Latest / The Calcio Guys / Serie A Matchday 24 Recap & Champions League Preview - Ep_ 213
Transcript
- 0:00Yeah, it was a weekend in which a football team became champion of their
- 0:41league. And no, I'm not talking about the Kansas City Chiefs. Pretty
- 0:44much talk about Inter. It's all but wrapped up. Hopefully I could,
- 0:47I could jinx it as I talked about last week with Nema. Here on
- 0:51the couch of guys Johnny, Agiano, Nicholas. How you guys doing.
- 0:56Not as busy as Johnny, but uh but I doing good. A little
- 1:00mentally tired by whatever it's life, We'll get through it. We come here
- 1:04to joke around, forget about that stuff, support each other like real kings
- 1:10and have fun and throwing a bit of trash talk between our teams. But
- 1:15I mean Inter Enter is Inter that? Well, that's how we got to
- 1:21start the show. They come out against you, Aroma, Johnny over the
- 1:25weekend, I think it was what was it on Saturday? Come from behind
- 1:30win four to two, seven points on top now in the city, mainly
- 1:37thanks to you have a dropping points today against Udinesa. A frustrating game.
- 1:40Just terrible month for Juve after a pretty pretty darn good January, especially after
- 1:47the loss last week against Inter coupled with this loss against I think back a
- 1:53couple of weeks ago, the dry against simply Inter's just running away with it
- 1:56now, seven points up with still a geem in Handguy. Uh, and
- 2:00we're gonna talk about Champions League coming up. But at this point, I
- 2:04mean you're gonna you know, Enter, it's not in the bag. There's
- 2:07still a lot of soccer left to be played. Fifteen games left for Inter,
- 2:10fourteen games left for for everyone else below them. But you know,
- 2:15considering Champions Champions League is coming up, considering Enter does play Athletical next week,
- 2:21Like, do you think Inter kind of focuses a bit on Champions League
- 2:24now and kind of hits cruise control in the city a while maintaining a good
- 2:29pace. It's tough. It's tough to say. I think I think they
- 2:36you know, last season, they did what they did. Uh, they
- 2:38made it all the way to the final. We we've said up before,
- 2:42people know, Uh, you know, they've just added more depth right this
- 2:46season, and they've they've they've got a they've got an Inter b that is
- 2:51probably capable of going to to with with a majority of the teams in the
- 2:55city. So I think that's been on their side. They've got in all
- 3:00of the things right, They've had luck on their side. You know,
- 3:05they've gone through certain moments in this season where you know, was maybe a
- 3:10bit more difficult. I still don't think it's been as difficult as people are
- 3:15making the scene. But regardless, they've they've done their business. You know
- 3:20what by a by a manager that I've sat on this show multiple times that
- 3:23I'm not a huge fan of in in some Moni and Zagi, but you
- 3:27know what, he's he's proven, he's proven the daughter's wrong, myself wrong.
- 3:30So far he's done well, so you can't really say too much and
- 3:36he's he's definitely just evolved. I think as a manager. We spoke obviously
- 3:38last week with Nima and in depth with with with the in there, But
- 3:44I don't know if they're going to focus more on on one or the other.
- 3:46I think they've had their goal in mind in Seriah and obviously in Europe
- 3:52they want to continue to do well, So I think I think it's not
- 3:57really a fact of they're going to put more emphasis on one or the other.
- 4:00I think they're gonna be able to handle both of them, both competitions,
- 4:03and I think it's just a matter of time to see you know,
- 4:06where they fall in terms of SADIA, in terms of the STADIA results,
- 4:11in terms of how far they get along with with the Champions League. So
- 4:16I think it's a waiting game. But again they're not. They they could
- 4:19still slip up. I mean, like Nix said, the guys, there
- 4:21is still time. You know, the game in hand is is what obviously
- 4:27people are gonna circle in terms of you know, do they pick up those
- 4:30points? Uh you know that that becomes ten points above U of A eleven
- 4:36above above Melane if they get those points right, So it's a I think
- 4:41it's still wait a wait and see. But yeah, they're definitely We've said
- 4:46it multiple times. Guys, it's no secret they're they're they're on top for
- 4:50a reason, and it's it's a matter of the teams below them capitalizing on
- 4:56on if the big if inter slips up. So, but we spoke about
- 5:00it last week. It would be catastrophic if if they were to lose the
- 5:02school, because I think it's it's in their hands. It's it's about them
- 5:05crossing crossing the finish line. But but yeah, maybe maybe the tortoises in
- 5:14or meal On maybe get across before the hair, but it seems a bit
- 5:17unlikely going going forward. It's completely up into the hands of winter. Like
- 5:24if yeah, something like perfectly says something catastrophic, if there's like an injury
- 5:30above that hits the team or uh, I don't know, like just things
- 5:35just fall apart at the seams, which is very unlikely because it's a group
- 5:40that's been together for a good while. Now they add they added like marcust
- 5:44around this year. They added some very good depth to the team. Next
- 5:48year they're getting even better. They're adding the listen to the midfield, and
- 5:56it's it's a team that has been slowly building up to becoming what they are
- 6:00today and they want to maintain that. Obviously, it remains to be seen
- 6:06about the financial situation how they're gonna pull this off. So for them,
- 6:11they need to get those deep runs in Champions League and they need to win
- 6:14this squdetto to uh you know, to like actually like get some financial help
- 6:19for that. It it's it's it's feasible. I mean, they've been into
- 6:26the finals last year. Can they make it to the finals again? I
- 6:30don't think. I don't see them hitting finals just because of the push that
- 6:33they're doing I think maybe semis where they kind of like Peter out a bit,
- 6:38but like or pet Her out whatever, Peter petered out a bit.
- 6:42Anyways, the point is where they start to like get weaker, they won't
- 6:46be able to make it through the semis. I think that's what they hit.
- 6:49But I did the scudetto. Literally it would take some form of like
- 6:55catastrophic event for for it to not work out for them. Yeah, yeah,
- 7:00it really I think you fans we've been saying all year, you know,
- 7:03hopefully intervals far in the Champions League, you know the runo of gas
- 7:08in city have but Adrez you said, they basically have an interview out there
- 7:11and there's just we've talked about it over time and time again, so much
- 7:15depth, but looking below the table is more for me and Adriano you got
- 7:19You've now fifty three and Melan fifty two. Melan will be playing in the
- 7:25Europa League. They picked things up again, big win this week this weekend
- 7:30against Napoli. Maybe Jenny could talk about that after, but uh, Melan's
- 7:34gonna be playing in the Europa League again against uh rehn. Uh. This
- 7:40is a competition where it's you play more games you play two extra games if
- 7:44you want to get to the final. Compared to the Champions League, they
- 7:46play two. They're gonna be playing two Thursdays in a row and then if
- 7:48they advance, they played two more Thursdays in a row. And it's a
- 7:51it's a tiring competition. You've did that last year. It takes a lot
- 7:56of the players. But you know, looking at where both teams are,
- 8:01Juve hasn't won in three straight games and Melon's on the opposite side. They
- 8:05they won their last two, they drew the game before then, they won
- 8:07two before that. But is there a team like you look at the top
- 8:13four, like Milan, Juve is safely in the top four there Melan's thirteen
- 8:18points up on fifth place Bologna, Uve's fourteen points up again, not to
- 8:24say that these places are locked in, but with fourteen games left, both
- 8:28teams are gonna have to have a catastrok catastrophic collapse to not make Champions League.
- 8:35So you know they're kind of in no man's land right now. Two
- 8:37and three. Of course, at the end of the day, they always
- 8:39want pride. There's more money for finishing second versus finishing third. But do
- 8:45you think a team more for agent, between these two teams, do you
- 8:48think one has an advantage? Because I use a UVE fan on one end,
- 8:52I'm seeing them start to I want to say, collapse. This kind
- 8:56of happened last year to where come February something goes wrong. But then on
- 9:01the other hand, Milan could have could be playing for thursdays of the next
- 9:07five or six weeks, which takes a lot, and I don't know if
- 9:09they have that depth, So I think it's a top up. I still
- 9:13want to say You've has the advantage, but I'm not convinced at all.
- 9:18Yeah, no, I mean I guess on paper you can you can probably
- 9:20say that you can argue that at that point. You know, at the
- 9:24beginning of the season, I didn't put as much emphasis of of you've not
- 9:28playing, uh, you know, three times a week into their into their
- 9:33form of this year and where they're positioned currently. So you know, obviously
- 9:37kudos to them for for for you know, being able to get to the
- 9:41point that they're at. But yeah, like twenty twenty four, I mean
- 9:48ten to this new year, Melan has has done well. Uh, I
- 9:52don't think they've off the top of my head, I don't think they've lost
- 9:56in twenty twenty four. Besides, besides Cope Pitalia against Atalanta, I'm not
- 10:01mistaken. In the calendar year twenty twenty four, Milan is the best team
- 10:05right now. Yeah, exactly, I think you're I don't think. I
- 10:09don't think. I don't think they've lost, like in said, Yeah,
- 10:11the only glass I can think of is the Atalanta one. Like I said,
- 10:13so you know, they've picked up you know, a lot of points
- 10:18so far in twenty twenty four. But again, these are moments throughout the
- 10:22season, right, Like Juve was looking good up until these last couple of
- 10:28weeks. So again it's it's no, it's no guarantee, it's no lock.
- 10:31I don't think again, to go off the next point, I mean,
- 10:37like I said, on paper, I think you can say it's Juve
- 10:39probably has that advantage with not being able to we're not having to play sorry
- 10:43multiple games in the week, but it's still for the taking. Like,
- 10:48I don't think either team is really out of that second third place. Uh
- 10:54no, man slam, Like you said, it's unfortunate that that's kind of
- 10:58where they're where they are at. I think think it would have been a
- 11:00bit more exciting if it was a tad closer to the first place to see
- 11:05like where these three teams can kind of finish. But I don't see either
- 11:09team really taking this last part of the season lately. I think they should
- 11:16at least go for it to the max of their you know abilities. But
- 11:20I'm curious to see how Melan handle handles Europa League. You know, this
- 11:24is a team that has dealt with a lot of injuries this season and has
- 11:30went through many different ups and down moments. Uh and every week it seems
- 11:33like there's something new. So but we'll take the good with the good,
- 11:37We'll take the bad with the bad. But I don't think I don't think
- 11:41any team besides like I said, on paper, you can say you've had
- 11:45I don't really think any team has like a queer cut advantage per se.
- 11:50If you kind of take off your your your juva or melan biases, if
- 11:54you take that out of the consideration, I don't really think there's much of
- 11:58an advantage. At the end of the day, these teams have to once
- 12:01the pitch, have to perform, have to have to pick up the points.
- 12:05It's a it's the games where like for Meal and for example that you
- 12:09know, it's you know, it's the games against you know, these lower
- 12:11oppositions where they're not picking up maximum points where it's like, fuck, we
- 12:15should have got we shouldn't. We needed those points and we didn't pick them
- 12:18up. So so far they've done well against more or less the bigger teams
- 12:24in saayah. So and like I said, and Johnny even put out the
- 12:26fact they're the best calendar best team in the in the new calendar year of
- 12:31twenty twenty four. So yeah, it's it's it's a good start of this
- 12:35year. We'll see how far it goes. I'm hoping for for it to
- 12:37end well. But but yeah, I don't know. It just it's one
- 12:43of those things, like you said, Nick, I think it's it's it's
- 12:43more of a toss up than anything. It's it's that coin toss. Are
- 12:48we going to take the ball in overtime or we're not going to take the
- 12:50ball? Who knows, right, So we'll see, we'll see how it
- 12:54pans out. Uh. And you know I just spoke about it, the
- 12:58one nothing thing Melin win over Napoli and the one of the derby of derby
- 13:05Dell coucil guys that Igano did an amazing graphic if you could see on our
- 13:11on our Twitter Instagram, the coucil guys of Iano and Jenny photoshopped onto players
- 13:18from the nineties. I don't know, I guess yeah, onto their bodies
- 13:26playing against each other. But uh, uh so that was that was a
- 13:31good little truckle between the three of us before before the game. But it
- 13:35was one nothing uh game goal from Tail. But Jenny, Now for Napoli,
- 13:41you look at the standings back to this whole, you know, Champions
- 13:43League top four, because we really are in that that final stretch. Now,
- 13:48fifteen games left for Napoly. Uh, there's seven points off of Atalanta,
- 13:52who also have the game in hand versus everyone else. So between not
- 13:56Talanta Napoli, there's no advantage. Seven point is really it's not instrumentable,
- 14:01especially when you're when you're the defending champions. But the way Napolis playing and
- 14:07you know, it's really interesting, Johnny. I'm looking at their schedule.
- 14:09They haven't won back to back games since September, and at that point they
- 14:15only won two back to back. They they the highest streak of games one
- 14:18in a row was two this year. They won the first two games this
- 14:22season and then they beat Udinese and Lech in September, which is crazy.
- 14:26Uh, they haven't lost many back to back games either, so they're really
- 14:30like they win one, draw one, lose one type of team. Do
- 14:35you do you have any hope for Champions League? Like, I think Europe
- 14:39in general is a better goal, but Champions League, you think it's a
- 14:45bit too out there, especially with all the teams in front of them as
- 14:46well. Well, I mean since they one have been saying, consistency has
- 14:50been something I've been asking for from this team and it's been nearly impossible to
- 14:52get. And you just said it perfectly. If Romo or Napoli don't finish
- 14:58top four BEF time since twenty eleven twenty twelve, then neither of my team's
- 15:01made it into Champions League spot. I actually I actually went, I was
- 15:05curious, you want to look it up? I was curious, like there
- 15:09has to be like like something somewhere, you know, like yeah, so
- 15:15that so it would have it would have been. It would have been since
- 15:18twenty thirteen, twenty twelve, twenty eleven, twenty twelve. So I think,
- 15:22honestly top four is impossible for a Napoli at this point. The inconsistency
- 15:26is what's going to ruin them. You can't you can't make top four.
- 15:31You can't make top four if you just can string together wins. You need
- 15:37to be able to strink together wins. At this pace. What Napolei's doing
- 15:41is not stringing wins together. So in my personal opinion, it ain't happening.
- 15:52It's it looks more likely that Roma might actually get into that top four
- 15:54slot than the napoly But I digress. What I do hope for them is
- 16:03that they get some kind of like structure plan going into the next year.
- 16:08Uh maybe like an idea of who's going to be the coach next year.
- 16:12Also if if, if you want to continue with Mazzati or not. I
- 16:17mean I think Mazzadi is just a band aid right now. That back line
- 16:21needs help. That's another thing that needs to get fixed and settled. There's
- 16:25a lot of planning that needs to happen. And that's that's that's where I
- 16:29that's where I sit with Napoli right now. Yeah. No, I think
- 16:33it's well said. I think it's it's it's it's crazy and Nick I'm glad
- 16:37you brought that up because I did not realize that either in terms of there
- 16:40they're not able to string wins like that back to back. That's pretty crazy.
- 16:44I mean, you know, this title defense by Napoi and again it's
- 16:48no shot to to our nap friends, but it's it's it's been pretty bad.
- 16:53So I think, like Johnny said, I think they have to be
- 16:59planning for next year. I wouldn't say, Okay, yeah, this this
- 17:03rest of this, this this city, that season is a wash. No,
- 17:07you obviously still want your team to to fight and and to to show
- 17:10some sort of signs of of something to to to cling onto, uh,
- 17:15to go into next year with. But I don't know. I think we're
- 17:18gonna hopefully we see a whole new Napoo next season, because this is crazy,
- 17:23Like you know, from going last season they were like almost untouchable to
- 17:29now it's like, you know, it's you're not afraid to go to the
- 17:34Maradona like you were last season. You're not afraid to go against this team
- 17:38that was playing such beautiful culture last season. So that has been one thing
- 17:44that's really been a big thing for me looking on the outside in But even
- 17:48just going into this into the game over on yesterday, I don't know.
- 17:53I just think not we did it converting their chances. I know we say
- 17:59this a lot with with our teams at least, but I think that was
- 18:03kind of the fact of the game of the matter. I mean, when
- 18:07you have when you're playing these big games against big teams and and you only
- 18:11have a certain amount of opportunities to score and you don't, it's usually that
- 18:15by two in the ass, unless some sort of heroics happens in the final
- 18:22stretch up games. But you know that early chance by Simoni that ringed off
- 18:26the post, Milan was able to take one shot, one goal. It
- 18:32was the deciding ever wanted. Yeah, exactly right. So yeah, but
- 18:40but no, that's exactly it. So that one opportunity, that one goal
- 18:45by Tail, and I think it was obviously a great play that will trifect
- 18:49of you know, obviously, Lu you do, sorry Tails, you do
- 18:55layout off off to tail Uh Tale making that run and scoring the goal and
- 19:00that way out, way out Taylornandez connection on the left side. We've said
- 19:04it timeless times on this podcast. People are calling it tal Uh in the
- 19:11in the Milan in the Meulan verse of social media. But and I know
- 19:17Leo has been getting a lot of criticism this season for not being himself in
- 19:22terms of a goal scorer, but he's been able to provide. And I
- 19:25think he had a good game, even though people are probably gonna say he
- 19:27didn't. I think he had a good game. And even in the stretch
- 19:32of games where he's been getting criticized, I think he's There's obviously moments where
- 19:36he's he's the body language is not there. He's not showing that fight that
- 19:40grinta, I agree, But when he's having those mediocre games, I still
- 19:47think he's showing something and trying to produce something because when he goes on those
- 19:52runs and when he makes those those passes and uh creates it, it's almost
- 19:57unstoppable. So uh yeah, obviously, big points from you on the three
- 20:02points they got closer to Jove and now we're only one point behind with what
- 20:07today's result against the DNA is it. But happy for that. But I
- 20:11think Napoly, this wasn't Anopoly. That was that was like we're used to
- 20:17seeing. So, like I said, happy for you. As result,
- 20:21a lot of players stepped up, and you know what, they look good
- 20:23doing it too. In the new fourth fourth kits that they unveiled. Uh,
- 20:29you know this past week and I got to showcase it over over the
- 20:32weekend. So yeah, Jenny, you talk about Roma and Napoli not making
- 20:40Champions League, and you know, while you guys were talking, I was
- 20:42curious, was there a season in which Roma and Napoli both fired their coaches?
- 20:49Let's see if you're I looked it up, so I already know the
- 20:52answer. Let's see if you know this in the same season they fired in
- 20:57the same season. Was it when they hold on? Uh? When Gatuso
- 21:07and well, when Anceilotti and de Francesco were fired? No? Those uh
- 21:14those one? Uh? Roma with Diferanessco was eighteen nineteen season and then Gutuzo
- 21:19was fired in then twenty nineteen twenty twenty season. But same years in calendar
- 21:25year, just different seasons. That's a good question, actually spelled no,
- 21:33no, no, spelle no, it was it was a good well it
- 21:40was not when was it was? Was there when? Uh? No?
- 21:45Because Marino got hired during Swalati being a monopoly, you likely won't remember this,
- 21:53so I'll just yeah, wasn't was it Mazzati's first time. It's not
- 22:00this decade. It's not the twenty tens either. In two thousand and four,
- 22:07two thousand and five, when Napoli was actually in the city of Chi,
- 22:10they went through two managers, one of which was our friend at Jampiro
- 22:14Intuita and that season, that season, Roma went through an incredible four managers.
- 22:22I don't know how Bruno Conti, Luigi down the Area, Rudy Vohler
- 22:26and Cheesy Prandelli. I don't know how that happened, but solo and Italian
- 22:33moments to go four managers in a season, which is actually especially for a
- 22:37top club. Usually you see these. You see this at teams like Frozy,
- 22:40None, Kievo, Verona, Celeernitana, Crotone, but not Roma.
- 22:45So if anyone has a time machine and could tell us what happened in a
- 22:48thousand and four thousand and five with Roma and what what what went wrong?
- 22:56Please tell us. Oh yeah, I wouldn't know about Napoli because at the
- 22:59time during city s c like, I only started following them again when they're
- 23:02said he have b because that's when YouTube also became a thing. So I
- 23:04was able to watch them and see them. Before that, I was just
- 23:07like, oh cool, Like I would google it in just to see how
- 23:10they were doing, bets about it. I didn't paint into much details of
- 23:12like players or whatnot. Yeah, I can't blame you honestly and then associate
- 23:18you with with the coach had then I wouldn't follow the team either. I
- 23:25don't think a lot of us would. No. Uh, and but you
- 23:30know we spoke about Roma was spoken. Sorry, we spoke goodap, but
- 23:33we spoke a bit about me lion. But uh, another thing about Roma.
- 23:36I was also just looking at their schedule they have I think it's what
- 23:41is it eight eight losses this season? All but two of them were actually
- 23:47against teams. I'm sorry, all, but oh I lost it. I
- 23:52lost my tab. I'm on the wrong tab now. Sorry, guys,
- 23:56but the unprofessional guys technical difficult, guy, I have I have so many
- 24:02tabs open now with so many wikipedias of your brain has managers? What your
- 24:07brain has too many tabs open? Yeah? Exactly? All, all sorry,
- 24:12All but two losses were against teams actually above them in the standings.
- 24:15So they lost against Verona and and Genua, So teams below them. Then
- 24:19they lost against Melan, they lost against Inter twice, Uh, they lost
- 24:23against Bologna, and and they lost against and they did lose against Melan a
- 24:29second time. So that's against Milan twice in or twice Melan, Bologna and
- 24:33UH and Ve. Yeah. So you know, on one hand, on
- 24:42one hand, you'll say, like, these are the teams you need a
- 24:45beat if you want to qualify for top four. But on the other hand,
- 24:48losing these teams isn't the worst thing ever. You know, it's not
- 24:52like you've dropping points today against Use after they drop points against Ample, like
- 24:59these are more or less respectable losses. Of course, that loss against Bologna
- 25:03could really hurt them if they want to get that fifth spot, which could
- 25:06potentially turn into a Champions League spot in the future. But like you know,
- 25:10even losing this weekend Jenny, like four to two against and it's it's
- 25:12really not the worst thing, No, it's uh. And it was a
- 25:18game where they they went into half with the leads. The team was feeling
- 25:21it. They're there, they were, they were firing on all cylinders.
- 25:25It's just obviously in tis the better team. Uh, it's they have the
- 25:30like they were they were just they just played much better. Uh Lukaku fumbled
- 25:33a really good opportunity. It happens, but I might maybe might have changed
- 25:40the game, would have made it three to three. But that that fourth
- 25:42goal was they got caught on the counter attack for over extending and uh you
- 25:48know, but he got that fourth goal was kind of like an empty night
- 25:52in hockey. It was, Yeah, it's it's like you know it's coming,
- 25:55and it's like the only only way, the only way it's not gonna
- 25:56happens if the player fucking misses, because you could out like sometimes the best
- 26:00keep in the world won't be able to stop anything because because they can go
- 26:03anywhere, it's hard to predict to read which where the shots going because it
- 26:07could just basically anyway. You just gotta make yourself as big as possible.
- 26:11Whereas maybe like the third goals where like the sorry, the tying goal was
- 26:15where I was kind of mad at the team from from seeing it. It
- 26:18was just like like where's the defensive coverage? Like you know what I mean,
- 26:22Like I was just how did that get through? But there this this
- 26:26season has been lights out. Uh you know, he's been really great for
- 26:30the team. He said it before, Uh great pick up for them,
- 26:34and uh he's showcasing it, you know, So that's uh, that's where
- 26:38I basically say with I think I think it also was like how the how
- 26:42how they lost the lead and how they lost the game, Like I think
- 26:47that, I think that. I think the effort was there. I mean,
- 26:48and it was pouring ring like I think our boy Chris Sanders was there,
- 26:52if I'm not mistake, and I'm pretty sure it was in the court,
- 26:55but it was like pouring ring and like, I don't know, man,
- 26:59I under under, I know it's it's it just for now. I
- 27:04would think we'll see come come the summertime. But he has them pointing with
- 27:10some sort of obviously fight and and it's and it's as a neutral, as
- 27:15an outsider, it's encouraging to see that they didn't just lay over, even
- 27:18in the pre even in the pregame and the pregame press conference. He even
- 27:22said it, Yeah, we have to show respect, but not too much
- 27:25respectingto like, you know, we still have to go there. We are
- 27:27roma we're playing at home, we're playing in front of sixty thousand. You
- 27:30know, we have to we have to we have to go play our game,
- 27:33and and and and go out there and fight. So you have to
- 27:37see that out of out of you know, any team obviously seeing uh that
- 27:42as a player, and I'll see him as a manager, and you know,
- 27:48he he brings that. And especially in Rome, he's he's if it
- 27:52wasn't for Tat, you know, he's he he would be the king of
- 27:55Ronam himself. So you know, call him the prince, call him whatever
- 27:56you want. But I like what he's, what he's brought as a in
- 28:02terms of mentality for this team, which which I think kind of lost a
- 28:04bit of that, that killer instinct and that green to a bit in the
- 28:10in the tail end of of Marino. So it's I think that's one encouraging
- 28:15thing. And it's unfortunate, I think in the loss, But for me,
- 28:18it was more how they lost it. But at the end of the
- 28:22day, like we said, you know, there's the better team and and
- 28:26I know we spoke to Nima last week and he said, you know,
- 28:27if if this game, if inter wins this game, it's it's it's it's
- 28:30even it's even more of an extension at the top, like we mentioned earlier.
- 28:34And for Roma, I think it's yeah, you know, you you
- 28:40accept the loss. I think headset held up high even though it was a
- 28:44loss at home. But there's so many teams in this in this fight for
- 28:49for that fourth spot for Europe in general. So it's a damper, but
- 28:55I don't think it's a it's a dagger for for Roma. Uh. Some
- 29:00other games from around city this weekend. Bologna, you know, with their
- 29:06somewhat I wouldn't say come back to their normal sale self, but for one
- 29:11against leed Chase, it seems like they're a bit on a bit of on
- 29:14a lull lately. Genoa sorry it was four nothing, it was General General
- 29:19lost to one, four to one. That's what I was looking at.
- 29:23So that was the team there. They maintained their fourth spot and another high
- 29:27scoring game five to one fiorentinover some other really non non talk about games.
- 29:34So Soolo one one, Reno, Monza zero zero, Verona and I'm believe
- 29:38beats learn Atano uh three to one, but one game or at least one
- 29:42player. I want to talk about Lazo three to one against Klity Uh.
- 29:47The reason all I want to talk about this is Chiromobile uh scored his two
- 29:51hundredth goal in Sidia, which makes him the eighth all time player to score
- 29:56two hundred goals. So he's eighth all time in in goal scoring, five
- 30:00behind Roberto Badjo, nine behind Dinatale, and sixteen behind Mayazza Mayata and Al
- 30:07Telfine. On top of the list, we have Silvio Piola to seventy four,
- 30:11Tati fifty, Nice Round number two fifty and Gunner Nordalo two twenty five.
- 30:18I mean, I know, you know, Tirto gets a lot of
- 30:22hate, but he's an efficient goal scorer for Lazio. He's just been banging
- 30:27them in like crazy ever since he joined them. I think it was back
- 30:30in twenty sixteen, one hundred and sixty eight goals in two hundred and fifty
- 30:33seven games with them. Like like, I want to ask where does he
- 30:38rank amongst the players above him? We'll probably say eighth. But one thing
- 30:45I do want to talk about this is more of a talking point Silvia Piola.
- 30:48He has two hundred seventy four goals. Obviously Mobile is not going to
- 30:52break that record, but do you guys think this is a record that we're
- 30:56going to see broken in our at least in our lifetime, because this record
- 31:00has stood since nineteen fifty four. I don't think so. I like the
- 31:07way the game is nowadays, the way that like, especially how Seia is
- 31:12in general, that they always have masterful tacticians managing these teams. It's it's
- 31:21hard that you're going to have a player get to those get to that amount
- 31:25of goals unless starting from day one you get a prodigy who's banging in thirty
- 31:30plus every season, which is crazy hard to do. It's especially in Sadia.
- 31:37It's like I said, teams just counter each other very well. Managers
- 31:41just know how to read the game properly. In Italy, it's that's the
- 31:45main factor. Like in the fifties, the quality you can it's I think
- 31:49it'd be quite easy to see that the quality of vantaging was not the same
- 31:53as what it is today. But that's normal because then equality fifty years from
- 31:57now will not be the same as it is today, probably will be much
- 32:00better than it is today, and so on and so forth. You know.
- 32:02That's how that's the evolution of sports. You see natural progression because people
- 32:08just find ways to fine tune the way they move the ball, the way
- 32:12they passed the ball, changing their systems. You know, like wing backs.
- 32:16Back in the day, we weren't players that got in super offensively.
- 32:21They're mostly used as like a sweeper sometimes you know, defensively. Now they're
- 32:25actually extra wingers in an attack. You know what I'm saying, it's it's
- 32:30the evolution of the sport. That's what it is. So to see.
- 32:34So to funnel the point home, I don't think it's going to be anything
- 32:38that will probably see broken in our lifetime, unless, like I said,
- 32:43some divine miracle happens that a prodigy just comes along and plays instead he have
- 32:46most of their career, you know, like maybe come out of that might
- 32:51be that player for Milan and who knows but the kids destroying records as sixteen
- 32:58year old. But you know how many have se mass stories that we see
- 33:00in our lifetimes. That too many. But no, in all seriousness,
- 33:07like it's it's hard, I don't think So I hate to sound like a
- 33:10pessimist, but I I don't. Hey, if I prove it wrong,
- 33:14I'm proven wrong, and I won't be like, oh like, hey if
- 33:17I get proven wrong, I'll be happy I'm proven wrong. Like I'm not
- 33:20gonna be one of those guys that gonna be like a bitter about it.
- 33:22But I don't know, man, it's I don't think so. So yeah,
- 33:28I know a couple of things for me first, but before we before
- 33:30I say about this, I mean just I mean shuple obviously, Touchio.
- 33:35It's one thing too. It's one thing to criticize, it's another thing to
- 33:39hate. And I think obviously the lot of the hate, especially in Sadia
- 33:44is very unwarranted. Obviously, I mean, say what you want with him
- 33:47in the India Zuri shirt. Okay, you know, maybe we can have
- 33:52two different conversations. But listen, the proof is in the putting. The
- 33:57goals are there two hundred in Seia. You know it's it's it's no,
- 34:01it's no, no joke of a of a of a stat And I think
- 34:07he's done it the fastest too, if I'm not mistaken in the modern era.
- 34:10If I'm not mistaken, I was reading something along those lines on Twitter
- 34:15the last couple of days. So not only has he done it, not
- 34:19only has he done it, he's done it efficiently as well, So kudos
- 34:22to tributes. He He's proven time and time again he can score in the
- 34:28league. So yeah, definitely definitely got to give him his flowers there,
- 34:32But I just want to make it quit. There's one thing to criticized.
- 34:37There's nothing to hate that. Those things are are are are two different things,
- 34:39and it's unfortunate when he gets to hate the criticism. Anybody should be
- 34:45able to take that, but it's the hate that it crosses the line sometimes.
- 34:46But in terms of that record, I mean, listen, it's been
- 34:50since when you said fifty four and nineteen fifty four. Look the names on
- 34:53that list. Look at the names on that list. They're all older players.
- 34:58I mean obviously, no no about saying like look at the look at
- 35:00the type of players that are on the on this list of of of scoring
- 35:02the CID. Yeah, and these are like the legends of the game,
- 35:06legends of the league. I mean, they weren't able to surpass that that
- 35:09that feet and when we see that broken, I mean I kind of have
- 35:15to agree. I mean it's kind of probably unlikely. First off, Like
- 35:20longevity in this game is is one thing. How many times do we see
- 35:24players that are supposed to be the next coming of Jesus Christ and you know
- 35:29we don't. They don't pan out right, they get injured, Uh,
- 35:32you know, this player was supposed to be X, Y and Z.
- 35:37They didn't pan out. So I don't know, I don't I don't see
- 35:42it. Maybe in our lifetime, maybe in our kids generally in our kids'
- 35:44lifetime. Maybe we don't know. But I think the longevity, uh,
- 35:49this league is so tactically sound, and we've said it in you know,
- 35:55people have said it in the past, we're saying it presently and I think
- 35:58we'll probably continue to say in the future for how how how tough this league
- 36:01is in terms of being able to score in even though we've moved from that
- 36:07you know, contentactural style of play to there's more you know, I guess
- 36:12quote unquote modern type of football in this league. But it's it's going to
- 36:16take I think, like Jenny said, like somebody to come out of the
- 36:20word works and really being able to bangals season in, season out, and
- 36:24again it takes a toll Man like longevity, like there's no more of there's
- 36:30no more of the talks the Maldinis that the pianos of the world, you
- 36:34know, you know, playing for for these you know, extensive careers and
- 36:37being at the top of their game. I mean, we see obviously Messi
- 36:40and Ronaldo currently that being able to to do it. But I don't know
- 36:45if we're going to continue to see that in in world football. I hope
- 36:50I'm wrong again, Like Johnny said, I hope, we hope we are
- 36:52wrong, and we hope somebody does break it. But listen, it's been,
- 36:55it's been. It's been up there since nineteen fifty four. We're in
- 37:00twenty twenty four, guys. I don't know if we're gonna see that that
- 37:02that that broken again. I don't know. I don't see it. Maybe
- 37:10somebody sees something that we don't. Again, let us let us know.
- 37:14But uh yeah, no, I I don't. I don't see it.
- 37:19I think I think physically it's possible, like Italy would like, I wouldn't
- 37:28say it's gonna happen in the next ten years. I think if it gets
- 37:32done, you need a player that's world class out of this world even on
- 37:37you know, Ronaldo, uh, Messi, even Luis Suarez level that just
- 37:43bangs goals like crazy. But he needs to stay in the city out the
- 37:46whole time and and do this consistently. That's probably the bigger hurdle to face
- 37:55because players are just moving around all the time. Even look at it,
- 37:59it mobile like he did spend time away. Do I think if he stayed
- 38:04his whole time in Italy he would break Puoli's record. Piola's record, No,
- 38:07not at all, Like seventy four goals is still a lot to cover
- 38:12in that time span. In fact, him going away and coming back probably
- 38:15helped him. That's probably what saved is his career because he was really struggling
- 38:23before Latcho. Right. But yeah, like you look at some of the
- 38:30best players right now. Ronaldo he scored five hundred and thirty two league goals,
- 38:35Messi four hundred ninety seven, Lewandowski three seventy six, it's a lot
- 38:40of time, three ninety four, Sware it's three eighty eight. So these
- 38:44are numbers that that breaks Piola's record. It's just that they played all over
- 38:49the place. So if you get a player of that type who stays in
- 38:52Italy the whole time, okay, who cares if he goes around between different
- 38:54teams, he could definitely do it. He would need a long career,
- 38:58ten fifteen years. You think ten years, thirty goals a year, that's
- 39:00a lot. Fifteen years. You averaged less it's definitely doable. But player
- 39:07like Ronaldo and Messi, yes, definitely doable, very easily doable. Player
- 39:12like Lewandowski not impossibly. Not in the league for ten years, Yeah,
- 39:22problem, it's it's it's like it's it's it's just not probable. I'm not
- 39:25saying it wasn't possible, but not Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like
- 39:30it's it's I'm less convinced in the case of Lewandowski, but because don't forget,
- 39:34like mm hmmm, he played in the Bundesliga for a while even just
- 39:38just the example of his lot time. Honestly, like if he stayed in
- 39:42City, he could have been the all time goal scorer if he stayed in
- 39:45the City his whole career. Yeah, it's possible, but he also got
- 39:49a lot of goals in MLS that he probably wouldn't have gone in uh in
- 39:53that time in Citia. But point stands, if he stayed his entire career
- 39:59in City, he might have been able to do it. This is Monday
- 40:02morning quarterback with the Culture guys, but moving away now from City. We
- 40:13got Champions League this week. It's back no Italian teams tomorrow. We do
- 40:21have Latto on Wednesday, so Laso Byron on Wednesday, so rematch. I
- 40:25think they played in what I think it was twenty twenty one they last played
- 40:30when Byron killed Latto, especially in the Second League. And then next week
- 40:32we have Inter Athletico and then Napoli Barcelona. So actually we do have good
- 40:39matchups for the Italian teams in Europa League. I know Milan plays Rin and
- 40:46I forget, I forget who well, I forget who Roma plays. It's
- 40:53fair in Nord of course, of course it's fairrd what part three? You
- 40:58know? What is it not Part eighty two? Who knows? And then
- 41:04in the Conference League there are no Italian teams is it? If pereantinam advance,
- 41:09they just have to wait. I think they just have to wait around
- 41:12because it's like the knockout round. So I think they advanced to the round
- 41:15of sixty. I think they wait the next round. Yeah, I know
- 41:22we've talked about it before with the Champions League, but you know between the
- 41:25Italian teams, between Lazo, Inter Andopoly, is there anything you guys expect
- 41:30to see from them? Do you think like how many teams? I know
- 41:36we've talked about how many teams you expect to go through. But now that
- 41:38we're closer to the actual games, who do you think is actually going to
- 41:43go through? Johnny, I don't think Napoli goes through. I no.
- 41:52I mean, it's you're playing against Barsa, You're you're having so much inconsistencies.
- 41:57But are they fair? I guess so that's old but not struggling.
- 42:04Also, yeah, if it happens, you know, hey, yeah,
- 42:08like it happens, great, I just I don't know so many like all
- 42:12these inconsistent season like in recent games, it just be so doubtful about this
- 42:16team. That's that's what it That's what it is right now. Yeah,
- 42:22No, again again it's fair. I mean, I know, but I
- 42:27mean I don't follow well we are or many other teams here really, but
- 42:30I know they're going through a bit of their moment. I know Chavi is
- 42:34is kind of up in up in arms with with what's going on there,
- 42:38and I don't think he's back in the season, and it's just not been
- 42:40the Barcelona season that they probably have wanted in this whole campaign. But again,
- 42:45at just at the end of the day, it still is Barcelona,
- 42:49right, So that's probably the biggest thing I'm curious to see when else you
- 42:54men gets back for for not we obviously being an away off con this whole
- 43:00time has has has We've seen a different knopoint being fielded, but that changing
- 43:07formations and so that has probably been a bigger mess. But I'm curious to
- 43:09see when when man gets back in there, what what if anything just change
- 43:16for for Lotso I mean we said it. I think when we spoke to
- 43:21Sean McIntosh ah handful of episodes ago about this, and I mean for me,
- 43:28I think for them, what is there to lose? I mean,
- 43:31besides obviously the game, Obviously that's okay. We get that they can lose
- 43:36the game. They don't really have much to lose. I mean, you're
- 43:38going against You're going against Bayern, a top team in Europe. You know,
- 43:44Uh, they're lots of doing what they're doing in Sadiyah kind of up
- 43:47and down, up and down, up and down. I have they have
- 43:51to go for it, and I think they have they have just for them
- 43:53doing that, they have a chance. So I want to see them fight
- 43:58because I think that would make it interesting scene. And then in the the
- 44:00inter electrical, I think, like I said, we said it, or
- 44:04always I know I have. I mean it's a that's a that's an interesting
- 44:07and top matchup. I mean, I know it's it's uh, you know,
- 44:10two different levels of inter an electical, but again it's still Electical and
- 44:15champions with even with simone, I mean it's they know each other, and
- 44:21I think, you know this is gonna be uh, I would think a
- 44:24top matchup in in this competition. So I'm curious to see that one.
- 44:30And that's and this test with Electrical again is gonna put a lot of our
- 44:34questions with inter Champions League. So yeah, maybe maybe to bed, maybe
- 44:37to rest, we don't know. So I'm just curious to see how how
- 44:43how these things pan out. But as long as these teams fight, I
- 44:46think we can we can go home hopefully happy campers. Uh in this competition,
- 44:54h U Nick, what do you what do you think? I think
- 44:58Intern is the only one who goes through. Yeah, Byron is Bayron.
- 45:01I know that it's not the same Byron that Latso played like three years ago,
- 45:06but they're they're still the better team. They're still the better team.
- 45:10Also just doesn't have it. They don't have the individual talent. I don't
- 45:16think it's gonna be like a ten nothing beat down there, but they'll probably
- 45:21hold their own. But at the end, I think a lot Byron just
- 45:24has enough talent to get through. Not believe Barcelona, as we said,
- 45:28this is not this is another rematch. I think it was they last played
- 45:30in like twenty twenty, and that I know they've probably played in the group
- 45:34stage against each other. It seems like this is a rematch. Happens a
- 45:37lot the Maridona rematch. But yeah, that's another one. I know.
- 45:43Agree with Jenny like I think, I think Barsa is gonna go through it.
- 45:46I don't think this is as much of let's say guarantee as Byron Latso,
- 45:52even though there are no guarantees in sports. But if I'm a betting
- 45:58man, I'm putting money on bars and Inter. Like I said, I
- 46:01do think they're gonna go through. It's gonna be This is gonna be an
- 46:06interesting matchup because there's a lot of history between Simeon and interis played for them.
- 46:09Obviously, both both teams play very similar styles. It could be like
- 46:15a one nothing score line over one hundred and eighty minutes, that's what we
- 46:20could see. Uh No, we know Athletical just lost Marata. I don't
- 46:23know exactly his injury, but I saw on twitter it seems pretty serious,
- 46:28doesn't seem like you'll I saw, I saw it might be not as serious
- 46:30as they were saying, maybe about in a couple of weeks. I okay,
- 46:34so maybe he'll be back for the second leg. Maybe, but yeah,
- 46:39it'll be interesting. But I think inter we we just see it.
- 46:43They just get the job done this season. That's what. That's what,
- 46:46Uh, that's what's been happening, honestly, and even guys look at an
- 46:51other game, other matchups in the Champions League at Copenhagen, Man City,
- 46:54Leipzig, Real, PSG Rail Associated ad PSV Dorman and poor Portal Arsenal.
- 47:00Besides maybe Portal Arsenal, I don't know how exactly how Porto has been doing
- 47:05this season. Like there's not a lot of juicy matchups. There's not a
- 47:07lot of like historic teams here. Uh, it seems like the Italian teams
- 47:13have the best matchups here. Maybe maybe that's just our bias, bias bias
- 47:17bias included with with that statement, but but no, I think, I
- 47:22mean, I saw, I don't remember who posted that they were doing like
- 47:25percentages of each matchup, who's gonna advance and what chance of you know,
- 47:30they think that, you know, the teams are gonna they're gonna pass by
- 47:34it. But there's a lot of like swinging ones like the Man City one.
- 47:37You know, I think Real Madrid whoever they're playing, I don't know,
- 47:43it's gonna be interesting. Champions League is box so that we're definitely excited.
- 47:46But I think even with our bias, I I agree with I agree
- 47:50with your statement Nick in terms of the Italian teams have always on paper the
- 47:54quote unquote better matches, uh and moving towards Europa League. As we just
- 48:00said, Roma, Fair Nerd and Meelan Ran. I mean, I'll be
- 48:05honest, guys, I don't know too much about Fair Nord or or in
- 48:07this season. I'll personally say I think Roma, both Roma and Meelan could
- 48:14go through. I know Roma has that history now with fan RD. You
- 48:17know, they they've only lost one game under du ROSSI, so maybe they're
- 48:23still on the high of having a new coach. But it seems like,
- 48:30you know, we can also talk about some past success in the past few
- 48:32seasons under Mourinho or maybe you know the players at least have learned how to
- 48:37win in Europe. You know, the two straight European finals, is it
- 48:43nothing? Obviously Europa League is a tougher competition than the Conference League. But
- 48:45they still did make the final last year in Europa League. But the battle
- 48:51starts out to get back to that final and Melan Rehn Again, I don't
- 48:53know too much about Rern. I'll still say Meelan will win because I watched
- 49:00them. I know they're a team that could just get the job done.
- 49:04Can either team ro mar Meline win the competition? No clue? Uh yeah,
- 49:09that's it. I think I'm not going to pretend them. Yeah,
- 49:13I'm not going to pretend like there are some decent teams here. It's Benfica,
- 49:15there's Marseille, even Sporting there. You know, they have a bit
- 49:21of history right in these competitions. But it's Europa League, like anything could
- 49:24happen. I think. I think for the Italian teams, I think it's
- 49:28up to them if if they you know, how how far, how how
- 49:34much emphasis, how much effort. I mean, they're more than capable.
- 49:37I think both these teams, even though even in the moments that they're going
- 49:40through or not going through in the season and said, yeah, I mean,
- 49:45or they are in the table. I mean, I think it's up
- 49:47to them. I think they're they're both capable. I don't again, I
- 49:51don't know. I don't think they're They're they're doing that well at least last
- 49:58time I had checked when we first spoke about this. But but for Meali's
- 50:04sick. I just want them to take it seriously. I want this again.
- 50:07This is a competition they've never won or never had to have won with
- 50:10with their with their Champions League history. But yeah, I know, it's
- 50:15it's it's it's something that I'm curious to see how they approach it. Uh.
- 50:20And then again, it's just luck of the draw who they would get
- 50:22matched up with if they do advance, and and you know how how tournament,
- 50:28well not tournament, but how you know how campaigns of European competitions go.
- 50:32So for Roma Faranoid, I think if those two oppositions, I think
- 50:39Faranoid is probably the better team and over Ren, I would think. And
- 50:45they've given they've given Roma their trouble, and Roma's given them their troubles,
- 50:49So I think that's more of a toss up if if anything, But again
- 50:54I think like I said earlier with Roma, I mean that also has them
- 51:00playing in a way where they they're fighting for the shirt. You know,
- 51:02they he makes it. I think clear what it means to wear the Roma
- 51:06shirt, and that good into I think is going to carry over it.
- 51:09I think what is which we didn't really say before but was lacking a bit
- 51:14in in the in the Roman inter game, was was you know they're they're
- 51:17they're big players stepping up and they're big players, you know, taking the
- 51:21game by the horns and really and really running with it. You know,
- 51:24they've all had a social game, was you know Lukaku of old in terms
- 51:30of not being able to to step up in the big moments. But if,
- 51:35if, if these players do, I think they they have every every
- 51:40possibility of going forward and going as far as they can in the competition because
- 51:45they've, like you said, and they've they have a bit of that experience
- 51:49in in the competition. They know some of these teams at this level in
- 51:52this competition. So I think, like I said, it's up to both
- 51:57these Italian teams how how much they wanted and how how willing they are to
- 52:00go to go to the distance in europe League ending comments from Johnny europea League
- 52:15champions or what I mean, I I kind of let go of that once
- 52:21Mourinho left. I'll be honest with you. I love that Austie. I
- 52:23love the vibes that he brings and love the energy. But Marino like,
- 52:27he has a pedigree in European competition. You'd be foolish to argue against that.
- 52:32No matter whether you hate him or or you know, don't agree with
- 52:36his tactics, he he gets the job done in Europe, you know.
- 52:39And uh, tonight was a tonight. Yes, it was a reality check
- 52:45this weekend for for Roma against inter Like, because that's the type of team
- 52:50you might face against in a final. You might face against a team that
- 52:52is able to bring into a match like that. Roma was able to.
- 52:57They have the team on paper, they could go far. But what I
- 53:00liked about Mourinho is that he's able to adapt to his opponents and frustrate them
- 53:04and change his strategy or tactics when need to. He really gets under team's
- 53:10skins with with the style that he brings. That Austi's got that that AlSi
- 53:15has that fire, you know, like he's the motivator in the dressing room.
- 53:17He's won as a player. As a manager, he's also I mean
- 53:22not as a manager, but you know part of the team staff, you
- 53:23know, one to Euro So he does have a bit, he does have
- 53:27a bit of a trophy case to back up any of his his claims.
- 53:31So I'll be cool if he succeeds. I have a bit of doubt.
- 53:37Doubt I might get laughed at for having for having that doubt, but like,
- 53:42like I said, I don't think that especially that Austi just managing the
- 53:46top flight team for like his first time in his career. You know,
- 53:50there's a lot to adapt to, and there's a lot to know, and
- 53:52there's there's there's a lot of nuance to the game. There's a lot of
- 53:57like little intricacies in managing a team, especially in your in competitions. Right,
- 54:01Uh, you could have a good support staff. So if you have
- 54:04a good supporting staff, maybe not all help out a lot, but you
- 54:07know, it's uh, it's a very very very very like you you step
- 54:13one inch out of the way and you you screw up everything. So I
- 54:16hope they go far. I hope they you know, maybe they did contest
- 54:20in the final again, but once Mody and Neil left, I'm like,
- 54:23oh, that ship has sailed for me. I'm just there, like,
- 54:25let's try to get into the top four spot, which seems probable right now.
- 54:30But is there a chance that is there a chance that you want to
- 54:34roam face in the final and then you're in any shape or form is anywhere
- 54:37Europa League? Yeah, yeah, I think like the brackets are actually the
- 54:46brats not set. No, it's not okay, true? Yeah, and
- 54:52Atlanta is still waiting, by the way, so there's there could be there
- 54:55could be three Italian teams in the round of sixteen, but cross aversion we
- 54:59get there, and then in the Conference League, Fiorentina is also waiting in
- 55:04the round of sixteen. But yeah, I don't know. I think the
- 55:08bracket only gets set for the European games, like the European competitions. I
- 55:15think it's as of the quarterfinals. I think that applies to the Champions League
- 55:19two. So pretty much any team could play any team at the point.
- 55:22And yeah, sure right now, right now makes sense? Yeah, make
- 55:27sense. Yeah, a lot of a lot of a lot of soccer to
- 55:30be played. I guess one last thing that I want to talk to you
- 55:34about Italy Champion Nations League returning after the Euros in September. Interesting group Belgium,
- 55:43France and Israel, which honestly I like because it's the Nations League.
- 55:47It's not the most serious competition. It's good competition for the players. It
- 55:52will be good competition before the World Cup qualification starts, and to play Belgium
- 55:55and France both is going to be great. Italy has played France in a
- 56:00competitive match. Apparently since you're two thousand and eight, that could change in
- 56:05the Euros. That could change in the upcoming Euros. Doesn't necessarily mean we
- 56:08have to we have to wait into the Nations League. But I really like
- 56:13it. I think it's top two. They changed format this year the top
- 56:16two teams advance. So again, guys, they're adding more games. There's
- 56:21gonna be Nations League quarterfinals now plus semis plus finals. So they just keep
- 56:25adding games and games if we need as if we need them, as if
- 56:30we need them whatever. It's a sixteen team tournament. It's basically the same
- 56:35format as the old Euros, like twenty twelve and before before they changed the
- 56:40twenty four teen format. It's it's a it's another euros. Do we wanted
- 56:46it'll be twin? Sure, but at this point you know it will be
- 56:51more just good practice competition against top teams. Uh. Do you guys have
- 56:54any reaction to that draw? Which, to be honest, I didn't know
- 56:59what was happening until I saw it on Instagram last week. I knew what
- 57:02was happening. I had seen it, I think the day before. Actually,
- 57:06it's funny and because it was when it was the last Thursday I think,
- 57:12or was it last Yeah, it was, I think it was last
- 57:14Thursday, last Wednesa, I don't remember. On one of these days last
- 57:15week. Uh, And I was like, okay, maybe if I if
- 57:20I got a chance on one break whatever, maybe I'll tune in. But
- 57:22that went right over my head. Didn't tune in, and then saw the
- 57:25saw who they got after. But yeah, let's say, hey, luck
- 57:30or unluck of the draw in this case, we get we get some of
- 57:34some of the big big nations. I think it really is like what it
- 57:39is like. I mean, there's not really much more to it. People
- 57:43are saying, oh, yeah, of course we got France and Belgium.
- 57:45Yeah, they don't want it to Okay, it's enough for that. We
- 57:47don't need this fucking song and dance. I'm again, I'm just curious to
- 57:54see how how Spoetic takes it. He obviously commented afterwards about it when they
- 58:00interviewed him. I mean, he knows how how hard of a group it
- 58:05is. I mean, how serious they take it. I would hope they
- 58:07do. They do take it somewhat serious and see how far they go.
- 58:12But I think it's it's really one step at a time with this, with
- 58:14this, with this AUTI you know, first get through this Euro however that
- 58:20happens, and however that goes goes, move on to Champions Champions, Nations
- 58:25League, and then hopefully, if in qualifying, do a better job to
- 58:30get to a to a World Cup. So yeah, I know, I
- 58:35mean, I guess I was pretty uh not. I don't know if it
- 58:38was shocked the word, but I was like, damn, like we actually
- 58:42got like a tough group and then seen some of the other groups, I'm
- 58:45like, fuck, like, why is everybody in in in in in in
- 58:50Italy's group? But it is where it is. Again, I think,
- 58:52like you said, I think the competition will be strong, and I think
- 58:57it's uh, it gives this, it gives this team and under a new
- 59:00manager and in Spoletia, another experiment to go into uh to kind of to
- 59:07kind of see like where this where this nation's you know, ranks amongst some
- 59:10of the better teams or some of the maybe equivalent teams. I think we're
- 59:14better in Belgium. Uh. Personally, I think it's obviously France is the
- 59:17big test. Israel is Israel. I mean, I don't know too much
- 59:22about their national team, but I would hope and pray that we can we
- 59:25can get past Israel. But I think the France matchup obviously, the history
- 59:32there with with with the French is always, uh, it always seems to
- 59:37be a better one. And listen, well, we love to we have
- 59:39to face them and we love to to to go to battle. So I'm
- 59:43excited for for that. But again, I think there's a lot I want
- 59:47to be a lot to be had, a lot to be said with with
- 59:51with the national team, and uh, I'm excited to see how that how
- 59:54that unfolds got to get through. Yeah, in the group, is there
- 1:00:00is there is there a was it it's only top two teams? Is that
- 1:00:02what it is, or there's a chance a third place team or that's that's
- 1:00:05not a thing. No, actually, the third place team uh so the
- 1:00:12fourth place team automatically gets relegated to Nations League B. Uh. The third
- 1:00:15place team plays a playoff against a third place team or a second place team
- 1:00:22in UH one of the nation's League B groups. So even if you finish
- 1:00:25third place, you're still playing another match. There's just endless games, guys,
- 1:00:30endless games for these players. They just keep adding on and on and
- 1:00:35on. You Yuefa goes on a spiel, how Super League is gonna ruin
- 1:00:39football. Meanwhile they're breaking these guys to the ground. These guys probably have
- 1:00:44no knees left. They probably have ten knee replacement surgeries a year for all
- 1:00:47the games they play. As a fan like, of course, we always
- 1:00:52enjoy watching games. But you got to think about these players again, back
- 1:00:55to the conversation of goal scoring records. If they play this many games,
- 1:01:00sure you think more games equals more goals, But they play this many games
- 1:01:02on the national team, they're gonna have no more energy left to score goals
- 1:01:06in the YEA. But you know that's that's the discussion for another day.
- 1:01:09Maybe we'll have to get like a physiotherapist on the show to to talk about
- 1:01:14the impact on these players. But is it but maybe eighteen teams or is
- 1:01:19it twenty teams? I don't know where are we going to? I don't
- 1:01:22know, talking point twenty teams for the money. We got twenty teams for
- 1:01:27the money, even though we know that team's right at the bottom. Suck.
- 1:01:30But again, conversation for another day. You wait, wait before we
- 1:01:36wrap up, you guys, you guys think eighteen or twenty? Just eight
- 1:01:39eighteen? Johnny, like, we don't need three four cellar any tennas you
- 1:01:44know, sorry celearning but but you know, at the same time, so
- 1:01:47any time that does give trouble to me on ROMO. So I mean there
- 1:01:52is that. But anyways, Johnny, So I got into a little bit
- 1:01:54of debate with friends, repeat the question eighteen teams. Why I'm on the
- 1:02:00podcast, So shout out to Johnny's friends. But eighteen teams in citia or
- 1:02:06twenty because that's been the big talking point. So just a couple of days,
- 1:02:14I could see the upside for both I if the league does financially a
- 1:02:20little bit better when there's eighteen teams. I think it's more of the competition
- 1:02:24is is is ste you would think tighter like I mean, you would think
- 1:02:29a bit better. I don't know. Better is very h subjective, but
- 1:02:34that's why you got to say more better, better, more better, bro
- 1:02:37or better breader. I like twenty, honestly do twenty. I like to
- 1:02:43see some teams get up into City O, the teams that you don't usually
- 1:02:45see. I like the like the little flair that they give. You get
- 1:02:47a little bit of a showcase of players that your team could potentially pick up
- 1:02:51on during the summer when they go down and stuff like that. Those players
- 1:02:53can stain saidy not necessarily have to go back down to City I be.
- 1:02:58I think I think if if, if this league would would would be able
- 1:03:02to produce, and these teams at the bottom be able to produce more money
- 1:03:06to be able to say that it makes sense for them to stay in said
- 1:03:08yeah, because right now, if you look at you know, the wage
- 1:03:12bill of teams in those last three spots and just the amount of money they
- 1:03:16bring in, the money money they make and the study, yeah, that
- 1:03:21doesn't really help them all too much. I mean, I think that's kind
- 1:03:23of plays a factor in terms of how far that that that's the reason why
- 1:03:28this you know, these teams are so okay obviously besides like historic whatever and
- 1:03:32all that, and you know, they're just they're just not, uh,
- 1:03:36top teams in this league. But they separate themselves even more by by that
- 1:03:40being a by that being a factor, right, like what what money does?
- 1:03:45Does hell as we want to make or or produce in terms in comparison
- 1:03:50to two other top leagues. Like I mean, I know that's a whole
- 1:03:52other conversation that can of worms, but it's some of these teams it seems
- 1:03:58like they almost can't even survive in staid. Yeah, you know, they
- 1:04:00need that SETI money to be able to continue to survive. So I'm kind
- 1:04:03of on the fence. I think, uh, this this this league.
- 1:04:09You know, they they want to they want to go forward, but they
- 1:04:12want to stick to what they're what they're doing. But they want to try
- 1:04:15to progress into the future. But I don't know, I think they're they're
- 1:04:18hitting themselves in in in uh you know, they're they're in that between our
- 1:04:24rock and a hard points type of situation with with Sadiya, and I think
- 1:04:27that's kind of where they're at. But it's funny how the top most of
- 1:04:30the top teams kind of agree to to to getting the eighteen. It was
- 1:04:35obviously the majority of other teams that said no. So I don't know.
- 1:04:41It was eighteen in the past, wasn't it. Uh So I don't see
- 1:04:44why it can't go back to that. Yeah, no, I'll I'll say
- 1:04:50eighteen. But I mean, I think we're just going so used to twenty
- 1:04:55over these past add years. I don't know how muchy long it's been now,
- 1:04:58but it's kind of we just used to that. But people are going
- 1:05:01to say it's like, oh, why are you gonna try to emulate you
- 1:05:03know, Ligua and then the Bundesliga, you know you want to compare yourselves
- 1:05:08to them, or we're better league? Sure, you know, the Premier
- 1:05:12League has twenty teams. Yeah, but the Premier League and Cetia is like
- 1:05:15talking about the apples and oranges, so we can't even compare. But again,
- 1:05:18guys, another conversation, probably for another day, because I feel like
- 1:05:21we can rap about this for another hour. So yeah, eighteen, I'm
- 1:05:27going to say. I'm trying to I'm trying to look up the last time
- 1:05:32there was two thousand and three thousand and four, so twenty years ago.
- 1:05:38It's been like this for twenty years. Yeah, I mean at that time
- 1:05:42the city. You can make the argument merited too extra teams with the level.
- 1:05:46But anyways, that's that's that's enough. If anything, people could message
- 1:05:53message us on our Instagram, tell us their opinion on this topic. Where
- 1:05:58can people find us on Instagram? You drown and social media and other social
- 1:06:00med Yeah, yeah, all socials, guys, hit us up, give
- 1:06:04us a follow at the Culture guys on all social media platforms. Yeah,
- 1:06:12keep on, keep on, keep on the supportmat because like listen, we
- 1:06:15really do appreciate everything in terms of if it's a listen, if it's a
- 1:06:17view, if it's alike, if it's a comment, a DM hate guys,
- 1:06:23we we soak it all in. We we we love it all.
- 1:06:25So definitely follow us at the Culture guys, like we say every week.
- 1:06:30And yeah, for the audio version of the podcast on your favorite podcasting platforms,
- 1:06:33subscribe on YouTube for video clips of the pod. And yeah, we'll
- 1:06:38be back next week to talk a lot more culture. Thanks for listening, Mine