The shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or included 16 strikers, but it did not include a large number of strikers playing in the English Premier League. Despite the presence of Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) and Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Cole Palmer - one of the candidates for 2025 - was absent from the list after a year in which he suffered from injuries. The list was also devoid of any striker from the best team in England (Arsenal), which sums up the shift in English football last season towards physical performance and reliance on set pieces.
As for the trio that gave Arsenal a presence on the list - Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and William Saliba - they are all distinguished by their defensive nature. Although Arsenal won the English Premier League last season, its strikers are not classified as elite. Injuries played a role in depriving Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka from providing good and consistent performances, and the performance presented by Arsenal, led by technical director Mikel Arteta, was not admired by neutrals, as it relied primarily on defensive solidity and did not provide an enjoyable performance. There is a point of view that the lack of offensive ambition after an unanswered goal prevented Arsenal from defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
The match was equal, but Paris Saint-Germain's victory in the Champions League for the second consecutive season represented a victory for attacking football over the "physical attrition" style prevailing in the English Premier League. The Parisian giant, led by Spanish coach Luis Enrique, continues to outperform English opponents, a pattern similar to what the World Cup witnessed. The matches in the North American World Cup were characterized by greater smoothness, partly due to the severity of the referees in dealing with the players during the execution of set pieces.
As for the English national team, Thomas Tuchel’s plan failed to exploit the strong physical nature of the English Premier League. England's performance declined in the semi-final loss to Argentina. It is also noteworthy that the first goal scored by an English striker - who participated in the English Premier League last season - in the World Cup came only from Anthony Gordon in the England match against Argentina. “Spanish football requires a different level of tactical and technical intelligence,” says Gordon, who moved from Newcastle to Barcelona. In England, ferocity, strength of performance, and physical rush may sometimes cover up mistakes. You can lose control of the ball, and then remedy the situation by winning the next physical tackle.”
In fact, the English Premier League championship derives part of its appeal from its strong physical nature and violent clashes, but the arduous and sometimes boring pace of play exceeded reasonable limits last season. How many “classic” or truly special games can you remember from that season? It is true that the disappointing performances by some of the major teams did not help improve the picture, but the complaints were general and comprehensive about excessive reliance on set pieces and the violent tackles that goalkeepers are exposed to while executing complex corner kicks. Anthony Barry, Tuchel's assistant, pointed out that the play was characterized by stagnation and slowness in the midfield area, with an emphasis on long throw-ins and wasting time, which made following the English Premier League difficult and boring.
Now, we are witnessing a remarkable shift; One of the most prominent features of the first three weeks of the current season was the acceleration of the pace of play. The authorities responsible for the laws responded to this; New rules - such as a five-second countdown and the threat of opponents taking a goal kick or throw-in in the event of a delay - have forced teams to think twice before trying to waste time. Setting a 10-second time limit for players to leave the field upon substitution also contributed to improving the situation, in addition to experimenting with the “tactical time-out,” which requires a player to leave for at least a minute after play resumes if his team’s goalkeeper is injured.
Of course, it is still too early to judge things definitively, but the football played by English Premier League clubs this season is enjoyable and the numbers are very encouraging; This season witnessed 4 matches in which both teams scored 14 shots, compared to only one match at the same stage last season. According to Opta data, the average actual playing time (keeping the ball moving on the field) increased from 55 minutes and 23 seconds in the 2025-2026 season, to 57 minutes and 14 seconds, while the average stopping periods decreased from 29.2 seconds to 26.7 seconds. Excluding penalty kicks, the percentage of goals scored from set pieces decreased from 27.5 percent to 23.5 percent.
The rate of quick counterattacks per match also increased (from 1.94 to 2.27 attacks). Chelsea - which has become more dependent on the style of quick transitions under the leadership of Xabi Alonso - provides a smooth and impressive performance in matches full of events, while Liverpool replaced its former coach, Arne Sloat, with Andoni Iraola, who relied on the reverse pressing style. Furthermore, Newcastle are performing at pace under Matthias Geisel, who has exploited the strengths of Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga.
Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi appears to be an anomaly at Tottenham, who has to play more quickly. Manchester City may soon want more attacking effectiveness from Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach prefers a very systematic and organized approach, but even Pep Guardiola was moving away from excessive control of everything last season. There is a feeling that some managers are closer in style to Jurgen Klopp than Guardiola at the moment. Alonso's style has looked very similar to Klopp's so far, and his willingness to give talented, highly skilled players a chance is very similar to Carlo Ancelotti; Palmer has spoken of being given more freedom to move under Alonso.
Perhaps a correction will occur as teams become more familiar with each other over time, the start of European competitions, and the impact of injuries. It should be noted here that Arsenal still leads in terms of delay in executing corner kicks (an average of 43.2 seconds). On the other hand, last Sunday witnessed the first confrontation this season between potential title rivals - where Arsenal and Chelsea met at the Emirates Stadium - and the match was exciting, club-filled and fast. Chelsea was not content with defending, and it was noteworthy that Arsenal responded to this open style, which was characterized by rapid exchanges of attacks.
Havertz showed a great deal of creativity in the front line, while Odegaard - Arsenal's main creative element - imposed his dominance in the game. It's a really interesting development; Last season, defense was Arsenal's most prominent strength, and Rice was more influential than Odegaard in midfield. Now, the Norwegian player seems to have regained his energy and vitality, thanks to his regaining his physical fitness, but giving him more freedom played an important role in that as well. Chelsea did not close the spaces in the match, which allowed Odegaard to lead the play brilliantly. The best player on the best team was not a defender. At this level, Odegaard appears to be at a level comparable to Bruno Fernandes.
This matter is of great importance; Let us take as an example Florian Wirtz, the star of the Bayer Leverkusen team that won the title under the leadership of Alonso. When he moved to England, he found it difficult to adapt to the fast-paced playing style of the English Premier League. The English Premier League needs outstanding talents that feel able to shine in it. It is worth noting that 3 strikers found on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or - Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Oliseh - had transferred from English teams. Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain) are also physically ready for the decisive stages of the Champions League, partly because they are not subjected to enormous physical pressure on the weekends against teams such as Brentford and Bournemouth. As for Jude Bellingham, the jewel of English football, he has never played in the English Premier League. Also, Vinicius Junior considered moving to Arsenal, but preferred to stay with Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid.
The English Premier League is the strongest and most competitive in Europe, however, it has witnessed a drain in talent. It is easy to imagine that the best strikers enjoy creating chances and scoring goals against less aggressive Bundesliga defences, as well as retaining the energy needed to compete in the Champions League, international tournaments and individual trophies. Let's look at the four teams that reached the World Cup semi-finals; The presence of English Premier League players was strong at the level of defenders and defensive midfielders, but it was weak regarding wings and attackers. Where are the stars? Most of those who left were not compensated, which is why Bradley Barkola's brilliance with Liverpool - after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain - could be very beneficial for the English Premier League.
Barkola's success may convince other distinguished players to follow in his footsteps. However, if it leads to the French winger being tired, the result could be the opposite; So the English Premier League has to be careful. New measures aimed at reducing time wasting would radically change the course of play. When Arsenal beat Chelsea, only 4 minutes of stoppage time were counted at the end of each half, which seemed refreshing and convenient.
