One Major Issue Each Big Six Premier League Team Must Solve

A prolonged international break is a good time to reflect on the first few weeks of Premier League picks. Five matchdays are complete, with the defending champions facing a humiliating defeat in the final round of fixtures.

Focusing on the Big SixTM here, we’re taking a look at a major issue each team must address when the season resumes on Oct. 10.

Arsenal: Lack of Creativity

Arsenal are in the bottom half of the table in open-play xG. Yes, they had won all of their matches until they were beaten 3-0 by Brighton, but the Gunners had hardly been setting the world alight in possession prior to that defeat.

Last season, Arsenal were second in danger zone shots, third in open-play xG, and fifth in passes into the final third. So far in 2026-27, six teams have made more passes into the final third, and they are fifth in danger zone shots.

Mikel Arteta’s team have dropped from third to ninth in progressive carries. Their tempo has dropped in possession and they are making considerably fewer line-breaking passes per 90.

A rock-solid defense and set piece mastery is the bedrock of Arsenal’s success. It alone is not enough, though, and their in-possession game cannot remain so passive.

Manchester City: Midfield Balance

Manchester City have a 100% record in the league, hammered Norwich in the League Cup, and won away to Porto in the Champions League. It’s been a great start for a new-look team under Enzo Maresca.

The 5-3 win over Sunderland was an entertaining affair, but it also shone a light on a lingering issue for Maresca. A midfield trio of Elliot Anderson, Rayan Cherki, and Enzo Fernández can be exploited out of possession.

Cherki isn’t the most active defensively. Fernández’s presence puts an enormous amount of pressure on Anderson to cover ground and win the ball.

It’s not an immediate issue, but the system used against Sunderland does leave City vulnerable. Cherki warrants a place in the XI, though Maresca might be better served shifting the Frenchman out wide and reinforcing the midfield with Nico O’Reilly or Ayyoub Bouaddi against some opponents.  

Chelsea: Everything Defensively

Only five teams have conceded more xG per shot. Just four have seen opponent take a higher percentage of their shots from inside the area.

Out of possession, Xabi Alonso’s side have been found wanting in their first five matches. They look like a team without a plan. Four teams are allowing more passes per defensive action, and two of those are the newly promoted duo of Coventry and Hull.

Chelsea are only middle of the pack in total duels won, despite leading the league in duel success rate. Many of their defensive woes have come from defending set pieces, which speaks to a wider lack of organization.

Moisés Caicedo’s absence has made it more difficult for Alonso to instil any semblance of defensive solidity, but it cannot all be put on one player. Chelsea’s wing backs have often been caught out of position, leaving the back three severely exposed in transition.

Liverpool: Florian Wirtz

Liverpool are unbeaten across all competitions and dug deep for a hard-fought win over Bournemouth before the break. It’s been a solid start under Andoni Iraola after drawing their first two league matches.

Alexander Isak has been in the goals, Cody Gakpo has shifted to the right flank and leads the league in xA, and Bradley Barcola is settling into life as a Premier League player. Florian Wirtz, the other member of the front four, ranks 68th in the league in xA.

Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai are first and third, respectively. Wirtz has amassed 1.86 xG, which is a bit more encouraging, but he’s only in the 63rd percentile among players in his position for touches in the opponent’s box, along with the 73rd percentile in progressive passes and the 42nd percentile in progressive carries.

Is it too early to say Wirtz is a problem for Iraola? Maybe.

He’s effective when pressing and has been getting in good positions, but it’s not like Iraola is short of options. Ryan Gravenberch is a mightily talented player to be warming the bench, and it might not be worth idea to bring the Dutchman into midfield and shift Szoboszlai to the 10.

Manchester United: One-Way Midfielders

Manchester United’s only clean sheet so far this season came against Sabah in the Champions League. Winless in their last three Premier League matches and knocked out of the League Cup, pressure is mounting on Michael Carrick.

Chance creation numbers are encouraging, plus the Red Devils lead the league in progressive carries. Defensively, they have been found wanting, and much of that comes down to the midfield pairing of Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo.

Both players are at their best on the ball. A fit Carlos Baleba should go some way to solving their all-too-friendly midfield, but Carrick may face a dilemma with his front four.

Playing Matheus Cunha, Marcus Rashford, Bryan Mbeumo, and Bruno Fernandes might not be viable, even with Baleba behind them. It will work in some matchups, but an extra body in central midfield might be required given Tielemans and Mainoo’s weaknesses defensively.

The other option is to take more of a look at Andrey Santos, who has played just 83 league minutes. The Brazilian solidified Chelsea’s midfield when he played alongside Caicedo last year.

Tottenham: Ineffective Possession

Tottenham have the fifth-lowest expected goals so far. They had to wait until towards the end of their fifth match to score their first – and second – goals of the campaign.

The onus has been on Roberto De Zerbi’s side throughout their first five matches. That hasn’t brought the best out of this Spurs team, which has often been short on ideas and settled for unthreatening, slow possession (third-most backwards passes and fifth-lowest forward pass percentage).

Spurs are tied for second in progressive carries. That’s hardly surprising with Sávio, Omar Marmoush, and Mohammed Kudus in the squad.

De Zerbi’s side have produced staggeringly little in the final third for all the possession they’ve had. That has to improve after the break.