10-man Chelsea impress vs Arsenal

26:15It shows you how things change in football so quickly, because last year Van Dijk was another one with the contract situation, but Mo Salah was the real big story. You have to give him the money, you've got to sign him, you can't let him go to Saudi Arabia, you've got to give him this money, you've got to back up the truck, fill his truck up, you've got to give him the money, because he's so important, and then we're not even at Christmas, and he's out the side. And that's just how quickly things can change for a manager and for a player.

27:07a big deal. If I'm grilling, chilling and watching hoops, my outdoor patio setup better be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas, to grills and grilling accessories, Wayfair's got it all, and it shows up fast. I'm talking championship level fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game and head to Wayfair.com now to get your outdoor space ready for the season. Real Madrid missed a chance to go top of La Liga as they played out a third straight draw in league play. Azzedine Unai scored the opening goal for Girona, and in the second half we would see Vinny Jr.

27:48brought down in the box. A penalty was given to Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappe would take it and score it. Later in the second half, Rodrigo was denied a penalty, and there were chances for Real Madrid, including a late one for Mbappe. But Real Madrid couldn't find the winner, even though those chances came. And as a result, they lose out on top spot in the table and are now trailing Barcelona by a point. It's the third straight draw in La Liga, Craig, and didn't really deserve much more. Nothing to write home about, is it, at the moment? You know, we discussed it at half-time briefly. I mean, there is no...

28:24There's no real... When you watch Real Madrid now from last season, apart from Mbappe's sharper and scoring more goals and is much more looking like his old self, the rest of it is kind of the same, isn't it? Maka touched on it in the commentary with Ian Dark. They allow teams in the bottom half of La Liga to play against him. They don't press the ball, which we all thought Alonso coming in, they were going to be a higher tempo without the ball. We haven't seen that. Now, whether he wants that, and he's figured out that he can't get, you know, Vinicius Jr. and others to go and do what he wants, and he's thought, well, why fight it and I'll just go the other way.

29:05But it is allowing, we've seen the three draws, Vallecano away, who are a good side, Elche, who are recently promoted, but they're a good side. And now Girona, who two years ago were great, but the third bottom of the league. and for a big chunk of this game, particularly the first 45 minutes, again, you wouldn't have known if you just walked in and said, which team is Real Madrid? Because they're giving everybody an opportunity to play against them and a little bit like Man City in a sense. What they have got at the moment is a world-class goalkeeper. And we're seeing Man City giving up opportunities and Donnarumma pulling off big saves and we saw it again here with Courtois.

29:42Okay, it wasn't the strongest finish when the lad was through, but he's still got a big hand to it. So, yeah, I mean, we talk about Barcelona, what about handsy flex issues, what about the defence, but at least they've got something about them, really got something about them going forward.

30:03If you said to me, are Real Madrid going to put a run together now? Is the second half of the season going to be really strong? I'd be like, I don't know. I just don't know. I mean, and once again, there's nothing in this performance that, if I was a Real Madrid fan, that got me excited. Really nothing. Not very convincing. We had Archie Rintock pitchside for us today with Luis Garcia and Sid Lowe at Montelevi. To what Craig's saying, guys, just Real Madrid aren't convincing anyone at the moment and now it's cost them these three straight draws.

30:35It has, Kay. And given in all competitions, it felt like they took a step forward against Olympiacos. Luis, this was two steps back. What stood out for you? No, I think that today it was about seeing that the Real Madrid wanted to show a different side. We've seen it lately struggling to get a result, but also in the displays. Today we saw, and Krey is totally right, there is no idea. You don't see a Real Madrid that you know what they're going to do, that you know that Barcelona has got a high line. It could be good, it could be bad. they got that rhythm on the game, that speed on the ball. Those three players up front, they know those kind of movements.

31:19There is an idea. There are a lot of problems about that, but at least you know what you're going to face. Against Israel Madrid's side, it's all about what Kylian Mbappé is going to do. Today, he was the first one in the second half. We start looking sharp, trying to find the ball, trying to beat players in 1v1. Vinicius Juno kind of started asking for the ball a little bit more, looking to break down. He found that penalty. But overall, I think that Real Madrid today wasted 45 minutes because there was no intensity, no anything that stood out for me from the first 45. In the second one is when you see that they're going for it.

31:54The determination was there. You could see more urgency. And then you start creating chances. But when you waste so much time, I think that Girona did a fantastic job. They managed how to handle. They started having the ball. They started slowing down the game. And in the end, they got a point that for Girona was very important and for Real Madrid really put in trouble not only to what Xavi is trying to create and also the league. Do you see this Real Madrid changing from what we've seen today to a totally different version of Real Madrid? I don't think so right now. That's it. Right, let's pick up on what Luis said there, that idea of do you see them changing totally.

32:31In a way, I think part of the problem is that you watch this Real Madrid team and you think the only change is a total change. The only thing that can be different now is for it to be completely different. And let's go back to the game in midweek, because the game in midweek I think is really interesting as a portrait of what we're trying to see or what we're hoping to see from Real Madrid. And that is that in midweek what we saw was an Olympiacos side that played very, very high. And two Real Madrid forwards who we know are incredibly quick into the space behind, and a Real Madrid team that kind of felt, well, if they're going to play that high, we're going to go into the space beyond them, and we're just going to play long.

33:02And that what you saw, maybe what Lewis was talking about, the idea of an identity. You know, a plan of what you're going to do. And in midweek, I thought what we saw was a plan that's the complete opposite of what Xavi Alonso has been trying to impose. But it partly happened through circumstances. Here's a team that's making it very easy to go. So let's go. And then you just wondered if having got that result and with all the needs, whether they would lean towards that a little bit. But of course, that only works if the other team offers you the chance to do so. And apart from the fact that Girona gave the ball away a few times today, they didn't offer round with that opportunity to go into space behind.

33:33and there was nothing else. See, but something that we've seen lately with Rayo Vallecano, with Elche and with Giorna is that teams are exposed in this Real Madrid side. The moment that you close down a little bit at the back, you keep the ball, you frustrate it a little bit, there is no idea. Which is why Olympiacos surprised us so much. Because Olympiacos basically said, here you go, here's all the space in the world, go into it. And no one else has done that. And so against no one else has Vinicius and Mbappé been able to play the way they play in midweek. And it wasn't because Madrid suddenly got it right.

34:04It was because they were offered such an obvious solution. The lack of cohesion was really stunning to me. And to be honest, the standout moment for me of that first half was right in front of us when we heard the slap of Kylian Mbappe's thigh of, guys, I've been signalling for a good 10 seconds. I am here. And you would think he is the focal point. Everything is going through him and is working right now. And yet these players don't seem to be on the same page. In their defence, in that particular moment, and as you said, it was right in front of us, so for the viewers at home who don't know where we were on this touchline, so it was on the right-hand side, when Mbappé wants the ball and you give it to him is when Mbappé is running through the middle or cutting him from the left.

34:41To be honest, on the right-hand side of the pitch, I'm not saying Mbappé is a bad player on the right side of the pitch, but it's not where he does you the most damage. So I can understand why in that particular instance they turned and went back the other way, but I think it was indicative of a sense of a lack of clarity about what they want to do with the ball, I think. that is the third game in a row in La Liga that Real Madrid have failed to win their next game is on the road as well away to Atletique in the week and that looks pretty tricky right now for them, back to you thank you so much guys, I'll be hoping to get back to the Bernabeu as soon as possible, just want to go back or maybe not exactly, because the home fans will let them know exactly what they think there let's get back to that Rodrigo moment, you said you were okay with the referee's decision on it I don't think there was...

35:28Look, I'm not denying there was contact, but was there really enough to see him sprawl over the way he did? And I think you could debate that. I think whenever you dangle your leg out, Stevie, you're always taking a risk, aren't you? To me, the onus is on a defender not to make any contact with the forward. Rodrigo's clearly beating him. The ball's past him. Rodrigo's going past him. So if you dangle your leg out and you do catch him, I'm sorry, if I'm Real Madrid, I'm not a happy camper. To me, that's a penalty kick. Who's the leader in this Real Madrid team right now? Mbappe. And he's not really a leader per se, is he?

36:06He's not a shouter or a midfield enforcer. He's leading by what he's doing in front of goal. He's like, get me the ball and I'll show you how to do it. But that's the problem. It becomes one-dimensional when it's the Kylian Mbappe show. Now, they have other players that should be able to step up, and we saw a little bit with Vinicius, particularly in the second half. But we didn't see a lot of Bellingham again. I mean, they're not even controlling the middle of the park against teams in the bottom half of La Liga. And I just want, I honestly wonder, I say this about a lot of leagues. We have...

36:48Let's go to Madrid, back sort of in the fold. But would you ever trust them? Probably not. But do you trust Bassa and Real Madrid at the moment? No. You have Villarreal having a standout season. And Barcelona and Real Madrid, to me, seem to have so many issues they're dealing with in terms of the defences and the midfield and Barcelona's high line that the guys mentioned and their reliance here on Kylian Mbappe. Is it a season for one of these others from the top four? to step up and shake up the big two. Because to me at the moment, and there's a big question whether, certainly Villarreal have the squad to go and do it.

37:31We know Atleti have the squad. Whether the manager puts the brakes on remains to be seen. But there would be nothing at all from Barcelona and Real Madrid that would frighten me. And I think we're seeing that in results. We saw the lads mentioned Olympiacos. I mean, it was 4-3. It wasn't like they romped Olympiacos by five goals. and Barcelona go to Chelsea, who are a good side, but they're not the top side in England at the moment and get absolutely walloped. 3-0. Could have been, oh yeah, they were down to 10 men. A Rojo gets sent off. But it was a non-contest even when it was 11 v 11. So the top two in Spain at the moment, I think would be sending a message to the others.

38:12Certainly the two closest rivals and saying, hey, there's a championship here to be gotten this year because neither of the two of these are any great shakes if we've been honest about it. Now, as you know, it's the third straight draw for Real Madrid. And Sid Lowe, you know very well usually how this Spanish media works, particularly the Madrid press. It's going to be interesting to see what their narrative is for this Real Madrid game tomorrow. What would you suggest it might be? Well, we've seen a narrative kind of fluctuate over the last 10 days or so. And I think this is one of the really interesting things about it.

38:45And as you know, Kay, what happens in Spain is that you don't just purely get a narrative that's only about the media. And I think this is a really important point to make. So yesterday in the press conference, Xabi Alonso said, you know, despite all the noise, despite all the things that have been said, despite the people who want it to go badly, we're OK and we're united. Now, of course, what Xabi knows is that the noise doesn't happen entirely in a vacuum. Now, there's no doubt about it, and I'm not going to deny it, the media runs with things and we get excited and we make more odd things than sometimes is there.

39:11Certainly there are elements of the media that do that. But it also comes from the things that are being told to those media. the things that have been said from the inside and so you say okay how is this going to be analysed it will be analysed again in terms of are the players in Xavi Lanzar on the same page it'll be analysed again in terms of what we're talking about and by the way it's entirely legitimate to analyse this through what's the identity what are they trying to do what's happening here and of course because it's Real Madrid and a bit like Bayern Munich and me actually we're talking about this during the game they're a team that's expected to win every game don't win one it's a problem.

39:44Don't win two, could this be a crisis? Don't win three, it is a crisis. Now, and I think off the back of midweek when there was that sense of it got fixed sort of, because Vinicius and Embapé played badly, but as Craig's rightly pointed out, they conceded three times in Athens. And so I think the analysis will be, again, that sense that this isn't just a game. It's not even just three games, it's a deeper problem, and it's a problem of not really knowing who Real Madrid are, I think. Can I just pick up on a point regarding identity? Because it makes me think about all the times I spoke to Xabi Alonso and was listening to him at Bayer Leverkusen.

40:20And one of the most interesting things he said to me was that each pass has a message with it. And if I'm looking at these players and I'm thinking also about what you've said about him not getting the number five that he wanted in the summer. Which he absolutely didn't, by the way. Absolutely did not. that I'm not seeing a player who I think Xabi Alonso sees himself embodied by in this team. And that's a real problem because particularly if you are wanting your team to be a bit more patient and control the game, Luis, then you need that kind of engine and motor. But most importantly, an architect who is giving you that flow.

40:55And they really missed that. Yeah, that's who we meant is long gone. It's a player that I think that everybody was talking about and he's doing such a great job at Arsenal. And it was that kind of moment. And Xavi Alonso arrived to this team to try to change the lyrics. Last year and the year before, they were winning. They're getting their results. But you couldn't see a Real Madrid with an identity. And I think that's why Xavi Alonso arrived to the Real Madrid side. Yes, he doesn't have that kind of player. And he's trying to find something into the middle. Because today, once again, we saw a totally different midfield also.

41:30With Tormeni, with Artagule. Atagulli was replaced quicker after halftime. So that shows that the idea in the center of the park is not there. He's not enjoying or is not liking what is happening there into the middle. But there are some more things that you can see when the changes are happening because Carreras on the left side, he was not there today. It was Fran Garcia the other day was on the wide area. So there is a lot of changes, not only rotation because you need to rest player, but also players arriving in different positions. We saw Rodrigo today on the right side, the other day he was on the left side.

42:02So you could see that he's trying to things, but the things are not working. And I'm not sure how long Real Madrid as a club can manage those kind of situations because we don't see something that is changing from what we saw already last year. There's another dimension to that, which is this is cultural. It's not just about style, it's about culture. It's about what this club does culturally as a football club and what Xabi Alonso is trying to do, which is counter-cultural to the way Real Madrid have been for many, many years. Sid, Luis, thank you very much indeed. OK, back to you. The fruitless night for Real Madrid in La Liga.

42:38Counter-cultural. Counter-cultural. Oh, my teeth nearly fell out, Sid. My burning question, though, guys, is what happened with the Girona dog? Did you get to pet it? Did we get to? Did we? I'm so pleased. This is the best moment of the night. Never mind the goals. Never mind a brilliant performance, by the way, from Arnaud Martinez. The performance from Kanya was the best we've seen. It looks like it wants nothing to do. That's the happiest I saw Sid all night. To be fair, she looks the brightest. Come on, Stevie. It was the best analysis we've seen all day. Lovely stuff. Thank you so much, guys.

43:18We'll let you go and get warm. It looks like it was a cold night in Girona tonight. And there'll be some cold reaction to another draw for Real Madrid. Can Barcelona put even more distance between themselves and the Madridistas when they take on their bitter city rivals, Atleti, on Tuesday, 3 p.m. Eastern for kickoff? Our coverage will begin at 2.30 with all the buildup to that game. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin? Or what that clunking sound from your dryer is?

43:53With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews all on the Thumbtack app. Download today. In a contracting business, you're either growing or you're grinding. Success is no longer about hard work alone. It's about using AI to accelerate impact. service titan is the only integrated intelligence that seamlessly automates your entire workflow from first call to final invoice born in the trades built for visionaries ready to stop operating and start automating service titan ai for the trades manchester united had a comeback win against crystal palace who had gone ahead through a JP Mateta penalty in the first half.

44:44He had to retake it after an accidental double touch. However, in the second half, we see Zerksay score from a very tight angle. Mason Mount also get himself on the scoreboard too. And it's three points for Ruben Amarim's men. Your thoughts on that, Craig? Yeah, they were better in the second half. And, you know, two bad goals to lose from a Palace perspective. I mean, there's just no way, you know, Zerksay should be scoring from there. It's as simple as that. I mean, we could put the gloves on and save that. I mean, he's almost in the goal line. And then the referee blew the whistle and Henderson wasn't in position.

45:15He was trying to mess about with the wall. He was unhappy and then the referee blows the whistle. They shift it, the wall breaks up and he gets beaten. So I think it's a big response from United after the debacle against Everton, and it was. But I think there's a long way to go, isn't it? It's a bit like Liverpool. Gone to West Ham, dug out a result. United have gone to a better team in Palace and they've ground out a result. I was going to say they scored a couple of good goals, but they weren't good from a Palace perspective. But again, Amarim seems to be one of those managers to me, a bit like Ten Hag was towards the end, or maybe not even towards the end, that he was just getting enough results to keep him afloat, to keep the Wolves from the door.

46:03He certainly is at the moment, and I would put that one in a category like this. The other bonus for them was Martinez came back, Lissandro Martinez, after the long absence with the Cruciate. Ironically, it happened at Palace or against Palace. So he came back on in the second half. So that was, I don't know if you call it a bonus for them or not, the way he sort of goes around sometimes. But yeah, from Ruben Amarin's perspective, he had to get a result and they got what they needed. It's a big win for them there, isn't it? Yeah. Well, it's a big win. You know, sometimes when things go for you, You just grab a hold of them and take them.

46:37It's not Man United's fault that they've scored a couple of goals that 100 % could have and should have been avoided from the Crystal Palace point of view. At the same time, the game could have been done at half-time. I mean, we saw Nketiah taking goodness knows how long with that opportunity. Mateta had a one-on-one as well, put wide, that he should have scored. I mean, it could have been three at half-time. The game could have been done. But on the credit side, United came back. and then by the end of the game, actually, we're the better side. So, you know, when things go for you, you take them gladly.

47:10Because you see what happened to them against Everton at Old Trafford. It went against them. So, yeah, credit to them. Stuck at it and got three points. Quite the bounce back, Frank, who's back with us. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's a good three points for Manchester United. And Crystal Palace have been the devil of many, many teams that they played against this season. I mean, Liverpool can witness that, Chelsea as well. It's always hard to play against Crystal Palace. And as Stevie said, you know, half-time it could have been 3-0. So I wouldn't say Manchester United were lucky. I think Crystal Palace were clumsy.

47:47And even the first penalty, I mean, I don't like to make fun of one of my compatriots. You know, I prefer to make fun of English people. But today I have to talk about Mateta. Because really, how can you kick in your right foot if you don't sleep, touch your left foot. You have to put your left foot on the wrong position, that's for sure, or having two big feet. I don't know, that's very strange. I was laughing at it. I think it's for me. I don't know, shot maybe 50 penalties. It's impossible to do what Mateta did. That's for sure. Good for him, he scored the second one. Good for him. They changed the rule last summer, so that's a good thing for him.

48:26But that was funny. It's impossible to do what Mateta did. They changed the law for it because Julian Alvarez did it. I thought he was going to say the okey-cokey there. And by the way, he's definitely got big feet. I would imagine a guy who's about six foot five isn't a size full shoe. No, absolutely not. Well, there you go. Three points for Manchester United and an accidental double touch that's had us talking here in the studio. More to talk about from this game. Aston Villa taking on Wolves, a local rivalry. Villa have won six of their last seven league matches. But in this moment here, in the 16th minute, Wolves would have had an opener.

48:58however this was similar to the Virgil van Dijk moment against City Arias blocks the sight line of Emi Martinez when Strandlarsen scored and so it wasn't allowed and it was confirmed by VAR 67th minute Aston Villa would find a goal here through Bubakar Kammerer you know you think where they are in the league now I think they dropped to fourth after Chelsea's point but they were third after this game and if they hadn't handed such a poor start to the season as they did, they would have been right up there. So, camera goes down after a harsh challenge here. VAR would send the referee to the monitor.

49:34However, the referee stands by his own decision. Of what? Of saying no. I think that's a red card. I think that's a red card, and I'll tell you why. And actually, talking about Lissandro Martinez, he'd won similar a year or so ago, and again, it was at Palace. Anybody who's jumping in with two feet, I honestly think that should automatically be a red card because it's not a natural way to challenge, it's outlawed. You can't jump in. I mean, they're trying to protect players. We saw Caicedo today going in with one, but it was a little high and it was reckless. You can't jump in with two feet. You can't do that.

50:14It should be... No wonder VAR were recommending the referee go to the monitor. There's not a coach, whether it's a kid's coach or a professional coach or an amateur coach, has ever told anybody to tackle like that. Nobody. It's just... There's certain things that you grow up with and you know that you haven't been told it, but you just know that it's wrong and you can't do it. And that is the perfect example. You just can't do that. And I'm with Craig 100%. You do that, get off the field. As for the chopped off goal, let's be honest. I mean, he's in his way. He had to shove about the road to try and get the ball.

50:55But let's be honest. We've seen the one at Man City, Van Dijk. The other one was Liverpool last week. Both went different ways. Everybody's guessing. Unless he stood on the goalkeeper's toes. I mean, is he? He pretty much is. Martin is right. He's gone right across the front of him. Yeah. What I'm saying is, why are some? there is no consistency no there's not

51:29there's not a VAR guy alive that can turn around and say that he's not interfering with Martinez I don't believe could be wrong it's a can of worms we're not going to open it right now because we've got a little bit more to get through extra time will be coming up over on our YouTube channel with Frank and the boys in the studio answering your questions on the latest edition. Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Coverall Tire Dressing. Plus receive four times O rewards points now at O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Coverall delivers long-lasting shine. Visit your O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or OReillyAuto.com.

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53:27Here's what Xabi Alonso had to say after the game. We lacked a bit of accuracy with the chances we created to take all three points and well we didn't win. But hey, we're still in the mix. It's all very close. It's a long season and we have to keep going. Well, we needed to play better, attacking football and to be dominant. We did much more in the second half and that's what we want. Why we didn't achieve it is what we need to analyse, what we need to look at. We need to try to do it from the start or even if we do it in the first half, maintain that level in the second. I think I said it the other day in the press conference and it's worth repeating today.

54:10We need to do it from the start. It just goes back to that whole point, Craig, about this intensity that we've been expecting to see from Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid that we're not seeing. No, and how much of it is him on the training field trying to drill this into players? Or it goes back to what Sid Lowe was talking about when we covered the post-game, that it's cultural at Real Madrid. And certainly under Ancelotti, it was a more relaxed, you know, allow the other teams to have the ball. and they would wait and pounce and do some special. And we've always felt that he wants to do Alonso that as a different way.

54:46But then you've got to get that in the heads of some of these players. You know, you're talking about asking Mbappe, who's been great this year again, but asking Vinicius Junior to go and press and close down. When six months ago, seven months ago, one of the great managers of this generation was having to kick him up the backside to run about. So I think the difficulty is Alonso coming in and trying to impress the things that he impressed on his Bayer Leverkusen players on the big egos. And I think that's the difficult part of it. The biggest surprise for me is I understand the difficulties you might have in terms of the pressing with Mbappe and Vinny.

55:27And I figured that would be tough. But I'm shocked. They've kind of reverted to the old Real Madrid where it's just getting Bappi the ball or Gertrude Vinny and they'll do something. Or maybe Bellingham will do something. That's not what we expected from Xavi Alonso. We expected some fluid play and some rhythm and some good movement and, you know, passes, little one-twos in and around the field. There's none of that. It just looks like they're relying on people that have got ability to dig them out of hole. And they're just not able to dig deep enough right now. No, three straight away games for Real Madrid where they fail to take all three points and they are on the road again midweek.

56:10Up in Bilbao against Athletic Club, our coverage will begin at 12.30pm Eastern, kick-off at 1.00pm. I know you've been waiting for the whole show for this, Craig, so let's get it out of the way. PSV against Volendam, six minutes. You can beat Anfield. If you can... A fluke. Ricardo Pepe, find a vehement in the box. He'd score.

56:35Fockever's got no chance of that. Good day for Riccardo Pepe. 24th minute.

56:42Cribatics. Like a handball there, isn't it? Looks like Volendarm are going the same way as Liverpool, eh? Can't control them. 54th minute. PSV would make it three through Gus Till. I think we underestimate how good PSV are. Well, I'll tell you how good they are. Top of the table. There you go. Says it all, doesn't it? You can see all these games on ESPN+. Stevie's obviously been watching them, and that is why he knows just how good ESPN are. Yeah, great side. Well, the team in second got battered off Celtic in Rotterdam. But our Dutch football experts here on ESPN FC, one place to find them right here.

57:26Stick around. Extra time's on the way. Frank is joining us once again to answer your questions. Thanks for being with us tonight. Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. We've got a fancy new studio today. We've got Craig, Stevie and Frank. Is it fancy? You like it? The table's a little... It's a bit wee for all the sheets. The big question is, did the shuffle us up here because we were on ABC and they wanted some fancy backdrop? Or are we moving studio? Because it's a bit of a trek, isn't it? Aye. We want to go back. It's a bit of a trek from where our desks are. Yeah. A bit of a walk.

58:02I've had to park the car a little over the other side as well. You could have just walked back over. It's good for you to get all those steps in. I'm going to forget the car. Go back round, take me jacket. Where's he going to eat his lunch? Where's he going to eat his dinners? Yeah. He was over there earlier. He sat over there with me Christmas. On his own. Yeah, OK. I hope that the bosses are watching and they've heard. Don't like the news. Well, there was so much money went into the other studio, I think. I'm not being sarcastic. It's a nice studio. OK. Frank's joining us now. It's a better desk than this, isn't it?

58:30Frank, thanks for being with us. What do you think of our news? studio. It looks like you've been punished, guy, and they put him in a smaller studio, you know. The other one was bigger. Do you know that one we used downstairs? What's the one we used downstairs near the radio? Yeah. This is kind of akin to that. The crappy little desk. It's just got a bigger area behind us. We used to say it D for dungeon. The dungeon. Yeah, studio D. Alright, first question. Did Slot find the ideal position for Verts, number 10, with Gomez right back where he's really stumbling because he didn't know that before oh let's say in the 125 million number 10 i wonder where he plays let's play him at right back i know i know what i mean he found the right position is he going to you know where's he going to be most effective and i think ultimately that's where he's going to be and in some way it's just timing for players isn't it in a sense that if Florian Veltz had stepped into this Liverpool team last year, it would probably have been a breeze because McAllister, all right, somebody would have had to have dropped out, but McAllister, Subozlay and Gravenberg, particularly McAllister and Gravenberg, were just dominating games.

59:51Dominating games, middle of the park, Liverpool were smothering teams and he would have probably had a ball but he's unfortunately for him he's stepped in to a side that have surprisingly struggled and with that he struggled so timing timing something we didn't get to in the main show is what you were saying about cody gacpo like consistently at a certain level yeah look he might not have the skill set of some of the other players or the numbers but you know what you're getting right he works hard he's well over six foot so he's got a good physicality he scores goals, gets in at the back post, always pops up in the right place.

1:00:29He's pretty composed in front of goal. He's generally always a seven or eight out of ten. Seven out of ten. He might not be a nine or a ten like some of them sometimes, but I like him. You can trust him, you know what I mean? You can trust him to work hard and you can trust him to pop up with goals and assists and that's, at this moment in time in particular, it's invaluable. Can you trust Liverpool to build on this? No. that answers that then absolutely not Stevie slot finally started Joe Gomez and the difference is clear could Liverpool call back Simakas in hopes of strengthening the back line Simikas no Simikas is yeah Simikas came to Liverpool as a younger player and was hoping that he would develop and flourish into a world class player and that didn't happen and so the answer to that is no and the Joe Gomez situation I was saying on the show, the only reason he hadn't started previously is because of injury.

1:01:30And you can't rely on him to be fit for the next game either. Unfortunately, Alan Slott, in terms of his back line, on the left-hand side, he's got one player that's on the other end of his career and he's got a young player in Kerkers who has not settled at all, is still a little frightened of his surroundings. and so that's not working. On the right-hand side, you've brought in Frimpong, who's not actually a right-back, but he's not a right-winger. He's kind of an in-betweener. You've got Conor Bradley, who can't stay fit. You've got Joe Gomez, who can't stay fit. And you've only got two centre-backs in Van Dijk and Kanati.

1:02:10So if anything goes wrong, Anna Slott's hands are tied, basically. But the Joe Gomez one, as I said, is because he was injured. Is Kirkez the same scenario as Vils? I think it's maybe slightly different. Is that Wiltz is stepping into the side who are struggling, but we know Wiltz has played at the highest level in the big arenas for Germany and by Leverkusen. Whereas Wiltz is... Kirkus has come into a back four in a team that are struggling, but it looks to me as if it's the move that he's struggling with from a provincial club like Bournemouth, a great little club, into that arena. I think it's more nerves with him.

1:02:49100%. Expectation. If you watch him, his first thought at Liverpool is to go back. If you watch him at Bournemouth, everything he did was about going forward. And so just watch how he plays the game. He's unsure. And so when you're unsure, you play the safe game. And the safe game, when you're facing the field, the safe ball, is to either go sideways or go back to Van Dijk. And he does that nine times out of ten. It's absolutely the opposite of what he was doing at Bournemouth. Frank, we will get to you in a minute, but there's a lot of questions for Stevie, as you can imagine, given the fact that Liverpool...

1:03:29No problem. Won a game. Hallelujah. Stevie. Oh, actually, it's nothing to do with Liverpool. Stevie, when you're at an American Thanksgiving with 45 people, how many of them know that you're a football legend? Kind of to do with Liverpool. Well, my son and his wife have been married now for... ..10 years. and I've been going there every year for 10 years. So if they don't know yet, they're never going to know. Do they all ask you to tell old stories of your playing days? No, not at all. They don't care. They don't care. They only care if I'm the partner at Beer Pong that we win and which we did win.

1:04:08Two games, one win, one loss. By the end of the night, the story can be sound... I can imagine. I say, what's the matter? I understand what they say.

1:04:22Frank, in a game publicised, Rice vs. Cayosedo, Rhys James was the best midfielder. How many players have you guys seen play multiple positions at a top level like James' right now?

1:04:38Well, we have Zoboslai, you know, for Liverpool right now, playing everywhere on the right side but it's true I think Dan Petrescu was doing that a little bit you know on the right side he was capable of being right back but also I would say in the middle of the park and also right wing kind of even if we didn't play like that but not too many players I've seen were capable of doing that that was that's pretty amazing from Rhys James. We were talking, Steve and I were talking about him before we came on air A lot of it's to do with fitness for him, isn't it? Because he had a spell where he couldn't keep himself fit.

1:05:18But he's pretty much got everything. He's big and he's strong and he's tidy on the ball and he's a very good passer. But I actually think, as an all-round midfielder, Declan Rice is the best, you could argue, the best all-round midfielder in Europe at the moment. But walk into any team, Real Madrid, Barca, any team in Italy, any team in Germany, any team in England, in terms of it does everything. he's really gone to another level hasn't he in terms of James I think it suits him being in there I think part of his problem when he played full back was those long runs I think that's that was his problem in terms of his injuries but he's such a good footballer he's such a sharp brain he's so cool and calm on the ball I think he's much better in the middle than he has at full back anyway You know what I quite liked about him today?

1:06:10I know he's the captain, he can talk to the referee, but when everyone... I'm talking about both teams here. I don't know about you, but a second time, the feigning of injury. There's a lot of that today. And a lot of little silly challenges and players going down, looking for other players to get booked. He always just approached the referee. There was no gesticulating, there was no shouting. It was like a hand-off, a quiet word. And that's kind of how he goes about his business. And while everybody else, Caicedo and Fernandes and Kukarela and some of the Arsenal guys, they were doing it as well.

1:06:43You know, trying to get people booked. He was talking to Anthony Taylor in a calm way and I thought that was pretty classy. Next question. Craig and Frank, how do you account for the drastic difference in the success of Chelsea's club rebuild to that of Man United? Is it fan expectations, managerial impatience, poor scouting strategy or Sir Alex Ferguson's aura that ominously hangs over the club well check well quickly go to Frank because Chelsea have seen better better players on Frank I can't hear me Frank can you hear Frank can you hear now right you're gorgeous he always he always replied yeah he can't oh he definitely can't if he doesn't reply to that there has been some sort of now leave him there has been some sort of scattergun approach so I thought you could you could put up the argument well if you sign enough players you're going to have success at some point they've obviously changed that one wrong you need to prove that one wrong no because they just kept throwing bad money after bad money didn't they so I think it does come down to recruitment I think there's still a fair ways to go.

1:08:01Then it comes down to your recruitment of your managers. Tuchel got fired, Pochettino got fired, Potter got fired. At the moment, Moresco's in the hot seat and he's doing a better job on the face of it than the others. But yeah, I mean, thus far, going after these younger players and sort of maturing them as you go along is having a reasonable effect thus far. They're certainly going to ruffle a few feathers this year. Just as we saw today. I wonder if we've got Frank back. Oh, he's back. Frank, do you understand the question? Yes, I hear you and I saw the question. How do you come from the drastic difference of the success?

1:08:43I'm not sure I understand the question, but the question is, I think it's going to be, it's always very hard to change the tactic, what you want to do in the football business, and especially when you are in the era of winning everything like Manchester United did and Chelsea did just after, when you want to change and drastically change the thought of what's been a success, it takes time. And it's always been like that. And I've seen that with Marseille, I've seen that with Lyon, I've seen that with Paris Saint-Germain as well. and you can see that in Italy as well is going on. So it takes time, but I don't know what you have to do for that.

1:09:26The only thing is that I know that you have to be patient. All right. Last question. It's actually something you brought up in the main show, Craig. What's the percentage chance that Atletico or Villarreal win La Liga this season? I think slim, but there is definitely a potential opportunity with the way that the big two have their frailties. Alonso's under a bit of pressure with their style and their results.

1:09:54Barcelona, they had a good result against Alaves, but they got walloped by Chelsea, I mean smashed by Chelsea. All their problems came back to haunt them. It's whether Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, who are the only two that have got a viable chance really, it's whether they can go the distance and the other two don't get better. But I always think it's nice for a league. It's a bit like Scotland. The hearts have been going well in Scotland at the moment, but it's been 40 years since anybody out with the old firm, Rangers and Celtic, have won the league. And I always think it's refreshing when somebody else does.

1:10:29I know it's been sooner than that in Spain because I think Madrid have won the league. But it usually is the big two. But I think it's maybe only a 10 % or 15 % chance that one of them could do it. but it's definitely doable. If you watch Barca and Real every week as we do, you wouldn't be frightened. Every game, almost every game they play, there's a possibility that they might have dropped points or got beaten. So, well, that's going on. Somebody needs to try and take advantage of it. Yeah, let's see if they can step up and be counted. Thank you so much for sending in your questions today. Thanks to the panel for answering them.

1:11:09Make sure to join us tomorrow. Can't hear me. OK, yeah, sorry, we're going to have to go. Craig can't hear anymore. Frank, thanks for being with us. Safe travels, Frank. You'll be over to see us soon. It won't be this lovely studio. Bye-bye, guys. Is this temporary? I think so. I'm happy. I'm happy. If it was going to be our new one, I don't think it is anymore after what you guys have had to say about it. Frank, we'll see you soon. Safe travels. Make sure to join us tomorrow for more of the same. Dan will be back. Hopefully he's dressed up this. I mean, I know he's had a lot on his plate, but you can't come in with joggers on.

1:11:54Good energy in. Good energy out.

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