Liverpool’s title chance, the FA Cup semis … and walkers: Football Weekly Extra

This is the Guardian.

Hello, and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly.

A couple of Premier League games to run you through.

We'll discuss the gorious chip of Jean-Philippe Matetta and the caressed volley of Eberic Chiese and a palace draw at the Emirates.

That doesn't mean a whole lot, but before that, a vital last-minute winner for Man City over Villa, Jeremy Doku, with one of the passes of the season for Matteos Nunes to stick it away and make Unai Emery look very sad.

Villa and Palace play this weekend in the FA Cup semi-finals with City taking on Forrest in the other.

We'll look ahead to those.

We'll wonder for a very short time if Spurs can stop Liverpool getting the point they need to win the title and field on Sunday.

There's more race for fifth place stuff.

Find out which player has walked the most in the Premier League this season.

There's Gary Lineker versus the BBC on the BBC, Enia Luca on Women's Hour, the incredible title race in the National League South.

Some support for Barry's dismissing all theatre thesis.

Your questions, and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly

On the panel today, Barry Glendenning, hello.

Hello.

Welcome, Seb Hutchinson.

Hello.

And Michael says, ask Dan Bardell why he's spending his honeymoon with Barry and yourself.

Huge congratulations to you, Dan.

When did you get married?

In Devon, in Ilfrako.

No, no, no, when?

I don't get married.

Oh, when?

Monday.

Monday.

Easter Monday.

It's Thursday today.

I mean, look, Barry has that magnetism.

I was on the radio the day after I got married with Barry.

Not to Barry.

It's important to point out.

Well, look, congratulations.

Do you have a nice time, Dan?

I did, yeah.

It was absolutely wonderful.

And the honeymoon is actually being spent at Wembley next week.

Well, this weekend in the FA Cup semifinal.

So romance is not dead.

Yeah,

I saw some hashtags, some Instagram pictures.

I enjoyed them.

Anyway, we'll do Arsenal Palace in a second from last night.

But first, the game on Tuesday, key game in the race for fifth place, Manchester City 2, Aston Villa 1.

Before we hear the agony from Dan, that assist from Jeremy Doku Barry is just so good

yeah we all love a nice pass with the outside of the right or left boot this came off the outside of Doku's right he skinned Axild is as he down the left hand side and just slid this perfect ball through the corridor of uncertainty and

Matthias Lunis who's getting a lot of coverage these days for for good or bad, was on hand to fire it in from quite a tight angle, actually.

It wasn't as easy as it looked.

As you alluded to in your intro, Unai Emery just looked very, very sad.

Really sad.

And I'd imagine Dan Bardell, despite being a happily newly married man,

was also very, very sad.

It's a good question, actually, Dan.

Did, when Nunes put that away, did you have enough perspective saying I've married the love of my life not 24 hours ago, or had that all just dissipated?

No, I think I was pretty upset.

I think I looked a little bit like Unai Emre when

Nunes took that home.

So, so frustrating, because I think once you get to that position in stoppage time, you've got to take a point.

I didn't think Villa were great in the second half.

I think they've caught Man City just as they've picked up a little bit.

I think there was definitely better times in the season to travel to the Etty had.

I think maybe I'd have been more upset had I not got married the day before, but I was still pretty upset and seeing the look on Unai Emery's face, you just know how damaging that Easter Villa get in the top five.

How many Aston Villa based presents did you get, Dad?

You know what?

I haven't seen a single present yet.

I haven't seen it because our car wasn't big enough to carry everything back.

So some of the gifts are with my wife's sister who hasn't come back from Devon yet.

So

at the weekend, when I get back from Wembley, we might tuck into the present.

Enormous gifts that just don't fit in the

30 people at the wedding.

It was a small wedding, so there won't be loads.

Seb, actually, I just want to, just one more on that docupass, because there was an angle from behind him, which makes you realize, actually, I don't think many people, and he's he's not known as an end product guy, you know, and actually, it's quite hard to even see Nunes, let alone get the right, it's sort of like a putt that he has to do.

It just seemed to take ages.

And then looking at Dan's face at the moment, I just really feel for him because in slow motion, obviously it makes it worse.

But from the angle behind, you just feel it, well, surely one Villa player is going to cut this ball out.

One of them.

One of the four or five who could have blocked it coming in, but it didn't.

It was just right on the money.

And Nunes is there arriving at the back post.

It felt a very Manchester City goal.

And I think,

you know, a couple of the last time I was on and for a few months now, i've just had this feeling that that they were going to maybe even reel arsenal in and finish second in the league and looking at the fixtures left i still feel that's a possibility because they spent the money that they did in january they looked to correct the issues that they had and we know guardiola is an elite coach and they already have an excellent squad so with it all coming together and the experience of knowing and winning and that they were always going to be able to produce a run in a season in which teams have struggled to go on runs.

I felt watching the game that Villa were living off moments in that match.

And sometimes that can do for you.

There was similarities in some respect to when they went to Paris and just couldn't quite last at the end.

You know, if they'd emerged with a 2-1 victory and taken it back to Villa Park, well, you know, hindsight's amazing, but it would have felt so different.

And you always felt they were ultimately

chasing the game.

In this one, I just think the thought of Match to City were at it.

There There were elements of them that made you think, oh, this is the Man City that we know.

This is the Man City that basically was a level above everybody else.

And in a season where they've dropped off, it's opened the door for somebody to power through.

And Liverpool have done that.

I said this the last time I was on about Aston Villa.

I just think...

that ultimately whatever happens in this season there will be tinges of disappointment but it's still a phenomenal situation that they find themselves in and it's something that from the outside as the outside looking in i just can't believe i was at the playoff final against fulham not that long ago and to think where they are now the players that are turning out for them the performances of some of these players this season and and what emery's done at times and it's the nature of football you put yourself in a position where you're close to something you just miss out it's galling and um i i keep getting distracted by dan's really sad i was i was wondering if max i was wondering if max was going to ask me about ducker's pass because i don't think we've ever spent so long talking about a pass before i mean i don't think we've ever gone into such granular data about i would argue it wasn't even the best pass of the game though because kevin de bruyne had one which was also like a golf shot not a putt but more an approach to the green around a tree that uh he he put it on a plate for james mcerty who almost beat emi martinez with a brilliant well with a lob that bounced the wrong side of the upright i know if it doesn't end in a goal i just don't i don't even see it barry now it's a good point you make look you're right about cities fixes said wolves at home who are the best team in the world at the moment but still Southampton away, Bournemouth at home, Fulham away.

That is quite a nice run-in.

Pep was, he said, I'm really happy.

If we win the next four games, this win will have been so important.

You don't have to be scientists to realise that we play against Aston Villa, one of the best teams, as you saw against Newcastle and PSG, an extraordinary team.

But we performed as we did in the past with commitment.

I take it you're not a scientist, Dan.

From a Villa point of view, right, that is the thing that Seb, I think, articulated really well.

You're so close to having a brilliant season.

and yet it is so hard to retain the perspective if you fall short in the top five, if you don't win the FA Cup, if you've gone out of the Champions League and you go, oh, but hang on, this was a great season, but it doesn't look like it when I look at everything.

Obviously, if Villa were to finish sixth, one place outside the Champions League, and then, let's say, be runners-up in the FA Cup final,

as a Villa fan, you couldn't help but be disappointed with that.

But I think while still acknowledging that the progress that the club has made is absolutely sensational, even I mean, Seb went back quite far to that to that fulham game even the progress that's been made in the last two and a half years since unay emery picked them up i don't think a manager has ever really come in and lifted a team to the heights that he has in such a short space of time to get villa into the into the champions league from 17th place from where they were when he when he when he picked them up i suppose so ranieri at leises took them on an amazing run obviously for them to win league but that them excluded unayemry has done a done an absolutely brilliant job but the margins are just so so fine in football.

And I think Villa might look back on the first half of the season.

I don't think they had a good summer now looking back.

I think they rectified it excellently in January and really shaped the squad nicely and kind of dispelled the myth that you can actually do good business in January because it's Villa's good business in January that I think has taken them to where they are today.

And the fact that they can still qualify for the Champions League and they can still win the FA Cup.

But they let so many silly games go in the first half of the season and they were trying to adapt to playing Champions League and Premier League.

We only took two points off Ipswich, for example, which, you know, you only had to won one more of those games, and our position would be so much healthier.

But we're still in the fight.

Top five is not an impossibility.

Anything can happen in football.

Foot four games to go for us, five for some of the other teams around us.

Teams can lose football matches.

I didn't expect Villa to dismantle Newcastle in the way that they did at the weekend, and they did.

So I don't think all was lost.

Yeah, so look, Villa at 7th on 57, having played a game more than Chelsea on 57, Newcastle 59, Forest 60, Forest and Newcastle occupying fourth and fifth, Man City of 61.

They've also played 34 games.

Look, Villa's running as well.

It's actually not unpleasant, is it?

Fulham at home, Bournemouth away,

and then, you know, presumably two wins at home to Tottenham and away to Manchester United, who, depending on...

when those semi-finals are, they'll either be like reeking in disappointment or arresting all their players or a bit of both.

There were a lot of empty seats at the Etihad.

The empty seats for a big game, Last Night Tells His Own Story, said a spokesperson for the 1894 group, a fan organisation.

Sadly, it's been a common theme all season.

The root cause of all the issues at City is the overpricing.

The club doesn't understand their own fan base.

Not just that, but they'd rather try and manufacture fair weather supporters than nurture the ones who traditionally made us one of the best supported clubs in the country for well over a century.

I mean, it's a story we've discussed before, Barry, and not just for Manchester City.

The tickets for this game were 71 quid for adults, 43 for children.

I believe City are not currently selling season tickets.

And it's something we've raised on the pod before that season ticket holders are the lifeblood of football clubs, but increasingly elite Premier League football clubs are making it clear they'd probably prefer not to have season ticket holders at all because

season ticket holders go to the game, they don't spend money in the club shop,

whereas tourists come pay for their ticket and then spend a fortune in the club shop uh spend a lot more money they could you know spend up to upwards of a grand on an afternoon out at the etiad the emirates all trafford wherever unfortunately it's the owners of the clubs that uh call the shots and as much as they would like to have a big say in what goes on uh seasoned ticket holders and fans in general are are increasingly marginalized.

It's probably something we should touch on a bit more at some point in in detail.

But, you know, there must be an idea there must be a way of saying, you know, we reserve a thousand, two thousand, whatever, for, you know, tourists.

I don't know what the numbers should be.

And, you know, this is for the people who come week in, week out, because it it is so short-termist, isn't it?

Interestingly, um, Pep Pep did row in behind the supporters' protest and said he's very much on their side.

He did make the point that obviously he doesn't have to pay pay for tickets, but that when he pays to go to the theater, if I pay a lot of money for something, I expect value for money, blah, blah, blah.

Yeah.

I know, I just think it's always important to raise that point as well, that half our listeners are, you know, around the world, a lot of them dream of going to one Premier League game who might watch these games in ridiculous

times of day and you know are still very committed fans.

So it's a you know, it's a tricky balance.

To the Emirates then, Arsenal 2, Crystal Palace 2.

Surprisingly good game, said between two teams whose priorities are clearly elsewhere.

And the Palace goals were both so good.

We talked about taking opportunities with Villa and it being a moments game.

That's what it felt like for Crystal Palace.

They were,

how would I say, we know they have individual talents who can be match winners, and they've been coming off a couple of games away from home where they've been thrashed essentially.

Yesterday,

it was a very odd match to watch from just the point of view of thinking,

what does the result matter to this?

Does it matter at all?

I'd actually think the drop points matters more to Arsenal ultimately in the grand scheme of things, because I think it can have...

They could easily, in the games they have left, stumble to a couple of defeats, a couple of draws, especially if they progress in the Champions League.

And then all of a sudden, they could find themselves...

Not to say they'll drop out of the top five, but they could find themselves in a situation where they are behind Man City and potentially another side and but to go back to Crystal Palace so much talk about them having a semi-final this weekend and

I heard it was touched upon in the commentary in that if you're a supporter of Crystal Palace this weekend is everything yeah is everything because we've been through this before this idea that you are you're not in this position often And I know Palace have been in FA Cup finals before, but again, it's a generational situation.

And

to have that on the horizon, in a weird way, yesterday just felt like a just, just a, just a fuck it.

The technical term.

And both finishes had an element of that to them.

Because as it, I remember after he scored, he just went, ah, sod it.

And he put his foot through the ball, went in off the post.

And then the second one, Saliba, who I guess he's had this recently, he's played so many games and he's needed to be fit all season.

And he has been fit and the the lapses in concentration you feel like they're bound to happen at some point but even matetta i'm not sure that if it's a game that palace needed to win that he would have even tried that i think he would have taken an extra touch maybe tried to be sure of his finish a bit more but when you're you're in true fucket mode before the wemberley semifinal then then then you're free aren't you you're free to express yourself and arsenal i felt there was a tightness nobody wants to get injured no one wants to put in we know they're an intense side.

And ultimately, they're a side that have just drawn too many games this season.

And they're arguably the toughest side to beat in the league in many ways.

But they don't have enough match winners going forward and depth in their squad, which is what we saw from Manchester City.

I still don't think Arsenal have that.

They've lost three.

Liverpool have lost two, but yes, both hard to beat, aren't they?

I mean, the awareness of Matetta, Barry, and like the technique, the balls behind him.

You can see the backspin.

Everything about it is joyous.

Yeah, it's a brilliant chip.

And I really loved Seb's analysis of the palace goals.

That's

deep dive.

You're probably right.

It hadn't crossed my mind.

But yeah, would Mateta have tried that if there was more at stake?

I don't know.

But I'm glad he did try it.

And perfect execution, brilliant chip.

And you could see how pleased he was that it came off for him.

I'm glad for him.

I'm glad he's come back from that injury.

I know it was only stitches, only in inverted commas, but it was a frightening challenge.

And

he could be forgiven for being more timid and reserved

while he finds his way back into the game after that spell out.

But he's playing well.

Apart from one game where he got hooked at half-time and Oliver Glasner really got stuck into him after, which I thought was a little bit harsh, but there you go.

I kind of expected this game to be a draw.

I thought it might be a nil-nil and just a very much don't-get-injured derby ahead of more important games for both sides.

Yeah.

A bit of a shame, Dan, that Ezays bounces on the way in.

I think that takes away from a volley.

I don't know if that's harsh or maybe just the aesthetics of it.

I think if that goes straight in off the post,

I'm elevating the quality of the strike, which is perhaps unfair.

Yeah, I don't think he'll be too upset.

I think he'll be quite happy that it went in.

I mean, hopefully, he's not saving cleaner strikes for the weekend.

I'm hoping Crystal Palace have got their sensational finishing out the way before Wembley on Saturday.

But

just back to Mateta.

Mateta is such a good centre-forward.

This time last year, he was banging in the goals for Crystal Palace.

Since Glasner's come in, his record in front of goal is absolutely incredible.

And on their day, Palace are a really, really fun team to watch.

They've got a lot of fun players.

They play a really fun system with wing backs that not many teams play.

And you've got to be wary of them.

And Arsenal kind of took their foot off the pedal a little bit for obvious reasons.

And Palace have got players that can hurt you.

But I actually don't think, I think that result in the way Palace came back into the game.

I actually think that will give them a lot of feel good and do them a lot of good going into Wembley at the weekend.

So although it was a bit of a nothing game, I think the way it's ended for Crystal Palace is actually a really good thing for them because it just kind of gives them a little bit of feel-good and a little bit of momentum ahead of Saturday.

Oh, the terror.

Look at the terror in Dan's face.

Yes, Seb.

I just have this image of Dan watching the last couple of games, just strolling up and down.

And his new wife said, what's the matter with you?

Was the wedding really that bad?

I just think.

Aren't you happy?

But the FA Cup will change all that, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, you never know.

Like, Trossard takes his goal really well, especially taking the pass from Timber, which was hitting about 200 miles an hour.

And he is in really good form and probably starts against PSG, I reckon, given that party is suspended and Marino would go a bit deeper.

Um, and Dean Henderson made a great say from Saka at one point.

I think Jacob Cubiar deserves a a bit of praise for his goal as well.

He's been

a sensational header

from around the penalty spot, wasn't it?

And to beat Dean Henderson from that distance was that was a bit special, I thought, that goal.

No, no, no, you're absolutely right.

I did have that in the script.

I just was

written through.

No, no, I was going to ignore it.

So, you know, that's my anti-Arsenal bias there.

Alex says, does the pod think that Nicholas Jova's role extends to orchestrating a guard of honor?

If so, will Arsenal look to block the likes of Van Dijk and Pernato?

Or will they line up somewhere other than the halfway line?

We'll find out, I reckon.

Anyway, we'll stick with Palace and Villa and City and do an FA Cup semifinal preview in part two.

If you thought thought goldenly breaded McDonald's chicken couldn't get more golden, think golden because new sweet and smoky special edition gold sauce is here.

Made for your chicken favorites.

I participate in McDonald's for a limited time.

Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly.

So then Palace Villa at quarter past five on Saturday, Forest City at half past four

on Sunday.

The FA Cup semi-finals, Aston Villa's last major trophy, the league cup in 96.

Savo Milosevic, it sounds like it, almost 30 years ago.

Uh, got to the FA Cup final in 2000 and 2015.

Palace have never won a major trophy.

Producer Joel Charlton fan puts in brackets, and long may that continue.

Um, FA Cup runners-up in 1990, where they robbed Cambridge in the quarterfinal, of course, and uh, producer Rock Joel Wright's

29-16, i.e., in what 900 years' time.

But

yeah, 2016.

So

how are you feeling, Dan?

Nervous.

I followed with Wembley.

I don't think I've ever, and I've been loads because I'm a Villa fan, obviously, but I've never been there and massively enjoyed myself.

I find that they're more nervy affairs.

And I feel like the kickoff time adds to it a little bit, having to wait till quarter past five.

So I'll be there all day.

I'm just waiting for this game to kick off at quarter past five, which is absolutely huge for generations of Villa fans who many won't have seen Villa lift the FA Cup.

Those that were alive will be pretty old now because it was 1957, the last time Villa lifted that trophy.

This is huge for all the strides Villa have made and the running the Champions League and qualifying for Champions League last season and potentially this season as well.

To me, this FA Cup

semi-final and potentially final if we get there,

this is what the Villa fans really, really want.

They really, really want want a trophy they want kind of uni emery's reign to be to be signified by by getting a trophy we feel it's like kind of deserved for what for what he's done he's already going to go down in folklore because he's a brilliant brilliant manager we all really really want this and sometimes when you really really want something you don't get it and that and that scares me um who starts up front for you

I mean, I do preview shows, obviously, on my own podcast for Villa every week, and every week I get the team selection wrong, and every week I get the striker that he he picks wrong.

So, you're probably best off asking Seb or Barry, but I think it's probably Rashford, which is harsh on Ollie Watkins given everything he's given to the club, but it just seems that Rashford is the go-to guy at the moment and the striker that Emery favours.

I thought Rashford was really good in the first half against Man City, causing them problems.

And on that Wembley pitch, I think he'll plump for Rashford, but it's probably a coin toss.

Yeah, what do you think, Seb?

Yeah, I thought it was interesting that Watkins didn't start against Manchester City because when I think about maybe the the effectiveness he had against Newcastle was often the fact that we know when Newcastle get their defenders trying to step out,

he's a striker that doesn't leave centre-halves alone.

Whereas it's something that Rashford does do.

I mean, he does let people run off him and he does let defenders bring the ball out under not much pressure from him.

So I thought maybe against Manchester City, he might play a Watkins, but then maybe he thought it was going to be a moments game and that Rashford would would be that moments player and take that opportunity.

I think if Watkins doesn't start in that semi-final, I think it's almost guaranteed to me that he won't be at Villa next season.

I mean, there's probably a feeling of that anyway.

And ever since the Arsenal bid in the winter transfer window, it has felt that that was a distraction for him.

And it's a massive distraction from somebody who obviously has...

has

a supporter of Arsenal ultimately as a boy.

We can overcomplicate these things.

It can be just as simple as that.

And maybe that's been reflected in training and around the ground.

I don't know.

Because

he was a favourite of Emery.

We know that Emery has almost conditioned him to be a player, to play between, you know, to be more of a penalty box striker.

And he's talked about that being important for his game.

But I think bringing in a player like Rashford in January for Emery,

maybe he looks at Rashford and thinks...

He is the elite player.

He is the level to me.

He's the star for me.

And he should start.

Yeah, that's just a tricky thing.

They might end up with neither of them next season because you could you know upset Ollie Watkins and then not afford Rashford or he decides to go somewhere else I don't know and meanwhile Baz Palace a lot of neutrals willing Palace because you know they have an amazing fan base lots of clubs have amazing fan bases and to have never won a trophy And to think, okay, you know, Villa, they've got a good record against Villa.

They've got a good team.

You've already talked about it.

They've got good, exciting players.

Glasnar's a great manager.

Obviously, Man City are still in this tournament, so they are the favourites, but

just the chance to get there, to get to another final.

I mean, just I just can't imagine the terror of being a Palace fan between now and kickoff.

Presumably no different to the terror of being an Aston Villa fan or a Forest fan.

City fans are more used to it.

I'd see this as a completely open game.

couldn't even begin to pick a winner.

Both sides are eminently capable of beating each other.

I could see this one going all the way to penalties, maybe.

And I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm not leaning towards either side, really.

Normally,

if I'm watching a game, I usually want one team to win more than the other, but not in this one.

That's disappointing to hear.

That is, I'd like to have thought I'd have had a little bit of an impact on you in the last year, but obviously not.

Sorry, Darling, but

I do live in South London, you know.

I know quite a few Palace fans.

With games like that, Barry, I think I'm in neutral, and then as soon as it kicks off, I know.

So, right,

I think I'm supporting Palace, actually, so I don't think I'll have that.

But occasionally, I go into a game where I'm completely neutral.

Now, Dan's got looking sad again.

Have I been asked on his podcast today as a joke?

No,

like, it's okay, like, we can still be friends.

I talked to lots of crystal, some of my best friends, just checking, actually.

I don't think any of them are, but you know, you take my point.

I was going to say that I was thinking ahead and thinking who would be most likely to beat Manchester City in a final and I would have said Villa but then obviously they played Man City not that long ago and they didn't beat them so I'm in a bit of a but nor did Palace so I don't really know.

I'm very much I get quite connected with how fans feel about their team whenever I'm commentating on games and I that's why this season I've felt once it got to that stage where there were all those teams left that you felt it was huge for them to win the FA Cup and Manchester City was still in there.

Just within me I just felt that for all those teams, it would be amazing.

And I still feel the same.

For Villa, Palace and Forest, it's a game changer.

It'll be a day they'll be talking about for years to come.

I think if I was to ask you, when did, you know, name all of Manchester City's Cup wins in the last, however, you know, decade, you know, you wouldn't be able to name all those dates.

But you know the year that Leicester won the title.

You know, you know that year.

And for clubs that don't get to share in those prizes that often it's a joy beyond anything really and and dan touched on it he said he said that even even the thought even the thought the hope that we might be in the fight that we might win this trophy is excruciating whereas i think for city fans it's more sort of you know okay we win it but you know it's still not been a good season because ultimately we didn't get win the champions league and we didn't win the league and and that's the difference and expectations change so quickly right that's such an interesting part of being a football fan especially if you go on such a successful journey.

I mean, I think we know how Forest City will look.

If Villa get through, the Villa fans will be absolutely like, I don't know how Villa have done against Forest, but like the desperation for Forrest to win just to make this game feel just like more possible.

But from a neutral perspective,

is it a question, Barry, of you know, a Langor and Hudson Adoy versus kind of whichever attacking midfielder Pet puts at fullbacks?

Because we know Man City will have the ball for 99% of this game and Nuno won't care.

But they are so good on the break, Forrest.

And I hope they score first in this game, whatever the outcome, because that'll make it really interesting.

I do think Forrest have it in them to beat City.

I'm trying to think what the results of their games were this season, but I can't remember.

Well, they beat them.

They beat them.

They beat them.

They beat them.

They got battered away from home at the Etienne.

Yeah, but they did win the other way, didn't they?

But City do seem to have hit their stride.

I think they were a little bit lucky to beat Villa

on Tuesday.

I I think a draw would have been fair there.

But Pep's team selection was a bit odd for that game.

He has been getting grief from fans, I think, over his love of picking too many midfielders.

James McAtee started the game against Villa.

And I think while he's a perfectly good player, they have better wingers than him.

And the team that finished against Villa was a lot better, I think, than the team that started against Villa.

So one presumes Jeremy Doku will probably start in the semi-final.

Again, I'm looking forward to the game.

I have a feeling City will probably win, but I think everyone wants Forrest to win apart from City fans, don't they?

And I don't think there's any harm in saying,

interestingly, Dan, or Leicester fans and City fans.

Yeah, fair.

And Knott's County fans.

And Derby fans.

And Derby fans.

Okay, so everybody, right?

The Midlands.

Nuno has occasionally left those attacking white men on the bench and been a bit more sort of solid than me.

They did against Brighton in the FA Cup, I seem to think.

And people were like, is that a weak inside or is that kind of part of his plan to kind of release them late?

I mean, I've gone to Dan, but Seb has his hand raised.

So I'm happy to, if you're happy to defer, Dan, I don't want to take this question away from you.

I'll pass on.

I'll pass on.

Yeah, I was just going to butt it because I covered the game on Monday, Forrest at Spurs, and I thought it was a template Forrest win in many ways, but

there was an element of concern, i think relentless pressure that forest invite in game sometimes i just feel with manchester city

they're fine with that they will i could imagine on the wemberley day there'll be tension in the forest players and i just think manchester city having that ball for large periods and they look better at closing out the counter-attack now than they did before and i think you know i think villa are an excellent side at breaking as they should do to try and get through and cause issues and they probably would have wanted to do that more and I did think that

I felt it with Manchester when they apply that squeeze on teams there's not many that have been able to resist it and I think they're back into that squeeze mode where you think you're watching and you think this game's quite dull there's not much really going on but you always fear that they're in control of things and I do worry for Forest in that regard but there is huge confidence in so many of the players.

They've had so many players with standout seasons.

There were some performers on Monday.

I mean, I thought for me, Elliot Anderson has great qualities and qualities that not many players in the Premier League have.

He can play in multiple positions in the midfield area.

And we also know that Gibbs White is almost

as a rarity in the league in that number 10, but the way he plays that role is rare.

And then Chris Wood, he's given a chance.

He takes the chance.

And they have proper wingers and proper white players.

And the Langer's delivery is excellent.

So if they can find a way of not of just having a bit more of the ball somehow, I know Nuno doesn't care.

If they can get to a penalty shootout, I'll back them all day long.

While we have you here, Seb,

I was watching a game.

I'm pretty sure you were coming to the next one.

No, I wasn't.

No, I don't think I was.

I can't remember what it was, but you said at the start that we should

keep an eye on one of the goalkeepers' socks.

I was thinking

that was Arsenal Brentford.

That was Arsenal Brentford, actually.

Yeah, so basically,

David Ryer had to change his goalkeeping socks

because the Brentford socks are similar colour to Arsenal's goalkeeping socks.

So Arsenal were actually told a week before that they would have to change their socks.

But on the day when we were told this, I

did laugh to myself.

I thought...

It's one of those things where often when you're commentating, I'm not commentating for Sky, but Sky are almost doing the world feed coverage because they are the host broadcaster.

And you have commentators from, say, around the world and also other English-speaking feeds where you sometimes feel like, okay, we sort of have to cover this because people are talking about it.

The clubs mentioned it to us.

And so let's get it out there and let's make a point of it.

I also think with a game like that, which felt very similar to the game Yesterday gets palace, is you're trying to cling on to something.

You want something to talk about.

I spent the whole game staring at David Rye's socks.

Nothing really happened.

They stayed in place.

I thought maybe as you've got like flashing lights, they fall around.

And also, I don't think black socks aren't out of the ordinary, are they?

I think he's probably worn black socks at some point in his life.

Anyway, to the Premier League, Liverpool will win the title Anfield with a draw against Spurs, who are A, not very good, and B, have a European semi-final on Thursday.

Dan, feels like a lovely game to win the title.

They're going to, aren't they?

It's going to happen.

Are you sure?

Yeah,

I am sure of that.

I'm more sure about that than I am about the FA Cup at the weekend.

I think Liverpool, it would just top off a brilliant, brilliant season.

We mentioned earlier that they've only lost two games.

That's an incredible achievement, only losing two games of football across the Premier League season and to have the title wrapped up with a few games to spare as well.

I think most people had Liverpool in their top three.

at the start of the season, but not many would have had them in the top one.

And I think the job that Slot's done, the fact that they've barely

did Barry call it Barry relentless pointing at himself on a Zoom call just to help the listeners.

Barry did call it, yeah, he did.

Oh, well, I take it back then.

Very few people other than Barry would have called Liverpool to win the league at the start of the season.

And to do it with the lack of transfer activity, I think the contract wrangles that have that have hung over the club all season as well.

I think they've played some brilliant football at times, controlled football to have had to have followed Jürgen Klopp as well.

I just think think there's an amalgamation of reasons why it's such a fantastic title victory for Liverpool.

And the last time they won the Premier League, nobody really got to celebrate it because it was Covid.

And I'm really, really pleased that the Liverpool fans will get to see their team lift the Premier League because they've waited a long time for it.

And that puts them on 20, doesn't it?

As well as that, 20 titles, it puts Liverpool on.

I know that stuff's really, really important with Manchester United.

And at the moment, you'd back them to get to 21 before Manchester United.

What's the dream way for Liverpool to win this, Barry?

You You know, in recent weeks, we've had Van Dijk and then Trent scoring late winners.

Surely it's Mo Salah's turn.

I don't think anyone will care.

It's a bit of a shame, actually, that

their game is on the same time as Forest City.

So everyone who's not a Liverpool fan will be watching the other game, you'd imagine.

That doesn't mean this one's going to fly under the radar or anything.

I could see them doing an absolute demolition job on Spurs on Sunday.

No end of Liverpool players could get in the score sheet in this game.

Although it would be highly amusing if Spurs did actually manage to rouse themselves and win.

Extraordinary.

I think Matt Lawren-The Telegraph was reporting that, you know, Ange is set to leave whether they win the Europa League or not.

But anyway, we can get into that.

I also, I think I said on the last pod that Salah hadn't signed a new contract when he has signed a new contract.

I blame the huge production team for not noticing these glaring factual errors that come out of my mouth.

I can't be held responsible.

The huge production team blamed me meddling with the script while they're asleep.

So, you know,

this is the war that is happening right now.

But, yeah, apologies for that.

Race of the top five

at Newcastle at home to Ipswich.

That seems nice,

Seb, doesn't it?

For the team to bounce back after the villa hammering.

Perfectly.

It's amazing the responses to one defeat.

I mean, Newcastle were arguably the informed side in the Premier League before they faced Aston Villa, and all of a sudden the question marks come back.

And I think they'd gone seven straight games playing the same starting 11.

There was a consistency to their play.

They were difficult, but I just think Villa did a number on them in this one.

So for their point of view, this feels you couldn't wish for a better opponent, really, this weekend.

I know there's Leicester and Southampton by Phil with Ipswich, you know, fresh off

the game against Arsenal.

I mean, they were totally outclassed.

The golf was huge.

And this is for an Arsenal side, we say, you're sort of going through the motions motions in the league.

The Champions League race is

almost pointless taking points game by game.

I think we're just going to have to.

I know it's our, we have to react, but I don't think I should.

We're going to wait until the end, right?

Yeah, yeah, just wait until the end, and then let's just not talk until then.

But I think you still got to look at Newcastle and say that they're an impressive side.

Whatever happened in the Villa game, everybody has days like that.

And we're starting to look.

I find it, I think, of all the teams involved down to Villa,

Forest's games are going to feel like cup finals every single time.

I don't feel like any game, even when they're at home to Leicester,

they're not going to feel comfortable because they're not a side who, and they have found it against Everton, they're not a side who will progressively force themselves and dominate the opposition, which means when they're playing sides in the bottom half of the table, and they have dropped a fair number of points

against sides in that part of the table, that it's tense and the city ground is going to feel tense, and they're going to feel that they want to that they can get over the line because it's so huge for them so i do worry slightly to an extent even though they are still in a good position newcastle i i'm confident i'm confident they'll finish above chelsea and i feel like they'll finish above villa and that will be enough won't it that's enough yeah yeah yeah chelsea are currently sick uh they're home to everton uh forest next game in the league home to brentford on thursday uh elsewhere man being linked to matteus cunha they go to bournemouth uh he's expected to leave at the end of the season has a £62 million release clause in his contract.

Sky did put up a great stat that will excite United fans.

Most time spent walking.

Premier League this season until March the 23rd.

Percentage of time walking.

Esri Konser in fifth.

Adama Triore fourth.

Christian Romero third.

Virgil Van Dyck second.

Matteas Cunha 77.6%

of the time walking.

Is this a totally misleading stat?

I mean, I don't think you want Adama Triore jogging about, racking up K's and not having the energy to go on a big sprint.

And does it include standing still?

Like, where's standing still in this line of statistics?

It's encouraging for Baz's half-marathon, though.

Statistics.

Very encouraging.

Yeah, yeah.

How is that going, Barry?

I decided I wouldn't be taking questions.

Notice.

I have an app.

I do what the app tells me.

Nothing more, nothing less.

It should be fine.

United would need to sell players to raise the money for the purchase.

They're also being linked to Liam DeLapp, who has a 30 million release clause

if brackets when Ips, which are relegated.

Feels like for 30 million, Dan, that would be a bun fight.

Yeah, there'd have to be a lot of teams going in for him.

He's made a huge impact for Ipswich this season, a team that doesn't create many chances.

He's got himself into double figures, I think.

Liam DeLap in his maiden season in the Premier League.

So I think there'd be a lot of teams that could do a lot worse than looking at Liam DeLapp.

The interesting one for me, and I don't know whether they've been heavily linked, is if Forrest do qualify for the Champions League, they're going to need another striker.

They won't be able to just rely on Chris Wood.

I think he'd be a great fit for Forrest.

And I think he'd also, De Lap would be better off going to Forrest than entering the basket case clubs that are Chelsea or Manchester United.

I think going to play for Forrest

in the Champions League would be a great move, but I'd imagine there'd be teams abroad, five or six Premier League teams.

There'd be a lot of interest in DeLap, especially at 30 million.

When you look at what Manchester United paid for Hoyland, who'd never played in the Premier League, 30 million for someone who has scored goals in a a real, real poor side this season.

I think it's a snip.

Jamie Vardy's apologised to Leicester fans for the club's relegation, labelled his own season a total embarrassment.

Collectively, as players and as a club, we failed.

There's simply no hiding.

I refuse to entertain any suggestion of doing so.

Having been at this club for so long, we've experienced so many highs and successes.

And this season has been nothing but miserable for me personally, a total embarrassment.

It hurts, and I know you're feeling it too.

To the fans, I'm sorry, sorry we haven't performed.

Sorry, we end the 2025 season with such a shit show.

Yeah, I mean, it's interesting.

We heard Full Crew coming out and saying it.

Now Vardy,

I don't know which is the next Premier League striker to refer to their own size as shit before the end of the season.

Producer Joel suggests Richarlison is high up

as possible.

What do you make of Vardy's comments, Beth?

Yeah, well,

I mean, he didn't say anything we didn't already know, but I suppose he could have just said nothing.

I actually think Lester

should have sold him to Arsenal or Manchester United in January.

I think he could have done a job for Arsenal or Maniu

and it was abundantly clear Leicester were going down with or without him.

He hasn't had a good season.

He's got no service in a terrible team.

Contracts up at the end of the season I think.

I don't know what will happen to him next.

Does he have the legs to get a one-year deal from someone in the Premier League?

I don't know.

He deserves a bit of credit for fronting up, but we all know Leicester's season has been

that's true feels feels very wrexham to me could he be the next wrexom guy you know you can see that anyway that'll do for part two part three uh we'll touch on Gary Lineker's interview with Amol Rajan

Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly.

So let's talk about that Gary Lineke interview then.

He did it on the BBC with Amol Rajan.

Barry, you wanted a word on this.

I mean, the most extraordinary revelation I thought was that he'd sometimes come home from school and find Engelbert Humperdink playing cards with his dad.

But

there were other parts to this interview.

Yeah, I remember back in my shoot reading days as a kid, didn't Lineker's father famously run a fruit and veg stall in Leicester?

Yeah.

And

then Lineker was good friends with Willie Thorne, the snooker player, because Lineker is a very good snooker player as well.

Topical as the World Championship's on at the moment.

I'm enjoying it immensely.

He seemed very demob happy in this interview.

And he's clearly a man with no shits left to give about anything and why would he?

Because he's in his 60s, he's financially set for life, he's raised his kids

and he's got a podcasting empire that's raking him in millions of pounds.

So he I thought he made a very good point insofar as

he can't understand why the BBC hierarchy constantly pander to their most vociferous critics like say the Daily Mail and the Express right-wing press

because there's no he says there's no point pandering to them because they will continue to criticize so you're better off just ignoring him but he was muzzled by the BBC because they were afraid the comments he was making about immigration and refugees would enrage the Daily Mail and other parts of the right-wing press and and they did enrage them but if they hadn't been enraged about that they'd have been enraged about something else

pertaining to the BBC.

So he said that and Amal Rajah and asked the right questions.

I got the impression that Amal Rajan kind of agreed with everything he was saying but was obliged to be

performed the role of company man

and

also Amal Rajan is probably not as well fixed in life as Gary Lineker, so he has to watch his back.

I mean, I thought it was just sort of it just comes across, and I've I've occasionally, you know, crossed paths with Gary Lineke, and I mean,

we're both woke lefty snowflakes, aren't we?

So, like,

of course, we share the same political space, but I just find myself generally agreeing with what he says.

Yeah.

And it's sort of deeply uncontroversial views about the world, you know, and I suppose it's sort of interesting when you see the cultures.

I've written a column about this, about, you know, you do the interview and then it goes into these places and you see like alt-right YouTubers saying this guy guy is a complete moron and then you see other people saying he's killed the BBC

and yeah you're right it's just a guy who happened to be really good at football really good at talking about football really good at TV presenting who cares about some other people cares about humans

who's now doing really well doing something else.

I don't know.

I mean I don't that was my sort of general view about it.

And also there's some lovely bits in that interview about you know 86 and all those stuff and it appears like obviously they're not the headline grabbing things.

In other interview interview news anya luco was on women's hour um and a lot of the headlines have been about what she said about ian wright and uh male broadcasters talking about the women's game she was there to talk about joey barton and the abuse she received she's won the first stage of a high court libel campaign against joey barton arising from posts on social media barton is yet to respond to the ruling on the meaning of his posts he could appeal against it he could also defend the statements if the case goes to trial um it's very interesting listening to her talking about the effect of the abuse that she received the fact that she didn't want to go out in public, the fact she sometimes wore disguises in public.

Those are, you know, it's sort of deeply depressing what she has had to go through.

There was then a question about the opportunities for female broadcasters in the men's game and the women's game.

And she was specifically asked, she said, you know, lots of men work in the women's game.

And the host, Claire McDonald, brought up Ian Wright, to which she said, I've worked with Ian Wright a long time.

I think he's a brilliant broadcaster.

I think he's aware of just how much he's doing in the women's game, i.e.

the amount of work he's doing.

I think he should be aware of that.

There is a limited amount of spaces available.

If we had a situation there was an equal opportunity in the men's game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women's game, it's a free-for-all, but that's not the case.

I can't dominate the men's game in a way that, you know, used Ian as an example.

She also brought up Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher as an example.

When asked to clarify if she thinks it's wrong for right to be covering women's football, Aluco added, I don't know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women's game.

I'm very conscious that we have four men on a podcast talking about women in the women's game.

And she was talking on Women's Hour.

And we will talk about this again when, you know, we often have women on the panel.

We,

you know, have definitely increased the number of women that talk on Football Weekly and we love that.

Seb, you are a man who works a lot in the women's game as well.

So I...

You are much closer to this than the rest of us.

I just wonder what your thoughts are on that.

Yeah, I agree.

It doesn't doesn't feel quite right for us as a group of all men to discuss the issue of female representation in football in general but what I do feel is important to point out as someone who covers you know women's football is that people appreciate allies and whether it sits right or not people who are marginalized in any field need support from what you'd say is the you know dominant class and Ian Wright has been at the forefront of that in women's football and he's been a net benefit to the growth of the game.

And from any's angle, I think she's been abused and left isolated, you know, as someone who's prepared to speak out and challenge many issues.

And I know, well, we know that social media is a is a cesspit of abuse.

We know it's full of people who, you know, jump on a bandwagon or sometimes just drive the wagon itself if they think it will help their own lives in some way.

And she she wasn't prepared to stay out of the wasp's nest, I would say, out of her own principles, which is ultimately a brave thing to do.

Yeah, I it's worth pointing out as well that I messaged a few of our female panelists about whether we should talk about it, and they all said, Yeah, you should definitely talk about it.

And they talked about allies as a key one.

And I, and I, you know, I'm minded to agree with you.

It's not my space, but I think what Ian Wright has done for the women's game and the profile that he has, and his absolute love for it, and the way he treats it completely equally to the men's game, I think is incredible.

And has probably brought a lot of men with him who were sceptical about the women's game.

And so,

like I said, we will talk to

female panelists about this story when they're next on.

But thank you, Seb, because you're put in a slightly tricky situation by

that happening the day before you came on the pod.

Norwich City sacked their manager, Johannes Hofthorop, 30 seconds after we published Tuesday's podcast, which featured a long conversation on the benefits of keeping on Norwich manager Johannes Hofthorup.

And even saying, let's hope he stays on for the rest of next season until we find out how successful he is.

I mean,

it was the closest to

podcast published to manager being sacked.

But one Norwich fan said, we didn't even merit a voice note.

So, you know, my apologies for that.

Reading have agreed terms with a buyer over the sale of the club, the Football League, have extended the deadline to complete the deal to the 5th of May.

It's the second time the EFL has given the Royals more time to complete a sale since owner Dai Young was disqualified under its owners and directors' tests.

So look, fingers crossed for everybody that that goes through.

Harry says, I'm Axon Barry.

This might be slightly off most people's radars, and rightly so, but the final day in the National League South Canada promises to be a tense one.

No fewer than six teams can win the title on the final day, including my beloved Torque United.

Barry, you have been looking at this.

It's amazing, isn't it?

Yeah, to write about it yesterday.

So National League South, which is the sixth tier of the pyramid.

Truro City are top of the table.

Truro from Cornwall.

So they're the most southerly team in the National League South, which is the sixth tier of the English Football League pyramid.

Behind them are Torquay United from Devon, the second most southerly team in the National League South.

They're level on points, but they've two goals worse off.

And then you've Eastbourne Borough and Worthing on 85 points, so they're one point behind.

And behind them are Boremwood and Dorking Wanderers, who are three points off the pace.

But interestingly, they both have a significantly better goal difference than Truro City.

So we go into the final day of the season, and six of the 24 teams in the league can still

win the title.

So that's very exciting.

I was wondering, like, you know, when the Premier League is up for grabs on the final day, and they've a helicopter ready to deliver the trophy to the grabs.

So I got my map of the south of England out, and using drawing pins and bits of red string, I discovered that to maximise fuel efficiency, the helicopter needs to be parked in Ilchester in Somerset,

equidistant from all the grounds that are hosting those three crew or those six games.

It almost makes a mockery of the National League that stage being split geographically, doesn't it?

Really, when you think about it.

But I spoke to Charlie Baker yesterday, a big Torque fan, and he's not at all bitter about Truro's imminent title win and said he wishes them well on their 450-mile each way trips to Hartlepool, Carlisle, and Gateshead next season in the middle of October and November.

Well, thank you to Harry for getting your touch on that.

He says, Love the pod.

We'll be back in touch when I get my inevitable vasectomy.

Greg finally says, Hello, I was pleased to hear in the recent episode of Barry's Dislike of the Theatre.

I too dislike the theatre, but my partner and soon-to-be wife, hi Toria, cannot understand my view about it.

I've explained that I've been to the theatre enough times to know that I don't like it, and no matter what she says, won't change my mind.

Could Barry please explain to Toria why the theatre is rubbish so I don't have to continue into married life batting off suggestions of going there?

Thanks.

Don't worry about one of Barry's pre-marriage messages.

Greg, he says.

Well, I agree with Greg.

Look, lots of people enjoy the theatre.

I'm not one of them.

Greg is another.

I've I've never been to a play that wasn't totally shit.

And

I've no desire to ever go to another one.

The only play I've ever been to that was mildly palatable was one written by Patrick Marbur, who's a big loose FC fan, called Dealer's Choice.

But I couldn't enjoy that because the bloke who played Trigger in Only Fools and Horses was in it, but he wasn't playing the role of Trigger.

So I've gone, this is ridiculous.

Said, why is he pretending not to be triggered?

You're going to cast Trigger.

Give him a brew, for fuck's sake.

He doesn't have a bad left foot, Patrick Marba, in my experience.

Anyway, that'll do for today.

Thanks, everybody.

I've never been to a play that wasn't totally shit.

It's very funny.

Thank you, Barry.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Seb.

Hamilton's all right, isn't it?

No, I'm not including musicals.

I like musicals.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

There we go.

The caveats of the game.

Strictly talking, please.

Okay, I'm with you.

You know, Harold Pinter writes in going, oh, I'd not heard the previous channel.

Chekhov here.

Long time listener, first time caller.

Shakespeare shit.

Chekhov has a vasectomy.

Chekhov says, I was going to write to you on my vasectomy, but I can't now.

Anyway,

also, thank you, Dan.

Thank you very much.

Did I thank you, Seb?

Yeah, thank you.

No, thanks again.

Alphabetical Weekly is produced by Joel Grove.

Our executive producer is Phil May.

This is The Guardian.