fpl Guides · 2026/27 season
FPL team guides — every club, one page each
One guide per Premier League club for the 2026/27 season: who the manager is and how his team plays, who came in and who left this summer, who is injured, the likely starting eleven, who takes penalties and corners, and which players look worth picking — or avoiding — in FPL. No model output here, just the facts a squad decision rests on, gathered from cited sources you can check yourself.
All 20 clubs
| Team | Manager | Formation |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Mikel Arteta | 4-3-3 |
| Aston Villa | Unai Emery | 4-2-3-1 |
| Bournemouth | Marco Rosenew | 4-2-2-2 / 4-4-2 (Rose has stated a personal preference for a 4-4-2 diamond with two strikers, but set up 4-2-3-1 in his first pre-season friendly) |
| Brentford | Keith Andrews | 4-2-3-1 |
| Brighton | Fabian Hurzeler | 4-2-3-1 |
| Chelsea | Xabi Alonsonew | Unresolved. 3-4-3 (premierleague.com projection), 3-4-2-1 and the 4-2-3-1 actually used in the one preseason match all in play |
| Coventry City | Frank Lampard | 4-2-3-1 |
| Crystal Palace | Pierre Sagenew | Unresolved. 3-4-3 was his season-long shape at Lens (and would preserve Glasner's back three); 4-3-3 was his Lyon default. No source confirms what he has used in Palace preseason |
| Everton | David Moyes | 4-2-3-1 (established base); back three/five actively under consideration after pre-season trials |
| Fulham | Álvaro Arbeloanew | 4-3-3 base (3-2-5/3-4-3 in possession); a 4-2-3-1 was used in the first friendly v Norwich |
| Hull City | Sergej Jakirović | 4-3-3 primary; 5-4-1 / back three with wing-backs used situationally (including the play-off final). Both 2026 pre-season friendlies were played in a 4-2-3-1. |
| Ipswich Town | Gary O'Neilnew | 4-2-3-1 nominal in both pre-season friendlies (shifting to 4-1-4-1 after subs); functionally a back three in possession / back four out of possession hybrid, with a back five explicitly planned but not yet used |
| Leeds | Daniel Farke | 4-2-3-1 / back four in pre-season line-ups; one 2026 source claims a back three with wing-backs — unresolved |
| Liverpool | Andoni Iraolanew | 4-2-3-1 primary; also 4-4-2 and 4-4-2 diamond variants (per Bournemouth record) |
| Man City | Enzo Marescanew | 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3 out of possession, becoming 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 in possession |
| Man Utd | Michael Carrick | 4-2-3-1 primary; 3-2-5 in possession; 4-3-3 used in pre-season friendlies |
| Newcastle | Vacant (Matthias Jaissle agreed in principle, not officially announced as of 2026-07-30)new | — |
| Nott'm Forest | Oliver Glasnernew | 3-4-2-1 |
| Spurs | Roberto De Zerbi | 4-2-3-1 |
| Sunderland | Regis Le Bris | 4-3-3 in possession (shifting to 4-1-2-3), compacting to a 4-5-1 / 4-4-2 block out of possession; a back-five variant was also used at times in 2025-26 |
“New” marks a manager appointed this summer. Formations are each manager's usual shape per the guide's sources — pre-season, treat them as the starting point, not a promise.
Use the guides with the tools
- Predicted points — the model's projection for every player, with the published backtest.
- Fixture difficulty — how hard each club's opening run actually is.
- Team builder — build a legal £100m squad with projections live on every pick.
- Differentials — low-owned players the model still rates.
Each guide is a research snapshot compiled 30 July 2026 from club announcements, reliable press reporting and public squad data — every guide lists the sources it rests on. Where something could not be verified (a set-piece taker under a new manager, an unconfirmed transfer) the guide says so instead of guessing. Nothing here updates in real time: check official team news before every deadline.
FPL is a free fantasy game — this is squad research, not betting advice.
Updated 13 August 2026, 07:21 UK · Source: Official FPL API