What pre-season tells you about FPL 26/27 — quick answer
Pre-season friendlies are the single best window into a Premier League manager's tactical intentions before the season starts. The four signals worth tracking are: (1) starting XI patterns — who's in the manager's preferred eleven; (2) set-piece takers — which player is taking corners, free kicks, and penalties; (3) formation experiments — is a side trialling 4-3-3, 3-5-2, or something hybrid; (4) minutes patterns for new signings — are they starting and finishing 90, or being eased in. Below are the key reads from the 2026 pre-season schedule.
Friendlies that matter most
Not all pre-season games carry equal weight. Behind-closed-doors training matches and early friendlies vs lower-league opposition tell you very little — managers rotate heavily and youth players get extended minutes. The friendlies that matter for FPL research are: the final pre-season week (when the starting XI is roughly the actual GW1 XI), high-profile invitational tournaments (Premier League Summer Series, Audi Cup), and the showcase friendlies vs other top-tier European clubs.
Onside live-tracks the lineup, set-piece routine, and goalscorer data from every relevant friendly during the 2026 window and surfaces the signals in your dashboard.
Set-piece takers — the most actionable signal
Pre-season is when managers experiment with set-piece rotations. A player taking corners in three consecutive friendlies has a roughly 70% probability of being the GW1 starter. Track corner taker, free-kick taker (left vs right side of the box), and the penalty hierarchy.
The single highest-EV FPL move is to identify a £6.0m–£7.5m midfielder who has been confirmed as primary corner or free-kick taker in pre-season but whose price hasn't yet reflected the role change. Onside flags these "set-piece shock" picks across the final two weeks of pre-season.
Formation experiments — what to read into them
When a manager trials a new formation in pre-season, the FPL implications cascade across the squad. A switch from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2 might create two wing-back roles where the wingers used to play — vastly increasing defender returns. A switch from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1 might compress midfield minutes and concentrate goals in one elite no.10.
The new-manager signals are particularly valuable: a fresh appointment in summer 2026 means the entire pre-season is information gathering. Look for repeated 11-vs-11 patterns; ignore individual goal scorers in 60-min cameos vs lower-league sides.
Minutes patterns for new signings
A summer signing who plays 90 minutes in three consecutive friendlies — and especially in the final friendly before the season — is virtually certain to start GW1. Conversely, a signing being eased in via 30-60 minute substitute appearances is unlikely to start the opener.
Look also at training reports and injury updates from the official club channels. A signing who has missed pre-season training due to international duty or fitness work is GW1-risky regardless of price; the Onside model flags them as "rotation risk: high" in the player database.
The Onside pre-season checklist
By the end of pre-season, you should know: (1) the GW1 XI for every Big Six club; (2) the set-piece hierarchy for at least 12 of the 20 clubs; (3) which managers have changed formation vs last season; (4) injury / fitness status for every premium-priced player.
Onside provides a single dashboard with all four signals per club. Check it twice a week through July to spot the shifts as they happen rather than scrambling on deadline day.