Man City title contenders, Spurs relegation fears and Carrick pressure dominate Premier League early talking points

After just five games of the 2026/27 Premier League season, Sky Sports' writers have assessed the early storylines. Manchester City are genuine title contenders, Tottenham sit bottom despite a £334m spend, and Manchester United boss Michael Carrick is already feeling the heat. Arsenal's improvement is questioned and Liverpool remain unbeaten under Andoni Iraola.

  • Competition: Premier League 2026/27, five games played
  • Man City: Seven wins in a row in all competitions; Maresca's side beat Sunderland 5-3
  • Tottenham: Bottom of the table with two goals and two points from five games; £334m summer outlay
  • Man Utd: Five points from five games; host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham after the international break
  • Arsenal: Lost 3-0 at Brighton on Saturday; signed Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis
  • Liverpool: Unbeaten under Andoni Iraola after 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday

Are Man City genuine title contenders?

Enzo Maresca was asked in his press conference whether he considered Manchester City to be title contenders after his side beat Sunderland 5-3 in one of the Premier League's most frenetic encounters to date. He gave the standard answer: "Too early to tell".

There is a pragmatic truth in that response. Five games is a small sample size. But Sky Sports' Laura Hunter has seen enough to stick her neck out and say they will be right up there.

Maresca has so far made this exciting, dynamic City squad work for him, partly by design, partly by luck. He's lucky he has Erling Haaland. He's lucky the club believe so heavily in his cause they were willing to spend £320m on an entirely new midfield department.

But there is no doubt this squad is packed with entertainers who are determined to win. The burden of scoring responsibility has been more equally shared; both Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki can boast as many goal involvements as Haaland.

And there is obvious momentum after winning seven in a row in all competitions. There will be times where City come unstuck because defensively they are fallible. Haaland will suffer his inevitable dip at some point. Injuries will occur because City's most explosive players, Jeremy Doku in particular, are prone.

The Premier League is an ever more demanding beast and City are no longer Pep Guardiola's possession-based puppets. But this is a team that will also get better with time. Maresca can now spend the next three weeks polishing up the bits he doesn't like, ready to go again. Barring any major injuries, City can - very probably will - rival Arsenal in the race.

Spurs find money can't buy them everything

Inevitable expectations followed when Spurs went big this summer - bigger than they've ever gone before. Their £334m outlay sat them only behind perennial big spenders Chelsea and Man City across the transfer window.

Of course, any dreams of a return to the halcyon days at the top were always going to be tough to reach in the short term, as many previous clubs have found after a significant turnover of players. But even with the patience required, sitting bottom of the table, with just two goals and as many points from their opening five games is miles below-par.

Spurs and Roberto De Zerbi's greatest concern will be that his side's issues are more than just teething problems. "In my 14 years as a coach, I've never seen a team like us, so fragile and inconsistent," De Zerbi said after their 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

For all the money spent, there is still no sign of a Spurs backbone. They are approaching two years since they last conceded first and went on to win. The pressure of even playing at home remains a problem - their lavish stadium has seen more Beyonce concerts than home wins over that same period.

And given the £85m outlay on Savio and future £60m on Omar Marmoush, fans and De Zerbi would hope for far more than the worst xG per shot of any team in the Premier League, and just two consolation goals in that Villa loss.

With the quality brought in, and flashes of showing already, things will improve and three uninterrupted weeks on the training ground will do the likes of James Maddison the world of good. But after comfortably the biggest spend in their history, the lingering worry that Spurs still have so many areas left to address is not a problem fans had anticipated facing just five games into this new era.

Same old story for Man Utd as Carrick feels the heat

Statistically, Manchester United had the easiest start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign. Five points from five games later, it feels like the Red Devils have turned the clock back a year and there are more questions than answers.

Michael Carrick's reign began with an incredible level of intensity when his side beat Manchester City. Compared to now, United look like a shell of that team. Constantly outrun and outfought.

Having only strengthened in the midfield over the summer, the defence looks out of date and vulnerable, conceding fewer than two goals in the Premier League just once. While their attacking overhaul in the summer of 2025 made them look a threat, they now appear disjointed. Injuries to Amad Diallo and Benjamin Sesko have clearly hurt, while Marcus Rashford's reintegration has hardly led to on-field results.

As if that's not bad enough, they are also being held to ransom by 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, with reports suggesting that the teenager's representatives want him to be allowed to leave because United have fallen behind other European giants.

Carrick was part of the backroom staff when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt similar pressure. Five years on, the story is the same. A cult hero returns on an interim basis, does the job asked of him, is given the keys to Old Trafford and is then almost immediately under scrutiny.

When will the rerun of the same programme finally come to an end? Before that, Carrick has to ensure that he doesn't hand another one of his former clubs their first Premier League win after the international break when United host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham. Lose, and it's anyone's guess where things go.

Are Arsenal really stronger than last season?

Many expected Arsenal to dominate the league this season, partly due to the lack of a competitive rival capable of taking their Premier League crown. But the 3-0 loss to Brighton on Saturday, coupled with Man City continuing their perfect start to the campaign, has tested that theory.

Yes, we're only five games in, and the jury is still out on whether Arsenal are truly better than the team that won the league last season in terms of quality. The Gunners signed Ezri Konsa to bolster their defence but he has replaced the injured William Saliba in the team, so is not exactly seen as an improvement in that area, other than depth.

Bruno Guimaraes was another marquee signing and showed his worth against Sunderland. But his underwhelming performance at Brighton raised early questions about whether he too is an improvement on Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is perhaps better-skilled than the Brazilian in handling a high-pressing opponent. Arsenal have won every Premier League game in which Lewis-Skelly has started in midfield.

Christos Tzolis has been a successful buy overall but he is yet to score for Arsenal. The goalscoring output that the now-departed Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli provided last season are yet to be replaced.

Other than those three players, Arsenal are pretty much the same squad that won the league last season. The likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have found some early-season form that they lacked last term - but the next batch of fixtures post-international break will test the claims about whether Arsenal have improved. It will test their title defence.

Liverpool unbeaten but the real test is now coming

Liverpool's hard-fought 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday maintained head coach Andoni Iraola's unbeaten record since taking charge of the club in the summer which when also taking into account pre-season friendlies, now stretches to [source text truncated].

Why City's midfield rebuild and Arsenal's squad depth will decide the title

The early evidence suggests Manchester City's £320m midfield overhaul has given Enzo Maresca a team that can share the goalscoring load. Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki matching Erling Haaland's goal involvements is a warning to Arsenal, who relied heavily on departed wide men Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli last season.

Arsenal's 3-0 defeat at Brighton exposed a reliance on Ezri Konsa covering for the injured William Saliba, while Bruno Guimaraes's struggles against a high press raise questions about whether Myles Lewis-Skelly should start in midfield. The Gunners have won every Premier League game Lewis-Skelly has started in that role.

At the other end, Tottenham's £334m spend has not fixed a fragile core. Roberto De Zerbi's side have the worst xG per shot in the division and are approaching two years since they last came from behind to win. Manchester United's defence, meanwhile, has conceded two or more goals in all but one league game, and Michael Carrick faces a must-win clash with Spurs after the international break.

Talking points

  • Manchester City are genuine title contenders after seven straight wins, but can their fallible defence and injury-prone attackers sustain a challenge?
  • Tottenham's £334m spend has left them bottom with two goals; is Roberto De Zerbi the right man to fix a squad with no backbone?
  • Michael Carrick beat Manchester City early on but now faces a must-win game against bottom-of-the-table Tottenham; should Man Utd sack him?
  • Arsenal have won every league game Myles Lewis-Skelly started in midfield; does Bruno Guimaraes deserve to keep his place after Brighton?

What happens next

After the international break, Manchester United host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham in a match that could decide Michael Carrick's future. Manchester City and Arsenal resume their title race, with Maresca's side looking to extend their winning run. Liverpool aim to keep their unbeaten record intact under Andoni Iraola. The next batch of fixtures post-international break will test Arsenal's title defence and answer whether they have truly improved.

Frequently asked questions

Is Erling Haaland still Man City's main goalscorer?

Yes, but the burden has been shared this season. Both Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki can boast as many goal involvements as Haaland.

Why are Tottenham bottom of the Premier League?

Spurs have just two goals and two points from five games despite a £334m summer spend. Roberto De Zerbi called his team "fragile and inconsistent" after the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

Who is under more pressure, Michael Carrick or Roberto De Zerbi?

Both are feeling the heat. Carrick's Manchester United have five points from five games and host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham after the international break. De Zerbi's Spurs are bottom with two points.

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