Latest / Friends on Football / Ep. 2 - Arsenal Win the Premier League, Manager Movement at Big Clubs, Serie A Champions League Battle and Tottenham's Fear of the Drop

Transcript

Ep. 2 - Arsenal Win the Premier League, Manager Movement at Big Clubs, Serie A Champions League Battle and Tottenham's Fear of the Drop · Friends on Football

0:22
SPEAKER_02: Hello, friends.
0:23
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the second episode of the Friends on Football Podcast.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: I am one of your co-hosts, Brandon Johnson, and I'm joined today by our founder, CEO, chief, president.
0:35
SPEAKER_02: I don't know what title he's going by today, but Sean Boyle.
0:38
SPEAKER_02: We love to have you on, obviously.
0:41
SPEAKER_02: Before we get started, Sean, just how how are we feeling today?
0:43
SPEAKER_01: How's it going?
0:44
SPEAKER_01: Pretty pretty horrible, Brandon.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: I'm excited that you are taking over the hosting duties today.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: That's a relief.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: So that's the good news.
0:51
SPEAKER_01: The bad news is we have to talk about Tottenham a lot throughout this episode.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: That's obviously not very fun.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: I can't believe we decided to start a football podcast the week that Arsenal wins the Premier League for the first time in a long time.
1:05
SPEAKER_01: So I could be better, is my answer.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: But how are you?
1:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, I'm in the same boat.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: We'll we'll talk about it in the episode, but I still have I still have some faith.
1:13
SPEAKER_02: So today uh we're gonna talk, of course, a recap of England, all the games in the English League, what went down last weekend.
1:21
SPEAKER_02: Uh we'll do a little bit of manager news.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: So we've got some new coaches moving to some new teams, a uh recap of a lot of what happened in Europe last weekend as well.
1:29
SPEAKER_02: And then we'll do some games to watch, looking forward to what's gonna be another exciting and roller coaster of a weekend of soccer.
1:37
SPEAKER_02: So Sean, I mean, let's just let's just uh rip the band-aid Sean.
1:43
SPEAKER_02: Um Arsenal won the Premier League this uh yesterday, so how are we feeling?
1:48
SPEAKER_02: What's what's going on?
1:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, vibes are bad.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: Uh not only did our arch rival as Tottenham fans win the league, we're in the middle of a relegation scrap, but I guess we should start by giving Arsenal their flowers.
2:02
SPEAKER_01: It pains me to do all of this, so I'm kind of doing it all tongue in cheek, but I think I think the first and only part of the conversation I would pay respect to Arsenal in, they deserve credit for sticking with their manager and continuing to invest in the squad.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: And that's eventually how they came to be Premier League champs.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: It was a slow build over the course of the last five or six seasons.
2:25
SPEAKER_01: There were some dark times, they bottled several trophies several times, and there was a lot of doubt cast over Mikel Arteta.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: And while he played terroristic football to get this trophy over the line, and I I certainly couldn't be proud of it if I was a fan of them.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: It is something to respect to see that culture and that progression throughout the last five years.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Not a lot of teams are able to or willing to stick with the manager, stick with the system, and continue to pour gasoline on a fire when the results aren't always showing.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: So I think that if I were to tip my cap in any capacity, that would be as far as I would go.
3:01
SPEAKER_01: I won't go much further than that.
3:03
SPEAKER_01: What what do you think about them winning the league?
3:05
SPEAKER_01: Is it deserved?
3:06
SPEAKER_01: Is it justified?
3:08
SPEAKER_02: Unfortunately, I I do.
3:10
SPEAKER_02: I do think it was justified and deserved somewhat.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: I I like you said, that they've been building this product for years.
3:16
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, they'll go buy one or two splashy players, but for the most part, they they've developed their guys, their own guys, and you know, I guess it was just their their time this year.
3:27
SPEAKER_02: So it's a tough one, but you know, we we move and we'll be hopefully back at it again next year, which we'll get into in a little bit.
3:36
SPEAKER_02: How do you how do you feel, Sean, about Arsenal winning in the league based on Manchester City losing?
3:43
SPEAKER_02: Of course they earned it, you know, we talked about that, the merit, but but having to watch the other game to to declare you as champion.
3:50
SPEAKER_02: How do you feel about that?
3:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it it's it stinks.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: It seemed to be inevitable.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: I was holding on to false hope for throughout the last several weeks and months that City had finally rounded a corner and that they would not lose any more of their matches, but they proved time and time again they're just not very trustworthy this year, City.
4:07
SPEAKER_01: They're not the exact same side of the last few years.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: They've they're certainly a bit weaker, they're a bit easier to get at.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: And that was what Arsenal's superpower was was they were just rock solid in defense.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: They didn't give up any cheap ones, they didn't get caught out in transition very often.
4:23
SPEAKER_01: The only real way to beat them was scoring some high-quality goals and having the refs not cheat against you also helps.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: So Arsenal got a lot of calls in their favor, and a lot of other teams didn't, and I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
4:37
SPEAKER_01: It seems like Arsenal's claim to fame throughout the last couple of seasons was set pieces.
4:42
SPEAKER_01: They hired a set piece coach at the beginning of last year, and he basically created rugby in the box.
4:48
SPEAKER_01: And it seems like something that FIFA and the FA are going to take a look at ahead of next season, and I think we'll actually see some rule changes, but they capitalized on a market efficiency, basically, and they've gotten a title because of it.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: Like you mentioned, this came because City lost to Bournemouth, and I think that was just City were not going to be able to run off seven consecutive results to chase down Arsenal, and I'm not sure Arsenal would have given them what they needed to on the final day either.
5:15
SPEAKER_01: So it stinks that it came with someone else losing, but I think this kind of seemed like what was destined to happen.
5:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you mentioned it.
5:25
SPEAKER_02: Um, and I was I was a little bit surprised to see City didn't really rotate too much of their squad.
5:31
SPEAKER_02: They played a lot of the same players they played it on the weekend against Chelsea.
5:34
SPEAKER_02: Do you think this loss today and not winning the league for them does anything to change sort of Pep's status as a manager?
5:43
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, we know he's leaving the club after this this weekend's game, but does not winning that last title change your thoughts about him?
5:51
SPEAKER_01: No, certainly not.
5:52
SPEAKER_01: But I'm also a huge Pep guy.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: I I love him.
5:55
SPEAKER_01: I like how he speaks about football.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: I like how he manages a team.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: I think this certainly will leave a sour taste in his mouth.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure he would have loved to do the domestic double in his final season, but I think he'll at least take some grace in the fact that he does have a trophy from this year to to remember this season by and his career at Manchester City.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: They we didn't talk about it yet on this program, but they they won the FA Cup on Saturday against Chelsea.
6:24
SPEAKER_01: And that's at least something that he's he's not leaving here without anything.
6:28
SPEAKER_01: So I while I definitely think Pep and Man City, their sights were set a bit higher, certainly to start the season, and certainly when they beat Arsenal, I thought they had a taste of blood in their mouth that they would be able to run them down, so they'll be a little bit disappointed.
6:42
SPEAKER_01: But overall, his legacy at Manchester City, it's among the best runs any team has seen in any league ever.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: And now Pip Pep's been responsible for a couple of those in a couple different countries.
6:53
SPEAKER_01: So I think he's gonna sleep pretty peacefully at night.
6:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
6:57
SPEAKER_02: And and we'll probably touch on him a little bit later, but to to kind of flip the script, um, we have to talk now the relegation battle.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: So Sunday, 11 a.m.
7:06
SPEAKER_02: Eastern, all ten Premier League games will be going on at the same time.
7:11
SPEAKER_02: Uh, so no team can cheat and see what other teams are doing.
7:14
SPEAKER_02: Sean, you know, last Sunday, sorry, Newcastle beat West Ham.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, which as a Spurs fan, we thought this was our chance to do it.
7:22
SPEAKER_02: Just for Spurs to then go and lose at Chelsea.
7:25
SPEAKER_02: Um how how did you feel about Newcastle, West Ham, that game, and and sort of before today, um, what were your thoughts on on Spurs and and did you think we were gonna complete the task?
7:40
SPEAKER_01: No, I had no faith that Tottenham were gonna get anything out of the Chelsea game.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: I uh we we we don't ever get anything out of Stanford Bridge trips, so I I think I said that on this program.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: I was not expecting much.
7:51
SPEAKER_01: I will say you mentioned Newcastle.
7:53
SPEAKER_01: They did us a huge favor.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they they set the stage so that Tottenham only needed one point in their last two games, and that would be enough to stay up.
8:04
SPEAKER_01: Tottenham have failed in the first of those two chances.
8:06
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, the stage is finally set now for one of the most climactic final days I can remember.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: It's the most skin in the game I've ever had.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: There's not even a title or anything on the line, it's just pure survival instincts.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: So I was nervous about the Newcastle West Ham game because I thought there was a chance, given Newcastle's run of form, I thought there was a chance that West Ham could actually pick them off.
8:28
SPEAKER_01: Thankfully, we avoided that scenario and we still control our own destiny as Spurs fans.
8:33
SPEAKER_01: But listen, I said it last week.
8:36
SPEAKER_01: If you didn't think this was going to come down to the final day, the final few minutes, you haven't been around long enough supporting this football club.
8:45
SPEAKER_01: These guys, they will do anything they can to make it stressful for us and borderline torturous for us.
8:51
SPEAKER_01: So I'm walking around with my tail tucked between my legs, just praying for a miracle this Sunday.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: And I'll say hand up.
9:00
SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, I'll be the first to apologize.
9:02
SPEAKER_02: I thought we were gonna get it done.
9:04
SPEAKER_02: I thought we could have got a point.
9:05
SPEAKER_02: I had faith in that Newcastle was gonna beat West Ham, so half my prediction was right, and yeah, the half that I the other half I needed unfortunately didn't happen.
9:14
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, hand up.
9:16
SPEAKER_02: I'm not perfect.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: Hey, but we're gonna be issuing a lot of hands.
9:19
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna apologize on this one.
9:20
SPEAKER_01: I I do them all the time.
9:22
SPEAKER_01: I'll issue a hand up for thinking West Ham could win a game.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: They made Newcastle look like Pep's Barcelona, so I was way off on that one.
9:30
SPEAKER_01: So we we're gonna get a lot of stuff wrong here on the Friends on Football Show.
9:34
SPEAKER_02: Yep, yep.
9:35
SPEAKER_02: Um now just to switch a bit, uh, a very interesting tidbit kind of came out today about the championship side, Southampton.
9:44
SPEAKER_02: Now, Southampton was playing in the EFL playoff, and for those that don't know, this is a way for the team that finishes in, I believe, third place to progress to the Premier League next year.
9:56
SPEAKER_02: So they have a playoff with the teams that finished third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: And Southampton got in trouble for essentially spying on their opponent.
10:04
SPEAKER_02: Uh so they have now been kicked out of these playoffs and will receive a points deduction going into next season.
10:12
SPEAKER_02: Sean, what what are your initial thoughts, uh feelings?
10:15
SPEAKER_02: It it does it does feel a little bit like a a spygate situation uh back with the New England Patriots.
10:22
SPEAKER_02: Uh what do you think of?
10:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this is this is a great story in the football world.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: This is exciting stuff.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: Cheating at its finest, and we we have swift action being taken against Southampton.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: Usually these things, cheating in football, it's not unfamiliar.
10:41
SPEAKER_01: We we've seen match fixing scandals take place in Italy several times.
10:45
SPEAKER_01: Juventus has been at the forefront of a lot of those.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: Manchester City have been under investigation for fraudulent spending actions for seemingly a decade now.
10:56
SPEAKER_01: Never have we gotten a resolution on that.
10:59
SPEAKER_01: I don't know how this one was handled so quickly, but I applaud the FA and the English Football League for moving quickly, taking care of this.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: They had no business being uh involved in this playoff picture still.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: They basically were caught uh cheating and spying on several opponents, practices, training sessions, and using cameras and technology to film when they obviously knew they shouldn't be.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: I think this is the least that the FA should do.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: I I obviously don't think they should have a chance to be promoted and rewarded for their behavior this season.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, interesting story.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: I I'm glad though that uh Middlesbrough get to replace uh Southampton and take on Whole City because they definitely more so deserve a chance than these Southampton Saints do.
11:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I agree with you.
11:48
SPEAKER_02: It's obviously the story just kind of broke, so we're still learning the details, but it sounds like it was a little pretty clumsy too.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: Uh they were like sending interns to go film training sessions and allegedly like on on iPhones.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: So I mean look, if you're gonna if you're gonna cheat, you gotta do better.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Like that that's that's just poor on their part.
12:09
SPEAKER_02: They do not deserve to come up next year to the Premier League.
12:13
SPEAKER_02: And at this rate, you know, we might be taking a trip to Southampton next year to watch our team play them in the championship.
12:19
SPEAKER_02: So who knows?
12:21
SPEAKER_01: You keep those cameras out of the lane.
12:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: Hide the cameras.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: It creates a real interesting situation too for Middlesbrough now.
12:32
SPEAKER_01: They have three days essentially to prepare for the biggest game of their lives.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: It's a one-off, a chance to play in the Premier League next season.
12:40
SPEAKER_01: Comes with massive repercussions for the fans, the club, the town.
12:45
SPEAKER_01: When you when you're a Premier League side, all sorts of different revenue pours into your club.
12:49
SPEAKER_01: So it's a huge, huge, huge opportunity, and I'm glad that two deserving teams are now going to be playing for it.
12:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I wonder, you know, I wonder the mentality of the players.
13:00
SPEAKER_02: You know, they just thought their season ended, they're like about to go on holiday, do their thing, and then all of a sudden now you have to play in a huge cup uh cup match, you know, yeah, on three days on three days notice.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: So, like you said, it'll be interesting to see.
13:15
SPEAKER_02: Um, but it is kudos to the FA for acting swiftly and giving Middlesbrough their fair chance.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and an American shout out on Middlesbrough as well, Aiden Morris.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: He's a guy who we'll talk about more in the second episode we'll put out this week.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: And he's a guy who's on the bubble for the World Cup for the United States.
13:35
SPEAKER_01: So a real big moment, a big opportunity for him.
13:38
SPEAKER_01: And I like that he's a mainstay in this Middlesbrough team, and he has a chance to prove himself on a pretty big stage on Saturday.
13:42
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm excited.
13:43
SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm glad you brought up Aiden Morris.
13:45
SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to talk about him.
13:46
SPEAKER_02: I've been watching him since his Columbus crew days, and he has really made the jump and he looks great.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, that's a little teaser for episode two.
13:54
SPEAKER_02: Bringing it back uh to the Premier League again, now we're gonna talk a little bit more about managers.
13:58
SPEAKER_02: And we mentioned Pep Guardiola.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: Uh 20 trophies over his 10 years at City.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: You know, I know you're a I know you're a Pep guy, so touch on that.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: But I also want to know, in your mind, where does Man City go from here?
14:12
SPEAKER_02: Do we go proven manager at the highest level who can come in and just maybe replace Pep right away?
14:18
SPEAKER_02: Or do we go for the young up-and-coming coach who eh, maybe isn't as proven, but but has a good track record?
14:24
SPEAKER_02: Like where do you see Man City going with this higher?
14:27
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the early reporting is that it's going to be Enzo Moresca who takes over.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Now, that's not a done deal, that's just the favorite at this point.
14:35
SPEAKER_01: And for listeners, Enzo Moresca is has recently left the post at Chelsea, as all managers do, and we'll talk about that in just a second.
14:42
SPEAKER_01: But Enzo was a longtime assistant for Pep at Manchester City, and he likes to play that same front foot attacking football, and he's very familiar with the club.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: So I think it does check a lot of boxes on that front.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: I would say Enzo Moresca aside, take him out of the picture, when you have had a run of success like Manchester City have had, and they have the resources that they do.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: If I was a fan, the most important thing for me would be to hire a coach that plays maybe not as good of football as Pep does, but a similar style.
15:12
SPEAKER_01: I would not want to hire a man manager who likes to counterattack or try to completely switch up some of the things that have made City great over the last few years.
15:21
SPEAKER_01: Nobody will be able to represent the success that Pep had, but I think keeping it in that family of football, that possession-based, we're going to have more talent than most teams and we want to show it each week.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: I think that's where City has to look at managers who can provide that style of play.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: Okay, okay.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: I like that thought.
15:39
SPEAKER_02: It's it's interesting because, you know, you see some of these other hirings.
15:44
SPEAKER_02: Um, we'll touch on Jose Mourinho next.
15:47
SPEAKER_02: You know, these sort of managers who come in and they play their style, and if you don't fit their style, there's not really place for you at the club.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: So I am interested to see how Man City handles this.
15:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, and obviously now coming off of a season where they won the FA Cup, but not the league and not Champions League, um, to see how they respond.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's a good point.
16:08
SPEAKER_01: Pep was always great about working with the pieces that he had in front of him, more so than making square pegs fit in a round holes or vice versa.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: He's talked about how this year and in the couple years past, he doesn't have a ton of out and out wingers.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: So he would play a more narrow front three where guys like Phil Foden or Omar Marmoush would tuck in and play as almost a secondary striker as opposed to playing out on the right hand side.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: So he's just very inventive in that way.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: I think Moresca has shown traits to be able to adapt to that style of football as well.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: And you mentioned with Pep, I think we would be doing a DeSur, so we didn't just reiterate just how important he was for the Premier League.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: An unprecedented run of championships.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: They did finally get over the line in the Champions League.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: You mentioned 20 titles, 20 trophies in 10 years.
16:55
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's just that's silly.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: That's silly stuff.
16:58
SPEAKER_01: We Spurs fans have seen one like ever.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: So I mean it's crazy.
17:04
SPEAKER_01: I will say some of these are like the Worthington Mickey Mouse Cup.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: We're counting community shields in that tally and things of that nature.
17:11
SPEAKER_01: So maybe we don't maybe we don't count those.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, the most recent one and the one that they'll remember, I think the FA Cup.
17:16
SPEAKER_01: And I just wanted to point out one thing about that game as well.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: I skipped by it earlier, but the match winner in that it was a pretty boring fixture.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: It was dull, it was not very entertaining or easy on the eyes.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: But the match winner was Antoine Semeno, who was a$60 million January signing, so that must be nice.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: But he is a London kid who was actually playing for Newport County in 2019 in the fifth tier of English football.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: So, and he's from London, gets to score the winner and win a trophy at Wembley and Pep's last season.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: I think that's a pretty special moment, even if they weren't able to get the league over the line.
17:50
SPEAKER_01: I think it's pretty cool that they have a moment like that to look back on in this final season.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
17:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I did not know that.
17:56
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, that's that's a great story.
17:59
SPEAKER_02: And now switching to Real Madrid, uh, one of the other large clubs in Europe, they hired Jose Mourinho, it's official, he's in the special one.
18:08
SPEAKER_02: Um Sean, what are we thinking?
18:09
SPEAKER_02: Are we uh can he can he bring his magic?
18:12
SPEAKER_02: Can Real Madrid return to to their uh previous success?
18:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm so interested in this one.
18:18
SPEAKER_01: I my short my short answer will be I don't know.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: I have no clue how this is gonna go, and I think that's what makes it exciting.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, Real Madrid are going to have a world-class team, but I don't know what it's going to look like.
18:32
SPEAKER_01: Jose is used to having the best players, and he certainly will want to continue that trend, but I don't know how his management style is gonna fit with the likes of Killian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: They are both notoriously a little bit tough and they like to be in charge, at least is what I would say.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: They they certainly have certain things that they don't bend on.
18:54
SPEAKER_01: We saw Vinny clash with Jabby Alonzo, who I think is a great manager, and he basically ran him out of town.
19:01
SPEAKER_01: Mbappe, through all accounts, is not the easiest to deal with, and Jose is not the easiest to deal with.
19:06
SPEAKER_01: So I think we're in for absolute fireworks.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: I think we mentioned last week we would love a documentary crew.
19:12
SPEAKER_01: I think it's mandatory at this point.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: I I'm all in.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: I hope Mbappe stays, I hope Vinny stays, and I want to just observe Real Madrid as a science experiment next year.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
19:20
SPEAKER_02: Amazon, Apple, Spotify.
19:22
SPEAKER_02: We're free agents.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: We're ready.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: We're free.
19:25
SPEAKER_02: We'll get on the plane tomorrow.
19:26
SPEAKER_02: Wherever you guys need us, we'll be there.
19:29
SPEAKER_02: Or I'll spend Christmas in Madrid if I have to.
19:31
SPEAKER_02: Damn it.
19:33
SPEAKER_02: Damn it.
19:35
SPEAKER_02: Sean, uh, so so pack your bags, be ready, because we might have to go.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: But staying in the Real Madrid uh family, we also have Chabi Lonzo now, who just got the job at Chelsea.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: Chelsea coming off of the FA Cup final loss on the weekend.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: What are we thinking about that?
19:52
SPEAKER_02: And I know Chelsea is unfortunately a tough place to manage.
19:55
SPEAKER_02: Um it seems like from the outside.
19:57
SPEAKER_02: You know, they cycle through managers pretty quick.
19:59
SPEAKER_02: Chabi Lonzo, will he be successful at uh Chelsea?
20:03
SPEAKER_01: It's it's a really good one as well.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: This is another science experiment that they're running.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: Uh I don't understand how Chelsea exists as a football club.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: They they just do brain dead thing after brain dead thing and then just continuously get themselves bailed out with billions of dollars.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: But this is not one of those moronic decisions, in my opinion.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: I think this is smart.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: I think Jabbi Alonso, they're buying low on a guy who, yes, it didn't work at Real Madrid, but I don't think that was really his fault.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: I think that was just a clash of personalities and one too many cooks in the kitchen.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: He had one of the best seasons ever at Bayer Leverkusen as a manager.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: He's obviously a world-class player, so the players will respect him in that aspect as well.
20:45
SPEAKER_01: But at Leverkusen, he won the Bundesliga to break Bayer Munich's run of 10 consent.
20:51
SPEAKER_01: And he plays really, really good, smart football too.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: So with the resources that Chelsea have, they also I think they made a key point to name him manager and not first team coach.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: So that insinuates that there will be some sort of say in what they do in the transfer market.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: So I think that's pretty prudent from Chelsea, a club that, like you mentioned, they're cycling through world-class managers.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: They've chased out some really good managers in the last few years.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: And I hope it doesn't end that way because I do like Javi Alonso actually.
21:22
SPEAKER_01: But as a Chelsea hater, I hope this goes up in flames quickly.
21:25
SPEAKER_01: So I'm not sure it will.
21:27
SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of worried about this one.
21:28
SPEAKER_01: I think they might have finally gotten it right.
21:30
SPEAKER_01: But I'm hoping for the opposite.
21:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, do you think, you know, just quick hit like, do you think they compete for the title next year in the Premier League?
21:39
SPEAKER_01: God, what a sad state of affairs we're in, where it's Chelsea and Arsenal might be the two title favorites in the next season, and Tottenham are playing fucking Millwall.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: Um boy.
21:51
SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, I would say, gun to my head, I think they would be in that title discussion to start next season.
21:57
SPEAKER_01: Just that's under the Assumption that they continue to sign.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: They need to sign some veteran leadership on that team.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: They have a million talented young players, but they were kind of a headless chicken throughout this season.
22:09
SPEAKER_01: So assuming they make some signings that add some experience, I don't see City being anywhere near what they've been.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: I think we could be in for a little bit of a dip from them.
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Liverpool left a lot to be desired this year.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: Eka TK is probably going to be out for a decent portion of next season as well.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: And Arsenal, if the refs start calling fouls in the box on corners, they might not score a goal.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think Chelsea unfortunately will be in that mix.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, it's a it's a good point.
22:37
SPEAKER_02: And uh, I mean Manchester United, we're Manchester United, we haven't brought them up, but they've they've had a pretty solid season too.
22:43
SPEAKER_02: So who knows if they'll be in the mix as well.
22:45
SPEAKER_02: Just to Yeah, yeah, just to zoom out.
22:48
SPEAKER_02: So we'll look at the rest of Europe now.
22:50
SPEAKER_02: Last week, uh Sean, you teased the Hearts Celtic, uh, Scottish League final.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I did not have eyes on the game, but I did see the final score.
23:00
SPEAKER_02: Uh, unfortunately, Celtic did win, so they did win the league.
23:05
SPEAKER_02: Um, we did not see history last weekend.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: Any thoughts from that game?
23:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was tough.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: I was rooting for hearts, as I mentioned.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: I wanted history.
23:14
SPEAKER_01: It would have been the first time since '84 that somebody other than Celtic or Rangers won the league, and Hearts looked to be in position to do it.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: They were tied 1-1.
23:24
SPEAKER_01: I was watching the game.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: It wasn't, again, it wasn't the best to watch, I'll say that.
23:27
SPEAKER_01: It was scrappy.
23:29
SPEAKER_01: It was at Celtic, so their fans were loud and into it.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: The Hearts traveling fans, boy oh boy, the look on their face after the Celtic's second goal, the go-ahead goal at the time, was ruled on side.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: It was oh, I don't know if I've seen faces like that in a long time.
23:47
SPEAKER_01: They were distraught in understatement.
23:50
SPEAKER_01: And then Celtic sealed the deal in extra time with basically an empty net goal.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: Hearts had brought their goalie forward for a set piece, and Celtic quickly countered and ran one into the net.
24:00
SPEAKER_01: And then the fans were on the pitch.
24:03
SPEAKER_01: They basically called the game with 30 seconds still to play, and and the hearts players are just getting abused by the Celtic faithful.
24:11
SPEAKER_01: It was crazy scenes.
24:13
SPEAKER_01: I don't this was like a court storm college basketball to me.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: It would be like Kentucky basketball storm in the court.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: What are we doing?
24:19
SPEAKER_01: What are we doing, Celtic?
24:21
SPEAKER_01: You guys have won 15 of these in a row.
24:24
SPEAKER_01: You can't court storm, you can't field rush.
24:27
SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
24:28
SPEAKER_01: A pitch invasion for like your 12th or 15th consecutive title.
24:32
SPEAKER_01: No, no, thank you.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: I I will say, in their defense, um they're they started off very slow.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: Um, they actually had they had um a manager from the MLS, Wilfred Nancy, who was at Columbus Crew, left Columbus Crew to take the job at Celtic only to be the manager for less than two months.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: Um he came in, I think he managed about seven games.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: They don't like him anymore.
25:01
SPEAKER_02: They they they they turned on here for quick.
25:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just as he was probably finalizing his you know apartment, his housing, getting his life together, they were like, Yeah, you can just uh book your ticket back.
25:14
SPEAKER_02: So so I think you know some of that emotion might have been from that, but I agree.
25:19
SPEAKER_02: Like, we we can't have number one seeds storming the court.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: Like it's it's just not it's a bit unbecoming.
25:26
SPEAKER_02: It's not what it should be.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a bit it's a bit look at me.
25:30
SPEAKER_01: I I will say though the Scottish fans, they they're die hard and credit credit to them, they showed out and and they were in full song for the whole 90 minutes, so it was cool stuff.
25:39
SPEAKER_01: And just on the point of Wilford Nancy, I think he's a brilliant manager, so I would I would agree.
25:44
SPEAKER_01: I really think he's good and didn't get a long enough shot at Celtic.
25:47
SPEAKER_02: I I agree 100%.
25:48
SPEAKER_02: When I saw him leaving Columbus to take that, I think there was a lot of skeptics, but um tactically in MLS, I had not seen a coach really like him before before and and and since then.
26:00
SPEAKER_02: So it was interesting to see him take that jump, and unfortunately it didn't work, but I'm sure he'll land on his feet and I'm sure he'll he'll be coaching somewhere else soon.
26:08
SPEAKER_02: Take me to Italy, Sean.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: Give me give me a little rundown on what happened in Italy this weekend.
26:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a lot going on in the Italian joust for Champions League football.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: So the title's been decided, enter, have won again.
26:23
SPEAKER_01: They took care of business pretty early.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: They clinched with a few weeks to play in the season, but what was left was a real battle for the four Champions League spots.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: And boy oh boy, was there a big turn in the tide this past weekend?
26:38
SPEAKER_01: Juventus fumbled their spot essentially.
26:41
SPEAKER_01: They had the third or fourth place in the Champions League pretty pretty firmly.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: All they had to do was win their final two matches.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: They lost 2-0 at home to Fiorentina, and that opened the door for Milan and Roma to jump through, and they did just that.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: So Roma are the team I support in Syria.
27:01
SPEAKER_01: They're easily my second favorite club in world football.
27:04
SPEAKER_01: I hardly ever miss a match from them.
27:06
SPEAKER_01: They had one of the best games in the sport this past weekend.
27:10
SPEAKER_01: It's the Darby de la Capital, and it is Roma versus Lazio, the two teams from Rome.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: Roma or the heartbeat of the inner city, they're they're they're the everyman's team.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: Lazio are kind of the rich elitist crowd on the outskirts, so that's why I'm more drawn to Roma.
27:24
SPEAKER_01: But that game is always absolute fireworks, and they share a stadium, they share the Stadio Olympico in Rome.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: So usually it's pretty split fan bases for that game.
27:36
SPEAKER_01: The Lazio fans are protesting the rest of this season, so they're not showing up to matches, which is sick.
27:41
SPEAKER_01: So it was all Roma and the Stadio Olympico this past weekend.
27:45
SPEAKER_01: They took care of business, and now where we sit going into the final match day is Milan and Roma are both in the Champions League with Como and Juventus on the outside looking in, needing some help.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: And I'll talk about where those teams were playing in those matchups when we talk about games to watch this weekend.
28:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you you brought up a good point, a good a good little fact about then sharing a stadium.
28:07
SPEAKER_02: We need more of that.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: Like we we need more of teams from the same city sharing stadiums.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: Like we have it in Italy with those two, but also AC and Termalan.
28:16
SPEAKER_02: Um there's a team and you yeah, and I think there are a few teams maybe in the Mexican league that do it, but not not too much else in the world.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: So I I think we need to we need to increase that.
28:28
SPEAKER_02: Like, why not have a city team and a suburb team and just let them go at it?
28:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I think that's electric stuff.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: And also, I would propose that idea to the MLS with the LA teams at least.
28:40
SPEAKER_01: Why can't we have LAC LA Galaxy?
28:43
SPEAKER_01: That seems like a home run.
28:44
SPEAKER_01: Two of the more passionate fan bases in MLS, they call the matchup El Traffico, which is one of the best names in the sport, so we might have to lose that.
28:51
SPEAKER_01: But that's that that's an electric, that's an electric game.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: Well, according according to according to Jar from the other podcast, uh it would probably make LA less desirable.
29:01
SPEAKER_02: So we have to have two separate stadiums.
29:03
SPEAKER_02: True.
29:04
SPEAKER_02: That's that's that's maybe fair.
29:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
29:06
SPEAKER_02: Um bring me bring me to Germany.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: What happened in Germany this past weekend?
29:10
SPEAKER_02: I know we had the promotion relegation playoff, St.
29:13
SPEAKER_02: Pauli.
29:13
SPEAKER_02: Um, where are we at with that?
29:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, St.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: Pauli hosted Wolfsburg and kind of got battered.
29:19
SPEAKER_01: It was it was pretty ugly.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: It was a no-show in the biggest game of the season to try to fight off relegation.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: Their fans weren't thrilled with their performance.
29:28
SPEAKER_01: So now Wolfsburg is set to play Padderborn in a two-leg playoff to determine who is in the Bundesliga and who is in the Bundesliga 2 next season.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: A little fun fact: guess who guess who's still kicking it for Wolfsburg?
29:41
SPEAKER_01: And had a, I would say, lackluster game.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: Former Spur.
29:48
SPEAKER_02: Former Spur.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: Uh-oh.
29:51
SPEAKER_02: Don't do this to me.
29:52
SPEAKER_02: Give me a position.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: Attacking midfielder.
29:54
SPEAKER_02: Not Christian.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: Christian Ericsson.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: Having a kick about Wolfsburg.
29:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
29:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Christian Ericsson.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: So it was nice to tune into that and see the old boy for a bit, but he he looked he's looked better.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: I'll say that.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, he's still he's still having a kick in Germany.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: So that was exciting to see that.
30:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm excited to watch the playoff, the promotion relegation playoff.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: That's electric stuff.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: That's two legs of just life and death.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: It's two ends of the spectrum.
30:24
SPEAKER_01: So I think that is a unique thing that Germany does.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: And I think that would be something for fans to potentially look for this weekend.
30:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, that's that's interesting.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: And now to kind of close out, give me what are we watching this week?
30:36
SPEAKER_02: Um, this this part of the season, Sean, I feel like we got games every day, which is a beautiful thing.
30:42
SPEAKER_02: Um what are we watching this week?
30:44
SPEAKER_02: I know we got the Europa League final today.
30:46
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
30:47
SPEAKER_02: Talk me talk me through that.
30:48
SPEAKER_01: Yes, we've got Freiburg against Villa in Istanbul, a chance for European glory in the form of the Europa League.
30:57
SPEAKER_01: We have to be rooting for Freiburg here, don't we?
31:00
SPEAKER_02: We have to.
31:01
SPEAKER_02: No doubt.
31:02
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely no doubt.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: As Spurs fans, we we did the unthinkable winning European trophy last season.
31:09
SPEAKER_01: We can't have all these super rich English clubs just dominating and picking apart the Europa and Conference League and making our trophy look a little bit less special.
31:17
SPEAKER_02: We need we need the underdog, Sean.
31:19
SPEAKER_02: Um, we need yeah, we need Freiburg to pull this out.
31:22
SPEAKER_02: So I'll I'll definitely uh have an eye on that tomorrow today.
31:27
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's Wednesday today, as this is out at 3 p.m., I believe, on Paramount Plus.
31:34
SPEAKER_01: Then on Friday, the action, like you said, it does not stop.
31:38
SPEAKER_01: Friday, we have the Coupe de France final between Lawn and Nice.
31:43
SPEAKER_01: And I'm just relieved to see that PSG is not in this one.
31:47
SPEAKER_01: That's basically they almost always do the domestic double where they win both the league and the cup.
31:52
SPEAKER_01: It's nice that we have a little bit of change of pace here, and Lawns and Nice can go at it and have a chance for a trophy.
31:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I feel the same.
31:59
SPEAKER_02: I honestly, France has just become PSG's so PSG dominant that I really don't put eyes on it.
32:05
SPEAKER_02: So I was glad to see this matchup not including them.
32:08
SPEAKER_02: So let somebody else uh at the table.
32:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and they and they honestly don't make it easy for us to put eyes on it either.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: This is true on farmers only.
32:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, this is this they they they don't make these games.
32:21
SPEAKER_01: I will say, as Americans, we are so blessed and lucky with the streaming options available to us.
32:27
SPEAKER_01: We can watch every Premier League game, whereas people who live in England can't watch most of them.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: So that that's crazy to me.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: But the French League is the one that kind of flies under the radar.
32:37
SPEAKER_01: I believe this game's on Fox Soccer Plus or something, so you might get it with your Fox package, but I don't think I'm gonna have eyes on this one.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: This is a kind of just uh if you're if you want to see someone lift the trophy, maybe tune in if you're not doing anything.
32:49
SPEAKER_01: But for me, I I I can't I agree with you.
32:52
SPEAKER_01: The French League PSG ruined it.
32:54
SPEAKER_01: They they cooked the books and unfortunately kind of left the league in ruin.
32:59
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Friday, Memorial Day weekend.
33:03
SPEAKER_02: The the uh the Friends on Football, we might not have eyes on this one.
33:07
SPEAKER_02: We'll we'll admit that one.
33:09
SPEAKER_01: That's a hand up.
33:10
SPEAKER_01: That's a hand up.
33:10
SPEAKER_01: That's a promise, actually.
33:12
SPEAKER_02: That's a friends on football guarantee.
33:14
SPEAKER_02: We won't watch a second of this.
33:16
SPEAKER_02: We will tell you in the next episode who wins, but that will be all you get.
33:20
SPEAKER_02: That's it.
33:21
SPEAKER_02: Maybe a goal score if you're lucky.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: And then Saturday we have another cup final in Germany.
33:27
SPEAKER_01: I might tune into this one.
33:28
SPEAKER_01: I do like the DFB Pokal.
33:30
SPEAKER_01: That's what they call their domestic cup.
33:31
SPEAKER_01: It's basically these cups we're talking about.
33:33
SPEAKER_01: They're basically the FA Cup, which we broke down last week and what we referenced City winning.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: It's basically a competition where all the clubs in the league are in it.
33:41
SPEAKER_01: So it's cool from that aspect.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: Usually you like to have a dog in the fight if you're really going to invest and watch these games, but Bayern is taking on Stuttgart.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: It's a chance for Harry Kane to lift another trophy.
33:51
SPEAKER_01: He's won quite a few of them since he left Spurs.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: I can't say I'm rooting for him.
33:56
SPEAKER_01: I think I'm looking at him while we're in ruin here.
33:59
SPEAKER_01: We're in complete disarray and he's having a laugh winning Mickey Mouse Cups in Germany.
34:04
SPEAKER_01: No thanks, Harry.
34:05
SPEAKER_01: You left us in a real bad spot.
34:07
SPEAKER_01: So let's go Stuttgart.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: I agree with you.
34:09
SPEAKER_02: And do you do you think uh Bayern's becoming a little PSG-esque where it's just them winning the championship, winning every cup title, this, that, the other?
34:18
SPEAKER_02: Correct.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's it's tough, it's becoming a little tough to watch now.
34:22
SPEAKER_01: It is, it is, and it's sad too, because there's some real traditional great clubs in Germany, like Dortmund are awesome, but the problem with Dortmund is they're very comfortable just selling some of their best players to Bayern, which is something I just feel like we can't do.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: I don't know how we're doing that.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: But they've done that throughout their history, is they care about making money or at least selling when value is there, and they've constantly done that.
34:47
SPEAKER_01: If you look at some of the talent that's come through Burcia Dortmund over the last two decades, it's insane the level of player.
34:53
SPEAKER_01: Usman Dembele, Robert Lewandowski, Christian Pulisic, Jude, Jude Bellingham.
34:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh, yeah, like if you look at the players who at least had a cup of coffee with Dortmund, it's an insane list, and a lot of them end up at Bayern, which baffles me.
35:09
SPEAKER_01: But when they get serious about winning and competing for trophies year over year, I think we'll see an uptick in the Bundesliga.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: But you're right, it's kind of it's gotten to a place where it's you could pencil in Bayern at the beginning of each season.
35:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
35:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's tough.
35:23
SPEAKER_02: And now, all right, we gotta do it.
35:25
SPEAKER_02: Sunday, Sunday.
35:26
SPEAKER_02: How are we how are we handling this?
35:28
SPEAKER_02: Um, like we mentioned earlier, all 10 games are being played at the same time.
35:32
SPEAKER_02: Are you focusing on just Tottenham's game?
35:35
SPEAKER_02: Do you have eyes on the West Ham game at all?
35:37
SPEAKER_02: I'm personally, I'll be honest with you, I'm looking at my team and I'm looking at my team only.
35:42
SPEAKER_02: You know, we can only take we gotta take care of what's in front of us.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: We can't worry about the outside distractions.
35:46
SPEAKER_01: I love I'm glad I've got I've got I've got you just dividing your attention to just Spurs.
35:53
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna do both because I really don't trust us at all.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: And you can see my shirt, it says it's lads, it's Tottenham.
36:02
SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, we we we're we're in a bad place.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: I I don't have any faith in Spurs getting the job done.
36:11
SPEAKER_01: I know everybody's like, what's Everton at home?
36:13
SPEAKER_01: They're not playing for anything.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: The fans will turn up.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: The fans have turned up all season.
36:18
SPEAKER_01: We're shit.
36:19
SPEAKER_01: We are we are not scoring a goal without James Madison on the pitch, and he can only play 20 to 30 minutes, is what the doctor said.
36:26
SPEAKER_01: So I think that's something I'm gonna be looking for.
36:29
SPEAKER_01: Doctors, you guys, you guys suck at Spurs.
36:32
SPEAKER_01: Just give them a 60-minute pass.
36:35
SPEAKER_01: What's the worst that can happen?
36:36
SPEAKER_01: You guys had you tried to have Javi Simmons run off an ACL a couple weeks ago.
36:40
SPEAKER_01: I don't think you really know what you're doing.
36:42
SPEAKER_01: I don't think you really know what you're doing.
36:43
SPEAKER_01: So uh yeah, I'm excited for this to be over, is what I'll say about Sunday.
36:50
SPEAKER_01: I need a resolution.
36:51
SPEAKER_01: I we've been in limbo here for months now as Tottenham fans.
36:56
SPEAKER_01: We can't really go down, could we?
36:59
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we might go down.
37:01
SPEAKER_01: Oh no, surely West Ham or Forest will go down.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: Oh well, Forest is safe now.
37:05
SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
37:06
SPEAKER_01: Surely West Ham will go down.
37:07
SPEAKER_01: Well, now it's coming down to 90 minutes, and we've somehow built a stadium that we can't win in.
37:15
SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
37:17
SPEAKER_01: I don't know where the faith is coming from from Tottenham fans if you are optimistic.
37:22
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm gonna hate watch this whole thing.
37:25
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm not gonna sleep well the night before.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: It's really that big of a deal.
37:28
SPEAKER_01: That's how much it sucks.
37:29
SPEAKER_01: But I will, my plan is to watch Tottenham with the sound on the big TV and on the side TV.
37:35
SPEAKER_01: Maybe I just have an eye on what's happening over at West Ham.
37:40
SPEAKER_01: God, would it just be nice for Tottenham to score two goals in the first half and put this whole thing to bed?
37:46
SPEAKER_01: But you and I both know it won't be that easy.
37:50
SPEAKER_02: No, it won't be, but you know, maybe I'm that optimistic weirdo that just has faith, but I I just can't I just can't see it all going down.
38:00
SPEAKER_02: I mean, look, I I was there in December, I had boots on the ground, I was in the stadium, and they played the best game of soccer I've seen them play all year.
38:10
SPEAKER_02: We'll book the flight then.
38:11
SPEAKER_01: We'll book the flight, book the flight, we need you again.
38:14
SPEAKER_01: Because you're not you don't plan to be there Sunday, do you?
38:18
SPEAKER_01: That's that doesn't help us much.
38:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I don't have a flight booked, but sponsors, anyone want to come in and sponsor us, we'll we'll get the content, we'll we'll take care of everything, we'll get you whatever you need, we'll wear your product, we'll advertise.
38:32
SPEAKER_02: We're free agents, so hey, I mean Yeah.
38:36
SPEAKER_01: If you want to see a sad sack of a man on video for hours after the match, just pay us.
38:43
SPEAKER_01: We'll I'll show you.
38:44
SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll take selfie videos all day.
38:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean I think a live stream of me watching this match would do numbies because there's some sick sadists out there.
38:55
SPEAKER_01: There really are.
38:56
SPEAKER_01: And and some of my best friends are secretly rooting for Tottenham to go down.
39:00
SPEAKER_01: That's how sick these guys are.
39:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, why why does it why are we hated by every other every other person in the world?
39:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, what did we do to deserve this?
39:08
SPEAKER_01: It's a great question.
39:09
SPEAKER_01: You ask West Ham who do they hate the most, Tottenham.
39:12
SPEAKER_01: You ask Chelsea who do they hate the most, Tottenham.
39:14
SPEAKER_01: Arsenal, who do you hate the most?
39:15
SPEAKER_01: Tottenham.
39:16
SPEAKER_01: What do we do?
39:17
SPEAKER_01: We're little old Tottenham.
39:18
SPEAKER_01: We hate Arsenal and we don't like Chelsea.
39:21
SPEAKER_01: West Ham, you're like a little brother.
39:22
SPEAKER_01: We pat you on the head, and those are gonna be famous last words.
39:26
SPEAKER_01: There it is.
39:27
SPEAKER_01: Somebody is clipping you right now.
39:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, confirmed.
39:30
SPEAKER_01: Spurs down.
39:32
SPEAKER_01: Oh no.
39:32
SPEAKER_02: Oh Lord.
39:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, at 11 a.m., at least it's relatively early in the day, but dude, this is gonna be the the sweatiest.
39:41
SPEAKER_01: Not a single kick will I feel comfortable in our own half.
39:44
SPEAKER_01: Anytime the ball's near our goal, or as we saw against Chelsea, not even 40 yards out from our goal.
39:51
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be nervous.
39:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I uh had some tentative plans when I thought this game wouldn't matter on Sunday.
39:59
SPEAKER_02: Those are immediately cancelled.
40:01
SPEAKER_02: And I will be watching the game by myself or with my wife on the couch, phone off, no distractions.
40:08
SPEAKER_02: I have to lock in.
40:09
SPEAKER_02: I I'm I will be the 12th man.
40:11
SPEAKER_02: I will do whatever they need to keep us up.
40:13
SPEAKER_01: We need that from you.
40:15
SPEAKER_01: That those you're you're honestly you're helping with my vibes going into it.
40:19
SPEAKER_01: I will say that because I'm trying.
40:23
SPEAKER_01: Outside of this podcast, my vibes are low throughout the rest of the day.
40:27
SPEAKER_01: And I really knowing me, and hey, we came from the Tortured Fans Department.
40:33
SPEAKER_01: That's how this podcast started.
40:35
SPEAKER_01: It's written in the stars that we start a football show and we're talking about Tottenham and the Championship a week later.
40:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
40:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, season two.
40:45
SPEAKER_02: Season two of the show might be taking a different different route.
40:49
SPEAKER_01: But uh maybe we can get McAlenian Reynolds on top talk wax them.
40:55
SPEAKER_02: Jeez.
40:56
SPEAKER_02: Alright, so look, Sunday goes well, Sunday morning goes well.
40:59
SPEAKER_02: We're up.
41:01
SPEAKER_02: What you got your eyes on Sunday afternoon?
41:03
SPEAKER_01: Yes, if I survive Sunday morning, we'll be shifting our focus over to Rome in Italy.
41:10
SPEAKER_01: Like I mentioned, it is uh joust for Champions League places.
41:15
SPEAKER_01: So Roma and Milan are currently two points ahead of Juventus and Como.
41:22
SPEAKER_01: Milan plays host to Cagliari.
41:24
SPEAKER_01: They should take care of business in that, they're at least heavily favored.
41:27
SPEAKER_01: Como goes to Cremese, they're heavily favored in that.
41:31
SPEAKER_01: Roma go to Hellas Verona, they're heavily favored in that.
41:34
SPEAKER_01: And Juventus actually have a Derby against Torino.
41:38
SPEAKER_01: Juventus is in Turin.
41:39
SPEAKER_01: Torino are the actual club of the city there, whereas most of the country of Italy likes Juventus.
41:45
SPEAKER_01: They're the most popular team in the country.
41:47
SPEAKER_01: The city of Turin is actually pretty split, and a lot of them lean towards Torino.
41:52
SPEAKER_01: So that's an interesting game as well.
41:54
SPEAKER_01: So certainly the cards are sacked against our boy Wes pulling out some Champions League football for next season.
41:59
SPEAKER_01: But it's going to be interesting, at least the final match day in Serie A.
42:02
SPEAKER_01: At least there's some real stuff on the line.
42:04
SPEAKER_01: So I'm excited for that, assuming survival in the morning, and I can fathom watching soccer.
42:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, Sean, look, keep the faith, my friend.
42:15
SPEAKER_02: It's it's gonna be, you know, some uh squeaky bum for the next few days.
42:20
SPEAKER_02: But keep on time.
42:22
SPEAKER_02: I think I think final prediction.
42:25
SPEAKER_01: Give me a score, give me a score for Tottenham Everton.
42:29
SPEAKER_02: Two to one.
42:30
SPEAKER_02: I think Richarlison scores against his old team.
42:33
SPEAKER_02: Oh, and we come out on top.
42:36
SPEAKER_02: West Ham game doesn't even matter.
42:37
SPEAKER_02: Won't even know the score because it won't matter to me.
42:39
SPEAKER_01: The ghost of Richarlison, that is.
42:41
SPEAKER_01: He's he's running around with a refrigerator on his back.
42:44
SPEAKER_01: What do you have?
42:44
SPEAKER_01: What are your predictions?
42:48
SPEAKER_01: 2-1, Everton.
42:51
SPEAKER_01: Uh yep.
42:52
SPEAKER_01: And then West Ham also win 2-1 over Leeds.
42:56
SPEAKER_01: Todd number down.
42:58
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not being funny.
42:59
SPEAKER_01: That's it's one of those things.
43:02
SPEAKER_01: I hate to keep harping on it, but we're the story in world football now.
43:05
SPEAKER_01: And it's one of those things where in January, if you start to look at some of the signs of like what could go wrong, and you just start like, well, now surely this won't happen too.
43:13
SPEAKER_01: Well, that happened.
43:15
SPEAKER_01: Surely this won't happen too.
43:17
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that happened.
43:18
SPEAKER_01: And and the list starts to grow and grow and grow.
43:21
SPEAKER_01: And football isn't about fair, is the issue.
43:24
SPEAKER_01: Because if you looked at who deserves to go down, it's West Ham.
43:26
SPEAKER_01: They've dealt with barely any injuries.
43:28
SPEAKER_01: Basically, they just have a horrible team that has been horrible or worse than Spurs for years, and it's finally caught up to them.
43:37
SPEAKER_01: But they're not cursed in the way Tottenham are.
43:40
SPEAKER_01: We sold our souls for that Europa.
43:42
SPEAKER_01: We had a guy, Dayan Kulisevsky, who was ruled out with a knock last April.
43:46
SPEAKER_01: He's dead, never to be seen again.
43:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, Thomas Frank never got fired.
43:51
SPEAKER_01: He should have been fired months before he was fired, never got fired.
43:54
SPEAKER_01: Our our uh chief football officer said in January we don't want to panic by.
44:00
SPEAKER_01: Famous last words.
44:01
SPEAKER_01: We'll see in the champo.
44:02
SPEAKER_01: We hired Igor Tudor.
44:05
SPEAKER_01: He was an absolute clown, didn't win a match.
44:07
SPEAKER_01: Romero dead because of Brian Brobe.
44:10
SPEAKER_01: Morgan Gibbs White.
44:12
SPEAKER_01: This guy agreed to come to Tottenham.
44:14
SPEAKER_01: And then his scumbag owner somehow sandbagged that transfer.
44:19
SPEAKER_01: He scored a hat trick to secure for his promotion.
44:22
SPEAKER_01: Can't write that.
44:23
SPEAKER_01: Script writers couldn't write that.
44:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just there's just some real Javi Simmons, the guy who comes in instead of Morgan Gibbs White, ACL.
44:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
44:34
SPEAKER_01: Dan Kevin Danzo has a chance to clear a ball and secure promotion for Tottenham.
44:38
SPEAKER_01: He just gifts it the uh the other team instant goal.
44:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't know.
44:43
SPEAKER_01: Just a lot has gone wrong for Spurs, and it just feels like we can't escape this avalanche.
44:47
SPEAKER_01: I pray to God I'm wrong.
44:49
SPEAKER_01: Nothing would make me happy, nothing would make me happier in the world than just a win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
44:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
44:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
44:56
SPEAKER_02: You didn't.
44:57
SPEAKER_02: And it's funny, you you went through that list and you and you definitely didn't mention everything.
45:01
SPEAKER_02: I I first thing I thought of was like selling Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace because he wasn't playing.
45:08
SPEAKER_01: We sold Brennan Johnson and then Mo Mo Kudus died as well.
45:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
45:12
SPEAKER_01: Not only so he plays right wing, Kudus is right winger.
45:16
SPEAKER_01: Hey, we got Kudus, we could sell Brennan.
45:18
SPEAKER_01: Two seconds later, Kudus groin injury, three months out.
45:21
SPEAKER_01: Alright, at least he'll be back for the run in.
45:23
SPEAKER_01: He comes all the way back to almost fitness back in training, re-injures the same groin, he's out of the World Cup.
45:28
SPEAKER_01: You you you script writers couldn't do this.
45:31
SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile, West Ham have that freak Jared Bowen playing every match.
45:35
SPEAKER_01: They don't have any injuries, they're just absolute shit, and somehow we're in the same exact boat as they are.
45:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's tough.
45:43
SPEAKER_01: And I apologize to the listeners because they've gotten bogged down in some Tottenham talk to in the episode, but that's just that's just unfortunately all that's on our minds right now until Sunday.
45:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
45:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
45:53
SPEAKER_02: Next week we promise the the Tottenham Talk will die down.
45:57
SPEAKER_02: But thank you all for listening today.
45:59
SPEAKER_02: Uh we have another episode coming out tomorrow.
46:02
SPEAKER_02: A little bit more focused on major league soccer, the domestic league in the US, as well as some World Cup predictions, US men's national team predictions.
46:10
SPEAKER_02: Um make sure to follow us.
46:11
SPEAKER_02: Like and subscribe.
46:13
SPEAKER_02: The Instagram is up, friends on football.
46:15
SPEAKER_02: Sean does a great job keeping everything up to date for all of you.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: Um reach out if you have any questions, you want to chat.
46:21
SPEAKER_02: We're we're here to listen.
46:22
SPEAKER_02: We we would love the we love the feedback.
46:25
SPEAKER_02: Subscribe, rate us, anything else you can do.
46:28
SPEAKER_01: Um Sean, any final words?
46:30
SPEAKER_01: No, B B Johns, I appreciate you taking the leads on the lead on this one.
46:34
SPEAKER_01: I will try to do as well as you during the MLS show where you're the expert.
46:38
SPEAKER_01: So I am happy to do this with you.
46:40
SPEAKER_01: I thought it was a a fun conversation until the last 10 minutes, and we'll we'll talk we'll talk to the listeners tomorrow.
46:48
SPEAKER_02: We go again, Sean.
46:49
SPEAKER_02: We go again.