Premier League 2025/26 Pre-Season Tactical Preview: How Promoted Sides and Big Clubs Are Shaping Up
As the 2025/26 Premier League season looms, the pre-season period emerges as a crucial window for tactical refinement, squad integration, and fitness conditioning. This summer, promoted clubs face the daunting task of adapting to the Premier League’s intensity and quality, while established giants grapple with fixture congestion and maintaining competitive momentum. This tactical preview delves into how Bournemouth, Chelsea, Leeds United, and Crystal Palace are shaping their preparations, each navigating unique challenges and strategic approaches.
Bournemouth's Defensive Rebuild: Stabilizing the Backline Under Iraola
Returning to the Premier League after a hard-fought promotion, Bournemouth faces a significant tactical challenge in reassembling a dependable defense. The departures of trusted goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and towering defender Dean Huijsen have left notable gaps in the backline. Additionally, Milos Kerkez’s exit has compounded structural concerns, forcing head coach Andoni Iraola to reconfigure defensive roles.
To address these deficits, Bournemouth secured left-back Adrien Truffert from Rennes, whose attacking forays and crossing ability will be crucial to supply width in Iraola’s system. The return of goalkeeper Neto, fresh from a productive loan spell at Arsenal, is expected to bring experience and shot-stopping reliability between the posts.
Offensively, the Cherries’ attacking threat revolves around the fitness of Luis Sinisterra, whose hamstring issues limited him to just 230 league minutes last season. His pace, dribbling, and creativity will be vital if Bournemouth hopes to transition effectively from defensive solidity to attacking impetus. Alongside Sinisterra, 19-year-old Remy Rees-Dottin, who debuted in Bournemouth’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle in January, is a talent to watch. His dynamism and willingness to stretch defenses offer an unpredictable element to the frontline.
Iraola’s challenge is to meld these pieces into a cohesive unit capable of both preserving the defensive record that powered their promotion and contributing sufficient offensive firepower to secure Premier League survival.
Chelsea's Compressed Pre-Season: Balancing Fitness and Tactical Readiness
Chelsea’s pre-season is shaped by an unusual circumstance — their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup final in the United States against Paris Saint-Germain. This achievement has compressed their preparation time ahead of the Premier League kickoff, leaving limited opportunities for traditional pre-season friendlies and tactical experiments.
Head coach Enzo Maresca must navigate this tight schedule, balancing the need to maintain player fitness with the imperative to build tactical cohesion and integrate any new signings. The compressed timeline raises concerns about potential rustiness or fatigue as Chelsea embarks on their league campaign.
Unlike other clubs that enjoy multiple fixtures to refine pressing triggers, set-piece routines, and positional rotations, Chelsea will rely significantly on in-tournament match experience in the Club World Cup to sharpen their game plan. This scenario places a premium on squad depth and the ability of players to quickly adapt to Maresca’s tactical demands.
The result could be a cautious start to the season, with Chelsea prioritizing gradual rhythm-building over immediate intensity, a factor that could influence early league standings.
Leeds United's Tactical Overhaul: High Pressing and Formation Flexibility
Leeds United’s return to the Premier League after a record-breaking 100-point Championship campaign comes with a clear mandate: adapt and evolve. Manager Daniel Farke is spearheading a tactical and personnel overhaul designed to meet the Premier League’s elevated physicality and technical standards.
Farke’s Leeds are experimenting with dynamic formations, alternating between a 4-2-3-1 that provides midfield solidity and a 4-3-3 that emphasizes width and high pressing. This flexibility allows the team to tailor their approach depending on the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.
The emphasis on high pressing aims to disrupt Premier League opponents early, forcing turnovers in dangerous areas and enabling quick transitions. This tactical philosophy, combined with rapid ball circulation, is intended to compensate for any individual talent gaps relative to established top-flight squads.
Leeds’ pre-season friendlies, featuring matches against fellow Premier League sides, will serve as litmus tests for the effectiveness of these tactical frameworks and the integration of new signings. Vice-chairman Tony Khan’s patient transfer approach suggests a gradual building process, with each friendly offering critical insights into squad chemistry and tactical coherence.
Crystal Palace’s Austrian Training Camp: Tactical Cohesion and Pressing Philosophy
Opting for a focused European training camp in Austria, Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner emphasize tactical cohesion and a pressing philosophy ahead of their Premier League campaign. Eschewing a long-haul commercial tour, Glasner’s squad faces a series of carefully selected fixtures designed to sharpen their collective play.
Their schedule includes two one-hour training matches against Bundesliga outfit Mainz and two full 90-minute games versus Augsburg, another Bundesliga club renowned for disciplined pressing and positional fluidity. These encounters provide Palace with the opportunity to test and refine their pressing triggers, compactness, and transition strategies against tactically astute opposition.
This pre-season culminates in a high-profile Premier League curtain-raiser against Liverpool at Wembley, offering a stern test of Palace’s tactical readiness and fitness levels.
Glasner’s emphasis on pressing aligns with a league-wide trend favoring proactive defensive blocks and rapid ball recovery. The Austrian coach’s approach prioritizes organization, stamina, and mental focus — key components for a club aiming to solidify its Premier League status amid intense competition.
Conclusion: A Tactical Kaleidoscope for the 2025/26 Season
The Premier League’s 2025/26 pre-season vividly illustrates the diversity of challenges and strategies across the league spectrum. Promoted teams like Bournemouth and Leeds United confront the dual demands of survival and adaptation, balancing defensive reconstruction with offensive creativity and tactical innovation.
Meanwhile, established clubs like Chelsea and Crystal Palace navigate fixture congestion and prioritize pressing philosophies and squad cohesion to maintain competitiveness.
As the season unfolds, these tactical preparations and managerial decisions will be tested week by week. The blend of fresh talent integration, formation experimentation, and physical conditioning sets the stage for a Premier League season brimming with strategic intrigue and competitive drama.
References
Author’s note: This analysis draws upon current pre-season developments and verified tactical insights to provide a comprehensive preview of Premier League clubs’ preparations as the 2025/26 campaign approaches.