Arsenal triumphant as Liverpool’s crisis deepens: Football Weekly Extra

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Speaker 3 This is The Guardian.

Speaker 3 Hello, and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Sunday night in the Champions League.
42 goals and eight games. Choose your own lead story.

Speaker 3 Arsenal's 100% record continues with a comfortable win over until now undefeated by Munich. Oh, they're good.
That Chelsea game of the weekend looks exciting, doesn't it, Barry?

Speaker 3 Meanwhile, Liverpool do not look good. Their biggest ever home defeat in the Champions League to PSV, even though I'm not saying Van Dijk's in a natural position for that one.

Speaker 3 And then Spurs needed to give it a go, and they gave it a go in Paris, took the lead twice, but didn't factor in quite how good Bettinha is before losing it all in the second half.

Speaker 3 But to dare is to do, and they dared. They're just not as good as some other teams.
Add to that, four for Mbappe, a vintage Simeoni charged down the touchline. And you've got a lot to look back on.

Speaker 3 Then a Premier League preview, what are Chevrolet United's owners thinking?

Speaker 3 And the WSL apologise for an an influencer cut draw as always we'll answer your questions and that's today's guardian football weekly

Speaker 3 on the panel today barrett glendelling hello hi max uh welcome nikki bandini morning and hello archie rintut hey max uh The furious debate before the episode about what we begin with,

Speaker 3 but we're going to start at the Emirates since Arsenal are top of the league, but difficult to choose between that and Liverpool, I guess, and maybe even Tottenham. But Arsenal three by Munich one.

Speaker 3 Marissa says, at what point do we accept that Arsenal are going to win it all?

Speaker 3 So two sides with 100% records so far in the Champions League, probably the two best in the competition so far. And, you know, this could be the final in however many months' time.

Speaker 3 I think it's been, Nikki, long enough since we asked you something like, are they the best team ever? Or like, how good is this? Or anyway, give us some perspective because it must be great right now.

Speaker 3 The last few days have been brilliant as an Arsenal fan.

Speaker 4 Yeah, I mean, obviously, like all jokes aside about the fact that

Speaker 4 people get a tiny bit ahead of themselves. And bear in mind that the best team in Europe by a mile last season was PSG and they barely got through the group stage.

Speaker 4 You don't know who's going to be playing the best football at the end of the season just because a team's playing one in November. But as a fan, as well as obviously someone who's...

Speaker 4 covers football, but someone who has been an Arsenal fan since I was a kid, like you really struggle to remember a moment when it felt as good as this.

Speaker 4 Like it feels like it's been a while since it's felt anything close to as good as this.

Speaker 4 And specifically, there's something about this matchup with Bayer Munich, I think, that feels like a confirmation or a validation, perhaps a better word, of what has been going on recently.

Speaker 4 Because this is the team that, and I know that we're now talking seven years ago, eight years ago, but in 2017 beat us 5-1 twice.

Speaker 4 This was the team that was always just that insurmountable obstacle for Arsenal. And even more recently than that, obviously, was a team that Arsenal still couldn't seem to match up to.

Speaker 4 Obviously, we talked about eight years ago, you're talking about a team that has Lauren Kaschelny in it against a team that's got Arjun Robin and Robert Lewandowski in it.

Speaker 4 So it's a very different era to what we're playing right now.

Speaker 4 But I do think that coming off the back of clobbering Tottenham in the league to come into the cup and have this sort of performance against a team that really is playing, Decan and Rice said it are full-time, the best football in Europe.

Speaker 4 Bayern Munich plays some really nice football. They played it again last night.
They played really good football.

Speaker 4 It feels like, not that it necessarily needed rubber stamping, but it does feel like a rubber stamp on my goodness, this team isn't just good. It's really, really good.

Speaker 3 And Barry, you know, the goals come from everywhere. They've got so many, you know, different players who've now scored sort of four, five, six goals.

Speaker 3 Like the set-piece delivery of Sacco and Rice, I know we've talked about it before.

Speaker 3 It's insane how accurate it is. It's just sort of like these

Speaker 3 arrows like like firing in at Manuel Neuer. We'll get onto him going for a jog in a bit because that's clearly the greatest moment of the game.

Speaker 3 But, you know, sure, I'm just saying Arsenal are good again.

Speaker 3 Does this confirm things for you, Barry? Does it make you think

Speaker 3 they really could run away with things?

Speaker 3 I think it's a possibility, but

Speaker 3 we know how quickly teams can inexplicably collapse. We know,

Speaker 3 I mean,

Speaker 3 people talk about their strength and depth. I think a potentially serious injury to Declan Rice could be potentially ruinous to their season.
The deliveries,

Speaker 3 not quite arrows, arrows tend to go straight. But yeah, Bukayo Saka's delivery for the opener was absolutely perfect.

Speaker 3 And in the absence of Gabrielle, they have Urian Timber on hand to foul the goalkeeper and score,

Speaker 3 which is handy.

Speaker 3 Another example of their strength and depth.

Speaker 3 I'm being slightly facetious there, but it was a really good goal. They're a terrific team.
That second half performance yesterday, I mean, they could have gone 2-1 down. They probably should have.

Speaker 3 When Jonathan Ta sent Stanisich away and he shot when he should have squared the ball, I think he had three Kane, Elise, and Leonard Carl all waiting.

Speaker 3 What a player he looks, by the way, Leonard Carl, only 17.

Speaker 3 But,

Speaker 3 yeah, a brilliant, brilliant second-hand half performance from Arsenal. The Arsenal friends of my acquaintance, and

Speaker 3 there are quite a few of them, they are all being very tight-lipped, but I can tell they think this is the season, but they're saying nothing.

Speaker 3 They're keeping their mouths shut for now. Oh, I don't blame them.
I don't blame them.

Speaker 3 Yesterday, Archie,

Speaker 3 we got a bit of perspective on how good is this Barcelona team at Chelsea B? And Nick has already alluded to it, but it is worth confirming. It is not easy to beat Bayern Munich, is it?

Speaker 6 It's not. Just a few things to add.

Speaker 6 I remember when Bayern beat Arsenal

Speaker 6 the last time in the Champions League, and

Speaker 6 they'd been thinking before about signing Declan Rice.

Speaker 6 And

Speaker 6 they felt vindicated by the performance that Rice didn't put in there. I wonder if the performance that Declan Rice put in last night was something of a response to that.

Speaker 6 Because, yeah, like a sushi restaurant, Rice was everywhere.

Speaker 6 It was absolutely amazing how he would go for a 30-yard run forward and then he lost the ball, but he's then sprinting back at the same velocity.

Speaker 6 And that moment where he did exactly that and dispossessed Harry Kane with a sly tackle gives it the big one to the fans.

Speaker 3 I thought he was superb.

Speaker 6 The truth is, Arsenal were a cut above anything that Bayerner faced this season.

Speaker 6 The fact that they didn't have Louis Diaz was, I think, the tipping point here.

Speaker 6 That compared to the PSG game in that first half where they dominated PSG, they certainly lacked a physical quality to them last night. That Lennart Carl has been able to come in 17 years old

Speaker 6 and

Speaker 3 be

Speaker 3 as

Speaker 3 imposing.

Speaker 6 That finish is really not easy, even if you're right in front of goal. And it was very much I'm him energy from him.
From a Bayern perspective,

Speaker 6 this is the first defeat of the season, as you've mentioned. They've been playing really well this season, 18-game unbeaten run over.

Speaker 6 They've done this without Jamal Mussiala and Alfonso Davies out injured, a thinner squad than before.

Speaker 6 But I think by looking across at Arsenal and seeing the strength and depth that they have, the fact that you can bring on Califiore and a minute later, he's storming down the touchline to provide that assist for Noni Madueke, they will store this defeat.

Speaker 6 It will be intriguing to see what happens come March, April, because this buy-in side under Vincent Company have shown their capabilities in learning.

Speaker 4 I thought it was really interesting.

Speaker 4 You say store this defeat, Archie, like the response of Harry Kane right afterwards being like, well, we'll see, basically you pretty much said, we'll see you again in the spring is more or less, I'm paraphrasing, but it basically was, well, we're going to be at the back at a later end of this tournament, we're expecting you to be there, so see you there.

Speaker 4 That's kind of how it came across. And what I loved about this game actually, all around, I mean, you talked about Declan Rice being everywhere, and he was Rice was

Speaker 4 absolutely monstrous. And I

Speaker 4 can't say enough about how good of a footballer he's become. I thought Zubimendi was great in the Arsenal midfield as well.

Speaker 4 But I do think that it's worth saying, talking about players being everywhere, especially when you consider that he is a centre forward. Harry Kane was putting himself about last night.

Speaker 4 Harry Kane was not shy in getting about the pitch. And what

Speaker 4 I was just getting to with this game was

Speaker 4 this game sort of didn't matter because both of these teams could afford to lose and still more than likely go through in the top eight, go through to the last 16, not have to do that extra playoff round in the knockouts.

Speaker 4 And yet, neither of them took it lightly.

Speaker 4 Arsenal, I think, made two changes from the game against Tottenham, even though they've got Chelsea coming up next.

Speaker 4 I don't know how many changes Bayern Munich made, but this was basically full-strength teams going at it at full strength. And I think that was,

Speaker 4 to some degree, a reflection of where both these teams are in their development and their identity is they actually really wanted this chance to put themselves up against someone who they see as a direct rival to win this thing and who they want to say okay let's get the measure of you so i i think there was um as a spectator enjoyable but also maybe as a psychologist interesting level of intensity to this game given that you could say it didn't matter much

Speaker 3 i mean we mentioned cocarelli yesterday being possibly the best left back in the premier league slash europe slash the world i mean calafiore is up there because he is some player isn't there and that that ball for madowake was great and a lovely moment for madowake and then we get to the martinelli goal sean says did i just see Noya walk past the living room window?

Speaker 3 Honestly, Barry, when I first saw it, because you don't see, you know, the camera, you don't know Noya's kind of, I thought it was a pitch invader.

Speaker 3 I was like, I genuinely thought, I genuinely was like, who's that there? And we know Noya comes out. And it's a wonderful touch from Martinelli, but it was so funny.

Speaker 3 Yeah, for anyone who didn't see it, Michael Elisa had the ball on the right wing while Byron were attacking.

Speaker 3 He kind of ran into a blind alley, was dispossessed, and his former palace teammate Ebericieze sort of launched the ball over the top for Martinelli to chase. And Martinelli set off and

Speaker 3 about, I don't know, what was it, five yards inside the Bayern Munich half, he met Neuer sprinting in the other direction.

Speaker 3 And Martinelli, I presume it was intentional, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Brilliant first touch off his knee to take the ball and pass Neuer and take Neuer out of the game.

Speaker 3 And then he had the fairly straightforward task of

Speaker 3 slotting the ball into an empty net from about 25 yards out. But yeah, Neuer, massive rush of blood to the head.
I presume he thought he could get to the ball before Martinelli. He didn't.

Speaker 3 But I think his head was gone.

Speaker 3 He was at fault for the first goal. We know how good Arsenal are at corners, but

Speaker 3 he did come and flap. And having got a little nudge from Timber, who ended up glancing the header in, Arsenal could have scored from another couple of corners.

Speaker 3 I think it was a Marino headed one, a very pretty straightforward chance down and wide.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 Nor pulled off a couple of couple of what on the face of it looked good saves. I would say a couple of them were lucky, whereas he was all over the place, and the ball just happened to hit him.

Speaker 3 So it wasn't a particularly good game from him,

Speaker 3 but the game was more or less lost by that stage anyway.

Speaker 3 I love seeing people who are brilliant at what they do make really terrible mistakes.

Speaker 3 It just makes me feel better about myself.

Speaker 6 The thing is,

Speaker 6 that rush of blood to the head is a regular occurrence, except that most of the time for Manuel Neuer in his career, it's come off.

Speaker 6 And as someone who watches Bayern live most weeks, the thing that you don't see on the usual camera one shot is that at every corner that Bayern gets, Manuel Neuer does this thing almost like a fox, kind of marking his territory, where he'll just come and sneak over the halfway line.

Speaker 3 Tells us shit on the core line.

Speaker 3 That's what I was going to say.

Speaker 6 It seems like that to me mentally, as if to say, like, just to let you know, I'm here.

Speaker 6 What an image I've given Barry there.

Speaker 3 That would be tremendous.

Speaker 3 To be fair,

Speaker 6 it wouldn't be the first act by a German goalkeeper on the pitch, given that Jens Lehmann famously once relieved himself next to his goal post.

Speaker 3 What I would say,

Speaker 6 in a more serious tone, is that

Speaker 6 respect to Arsenal for the speed of that turnover that accounted it.

Speaker 6 It was eight touches in 12 seconds from the ball leaving the Arsenal penalty area to the ball going across the line from Martinelli.

Speaker 6 But there is a little thing for Bayne that is that's the third game running that Manuel Neuer has made a rick and six of the last nine goals they've conceded have been from set pieces.

Speaker 6 They are still miles clear in the Bundesliga. No one is going to catch them.
But this is, I think, is something that they're going to have to work on. And they will, because

Speaker 6 they are very thorough with the way that they work. The Vincent Company mantra has always been,

Speaker 6 when we're great, let's not get too high. When we lose, let's not get too low.
And they sounded pretty even after it as well.

Speaker 6 But as Barry says, when you see somebody as good as Manuel Noya making mistakes like that, The thing is, it empowers a lot of people to think, well, that's okay. I can get away with that.

Speaker 6 And the thing is, I think the true show of Mamil Nois's greatness is that after that goal, you see him race out again, but he doesn't care. And he does a magnificent pass down the left.

Speaker 6 And that shows you the level that he still has, even if he is not at his zenith right now. Zenith.

Speaker 3 Yeah, worth saying,

Speaker 3 he hasn't signed for Zenith yet. I mean, that'll be at the moment.
But yeah, that's the challenge. Arsenal have never lost a game.
Arsenal have never lost a game when Martinez

Speaker 3 has found the back of the net. He's scored in 50 games.
They've won 41 and drawn nine. That is from Opta.
That's an interesting statistic. And I liked buying Munich's school socks.

Speaker 4 Just to bring us full circle, talking about the intensity and talking about the fact it's a long season. Arsenal look great now.

Speaker 4 I think about Intel last season who went for the quadruple, overexerted themselves, won nothing at all. So I think that's worth saying.

Speaker 4 But the reason actually that you feel like this Arsenal team might weather it is because Martinelli, who is nothing like a first choice player, is still that sort of effectiveness of player because you can lose Trossard and suddenly Madowake's back and scoring his first goal.

Speaker 4 I know it's not an original point, but I do think that is what makes this group feel different. It's just the depth of those options is really extraordinary.

Speaker 3 To Ranfield then, and look, we've said before, and we will keep saying that everything surrounding Liverpool needs to be contextualized with the impact of Diogo Joshua's death and they get a pass through me, whatever happens.

Speaker 3 But a full one defeat at home to PSV. They've lost five of their last seven in all competitions, nine in 12.

Speaker 3 In that run of the seven, they've conceded three uh or more five times. It was their biggest ever home defeat in the Champions League.

Speaker 3 Uh, you know, Tushia says, if a Liverpool fan decided not to cut his hair till Liverpool won five games in a row, who would get a haircut first?

Speaker 3 Them or the Man United fan? And, you know, Slot is being asked questions, Barry, about his future. He said, I feel safe, I'm okay.
I've got a lot of support from above.

Speaker 3 We're getting questions about, you know, would Inzagi come to Liverpool? Is that a good idea? I saw Ghost of Mountainfield rap saying, you know, his time is up.

Speaker 3 And it's extraordinary when you think about it, isn't it?

Speaker 3 Yeah, I think I'm surprised to hear the lads from the Andford rap think his time is up. Yeah, I don't miss all of them.
I just

Speaker 3 surprised. I thought they would be more patient.
I suppose the difference is I'm not a Liverpool fan, so it doesn't matter to me that Liverpool are on this

Speaker 3 bonkers losing streak,

Speaker 3 whereas it does very much matter to people who are invested in the club. And

Speaker 3 it's a terrible run. I have no idea what is going on in the minds of Slot's employers, so it would be ludicrous for me to say whether I think he'll get fired or not.

Speaker 3 But if he keeps losing games like this, he will at some point lose his job. I'm surprised by how little he seems to be doing to change things.

Speaker 3 There were some shocking performances from various Liverpool players last night.

Speaker 3 But Mo Sala, for example, was hopeless and has been hopeless for some time, but he seems to be undroppable. See also Ibrahim Akanate.

Speaker 3 Virgin Van Dyke is not playing well. Why does Milos Kirkas keep getting sent out into a hail of bullets when he's clearly having a terrible time of it?

Speaker 3 His confidence is bottomed out and he just shouldn't be starting games. Curtis Jones gave

Speaker 3 several interviews after the game last night. In one, he described Liverpool as being in the shit.

Speaker 3 In another, he

Speaker 3 and

Speaker 3 he was saying that

Speaker 3 Liverpool players need to start smashing into tackles and make people afraid of coming to Anfield again because teams are no longer afraid.

Speaker 3 Archie sent the clip around this morning and one of the comments underneath it was that Curtis Jones sounds like someone who isn't a scouser trying to do a scouse accent, which I thought was quite funny.

Speaker 3 But I wasn't even sure if the interview was real or not, but it was. Me neither, yeah.

Speaker 3 It was a real interview. But Curtis Jones was horribly at fault for one of the goals

Speaker 3 where I think it was the

Speaker 3 third PSV goal,

Speaker 3 whereas a player sauntered past him, he made no effort to chase him. Mo Sala was horribly at fault for PSV's second goal, where Mario Jr.

Speaker 3 just sauntered past him with the ball, and Salah made no effort to chase him. The only Liverpool player I can see who's

Speaker 3 playing anyway decently is Dominic Sabozwa. And then last night as well, Alexander Isaac didn't start.
Like, he can't get in that team. That's unbelievable what a disappointment he's been been so far.

Speaker 3 Newcastle fans must be absolutely laughing their heads off at what has become of their

Speaker 3 former star striker. During the summer, Isaac was being touted as the best striker in Europe.
I mean, he's not even the best striker in the Liverpool squad.

Speaker 3 Any talk of him being the best striker in Europe was laughable, I think, even at his best. But

Speaker 3 he must be embarrassed at what's going on. But yeah, a really

Speaker 3 shocking performance by Liverpool last night, but not a hugely surprising one. Yeah, essentially with Isaac, isn't it? It reminds me a bit of when Andy Cole went to Man United.

Speaker 3 Because he couldn't miss at Newcastle Cole. And obviously, he came good at United, but for a while, he wasn't great.
And there was this just kind of, what's happened here?

Speaker 3 And Isaac, when he came on, looked like he couldn't really play.

Speaker 3 You need a

Speaker 3 hierarchy in a club where everybody knows what their roles and who is bigger in terms of the stardom ranking.

Speaker 6 And I think the problem is, and I know this has been said before, but I think

Speaker 6 it bears repeating,

Speaker 3 that

Speaker 6 you have so many players there who think I should be the star.

Speaker 6 And

Speaker 6 I look at the fact of losing Nunes and Diaz.

Speaker 6 And I think too often with those two, people looked more at what they couldn't do rather than what they were doing because they were giving a lot to the team in terms of dynamic and off the ball.

Speaker 6 And you see it now when, I mean, Salah's defending for that.

Speaker 6 It looks more like

Speaker 6 he's trying to do some sort of rushed ticket inspection on Marrow Jr. and then he just gives up.

Speaker 3 It's bizarre.

Speaker 6 And I'm seeing also from Liverpool fans saying that, well, does Mo Salah also want to stand up for this team in the media? Because Virgil Van Dijk's done it enough.

Speaker 6 And Mo Salah never comes out and speaks to anyone unless he wants a new contract or something along those lines.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 6 it does come back to the original point. And you listen to all the voices that we're hearing from Liverpool players.
And I mean Andy Robertson as well when he was on Scotland duty.

Speaker 6 And I think that the grief from Diogo Jotta still plays that, still plays a role in terms of how everybody is suffering with themselves right now and doesn't know how to resolve the situation.

Speaker 6 No doubt Arna Slot is also making tactical errors here as well in terms of what are the best tactics for his team.

Speaker 6 But it's difficult, I think, with the media cycle and the way that we work, which is when a game comes, there's an expectation that we need to find a fresh angle on something and a fresh perspective.

Speaker 6 And when the answer is grief, which is the most unlinear thing of how it affects you.

Speaker 6 And particularly as a footballer, when you are sitting in a hotel room on your own for so much of the time and you're left to think about things and yet you cannot say those things in our in our environment because those are not accepted it's a really really complex situation and yeah it's a it's difficult one to explain i just want to add to that like um because i thought it was a really interesting point made by Stephen Morlock on Match of the Day.

Speaker 4 When people talk about changing manager, because I think Archie spoke really well to that complicated nature of grief.

Speaker 4 When you talk about changing manager, which I think is crazy anyway, this early after he's won you the league title last season, but

Speaker 4 Stephen Morlack was making that point of a new manager is going to walk into that situation of grief and how complicated would that be if someone has then got

Speaker 4 to step into a situation that

Speaker 4 is not their grief. surrounded by people who are dealing with that grief.
Like, I think there's

Speaker 4 another really

Speaker 4 important point, actually, which the club needs to weigh up and consider. If it is,

Speaker 4 I don't know, we're probably over-discussing this change of manager angle, but it has been picked up and mentioned, but I don't think it's on the cards.

Speaker 3 Yeah, no, no, I agree with all of that. I think it is, it's so fascinating what confidence does.
And for whatever reason, that confidence has gone.

Speaker 3 And also, Nikki, I think because football is so ruthless, isn't it? That now you could see PSV could smell blood. Like, like any team now will go to Anfield and go, like, they're not on it.

Speaker 3 And there is no, like, reputation counts for zero, basically. And they just went there and they would, and pick them off.

Speaker 4 Yeah, I mean, that's the part of the Curtis-Jones comments that perhaps is true is that there is no fear factor at Anfield now because of how things have gone. And

Speaker 4 the crazy thing is that it certainly seemed like Liverpool had plenty of chances to win the game. Van Dyke hits the bar at 1-1.

Speaker 4 You get Gackpo with a backheader pose from a lovely across from Shopolite at 2-1. There were plenty of chances for Liverpool to score goals in this game.

Speaker 4 but it did feel like, in part because of the things guys have already mentioned about how

Speaker 4 sloppy and lazy some of the tracking back was, abs in the tracking back was, it felt like every time PSV got the ball going forward, they thought, fancy this, we've got a chance here, we're going to go for it.

Speaker 4 And I think that that is almost the reverse of

Speaker 4 the Arsenal buying game where both teams played with such incredible intensity.

Speaker 4 Liverpool lacked intensity in this game and it's a a really mundane point, but at the highest level of football, that intensity is everything.

Speaker 4 If you haven't got that, you're not going to compete with teams even if you're more technically gifted than them. You're not going to be able to beat teams if you're not as intense as they are.

Speaker 3 I mean, we talk about the grief thing and I do believe it's having an impact.

Speaker 3 Some people laugh at the notion and I think that's quite a childish or simplistic view to suggest that it isn't having an impact.

Speaker 3 But I don't think you can lay the blame of people just not doing the basics, running, tackling, tracking back on grief.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 for all

Speaker 3 the fire and brimstone of Curtis Jones's post-match rhetoric, and he's clearly very angry with his teammates, and he did

Speaker 3 go out of his way to say he included himself in this. Jamie Carragher made the point, like, instead of talking about what you're going to do, just do it.

Speaker 3 It's like when people announce they're taking a break from social media and, you know, you're going, well, you don't need to announce it. Just fuck off.
Like don't post on social media.

Speaker 3 Do you know what?

Speaker 3 I don't know if I agree with you on that. I'm really conscious that we now, because of, you know, we think it's really important.

Speaker 3 Now, whenever we talk about Liverpool, like this podcast has like a grief section. And I can imagine the listeners are like, oh, I don't need to hear this grief section again.

Speaker 3 But, like, if it is affecting you, I think it could affect how you train, how you your gym work, all those things.

Speaker 3 And it is, you know, because it's such an elite level that if you're not quite at it in the gym, then you're not as quick as you were, and you're slightly off the pace, and your touch is slightly off, and then you're like, you're not feeling as good as you normally feel on the pitch.

Speaker 3 And that has an impact. I think it possibly could.
I'm now beginning to wonder: am I some sort of psychopath? Because

Speaker 3 people close to me,

Speaker 3 Friends and relatives have died and I've just gone with things.

Speaker 3 So

Speaker 3 am I a weirdo? No, no, no.

Speaker 6 But I think that's the exact point, Baz, in that everybody reacts so differently to it and that everybody is trying to process how everyone else is getting on with it.

Speaker 6 Because then there's no doubt someone in the dressing room who probably feels like you and is like, okay,

Speaker 6 I'm through this, but this guy is not because he's a lot closer. And I think that that's probably part of it in the way that they were all on the same page last season.

Speaker 6 And then comes a life event like that, which just blows everything apart in terms of everyone's joint perceptions.

Speaker 3 And also, like, it's, it's,

Speaker 3 when most individuals go through this,

Speaker 3 it is not in the intense situation that a football dressing room is, which is an in, which is just a plan.

Speaker 3 And, you know, we've sort of said this before that, you know, they're all human beings and it is true, but they are weird work environments.

Speaker 3 They're totally different to sort of any other work environment, I think.

Speaker 3 And so, you know, because you are, you're there, you're sharing these huge high, you know, like these sort of bondy moments every week. You're embracing your, like, you know, you're.

Speaker 3 you know, you're doing everything together, you know, you are constantly showering together and then running together and then working out together.

Speaker 3 And then you, this goal happens, and then you embrace each other together. And then, you know, all those things I think create incredibly intense relationships for very short periods of time, right?

Speaker 3 They don't all stay friends for the rest of their lives. But I am conscious that you know, and it's a conversation I'm sure we'll have again.

Speaker 3 But I imagine some listeners are like, I just want to hear, you know, why Virgo van Dyke stuck his hand in the air like a volleyball spike, which is a legitimate thing to wonder. Yes, Archie.

Speaker 3 Can I lighten the mood a little bit with

Speaker 3 Peter Bosch? Peter Bosch. Oh, he, he, if, if, if, if I, what's the, um,

Speaker 6 uh, yeah, what's the phrase in Harry Potter? Yeah, if I had a Petronas, I would want it to be Peter Bosch because just his whole energy is about entertaining.

Speaker 6 And he gave this wonderful interview in German magazine Elfreunde

Speaker 6 in this recent, in the most recent edition, where he was talking about his love of Joan Cruyf and saying, I want to give the spectators something to cheer about, even if we lose sometimes.

Speaker 6 If you play defensively, you'll lose. And then he does something which, which, if your mate in the pub starts to tell a story where they are the hero, I think you go a bit, hmm, not sure about this.

Speaker 6 But because it's Peter Bosch, I let it slide. So he goes to the interview.
Can I give you one of my favorite moments? And you go, yeah, sure. So it was in 2023 in the Champions League against Sevilla.

Speaker 6 We scored a goal to make it 2-1, pull one back after halftime. And Sevilla's Ocampos was sent off.

Speaker 6 I'd already substituted one centre-back and now wanted to take out the second centre-back for a striker. So I was standing on the sideline with Patrick Van Arnholt, waiting for the the right moment.

Speaker 6 Then we scored the 2-2.

Speaker 3 What now?

Speaker 6 Should I take even more of a risk?

Speaker 3 I thought to myself, fuck it, I'll do it. Olivier Boscali, our centre-back, came off on the other side.

Speaker 6 He was furious. We were playing with two fullbacks and four strikers.
I think Boscalli thought I was crazy. As he walked to the bench, ranting and raving, we scored to make it 3-2.
Unbelievable.

Speaker 6 He came up to me and said, Peter, you've got Cojonis. You've really got Cojonis.

Speaker 6 And Peter Bosch ends by going, that's a compliment, compliment, right?

Speaker 6 What a character, and delighted that he gets the um, he gets the rewards for it with the result last night.

Speaker 4 I know it's really easy to be like dismissive over the Aero divisi sometimes and goals because I think, especially Premier League fans have seen players come from there and not replicate at the Premier League.

Speaker 4 They have scored 41 goals in 13 games in the Aero divisi, they also smashed six past Napoli in the Champions League. I mean, this is that's the other thing that needs to be said.

Speaker 4 This is not just a Liverpool story, it is a PSV story. They are, as Archie says, wildly entertaining.

Speaker 3 I was looking at one of these XG social media accounts. I can't remember what it's called.

Speaker 3 But over the past three games on aggregate, Liverpool's XG has been superior to that of their three opponents. But they've lost by an aggregate score of 10-1.

Speaker 3 So that either means Liverpool aren't as bad as their results suggest, or that XG is just a load of old tosh.

Speaker 3 It's not for me to say which, but I just thought it was an interesting stat. Yeah, no, it's interesting.
I said they created quite a lot against Forest early, didn't they?

Speaker 3 And they did again in this game, as Nick alluded to. They created loads of chance in this game.
Anyway, let's end part one and part two will begin with PSG 5 Spurs 3.

Speaker 1 Hi, folks, it's Mark Bittman from the podcast Food with Mark Bittman.

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Speaker 3 Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So, yes, to Paris, PSG 5, Spurs 3.
And look, what Spurs wanted was a reaction from Sunday and a team that actually attacked.

Speaker 3 And I think, like, I think they got that. I think, I don't think Spurs fans think they should go to Paris and beat PSG.
And this is the level that Tottenham are at at the moment.

Speaker 3 But I found it quite, I was sort of quite infused by this game barry i

Speaker 3 i thought it was a decent performance from spurs but they give away so many soft goals that were totally or totally avoidable um the penalty was completely avoidable the patch show goal was avoidable at least one of the vitino goals after he'd scored the first one

Speaker 3 Don't let him score the second one. And then obviously he got a penalty, but the penalty shouldn't have been given.

Speaker 3 and i thought the fabian ruiz goal was totally avoidable oh totally that was the worst of the lot i thought it was a good performance by spurs but one marred by

Speaker 3 really stupid mistakes that

Speaker 3 uh allowed psg to score

Speaker 3 four goals they probably shouldn't have scored but you know

Speaker 3 players make mistakes but to make so many bad ones in a game but um otherwise i thought spurs were decent enough. They were playing against away from home, against the European champions.

Speaker 3 I would imagine there are probably some Spurs fans who think they should be going there and beating them.

Speaker 3 But compared to their performance on Sunday against Arsenal, and it's a low bar, this was head and shoulders above that, but they did still lose. Yeah, I mean, you mentioned Bettinian.

Speaker 3 His first goal is so good. And the Glenn Hodl on Coke on absolutely, it's so good, isn't it? When he's like, because

Speaker 3 Spurs had done that first half really, really well. They came out with this formation, which people couldn't work out what it was.

Speaker 3 It was kind of 4-2-2-2 or like a box, but they had Bergville and Gray. And people, Spurs fans love those two players because they're young and they are good.

Speaker 3 And, you know, Archie Gray had to be centre-backed for the whole of last season because of all the injuries. And then the Hodl is saying, well, look, they're just confining.

Speaker 3 PSG to shots from outside the box and they'll be pretty happy with that. Strike the ball.
It was like, it was literally like,

Speaker 3 and what a finish it was.

Speaker 6 particularly because it's such a ping, like that the way the ping off the crossbar really adds to the effect of it.

Speaker 3 But, like, has that you know, that Thomas Frank likes to you know, has said, like, you know, let players shoot from outside the box if they do it because they're so unlikely to score, you know, back to the XG, it's a low XG, even if it's Bettinha, he's such a good player.

Speaker 3 I don't know what you thought, Archie. I thought it was a real step in the right direction, and Thomas Frank needed it.
And maybe, maybe my expectations are lower than they should be.

Speaker 3 But, you know, after Sunday, which was so bad, and also like a run of games, Chelsea game was terrible as well.

Speaker 3 Seeing them actually attack and like and press and do things that teams should do was a relief.

Speaker 6 I think conceding the goals that Spurs did takes away from that.

Speaker 3 But

Speaker 6 you can't run down five goals where half of them are

Speaker 6 poor defensive mistakes and go, it's a step in the right direction. Max, you're sounding like Ange.

Speaker 3 It's who we are, mate. I can't help it.
What's happened? If anything, the thing that I'm thinking is,

Speaker 6 from a personal standpoint, is, well, the great force of Spursiness collides with Fulham-ish

Speaker 3 on Saturday.

Speaker 6 And I'm like, oh, we're going to be the team that they turn this round against, aren't we? Aston Villa hadn't won a game this season, but here come Fulham.

Speaker 3 So,

Speaker 3 yeah.

Speaker 3 Let's see.

Speaker 3 Can Can I ask you, Nicki about Christian Romero? Because I just, you know, I can't work out if he's either absolutely brilliant or just a bit of a donut. Like, or maybe both.

Speaker 3 Like, like, because like that mistake, he's, he's sort of fun. He makes a mistake as well.
He doesn't sort of, he's got such a poker face. He doesn't have poker feet, of course.
We know that.

Speaker 3 Like, he launches in, but he does have this kind of like blase or not bothered. He just stays the same, this face, even when he's absolutely messed up.

Speaker 4 Yeah, but it's that, it's that terrifying character in the movies and he just stays completely silent, doesn't let you know right before he commits some ignorant act of

Speaker 4 violence, which obviously footballing violence in this case, not suggesting that Christian Romero is, but he is a bit that.

Speaker 4 He's got such an um an edge to him as a player, and I think he's a good player, but he he does always

Speaker 4 feel like he's in that not showing it, like you say, with a poker face way. He's he's just a moment away

Speaker 4 at any given second, he's a moment away of doing something completely crazy,

Speaker 4 which

Speaker 4 is not necessarily a trait you want in a centre-back.

Speaker 4 I, yeah, I don't know, it's such a weird one because you're saying that, Max, and obviously Thomas Frank saying, really pleased with the performance.

Speaker 4 It's just very odd to hear a manager talk about being very pleased with the performance after conceding five goals and not like five goals that was like, oh my God, how did we concede five goals?

Speaker 4 Five goals because you gave a lot of them away. Like it was, it was a it was a weird one.
And I don't even completely disagree with you because going forward, there was lots that was good.

Speaker 4 But at the same time,

Speaker 4 I didn't see the Super Cup game. So I'm going off the

Speaker 4 reports I heard of it. But from everything I understand, Tottenham are very, very close to beating PSG in that Super Cup game.
They were teening up, obviously. And

Speaker 4 by all the reports at the time, they were not undeserving of that teen and up. So it doesn't feel like it's necessarily progress if a few months later you're getting this sort of defensive performance

Speaker 4 in a rematch.

Speaker 3 I was enthused until we had this conversation.

Speaker 3 Yes, Archie.

Speaker 6 The difference with a Super Cup game is the context because you'd just come off the back of

Speaker 6 Angeball and it seemed like defensive organization. It seemed like pragmatism.
And I think that Spurs fans were encouraged at the time by, oh, hang on, this could be a new serious face to the team.

Speaker 6 Except what's come in the last month has been some really gutless performances, particularly in front of goal. And now, yeah, it's a bit different.

Speaker 3 And actually, PSG, I think, hadn't trained for like two months. So, you know, they played the Cub Cup and then they just sort of came back for a kickabout.
Uh, but look, Colombiani scored too.

Speaker 3 So, look, I have faith, I believe this could be the turning point. So, so, basically, Tottenham's best player in a game against PSG was a PSG player.

Speaker 3 Listen, listen, you know, yeah, look, when there are these tools to clutch at, Barry,

Speaker 3 I clutch at them. I'm a glass half-full guy.
I can't help it.

Speaker 3 Anyway, I hope Javi Simmons' nose is all right after being elbowed completely unnecessarily by Lucas and Anders. That was a filthy challenge.
Right, let's rattle to the others.

Speaker 3 LNPR costs three, Real Madrid four.

Speaker 3 What's the question for this one, Barry? Killian Mbappe is good. A seven-minute hat-trick, four in total.

Speaker 3 Question for this is, did Killian Mbappe score the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history? No, he didn't. He scored one in six minutes, 42 seconds.
But Mo Sala has a quicker one, apparently.

Speaker 3 Yeah, 4-3 to Madrid. Not as close as the scoreline suggests, but a good effort from Olympiakis, nevertheless.
Athletic beat into 2-1.

Speaker 3 Andy says, is it even a Champions League night if it doesn't end with Simeone charging down the touchline? Yeah, what did you make of this one, Nikki?

Speaker 4 It's really hard to figure Inter out at the moment. I continue to think their squad is by far the most talented in Italy,

Speaker 4 but their record in big games is is really bad for a while now and coming off the really not great uh defeat to me lane in the derby they've just hoping for a response here and and to then be

Speaker 4 at least drawing the game away from home to Atletico in the 90th minute and concede an equalizer at the end feels like feels like it's another

Speaker 4 ding to the morale and and belief that this team is is able to get over that that issue of just not being able to show up in these big games.

Speaker 4 They've had four

Speaker 4 very straightforward games in this group relative to

Speaker 4 what they've got left. I think their first four games, you look at them all, they did win them all, but you think those are games maybe you expect them to win.

Speaker 4 After this, they get Liverpool, Arsenal and Brusha Dortmund away. So

Speaker 4 they're not going to not go through to at least the playoffs, but

Speaker 4 it is tougher from here and that wasn't great. There was a lot that happened last night, so I couldn't give this game as much of my attention as you can.
I understood as well.

Speaker 3 So I'll ask you a vague question about Atalanta as well. They won 3-0 in Frankfurt.

Speaker 3 And I try to ask about Adamola Luckman because every time I read about him, he's unhappy.

Speaker 3 Is he happy? Is he now happy at Atalanta? What's his vibe?

Speaker 4 Well,

Speaker 4 I'm sure everyone at Atalanta is happier

Speaker 4 after this win, because it's better than what they've heard recently, which is a lot of losing, including at the weekend against Napany.

Speaker 4 Luckerman wanted to leave this summer. He wasn't subtle about it.

Speaker 4 The club wouldn't let him leave. I think there was a feeling that a gentleman's agreement was broken, that he was going to be allowed to leave the summer.

Speaker 4 And so he was basically frozen out through pre-season. He didn't train.

Speaker 4 As a result, he finally got reintegrated, but hadn't trained in pre-season, wasn't great to start this season because he wasn't fit.

Speaker 4 Maybe wasn't great also because Ivan Jurich was the manager, who can say. But Jurich is now gone.
Palladino's in. I think Palladino is a really...

Speaker 4 interesting young manager who deserves that chance he did great work at Fiorentino last season and yeah obviously didn't start with a

Speaker 4 hasn't started perfectly in the league, but to get a win like this in the Cup might just be a good thing for Luckman and for Palladino to get the ball rolling a bit.

Speaker 3 Elsewhere Sporting Beat Club Ruger 3-0, Copenhagen beat Kyra 3-2 and a two-all draw between Paphos and Monaco, including a brilliant header from David Louise.

Speaker 3 I don't know, Barry, if you had any strong thoughts on any of those games. Well, Paphos are doing really well for themselves, the Super Champions.

Speaker 3 They currently occupy the twenty-fourth and final qualifying spot on the table. They're flying the flag for the little guy, I suppose,

Speaker 3 this season, or little-ish guy. And just Copenhagen, Henry Glarson's son Jordan won and scored a penalty for them.
And I went to have a look to see,

Speaker 3 you know, what age this teenage son of a great is. He's 28.

Speaker 3 Oh, no. When they go, and number one when he was bought was Ryan Adams.
Oh, God.

Speaker 3 28.

Speaker 3 I must have heard of him before and forgotten him. But anyway, yes, I think he's 28 and he has eight caps for Sweden.

Speaker 6 I was just going to say a shout out to the 10 Kairat Almaty fans who went to Copenhagen, who were presented on the pitch beforehand and congratulated.

Speaker 3 Oh, that's great. Which I thought is lovely.
Which I thought was lovely. Yeah, more players than fans is always good.
Right, that'll do it for part two. Part three will be a Premier League preview.

Speaker 1 Hi, folks, it's Mark Bittman from the podcast Food with Mark Bittman.

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Speaker 3 And welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. Ben says, is Baz still excited by Arsenal Chelsea at the weekend? Uber Greene

Speaker 3 writes, as he thought your previous similar question was inexplicably beneath him, does Barry think Arsenal's win tonight, as well as Chelsea's win yesterday, sets up their weekend clash nicely?

Speaker 3 Judging from the conversation we had before the pod, no, but over to you, Barry. Chelsea Arsenal, the game of the weekend.
Yes.

Speaker 3 My argument is that what Chelsea and Arsenal are doing in the Champions League has absolutely zero bearing on what may or may not happen in their game, Premier League game on Sunday.

Speaker 3 It's already nicely set up whether they win in a different competition in the build-up to the game makes no difference to me.

Speaker 3 The thing I'd say about this, just an overview on this weekend's Premier League fixtures, it's the most games gone fixture list we've ever seen, I think, because we have an 8 p.m. game on Saturday,

Speaker 3 which I hate. hate.
And then

Speaker 3 on Sunday, we have a 12 p.m. game,

Speaker 3 noon game between Crystal Palace and Manchester United. That's costing you and me money, Max, because we bumped off the radio.
Apparently, Palace V-Manu is going to be more entertaining than us.

Speaker 3 And then you have three.

Speaker 3 three fixtures kicking off at not 2 p.m. but five past two

Speaker 4 so uh yeah game's gone every time we talk talk about like 12 kickoffs, all I can think about is like the crappest protest that ever happened in Italy when they introduced the early lunchtime kickoffs.

Speaker 4 And a bunch of Parama fans had the Protesta del Panino, which is the sandwich protest, which is when the game cooked off, they all took out a sandwich and started eating it. That was the protest.

Speaker 3 That's really good.

Speaker 3 That'll show them. We'll eat lunch at lunchtime while we watch the game.
I mean, I don't agree with Barry. I think you don't compartmentalize performances across competitions.

Speaker 3 Of course, Caravao Cup, you might make loads of changes.

Speaker 3 But, like, if you're on a roll and both these teams are on a roll and Chelsea beaten Barcelona and Arsenal beaten by Munich, I think it does add more to this game.

Speaker 3 But, you know, I'm happy to be able to do that. You are entitled to your wrong opinion, Max.
Okay.

Speaker 3 I'd just like to know if the rest of the panel share my wrong opinion. Archie.
I... I agree with Max.
Thank you so much. Nikki? I think I agree with Max.

Speaker 4 I think it does if two teams go and win really big European games in the same week and then they're playing each other. I think that

Speaker 4 does feel like it's building up towards a climactic clash, doesn't it?

Speaker 3 Just because I'm in a minority doesn't mean I'm wrong. No, no, no.

Speaker 3 You're absolutely right. Liverpool goes to West Ham on Sunday.
So, you know, wow. I mean, that is, it's probably, is it the game you want? West Ham are slightly better now, aren't they?

Speaker 3 So I don't know what game Liverpool wants. When you're losing, losing, when you're on a horrible losing streak, every game's tricky.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 new and improved less Sam away.

Speaker 4 Would it be a massive shock if Liverpool lost?

Speaker 3 I don't think so. Do you want a Fulham minute?

Speaker 3 You've already slightly touched on it, Archie. They go to Tottenham.
It is that Saturday, eight o'clock kickoff. That is an unnecessary time.

Speaker 3 It's shiny game show time, isn't it?

Speaker 3 It's not football time.

Speaker 3 But how do you see Fulham going?

Speaker 6 I I think Fulham is struggling without Rodrigo Mooney's being out for so long. Now he's ruled out until January at least.

Speaker 6 Also, trying to blood younger new players like Josh King and Kevin is something that we've not done much of before.

Speaker 6 So that's taking its toll. And I think having overachieved in previous seasons under Marco Silver in the Premier League, this was inevitable that this might happen at some point.

Speaker 6 Fans are upset about lack of investment. I do think we're a little bit light in central midfield with Berger and Lukic, and there's no real replacement for them.

Speaker 6 But ultimately, I'm sticking by Barry's prediction of us to finish 12th.

Speaker 3 Fine.

Speaker 3 Rob Edwards' next game is away at Villa, so that doesn't seem easy at all. Crystal Palace Man United

Speaker 3 is one of the midday kickers on Sunday. See what Man United do after that home defeat to Everton.
Palace away at Strasbourg this evening. It just comes from Ben Chilwell, who's now playing.

Speaker 3 I don't know if anyone saw these for Strasbourg. He said, What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after I was in the Chelsea bomb squad and everyone had counted me out 12 months prior.

Speaker 3 It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which to me is a motivation.

Speaker 3 Chelsea were honest with me, and there's no resentment, but of course, I've got an ego, so it'd be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong.

Speaker 6 I would say there is some resentment.

Speaker 3 Yeah, it sounds like,

Speaker 3 yeah, and fair enough, right? I think, you know, if anyone was put in a bomb squad, I think you're allowed to present them, aren't they? Everton, Newcastle, Man City Leeds, Sunderland, Bournemouth.

Speaker 3 The Everton Newcastle one is quite an interesting one. Two fascinating teams, actually.

Speaker 3 I still think Everton are getting away with murder, but their results suggest otherwise.

Speaker 3 And maybe it's because I predicted they'd be relegated.

Speaker 3 But they had a great win over Manchester United on Monday.

Speaker 3 They're 11th, but they're only four points off Champions League place, I think.

Speaker 3 And then Newcastle with their really dreadful away form.

Speaker 3 I think if Newcastle...

Speaker 3 Look, we've been predicting, or I have been predicting for years now, and anytime Newcastle goes on a bad run, that...

Speaker 3 Eddie Howell will come under pressure, but they always seem to dig themselves out of the hole.

Speaker 6 But I do think he will be under pressure if they lose another away game in the premier league this is the self-immolation derby how appropriate that after the michael keen adrissa gay um

Speaker 6 incident on monday that they should go and face newcastle if we were in the us they'd wheel out lee bowyer and kieran dyer before on the pitch with pugil sticks or something like that it's yeah i i that sometimes the fixture list works out well We talked about in the box and ideas for Skye.

Speaker 3 You know, get those two and get some pugilistics. I'm in.
I did watch all of In the Box, and I actually sort of hate myself for not hating it. I mean, it was clearly completely ridiculous.

Speaker 3 One of the worst jobs, whoever had to edit that is like having to edit Big Brother. It would be an absolute nightmare.
But, like, there was part of me that sort of kept on watching.

Speaker 3 So, you know, maybe I shouldn't have been as down on it yesterday.

Speaker 3 Full week of championship action this week. Coventry beat Middlesbrough.
It was the top two at the time. Middlesbrough now had third.
They won 4-2. They scored two late on.
They're 10 points clear.

Speaker 3 Frank Lampard's Coventry, which is amazing.

Speaker 3 You know, uh it's a long old season but that is some uh lead that they have chef united won last night big win they beat portsmith 3-0 moved out of the relegation zone but this story is extraordinary Earlier this week, there was a report that United's owners, COH, had supposedly contacted Sheffield Wednesday's administrators to make an inquiry.

Speaker 3 The club made a statement the day after this report came out, but interestingly didn't deny they'd made inquiries over a potential merger.

Speaker 3 So we're not totally sure, but like, is it like local reporters, And there are some Sheffield United fans who don't love their owners, are going, of all the things you could do as the owner of Sheffield United is try and merge with Sheffield Wednesday.

Speaker 3 Like, it's like, it's insane. Like, it's not like a, because they're American owners, they're not very present as far as I understand, but it does seem like a sort of a slight lack of local knowledge.

Speaker 3 And, like, what do you say? What do you say? Do you say, I'll tell you what, what they say to Sheffield Wednesday is, we'll take the Sheffield from your name and the United

Speaker 3 from our name. name how about that

Speaker 3 complete madness it's a bit like the curtis jones interview we were talking about i wasn't quite sure is this real or not but it it sounds like it is uh the curtis jones interview definitely was real by the way i can imagine uh distant american owners being that

Speaker 3 ignorant and tone deaf and what colours are they gonna be red and blue

Speaker 3 it's sort of upsetting to even think about it

Speaker 3 we the white stripes from your

Speaker 3 shirt and the red stripes from our shirt.

Speaker 3 The WSN has apologised to Spurs for a remark made by influencer GK Barry. It does sound like a cricketer from the 1940s, doesn't it? GK Barry, during the League Cup draw on Tuesday night.

Speaker 3 The draw for the quarterfinals and semi-finals were conducted by GK Barry and her partner, the Portsmouth midfielder Ella Rutherford.

Speaker 3 As Spurs were drawn out, GK Barry shouted, what do you think of Tottenham? And, you know, everyone knows that chant.

Speaker 3 She also pulled a bag, a ball out of the bag and dropped it in by accident and took it out again. Poor old Ted Croaker, they'd be furious about this.
You wouldn't get this.

Speaker 3 An adjudicator from the WSL was present at the draw and is satisfied the process was conducted fairly and correctly.

Speaker 3 And it's like on one level, Nikki, it is. It's quite funny.
A bit like Rod Stewart doing that draw when he was half cut is funny.

Speaker 3 But it's also, I sat to a couple of, I heard from Catherine Batt, the journalist yesterday, and I did a show on Talks Board, Uma Gurav was on there and she was saying that you can have fun with a draw, but like if someone comes along and you want to encourage people, right, to the women's game, but GK Berry clearly knows nothing about football, is not taking it seriously at all and is, yeah, it's sort of the wrong side of the line was the vibe I got from certainly from the women's football sets experts that I've spoken to.

Speaker 4 I'd agree with that on it being the wrong side of the line. I have like a certain sympathy with GK Barry, who's obviously just been like offered this shit game

Speaker 4 and has been told, just be yourself. Like no, no one has told her not to do that, right? They've just, they've just said, oh, go on, just do it, be yourself.
It's simple.

Speaker 4 You're just pulling the balls out of the bags. It's not a lot to worry about.
I don't, I don't feel like it's, it's her fault.

Speaker 4 I don't feel like it's also conceptually like this terrible, terrible idea if you're trying to expand your audiences into certain demographics to try to get someone to do something that, I mean, drawers are always a jamboree, right?

Speaker 4 We've had flipping Donald Trump drew the balls once for a

Speaker 4 league cup draw whatever happened to him

Speaker 4 clip draw anyway so um so so there's there's been all sorts of nonsense with with cup drawers in the past and and and it's all of it individually I can I can see but yeah it feels like this one what was really needed is if you're going to do it a little bit more actual conversation about taking certain

Speaker 4 not seriously to the point of being po-faced because again it's supposed to be a chamberee but I think there's

Speaker 4 maybe a little bit not enough was discussed beforehand about actually, but this does still need to be a professional process.

Speaker 3 You're probably right.

Speaker 3 Michael says, is it a coincidence that Football Weekly's entry to YouTube content is happening at the same time as Barry's running transformation?

Speaker 3 Yeah, you can now watch these podcasts on YouTube if you'd like to see our grinning faces.

Speaker 3 How is the running going? Did you Barry only agreed to this once he'd started his jogging extravaganza? So it's the new slimline Barry Glendenning.

Speaker 3 The new slimline Barry Glendenning has actually put on weight weight since he started running. I think because I'm running, pure muscle.

Speaker 3 Muscle weighs more than no, I think it's because I'm running. I'm now giving myself permission to eat things I wouldn't have eaten before I started running.
Ice creams and chocolate bars and all that.

Speaker 3 But, you know, that's not a problem.

Speaker 3 The running's going fine. Did my first uninterrupted 5k on Monday, 37 minutes,

Speaker 3 12 seconds, which under 40, I was happy enough with that. And

Speaker 3 like Pep Guardiola said last week, now that I've got, I can whack out three miles without too much trouble.

Speaker 3 And like, without wanting to toot my own horn, that is remarkable because I couldn't run half the length of a football pitch five weeks ago. Anyway, the season starts now into proper training.

Speaker 3 So, yeah.

Speaker 6 Are you going to be going up to a cameraman anytime soon, Barry, and just shouting in his face?

Speaker 3 Well, if there's one following me when I'm out running, certainly, yes.

Speaker 3 And he'll be getting more than a bolicu.

Speaker 3 If you're just going to just give in and write Derek Glenn Denning, that you can give some more money to Great Ormond Street. Thank you, by the way, to everyone who's donated.

Speaker 3 It is absolutely astonishing. I don't know whether it's generosity or just people being bastards, putting me under pressure, but whichever.

Speaker 3 Thank you.

Speaker 3 Could be pity.

Speaker 3 Pity. I'll take a pity money as fine.

Speaker 3 All right, that'll do for today. Thanks, everyone.
Thank you, Archie.

Speaker 6 Thanks, Max. Thanks, Nikki.

Speaker 3 Thanks. Thanks, Baz.
Thank you. From Weekly, it's produced by Tya Papula and Joel Grove, and our executive producer is Phil Maynard.
We'll be back on Monday.