Speaker A
Hello and welcome to the TFO football podcast. I'm Joe Divine, and today I'm delighted to be joined by JJ Jol.
Tifo Football podcast discusses the Ballon d'Or contenders, Champions League updates on Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool, and player performances.
Key Takeaways
- Harry Kane is a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or this year, reflecting his impact despite debate on the award's significance.
- Barcelona has developed quietly into serious Champions League contenders through youth growth and tactical evolution.
- Martin Ødegaard is experiencing a notable performance boost, contributing significantly to Arsenal's success.
- The podcast blends football analysis with humor and cultural insights, making it engaging and informative.
- Supplementary content like Ring for Analysis and live streams provide deeper dives into football topics.
What the video covers
- Introduction of hosts and guests including Joe Divine, JJ Jol, Alex Barker, and Steve Hanky.
- Discussion on the Ballon d'Or shortlist and the possibility of Harry Kane winning the award.
- Debate on whether the Ballon d'Or is a meaningful award or a popularity contest.
- Analysis of Barcelona's quiet but effective evolution into Champions League contenders.
- Liverpool's Champions League campaign kickoff and Alexis Mac Allister's current form.
- Focus on Martin Ødegaard's renaissance at Arsenal with impressive goal stats.
- Exploration of football terminology such as the origin of the word 'skipper'.
- Mention of additional content like the Ring for Analysis podcast and upcoming live streams.
- Insights into La Liga and lesser-known facts about players and teams.
- Casual, humorous tone with personal anecdotes and football culture references.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Hosts
- 02:42Ballon d'Or Discussion and Personal Banter
- 06:24Football Terminology and Names
- 09:46Ballon d'Or Shortlist and Ceremony Context
- 12:30Champions League and Player Performances
- 19:01Barcelona's Champions League Evolution
- 23:48Liverpool's Campaign and Alexis Mac Allister
- 27:28Martin Ødegaard and Arsenal's Renaissance
- 34:06La Liga Insights and Closing Remarks
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Hello. All right, buddy. How's it going?
Speaker A
Yes, yes, it's good. Did you notice it's Alex Barker?
Speaker A
Hello. Hey. How's it going? You okay?
Speaker A
Yes, I'm good. Are you excited for people to hear you talk about French teams later?
Speaker A
Oh, yes. You were very happy during that.
Speaker A
I was very happy. Do you know what?
Speaker A
I was very happy. I was happy that Liam Rinia is in a new job. I didn't know he was in a new job.
Speaker A
I did all memes about him though, like losing his aura and things like that.
Speaker A
Really? Everyone's been very mean about him.
Speaker A
Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, what's changed?
Speaker A
Well, yeah, quite quite. And a TFO football podcast debut. Didn't need his though. I won't give too much away. I won't give too much away.
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Kind of giving quite a lot. They just gave the whole thing away. Something had cut. Something got cut, but it wasn't something inappropriate.
Speaker A
It was a spoiler about the episode to come. He's data and tactics writer for The Athletic. Welcome. And Aunt Ragar Ramen.
Speaker A
Hello. How's it going?
Speaker A
Okay. I'm very good, thanks. Looking forward to it. I think you did very well on your first TFO football podcast today. Would you agree, JJ?
Speaker A
I agree. I think you're outstanding. Said many enjoyable things. Stick around and listen to them. Now, what did we talk? Also, Steve Hanky's here.
Speaker A
What did we talk about on today's podcast?
Speaker A
Well, is it the Ballon d'Or just a meaningless popularity contest?
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Would I win if I was nominated?
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We actually didn't talk about that, but because of the popularity contest thing, I thought I'd throw that out. I think you could win.
Speaker A
You think I could win the Ballon d'Or?
Speaker A
I think I could win the Ballon d'Or. I didn't want to say it out loud because I thought it was crazy. But now that you've said it, if you were on the ballot and
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forget everything that you're not a professional footballer, just about if you're on the ballot, I think at least 10 people would vote for you.
Speaker A
I like it. Which one? In what context would you be nominated for the Ballon d'Or?
Speaker A
Well, as a professional footballer.
Speaker A
Oh, I see you actually playing football professionally.
Speaker A
Well, no. I just mean, you know, in my role as professional footballer, I've chosen not to take a clue on because you're a free agent footballer.
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Yeah. You don't play for any teams in any of the year currently.
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Yeah. Therefore, you have no appearances, minutes, goals.
Speaker A
Well, currently that's the case.
Speaker A
Yeah. But you've got style.
Speaker A
That's true. The problem is hosting the TFO football podcast clashes with training.
Speaker A
There is a world in which like Seb Staffer Bluer is the one, the journalist who ends up voting for things and therefore you're going to get zero from this country. One of the only ones you'd rely on. I get one vote from Seb. That
Speaker A
would be he'd never vote for me. Takes his job too seriously.
Speaker A
Now we get distracted by anglocentric anglophonic thoughts as we do every week, although we don't always name it. And I explain the joy of the game Geogesser which
Speaker A
genuinely kept me up all night. Then we play the Rondo. A very, very competitive Rondo it was. I very much enjoyed this one. Stick around for that. After the Rondo, we talk about Barcelona's surprisingly quiet evolution into Champions League contenders once more.
Speaker A
Alex had a fall this morning, but managed to style it out with his martial arts training.
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And that's not exaggerated.
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No, I very much enjoyed. True story. I wonder how it might be.
Speaker A
No, I guess it technically isn't exaggerated. That's true. Now, Liverpool started their Champions League campaign with a win, but is Alexis Mallister still sad? And
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how good a bartender do we think he would be? We moved on to talk about Martin Erdigor and the renaissance that he's experiencing at Arsenal. It's four goals in five games for the Arsenal skipper, writes, "Steve, no pun
Speaker A
involved. He's just delighted that Erdigor is playing so well." I've just Why is it skipper? What is that about for a bit captain?
Speaker A
That's true. That up. Something to do with boats, I suspect. Again, why is skipper in a boat context as well?
Speaker A
Why is skipper used for captain?
Speaker A
Well, the word skipper is used for captain because it comes from an old Dutch word that means the master of a ship.
Speaker A
Oh, there you go. Dutch roots. The term started in the 14th century from the middle Dutch word shipper.
Speaker A
Oh, talking of masters and names.
Speaker A
No. Well, oh, I thought this is a perfect setup to talk about the amazing names we discovered during this.
Speaker A
Oh, yes, I forgot. Completely forgot we talked about names. You're right. One other thing we should have included in the intro, Steve, is that I'm really not on top form today.
Speaker A
Yeah, I'm It was kind of you to not include that, but we could have written something like Joe repeatedly distracted everyone and forgot what was happening at all times, but I prefer the shows when they're like that.
Speaker A
Yeah, there you go. Anyway, also you go on a lovely long rant almost at the end about how much you're enjoying Arsenal at the moment, so stick around for that.
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And as we've already trailed it, we have a check-in for La Liga and I hear things I genuinely didn't know. So there you go. And I hear them in a sort of retainy way. That'll make sense when you
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get there. Now that was the whole show, I think. Did I miss anything, Steve?
Speaker A
No. No. Okay. I should say that Ring for Analysis this week, which is our audio-only episode, releases on Saturdays on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, not on YouTube, but wherever you get your audio podcasts. I recorded that earlier
Speaker A
this week with John and we talked through Daniel Taylor's piece. Who is the real Enzo Fernandez? Although I don't think we actually mentioned Enzo Fernandez for the first 25 minutes. I'm trying to think what we were talking about that whole time. April Fool's Day
Speaker A
was a big chunk of that podcast, I think. But anyway, check that out. That comes out on Saturday. Incidentally, after the Manchester Derby, which is on Sunday, I've got John and Jack Collins with me for a live
Speaker A
stream. So, come and listen to that or you can hear it on the podcast afterwards. And then next Tuesday we're back with another normal show. So there we go. I think we're ready to begin.
Speaker A
Well, where else to begin? Of course, with Oh, by the way, we do the intro at the end. Did I tell you that before we started?
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Then the Ballon d'Or. That's where we'll start. We'll start with the Ballon d'Or because they announced the 30-player Ballon d'Or shortlist that was revealed. I think is the word you're supposed to use to make it sound
Speaker A
exclusive and exciting. It was revealed that there is a Ballon d'Or shortlist and then the shortlist was revealed after that revelation. This year's ceremony will take place in London, of course, to commemorate Sir Stanley Matthews winning the first
Speaker A
Ballon d'Or 70 years ago. But will another fine Englishman join the ranks of Ballon d'Or glory?
Speaker A
Oh, that's good, isn't it? Ballon d'Or glory. That just happened.
Speaker A
Yeah, in Ballamorei. In Ballamorei. They should have done it in Ballamorei.
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They should have done the Ballon d'Or in Ballamorei. Oh my God. They should do it in Ballamorei. Great.
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They should. Well, there's not really anywhere to go with that, is there? But we could go with Sir Stanley, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan. Sir Kevin Keegan I feel like we should say and Sir Michael Owen maybe less.
Speaker A
Sorry, that was rude. That was rude to Michael. Made many contributions to the country.
Speaker A
He deserves it as much as anybody else does. An arbitrary award, of course.
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Now, so Michael Owen as Ballon d'Or winner has there only been four, Steve, I believe. So English male footballers, of course.
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I always knew that there was a conspiracy against England to keep us from winning the Ballon d'Or.
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Now anyway, the reason that we're introducing it in this hamfisted way is because there's a good chance that Harry Kane could be the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or.
Speaker A
part of that and then you get dismissed otherwise it's fine. Or World Cup winning team also fine.
Speaker A
Yeah. But the thing is it's an individual award right? So it should be the best individual footballer right. Yeah. And then who was that?
Speaker A
Well, it there's so many individuals on the list that's good that obviously you'd be like, "Oh, it could be one of them." There's a lot of them. There's no way it's going to be Who else is on is on the list?
Speaker A
Um like Michael Elise. Lovely player. Um I think we're going to come back to Michael.
Speaker A
Oh, we'll skip past him then. Um Bruno Fernandez. Is he one of the best in the world?
Speaker A
Well, he Well, he won the Premier League player of the year. Yeah, I voted for him.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Right. Uh well that just says that says everything you need to know about that award.
Speaker A
Absolutely. Uh William Pacho center back for PSG. You mentioned the notion that you got to you win the Champions League, you might win a balon door. Now PSG won the Champions League this season. I don't want to upset any Arsenal fans, but
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essentially at a caner they were clearly the best team in in Europe. I will I will provide the the voice of opposition and say it was only on penalties.
Speaker A
It was only on penalties. But they canered through those penalties, didn't they? Uh anyway, they they've won it two years in a row.
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They're clearly the best European team at the moment. They've got many of the best players. Interesting that well, there are PSG players on on on the short list. Anant, you know, Scalia was the highest on your list, but he only made
Speaker A
it to number six, didn't he? And I wondered what does that what do you think that means? What does that reflect about PSG that they're maybe their best player, Champions League winner, only at only at number six? And or does it just
Speaker A
mean that because he plays for Georgia and it's a World Cup year, it does not good for him?
Speaker A
I mean, it's a bit of both. I think uh in a World Cup year, the Champions League doesn't necessarily take uh as much precedence. I mean, Rodri knows that better than anybody else. He won the treble with Manchester City in 2022
Speaker A
and didn't win the Balindor in 2023 because Messi won it after an incredible World Cup. Right.
Speaker A
Um, but at the same time, I think Scalia's case to be on the list or in the top five when the final results come out is kind of advanced by the fact that Georgia weren't at the World Cup because
Speaker A
I feel all the PSG players who got in there and you would think Marinos, Pacho, uh, Nuno Mendes, Xiao, Neves, Vitinia, all of these guys, I think their stocks took a bit of a beating at the World Cup because their teams didn't
Speaker A
go that far or as far as they were expected to. Uh and in that sense um Quad Scalia I think the only other competitor he has similarly you could say Dembele who's the current Balandor holder but he also missed a lot of time
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for PSG with injuries. The only other one is Fabian Ruiz because he's the only guy who won both the World Cup and the Champions League.
Speaker A
Oh that's true. He won both and he's great. He's amazing. Why does he not win? Is he just not famous enough? He does all this sort of silent stuff really well, but like so then Pedri is one of my absolute
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favorites, but he whether he was dropped and his sort took him out the team and then Fabian Re just stood out like he was unbelievable. He does the quiet things really really well.
Speaker A
Isn't it play? It's players that vote, isn't it, for each other? There's um there's journalists, um the captains of individual countries, right?
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And uh who's the other one? I think it's the accountant, the FIFA accountants. Yes.
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Yes. I mean, all of this is why I have not spoken on this yet because I've really struggled to get interested in the Bondor. Maybe it's cuz I'm a neutral fan, of course. Uh, you know, I'm very different. Um, but it's just because
Speaker A
like it's voted for by all the players and 100 journalists and it's all when they started doing it off historical significance. So, was it Modric could win it, right? At this point, it's just going to be whoever wins. I've lost
Speaker A
what? Modric was the scent of a woman uh win. That's that's what and and in case you guys aren't aware of my reference here, Aluccino won an Oscar for a film called Scent of the Woman. Scent of the
Speaker A
scent of the woman. Scent of the Woman. I appreciate him explaining this to the younger people in the studio actually.
Speaker A
Well, anyway, it was one of those that was and there's been many Oscar awards that handed out like this, but it's one that um many people believed was given to him on the basis of his previous work because, you know, Sentoman is fine.
Speaker A
It's like it was like him and Scorsese never won anything forever. And then it was like oh okay we've got an opportunity to give it to him and we probably should have given him one before so he wins percent of a woman and
Speaker A
it's like that's moderates winning for like maybe a career rather than a season exactly that okay if I was to ask all of you define what is a balandor given for popularity what would you say I think it's I mean individual
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performances are one thing but it it does end up being a popularity contest agree I guess it's like popularity but like officially what would it if you're trying to give official line for the Bandor is it the best the best player
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the best player last year in the in the in candidacy period. Exactly. It's like what does it mean?
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That's why I just don't know what they say they changed it, didn't they? Because previously it was uh it was the the calendar year, but then they didn't do the the voting until like 6 months later, which was so confusing because
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you couldn't remember what happened a whole year ago. Now it's by season, so it makes a little bit more sense. But yeah, you would think the short hand is the the best player in the world. That's certainly how the players seem to to to
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think about. He's not even the best player in the world. It's like the most aesthetically pleasing play. It's probably why I I wouldn't be surprised if Kane doesn't win just because, let's be honest, he's not very fun as a footballer. He just
Speaker A
scores goals. It's why like someone else might also scalia, he might not win because he's Georgian and his Georgian teammates aren't good. I thought it was an individual award. And I Yeah, I'm getting off on here, but I just
Speaker A
understand it. I hope you're not getting off. I think uh Yeah. Do you know as well, Joe? There is no I in team. Yeah, but there is an I in almost every single one of the players in the list.
Speaker A
Which one doesn't have an I? Uh, well, there's actually quite a lot of them as well. So, I can't think of any.
Speaker A
Harry Kane doesn't have an eye. Bruno Fernandez doesn't have an eye. Milly. When I thought of that though, I thought it was good. Uh, and then I looked at the list as I said it and there's actually most of them don't
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actually have an eye. Often that's what happens with creativity though. You know, you still got to say it out loud anyway.
Speaker A
You have to get it out otherwise it's a block. Otherwise, it causes Oh my god.
Speaker A
Something got cut. Very early in the episode for things for things to be getting cut. Anyway, let's talk about Harry Kane. No eye in his name. Uh Balandori. I know. I keep I keep rhyming by accident.
Speaker A
Harry Kane. No eye in his name. He scored 73 goals in 58 games. Is that right?
Speaker A
65, I think. Okay. Well, I was so close. I got one of those numbers right.
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Yours sounded more impressive. go with that one. Thank you. Uh I mean he's he he had an incredible season, didn't he?
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That Yeah, I think for me he's the clear favorite to win uh the Ballindor at least. Again, slowly going off, he's been the best player out of everybody else in uh Europe. I think again what the only thing that scuppers his chances
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is Bayern didn't win the Champions League and England didn't win the World Cup. And he he wasn't brilliant in the World Cup. I thought I didn't think he was bad like everyone made out, but he, you know, Jude Bellingham was really
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England's star. I feel like if Harry Kane had had the Jude Bellingham performances, then maybe he'd just be like totally locked on to win. But I think the the counterpoint to that is England probably don't get past Mexico and Dr. Congo without Kane.
Speaker A
They're obviously trailing for a lot of the game against Dr. Congo and Kane scored two brilliant goals to take them through.
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Uh, and in the Champions League knockouts, he was brilliant as well. that goal fest against PSG. He scored uh he also scored in the quarterfinals in the round of 16. So he did pretty much what he could do. He got a hat-tick in
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the German Cup final. Yeah. So he's he's stepped up in big games except maybe the semi-final against Argentina wasn't good wasn't good for most of the England players.
Speaker A
Yeah. Um and he didn't again didn't win the Champions League or the World Cup which is the only real black mark on otherwise an incredible season. Other thing as well is that like a lot of the journalists will just go for the player
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that they like the most from their country as well. And it's also because it's like a point system. I think Harry Kane will do really well because you get like like 10, eight, seven, six, something like that.
Speaker A
Is it like Eurovision where England lose all the time? It is a lot like that. Do do we compete as the UK in Eurovision?
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Uh yes we do. Steve knows. I looked at Steve. I think it'll be England in the I don't know for certain. I think it's England.
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So like I think Henry Winter used to do it quite a lot. I don't know who the journalist is for this current one. Um, it's you. Have they not told you?
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It could be. You're supposed to be there now. Uh, I can't wait to see who wins the award this year.
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Scott McTominay. Oh, yeah. You'd be you'd surely you'd be voting for Scotland. I'm a professional, Joe. I would.
Speaker A
No. So, you do for England. Exactly. But you have to imagine in the mind of a journalist from who is not from England cuz like again we all live in England and so like everyone here is very England focused but there's a larger
Speaker A
bigger world outside of England where they don't care about England. I don't know what you mean.
Speaker A
Well this is the thing. What are you saying when you get to the end of England there's more? I know you love brave Sir Harry Kane and his many gold exploits, but there are I mean that that will in Germany by the way, which I
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think is a far-flung region of England on the Mediterranean. Is it in the Mediterranean somewhere?
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It could be. Yes, anyway. Someone messaged me the other day to say Anglo Anglocentric was the I almost forgot it again.
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Anglocentric was the word I was looking for, not angoponic. But you know would angophonic be use sound English phonic?
Speaker A
Yeah, it's the sounds right the English version of the stereophonics. Yeah, the angophonics. That's good. They deserve more. Yeah.
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Yeah. Maybe tomorrow I'll find my way home to brave Sally. You know that you need stereophonics. Oh no, they're Welsh.
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Welsh. Yeah, they're Welsh. Kelly Jones. Kelly Jones. I used to love staponics. That first album, second one's really good.
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Very good. Very good. Yeah. Angophonic, English speaking or relating to the use of the English language. Yeah.
Speaker A
Say again. It wouldn't have been. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I'm very tired. Mistake. I smell that spell. It's that time of year again.
Speaker A
I'm very tired this morning because well, partly because we did we did the TO live show at Leicester Square Theater earlier this week, which has completely knocked out my sleeping pattern. It's hard to sleep after a live show.
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Such a buzz. Yeah. And last night I was playing with my friend Paul Ansour, friend of the podcast Paul Ansorg. And we were playing, did you guys play Geogesser?
Speaker A
Yeah. To love Geogesser. We we were playing like a collaborative mode where we were looking looking for places all around the world together. And we had three incredibly hard finds in a row. One was like on the outskirts of Kumasi and
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Ghana. One was somewhere in Indonesia on on an island near Bali. One was Oh, where was the other one? Anyway, I can't remember. But it was very very difficult. Uh and before I knew it, it was 2:00 in the morning.
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Oh god, that's we got full marks on all of them. Like the dedication takes like half an hour of searching, going down the road, then checking the map, looking for a place called Akapong. Turns out there's four of them in Ghana and I couldn't find the
Speaker A
right one for ages. But yeah, it turns out it was really late and that's why I'm late this morning and why I'm tired and why when you know that's why I keep saying Balonori.
Speaker A
Yeah. Well, I mean, I all my best ideas come to me around about after 12 a.m., right?
Speaker A
So, obviously to have continued employment, I need to be in the office, but all my good ideas come later.
Speaker A
But you've also got to be awake past 12. It's tough, isn't it? Yeah. Very briefly, this is just a this would just be a little bit that So, for people who were at the Lesser Square Live show theater show that we did the
Speaker A
other day, um we asked people to fill in a Google form with uh answers to a somewhat self-indulgent quiz. and I completely forgot to read it in the second half. So, if you were there, if you were one of the people that were
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there, the I'll read a few of your answers now. If you weren't there, feel free to skip or listen, but I know it's self-indulgent, so there's no need there's no need to tell me that in the comments. Okay. Now, we asked a series
Speaker A
of questions like, which member of the TFO football podcast would you choose in X scenario or would you think would be X most likely to whatever? Here's one.
Speaker A
Which member of the TFO football podcast do you think is most likely to fall into a hole in the ground? What do you think they said, guys?
Speaker A
Oh, I I know. Yeah, but I So, I'll let you guess, my friend. I don't know. I thought they'd go with you.
Speaker A
No, they didn't. They went with JJ Bull, of course. He's the most likely to fall into a hole in the ground.
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I fell over this morning. Maybe it should be me. Could be. Oh. Oh, this is good. Which member of the Tifa Football cast do you think is most likely to start a successful business?
Speaker A
That has to be me. It's not you. I don't know the answer to this one. I would guess See, John, I think would be too busy planning it and he'd never actually start it.
Speaker A
John John got 19% of the vote, which is which your percentages. This is more interesting.
Speaker A
John John was second biggest. I'm going to guess you. No, I was actually uh third biggest despite having already done this.
Speaker A
Two do it. Well, I also have basically done that too to be fair. Of course you have. Yeah. You've created a whole brand.
Speaker A
Well, I have an accountant that has to do my books. I'm just teasing you. Yeah, it's not you. You're uh You're not last.
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They put Steve last. That's good. Steve got only 8% of the vote. No, Reuben. I can see it. Reuben over.
Speaker A
What's that, Steve? It's like the Bondor though. It's just a popularity. Yeah, it's a popularity. That of course it is. Of course, of which you are bottom over over a quarter of the audience thought that Reuben would uh would get the best. JJ,
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they thought you would be the least likely, which is funny because they didn't think to do what to start a business. They didn't think that when I was vote when I was asking for who the most was. They thought Steve was the
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least likely to be the most, but they they also thought Steve was the least likely to be the least. So, I think they just don't they don't know about Steve's business acor.
Speaker A
Which member of the TFO football podcast do you think is the best looking? It's going to be Reuben. is he's the other day he had a short out and all the comments it wasn't even like he presenting necessarily as Reuben. It was
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a let's find out and the top comments were Reuben's haircut is just fantastic. is dashing and I watched him I I told him about this just bing about I told him about this just expect him to go oh
Speaker A
that's great I have him behind me in the office sitting down I'm looking in reflection he spends a good like 5 minutes going down every comment just reading him going oh that's nice I have to say it's got to be you Joe
Speaker A
it's me it's not Reuben um I will say though Reuben wasn't listed as a possible answer there were only two possible answers they were Joe and also Joe And uh also Joe won very well by 72%. So also Joe very very good
Speaker A
looking uh which member of the TO football podcast do you think could lift the heaviest weight?
Speaker A
You. No not me. Now remember there's a larger than me now isn't there? Oh Ka.
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It's Ka. Yeah Ka. Ka got it. Uh oh this one's fun. It must be fun.
Speaker A
Fun for who? Which member of the Dup Football Mog do you think is most likely to work in customer service in the future?
Speaker A
Who do you think they said? I don't know who that is. See, it's not. It's a popularity contest. Steve, you're the most popular.
Speaker A
Yeah. In this specific area. Which member of the T4 football podcast do you think went to the most expensive school?
Speaker A
Oh, John. So I think people might assume you cuz your voice is so spoken and and it would be an assumption because my not only was my school free but it was also in special measures.
Speaker A
Yeah. Um no um there are only two possible answers here. Uh Alex Stewart or Seb Stafford BL.
Speaker A
81% of the audience went with Seb Stafford BL. They clearly think that his private education cost more. And I I think it might have done. And we'll do a couple more very quickly. Which member do you think spends the most time on their
Speaker A
hair? Obviously John. they voted for. Yeah. Good. That's very good fun. Which member do you think has the is the tallest in aura?
Speaker A
The tallest in aura. I'd say Ka's bottom for that one. Yeah. Ka's right at the bottom. They they gave it to me. That's nice. Which do you think seen the fewest films?
Speaker A
Obviously almost all of the audience voted for Ka. Yeah. And which that was too mean. Um do it.
Speaker A
Yeah. Have to go in. And which member of the TIFA football podcast haven't you ticked yet for any of the above answers? And uh with 40% of the vote, Steve, hello. So that's a double. Yeah, that is actually a double.
Speaker A
The most popular on this. I rigged it in a sense in order that that would happen. Anyway, sorry I forgot to do that. I think people would have enjoyed that at the live show, but I forgot. I was so I was so busy reading
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all of the free comment feedback which was just special for the evening and some of it very brutal.
Speaker A
Uh that was fun, but I forgot to do that. So there we go. Oh, very quickly before we move on. Michael Elise, he's number two, I think, on on your list. Is there an argument for why he should win
Speaker A
it over Harry Kane? Um, there is. I think uh again with Oise, the issue is that he didn't win the World Cup or the Champions League, but he broke the World Cup assist record, but seven uh managed 32 assists
Speaker A
across the across the Bundesliga Champions League and World Cup in total, which I think is a staggering number.
Speaker A
Amazing. Yeah. And if anything like he was better for France in in the World Cup, I thought, or more notably better than Kane was for England.
Speaker A
I I still think of that bicycle kick that he hit the bar, didn't he? That was like one of the most ridiculous efforts I've ever seen.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. So, I think does have an argument. Uh again, there's the lack of trophies probably goes against him as well, but I don't think we've seen too many seasons of that kind of like creative level uh from anybody outside Messi and maybe
Speaker A
Xiai a few like several years ago in fact when he managed like 30 assists across the season under Guardiola for Barcelona. So I think in those senses uh oise has a shout but I I still think it's Kane.
Speaker A
Okay. So you think Kane your answer will be I guess let me say who do you want it to be first.
Speaker A
Okay. Who do I want it to be? Kane. And who do you think it will be?
Speaker A
Messy. You think it will be messy? Probably. Oh my god. I hope it's not messy. So do I.
Speaker A
Who do you want it to be? Messy. No. Yes. Messy. Do you think you want it to be messy?
Speaker A
Yeah, why not? Yeah. But also, why not? Mark Cooker. Fair enough. Fair enough. Okay, fine.
Speaker A
Right. Well, there we go. Uh, let's have a quick break and when we come back, we'll play a rondo. Mhm.
Speaker A
Yes. What a great break it was. Now, Anna, this is your Are you okay there, J? You were coughing. No, that's fine.
Speaker A
Is everything okay inside of you? Well, we'll never know that. Okay. You know, there's ways to find out.
Speaker A
Yes. Doctors. Yeah. Um, this is your first Rondo, Anna. Okay. So, uh, I will remember to give you a debut grace. That means if you make one mistake, you get a you get a doover. You get one chance to have
Speaker A
another go. Okay. That's where he can. Thank you. Now, here's the Alex already had his.
Speaker A
Alex has had. I didn't have one. Well, well, but maybe because you did your first runo before the new Oh, okay. That's convenient.
Speaker A
So, it only works in the very first time you do it. Not like carry on like the argument with, you know, ping the black ball and pool.
Speaker A
Technically, Jack Collins had the opportunity to have one a second time because I forgot to give it to him on his first time. But, but he didn't need it because he won without using it. So, technically, no one's done it. You'll be
Speaker A
fine. You don't need one. Okay. Here's the rules of the Rondo. Okay. I ask a question that has multiple correct answers. We go around in a circle. We give correct answers. If we give incorrect answers, we are rejected from
Speaker A
the Rondo. If we give an answer, Alex, that's been given before active listening. We're rejected from the Rondo. Okay. The last person standing is named Rondo Del Rey. And today's category is as follows. Somewhat inspired by Ris FC in the Discord, but
Speaker A
not not exactly. Uh, what I'm looking for are the top 20 nationalities represented by players in the Premier League. So, obviously I'm just going to give away that number one is England with 134 English players in the league.
Speaker A
I'm looking for the other nationalities in order of volume below that. And I'm going to say it's a little tricky because number the 20th on the list only has six players. So, it's not like there's loads and loads of them. Okay,
Speaker A
Annan, I will begin with you. And England's already taken, so you can't have that.
Speaker A
Uh, France. France is number two. Germany. Uh, Germany. Yeah, Germany's on the list. Spain.
Speaker A
Spain. Yeah. Do you want to guess how many Spanish players there are? No. There's only 19.
Speaker A
I And that's quite high up the list. I was going to guess 400. I would have thought there'd be way more than that, but no, there's 19 according to FB Ref. Okay. And uh Denmark.
Speaker A
Denmark's on the list with seven. That was tight. It's just on the list. Okay, Alex, over to you.
Speaker A
Uh Belgium. Belgium. Yes, with 10. Portugal. Portugal with 11. That's a safe guess. Okay Anna this might be a shout, but Argentina.
Speaker A
Argentina with 15 players. Yeah, that's pretty high up the list. Okay. Netherlands. Netherlands is the highest remaining with 25.
Speaker A
Brazil. Brazil's the now the highest remaining with 23. Okay, there are one 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 answers left.
Speaker A
Just trying to run through players in my head. Um, Norway. Norway are on the list with eight. Very well done. Okay, Alex, over to you. This is very competitive.
Speaker A
It might be a gamble here. I've got two uh Serbia. Serbia are not on.
Speaker A
No. No. Okay. I thought you'd win this. You're out of it, Alex. Unfortunately, you are out of it, JJ. Over to you.
Speaker A
Check this. Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast. Cotivoir. They're on the list with seven. Well done. Well done.
Speaker A
Also, in your excitement, you uh Yeah, you accidentally knocked your microphone there. It's fixed now.
Speaker A
But you fixed it. Okay, Ann, back over to you. Things are getting tough. They are. Um, Italy.
Speaker A
Italy. Yeah, they might not be in the World Cup, but they're in the Premier League. They've got eight players. Eight players.
Speaker A
That's more than I thought. I thought they would be the ones with six. Well, no, it's not them. Okay, JJ.
Speaker A
Sagal. No, Sagal are not. No, Sagal are not there. Sagal are not there. Well, okay, Ann, you still have to answer one correctly. Yeah, I saw you prematurely celebrating. And it's because in order to keep the explanation of the game simpler at the beginning, I
Speaker A
don't include the fact that you must still answer one correctly in order to to actually claim the title. Otherwise, it reverts to me and I will be named Rondo Del Regent and you don't want that. Okay, so you got to get one more
Speaker A
correct. There you go. Off you go. Ireland, the Republic of Ireland is there. Yes.
Speaker A
Well done. Seven players. Seven players. Well done to Annant. He didn't even need his debutants, Grace.
Speaker A
a debuton Rondo del Rey. Now, what was your other one, Alex? I was It was between Serbia and Croatia.
Speaker A
And I will say I also not there. Yeah, I forgot the continent of Africa existed. I'm not going to lie.
Speaker A
Right. Well, so Nigeria was the other country from the continent of Africa that you could have had. Wales, of course, there are 13 Welsh players. There are seven Scottish players. I'm surprised you didn't say that.
Speaker A
I'm surprised, too. Yeah. Uh beyond that, the final remaining Sweden. There are 10 Swedish players.
Speaker A
All right. There are eight Japanese players and there are six Swiss players from from Switzerland.
Speaker A
Sneaky Swiss. Eight Japanese players and the back of my ear was Steve. Wow. Wilson. Just surprising.
Speaker A
Wow. That's so fascinating. Wow. I did think of Sweden and then I thought of Anthony Alanga and no one else. Think of And I was just like maybe they can't be in there.
Speaker A
There's way fewer people in the Premier League than I thought there were. like, okay, 134 English people like, yeah, fine, but I mean there there's like 20.
Speaker A
What's the squad size? The official squad size is 24 each, right? Is it 24 each? And so there so there's only 400 and something in the league.
Speaker A
I'm just going to say um I've I've had a look at the original data.
Speaker A
Yeah. And actually your answer of Sagal, they are number 22 on the list, but that but I think it's only on the basis of minutes because they also have six players. So the Swiss team Swiss players sorry have
Speaker A
six players but that that played you know have played over 1,000 minutes so far. Um but senagal have six players that have played 600 minutes so far. So you're very very close but still technically so in a way I won
Speaker A
in a way. Thank you. We've discovered something new. There was a cut there. Uh now it doesn't change the result of the Rondo. It doesn't. But what we the actual answers were were players who have so far played
Speaker A
a minute in the season. Okay. A minimum of a of a minute. So there are we were just discovering for example that um what was the Japanese player that you just said?
Speaker A
Mto mto. Mto who hasn't yet played so isn't included in this eight Japanese players but obviously he is presumably named.
Speaker A
So there are more potentially more. There will be more players. Yeah. Which makes which makes sense.
Speaker A
Are there are there 30 Serbian players you are yet to play in the Premier League? Serbia have three players who have played. Sasha Lukic, Dor Petravich, and Nicola Meenovich. It may well be all of them. It might be. It might be.
Speaker A
Anyway, we dole. There we go. That was the Rondo. Well done to Annant who's a debutant Victor. Uh where do we go next?
Speaker A
Well, I tell you what, let's let's stick with Rodri who we were talking about before the break and uh come to life uh venoord because Barcelona they put five past fireord on Wednesday evening. 22 goals from five games so far. Not bad
Speaker A
for a side without a striker. And I mean I think La Liga is kind of hoting up this season, isn't it? We're all waiting to see what happens deeper into the season with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid.
Speaker A
Barcelona are kind of looking somewhat imperious as well, aren't they? Yeah, they have looked a bit ominous.
Speaker A
They've scored five goals in four of their five games, hence the 22 goals. Um and obviously the striker search was very protracted over the summer of them trying to get Julian Alvarez. But um Rafiniah stepped in and done
Speaker A
brilliantly. He has I think eight goals and an assist in five games. Uh Yamal started slow. There was a bit of like uh conversations about whether he was not up to it physically or mentally after the first game. But then
Speaker A
he's now back to scoring. Scored a free kick against Fireode, his first senior one. Um and the signings in the summer have been really good. Gabriel Jesus also scored his first goal against Fire Node, but I think Anthony Gordon's been
Speaker A
a massive success so far. Yes, he's got like five assists or something, doesn't he?
Speaker A
Yeah, he's got four assists in five games. Adi, another scorer yesterday. He in fact started over Gordon in the first game, scored and then Gordon took over from him for the next three La Liga games, but Admy again yesterday was very
Speaker A
good and scored. And behind them, Ferman Lopez has I think four or five goals already. And all this is without Danny Almo not played as much for example. And so it's their attacks looking ominous even without Alvarez. But it makes you
Speaker A
kind of think what the ceiling would have been if they got Alvarez also in.
Speaker A
Yeah. But yeah, they are looking very ominous and and they're the only unbeaten team in La Liga. I mean the only team that have won all four games. Alo are the other one.
Speaker A
There was a really good piece by Paul Bias on the Athletic about uh Anthony Cole and how he's betted in. And I think it's informative both to Gordon for example. He's like already having his name chanted by the crowd and like
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Barcelona players are telling like this is not normal like you really have to earn this. But also about Barcelona like really stuck in my mind is I think for so long we thought about them of being this financially like stricken club and
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like having to shop in the basement while they have been quietly building these youngsters up. And the thing that Gordon's apparently said to people around him is the dressing rooms really impressed him. says that it's like a family and like it's a really strong
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core of players who all grown up together which you know is true about Kasi lau yal and stuff. So yeah, Barcelona I was they're now entering my thinking whereas previously I still kind of feel think of them below a Real
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Madrid and a Bayern Munich in terms of Champions League. They're now entering my thinking of they're really sort of coming of age is the right term I think right on Gordon he's got lots of assists. I'm trying to I haven't seen any of them I'm
Speaker A
imagining. Are they are they crosses? like how's he how's he doing it? So he there's been a couple of different ways which I think has also really endeared him to the fans. There's it's not been kind of uni-dimensional. I
Speaker A
think his best assist was against uh Rayo Iano where he back healed it to Rafinia to score.
Speaker A
Wow. And that got a big ovation at the camp no when it happened. Um but it's been a mix. He's been able to cross in but he's also I think combined really well with Rafinia and Yamal and uh Fer Lopez and all of these
Speaker A
guys and he's constantly moved more infield. So, it's not necessarily been crosses. It's been a lot more quick passes and running off the back of defenders and um his work rate getting back too like every fan of any club loves that when
Speaker A
the forward runs back to do the defensive work which does really well. Yeah. Right.
Speaker A
Yeah. I think that was one of the big reasons they signed him as well. So, they obviously had the option to make Rashford a permanent signing for much cheaper. I think the fact that they went for Gordon and then also got Adom was
Speaker A
keeping in mind those two probably offer way more work rate without the ball and Adi was really good at that yesterday.
Speaker A
There was a point where he pressed all the way from the halfway line to the goalkeeper and forced the ball long and Barcelona got possession back and Gordon's had many of those moments in the La Liga games as well. So, um
Speaker A
yeah, he's started off really well. Still waiting for the first goal and he missed a penalty in preseason but I think uh like couldn't have started better really. That's amazing.
Speaker A
Rafinia's first goal. So, if you haven't seen it, go and look at the highlight.
Speaker A
You'll find it everywhere because it's amazing. But it's long switch ball out to someone and then passes it to Rafinia and then he comes inside. Little fake shot and then there's two finer players go absolutely flying along the slight
Speaker A
tackles along the box trying it looks ace. Yeah, it's great. I mean, I like the notion that they've done things a little quietly. Alex, you know, you mentioned before this idea with, you know, growing the younger players and
Speaker A
and I for some reason I think or I think some of the reason that that goes under the radar is because we're so used to them doing it and Lamasia producing these amazing young players. The other thing that I think that applies to
Speaker A
though is Hansy Flick who I think when he arrived many people expected it, you know, not to necessarily work in the way that it has and it's some somewhat quietly perhaps from Farfield. I'm sure it's not quite in Barcelona, but
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somewhat quietly from far a field uh it seems to be going very well. Yeah, I I was one of those people who when he arrived um I just I I guess maybe lazily thought more of him of his
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Germany spell thought he just benefited from that ridiculous Bayern Munich team. Second season there, it didn't go as well. So when he went to Barcelona, I was just kind of waiting for it to fail.
Speaker A
But yeah, that's another one where I've kind of like at humble pie and like you you say it seems really settled and I'm sure on Barcelona it's not. But everything I read on on it when I try and step up to date with Barcelona it
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does just seem he's really settled in. I think I think at first he wasn't correct me if I'm wrong. He he didn't know much Spanish or he was not looking at any newspapers and radio. So even if people
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were saying bad things about him, he couldn't understand it. And apparently that really helps him. I think he's still doing that where like his press conferences are mostly in English and he has a translator. Like I don't think he
Speaker A
I still think he doesn't speak much Spanish and smart play. Yeah. There's a story that he met Jiai who he took over from before he took the Barcelona job and that was one of Jia's points of advice which is that it can
Speaker A
just get so overwhelming because the Spanish press are So there's a good chance he does actually speak Spanish and will be like fluent with his players. I mean, that's a good way to do it so you can't be misinterpreted by the
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press or like they can't find things like she's a translator when he can speak English. Fine.
Speaker A
Sometimes when I'm at home, I pretend I can't hear my wife. Yeah. Yes, indeed.
Speaker A
Good. But I can. Anyway, there was one thing I want to say. What was it? Oh, yeah. on flick. Um I'm I'm sure I've read that Pep Guardiola who's obviously a Barcelona fan like he says his like favorite team
Speaker A
to watch or like what he loves watching Hansy Flicks Barcelona specifically because of the way they play. It's so attacking. It's like super like you know they commit to it. They really push high. There was that highline everyone's
Speaker A
like oh they're playing too high a lie and they should correct it but it's all part of the risk and it makes them really super fun to watch.
Speaker A
Yeah. In fact, I'm remembering now there's a little bit about them in John's book where he's talking about managers post Guadiola and which direction they've gone from. If Guadiola is the center, then have they gone riskier or more of risk averse and the
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flick is like off the page in the risk section. Yeah. Which is good fun and maybe works in La Liga when you have a significantly better team than all the other teams. Now Liverpool too won Atletico Madrid. Uh Liverpool came
Speaker A
from behind to triumph over Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Now Marcus Urente opened the scoring. I was reading this earlier in in the briefing in the Athletic. Apparently Marcus Urente enjoys playing and scoring against Liverpool so much that he has a
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dog called Anfield. Did we know this? He's named his dog Anfield. It's kind of an it's sort of interesting, isn't it?
Speaker A
That notion of uh what does that mean? What does that mean? Does he does it mean he likes Anfield? He likes it because he likes scoring there. Does he want to get a dog because he can dominate the dog or do you know what I
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mean? Like he's a human. He owns the dog. Like what? How does this work?
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I get the same feeling as I did to Barca at the World Cup when he celebrated in front of England's players. It just seems like those two players would seem to get on very well.
Speaker A
Yeah, maybe this is true. I was thinking how it would sound said in like the Spanish accent as well. So like that's true. Yeah. So then you're want what you want for a dog is the name to be shoutable in the park to come back
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cuz I if I ever get a dog I'm going to call it Mr. Dog.
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Mr. Dog I used to live with a cat. It wasn't my cat but I used to live with a cat named the colonel which was quite funny.
Speaker A
Vicious vicious animal. It depends on the dog. My dog is a cockaoo and let me tell you I can call her name a many time and she does not listen. She is selective listening.
Speaker A
What is her name? Star. Star. That's a nice name. She's the reason I fell over this morning as well.
Speaker A
Really? I was in the park and You fell over this morning. I fell over.
Speaker A
Did you have a fall? I had a fall. I was I was running backwards with her, which I admit in hindsight it's about was trying to give her a run around on the on the green. Um and I'm running backwards very fast and
Speaker A
then my girlfriend is watching. Inevitably, I slip and fall backwards. But luckily, I have Brazilian jiu-jitsu training because as I fall down, as I fall down, stop laughing. This very This is very cool and smooth, guys. Um, yeah.
Speaker A
So, as I fall down backwards, I do a backward roll and land up. And I tell you what, my girlfriend says that was hilarious. But I tell you what, you really styled it out. She was sort of cry laughing.
Speaker A
There you go. But it was good. Very nice. I like it. That's good. Styling out with Brazilian jiu-jitsu training. How about that? Maybe you should call your dog Joe Rogan or something instead.
Speaker A
That could be good. I was thinking about this the other day when we were having lunch, Annan, and you were telling me that you have a different name at home.
Speaker A
Yeah, I'm called Jugen. At home you're called Jugen. What's on your birth certificate? Antoette. Yeah.
Speaker A
Okay. So, an I I was Do you have you got I guess you're you are also interesting for this because your actual name is two names that begin with J, but since birth you've been called JJ.
Speaker A
Yes. Does anyone ever call you your other two names? Uh only friends who do it because it's funny to It doesn't really annoy me.
Speaker A
Well like if someone calls me Joseph, I don't respond to it because it's not my name, but it is my name.
Speaker A
But it's interesting, isn't it? Like the notion because I feel like a name has quite a lot of power, you know, or like we assign characters, but I believe in that like determinative part of the name. It's 100% a thing cuz like
Speaker A
sometimes sometimes if I was called Joe, I'd be different. So people people often short your name to like, you know, hey Joe. It's like it's not my name. That's annoying.
Speaker A
Yeah. So are you different when you're at home than when you're here with us cuz you've got a different name? Like is Jugen a different person than and and than than Anant? Does does Jugen have different characteristics?
Speaker A
Not entirely. No, but I think Yeah, I think I think my friends would say say so friends in India compared to my friends here.
Speaker A
Like a superhero. Would you say like a crime fighter? I mean if it helps the literal translation of my name Ananta means conqueror of the world.
Speaker A
Does it? No way. Yes. You better get started. How old are you? You haven't got much time. 25.
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Alexander the Great had already done so much by 25. Your A name is conquer the world and your B name is Jugen. This is amazing.
Speaker A
What does Jugen mean? Actually have no idea. Juggernaut. I mean the full thing is Juggernaut. SO IT'S CLOSE.
Speaker A
OH, his name is They call They call me Juggernaut at home, guys. So I'm going to start at home. My family call me Juggernaut.
Speaker A
In all honesty, if they call me by my full name, I'd be a bit afraid. I think Jug's fine.
Speaker A
The nickname juggernaut does suit you more than anyone else. They call me a large oil carrying tank.
Speaker A
The way it actually works is I'm the conqueror of the world. And if you disagree, I'm the juggernaut.
Speaker A
There you go. I like that one. The backup threat. What do they call you at home, Steve?
Speaker A
Something was cut. Now, what are we talking about here? Oh, yes. Liverpool one. No, no, no. Liverpool 2 won. Did I already start reading? I read about the dog. That's right. They did win. That's where we left off.
Speaker A
Oh, Steve, you've crossed out a bit I haven't read yet, but no worries. I'll read through the cross. But goals. Oh, it's back. But goals from midfield earned the points with Dominic Zosli and Alexis Mallister.
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That was in a different thing. Yeah. Uh earning Joe thought he was left footed, but there's a reason cuz he hit that ball so well.
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Earning Andoni Areola his first Champions League win as a as a manager as a starting point. And you watched this. I think you wrote the briefing for it for the Athletic. What did you What did you make of the game? What caught
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your eye? Uh I think the big thing was uh how Liverpool played without the ball in the first and second half. So I think a lot of the expectation when Areola took over was that they'd be growing pains and it has been because they
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needed to they didn't win their first two league games and they had to meet it switch to do it. Anyway, against Atléico I think their big issue was they didn't press as a unit. So there was a lot of
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times including for the goal where two out of their four of their front four would press and the other two would be a bit passive. and Atletico are no longer the rugged defensive team that everybody thinks of when you mention them and
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Simeone. They're much more fluid and have a lot of really good technicians in midfield. um so they could just play through it and then their other issue was further back because uh if the front four didn't press well it left Mallister
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and Shaw was alive with too much to do and as a result I think the back four stayed way too deep but at the same time Liverpool are trying to play this offside trap right akin to Barcelona and the flick
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um and because of that like Julian Alvarez who assisted the goal could just drop all the way back and one move led Mallister out wide so Alvarez could just collect on the turn and then pass it to your to score and that happened a couple
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of times where Alvarez could just pick it up in space because Jacqu Wanke didn't follow him all the way up the pitch and then in the second half that changed because I think Jac was way more aggressive. There's a couple of times he
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fouled Alvarez in Atéico's half and just in general the front four was more engaged and they just pressed better and Atletico couldn't get away out of the press.
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So I think that was the thing that stood out the most in that was able to make that adjustment at halftime and then they just played better.
Speaker A
Okay, that's good. We've been waiting for this to happen. I mean, it took nine games famously with Bournemouth, didn't it, for Areola. Maybe somewhat fewer with Liverpool with some better players.
Speaker A
Yeah. Uh, I I'm still Liverpool still confuses me a bit. I really still can't get over their summer recruitment with the like the immense collection of left wingers and no right wingers. The goal they conceded yesterday as well and I
Speaker A
didn't get to watch that game, but I watched through the highlights this morning. When I watched that goal, I had to almost do a double take. Is this the first first team play? And it was so open the way they conceded it. Right.
Speaker A
Yeah, and it's it's with uh it's simply because it starts if you go a bit back into the into the w scout feed off it.
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Barka doesn't really press on the right side. So Atletico played through that way and because Barka is not pressed, Mallister goes out wide and right as he does that Alvarez just fills that space in and then he can just bear down on the
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defense and it's one of the problems with the with the pressing structures, isn't it? Like if one player doesn't do their job, then the whole thing falls apart.
Speaker A
There's no eye in team but also not impressing or in bar. Oh, there is impressing. There is there is there is one impressing Bradley Buckler. It was his debut. I was going to ask you how I mean he came off early
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with an injury scare I think. Um he so far what I've heard was that he didn't play that well from that one example. Uh h how did you how do you think he played?
Speaker A
He he did play well. The surprise I think was that he started on the right.
Speaker A
Uh as Alex mentioned they just have a bunch of left wingers and Barka's strongest positions on the left as well but he started on the right and Ed Gumo started on the left and Bark was decent. I think he gives
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them something slightly different from Gako or Munoz who prefer the ball played to their feet. Bako runs in behind a lot more. And it was in fact during one of those runs that he cramped up and had to
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be taken off. Um but he he had a couple of really good chances including like early in the second half before Mallister scored to or right after uh one-on-one with Oblak and he put it wide. Um and he had
Speaker A
another chance in the first half that he shot straight at Oblak. Um they come straight after like really nice link up from him that second chance when he like drops Barkler was like drifting across the pitch not just playing at right wing
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running and then that second chance he drifts away plays a nice one two makes that run in behind and that's when the crowd don't really react too much to the miss they applaud him don't they kind of create
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the chance yourself yeah and he had he had these moments where he was really good the link up with Florian words and Isach was good as well um probably would have scored another day but I think generally the outlook
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will be Right. Okay. The other big talking point before the game was uh Alexis Mallister cuz he he he had an interview ahead. He he said that he'd considered leaving Liverpool this summer after being left quote very sad by the club's unwillingness to open
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talks over a new contract. He continued, "I see Dominic and and and Ryan, that's Ryan Graffenberg and Dominic Zobasly renewing their contracts, which makes me very happy because they deserve it. But at the same time, it makes me sad that I
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didn't get mine. Of course, there is still time and fans don't need to worry because I will give 100% until my last day. We will see what happens. There were options to leave, he said. But I think uh right now I'm in the right
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club. I mean, it's somewhat risky to say that ahead of a game. Luckily, he scored an incredible goal, so like his, you know, part B of his statement really really paid off. Um, it's it's a bit of an unusual situation though, isn't it? I
Speaker A
mean, don't you think like he maybe didn't have the the best season last season, but he's been relatively crucial to Liverpool over the past couple of years.
Speaker A
Yeah, he's also an odd midfielder cuz he's he is sort of boxto-boxy, but he does not look like it. Like he's not he's not really as less athletic as you'd think for that kind of role and he's very neat and tidy with it. Doesn't
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tend to do many standout things. I think a lot of what he does again sort of goes missing and but he's really important for Argentina as he is for Liverpool.
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It's just funny like obviously he's amazing but like when you're building like an ultimate team on EFC you don't want Alex L Alexis Mallister in it right it's weird even though he's great that makes sense he's like he does but then like I always feel like
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you say you when you're building an ultimate team in real life you want to have like all really really really great players and then one Alexis Mallister who will like foul the [ __ ] out of everyone in the middle.
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I don't seem like that sort of player though. I just don't see him like that.
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I think he's much cuter than that. And um like it's it's funny because if you imply to any sort of normal job which is not a football player like if he's got his two players that are next to him
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during the season and they've both effectively been promoted right you know they've been promotions pay rise and they're now bar supervisors and he's still just a bartender.
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Exactly. That's exactly what it is. He's a good bartender. He's really he could get the glasses out of the glass cleaner.
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He's definitely taking in a lot of sales. He's doing really well. He's he's making sure everything runs nice and smooth. But maybe like the people he's taking one too many smoking breaks though, you know.
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I don't think Mallister is doing that though. I think I think he's doing everything really well, but it's not getting shouted about and so they don't the managers don't see what he's doing.
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So therefore the others are doing really obvious things or they're telling them by the way using the brass though to really make the brass shine of the bar, you know.
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Yeah. Yeah. I tidied the bin area by the way. And they're like, "Oh, thank you.
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I'll write that down." I flashed the cardboard boxes downstairs so that they can be put on the street.
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I put all the bottles facing forward so it's label first. I cleaned the fridge windows and I did it with newspaper.
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I think Mallister is the one making sure that all the the bottles are label facing first. It does that. And so it looks neat and tidy, but no one knows who's done it, right? Yeah. Vital work.
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Yeah. Silent work. Yes. Let's have a break. Well, we're back from the break. I prefer the accent you just used.
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I did not use an accent, JJ. I did not use an accent. Now, Napoli nil won Arsenal. Very exciting. It was a Neapolitan dream, right, Steve for the Arsenal. The Arsenal. And Martin Erdigor continued his fine fine start to the
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season by scoring the only goal on a hot and humid night in Naples. Now, in truth, the Gunners should have won by a far larger margin. Right, Steve? Of course they should have. They they should start every game 3-0, Steve. But
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three points in the bag and a few shooting drills booked in. Arsenal's rosy start to the season seems set to roll on. Who watched this one?
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Me. Well, just Alex, both of us. Alex, I'll start with you. Let's start with Martin Erdigor. Uh, now here's what I thought. I watched I watched this half in the background, although I was talking to my wife. So, it was one of
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those things where, you know, I was pretending to listen. I was I was also listening. Was I pretending to listen to the commentator? Also half listening.
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Caught half of both things. Didn't really do a good enough job in either of them. so that I'm not prepared here and my wife wasn't that pleased with my role in the conversation. So, you know, one of those things where you sort of just
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fail at everything all in one go and it would have been better if you just picked one thing and did one thing.
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That's where I am now. What about what about Martin Erdigor? He's not where I am, is he?
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No. Here's my question. Um, do we sometimes write players off when they go through a poor period of form? when they are at an age where you might think that poor form is just the natural tailing off of
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ability because I feel like I've been caught out by a few players around 30 or early 30s where they start to go a bit [ __ ] and then I go well that's them done but then they come back and Martin
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Erdigle the World Cup and at the beginning of the season I'm sort I'm surprised by how good he's been.
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Yeah, that's a really interesting point. I think I think it depends on the player and I think it's always a case by case basis and I think that on a macro level there there is what you're talking about
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that curve of a career where you're naturally going to go through highs and lows just as everybody goes through highs and lows. I think for every player's more details I think when he went through his bad patch I'd say at
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beginning of last season at the end of the previous season he was clearly very tired. Um I think that's one thing to point out. Uh I think as well he went on a period of not really his long shots
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were just uh constantly hitting the wall or going offt target. I remember reading stats about that. I I think so he stopped taking them for a while I feel like didn't he like I feel like he had an ab maybe lost confidence in them.
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Yes I I I can't confirm that but I in the sense I don't want to put my name to that but that does a very sweet way of saying you're not sure if what I've said is correct but it it does sound right. I do
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remember people talking about that. The thing the thing that stood out that stands out to me about him at the moment and Arsenal is I just think this play style suits him a lot better at the moment. I think
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a lot of this is down to Hberts coming back in over Victor Yarez. Now I know listeners may having inferred I'm not the biggest fan of Vixie Yokarez through my battles with Kai over the last season. On a serious note, I just he has
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very specific qualities and some weaknesses. And I think last season and actually just using this Napoli game as an example because Jo started it. He hasn't started any Premier League game, right?
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He touched the ball six times in this game. I think played six passes in this game. Havverts in his Premier League games has been passing it around 20 25 times, right? And I think the what when you watch Arsenal against Napoli for the
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first 70 minutes or so, Erna is getting a lot on the ball and he's doing very well, but a lot of it's in wide areas and Jo is kind of acting as like an isolated figure up front. Now, that can
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work out like if you're able to create chances in the box and he can get onto them and crosses as well there. Him not touching the ball doesn't matter as long as he's scoring, who cares, right? But I think what Arsenal
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are doing so well is building up a lot quicker and having players a bit closer together. And when you have Havs on the pitch, someone who I think has a stronger first touch than YareZ is a bit cuter in his actions like that
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ridiculous dummy at the weekend against Chelsea when he came on just before the goal. I'm not going to say Havz is the reason Arsenal score because it's very much Erdiggard's brilliance, but Havz comes on about 3 minutes before in his
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first action. Whereas Yresa's kind of stay central the whole game, Havz drifts wide. Uh it's where Erdigard is building up with the other Arsenal players. He drifts wide, drifts over the defenders, the back line, kind of distracts them
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and then runs back inside. And I just think it adds another layer of unpredictability to Arsenal, gives the defenders something to realize, go, "Oh, there's another player I need to watch here." And about 20 seconds later, Arsenal will use that area of the pitch
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to build up and go scores. So basically, I think play style suits him a lot better. And I think a lot of that is down to Joarez maybe not being used in every game like he had to be last season
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and Hav's coming back in. Nice to have the option to change from one to the other as well because I feel like the expectation of the defenders based on what Yakar has done for 70 minutes is part of the reason why Kai Havs gets to
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confuse that too, you know. True. Uh Steve very keen to point out that Ezri Cona had a fine performance.
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Did fitting right in. He did right in. He's fitting right. You happy Steve? Very happy.
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I just love it when Steve's happy about things like this. Good. Well done, Steve. Every concert he was good. Now nice to see Kevin De Bruyne again, wasn't it? And also JJ, last season, right Steve, you wouldn't shut
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up about how boring Arsenal were. That's true. But now I'm in danger of really really enjoying Arsenal.
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Oh, and I think Mika Arteta might be a genius. That is dangerous. That's a dangerous position.
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They are uh incredibly good. Like I watched this on the tactical cam that you get in Scout sometimes. It's so good. You can see everything like you can actually see the game properly.
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And I thought they had total control from like the very start of it. Napoli could hardly get near them, I would have said. But in all the games I've watched, I've watched all Arsenal's games this season, I think the Aston Villa's a bit
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more tired, but I think Villa were really good against them in that that team, that game. But I think Arsenal have been outstanding to watch this season, really really fun. And it's interesting because is it because Arteta has changed what they're doing to make
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them totally different so they're more fun to watch or is it because he's got all these better players on the pitch who are just doing things that are more interesting? Cuz like you say a manager is like artet in my head is a very
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defensive manager very like uh rigid and you know it's very structured and you will do what I say this is what we'll do and these are the parameters in which stand where I stand.
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Exactly. Uh no not where I stand but where where I tell you to stand.
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Yeah. I don't know why I said yes. Exactly that. So they they know what to do and it's very rigid and that's what works. And so like from kickoffs last year, the ball would go back to the keeper who just launch it to the side
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and they'd start like, "Oh, you know, the fridge freezer football like chucking the ball in and big lads smashing about set pieces. It was boring." But like every kickoff I think this season so far, the ball doesn't go
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back to the goalkeeper. The ball goes to a midfielder. The the team pushes up instantly. All is a big block and they push the other team back with the ball immediately and they pass it around and they've like Havz has been unbelievable.
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Like what a what a player he is. He's such a weasel. Like he's the king of the weasels and diving and like buying fouls that are never filed is so annoying. But he's unbelievable. And what he's doing this season is Yeah. Like I like I
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all season he he's he is one of the best players in the league. But like he might be the best player. He's so good. But like all the stuff he's doing moving to the side, helping overload. It's making Martin
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Odard better. He's got players all around him. Sacka is now not stuck to the right wing. You see him popping up is like I my theory is that he end up like a striker Saka. So he's he's ended
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up on the left side in the middle doing all these things. Um they played Eza in this game not to but like those well ties has been really great so far but when you see this game was really good
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Ezra well I met a lad on a train a train I was on the train and someone recognized me and was chatting to me about Arsenal and I said well I'm going to talk about the the game what do you
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think and he said Ezria is unbelievable so these players right so he's Aston Villa so maybe you sometimes when they're their players aren't at huge clubs you don't realize how good they are so this is the thing you know me
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watching football in Scotland all the time is like you a player would leave Aberdine, they'd go to Rangers or Celtic and instantly they'd be in the Scotland squad. Instantly they'd be thinking, thought about as some amazing player, but they're exactly the same player.
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Yeah. So, like coaches can see it. Last season like Kuna and Burma were really good examples of that coming coming from Brenford and and Wolves.
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Yeah. And you like you watch them and you go, "Yeah, I know they're good players, but when they when they score for Man United in the way, then you go, oh, they're they're some of the best players in the league."
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Uh, yeah. Yeah, but then I thought so the example the example makes sense, but I actually I mean I saw them as being like outstanding. I can't believe they're not somewhere else already, but there's a lot of players that are just
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at your team and then they just don't get so the the Scotland specific one is relevant to me because there were so many players who wouldn't get in the Scotland national team until they were at the Rangers. Like Neil Macan was
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unbelievable for hearts. I don't think he got a game for Scotland till he went to Rangers. And this happens quite a lot. And so it maybe it's a lot different now but like obviously like Thomas recognized Ka as a brilliant
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defender put him in to the England team as the main defender they had you know and that's exactly what you get of him now he's Arsenal you're seeing it so like as lads I forgotten his name I'm so
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sorry but he's um saying he's like as good as like Celiba honestly you're saying he recognized you can't even remember his name you talked to him where were you going on the train to here oh you remember where you were going on
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the train but not his name what did he look So showbiz you can't remember his face or anything about him. Nothing you but you seem you remember all of his football opinions.
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It sounds like you're saying them now, huh? He was a good He was a lovely boy and he was in um the thing is that Arsenal just missed all these chances and said something about Nani Madawake that he
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said he missed this um chance. I can't remember but yeah like Madi is just like he's so close to being a really really good player.
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little extra bits that will fill it out. But like watching Arsenal like the kickoff thing I think is super relevant because they're not they're doing it completely differently.
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The way like they can play out from the back like Rya at one point Rya pings a ball he does like a side winder goal kick out of his hands just whooshes it across the pitch and Goku shocked me
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controlled it perfectly with one touch and then was able to bring anyone else into play. They're just they've got so much to them. they are if they if they keep going like this throughout the season um they'll be remembered as a
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fantastic team but it's so early I still think there's room for Arta to like take the you know take the fun out of it and lock it down again sure but maybe like I think what he's done is
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so he's had the patience and the the time to do it build them so they're impossible to play against everyone hates playing against them you see them they lose the ball they rush back there's one example with Napoli like
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counterattack from I think they have everyone forced a corner or something that they're playing corner short as well now and Napoli break, everyone rushes back, wins it back. You just can't, Napoli can't get near them. And so then they have the ball, then they
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work it, they've got control of the pitch, control of everything. It's like he's done that by making them impossible to play against. He inherited the team.
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He made them play like 3 43 and they won the FA Cup and they were not very good.
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And the things that they got, you know, kind of boring when they were doing it, but he's built it slowly. He's made them all like they rebuilt the entire team because the postbanger thing, he just rebuilt it. So they're all
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really like they're all leaders. They're all individually like you think you put them into any good team and they they just as good as where they go there because he's built the defense first.
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Now they know that inside out. Now they can start doing the fun things because they've got the defensive part. So you can do that. You can't do the attacking part if there's too many holes that go through and then they've no holes. I see
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some parallels here with well you know how JJ was you were saying before about the idea that sometimes players move from smaller clubs to bigger clubs and then you see them as great. You know, sometimes a team wins the Premier League and then
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everybody thinks they're pretty good. You know, maybe that's what it is. It could be the Premier League champions. That golden badge on the sleeve, it's catching your magpie eyes, my friend.
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I think that is the I think that is the team that absolutely nobody want to play in the Champions League.
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That's the standard, isn't it? It's the standard in the Premier League. It's standard in the Champions League.
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Whether or not they win the Champions League, who knows? Because the Champions is a knockout competition. There's all sorts of different things that can happen, but they're clearly the team to beat in the Premier League. Now, speaking of leagues,
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hello legal. Hello, legal. Legal legal. Anyway, um I'm now what what am I saying here? Uh do you want do you want me to introduce this bit? We do this every season.
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I'm tired. This is this is my section to It's a good challenge to Joe. I'm going to talk about Liga and for the listeners, all five of them care about it. And the challenge for Joe is he has to not fall
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asleep as I talk about it. But I'm going to bait you here. I've got a hook and a bait.
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Are you going to sing sweetly to me? I'm going to tell you why. PSG have not won a game so far this season and why and I'm telling you at the end.
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Okay. Okay. So, before you start though, can I tell you that Ka so confidently called PSG PE last last episode which turned out that was just PCG he was but he was so confident about it with his private
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schooling PCG. Anyway, Ka sounds like an industrial firm. It does, doesn't it? Yeah. But after after you li it's interesting you see it there's been 12 managerial changes in an 18 team league has there what happened there's been tons of change and you know
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that's like the plot of the of the of the TV series designated survivor oh I actually like that show that's great um yes so I'll just give you the highest David Ancelotti is at Leil you'll know him Liam Roseno is at Paris
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FC I didn't know that he's doing pretty well they're quite they're a team that are bankroll by a billionaire unlike other French teams They're not broke. Yensful Ascu is at to lose from Mother World. He was very good
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at Mother World. He was really good at mother. So Van is a very fun league at the moment. PSG are losing the league at the moment to Monaco who've got another new manager. Do you remember Chelsea's B left back for a year under Jose Mourinho
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who left back to Atletico Madrid Paulo Ferrer? No, Felipe Luis. Oh, Felipe Luis who won the copper coat of Famo is now at Monaco. the free kick legend Felipe Luis.
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Yes, the free kick legend. Fantastic. They've just beaten PSG. They are 13th in Ligen. They drew their first two games after going 2-0 down. And do you know what I think is the issue with them? I've watched all the goals they've
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conceded and it seems like they're suffering from a bit of Premier League physicality. Every goal is a direct attack going straight down the middle.
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They've been using their first choice midfield, Fabian Miz, Nez. They have never looked as small and as slow as they have done in League. So maybe it's just a bad start. Le Enriquez called it disastrous. Maybe they will reclaim the
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title. But I am looking at them and thinking this feels eerily similar to Man City a couple of years ago.
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Oh, I like it. England finally infecting France with our player. They got us with the French new wave, didn't they, Alex?
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But we're getting them with physicality. I was trying not to say something that would be historically inappropriate, but yes.
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There you go. That's what something got cut is for. Anyway, okay. That's very good. Well, thanks for that quick update on on Liga. Next time we have you on, we'll get another quick update on League.
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Very quick one. Yes. And my eyes are wide open, Alex. Wide open. The hook was good.
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I was baited in like I was watching TikTok there for a second. I kind of forgot where I was.
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That's what That's what these youngsters do Joe. That's what they do. They know how to uh look at you in the eyes like the snake from Jungle Book. You know that one.
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Yes, I do. Trust in me. With the same voice as Winnie the Pooh. Steve, trust in me.
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So great. Is it the Winnie P? Winnie the Pooh voice. Yeah. Wow. Say la I think in in French, isn't it?
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Anyway, is that the end, Steve? Probably should be, shouldn't it? Probably should. It's put a ropy one on my account. Yeah. Thanks for everyone who made it all this all this way. Next time, do you know what it is?
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I used to sleep between six and seven hours a night every day. And now I now I sleep eight hours. And but last night I slept seven and I am broken. I don't know how I used to do it. I honestly
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don't know how I used to do it. It's it's wild. Yeah. Anyway, go God down that little town outside Kasi. Uh Alex Barker, thanks very much.
Speaker A
You're welcome. Anna, thank you. You're welcome. JJ, thank you. And Steve Hanky was here too.
Speaker A
Yes. Right. We'll be back on Saturday with a ring for analysis which actually is all about Enzo Fernandez. It's a good one with John. And we are live right after the Manchester Derby on Sunday. I believe we're being joined by Jack
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Collins again for that as well as John McKenzie. So if you watch that game and you want to hear about it, come and join us afterwards. Until then, tra. Bye-bye.
Topics:Ballon d'OrHarry KaneChampions LeagueBarcelonaArsenalLiverpoolMartin Ødegaardfootball podcastTifo FootballThe Athletic
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