By now, most domestic leagues are already underway, but the lessons from July and August are still worth revisiting. Preseason is often dismissed as meaningless — no points at stake, no trophies to lift — yet managers and players use it as a laboratory.
What looked like harmless experiments in friendlies a few weeks ago are now shaping how teams line up, who gets trusted, and which tactical ideas stick once the season starts for real.
Summary:
- Preseason friendlies often reveal tactical ideas that later define a team’s season, like Guardiola’s use of Rico Lewis or Klopp’s shift with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
- Players on the edge of the squad — such as Chelsea’s Levi Colwill — can turn summer auditions into regular roles once the league begins.
- Scorelines in July rarely matter; what counts are pressing patterns, fitness levels, and set-piece routines that carry into competitive matches.
Guardiola’s use of Rico Lewis showed City’s plan early
When Pep Guardiola pushed Rico Lewis into midfield against Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, it didn’t look like much more than a curious switch. But it ended up becoming a key part of City’s possession game in the months that followed, giving them another way to dominate central areas.
Even betting-focused platforms like 5 pound deposit casinos not on GamStop have pointed out how these tactical auditions can influence early odds. But while it’s tempting to treat July friendlies as a forecast, history shows they’re better understood as experiments than guarantees.
Liverpool’s Trent experiment started in preseason
Liverpool went through something similar in 2023 when Trent Alexander-Arnold was moved into a hybrid midfield role during preseason. Jürgen Klopp used games against Leicester and Bayern to rehearse the idea, giving Trent more influence on the ball.
By the time the Premier League began, the adjustment had become a permanent feature of Liverpool’s system.
Fast forward to this season, and Trent has already made his debut for Real Madrid in 2025–26, showing how far that positional shift has taken him.
Colwill’s audition at Chelsea proved his value
In 2023, Chelsea used Levi Colwill at left-back against Dortmund. He handled the test well, and Mauricio Pochettino trusted him with more minutes when the Premier League started. A friendly in July ended up shaping his role for the season.
Kane’s goals and Tottenham’s defensive flaws
Harry Kane scored four goals on Tottenham’s summer tour in 2023, which looked like a strong sign at the time. But Ange Postecoglou’s defence conceded heavily in those same matches, a weakness that followed them into the domestic season. The lesson was clear: individual brilliance can hide cracks, but preseason still exposes systemic issues.
What coaches learn from workloads, not goals
While fans want goals, clubs track different metrics. Recovery sprints, stamina, and workload balance often matter more than the scoreline. A player like Kevin De Bruyne might be eased in with half an hour, while a fringe squad member plays the full 90 to prove he can handle the pace. These hidden numbers, most of the time, will decide who is ready when the real season kicks off.
Arsenal’s set-piece routines in the summer paid off later
The clearest preseason signals come from rehearsed patterns. Arsenal spent the summer of 2023 drilling dead-ball routines and went on to score 16 goals from set pieces, the most in the league that season. Manchester United’s struggles against Lens’s press in a friendly were another hint — their inability to play out under pressure became a theme throughout the year.
Preseason will never be a perfect forecast, but the clues are there for those who watch closely. Ignore the lopsided wins. Look instead at pressing shapes, recovery runs, and training-ground rehearsals. Those are the details that survive once the season begins.
