Latest / Friends on Football / Ep. 44 - Premier League Recap, Brighton are Flying, Arsenal Find a Way, City Win Again & Spurs Breakthrough, an MLS Minute, Juve has Fallen & Champions League Returns

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Ep. 44 - Premier League Recap, Brighton are Flying, Arsenal Find a Way, City Win Again & Spurs Breakthrough, an MLS Minute, Juve has Fallen & Champions League Returns · Friends on Football

• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, friends, and welcome to episode 44 of the Friends on Football Podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm one of your co-hosts and glad to be joined by my other co-host today.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: There were some doubts, but he is here.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Mr.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sean Boyle, how are you doing?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Brandon, I'm doing well.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for asking.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: A holdout was in the works if Tottenham were to lose to Coventry or even draw.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_02: But thankfully, Spurs have won.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_02: I am happy to be back here with you.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: How are you today?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm great.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: This is this is fantastic.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Listeners, just for the record, we are recording this shortly after the Tottenham Coventry results.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: So both of us will probably be a little bit more excited than we than we should be.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: But let us enjoy our first win of the season.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, yeah.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: We'll get into the games, but first I just wanted to give you a quick number update.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh episode 44, I think you'll like this one as you have a connection to this player.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: I chose Kostas Menolas, Greek center back, most notably played for your club AS Roma, Sean.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: He played at Roma from 2014 to 2019 and really was a stalwart in the Roma defense.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: He started wearing the number 44 at Roma and simply because he loved the number four.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: His uncle was a professional footballer that wore number four.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then when he came to Roma, four was actually taken.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: So then he wanted 24.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: 24 was also taken.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: So then he just decided to double the four and go 44.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then to tie it back to what we've talked about previously, he currently plays in Greece again with his boyhood club.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's called Panaxiakos.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Panaxiakos.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: I apologize if that's not the perfect pronunciation, but he came through and developed through their youth team, Sean.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then he returned there in 2024.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: And his first game back with this team, he scored five goals and they won the game 12 to 1.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: They they then they won the league championship and are now this year playing in the Gamma Ethniki, which is the third division of Greek football.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: So it seems like the when he went back to that club, they was pretty much semi-pro.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now they're in the third division of Greek football, which is pretty cool.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: But wanted to bring that to your attention, Manolas.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I'm sure you're a fan of his as he's played at Roma, but also another guy who decided to looks like he's playing the twilight years of his career back with his boyhood club again.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: Brandon, I always love a good return home story, especially when it's in a lower division.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: That really tickles my fancy.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: Also, glad you picked a Roma player for this one.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: There was a lot of directions you could have gone.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate the backstory because I did not know it.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: So thankful to you for that.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'll just give a quick couple of shout outs for the number 44 I was thinking of, because this is my favorite number, Brandon.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: Not sure if you knew.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: 44 is my favorite number.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: I did not know that.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: Because my birthday is April 4th.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: So it's always been 4-4 for me.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's classic.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yvonne Parasich has rocked 44 throughout his career.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_02: Dayan Kolisevski, who returned to the pitch today for Spurs after 580 some days away due to injury, he wore 44, and he wore it because Adnan uh Yanuzai, who came through Manchester United as a young prospect.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: He was originally number 44, and that's actually why Deki chose 44 when he was in Italy.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: So a little bit of what I was thinking you might go, but I'm glad you threw me a curveball.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: I was sitting fastball, you hit me with a curveball.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny because I did have Parasich, he made my short list, uh, and Yanuzai from Manchester United also made my shortlist.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: But I thought this one was cool too, because of the connection to you and Roma as well.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you went that way.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, no problem.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, jumping into the Premier League, a full slate of games this past weekend.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: Let's start off with Saturday.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: The first game, the early game.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Chelsea go to Everton, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and pull out a 2-0 win.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: For me, Sean, the big takeaways from this one are Pedro Neto scoring a brace.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Chelsea just finds these guys, and they're they're all scoring.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, it's not, it doesn't have to be Palmer, it doesn't have to be Morgan Rogers, doesn't have to be Jao Pedro.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Some of these other guys scoring, which is frightening.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then on the other side, they keep their first clean sheet of the season.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, they do lose Emmy Martinez.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you saw that highlight.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's a pretty scary moment.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Had to be basically stretchered off of the field due to a head injury, and you you never want to see that, but his backup comes in, they keep a clean sheet, and for Chelsea, it's a pretty, pretty convincing 2-0 win on the road.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Brandon, I will have to get this in here at some point.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: I might as well just leave the show with it.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: My middle initial is P, and it might be for predictions, because I'm not sure if you're gonna see a better prediction weekend out of me ever.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: I absolutely had this league read like a Dr.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: Seuss book.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_02: I I picked and plotted my way through.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: I might have gone 10 for 10, it was maybe 9 for 10, but this was my best bet.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: I did think Chelsea would get the job done and give Everton their first loss.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of thought this game played out how we imagined.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: Chelsea were in control.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: It was an ugly affair.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: There were five yellow cards in the first half.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: The moment with Emmy Martinez was very scary.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: He was just out cold on the pitch for I would say over 10 minutes.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: It was at least a 10-minute delay.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_02: And he gets structured off, which was scary, of course.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: But then I didn't like seeing the Everton fans.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_02: It seemed to be a little bit of a boo cascading down when that was happening.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: I couldn't tell if it was directly correlated to that, but it seemed to be because nothing else was happening.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: So that was a little bit unbecoming.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: And I think after that, I was like, you know, and I hate giving Chelsea anything, but I think they might have deserved this one.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: They might have deserved three points here.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: I noticed that as well, and I didn't know if it was they were chanting at something else of because we obviously only sh can see what the camera shows us.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know if something was going on on the other side of the field or something, but yeah, it did sound kind of odd.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, back to Chelsea.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: I I think for them to be able to put this game away, they see that happen to their goalkeeper and still stay locked in and finish the game out and come out with three points against an Everton team that we've said all season it's been extremely pesky.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: They've been around, they haven't lost a game yet until this one.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely, definitely a good result for Chelsea, and they'll be happy to come away with three points.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: And they were the better side, they deserve the three.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: Everton have been pesky and hard to play against, and definitely hard to beat, as you mentioned.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's just I don't know how deserving they've been of being undefeated at this point in the season.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: Fair.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: Whether that's been their schedule or their performances, it just feels like they were really due for one of these losses, and that's why I kind of went into the weekend thinking Chelsea would get the job done.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: And I wasn't happy that they did, but they definitely deserve to get all three from this.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, the next game will profile uh Brentford and Liverpool.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Liverpool go to Brentford on the weekend and steal all three points.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they go down 1-0 early, but Brentford go to 10 men.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: And Sean, we've seen this story happen time and time again.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Team goes down to 10 men, they get a little nervous, the better team comes out in the second half, or after a break, or after the moment, and puts a couple goals in on them, and it's exactly what Liverpool does.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Victor Munez and Alexander Isak both score.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: But one of the other takeaways, we'll we'll talk about the red card in the game, but Florian Virch Sean, second half.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: We've hated on him in this pod, and I'll hand up, I did not have big hopes for him.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: He has not shown very well this season, but he played a great, great second half.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: So have to give him his credit where it's due.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: And Liverpool ultimately pulling out three points at a in a tough, tough game.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Brentford's not an easy team to beat, but definitely having that man advantage helped.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Brandon, I I dubbed this game.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: I said this is Florian's last dance.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: I said he must impress this weekend.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: I I didn't say I needed a goal or assist, I said it would go a long way, but he ends up with an assist, and he really did run the show in that second half.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: It was encouraging to see from a player I do like, and I think he's really good.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: He his transition to the Premier League has just been nightmarish from the beginning.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: Because of the price tag associated with him, if this was a 30 million pound transfer, nobody would be making a fuss.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: But because it was 130 million, this comes with a lot of expectations, and he has not produced to the level that Liverpool need.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: He finally started to show some really encouraging signs this weekend at Brentford at a time when Liverpool did need him the most.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned the sending off, he gets the red, and it's it's one of those reds that just derails the game.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: Because I would have really liked to see Liverpool tested 11 V11 down a goal away at Brentford for the full 90.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: Instead, they get to come out in that second half with a man advantage.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: And it takes them until the 62nd to crack through, but then Munoz scores with that Verts assist, and then the winner comes from Alexander Estak, which is assisted by Bradley Barkala, who's another guy that Liverpool has spent a lot of money on that needs to start performing.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: And boy, Bradley Barkala, he might have the yips in front of goal, Brandon.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: At the end of this game, this match was stretched completely wide open.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: They they were running into wide open spaces.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: That old country song, wide open spaces, that's what was playing here.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: They they could have had seven, and Barkala has one on one with the keeper twice, and he just passed it to him or or held up play and passed it into traffic where a teammate couldn't even get a shot off.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm glad he got on the score sheet in the form of an assist, but he still needs to find his goal scoring boots.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: It's a good win for Liverpool, but it does come with a little bit of an asterisk for me.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think this is a win for Liverpool that not that they were bad previously, but do you think this is sort of them raiding their ship and now they're gonna be smooth sailing ahead?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Or is there still warning signs because of what you mentioned with Barcola and Florian Verts?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it was 45 minutes, but can we see that for 90?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where are you at with Liverpool right now?
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it might be because of Areola's style, but I I don't expect smooth sailing yet.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm not gonna say it's gonna all be bad or all be good.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's just I expect some more choppy waters, some more good performances followed by questionable performances.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: Until they show me they can do it for a run of five matches, where they are clearly the better team, then I would start believing, but they just haven't shown that yet, and I don't want to overreact to one really strong performance.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: I I just think there's a little bit of chaos associated with this style of football that needs a needs some time to smooth itself out.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it will get there, it just hasn't arrived yet.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm again bullish long term on Ariel at Liverpool.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Just in the short term, I still think there might be some choppiness.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, no, that's that's fair.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: The next match on Saturday, we had Fulham in Hull City.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Fulham pulls out a win at home against the whole city tigers.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Not not the most highlights in this game, not a pretty watch.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely one that if you didn't if you didn't happen to catch this, you're alright, you're good.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: We'll fill you in real quick, but we'll we'll we'll keep it moving here.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hull were just absolutely dominated, Sean.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh looking at the stats, Fulham had 75% possession, hull didn't have a shot on target.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: It is are are the worry signs back for Hull?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: Are are they here?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: I obviously preseason they were here.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Then they go in the first two games and they've had a couple draws in there as well, but they haven't won in the last five.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I do worry that maybe they're regressing back to the mean a bit, and it's not the whole city tiger team that we saw the first two weeks where we were like, shoot, these guys are serious.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, water might be finding its level a little bit with Hole.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: They came out so hot, spit in my face after finishing, picking them to finish bottom.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: You picked them to finish bottom, but I even went further and said they might score 24 points on the year.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: They spit right at me, and I issued a hand-up apology.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: That hand might be coming back down.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna go there yet, but Brandon, you're right to point out some worrying signs for Hole.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's just not been as easy.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: They're not riding that high that they were to start the season, and that's to be expected.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't gonna be Sunshine and Rainbows this whole time.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: They'll respond and I think write the ship in a way that they're able to navigate some points away from home.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: Just the bottom line for these promoted sides, winning away from home is going to be difficult.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: So it's hard to ask them to go away and get three points.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: If you can manage a draw, that's the ideal goal.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: They weren't able to do that in this one, and it was a credit to Fulham.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: They were the hungry dogs that needed to run faster, as I referenced.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: This was a must-win for me for Fulham.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: They get the job done in a way that was pretty convincing, too.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like you mentioned, Hold didn't have a shot on target.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: The highlights for this game, Brandon, I think they showed a whole city throw-in that caused a little bit of damage in the body.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: It was grim for them.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: There was not a lot in the way of highlights.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: But Fulham, because of Alex Wobi's winner, get all three.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't know that everything's great at Craven Cottage, but it's at least better, and they're gonna sleep a lot more peacefully than they were had this gone a different direction.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: So credit to Fulham for bouncing back in the face of adversity and getting a much needed win.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, that's that's a good way to put it, Sean, because they absolutely needed that one.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: That would have been bad if they didn't get anything at home against a whole city team that's definitely struggling.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously Fulham's been struggling as well.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, and you always mentioned those relegation six pointers.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying Fulham's gonna get relegated, but that game, we may maybe look back in March and April and say, hey, there was that one in October where Hull went to Fulham and didn't get anything out of it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: That could that could really bite them in the long run.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: The next certain yeah, the next game we had Manchester City and Ipswich Town.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Manchester City pull this one out three to two.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Probably it looks a little closer on the score line.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Ipswich does score in the 90th minute to make it three to two, but seven wins from seven from City.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: Holland scores a brace.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Sean every week Holland scores one to two goals, and we've just gotten used to it, I think.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we're realizing the quality that that is.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: There's he's obviously my FPL captain most weeks, and he goes and has one goal in a game, and I'm like, dude, what are you doing?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Come on.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: So these braces are just normal for him.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's ridiculous.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, I I want to give Ipswich some credit.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Ipswich did fight, and they were present and they played a good game, but I think it's one of those where the quality just shined a little bit brighter for City, and then eventually they were able to pull out a three to two victory.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: The difference in quality ended up being the difference in the game.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: There was almost nothing Ipswich could have done when City are firing like this.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: You Holland scored two.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: He could have had four.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: He had one pulled out for offside.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: He had another one where they messed up the through ball and he was in on an empty net that he was freaking out about.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, we do definitely take Erling for granted.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: He is a freak of nature who deserves a ton of praise and gets a lot of praise, but I still don't know if he gets enough, just because, like you mentioned, having a guy who just does score every week is so rare.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_02: He's a unicorn in the way he plays and the way he finishes.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll we'll give him his credit here on this channel.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: I also think Phil Foden opening the scoring, returning from that red card suspension, that was big for Manchester City too.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're losing Antoine Semeno for two months now due to injury, which is going to be a big blow to that team.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: They do have depth, of course, because they buy two at every position.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: And it's going to require Phil Foden coming in and doing that thing because of the fact that they're balancing Champions League as well.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it was encouraging to see Phil, who has already, even with the red card, has already had a brighter start to this season than he did the entirety of last campaign.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: So good silence for Manchester City.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: This is what they do.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's the recipe.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_02: They don't keep clean sheets, but they score goals and they win matches.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I again I'm questioning the sustainability of it, but I love watching it each weekend, and I hope it continues.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a tough it's a tough thing to defeat because the skill and the quality is there.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: But you are right, the sustainability is definitely questionable.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: If you can't keep a team out and you're giving up one to two goals every week, what happens on the week when Holland can't play 90?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're talking Champions League, these cups, and I know Holland, they just throw him in every match.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: He's the first name on the team sheet, but Sean, there's gonna be a point where Holland physically will not be able to play 90-90-90-90 over midweek weekend, midweek weekend.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if they have I'm sure there's somebody they have that can fill that, but not of course to the level of Erling Holland.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I do worry if anything were to happen to him or he's not able to play a full 90 minutes.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: I mentioned this to start the year.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: I I was shocked that they sold Omar Marmoush and didn't buy a replacement.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't think Marmoush is a like for like replacement with Holland by any means, but they don't really even have another striker profile behind Holland.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: And currently, as we speak, Brandon, he is dealing with a little bit of something.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: He he left that match with some discomfort.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: Now, knowing him, he'll probably just press a button on the machine that he is and get back out there for this Champions League midweek, but there's gonna come a time where he can't go, and that's gonna be concerning because, like you said, they rely on him for one to two goals per match minimum.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: That's the floor.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're missing him, maybe a couple balls don't bounce your way, or one of those wingers aren't able to get on the score sheet, and you can find yourself in a real, real pickle because you can't keep teams out.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: So it hasn't bit Manchester City in the butt yet.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_02: It may never come back to bite them, but I'm just I think we're doing a good job of just letting listeners know keep your stay vigilant when taking Manchester City and assuming they're gonna win every week.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's not exactly always gonna be smooth sailing.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: And Sean, the last match on Saturday, the 1230, was Newcastle and Aston Villa.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: When we previewed this, we had this one kind of going all over the place.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think we both ended up settling on draws, but Aston Villa uh go to Newcastle and they pull out a one-zero win.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Your guy, Johan Monzombi, with the game-winning goal.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Not necessarily, again, another game that was super exciting to watch, but Villa go to Newcastle and get it done.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's a great win for them.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: The two teams are now level in the we've had a lot of questions about Villa in this beginning portion of the season, Sean.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they're starting to answer them.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: Newcastle, I think new questions are now starting to emerge with Coventry City last week and then now losing at home to Villa this week.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: Interested to just see your thoughts and kind of what you think about both of these teams and where they're at right now.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think this is if you were looking at two different line graphs, Brandon.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: One line is going pretty firmly in an upward trajectory, and the other is going in the opposite direction.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: And we mentioned Villa's slow start, but we also said it's going to take time for just this amount, the amount of changes they underwent, it's going to take time for them to settle in.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: And we're starting to see them settle in.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: And Johan Monsambi was the biggest reason.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: He wasn't even playing because of injury in those first four league matches.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: He is becoming a regular in the side, and I think he really raises their ceiling.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: I love this kid.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_02: I've loved him for a while.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: I think if he could stay healthy, he raises Villa's ceiling in a way that even if you stack him up with the guys that they lost in the backbone of their team, I actually think his upside's higher than a lot of those players.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: So it's definitely a good investment from Villa to rebuild in that manner.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: And we're starting to see under a good manager like Unay Emery them settle in and find out who they're going to be in this league.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: And the opposites being becoming true for Newcastle.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: Matthias Yaisla comes in, he gets wins in his first couple, and everybody's like, oh, look at this new hot shot manager for Newcastle.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: Well, they look like shit.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: They look pretty poor in recent weeks.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: And it comes out after losing the Coventry last weekend, now a home loss to Villa.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I just think there's some concerning signs.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: I don't really think they have the best squad on paper.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_02: If you just look at some of the guys that are playing for them week in and week out, it's like, oh God, Newcastle should be doing better than that.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I also think the jerseys that they wear on a weekly basis, Brandon, that's that's a goal in the opposite direction.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: That's how bad those kits are.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: They're awful.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: It's a kit clash every week with Newcastle.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: No matter who they play, it's kit clash because they're wearing white and black and uh it's it's miserable.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Not the fashion football and friends podcast, but no, it it's it is it's funny you say that because yeah, they've they've really struggled.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: I do also agree with the kits.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: I thought some of the games I watch, I think it's just my eyes and I'm getting old, but maybe not because I'm like, how do you have a jersey like that?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how are you supposed to wear something that doesn't clash with that?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: It it's weird.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: If you wear dark it clashes, if you're white, it clashes.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's an absolute misery to watch Newcastle play, and it's not just because they might be shit, it's because their kids stink too.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you have to almost wear pink like Coventry City does, and just call it that way because yeah, it it is funny you say that.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's it's so bad, and it's every week, it seems like it is, it is definitely two teams I think we'll keep our eyes on because, like you said, the trajectories are definitely going in opposite directions, and it's maybe not exactly what we thought was gonna happen.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: I do know you were very high on Eston Villa on the wait and see approach, and it's starting to show.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll definitely give you that.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Newcastle, I think we were both kind of middle on them, but it's looking a little dangerous now uh with the way that they've been losing some of these matches.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: Turning to Sunday, Sean, the first game, uh and Sunderland.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Fournemouth beat Sunderland 2 0.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: I will put two hands up.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: I pick Sunderland to win.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to be nice and share the wealth and share my love.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, I'm vowing right now I will never pick Sunderland to win in a prediction again.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: I'm over them.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: They're done.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: They are so Out of my headspace now, I can't deal with them.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope they get relegated.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: I hope they don't get another point for the rest of the season.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: I did warn you, Brandon.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: I said it's risky business to pick this club because of the way you've treated them.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: They're going to mistreat you back.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: And boy boy, did they mistreat you back.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: This was this was over early and even before the Danso red card, which completely flips them.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't even flip the match.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: It just completely assures everyone that Sunderland aren't getting anything out of this.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: Bournemouth were buzzing the start.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: And they they put in a really impressive shift.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: Now, I you do have to, of course, caveat it because of the red card.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: They dominated all of these stats.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: They could have had five just based on expected goals, based on the eye test as well.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: They had a lot of good chances in this one.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: It was good for Sunderland that it only ended up 2-0.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: But Brandon, you might be in a good spot to not be betting on Sunderland going forward because I'm going to issue just a half-hand-up apology.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: I wasn't super high on Sunderland, but I was high on their manager, Reggie LeBrie.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: I still believe in him, but boy, is that belief waning.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: They he might be in the running for first manager sacked at this point.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: Anything's possible.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: Arboloa's kind of resurrected himself.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: There is a guy we're going to get to in a second that his team's burning up.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: But Sunderland are trending in a bad way as well.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: So that Tyne Darby with Newcastle, both of these clubs, not good right now.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's concerning signs for Sunderland, but I have to give just a hat tip to Evan Nielsen for Bournemouth.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: What a player.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: I loved him at FC Porto.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_02: And he's one of these strikers in the Premier League that does not get talked about often at all.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: But he's been really good since they brought him in.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: And he gives consistent performances.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: He's he's a complete player, too.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: He's not just a guy who's a lump in the box.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_02: He's dropping deep and picking a pass, and he's really skilled on the ball.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I enjoy watching Evan Nielsen play.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: I enjoyed watching this version of Bournemouth play.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: For the first time in a while, it seemed like Bournemouth figured some things out that might be also just a testament to how Sunder how bad Sunderland were.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll see which direction these two clubs continue to trend, but encouraging signs for Bournemouth.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and all jokes aside, obviously I picked Sunderland and I thought maybe this was the week that they put it together and get a win.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: But Bournemouth also really needed a win, Sean.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, of course, the red card skews things and makes things look a little bit worse on paper, but an extremely professional job by Bournemouth.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like they knew that they had to come in and get three points.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: They're at home, they're playing a team in Sunderland that's struggling, and they go out and do that.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned in the last episode that they would need Tavenier and Edwin Nielsen to really have good games to put it together to help them win, and they both get on the score sheet.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's a huge first win for Bournemouth, I think.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: They started off okay, but there were so many dropped points they could never close out a game.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure even in this game, there were probably moments where they thought, oh, we've done this every week where we get a lead and then we give it up.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but unfortunately, or sorry, fortunately for them, unfortunately for Sunderland, their expected goals were less than 0.1.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: So Sunderland were not scoring in that game.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um they would have had to been born with putting it in their own net, probably.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, it's it's a good win for them, and I think they'll want to build on that and continue because these teams are all that we have the top tier, Sean.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like, and then the middle tier starting to play itself out, but this bottom tier, it's it's like crabs in a barrel.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone's just scratching trying to get out, and no one's doing it well enough to fully get out.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone's still sort of in that danger zone.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: So Bournemouth, I think it's a great result.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: It puts them higher up on the table, of course, but also I think it's a statement of intent that all right, we can get this together.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: We know how to win a game.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: I hope for their sake that they're able to string a couple of these performances together.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I do start to really worry for Sunderland that they could be getting left towards the bottom of that barrel.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna be closely watching these two teams in the next few weeks to see where their trend continues to go.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: Is this just a fluke for Bournemouth and a bad performance for Sunderland, or is this cause for real concern?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: Speaking of cause for real concern, Sean, our next game, we had Brighton putting up a five-piece, five-piece chicken tender on Crystal Palace.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: 5-0, Sean.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, this game was over 10 minutes in.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's 3-0, 10 minutes in.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Diego Gomez scores a goal from midfield.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, the Brighton boys are just having fun out there.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: It looks like a training session.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's there's no pressure.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: They're playing free.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: Hertzler's got them pinging and passing, and it doesn't even look like it's work.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: It just looks like play for them.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, is this more of Brighton truly saying, hey, we're in that upper echelon of teams in the Premier League, or Crystal Palace is just really bad?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna go with the cop-out answer, Brandon.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just gonna say it's a little bit of both.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: I do think Brighton are one of the best teams in the league this year.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not willing to put them up there with City and Arsenal yet, even though they battered Arsenal.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe I should.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_02: I just think we won't see Arsenal have that complete bad performance out of nowhere too often, where I expect one or two of those to pop up for Brighton.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe that's wrong of me because they really haven't shown too many signs of that, at least recently.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: They've been so good under Herzler, like you mentioned.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: But I just think there's more blips on the radar upcoming for Brighton.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_02: I do think they are one of the most fun teams to watch.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_02: They might be first in the fun rankings.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's them and City because we'll get to Arsenal in a bit, but they are the opposite of fun to watch.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_02: They are absolutely dreadful to watch.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I would rather be Brighton than Arsenal any day of the week because boy is it a blast to watch these guys.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_02: I said this one's gonna get ugly.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: I predicted 4-0.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: Brandon, that was way worse than I thought.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: It was it was so much quicker.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: It was so it was devastating how quick Crystal Palace were out of this game.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I mentioned the manager that that seed is hot, Pierre Sage.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, this guy, I mean, relative unknown coming into the league.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: Not the worst start through two match weeks.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_02: Whoo, since then it's gone downhill, buddy.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you might need to go back to the French league because it's not working here.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_02: You gotta change something up.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: 5-0, you're one or two goals away from being sacked after the match.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: Because if it gets to six or seven, those are the ones where you see managers just you'll be sacked in the morning, you'll be sacked in the morning.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: That's that would we were close to that.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a derby game as well, like we talked about, a weird derby game, but a derby nonetheless, and just an absolutely dominating performance from Brighton.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it's different guys each week for them.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_02: Seriously.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's not even our guy Pascal Gross this week.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't even De Koyper, it was just Ruder, who's been a brilliant player for them.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: He's just coming back from injury, he's working his way in.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: They have just so many guys that could beat you and have beaten you so far this season.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's a joy for the Seagulls.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's a party, it's a party in the south of England with these guys.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: It every week, Sean, and maybe it can continue.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, but they have like you said, they haven't shown signs that it can't continue every game.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: And you put them in your fun, fun to watch.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: I I I co-sign that.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely them.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: City City are up there, but I I also really like watching Chelsea.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think just because of the attacking brilliance they have on the field, but City as well.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: These these three teams, if they're on TV, these are the ones I would say, hey, stop and watch because you'll see some good football.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and Brighton again with just an incredible performance against Crystal Palace.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: Another potential hot seat.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's have another discussion.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: Leeds, Manchester United, 1-1 draw.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: Michael Carrick, we've talked about him multiple times.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: United do take the lead in this one.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: They drop the lead.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Dominic Calvert Lewin scores and equalizes for Leeds.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: I I think it's not a probably not a bad result overall in the grand scheme of things, but if you're United, you're just looking for that direction.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think we mentioned them being lost, and it just continues here as well.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like Leeds, solid team for sure, but you're Manchester United, you should be able to win games on the road, and to not win again against a team in Leeds, that is fine, but you should win.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to, if you want to compete and win the league or try to make a Champions League run, you have to win games like this.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: And for them to drop two more points, it's gotta be even more fire under Michael Carrick.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, maybe it was just how Carrick is posturing for his job with that in the back of his mind that his seat might be warming up.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: But his post-came comments were pretty concerning to me.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_02: He he basically was celebrating the draw, almost saying, like, this is what we need to do, built building and moving forward.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: And it's kind of like, well, that's not the Manchester United I grew up, you know, learning about and watching.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: That's not the standard.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_02: The standard should be to win that game, and it seemed like there was some complacency with a draw, which was definitely the most fair result based on balance in that game.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: If anything, I thought Leeds had slightly better of the chances.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_02: It was a pretty fair match throughout.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_02: It a draw was deserved, but the fact that United seemed to be complacent to settle for that is probably concerning for me.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: And again, this result in a line of results is not going to stand out as a bad one.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know, a a draw in a derby away from home against a good side, fine.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: That's that's completely fine.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's just they need to buck the trend at some point, like you mentioned.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's you need a standout performance to build momentum on.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_02: We haven't gotten it yet from United recently.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_02: And the longer it goes without getting that, the hotter and hotter that seat for Michael Carrick gets.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: The first manager to be sacked race really is interesting.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't know.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_02: I would probably lay money on Pierre Sage right now because I think Crystal Palace look like the most rudderless ship.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: But the stakes at Manchester United are a lot higher than they are at Crystal Palace.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_02: So that's fascinating.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: Sunderland is another one you gotta keep your eye on, but it's heating up in the Prem.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's heating up, and for good reason, because the performances for United have not been good enough.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're playing like they're a 10th place team.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: And if they want to be a 10th place team, fine.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Go away to leave and get a draw.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: But when you have this much money in the side and this much history and glory and tradition in your club, you're not playing for 10.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it's maybe a new manager that might wake up the team.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's new players in January.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what the solution is for them, but they're gonna have to really sit together and start to figure this out because it's not cutting it for what they need to be.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: I again, like we said, a draw on the road, not bad.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's a dark, but this is Manchester United.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: This is not your average club.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: Two more uh matches for you, Sean.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: The late one on Sunday, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: Arsenal win 1-0 on the road.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: I thought Forrest played pretty well in this one, Sean.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: They held them out for, I believe, 80 minutes.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: Nani Matuweki, the substitute, comes on and he scores the goal for Arsenal and gives them three points.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: But Forrest just don't have that offensive threat.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: Morgan's White is out, your guy, lump on the log, Liam DeLap.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Just it's not they can't score.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I think with a little bit more talent in that front third of the pitch, they may have been able to sneak a point out of this game.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: But with what they had on the field, it just didn't really David Rea not really tested.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: He made a couple saves, but saves that you'd expect him to make.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: So far as we talked about their offensive struggles, and I think they're really starting to show, especially in a match like this where Arsenal wasn't perfect.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: No, Arsenal were far from perfect for sure.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: And and that 80th minute winner from Madwake, it takes such a big deflection.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's a Mickey Mouse goal if I've ever seen one.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_02: It's just the kind of bounces you get if you're Arsenal and league champs.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_02: It feels like a lot of bounces are going their way, and that's how sports work.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: You know, sometimes you get a run of years or matches, or even just a month-long run where things seem to go your way, and other times where you can't get anything to go your way.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_02: And Arsenal have it going their way at the minute.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_02: A championship level defensive performance from them, I would agree that they did a good job of just mitigating any chances Forrest had going forward.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's also down to Forrest's lack of threat.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: And if you it's spooky season, Brandon, if you want to watch a scary movie, just watch Liam Delap highlights.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: This guy, he's an absolute horror show.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: He reeks.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: I can't stand it.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: I can't believe he's their starting nine.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'm assuming Igor Jesus is hurt.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't I haven't seen him in in forever.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: They brought Chris Wood on.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: The ghost of Chris Wood came on for nine minutes at the end.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, well, what are we doing, boys?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, they they offered nothing going forward except for my guy, Marijo, the center back.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_02: Almost a moment of brilliance to equalize an extra time.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my god, he's buzzing past a few defenders.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, go to it, go to it, and he almost did.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: But it it it does get it does go wide.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, disappointing for Forrest to put in a good shift like that and not get anything out of it.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_02: But that's just when you're league champs and you know how to see out and win these matches, winning is a skill, and Arsenal seem to have found a way to do it.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a credit to them, even if it is the most boring, boring style of football to watch in the whole prem.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'd rather watch, I'd rather watch Hole and Ipswitch.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's that it's definitely not too fun to watch, but again, championship mentality and it's what it takes what it takes, and it's not always going to be pretty.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be a sub off the bench on a deflected goal, and you walk out of there at three points, it all looks the same in the table.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: So Arsenal will be happy with us, but not the best.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and also it's a credit to just how deep their squad is.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: They they really did a good job of building the squad over the course of several years.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_02: A guy like Madwake has started World Cup matches for England this summer, and he comes on and he's able to make a difference because they have that level of depth within their squad.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_02: And there's only a couple of teams in the Prem, and I would say it's them in Manchester City that are able to do things like that and have world-class level players that are not necessarily nailed on starters.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I think it's a of course the city with the asterisk and the situation going on, but at these other bigger clubs like Arsenal, like Chelsea, it is interesting to see how you have these situations where you have guys that are starting for their national team who can't get a sniff in the regular team, and now they're still seemingly from the outside at least happy.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure when you're getting paid 200 grand a week, that'll probably make you smile a little bit more than than not.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I think some of these guys are competitors and they want to play and they want to be on the field and to just not be picked in the team over and over again.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: But then a coach says, Hey, come off the bench in the 75th minute and we need a goal, go make it happen.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, you could have started me.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: I could have had 75 minutes to do this.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now I only get 15.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: So how fair is that?
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it might maybe it's a credit to these coaches, these staffs, or these organizations.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know exactly what it is, but I've always been under the impression that these guys are a little bit diva-ish at times and they want to be on the field and to not be picked, but then to have to come off the bench and perform right away, can't be the easiest thing to do.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_02: No, I think it's down to the individual.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_02: But I like your point overall.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: But there are definitely players who have different mindsets, and there are, I would say, 99% of players do want to be on the pitch.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Now, there's nuance that comes with that.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_02: And a guy like Madwake, who does get regular football because of the amount of fixtures Chelsea has, or because Arsenal has, they are able to work him in, and it feels like he's playing a lot, even if maybe they're being smart about how they manage where he plays and when.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_02: But I also think it's down to the mindset of the player because sometimes a player is so grounded that they're able to reflect on their performances and they know they're in a world-class squad, and they might know that a performance wasn't up to the level, and the team won.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_02: So, in which case, why would the manager change then?
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: If we won last week with a guy playing in my position and who did a really good job, some guys are able to sit back and reflect and say, okay, I need to raise my level then.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: And when I get my next chance, I need to take it.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_02: And those are the rare ones.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: And if you could get a squad full of guys that are ready to compete like that and willing to be self-critical and sit back and get like acknowledge they need to get better and then go and put in the work to do so, that's when you create the perfect environment.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's just rare they're able to do that because there's a lot of egos and other things that get in the way.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, if the team loses and you don't play, it's a lot easier to point at the manager be like, well, could have could have played, could have won if I if I was out there.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's a discussion that's fascinating, but does I think come down to an individual basis.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's fair.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: I just think in my own personal life in my my FIFA career mode.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't play a guy for two games and he's he's sending me messages asking me why he's not playing.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, dude, relax.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he wants a transfer request.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, but how about pass the ball on time, mate?
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_02: How about track back once in a while?
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do your job, do your job, and and things will work, Sean.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: The last game of the weekend, the one that we previews a bit at the beginning of this episode, Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Spurs pull out a three-to-one win.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: Their first win of the season, Sean James Madison, uh basically a club legend, I would say, at this point, scores an incredible first goal.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: I've I watched the replay from the the ref can when they showed it, and I was like, ooh, goalie didn't have a chance to save it.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great shot from him.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: Omar Marmoush scores, the guy you mentioned about uh coming from City this season, and then Ben Davies with a nice little toe poke, close my eyes and swing my foot type of goal to close it out, Sean.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: But I think there's a few things I want to take away from this match.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, I didn't realize this, but when James Madison scored, the announcers were like, this is Tottenham's first lead of the season.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, that's that's blasphemous.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, well, Brandon, if you remember, we didn't score for the first time.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_02: No, I didn't just cover it.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_02: So that that was so hard.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_02: That's hard to get a lead when you don't score.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_02: And then also last week we went down a goal and had to fight back.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we're not a good, we're not a good get out in front team, say that for free.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but but actually, it leads into my second point.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: You just said it, they actually did come out on the front foot.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: They came out early and they were attacking, and we've mentioned it every week they've done it, but they haven't been able to get that final product.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: But with Madison's goal, they get that final piece uh to take a 1-0 lead early.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_01: So overall, uh for me, like pretty solid takeaways.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, they are playing Coventry City, which is not they're not gonna win the league this year, probably not ever.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_01: But three points is three points, and when you haven't gotten a win, I think you celebrate every every chance you can.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the only problem with this performance for me, Brandon, was Madison comes back, and having Matters in the starting lineup for the first time in over a year and a half, I want to say, it it felt just beautiful to see him there from the jump.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: The only problem was once he scores that world-class goal, it was as if we had won the league.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_02: We we completely were like, oh, job's done.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_02: Job is done, good win.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody will hit the showers.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it wasn't done.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_02: And of course it became a stress test.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was not healthy for much of the second half, coventry level coming out of the break.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_02: Spurs respond well, though.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_02: And it's Marmoouche, like you mentioned, he gets a really good goal himself.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_02: And then Ben Davies.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna stop short of calling Madison a club legend yet.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_02: He's still young in his tenure, he's missed a year.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_02: You want to talk club legend, Brandon?
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_02: The man who's been there 13 years, gentle Ben Davies, maybe more cult hero than legend.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, the quality hasn't always been there, and I've bemoaned why he's still at the club all these years later.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_02: The fact it's 2026, almost 2027, and he's still getting minutes at left back is so concerning.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: But he always does a job with a smile on his face.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_02: Usually it's just a six out of ten.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_02: Usually it's sometimes six and a half.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what a shift, Ben.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_02: What a goal for the boy.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_02: And he gets to celebrate in front of the homestand.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_02: It was it was really good to get a win.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_02: It was obviously much needed, if not now when came to mind because if you can't beat Coventry at home, who were you going to beat?
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_02: Things are going to get tougher.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_02: I think we have four London Derbies in our next seven matches.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_02: Those aren't going to be fun, those aren't going to be easy, but uh Tottenham have been a team that, if you just look on paper and statistically, they they do a good job of being on the front foot in these matches.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_02: They're fourth in the Premier League in a box opponent box touches.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_02: They're third in chances created.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_02: They just haven't been able to get goals out of these.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_02: And uh scoring three at home with James Madison in the lineup, I think it could be the start of something new and positive for Spurs.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_02: The only issue is it's like we get a guy back, we get two guys back, and then two more drop dead.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_02: So it's just a never-ending cycle.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: We'll never have close to a full squad.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know, I don't remember what it feels like to have options of who plays.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's just like you're gonna go out there today, mate, and you're gonna play at least 70, and then you might cramp up and we'll figure it out.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_02: But that's what happened, that's what happened against Coventry.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just happy they won, Brandon.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_02: We're moving in the right direction.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it almost feels like Sean, you and I could pick the team just based on who's available each week.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: We don't even have to see training.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's like what 11 bodies are healthy enough to play more than 70 minutes?
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_01: All right, cool.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_01: You guys are starting, and that's and that's it.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to also highlight, uh, talking about injuries, Dan Kolosewski comes back.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_01: He makes his first appearance for Tottenham in about a year and a half.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_01: May 11th, 2025 was his last appearance.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_01: He's dealt with a ton of knee injuries, knee issues.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_01: He didn't necessarily do very much in his I believe it was about 10 minutes at the end of the game, uh, plus the stoppage time.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_01: But just to see him back on the pitch is fantastic.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_01: This guy, you mentioned him, I believe, when we were first way back when we first started this podcast, that he just basically had residency in the training room.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_01: And it's great to see him, you know, on the field playing.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: And hopefully this is the start of something new for him and and back to better days when he used to be one of our best players.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Brandon, it was back when Ange Postacaglu was in charge when he suffered his injury, and Ange told the reporters that they were still doing some tests, but it was just a knock, and he would be back in a couple weeks.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it was a torn patellar tendon, and which is the worst injury in all sports, and he basically.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_02: didn't walk for a year and then slowly has ramped up his training to get to a point where he can return to action.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it's really cool to see.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, Deki is a guy that every fan loves because he plays football in a beautiful way.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_02: There's an iconic prep Pep Guardiola press conference moment where he he gets battered by Tottenham as he did, and he says, Kulisewski, what a player, what a player.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_02: And that's just what I think of anytime I hear Deki's name.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_02: He is he is a world-class player on his best day.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_02: The problem is he he's a unique player.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_02: He's weird.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_02: You need to get him in his right position for him to be fit and firing.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_02: And once he is, and if Roberto Deserbi is able to establish that, I think we can unlock it.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_02: It's like a new signing.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, oh my god, we get this guy back.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_02: But I think that might be a while away.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's just good to see him back in the lineup and hear the fans singing that song.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_02: Gimme, gimme, gimme a ginger from sweet.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's special times, and you love to see that.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_01: You love to see him back on the field.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, just a quick couple of standouts from this weekend.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: For team of the week, Sean, I just put Brighton and Fulham.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think Brighton, we've already discussed winning 5-0.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_01: Fulham getting their first win wasn't pretty, but three points again is three points.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_01: Worst, Sunderland and Crystal Palace for what we've talked about.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: Best performances.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think we did mention Florian Wirts, and I said we gave him a lot of stick on this podcast, but he was fantastic in that second half.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: But the Diego Gomez midfield strike, and we quickly talked about it with Brighton.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: You're talking that's probably goal of the season, if not one of.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for me, the coolest part about that goal was he did it in the seventh minute of the game.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's this is not the 85th minute, everyone's tired, you're up 4-0, and you're like, yeah, let's just see if we can give the fans a show.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_01: They're doing this in the seventh minute.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_01: And granted, they were already up one zero by the seventh minute, but that's a legitimate shot.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: And for that to happen and come off is incredible for them.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then worst, I had Crystal Palace's defense, just the whole backline gets it.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yarmalook from Brentford with the red card up one-zero, and I think that really, really changed the game.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: But those two guys, or Yarmalook and then Crystal Palace's defense, just bad performances, and this is why your team's not winning games.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_01: You can't get red cards when you're playing a top four team, top four level team, and you can't have a defensive performance where you give up three goals in the first 10 minutes.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's very fair.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_02: And you you ripped through those, Brandon.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think you nailed a lot of similar points that I'm going to touch on.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_02: So we're we're thinking on the same lines here.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_02: For team of the week, I went fulham just because it was a must-win and they won.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_02: It it was a home match at Craven Cottage.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_02: The fans showed out for it as they always do, and their backs were against the wall to start the season.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought it was a thorough performance.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_02: It was probably still a little bit scary that it was only one-nil and it was just a moment away from things changing, but they definitely deserved all three, and they got all three in a much needed way.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_02: For disappointing team, I went Crystal Palace as well.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_02: I thought it was going to be bad, and it was even worse.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_02: So that was shocking.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_02: That was a shocking level of incompetence for Palace.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_02: Not good at all.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: In terms of standout players, I did my gold, silver, bronze, gold, I went Evan Nielsen just because I feel like he's a bit underappreciated.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_02: Haven't talked about him too much on this program.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_02: And he's certainly not talked about enough in the great landscape of the Premier League because a lot of time is spent on those top six or big six clubs.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes the little guys get left out.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I wanted to shout out Evan Nielsen.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_02: He gets a goal, he gets an assist.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_02: And since he's joined, like I mentioned, he's just been a really good player that I think is fun to watch.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I like shouting him out.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_02: My silver, I've gone for Pedro Neto.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_02: A brace, both goals in a 2-0 win over Everton away from home.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_02: Chelsea, like you mentioned, their attack is fun to watch.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_02: He's been kind of the odd man out in terms of the score sheet.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_02: It seems like it's usually been Joe Pedro and Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scoring and assisting.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_02: But Pedro Neto is a good player on his day as well.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know that I am I've ever been like super convinced by him.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_02: I always see some quality and I'm like, oh yeah, he's good.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_02: But they have so many attacking options.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_02: I'm always kind of befuddled how he just has that spot nailed down all to himself.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_02: But a match like that's what proves it.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why Javi Alonso might know more than I.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_02: And for my bronze, I went for two here because I wanted to give Madison a shout out.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think that goal was outrageous.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_02: Might be one of the best Spurs goals we see all season.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_02: And then I also think Alex Awobi deserves a shout out for Fulham.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_02: Getting the only goal in a match that you needed to win and doing a job at all different positions for Fulham throughout the years.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: He's played center mid, he's played left back, he's played left wing, he's played right wing, he's played attacking midfielder.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_02: And he puts in a good shift almost every time he's out there for them.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's where I stand disappointing.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_02: Player I was with you on your armaluk.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_02: You just can't get sent off and ruin the game.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_02: Up a goal against against the championship level side.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, that's disappointing for him and and the boys.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_02: So we're thinking all on the same lines here.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_02: Brandon, there's one other thing from the Premier League I have to mention.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if you've noticed this.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_02: I can't stand NBC's production.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_02: I can't stand Okay.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_02: If they show me a highlight while game is going on and I hear the fans cheering in the background, I'm gonna lose my mind.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_02: It happens all the time.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I only get really mad about it for Spurs because I need to see every minute.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_02: I wish I had the all 22 camera.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna lose my mind.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_02: I'm screaming at the it's not healthy.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_02: I hand up, listeners.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_02: I know it's not healthy how I watch the games.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_02: I'm screaming at the television.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_02: Show them fudge! Show them fetch.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what's going on.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_02: I hear boobs, I hear uh cheers.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_02: I uh you never know.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_02: And then what drives me even more up a wall is if they're showing a manager's face uh on the touchline while the ball is in play, shoot the production, shoot them, who's ever in charge.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_02: If you watch any other league around Europe, there's this thing, there's this new technology.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's called picture in picture.
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_02: You're able to show two little boxes on the screen at once.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_02: Do that at least.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_02: For God's sakes, I can't stand, I cannot stand missing live action to see what Roberto De Zerbi is doing sitting on the bench motionless.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_02: It drives me up a lot.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: I absolutely love this take from you.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason I probably don't get nearly as upset as you do about this is because Apple TV does the same exact thing with MLS, and they've been doing it ever since I got the MLS contract, and now I'm just used to it.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just used to them talking and showing these slow motion replays of a ball that doesn't even come close to goal, it's like a goal kick for the other team.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_01: And meanwhile, I hear the fans cheering, and then it's like, oh, gold.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: And they're not even talking over it, so you don't know what's going on.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm I'm completely used to this with Apple, so to see it with the Premier League, I'm like, oh, it's just another football game to me.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, we have to figure that out in the year 2026.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's absolutely ridiculous.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_01: Or, like you said, give us an all 22 camera so we can just lock in.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like people like us that just want to see the game move and we want to see all the tactics.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_01: We don't need the close-ups of the grass on who touched a throw-in on the sideline.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's fine.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_01: Just give it to a team.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: Let's keep it moving.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_01: This is a this is a good shot from you.
• 51:13
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even think it's a hot take, honestly.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think most people would agree with you.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_01: And NBC, they've had this, they've had the Premier League for I believe it's probably about 15 years now.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like we I've been bitching for 15 years.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_01: I just now finally have somewhere to do it.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_02: I can't, I can't, I can't hold it in any longer, Brandon.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's and then you turn on La Liga and ESPN.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_02: Their production is brilliant.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_02: Go watch all Liga match.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_02: They are doing picture-in-pictures and showing you a replay, but then you have the game on the bigger side.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_02: They're doing advanced analytics in the terms of where each team's attacking through which channels.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_02: They're showing you stats and numbers that the primarily can't even count to.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_02: I I it's driving me nuts, MBC.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_02: Their golf, uh, this is a different podcast episode entirely, but their golf coverage sucks too.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'm selling the whole corporation out on MBC Universal.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_01: And they that that's a Comcast company, so stick to amusement parks.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_02: All you're good for.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: My God.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, geez.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's a that's an incredible, incredible shout.
• 52:15
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how to follow that.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_01: I will do my best here.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_01: I guess speaking of Apple TV, give you the quick MLS update here.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_01: Please.
• 52:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um Nashville clinches the number one seed in the east.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they'll very likely win the supporters shield with their next match.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they dropped points this weekend at San Jose, so they weren't able to technically clinch the supporters shield, but fully expect them to do that in their next match or next two matches.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_01: In the east, we have some clinched playoff spots.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_01: Nashville, like I mentioned, Miami, New England, and Chicago have all clinched.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_01: In the West, Vancouver, St.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_01: Louis, Dallas, and San Jose have all clinched.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_01: Most teams have about four games left.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_01: We don't have midweek this week.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_01: I believe there's one makeup game, but most games are playing on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, a lot of tight races.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, teams are jockeying for that playoff positioning, and it's key because in the MLS, the first round of the playoffs, Sean, you'll love this.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a it's giving the wildcard baseball playoff where it's best two out of three.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_01: And the team that is the better seed gets two home games.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_01: The lower seed gets one home game.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of teams are trying to push for a top four finish uh so that they'll have two home games.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_01: Our Philadelphia Union, Sean, they'll likely finish between fourth and sixth.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_01: They're sitting in sixth right now, uh, but the teams behind them are multiple games back.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_01: So very likely they'll finish somewhere between fourth and sixth.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, they're pushing for fourth because of the home games.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think they'll get any higher than fourth.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_01: But the unbeaten streak is still on.
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_01: They won one game last week, tied another.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_01: So now they're at 15 games, unbeaten, 12 wins, and three draws.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_01: They had an eight-game uh just win streak that was snapped this weekend with their draw against Charlotte, but still in great position, still doing a lot.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_01: And the last thing I wanted to bring up about MLS, did you happen to see the Scorpion kick goal from uh Martin Ojeda, Orlando City?
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_02: I did see this goal, Brady.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_02: Can I absolute belter came across the timeline?
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_01: Can I interest you in a little a little scorpion kick football?
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: It it's we we probably I don't want to be that guy, Sean.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_01: We may have to ask a question or two about goalkeepers.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know why I'm always asking about a goalkeeper, but regardless, that finish is is absurd and will be one that I'm sure fans, even if you're not an MLS fan, it'll probably come across timelines.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_02: I think that goal is worth seeking out if you haven't seen it.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's that good.
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_02: So a good shout by you, Brandon, and of course, love you keeping us all up to date on the MLS.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's getting really good in the MLS.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_02: I did tune into a bit of the unions 2-2 draw at the weekend against Charlotte.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_02: Disappointing to break the win streak, but I really just don't I like that not losing streak even better.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah you know what I mean?
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_02: Just keep extending that.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_02: Let's carry that through the rest of the season and take home a title.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_02: How does that work?
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, uh I'll sign up.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_02: Where do I sign that paper?
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I don't think it's out of the question.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_02: I this is a completely different side that's proven to be one of the best in the MLS since Rodden Richter took over.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that's the thing I'm tuning into each week in the MLS.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_02: I think not only because of your appreciation of affiliation with them, I think that secret's out of the bag.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's going to be my MLS club again.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'm back.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_02: I never left.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I think I think heading into the playoffs, there's not a more exciting player in the league to watch than Kevin Sullivan.
• 55:29
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like, well, if not now, what for the boys?
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of positive momentum for the union.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_02: Glad they kept it up last week.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to talk more about that in the midweek episode as we get to another busy weekend in the MLS.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_02: Not too much in terms of Europe.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't preview that many matches last week, Brandon.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_02: I mentioned La Liga, where I promised goals and Real Betis Barcelona, and I'm happy to report there was only seven.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, you know, it's just when you're hot on predictions, you're hot of predictions.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_02: It ended in a 5-2 win in favor of Barcelona.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_02: They continue to just absolutely roll.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_02: Both Madrid clubs won to keep pace.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_02: They do need to continue doing it, and coming up, we'll preview it when it when we have to, but the El Classico is almost upon us.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that's that's next weekend.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_02: That's going to be absolute fireworks.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_02: We'll get into that a little bit midweek because it's a big weekend ahead in the sport, and we've got a big midweek as well.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_02: So all these clubs really don't have any time to rest.
• 56:25
  SPEAKER_02: The only other thing I'll mention is in Italy.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_02: I talked about Juventus being in a big spot against L.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_02: Brandon the Mighty have fallen.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_02: Juventus is unrecognizable.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_02: They lost 3-0.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_02: Never really in the match.
• 56:38
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what this version of Juventus is, but it ain't our mom and dad's Juventus.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_02: This is a joke of a club compared to what they used to be.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what's gone on, but they look very deeply unserious in Syria, which is of course concerning because they have one of the biggest wage budgets and they're the biggest club in the country.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_02: So the sky isn't necessarily falling, but it's close.
• 57:00
  SPEAKER_02: We've seen a meteor, is what I would say.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_02: There's been a meteor.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's ugly.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_02: It is ugly.
• 57:06
  SPEAKER_02: In terms of the Champions League, we've got, of course, great games throughout Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_02: On Tuesday, I'll highlight the biggest game on paper.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's PSG hosting Barcelona.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you want to talk about beautiful football?
• 57:18
  SPEAKER_02: 3 p.m.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_02: Eastern Tuesday.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_02: Get some popcorn.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_02: Because oh god, is that probably the two best clubs in the world for my money?
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, at least so far, what we've seen based on what we've seen for PSG last season and then their performance against Manchester City in the Champions League last week, and then what Barcelona's done, they've been absolutely brilliant.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_02: So that game will be, of course, entertaining.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_02: I also think on Tuesday we have an interesting one at 1245.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_02: We've got Saba FK hosting Dortmund.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's a fun one.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_02: That's a fun one in Azerbaijan.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're not doing anything, you can sneak a TV during work at 1245.
• 57:55
  SPEAKER_02: Tune into that one.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Wednesday, another great slate of games.
• 57:59
  SPEAKER_02: We've got Harry Kane hosting the Gooners in Bayern Munich.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_02: Ah, God, come on, Harry.
• 58:05
  SPEAKER_02: Come on, H.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_02: Get us three points.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_02: Just you love scoring against Arsenal.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_02: I know you do.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_02: I know you do.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I know you have that one circled.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_02: That's my guy, Harry.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's almost it's Ballon door week too, Brandon.
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_02: They're announcing that soon.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_02: One final push, H.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_02: Let's get it done.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_02: And then also on Wednesday, I think an interesting game is actually a little bit of a belter that they put at 1245.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's Como hosting Manchester United.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_02: So Manchester United, they're struggling.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_02: They're kind of rudderless, as we talked about.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_02: Well, they're heading to a lake.
• 58:41
  SPEAKER_02: And they're heading the lake Como in search of a win and a kind of a Kickstarter.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_02: We'll see if they're able to get it.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think they will, to be quite honest.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think Como are really good.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_02: I like watching Como.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_02: They're another fun side to watch, just in terms of how they play.
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_02: Ses Fabergrass has done a like a fantastic job as a manager there.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_02: I mentioned him being one of the best young managers in all the sport.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_02: I think Como will have this one circled as well and they'll be up for it.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a great game at 1245 to start things on Wednesday.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_01: Do you foresee two questions for you?
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_01: The PSG Barcelona game, how do you see that going?
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then my second question is I know you're very high on Ces Fabrigas.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's tough for you to say that, but you're honest and he's been quality at Como.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_01: Could you see him coming to the Premier League with all of these hot seats that are brewing right now?
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll answer the second one first because it's in my mind.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_02: I definitely see him managing at the highest levels of football.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_02: I honestly see him maybe as a long-term Barcelona or Real Madrid manager.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_02: I think his style would transition to La Liga quite well.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_02: I also could see him definitely managing the Premier League, but I don't think he would leave this Como project for anything short of an elite level job, to be honest.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_02: You might think Como and they're not one of the traditional big clubs in Syria.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_02: That ownership group is Terry Henry and the Arsenal folks, they're tied in with Sesc and he's been given their full trust.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_02: And now he's crafted one of the best young squads in all of Europe as well.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_02: Like these guys, if they were to all stick around Como, they would take off and be one of the best clubs in the world in three, four years, in my opinion.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_02: Now the reality of the situation is they probably won't all stick around Como and some of those guys will get sold and eventually I think he'll move on to a bigger job, but he is not going to just stumble into the Sunderland job, in my opinion.
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think if he comes to the Premier League, it would be a fresh start of a season at Manchester United level.
• 1:00:36
  SPEAKER_02: Got it.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it would be not taking over in December a flaming pile of feces.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_02: It would be he's gonna pick his next spot wise.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_02: But your first question, PSG Barcelona.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh.
• 1:00:50
  SPEAKER_02: I'm expecting I uh the easy answer is to say you're expecting goals because of both these teams styles and Barcelona's high line.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_02: I don't see how PSG at home against that high line of Barcelona with the quality they have score anything less than two goals.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_02: I now uh Barcelona haven't scored less than like four in in league this season.
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_02: So where does that leave us?
• 1:01:11
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't expect a four-four anything crazy.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_02: I want to I want to say a 3-3 draw.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_02: I I think that'll that'll be it, but it seems bold to predict in a game where everybody is assuming there's gonna be goals, it seems bold to predict six goals.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll go I'll just go 2-2.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I do think Barcelona gets something out of it because they're they're just tantalizing right now.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_02: And so or PSG, which makes it an absolutely amazing watch.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's just is there a ton at stake?
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_02: Is the question.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_01: I wish this was a quarter final as opposed to just a league phase game.
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:01:43
  SPEAKER_01: No, I I appreciate your insight on that.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you're you're you're going through these fixtures, and I'm like, oh, yeah, that's a good one.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good one.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good one.
• 1:01:51
  SPEAKER_01: And like you're hitting, you're hitting, you're hitting, and I'm like, oh, but how does how does this game go?
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_01: Because you have, like you said, two of definitely two of the top three or four teams in the world, but maybe even the top two in the world at this moment, yeah, going head to head.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_01: And you're right, it is a Tuesday, it's not really the biggest stakes, but do both teams look at it as hey, this is a test for February, March, whenever the knockout stages come in the Champions League of a team that, hey, we very likely could be playing again, or not maybe not them specifically, but somebody at this level.
• 1:02:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to treat it like it is a quarterfinal or semifinal level match.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I I appreciate your your insight on that and your thoughts because yeah, that that'll be a fun one to watch.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be super fun.
• 1:02:37
  SPEAKER_02: There is also the the thing with Barcelona, they have the Derby at the weekend.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_02: El Classico is on Sunday, so is there one eye looking ahead to that from their perspective?
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_02: And they are the ones doing the traveling to Paris.
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe a slight edge to PSG, but I think just in terms of what I've seen this year, I can't pick Barcelona to get beat.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll go for a draw.
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, like you said, just an interesting matchup that I don't really know how to approach it from an analysis perspective.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_02: I just kind of want to sit back and enjoy it with some popcorn.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's that's totally fair.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, thank you for that, and thank you for your uh expertise and insight during this whole episode.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_01: We will be back again later this week to preview the weekend.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_01: We'll go over these Champions League matches that Sean just mentioned and preview another big week of soccer ahead.
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_01: So, Sean, thank you as always, listeners.
• 1:03:26
  SPEAKER_01: We appreciate the support.
• 1:03:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like and subscribe, tell a friend to tell a friend.
• 1:03:31
  SPEAKER_01: And until next time, take care.