchester City tactical analysis examines how both sides approached the game and determines why Arsenal managed to achieve such a convincing victory.

Arsenal Vs Manchester City Lineups & Formations

Arsenal Lineup Vs Manchester City

Arsenal lined up with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

David Raya started in goal.

Arsenal’s back four were Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães as right and left centre-backs, with Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori as the right and left full-backs, respectively.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimarães started in central midfield, with Martin Ødegaard playing as the No. 10.

Noni Madueke was Arsenal’s right winger with Christos Tzolis on the left, and Kai Havertz up front.

Arteta made six substitutions in the match.

Declan Rice (46′) came on for Bruno Guimarães; Piero Hincapié and Bukayo Saka (60′) were introduced for Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke; Viktor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi (75′) came on for Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly; Eberechi Eze (84′) replaced Martin Ødegaard.

Manchester City Lineup Vs Arsenal

Manchester City lined up with a 4-2-3-1 formation too.

Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal.

Rúben Dias was at right centre-back while Joško Gvardiol operated as the left centre-back, flanked by Abdukodir Khusanov on the right and Nico O’Reilly on the left as full-backs.

Elliot Anderson and Mateo Kovačić started as the two No. 6s, with Phil Foden playing as a No. 10.

Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku started as the right and left wingers, with Erling Haaland as the striker.

Maresca also made six substitutions in the match.

Jack Grealish (46′) came on for Jérémy Doku; Omar Marmoush (53′) was introduced for Erling Haaland; Marc Guéhi (54′) replaced Nico O’Reilly; Rico Lewis (60′) came on for Elliot Anderson; Rayan Cherki (60′) took over from Phil Foden; Nico González (60′) came on for Mateo Kovačić.

Arsenal Build-Up Tactics Vs Manchester City

Arsenal’s build-up shape is mainly a 4-2 structure, with Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, Cristhian Mosquera, and Ben White forming the back four, with goalkeeper Raya behind them and Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimarães operating as the two midfielders ahead of the defence.

From goal kicks, Arsenal make a small adjustment to their shape to manipulate Manchester City’s high-pressing structure.

Bruno Guimarães drops deep into the box, while Myles Lewis-Skelly moves into a more central position.

As a result, Phil Foden follows Lewis-Skelly and is pulled away from his previous position.

Gabriel Magalhães passes the ball to Raya, with the goalkeeper inviting Erling Haaland to press him.

At the same time, Gabriel drops slightly deeper to attract Antoine Semenyo’s pressure.

Combined with Lewis-Skelly’s movement, this creates space for Bruno Guimarães to move into and receive.

The passing lane is now open, allowing Raya to find Bruno with a pass.

Bruno then tries to find Riccardo Calafiori from behind Semenyo, who has pushed forward to press Gabriel.

In open play, Arsenal rely on their two No. 6s operating at the same height.

Here, Bruno Guimarães starts alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly, with both positioned on the same line.

As a result, Phil Foden is responsible for marking both midfielders, adjusting his position according to the direction of the ball.

With the ball moving towards Arsenal’s right side, he moves closer to Bruno.

Meanwhile, Haaland uses a curved run to press Raya and direct the pressure towards Arsenal’s right side, allowing Cristhian Mosquera to receive the goalkeeper’s pass.

Doku waits until the ball reaches Mosquera before pressing him, while also curving his run to close the passing lane towards Arsenal’s right-back, Ben White.

Bruno Guimarães recognises the situation and moves closer to Mosquera, exploiting the passing lane opened by Haaland and Doku’s pressing runs.

With Foden positioned between Bruno and Lewis-Skelly, Bruno uses the situation to make a wall pass, allowing Mosquera to find Ben White, who is now free.

Martin Ødegaard drops to support Ben White and offer another passing option.

He then uses a wall pass to return the ball to Bruno Guimarães, who is now free and receives facing forward.

This allows Arsenal to escape Manchester City’s high press.

How Did Arsenal Break Down Manchester City’s Adjusted High Press?

Manchester City tried to find a solution to their defensive high-pressing structure.

Doku maintains his role, curving his run to shadow Ben White while pressing Mosquera after he receives Raya’s pass.

However, Foden now focuses only on Lewis-Skelly, while Mateo Kovačić jumps forward to pick up Bruno Guimarães.

At the same time, left-back Nico O’Reilly pushes forward to mark Ben White.

In this way, Manchester City try to shut down Arsenal’s initial structure and prevent Bruno from receiving the first wall pass.

Under significant pressure and with no available passing options, Cristhian Mosquera plays the ball back to David Raya, who is forced to go long.

At first glance, it might appear that Raya simply clears the ball away from his own box to avoid losing possession in a dangerous area.

However, the destination of the ball tells a different story.

Raya picks out a good long pass towards left winger Christos Tzolis, who has moved centrally to attack the free space created by Abdukodir Khusanov and Elliot Anderson pushing forward to mark Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Ødegaard.

At the same time, Manchester City’s two centre-backs, Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias, are occupied by Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz.

This allows Arsenal to find the free player within Manchester City’s adjusted high-pressing structure.

How Did Arsenal Use Attacking Transitions as a Dangerous Weapon Against Man City?

One of Arsenal’s strongest weapons against Manchester City was their ability to create dangerous attacking transitions that quickly put the Cityzens’ goal under threat.

Their approach was to find the free winger in a wide position, allowing him to carry the ball forward and attack the Manchester City full-back 1v1, supported by an underlapping run from the full-back, as Ben White produces here.

In the build-up to Matchweek 1, I’ve gone team-by-team and picked out my top three Fantasy Premier League assets to have on your radar for the start of the Premier League season.

Three factors that matter most to me at the start of the season when identifying my favourite picks:

1. Price: Is the player actually good value relative to their expected points?
2. Route To Points: DEFCON, clean sheets, assists and goals. The more routes the player has for returns, the better the pick.
3. xMins (Expected Minutes): None of the above matters if the player isn’t nailed on to start. Pre-season, post-World Cup, new managers and fresh signings make expected minutes hard to predict.

There is an extra layer of noise in 2026/27.

There are several managerial changes, a World Cup that has left many key players short on pre-season minutes, and we’ve learned from last season that cheap FPL assets that regularly DEFCON are valuable squad enablers.

Arsenal

William Saliba and Jurriën Timber's injuries are a concern, but Arsenal are still the best defence in the league, and the underlying models reflect that.

Gabriel Magalhães at £8.0m is difficult to justify.

Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White (all £5.5m) look like great value picks.

At the start of the season, before the European schedule kicks off, I think all of Arsenal's defensive minutes are relatively secure.

David Raya (£6.0m) is difficult to fit if you're running an early Bench Boost strategy, but he's very likely to be one of the top-scoring goalkeepers again.

Midfield is a wait-and-see: Bruno Guimarães (£7.0m) has arrived, and both Declan Rice (£7.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) have had almost no pre-season minutes.

Martin Ødegaard at £6.5m is interesting.

If he finds form and secure minutes, he could be excellent value.

Viktor Gyökeres (£7.5m) against his old club Coventry City (H) in GW1 is very appetising indeed, but there will be competition for a starting place with Kai Havertz (£7.5m).

Top 3 FPL Picks From Arsenal:

(1) Cristhian Mosquera - £5.5m

(2) Riccardo Calafiori - £5.5m

(3) David Raya - £6.0m

Aston Villa

Unai Emery is a proven Premier League-quality manager who has shown he can get the best out of an evolving squad.

That said, Aston Villa have lost Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers this summer.

The latter are two big names in important positions.

Ezri Konsa is also being linked with a move away.

I'm not very bullish on Aston Villa for the start of the season, and I got stung hard by them at the beginning of 2025/26.

I'd suggest a cautious approach to see whether they find their feet and gel with new arrivals.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Aston Villa:

(1) Ollie Watkins - £8.0m

(2) Emiliano Martínez - £5.0m

(3) Ian Maatsen - £4.5m

Bournemouth

New manager, DEFCON monster Marcos Senesi gone to Spurs, and wonderkid Eli Junior Kroupi injured and out for several months.

They face Manchester City (A) in GW1.

I’d suggest wait-and-watch here.

James Hill (£5.5m) was incredible for FPL managers in the second half of last season.

Marcus Tavernier (£6.0m) was productive, but Justin Kluivert (£6.0m) is back in contention.

Alex Scott (£6.0m) is a good set-and-forget midfield option.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Bournemouth:

(1) James Hill - £5.5m

(2) Marcus Tavernier - £6.0m

(3) Justin Kluivert - £6.0m

Brentford

A prolific 22 goals for Igor Thiago (£8.0m) last season (albeit eight from the penalty spot) makes him hard to ignore.

Dango Ouattara (£6.5m) is good on the eye test and has proved a reliable FPL pick with multiple routes to points.

Defensively, Brentford fell off a cliff to close out last season, which doesn’t fill me with confidence over clean sheet odds to start this one.

However, an injury to Sepp van den Berg has made Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) an interesting prospect.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Brentford:

(1) Dango Ouattara - £6.5m

(2) Igor Thiago - £8.0m

(3) Kristoffer Ajer - £4.5m

Brighton & Hove Albion

Fabian Hürzeler has waved goodbye to Jan Paul van Hecke and Danny Welbeck, which leaves important gaps to fill.

The departures raise Pascal Groß’s (£5.5m) stock, who will likely be taking most set-pieces and penalties.

Luka Vušković (£5.0m) comes in from Tottenham after a season on loan at Hamburger SV.

He is unproven in the Premier League, but could be a DEFCON monster if he gets minutes security.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Brighton & Hove Albion

(1) Pascal Groß - £5.5m

(2) Bart Verbruggen - £4.5m

(3) Luka Vušković - £5.0m

Chelsea

There has been a lot of change at Chelsea.

Xabi Alonso is in the dugout.

Notable signings include Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) from Aston Villa and Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) from Crystal Palace.

Cole Palmer is priced at £9.5m this season.

The obvious question is how Xabi Alonso fits Palmer and Rogers into the same team, and I'd want to see a gameweek or two before committing.

João Pedro (£7.5m) was the standout Chelsea FPL asset last season and heads into the season fresh after being left out of Brazil's World Cup squad.

No European football this season will increase the xMins for Chelsea's regulars.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Chelsea:

(1) João Pedro - £7.5m

(2) Cole Palmer - £9.5m

(3) Morgan Rogers - £7.5m

Coventry City

Frank Lampard did a fantastic job winning the EFL Championship with Coventry City last season.

A brutal start to the campaign awaits them as they face Arsenal at the Emirates on Friday night's curtain-raiser.

GW2 sees them up against Hull City (H), which is something to keep in mind for the GW2 bench boosters.

Every Coventry defender is priced at £4.0m, so there may be value in this department.

Milan van Ewijk and Bobby Thomas stand out.

Up front, Haji Wright (£5.5m) was Coventry's talisman in the Championship and looks like the designated penalty-taker, but his fitness will need to be monitored at the start of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Coventry City:

(1) Bobby Thomas - £4.0m

(2) Milan van Ewijk - £4.0m

(3) Haji Wright - £5.5m

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have a new manager in Pierre Sage, but a familiar squad.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (£6.5m) remains a proven predator in the box.

Ismaïla Sarr (£6.5m) was excellent for Senegal at the World Cup, and I’m excited about his FPL prospects.

Daniel Muñoz (£5.5m) offers great value in attack, but it is a wait-and-see how explosive he will be under the new manager.

Cheaper backline alternatives such as Chris Richards (£5.0m) or Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m) are expected to perform well in terms of DEFCON based on last season’s data.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Crystal Palace:

(1) Ismaïla Sarr - £6.5m

(2) Daniel Muñoz - £5.5m

(3) Jean-Philippe Mateta - £6.5m

Everton

Everton have quietly strengthened their midfield with Christian Nørgaard (£5.0m) and Championship Player of the Year, Hayden Hackney (£5.5m).

Jack Grealish has returned to Man City after his loan, so that door has sadly closed.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) was their standout player last season, and he’s likely to be productive again this season if he keeps his advanced role.

Iliman Ndiaye (£6.0m) appears to be the designated penalty taker.

He is a joy to watch, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to FPL points.

Important to monitor his transfer status, as he has been linked with moves away from Merseyside.

James Tarkowski (£6.0m) is the definition of a DEFCON monster.

He racked up 44 points from DEFCON last season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Everton:

(1) James Tarkowski - £6.0m

(2) Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - £6.5m

(3) Iliman Ndiaye - £6.0m

Fulham

I worry for Fulham's new head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa.

Losing Harry Wilson to Leeds United leaves a big gap to fill after his brilliant 2025/26 season.

Raúl Jiménez has also departed.

Joachim Andersen (£5.0m) is suspended until 30 August, which doesn’t help matters, but he is an excellent pick when he returns, ranking in the top six for total DEFCONs last season.

Antonee Robinson (£4.5m) looks potentially undervalued.

The marauding fullback always has decent prospects for attacking returns.

There will be competition up-front between Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m) and newcomer Gonzalo García (£6.0m) from Real Madrid.

If Arbeloa decides to slowly introduce Garcia to Premier League football, Muniz could be a bargain forward in the early part of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Fulham:

(1) Antonee Robinson - £4.5m

(2) Rodrigo Muniz - £5.5m

(3) Joachim Andersen - £5.0m   

Hull City

Hull City are the feel-good story of the promoted sides.

They were fighting relegation to League One twelve months ago, and went on to win a play-off final at Wembley in May.

They’ve signed goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis (£4.5m) to cover for the injured Jack Butland (£4.5m).

Whoever is starting in goal will be expected to make plenty of saves this season.

John Egan (£4.0m) stands out for DEFCON upside.

His CBIT (clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles) numbers in the Championship were the best of any defender across the three promoted sides.

Oli McBurnie (£5.5m) is their talisman up front and has Premier League experience.

Unfortunately, I’m not optimistic about their chances, and they should not be a team to target.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Hull City:

(1) John Egan - £4.0m

(2) Konstantinos Tzolakis - £4.5m

(3) Oli McBurnie - £5.5m

Ipswich Town

I have a feeling Gary O’Neil’s Ipswich Town may have some squad enablers to offer FPL managers this season.

Leif Davis (£4.0m) stands out at the back for his set-piece deliveries and his attacking potential.

Dara O’Shea (£4.0m) offers good DEFCON upside.

New signing Issa Diop (£4.0m) has Premier League experience, but with slightly less DEFCON upside.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Ipswich Town:

(1) Leif Davis - £4.0m

(2) Dara O’Shea - £4.0m

(3) Issa Diop - £4.0m

Leeds United

Daniel Farke’s Leeds United side tightened up considerably in the second half of last season.

They kept six clean sheets in the final 20 matches, joint fourth best in the league over that stretch.

Their talisman up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m), managed 14 goals in his first season at the club.

He does have an unfortunate knack for missing big chances, but with Harry Wilson (£6.5m) joining on a free transfer after a fantastic season with Fulham, there is likely to be better service for Calvert-Lewin, which should mean more goals. 

Their defensive options offer good value.

Joe Rodon (£4.5m) has a set-piece threat and decent DEFCON numbers.

New signing Tarik Muharemović (£5.0m) is also touted to rack up considerable DEFCON, but his xMins are harder to predict at the start of the season.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Leeds United:

(1) Dominic Calvert-Lewin - £6.0m

(2) Joe Rodon - £4.5m

(3) Harry Wilson - £6.5m

Liverpool

The Reds have bid farewell to Arne Slot and FPL legend Mohamed Salah.

Now, Andoni Iraola is in charge after proving his quality at Bournemouth.

This should bring back the “heavy-metal” football we grew used to seeing from Liverpool

As a result, I’m excited about their attacking prospects, but I do feel they are slightly thin at the back.  

Alexander Isak (£9.0m) performed well at the World Cup with Sweden, has had a full pre-season and will be the starting striker as long as he stays fit and firing.

If Isak is finding the back of the net with regularity, it likely means Florian Wirtz (£7.5m) has something to do with it.

The German has that ability to make an incisive pass and is a good finisher too.

With some set-piece involvement to boot, he may be a bargain at his price.

I don’t expect Liverpool to keep many clean sheets, but I do expect Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) to start every game and tally up considerable DEFCON numbers.

There’s also no need to explain his proven set-piece threat.

Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) was Liverpool’s glimmer of hope last season.

He is a footballer with serious quality.

He will dominate set-pieces, could be the penalty taker if Isak isn’t on the field and gets DEFCON points now and again, meaning he has multiple routes to FPL points.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Liverpool:

(1) Alexander Isak - £9.0m

(2) Florian Wirtz - £7.5m

(3) Dominik Szoboszlai - £7.0m

Manchester City

The end of an era: Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City.

And in his place comes Enzo Maresca.

His preferred playing style is inspired by Pep, so we can continue to expect possession-based football and patient build-up to break down the opposition’s defence. 

Erling Haaland (£15.5m) was exceptional in the World Cup for Norway.

He’s returned to training with practically no pre-season.

Regardless of his preparation, he is undoubtedly the best number 9 in the league and a must-have for GW3 against Coventry (H).

The real question is whether he will be in your GW1 squad?

Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m), on the other hand, has had a full pre-season, and his position in the team seems fairly uncontested.

He is quick, two-footed and an excellent ball striker.

His price does make it difficult to fit into a two-premium squad.

How FPL managers allocate their funds to make room for Semenyo will be interesting to see.

Between Phil Foden (£7.0m) and Rayan Cherki (£7.5m), whoever nails down the number 10 role will be a great asset to own.

I expect Maresca to regularly rotate in this position at the start of the season to find his preferred choice, meaning xMins is not looking great for either player.

Nico O’Reilly (£6.5m) is a defender with some of the best attacking prospects in FPL this season.

He became a firm favourite under Pep last season, making 34 Premier League appearances.

He is a player who can thrive in Maresca’s system and is a versatile option able to play at left-back or in midfield.      

Top 3 FPL Picks From Manchester City:

(1) Erling Haaland - £15.5m

(2) Antoine Semenyo - £8.5m

(3) Nico O’Reilly - £6.5m

Manchester United

After a strong end to the season under Michael Carrick’s helm, Manchester United find themselves back in the Champions League for 2026/27.

They have arguably the best opening fixtures against Hull (A) in GW1 and Ipswich (H) in GW2.

But squad depth is an issue, and I expect them to struggle when midweek games kick in.

I suggest investing in Man Utd players to start the season and plan to shift them out as the gameweeks progress.

After breaking the Premier League assists record last season, Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) comes in as the second most expensive player in FPL this season, and justifiably so.

He is United’s designated set-piece taker and possesses considerable open-play threat. He is a must-have in your FPL squad.

Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) has had the benefit of a full pre-season and didn’t feature in the World Cup, so he has come back well-rested.

He is a midfielder playing striker, filling in for Benjamin Šeško (£7.0m), who is returning from injury.

Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) ended the season arguably better than Mbeumo, but has had minimal pre-season after representing Brazil at the World Cup.

Defensively, Manchester United do not have the most impressive options.

But several players come in with price tags hard to ignore.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens (£5.0m) is a good shot-stopper.

Luke Shaw (£4.5m) played every game in the Premier League last season.

And Harry Maguire (£5.0m) is likely to fill the role as target man for set-pieces, now that Casemiro has left the club.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Manchester United:

(1) Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m)

(2) Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m)

(3) Harry Maguire (£5.0m)

Newcastle United

It feels like a tornado has swept through Newcastle over the summer.

Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool last season, and now they’ve lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, and manager Eddie Howe.

And yet, there are still players in the squad that will intrigue FPL managers.

There will be competition at centre-forward between Yoane Wissa, Nick Woltemade and William Osula (all priced at £6.0m).

Osula has the best case on recent form: five goals in his final seven starts of last season and the best underlyings for shots in the box and big chances of the trio.

However, it will have to be a wait-and-see before committing to any.

Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) has a good chance of solidifying a starting place with Newcastle’s recent sales.

He has a great turn of pace and a good eye for goal.

Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) was Newcastle’s second-highest scoring FPL player last season behind Guimarães.

He scored four goals and earned the most DEFCON points in the squad in 2025/26.

He should remain the first choice under Newcastle's new manager, Matthias Jaissle.

FPL managers should assess how the team defends before bringing him in.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Newcastle United:

(1) Malick Thiaw - £5.0m

(2) Harvey Barnes - £6.0m

(3) William Osula - £6.0m

Nottingham Forest

Oliver Glasner may prove to be the signing of the summer if he can replicate the successes he achieved at Crystal Palace for his new club, Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White (£8.0m) was exceptional last season and is their standout FPL asset.

On set-pieces, likely to take penalties and a genuine open-play threat.

Neco Williams (£5.0m) produced good attacking numbers at fullback last season.

If Glasner implements his preferred back three, we may see Williams utilised as a wingback.

If that is the case, FPL managers will be hoping Williams can be the Welsh Daniel Munõz for Glasner.

The centre-backs were also good value at Crystal Palace in terms of DEFCON and set-piece threat.

Should we see similar stats for Nikola Milenković (£5.5m) or Murillo (£5.5m), they may be good assets to own.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Nottingham Forest:

(1) Morgan Gibbs-White - £8.0m

(2) Neco Williams - £5.0m

(3) Nikola Milenković - £5.5m

Sunderland

A seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification in Sunderland's first season back in the top flight is one of the best stories of last season, and the core of that squad is largely intact.

Enzo Le Fée (£6.0m) is the designated set-piece taker (including penalties) and is one of Sunderland’s most important attacking players.

Although the team’s underlying attacking numbers were not particularly strong last season, Le Fée exhibits enough routes to points to justify being one of the strongest options at his price point.

Up front, Brian Brobbey (£6.0m) looks like a good forward option for FPL managers.

He has physical presence and will be a threat in the opposition box. 

Dan Ballard (£5.0m) earned 28 DEFCON points in just 24 starts last season.

He also managed to keep 11 clean sheets in 2025/26 and contributed with two goals and two assists.

Those numbers suggest he’ll be a great option for FPL managers. 

Top 3 FPL Picks From Sunderland:

(1) Enzo Le Fée - £6.0m

(2) Dan Ballard - £5.0m

(3) Brian Brobbey - £6.0m

Tottenham Hotspurs

Last season will be one to forget for Spurs fans.

The club have come out spending this summer, bringing in several Premier League-proven players, including Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. 

Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) looks to be Roberto De Zerbi’s preferred goalkeeper.

He could prove to be the best ‘cheap’ goalkeeping option this season.

Pedro Porro (£5.5m) was immense for World Cup winners Spain, exhibiting his goal threat and set-piece quality.

His high ceiling justifies his FPL asking price.

Fitness has been a struggle for Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) of late.

But he’s a forward who has shown his quality before.

If he manages to secure a starting berth and Spurs find rhythm, you can expect Solanke to be amongst the goals.

Top 3 FPL Picks From Tottenham Hotspur:

(1) Antonín Kinský - £4.5m

(2) Pedro Porro - £5.5

(3) Dominic Solanke - £6.0m

Final Thoughts

It feels like we are in uncharted territory at the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

We have a number of new managers and many players returning to their parent clubs with almost zero pre-season after the World Cup.

Regardless, there are still several good picks to choose from to build your squad.

Remember to carefully consider a player’s price, route to points and expected minutes.

Target good fixtures and trust the process. 

Good luck with the draft, and see you at the GW1 deadline.

Who Is César Palacios?

César Palacios was officially presented as a Fulham player on the third of August, becoming the second player Álvaro Arbeloa brought from Real Madrid, following striker Gonzalo García.

Although Palacios had limited opportunities with Real Madrid’s first team, Arbeloa clearly believes in his potential.

Last season, when Arbeloa was coaching Real Madrid Castilla, the 21-year-old became an important player for the side.

When Arbeloa took charge of the first team, he also handed Palacios his senior debut.

Palacios only played five La Liga games last season, accumulating a total of 85 minutes.

His move to Fulham will give him the chance to play regularly at a higher level, so it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the demands of the Premier League.

At international level, Palacios has represented Spain up to the U20 level.

Before that, he had a very productive period with the U19s, scoring seven goals in 12 appearances.

In Fulham's friendly game against Crystal Palace, which the Cottagers lost 2-1, Palacios was in the starting XI alongside his former Real Madrid teammate García.

This also shows the trust Arbeloa has in both the new Spaniards.

In this César Palacios scout report and player analysis, we will look at his strengths at Real Madrid and analyse how he fits into Arbeloa’s Fulham.

César Palacios Style Of Play In Possession

Palacios mainly plays as an attacking midfielder or No. 10.

As his heat map from last season shows, he can also play wider, especially on the left side, where he moves into the half-space.

His strongest qualities appear when he plays between the lines and gets involved in the final third.

César Palacios Heat Map 2025/2026

When his team is building an attack, Palacios likes to receive the ball between the lines, giving the centre-backs an option to break the first line of the pressure.

He also shows good game reading, knowing when to progress the ball quickly and when to slow the game down and keep possession.

We could already see this in Fulham’s game against Crystal Palace.

Who Is Florentino Luis?

Newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town have recruited Florentino Luis from Burnley, who dropped down to the EFL Championship for 2026/2027 after finishing in 19th place last season.

Florentino operates as a defensive midfielder and made 31 appearances in the English top flight during the 2025/2026 campaign.

He made 1.3 interceptions, 2.9 tackles, 1.8 clearances, and 3.6 balls recovered per 90; all of this indicates he is a clear indication that the 26-year-old is a significant presence out of possession for his team.

His transfer to Ipswich comes with expectations around the same traits for their Premier League survival for the upcoming season.

In this Florentino Luis scout report and player analysis, we will discuss Florentino Luis' style of play in and out of possession, and how Ipswich Town can utilise him efficiently.

Florentino Luis Style Of Play In Possession

The Portuguese midfielder is comfortable operating on the ball away from pressure and carrying out the simpler actions like recycling possession, shifting play and connecting defenders and midfielders with time and space on the ball.

While playing against a side that has a higher line of engagement, Florentino finds himself receiving under pressure.

When receiving inside a tight pocket, the Portuguese plays a bounce pass to keep possession.

A more creative midfielder in this situation can receive with an open body shape and connect with the wide teammate, or even break lines by receiving on the half-turn.

Who Is Marc Casadó?

The summer transfer window is often shaken up by moves that transcend simple financial figures and compel us to analyse the conceptual compatibility between players and tactical philosophies.

The confirmation of Al-Hilal SFC's growing interest in Marc Casadó, with offers reportedly climbing toward FC Barcelona's €40m valuation, represents one of the most intriguing tactical dilemmas regarding La Masia-trained central midfielders.

Following a stellar breakthrough during the 2024/2025 season under Hansi Flick tactics, where he displayed remarkable competitive maturity by logging 1,611 La Liga minutes and establishing himself in the Blaugrana double pivot, the midfielder experienced a sharp decline in prominence throughout the 2025/2026 campaign.

Having dropped to 989 minutes played in the domestic league with a reduced presence during the decisive stretch of the season, Casadó now stands at a crossroads.

However, our Marc Casadó scout report and player analysis doesn't reduce the analysis of Marc Casadó to mere fluctuations in his recent playing time; this would be profoundly misleading and lacking in analytical rigour.

The loss of minutes within a hyper-competitive, congested Culé midfield does not overshadow the validity of Casadó's qualities.

Marc Casadó's style of play continues to fit seamlessly into ecosystems that promote associative football, built upon positional play and aimed at absolute spatial dominance in the opponent's half.

Marc Casadó Positioning

Marc Casadó’s activity is concentrated around the middle third rather than out wide or in either of the two final-third zones.

This is a result of his tendency to stay connected to the ball while adjusting his position laterally to support circulation.

Marc Casadó Heat Map 2025/2026

His heat map shows some evidence of activity deeper in his own half too, outlining a willingness to drop towards the centre-backs and establish himself as a reliable outlet during the build-up.

His positioning reflects his primarily structural role, rather than one based on wide progression or aggressive box occupation.

This spatial footprint complements his profile as a positional midfielder who focuses on maintaining the team’s passing structure and providing continuity between defensive build-up and midfield progression.

Control Of The Central Axis

The first conceptual pillar defining Marc Casadó's footballing profile is his outstanding ability to control the longitudinal axis of the pitch and act as a continuous distributor across the width of the field.

Who Is Yacine Titraoui?

Yacine Titraoui joins a growing lineage of Paradou Academy graduates destined for France's top tier.

Youcef Atal and Hicham Boudaoui at OGC Nice, along with Ramy Bensebaïni's move to elite football abroad, have all traced this same path from Algeria's most celebrated academy.

Titraoui is the latest to make the leap, and his destination carries weight: RC Lens, where he inherits the No. 8 shirt left vacant by Mamadou Sangaré following his €48m transfer to Brentford.

That price tag matters.

Sangaré was Lens' defensive anchor, a combative, athletic midfielder who shaped their push to second place in Ligue 1.

Conventional wisdom might say that Lens needed an established name or a proven prospect to replace him, but they chose differently.

At 23 years old and 1.71 metres tall, Titraoui is shorter and lighter than his predecessor, yet he brings a skill that Sangaré lacked: technical control under pressure.

Titraoui made 42 appearances for Charleroi in the 2025/2026 season, scoring five goals and providing three assists.

The numbers are modest.

What caught scouts' attention was his composure in tight spaces, the ability to keep the ball under pressure and find a pass when defenders closed him down.

This Yacine Titraoui scout report and player analysis looks at why that trait earned him the "Little Verratti" label and interest from multiple clubs.

It's a comparison that overstates things, but it points to his core strength: composure in tight spaces.

Yacine Titraoui Style Of Play

Yacine Titraoui Positioning & Movement Profile

Yacine Titraoui's positioning reflects his core strength: his movement is lateral, not vertical. 

He drops to receive the ball during build-up, staying within 10 metres of his starting position. 

He was the safety valve Charleroi used to reset possession. 

Once possession is lost, he steps forward to press.

However, he hunts the ball aggressively in transition; he doesn't shield a set area.

When Charleroi built from the back, Titraoui roamed.

When they lost the ball, he pressed.

The result is a midfielder who appears everywhere.

Yacine Titraoui Heat Map 2025/2026

Titraoui's heat map reflects diagonal movement across the pitch.

He presses forward, drops deep, and follows the ball horizontally rather than holding a fixed zone.

Crucially, he's actively moving into pockets to receive rather than passively waiting.

His high touch density reflects his omnipresence in possession phases; Charleroi built through him.

However, that mobility comes with a cost.

In the 3-4-2-1 formation that Lens favour, space is already compressed.

Titraoui's roaming style could either unlock Dino Toppmöller's more flexible approach or expose gaps in the right half-space where Sangaré once stood firm.

Yacine Titraoui In Possession: Ball Retention & Distribution

Titraoui averaged 32.53 balls received per 90 in 2025/2026, the most in the Charleroi squad and sixth in the Belgian Pro League overall.

This ranking is striking given Charleroi averaged 49% possession.

Despite being in a team that struggled to control the ball, Titraoui was constantly involved.

Titraoui constantly dropped between the centre-backs who tucked wide to receive from the goalkeeper.

He was essential to his team's build-up, constantly asking for the ball to his feet and being the first player to collect the ball from the defence and start attacks with precise short or long-range passes rather than risky dribbles.

Rather than holding the ball, Titraoui is an active midfielder; he keeps the ball circulating through intelligent repositioning.

Here, we see how he receives in a congested area and releases the ball cleanly to his teammate.

He then instantly moves into the space his pass vacated, making himself immediately available for the next teammate.

In the final third, Titraoui is straightforward.

He spots the best passing option and releases the ball; it's simple and efficient.

His one assist in the 2025/2026 campaign reflects his role: he is not a chance creator.

His value lies in reliability and timing, not in unlocking defences.

He finds space, identifies the runner, and passes.

He is the facilitator for others' creativity.

Yacine Titraoui Out Of Possession: Pressing & Recovery

Out of possession, Titraoui is an active presser and not a passive shield.

Titraoui’s defensive actions come from interceptions and positional reading.

His positioning and ball-reading allow him to intercept passes before they become dangerous.

The 2026 UEFA Super Cup Final between PSG and Aston Villa showcased two contrasting approaches to goalkeeping, with Matvey Safonov and Marco Bizot facing different demands within the same match.

Across the three goalkeeping performance domains of Build-Up, Preventing Chances and Defending the Goal, these differences reflected both the collective tactical approach of their respective teams and the demands that emerged as the two teams shaped the match.

This 2026 UEFA Super Cup Final tactical analysis and goalkeeping analysis breaks down Safonov and Bizot's respective Wednesday night performances through the three lenses of those aforementioned goalkeeping performance domains.

Safonov and Bizot's involvement varied in nature and frequency, mirroring the changing demands during the final.

Across the three performance domains, their goalkeeping actions were distributed differently, with Build-Up accounting for the largest share, reflecting the modern game's broader expectations for goalkeepers.

Within this overall pattern, Safonov and Bizot displayed two distinct profiles, each shaped by the specific demands they faced during the match.

The Goalkeepers Within The Attacking Function

Build-Up

Within the team’s attacking setup, Safonov and Bizot integrated into Build-Up differently, a result of their teams’ respective tactical plans and possession styles.

Both goalkeepers played roles in various possession moments, with their involvement varying in purpose and context as the match progressed.

PSG’s possession-focused strategy generally allowed them to progress with greater control and operate higher up the pitch, so Safonov was not always needed as an extra option during steady possession phases.

His role was more prominent during specific Build-Up situations, especially from goal-kick restarts.

Villa’s possession phases created different demands for Bizot.

With less consistent progression, the goalkeeper was often a supporting option as Villa maintained and circulated possession in deeper areas.

Throughout the match, both goalkeepers were also used when progression was impeded or pressure limited options ahead, offering alternative solutions to retain possession, reorganise the Build-Up, or find other pathways forward.

These scenarios serve as a basis for analysing Build-Up in specific game contexts involving both goalkeepers: maintaining possession, operating under pressure, building from set plays, and direct play.

Although these situations were not equally distributed, each contributed to the overall Build-Up pattern observed in the final.

Retaining Possession

Both goalkeepers served as supporting options during periods when immediate progression was limited or unavailable, helping their teams retain and reorganise possession.

This was especially clear in Villa’s deeper circulation, where Bizot acted as an extra outlet to recycle the ball while the team aimed to keep possession, reorganise, and find a forward route.

Safonov played a similar role, but PSG’s ability to advance and hold possession higher up the pitch lessened the need to frequently pass the ball back through their goalkeeper.

In these instances, the goalkeeper's involvement reinforced the collective possession structure and could draw opponents forward, creating space for subsequent progression.

Who Is Arne Engels?

Arne Engels looks destined to move this summer.

His deadline-day move to Nottingham Forest in January didn't go through as Celtic chased, and eventually won, the Scottish Premiership title.

The Hoops are now looking in a better place to sell, and with a reported transfer fee of over €25m, it looks like that destination will be the London Stadium.

West Ham United are looking to rebuild a team that suffered relegation to the EFL Championship.

With major sales in the form of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur (€99m) and Crysencio Summerville to Al-Hilal SFC (€64.5m), they have the funds to reinvest in the squad, and it appears that they've identified Belgian midfielder Engels as the right man to bolster their promotion hopes.

Engels has been at Celtic for the past two seasons, having moved from Augsburg in 2024 for a then-club record fee of €13m.

He came up through Club Brugge's youth system and has thus far accumulated four caps for his country.

He's been something of a polarising figure at Celtic Park.

His backers see an extremely technical midfielder, able to facilitate play and control the game.

His detractors see a lack of output and someone who has not hit the heights of someone like a Matt O'Riley, who he replaced.

This Arne Engels scout report and player analysis looks at what Engels will bring to West Ham's midfield, and how he might fit into Nuno Espírito Santo's favourites for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Arne Engels Positioning

Engels and Celtic had a turbulent 2025/2026 season.

It started with Brendan Rodgers in charge, playing his 4-3-3 formation.

That lasted until the end of October, when he left his post.

Engels then had Martin O'Neill until the start of December, when Wilfried Nancy's three-at-the-back football lasted just 33 days.

Martin O'Neill then came back in for the rest of the campaign to see Celtic over the line in the league.

Arne Engels Heat Map 2025/2026

Above is his Scottish Premiership heat map for the 2025/2026 season.

As you can see, he has a bias to the right-hand side of the pitch; he is more comfortable in those areas on his stronger right foot.

Last season, the majority of Engels' time was spent as one of the deeper midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, playing alongside Callum McGregor.

Throughout his career, though, he has shown versatility.

Throughout his Celtic career, he's been at his best as No. 8, able to get up and down the pitch, but he's also comfortable in a deeper role, where he's receiving the ball early, or in a more advanced role, where his technical ability can influence the attack.

Arne Engels In Possession

West Ham are in a bit of a weird spot for next season.

They are expected to be one of the most dominant sides in the Championship, with players like Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Kyle Walker-Peters in their ranks.

These are seasoned top-five league players.

Yet, they also have Nuno, someone who has tended to manage teams that like to sit in a block and counterattack.

Engels should help West Ham do dangerous things with the ball.

He is someone I'd describe as a risk-taker in possession.

He likes to punch the ball between the lines, and he likes to get the ball into the box.

He likes his passing to have purpose.

This is shown in his passing numbers.

Engels attempted 40.3 passes per 90 last season.

He passed forwards 10.34 times per 90, into the final third 3.84 per 90 and into the opposition box 2.74 times per 90.

I'm certain these numbers would rank him on the higher end amongst midfielders in those particular metrics.

One of the best actions I've seen from Engels came in a UEFA Champions League match against Aston Villa in 2025.

Who Is Pep Chavarría?

Weeks after having sold Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid, Chelsea have reached an agreement to acquire the services of Pep Chavarría for a fee of €19m.

Chelsea had been negotiating with Rayo Vallecano for a relatively lengthy period to reach a suitable agreement for both sides and eventually sign the player.

In fact, Chavarría had been Chelsea's primary target because expected to fit Xabi Alonso tactics.

Moreover, signing a player who is currently in his peak years can always be complicated in negotiations, yet rewarding in the long-run.

With the huge gap left by Cucurella’s departure, it was important for Chelsea to find a reliable and experienced replacement for the left-back or left wing-back positions.

Alonso is already aware of the player's talent and has ideas about how to exploit his traits on the pitch in favour of the team.

That said, it is also safe to say that this transfer has its risks since Chavarría has not proven himself at the top level yet despite having reached his peak years, and that’s something to take into consideration when looking at his potential and quality.

In this Pep Chavarría scout report and player analysis, we analyse the expected positions and roles of Chavarría under the management of Alonso while exploring the Spanish left-back's traits and comparing him to Cucurella, his predecessor.

Pep Chavarría Expected Roles At Chelsea

Chavarría is a very talented and experienced left-back who can be useful both from a defensive and an attacking perspective.

His tendency to be very active in the attacking phase makes him stand out as a dangerous left-back for opposing defences.

He likes to penetrate with the ball on the left wing whenever possible and sometimes advance near the box too.

His leaning towards the middle inside the final third usually allows him to be very dangerous and decisive, whether with key vertical passes or shots from distance.

Moreover, he has shown throughout his career that he is very disciplined and knows exactly when he needs to retreat and defend, as well as when to avoid advancing.

This is very important for top-tier football, as the experience in making such decisions that may not be so impactful can make a massive difference.

In other words, having a left-back who is used to the tiring defensive duties of left-back while choosing the timing of advancing wisely and retreating on time whenever required makes Alonso’s job easier and Chelsea’s defensive organisation more compact and secure.

Alonso likes this type of player with talented passing qualities, acceleration abilities, and disciplined defensive input.

The profile of Chavarría looks very balanced and, therefore, suitable to Alonso’s preferred style of play.

And what would make it even more useful is the fact that Chavarría will more likely be used in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

This formation allows Chavarría to showcase his attacking skills more often and have defensive security behind him in case of errors or inability to retreat on time.

Having a left centre-back behind Chavarría helps in creating the balance that Chelsea need.

At the same time, this does not mean that Chavarría will not have defensive duties.

On the contrary, Chavarría’s positioning will be crucial to helping the left centre-back in marking on the left flank and applying double marking whenever necessary to alleviate the opposing wingers’ threats.

This means that Chelsea can be much more solid at the back this coming season if everything goes as planned for Alonso, with both Chavarría and Marco Palestra retreating regularly to support actively in the defensive phase on both flanks.

Chelsea Predicted Starting XI 2026/2027

In addition to defensive roles, Chavarría will also be encouraged to provide crosses and key passes regularly from the left wing, as his quality in terms of passing can make the difference for the Blues.

Although he might not seem like a very dangerous player when looking at his penetrations, he actually is a player who knows how to avoid marking and reach his objective in a discreet but efficient way.

This can be more confusing for opposing defenders as they do not expect Chavarría to be the main source of danger within the team.

That makes Chavarría capable of creating surprises, especially through his intelligent and well-timed penetrations, one-two passes, and accelerations towards the byline, and more importantly, through his accurate crosses towards the box.

Alonso will certainly be exploiting Chavarría’s crossing traits and try to make them even more useful to the team by encouraging his early crosses and surprising cutbacks, as well as his crosses towards the centre of the box.

Furthermore, being able to guarantee accuracy even when crossing while accelerating is an asset that makes Chavarría more useful for crossing duties than any of the other players within the team for that specific left wing-back position.

Chavarría can also be encouraged to try shooting more often, given that he has a tendency to fire from distance and exploit second balls when possible.

He proved at Rayo Vallecano on numerous occasions that he can be extremely dangerous in this regard and has already scored many goals with powerful shots from range.

That’s an aspect that Alonso is surely aware of and will be pushing Chavarría to reproduce quite often.

The following heat map highlights how balanced Chavarría’s movement and positioning are, with a presence inside his team’s own half and inside the opponent’s half at almost the same frequency.

Pep Chavarría Heat Map 2025/2026

Pep Chavarría Playmaking

Chavarría proposes a remarkable addition in terms of playmaking, as he has what it takes to replace Cucurella with a similar attacking input and with even more acceleration possibilities and threat.

Chavarría has the athletic assets needed to battle against most Premier League right-backs in duels, even against those who can run faster.

Chavarría’s experience enables him to perform well in offensive duels against complicated opponents and rely on his dribbling or one-two combinations to escape from marking when feeling that the opponent is quicker than him.

That said, Chavarría’s challenge will be to know how to cope with the physical intensity of the Premier League, its athletic requirements and quick transitions.

This means that Chavarría will have to carry on extra athletic work ahead of next season in order to be ready to endure the rhythm of Premier League games throughout the season.

Although this might create issues for Chavarría, especially at the start, being experienced enough in this position would help him to quickly adapt to this new style of play.

Furthermore, the 3-4-2-1 formation would help him have more freedom inside the opponent’s half and fewer obligations to retreat to his team’s third, with a defender covering for him in case he fails to get back on time.

Pep Chavarría Crossing

Chavarría’s crosses can be extremely dangerous and unexpected, as he usually alternates between early crosses and deliveries from near the byline to add diversity and an element of unpredictability.

This diversity of solutions includes cutbacks, key passes from the wing, crosses to the near post, crosses to the far post, or balls played into the middle of the box, which makes Chavarría’s wing actions complicated to predict or defend against.

The following assist example highlights Chavarría’s mastery of crosses and how he usually raises his head to spot potentially well-positioned teammates before crossing.

This is very important as many full-backs tend to cross without a real target/destination in mind, but just opt for crossing towards the box and let luck do its magic.

Being meticulous about crossing and knowing when to cross according to the situation he is in makes Chavarría’s crosses very dangerous to opponents, like in this goal action.

That’s why Alonso should encourage Chavarría to intensify his crosses at Chelsea, knowing that his number of crosses per match reached 3.67 last season.