English Football in Focus: Domestic Surprises, European Adventures, and Tuchel’s New England

A Shake-Up at the Top

The Premier League has always been one of football’s greatest theatres and this season is proving no different. The script is certainly not being followed. Many tipped big-spending Liverpool to run away with it prior to the first ball being kicked, but they are faltering. Instead, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are leading the cast. Arsenal have amassed an impressive twenty-two points from their opening nine matches, winning seven of them. They have turned set-pieces into a science and are living up to the old mantra of ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’, grinding out results even on their off days – a characteristic they have not possessed in a long time.

But perhaps the bigger story lies elsewhere. It would be fair to say that the table below has taken unexpected shape. Bournemouth have surged into second place, after a remarkable start to the season, continuing an eight game unbeaten run since a dramatic opening-day defeat at the hands of title-favourites Liverpool. Even after key players Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, and Milos Kerkez were snapped up by Real Madrid, PSG, and Liverpool respectively, Bournemouth have lost none of their steely resolve, proving as tough of a challenge as ever. Sunderland’s fearless approach in their Premier League return has paid dividends, including a stunning 2-1 victory away at Chelsea that announced their arrival as a competitive top-flight force. All of them, including the leaders, have in their own way found an edge. Set-Pieces. Discipline. Formidable Attacks. Pragmatism. Margins.

Tactical trends: Arsenal Leading by Example

This season, Arsenal seem to be at the forefront of this season’s tactical innovations. Old-school defensive solidity is back, with the Gunners boasting the league’s stingiest backline, having conceded just three goals in their opening nine league matches. Towering centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel have forged a commanding partnership, and as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has repeatedly stressed that the teams with the best defensive records usually win titles, this could be pivotal. He seems to have instilled a relentless focus on organisation and work rate – especially without the ball.

But it is not just defence – Arsenal have become set-piece specialists this season. They have purposefully assembled a squad filled with height, physicality, and power, treating set-pieces as an invaluable scoring opportunity, turning a former weakness into a weapon. This style is proving very unpopular with fans and media alike, with people preferring the open-play flourish we have been used to seeing from Pep Guardiola’s sides (amongst others) in recent years. Corners, long throws, choreographed sequences: it is not the romantic side of the game, but it is proving brutally effective.

While the majority of the traditional ‘Big Six’ tread water, the bold are stealing headlines. Last season, Crystal Palace delivered one of the feel-good stories of the year by winning the FA Cup and continue their free-scoring form into this year. Sunderland, under French coach Régis Le Bris, have shown that promoted sides can thrive. And Bournemouth’s balanced mix of attacking flair and disciplined defending have them ‘punching above their weight’ in second position.

English Clubs in Europe: Flying the Flag

Europe, meanwhile, feels like a different speed. Nine English clubs, a modern record, jostle across the continent and the stylistic contrasts are stark.

Real Madrid’s new Head Coach, Xabi Alonso, focuses heavily on possession based football, controlling the tempo and creating systematic attacking sequences. The Champion’s League holders, Paris Saint Germain, still dance between chaos and brilliance under Luis Enrique, using positional rotations and fluid formations to maintain control of the game and create numerical advantages in attacking scenarios to unpick defensive lines.

Yet, for all the aesthetic difference, English sides are not simply surviving. Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Emirates, against a La Liga side currently fourth in their domestic table. Chelsea have had a mixed run, thrashing the likes of Ajax but falling apart in Germany against a world-class Harry Kane and Bayern Munich team. Newcastle, though being beaten 2-1 by a Marcus Rashford-inspired Barcelona, they have also shown they can live with Europe’s best.

Interestingly, an English club is, currently, tipped as the favourite to win each of the three major European competitions. The question now is whether the Premier League sides are up to the challenge of withstanding the likes of the technical fluency of Barcelona or the high pressing of Bayern Munich. English teams will continue to adapt on the European stage, with their managers learning from facing diverse opponents. As this season progresses, the possibility of an all-English final in one of the tournaments is not far-fetched, and the Premier League’s coefficient (already the highest in Europe) may climb even further. For fans, these European nights have added drama to an already thrilling domestic season, and for the players, they provide experience of high-pressure situations – an experience that could prove invaluable in international football as well.

The New England Under Tuchel: Club Success and National Ambitions

Amid the club chaos and tactical realignments, England’s national team has stepped into a new era. After Euro 2024, Garth Southgate called time on his tenure. Enter Thomas Tuchel: Champions League winner, serial innovator and a man whose footballing principles leave no room for ambiguity. His reputation precedes him, particularly around the details. He has already imprinted some philosophies in his brief time in charge, pressing high and transitioning quickly, a clear attempt to blend England’s instincts with more structured, club-level sophistication.

And the key part? Timing could be on his side. England’s core are thriving at the very top. Harry Kane, now thirty-two, is smashing records at Bayern Munich. He has over twenty goals already this season – an outrageous pace that would make even the best goal scorers blink. Across the Alps, Marcus Rashford’s move to Barcelona raised eyebrows, but early returns suggest it may have revived him, while Jude Belliingham struggled with his recovery from shoulder surgery, but has come back to continue to run a Real Madrid midfield like a seasoned conductor.

Kane, now used to dropping deeper in Bavaria, putting on a masterclass in ‘Der Klassiker’ against Borussia Dortmund, could offer England the flexible forward Tuchel adores. Rashford, adapting to Barcelona’s fluid system, has sharpened both his movement and decision-making, and Bellingham could easily come back into the fold and be afforded similar freedom he has when roaming on the pitch in Madrid.

The implications? Vast. Tuchel inherits a group that came within a penalty shootout of Euros glory, but he is not here for almost. However, Tuchel has a limited window in which to imprint his style. England need to feel more like a club side than ever before. Tuchel’s approach demands that. And if England’s stars return from club duties sharper, more tactically aware, and mentally battle-hardened, it could be the bridge between promise and silverware. But promise alone has never delivered for England. Tuchel’s task is to rewrite that. Tuchel’s map to World Cup glory has been laid and the destination may just be worth the wait.

Conclusion

As winter nights close in, English football feels alive with possibility. The Premier League feels its most compelling in years. Tactical evolution is visible from top to bottom, on pitches up and down the country. Abroad, English clubs are holding their own, navigating Europe with growing control, but can they capitalise?

And in the background, Thomas Tuchel waits, watching, analysing. The early signs suggest alignment, but the goals need to start flowing and the dominance needs to become results. If it does, the 2025/26 season could culminate in something English football has chased for generations: silverware stitched together from club momentum, tactical clarity, and just enough belief.