The new English Premier League campaign is set to kick off this weekend, and the landscape of England’s top football division has shifted dramatically into an unexpected new state. For the first time in 20 years, Arsenal will start the season as defending champions, a status the North London club has not held since the 2004-05 season. The Gunners will open their title defence at the Emirates Stadium on Friday against newly promoted Coventry City, and the mood around the camp is unwaveringly confident heading into the new campaign.
Last season marked a historic turning point for Arsenal. After spending two decades chasing a first top-flight title since the legendary Invincibles campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side ended Manchester City’s long run of dominance, finishing seven points clear of the defending champions to claim the crown. That seismic shift in the league’s balance of power has left Arsenal well-placed to chase back-to-back titles, a feat the club has not achieved since the 1930s.
Far from resting on their 20-year breakthrough success, Arsenal’s hunger for more silverware has only been amplified by recent near-misses. A penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Champions League final still stings for the squad, and Arteta has used that disappointment to reinforce the team’s drive for more trophies. The Gunners further reinforced their status as title favourites with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Manchester City in last weekend’s Community Shield, the traditional season-opening curtain raiser. Two new signings – Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and winger Christos Tzolis – both impressed in that win, proving depth has been added to an already title-winning squad.
Arteta made clear that the entire squad remains as motivated as ever to replicate last season’s success. “The desire comes because I want to live that moment again,” he said. “We know the difficulty of the task. We know that it’s going to demand something special and we are ready for it.”
The contrast in pre-season mood between Arsenal and Manchester City could not be starker. For the first time in 10 years, City head into a campaign without Pep Guardiola at the helm, after the Spanish manager brought his record-breaking tenure to an end at the close of last season. Guardiola delivered six Premier League titles in seven seasons and 20 major trophies overall during his 10 years at the Etihad Stadium, but he failed to claim the league in his final two campaigns in charge.
Replacing the most successful manager in the club’s history is former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who stepped into the role this summer. Maresca does have silverware on his resume, having won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, but his tenure at Chelsea ended abruptly after less than two years, cut short by tensions with club leadership and fan criticism of his defensive playing style. He now faces the unenviable challenge of matching Guardiola’s unprecedented success, while also completing the rebuild of an ageing squad that the former manager began before his departure.
City have invested heavily in their squad refresh, splashing £116 million ($157 million) on Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. However, the sale of Rodri – the linchpin of City’s midfield for years and a World Cup winner with Spain – to Barcelona has dealt a major blow to Maresca’s plans ahead of his first league campaign in charge. While Maresca acknowledges the scale of the task facing him, he says constant comparisons to Guardiola do not add extra pressure, calling the role an honour. “After 10 games, if we have got 10 points, 20 points, 30 points. People will be comparing it to Pep after 10 games. It doesn’t put pressure on me,” Maresca said. “Someone asked me if it’s the impossible job to follow him. Maybe, but at the same time it’s a privilege.” City open their 2025-26 campaign at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Beyond Arsenal and City, a host of other top clubs are positioning themselves to challenge for the title, all with new managers and major question marks to answer. Liverpool, champions in 2024-25, endured a disastrous second season under Arne Slot, dropping to a disappointing fifth place that saw the manager sacked at the end of the campaign. Andoni Iraola, who earned widespread acclaim for his work at mid-table Bournemouth, has taken over the reins at Anfield. He faces immediate challenges, including the departure of club icon Mohamed Salah and ongoing concerns over veteran defender Virgil van Dijk’s dip in form.
Chelsea have also turned to a new manager this summer, hiring Xabi Alonso, who is seeking to rebuild his reputation after a disastrous eight-month spell at Real Madrid. Alonso’s 2023-24 domestic double with Bayer Leverkusen made him one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe, but his move to Real Madrid failed to live up to expectations. He has already made a major investment at Chelsea, breaking the British transfer record to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117 million. Still, lifting the Blues back into title contention will be no small task after Chelsea finished a disappointing 10th last season.
At Old Trafford, Michael Carrick has taken the Manchester United manager job on a permanent basis after an impressive interim spell following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. Carrick’s steady leadership lifted United to a third-place finish last season, including impressive wins over both Arsenal and Manchester City along the way. The club’s next target is a first Premier League title since 2013, a goal that will be difficult to achieve against an Arsenal side that has firmly established itself as the team to beat across the coming 10 months of the campaign.