In short
ESPN FC Champions League recap and broader club form—main focus on Liverpool beating Real Madrid at Anfield, plus Bayern’s win at PSG, Arsenal’s dominant UCL start, and other match highlights.
Guests (panel)
Kay Marie Alejandro Moreno (former player/analyst), Stevie Nicholl (former player/analyst), Jurgen Klinsmann (former Germany/US coach and player), Stuart “Robbo” Robson (former player/analyst).
Key claims
- Liverpool’s best performance of the season: outplayed Real Madrid for most of the match; 1-0 via McAllister header; should’ve won 3-4.
- Real Madrid tactical/structure issues under Xabi Alonso: Camavinga high on the right limited width; midfield lacked structure, exposing Soboszlai/Verz/McAllister; Mbappe and Vinicius ineffective; poor in-game adjustment after disallowed penalty.
- Liverpool “came out of the fog” after earlier season inconsistency; intensity and emotion returned; must avoid complacency vs Man City.
Notable examples
- Liverpool’s left-side overload vs Real Madrid’s right; Conor Bradley controlling Vinicius Jr.; Florian Wirtz impressing after being unexpected.
- Bayern vs PSG: Bayern dominated 11v11; Luis Diaz red card changed game; Kompany’s pressing unity praised.
- Arsenal vs Slavia Prague: 3-0; Mikel Moreno brace; eight straight clean sheets; “complacency” flagged.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOLiverpool's Impressive Victory
1:34 to 3:20
Discussion on Liverpool's strong performance against Real Madrid.
“the only goal of the game here at Anfield as Liverpool earned a deserved win over Real Madrid.”
Tactical Analysis of the Match
3:20 to 4:32
Analysis of Liverpool's tactics and players' contributions in the game.
“1-0 it finished, it should have been 3 or 4.”
Real Madrid's Struggles
4:32 to 6:00
Discussion on Real Madrid's performance and tactical missteps.
“And I was obviously very pleased that he played Florian Woods.”
Xabi Alonso's Decision-Making
6:00 to 8:10
Examining Xabi Alonso's managerial decisions and their impact on the game.
“it's almost as if they were playing on one half of the field.”
In-Game Adjustments and Structure
8:10 to 11:40
Discussion on the lack of in-game adjustments and the team's structure.
“He thought that they competed well in this game.”
Coaching Challenges at Real Madrid
11:40 to 14:00
Exploration of the challenges faced by coaches managing star players.
“We've now seen three big games this season under Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid.”
Building the Perfect Team
14:00 to 15:51
Exploration of Xabi Alonso's challenges in managing a star-studded team.
“Is that now exactly the team that he wanted from the beginning on?”
Liverpool's Recent Transformation
15:51 to 18:17
Discussion on Liverpool's resurgence and their style of play against top teams.
“How do they ensure it's this version of Liverpool that we saw tonight against Real Madrid, against Man City?”
Intensity and Complacency Warning
18:17 to 20:28
The importance of maintaining intensity for Liverpool's continued success.
“from that intensity, from that emotion that was lacking for about a month, I would say, in the middle part of the season.”
Bayern Munich's Dominance
22:28 to 28:00
Analysis of Bayern Munich's performance against PSG and their strategies.
“The defending European champions PSG took on Bayern, who had won all 15 coming into this game.”
Show all 22 chapters
Bayern Munich's Cohesion and Conrad Leimer's Role
28:00 to 29:14
Discussion on Bayern Munich's teamwork and the impact of Conrad Leimer.
“and then the two center backs that Robo was talking about.”
Luis Diaz's Red Card and Performance Overview
29:14 to 31:00
Analysis of Luis Diaz's red card decision and his contributions to Bayern Munich.
“Sprinting out to the field to be with his players, to recognize that this sort of unity, this togetherness, is what's going to allow this team to achieve big things this season.”
Luis Enrique's Coaching Strategy from the Stands
31:00 to 32:28
Examination of Luis Enrique's decision to observe the game from the stands and its implications.
“getting the red card let's talk about the good if we can and everything that he's bringing to this Bayern Munich side Jürgen he's just slotted in perfectly coming in this season we saw it tonight.”
Arsenal's Dominance in Champions League
34:15 to 39:28
Review of Arsenal's recent Champions League performance and their current form.
“Standing striker Mikel Moreno with a brace on the night.”
Tottenham's Resurgence Against Copenhagen
39:28 to 42:00
Analysis of Tottenham's performance in their match against Copenhagen and key moments.
“Make sure to check it out wherever you get your podcasts.”
Analysis of Spurs' Performance
42:00 to 45:19
Discussing Spurs' bounce-back performance following a tough loss.
“And I'm sure the home fans are much happier with what they saw today.”
Analysis of Spurs' Performance
45:22 to 45:46
Discussing Spurs' bounce-back performance following a tough loss.
“Listening to this podcast instead of doom scrolling?”
US Strikers and Champions League Insights
45:46 to 56:00
Evaluating the performance of US strikers in Europe and discussing Real Madrid's challenges.
“Let's get to Bodo Glimpse Against Monaco.”
Evaluating Team Strategy
56:00 to 56:58
The discussion revolves around the tactical decisions made by coaches and how they affect player performance.
“Today, they weren't structured, and they had a bad day.”
Stevie's Breakfast Chronicles
56:58 to 58:28
A lighthearted discussion about Stevie's breakfast choices and their nutritional value.
“I've never put Stevie down as Dr Stevie.”
Analyzing Player Performances
58:28 to 1:02:31
The commentators analyze the performances of Bradley and Vinny, contrasting their gameplay and impact on the match.
“Well, you need carbs, you need protein, you need a little bit of storage and a bit of fat.”
Discussing Arsenal's Quadruple Chances
1:02:31 to 1:03:56
A discussion about Arsenal's potential to win multiple trophies this season and the factors that will affect their performance.
“and all these teams that win Champions Leagues consistently and Premier Leagues is because the majority of their players, when they turn up, whether it's the Bernabeu or...”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Jurgen Klinsmann:Look, the economy is a lot right now, and if you're a small business owner, you probably feel it. You can't control interest rates or tariffs, but you can control how efficiently your business operates. Automating payroll and HR with Gusto is one of the fastest ways to cut friction and focus on what actually moves the needle. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. It's quick and simple to switch to Gusto. Just transfer your existing data to get up and running fast.
0:38Jurgen Klinsmann:Plus, don't pay a cent until you run your first payroll, and get direct access to certified HR experts to help support you through any tough HR situation. There's a reason Gusto is ranked number one on G2's highest satisfaction products list for 2026 and trusted by over 400 ,000 small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash FC and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash FC. One more time, gusto.com slash FC.
1:20Jurgen Klinsmann:Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Marie Alejandro Moreno and Stevie Nicholl here in the studio and a big day of Champions League action to look back on. We will kick things off at Anfield where Liverpool took on Real Madrid. Alexis McAllister scoring a second half header, the only goal of the game here at Anfield as Liverpool earned a deserved win over Real Madrid. Thibaut Courtois was Real Madrid's best player by some distance which tells you the night that the Madrid East has had. Let's welcome in our panel for this evening. We have Jurgen Klinsmann with us and Stuart Robson as well.
1:54Jurgen Klinsmann:I must start with you though, Stevie. Is this the best Liverpool we've seen this season? Listen, you couldn't have dreamt... If you were anybody connected with Liverpool today, you couldn't have dreamt the way they played. I mean, quite frankly, they outplayed Real Madrid for the majority of the game. Little spells where Real Madrid had some possession. But this was all about Liverpool going forward. You know, we've been talking about who's to blame for Liverpool's poor performances. Is it the players? Is it the manager? Well, today, everybody, everybody gets the praise. Because the players absolutely turned up tonight.
2:30Jurgen Klinsmann:Defensively, they were great. The middle of the park, they were fantastic. That three of McAllister, Gravenberg, Slobbertslein were outstanding. Slobbertslein in the first half was absolute world class. And Anastasia, in my opinion, got this absolutely 100 % right. Because nobody expected him to play Verts, I certainly didn't. And I guess because of the Real Madrid set up, because they had nothing down that right-hand side, Liverpool's left. And so he could play Verts, and Verts was allowed to drift. And he just got in positions and he knitted everything together. him and Sol was live, passing and moving.
3:08Jurgen Klinsmann:It was just, it was dreams all for Liverpool in this game. To pick, of all games, to produce your best performance of the season at home to Real Madrid, big time game. And boy, did they deserve it. 1-0 it finished, it should have been 3 or 4. What did you make of Liverpool tonight, Robbo? They played well after the first 20 minutes, I would say. There was a little period in the game where Real Madrid had a bit of possession, but they didn't really create anything with that possession and you thought that maybe Liverpool were frightened of the game, they were dropping deeper, they were going to try and play on the counter-attack but as soon as they had the penalty disallowed, it changed the game completely.
3:46Jurgen Klinsmann:Suddenly they were on the front foot, they were winning balls in midfield, they were breaking quickly, they were getting balls into the box, they were winning headers, they were winning every 50-50 challenge, they defended well. So after that first 20-25 minutes, when I think they were a little bit worried about the game and what Real Madrid had, after that, they were the better team, there's no doubt about it And when you saw the highlights there, it just summed it up. Lots of highlights, not much going on for Real Madrid. A deserved win for Liverpool for you, Jürgen? Oh, absolutely. I mean, they had the majority of the chances.
4:17Jurgen Klinsmann:Real Madrid looked a little bit flat. And, yeah, I thought it was a fantastic performance by Liverpool. At the right time now, obviously, they had a bit of a bumpy road over the last couple of weeks. A lot of question marks, you know, in Liverpool. But this was a fantastic response for players and for the coach, obviously. It was enjoyable to watch. And I was obviously very pleased that he played Florian Woods. Stevie said he didn't expect him to play. And I think the kid showed up. He did fantastic kind of sequences within the game. He didn't score, obviously. But he's growing. He's a young kid.
4:56Jurgen Klinsmann:And I think going forward, he will grow with every game. Also, the games that maybe didn't play so well. And, yeah, I think there will be a lot to be seen by Florian Wurz in the near future. What was wrong with Real Madrid tonight, Ali? Well, where do we start? Let me start with the manager and the personnel decision that he made. In having Camavinga sort of playing up high on the right-hand side, at least for the first half, that was never going to work. I don't know how Xavi Alonso and his staff get together and say, you know, I'll tell you what we're going to do. Camavinga, who's naturally a left-sided player or naturally a left-footed player and who's not an attacking player naturally, it's not what he does best.
5:47We're going to put him high, wide, and right. That limit what Real Madrid could do down the right-hand side. And I think Stevie just mentioned it. And I alluded to the fact that given the fact that Real Madrid was so limited down the right-hand side, it's almost as if they were playing on one half of the field. If you look at the field vertically, it's like they were playing like this, tilted to the left. Everything was going towards Vinny. Everything was going towards Mbappe coming from the left-hand side. Everything was coming perhaps from Bellingham. There was no presence on that right-hand side.
6:23And so Camavinga wasn't giving you any sort of width. It wasn't giving you any sort of depth. It wasn't giving you anything on the right. And so then he started drifting inside, which then just left that left-hand side all open for Liverpool, I should say. That's on the tactical part, and I don't understand how that made sense, and Xavi Alonso said. I see what's happening, and I go, well, this, I just don't see the same picture, and I don't see the reasoning either. But he did it. Liverpool took advantage of it. Beyond that, if Real Madrid are going to go into Anfield and win a game, then you need to have a presence in the midfield that's strong enough to match up with guys like Sobosly, who was excellent, to match up with guys like Florian Verz, who was excellent, to match up with guys like Macalcio, who scored a goal and was controlling the game alongside Sobosly.
7:15Real Madrid, without any sort of structure in the midfield, got exposed. Which then means that the service into Mbappe gets cut out. He gets impatient and starts drifting everywhere except down the middle, where he has been most successful this season. And then, Vinny, on the left-hand side, who should be a game-changer for you, was not today, was largely ineffective, and was controlled very well by Conor Bradley. Other than that, Real Madrid was great today.
7:40Jurgen Klinsmann:As soon as Liverpool scored a goal, actually, Mbappe, you could see him thinking, you know what, I've had enough of this. I'm going to come back there half-wheeling and get the ball. And then I'm going to try and beat 10 people. I mean, it was kind of schoolboy-ish to watch him because he just had had enough of no service, no ball, nothing, running around, not getting close to anybody, just invisible. Actually, pretty much like most of the Real Madrid side. Robbo, it was put to Xabi Alonso after the game that they were outplayed by Liverpool, and he said he didn't think so. He thought that they competed well in this game.
8:16Jurgen Klinsmann:Well, they competed, but not very well. And going back to Ali's point, one of the reasons that he had to play Kamavinga out on the right-hand side is because he doesn't trust Bellingham as a central midfield player. If you play Rodrigo out on the right-hand side and Vinny Jr. out on the left-hand side and Mbappe up front, then you have two central midfielders or three central midfielders and one of them has to be Bellingham. But because he doesn't want to run back and he doesn't want to get around the pitch as much as he should do, and he wants to be a number 10, somehow Xavi Alonso tried to fit him in the team.
8:46Jurgen Klinsmann:And that just backfired against him. So they didn't compete well enough. And as the boys said, Mbappe wanted to go here, there, and everywhere except in between the two centre-halves where he can be most threatening. And Vinny Jr. was completely outplayed by Conor Bradley. You know, they just weren't good enough tonight. Did Xavi Alonso get it wrong tonight, Jürgen? Well, his challenge is really to get the players in their best spots. You know, if you have so many superstars in your team in your team and you're getting forced to put them on the field, you kind of make some sacrifices in certain positions.
9:17Jurgen Klinsmann:And Kamavinga, obviously, as you rightfully say, he's not a right winger. He's lost out there. And if you have Bellingham in the middle, then you need to have somebody covering his back, basically, when he goes forward. But you have these big names and you have to put them on the field. Now, to put them together on the field, all in the right position, is very difficult because we know that Mbappé loves to come from the left wing, going into the middle, drifting into the middle. Same with Vinicius Junior. And so, he will throughout the entire year, he will have these issues, these problems, to get his superstars in their best positions where they can excel.
9:58Jurgen Klinsmann:On the other hand, also, when you have forward players like he has, then you need some cover. You need people that protect your back line. your back line. Otherwise, you're too open. And this is exactly what happened today. Their right side then became an area for Liverpool to attack. Wilsk took advantage of it. Other players took advantage of it. And then you struggle. So this is something that Xabi Alonso will have to figure out over the next couple of months. I'm sitting here with three guys who have been managers at one point or another. And what I don't understand is that if If you're game planning and you're thinking to yourself, yeah, Camavinga over there somehow makes sense.
10:42If you somehow get past that idea and think, yeah, that makes sense. You see how the game is going. Why is there no in-game adjustment and saying, look, we're going to need a fourth midfielder, as Stewie just mentioned. Okay, well, then we're going to talk Camavinga in here and we're going to play with four in the middle. And we'll play with two strikers. And Mbappe, you get a little bit more central. And Vinny, you kind of run around Kylian. Sometimes you go on the left, sometimes you go on the right, maybe underneath, run beyond Kylian. How is that not a possibility for Real Madrid? And how is this not something that a manager at this level is unable to see that, okay, if you're hell-bent on having four midfielders because you think you need that protection, why don't you just tuck him in?
11:23Why do you still have him out there for 45 minutes, for 60 minutes, out there on the right-hand side when you're getting exposed time and time again? That lack of in-game adjustment, I understand having to fit in big names on the field. Well, you can fit in the big names on the field and still be structurally sound. They were not today.
11:39Jurgen Klinsmann:So before I go back to Stevie with Liverpool, just another question for you, Ale. We've now seen three big games this season under Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid. They lost big time in El Derby against Atleti. They won El Clasico against Barcelona. And they've lost here at Anfield to Liverpool. What can we take away from Xabi Alonso in these big games so far this season? Part of it I just spoke about. and I think it goes back to his time at Bayer Leverkusen, his last season at Bayer Leverkusen, and some of the decisions that he made at Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League, in which in the games that truly matter, that were a knockout stage against Bayern Munich, for example, making the goalkeeping decision in terms of who started and who didn't start, who started up top, or not playing with a striker, sort of overthinking stuff and tinkering.
12:29And I find that if you want to get the best out of Real Madrid, first of all, you have to find structure and organization. And once you put that forth to this team, then consistency. Clarity of thought. This is your role. There's too much in this team in which they're allowed and given the freedom to just, hey, you go here, you go there, you read the game here, you read the game there. And that's all fine and well as long as you know what your reset positions are when you start to defend. And what I see from this team is, yeah, Jules Benjammer takes off, makes the run, but there is nobody covering him if he goes.
13:10If Kylian Mbappe drifts, nobody appears in the middle. If you want a good example of that, I'll give you an example. Trent Alexander-Arnold comes on the field. What is he going to do when he gets in an advanced position? He's going to swing the ball in. Kylian Mbappe decided to come to the top of the 18-yard box instead of being the center forward. And that's what I'm talking about, that the reset positions are not there. If Kylian Mbappe drops off, then somebody's got to go inside the 18-yard box. That doesn't happen. And it happens regularly, defensively and offensively. That is a lack of structure organization that I don't think this team has, and they're very clear about.
13:41And it's something that some people have said, well, this is what Xavi Alonso has brought to this team. Maybe. In these big games that we're talking about, not so much.
13:51Jurgen Klinsmann:How does a coach transmit that to the team, Juergen? Well, especially on that level, I mean, at Real Madrid, I mean, it's a very difficult task for the manager. Is that now exactly the team that he wanted from the beginning on? Is it that team that he takes over from the previous season? Does he now need to figure out where everybody has his favorite places to play and can excel the best possible? So you try to put the puzzle together in the way that, OK, if I play Mbappé here, then I need to cover him up on the other side from another player. So who does the dirty work for the big shots up front?
14:30Jurgen Klinsmann:So you have to work on that parcel continuously. And maybe you realize after a couple of months into that process that, OK, you know what, I can play maybe with three forward players, Vinicius Junior, Mbappé, and maybe even Rodrigo. But then I need to have specific other players that cover them. They are there for them. And also you need to have your star players defend as well, dropping back after losing the balls and, you know, maybe coming, as Alejandro said, you know, you need to have the structure, you need to have the shape to work together. So this is a huge task for Xabi Alonso because it's a different approach than he had in Leverkusen.
15:10Jurgen Klinsmann:In Leverkusen he could basically step-by-step put the players in their preferred positions, but he chose those players. He knew exactly where they had their strengths and weaknesses, and so he could cover them up, you know, whatever weaknesses they had. So now he takes over such a superstar team, Galacticos, with all their goods when they go forward and maybe score plenty of goals, but also with their bats when they go, you know, and maybe don't want to all defend, you know, at certain moments. They don't want to run back 50, 60 yards after losing the ball, maybe in the case of Bellingham, for example.
15:46Jurgen Klinsmann:So this will be not an easy task for Xambia, but it's Real Madrid. Yeah, so as for Liverpool, obviously they beat Villa. Now they've beaten Real Madrid. Next up is Manchester City away. How do they ensure it's this version of Liverpool that we saw tonight against Real Madrid, against Man City? Well, I think what you've seen over the last couple of games in particular is the fog has disappeared. You know, they started the season by winning games somehow, and then they lost, what, five out of six? and everybody was running around overthinking everything, taking too long to make passes. Everybody was so concerned we tried to figure out what's going on that they forgot to play football.
16:26Jurgen Klinsmann:You know, the ability they have on the field, they need to try and relax and they couldn't relax. And that performance against Villa was the first step to relaxing. And I think you saw a team that was relaxed tonight. You know, we've not seen Liverpool with a movement like that since last season. You know, and Virts was a huge part of that. He unlocked a lot of space for other players. And so, I think they've just come out the fog. And I think they'll be relishing going to Man City. You know, from two weeks ago thinking, well, we've got Villa at home, we've got Real Madrid at home, then we've got City away.
17:04Jurgen Klinsmann:Now it's, well, we've taken care of Villa. We've absolutely outplayed Real Madrid. let's go and do the same we might say. It's relaxed, but with emotion. It's relaxed, but with intensity. And we saw that, some of it against Aston Villa, and we actually talked about it over the weekend, that you were seeing the emotional edge coming back for Liverpool and the reaction of the players when they're making a challenge, the reaction of the players when they're winning a 50-50 ball, whenever they're doing a play that is not just about completing a pass, that it's about building momentum and building character and building self-belief and building confidence that you haven't had over the course of the season.
17:44Now, that confidence comes from the fact that you're winning games. They did that against Aston Villa, and I think what would fill this team with confidence after Real Madrid is not only did they beat Real Madrid playing the game, not only did they beat them in the score, they were also emotionally invested in the game in which they were all over Real Madrid and did not allow this team to breathe. That, I think, elevates you. What you have to be careful with is that you take a breather and that breather becomes complacency. You cannot afford to do that if you're Liverpool. You have to carry this momentum forward and know that a lot of your success has come from that urgency, from that intensity, from that emotion that was lacking for about a month, I would say, in the middle part of the season.
18:28As we have come to see earlier, they were winning games. Then later, they were sort of scraping by. and then they couldn't get results. Now it seems like they have turned around, continued this momentum, and it has to be based with that emotion and that intensity.
18:43Jurgen Klinsmann:Do you think they have come out of the fog, as Stevie said, Robbo? Is this them turning a corner? I hope it is. It looks as though it is over the last couple of games, and just going back to what the guys are saying. You relax and you make good decisions with the ball, and then the fire intensity comes when you haven't got the ball. You can't relax when you haven't got the ball, and that's exactly what they did tonight, when they made good decisions on the ball. They were at times relaxed on the ball. They made good decisions. They made the right pass. And then when they lost it, that intensity came back.
19:12Jurgen Klinsmann:That fire came back. That determination, the speed across the field came back. And they outrun and outplayed Real Madrid. So that's got to keep going. And they've got to remember how they did it tonight, take it into the next game against Man City. Just to end here, were you surprised he brought Trent Alexander-Arnold on? Shabby, Alonso. Couldn't believe it. Absolutely shocked. you know the only thing I'm sure I wasn't the only one but the only thing I thought would happen if you brought Trent on was the crowd would start getting on top of him which then builds the whole stadium the crowd then get into it because they can't wait to have a go at Trent which translates onto the field that gives Liverpool a lift as well because at that stage you're 1-0 up you're not going to take too many chances you're going to try and keep a hold of what you have.
20:02Jurgen Klinsmann:So Real Madrid had some possession at that stage. But it actually helped Liverpool, in my opinion, because it gave them something. They wanted to make sure that Trent Alexander wasn't walking off this field with an assist, a goal or anything. And the crowd made sure that he wasn't going to get any help from them either. So I think, Xavi, I think he made a mistake bringing Trent Alexander on. I think all it did was help Liverpool. It certainly didn't help Real Madrid, in my opinion. Real Madrid will be back in action in La Liga next to try and bounce back from this loss to Liverpool. Obviously, you can see La Liga right here on ESPN Plus and see how they fare away to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
20:40Jurgen Klinsmann:Look, the economy is a lot right now. And if you're a small business owner, you probably feel it. You can't control interest rates or tariffs, but you can control how efficiently your business operates. Automating payroll and HR with Gusto is one of the fastest ways to cut friction and focus on what actually moves the needle. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. It's quick and simple to switch to Gusto. Just transfer your existing data to get up and running fast.
21:18Jurgen Klinsmann:Plus, don't pay a cent until you run your first payroll and get direct access to certified HR experts to help support you through any tough HR situation. There's a reason Gusto is ranked number one on G2's highest satisfaction products list for 2026 and trusted by over 400 ,000 small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash FC and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash FC. One more time, gusto.com slash FC. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever.
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22:28Jurgen Klinsmann:The defending European champions PSG took on Bayern, who had won all 15 coming into this game. Bayern got off to an early start as Luis Diaz struck early on in the fourth minute. He had a second by the 32nd, but before the half was out, he would be sent off for a challenge on Ashraf Hakimi. PSG got one back in the 74 through Jean Neves, but 10-man Bayern held on for another win. Keep the conversation going with Jurgen Klinsmann and Stuart Robson. I want to start with you, if we can, Robbo, because when you look at this, 16 wins this season in all competitions. So far, everybody's saying, OK, most of these wins, not being tested too much, coming in the Bundesliga, where they're head and shoulders above the rest.
23:08Jurgen Klinsmann:Well, now we looked at this game against the defending champions in the Champions League. It's PSG, and they win this game. So what have we learned about this version of Bayern? Well, first of all, forget the stats you just saw there, that PSG had 25 shots and Bayern Munich only had nine, because that was all in the second half. When it was 11 versus 11, Bayern Munich could have been four or five up. They completely dominated the play. They made the pitch look massive. PSG were all over the place defensively. They were giving the ball away in midfield. And Bayern Munich looked a really good side.
23:40Jurgen Klinsmann:They won the ball in good positions. They defended well from the back. The two centre-halves have got a really good partnership now, Tara and Upamakano. Lima was breaking forward down the right-hand side. Harry Kane was going short. You saw that little flick from Gnabry. He was making runs beyond Harry Kane at times. The two wide players were dominant. And they were, by far and away, a better side than PSG in that first half. And it was only when Diaz got sent off that the game changed and they hung on. But they still showed defensive solidity. The goalkeeper had a good game as well. But I think the two centre-halves were excellent in the second half.
Read the full transcript
24:12Jurgen Klinsmann:But overall, Bayern Munich look a very, very good side at the moment. Yeah, Jürgen, what a big result that is for Bayern. Yeah, it was a result kind of coming over a couple of months. Because Bayern Munich, if you look back a little bit at the end of last season, they didn't go into the Champions League final. They were kind of watching it in their own stadium, between PSG and Inter Milan. They got angry. They were going to the Club World Cup and then they had the game, the quarterfinal against Paris-Agemar in Atlanta. I was at that game when they lost then Muziala in that incident there with Donnarumma.
24:50Jurgen Klinsmann:And they were very bitter. They were very, very, very bitter. And they started this season with an extreme hunger. They want to prove to the world that they are the best team in Europe and they want to win titles this year. So they are very, very determined. And this is exactly how they played from the beginning on. I mean, they were dominating. They were creating their chances. They were putting their, I mean, Luis Diaz got their two goals. I mean, Serge Gnabry almost got the third one. They could have been up, like Robbo said, four or five goals at halftime. Then, obviously, the red card of Luis Diaz changed the dynamics and made them then defend most of the second half.
25:26Jurgen Klinsmann:And Manuel Neuer stood his ground and they won this game. Still, I mean, really deserved to win this game. But it's a Bayern Munich team that you see this season that under the command of Vincent company. Every player, every single player knows exactly what his job is on the field. They're very determined. They're very sharp. They work as a team. There's one guy who's helping the other. At the moment, it really looks very, very difficult for any team playing Bayern Munich to beat them. It's impressive. It's very impressive. Even with Luis Diaz down, we said we're going to judge them in the Champions League this season.
26:03Jurgen Klinsmann:We've just seen them up against PSG away from home as well, Ali, with a win. Yeah, and we just got done talking about Real Madrid and lacking structure and organization and seemingly a game plan. Well, you watch Bayern Munich play and you know exactly what they want to do and how they want to do it and the role of each of the players and how they complement each other. The first half of Bayern Munich today, impressive, really impressive. Now, to your point, K, yeah, this was supposed to be the test. Oh, are you going to go away from home at PSG, the European champions? Are you going to be able to do the same things that you've been doing so easily in Bundesliga?
26:45And the answer is, yeah! They're able to do it. And I'll tell you why. I thought that the advantage of PSG would be in the midfield with Fabian Ruiz, with Vitinha, Sire Emery, or maybe if it is Joao Neves, and how they would be able to match up against Kimmich and Pavlovic. That Bayern Munich would be short in numbers, and that would force some of their attacking players to take more defensive positions and would limit them in the attack. Well, that would be the approach if you were afraid to play the way that you know how to play. And what this team under Vincent Kompany, what they do better than anybody else right now in this moment is they are pressing the ball higher up the field together.
27:35Together. We talk about when we mentioned Barcelona, there's no pressure on the ball. Ah, there is pressure on the ball when you're playing against Bayern Munich. And the goals come from their ability to, hey, you just lost the ball, get under pressure again, regain possession of the ball, and we go on the attack. And it's not just one guy doing it. They're all doing it. It's not just Kylian Mbappe running by himself. No. Harry Kane goes and presses the ball, and here comes Lissia, and there comes Michael Olisse, and here's Serge Granabri and behind them is Kimmich and Pavlovich and then the two center backs that Robo was talking about.
28:05Two center backs that when it was Upamecano and Kim last year, it felt like both of them were good for a mistake at some point during the game because you didn't know who was leading whom in this particular setup. Now it is clear to see that there's a common influence from Jonathan Ta and that Upamecano is the guy that is going to run around. But Jonathan Tha is leading that line. And I could not get past this conversation when it comes to Bayern Munich. And I know he's not a player that is not featured in many of the conversations. But Conrad Leimer, he's not a right back. He's a midfielder player that has been converted into a right back.
28:45And he looks every bit of a right back that can get up and down the field, level of energy, committed to what his role is. You want to see what Bayern Munich is all about? Watch Conrad Leimer play and see how much he goes and presses the ball. He comes back and chases here, chases over there, wins the ball here, provides an assist there, crosses the ball over there. Bayern Munich are playing together. And the most exciting part, if you're a Bayern Munich fan, is what Vincent Kompany was doing after the game. Sprinting out to the field to be with his players, to recognize that this sort of unity, this togetherness, is what's going to allow this team to achieve big things this season.
29:25It's not so much beating Bayer Lurikus in 3-0 as they did so easily in the weekend. It's this, being able to struggle together through 45 minutes and still get a result against PSG away from home.
29:36Jurgen Klinsmann:Yeah, you saw that with the 10 men, Steve. He's so committed, all fighting as a team, to ensure that PSG couldn't find their way back. Yeah. I'll be honest, I like the brains of the operation. You know, Kimmich and Kane, for me, in the middle of the park, are just the brains. And everybody around them's got the legs. But they follow the two of them. You know, Alise and Diaz on one side, they're just looking to Kane to set them up, to show them where to go, to play them in, to combine with them. And then you've got Kimmich in the middle of the park, who's just jostling everybody around them, playing nice little passes.
30:13Jurgen Klinsmann:I just think they've got a good mix. They've got a good mix of brain, particularly with Kimmich and Kane, and they've got legs around them. Just right now, unstoppable. Can we get to Luis Diaz's sending off? It was obviously a decision that had been made. It was a red card, but it tore you a little bit when you were watching it. I'm with Ali. I wouldn't have had a problem had it not been a red card. I think the referee has sent him off because he's left his feet. Because you can't watch that replay after replay and not think that Diaz is going for the ball. Because 100%, his eyes are only on the ball.
30:49Jurgen Klinsmann:He's not going with the old scissor chop, but he has left the ground. and I think that's why if he sent him off I would have been more than happy with a yellow. So if that was the bad of Luis Diaz on the night getting the red card let's talk about the good if we can and everything that he's bringing to this Bayern Munich side Jürgen he's just slotted in perfectly coming in this season we saw it tonight. Yeah it's a real joy to watch this kid I mean he comes in there and he seems like he's always been with Bayern Munich over the last years so if he did I mean obviously it's also the year the first year after Thomas Muller.
31:25Jurgen Klinsmann:I mean, Thomas Muller was kind of the brain up front there, you know, alongside Harry Kane the last two seasons. But coming in like Luis Diaz and then playing on this level right away, having this blind understanding with his teammates up front, it's just wonderful to watch. You know, he's such a creative player. You know, he can go straight for goal. He can dribble people. He can, you know, play with the other ones. He can switch sides if needed too. So it's very, very difficult to read for the opponents. So this is a huge positive for Bayern Munich to have a player like him now in the starting 11.
32:02Jurgen Klinsmann:And obviously they have a couple of kids also on the bench that maybe we didn't see today, but they are fully loaded on the bench as well. So they are ready to go for a long run in the Champions League this year. Jürgen, before we move on from this game, we wanted to get your thoughts on Luis Enrique choosing to watch the first half as he has been from the stands to get a different perspective of the game. What do you think of that? Well, it's interesting. I mean, if that gives him a better picture and also a better preparation for his halftime talk and see things that he wants to maybe change in the second half, it's totally fine.
32:37Jurgen Klinsmann:I think it's difficult for players then a little bit. You know, when you look outside, for me as a player, it was always important to have a bit of eye contact with my manager out there and see, you know, his body language, see his influence or hear it on the sideline. If he chooses now to sit the first half up in the stand, then this kind of conversation or communication is not there. But maybe he sees the things that he wants to see first and then he corrects it in the second half. It's a different approach. A different approach. So Bayern Munich's winning run continues. I don't think Stewie likes that approach either.
33:15Jurgen Klinsmann:We'll see if Bayern and the good times can keep rolling when they're back in action on Saturday, away to Union Berlin. All of these games from the Bundesliga, as always, available every single week on ESPN+.
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34:14Jurgen Klinsmann:Arsenal kept up their perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague. Standing striker Mikel Moreno with a brace on the night. Here's Arsenal have now won their last eight matches without conceding in all competitions. They've won 10 consecutive games in all competitions also for the first time under Mikel Arteta. Everything seems to be going right for them right now, Robbo. It is, certainly is. They didn't have a few injuries in the front areas, but against Slavia Prague, they didn't really need to have their top players playing. They were put under a bit of pressure for the first 20 minutes.
34:52Jurgen Klinsmann:Slavia Prague really did press them quite high up the field and they got the ball forward quickly. But once Arsenal took a foothold in the game, there was only going to be one winner. They dominated possession, they created chances. A couple of good goals you saw from Mourinho, particularly the first one where he just gets in between the two centre-halves. but overall they were completely dominant. They defended well again. The two centre-halves looked very, very solid and the right-back Timbers, one of the best right-backs in the world at the moment. He's quick, he's aggressive, he gets forward as well.
35:20Jurgen Klinsmann:So everything is going right for Arsenal at the moment. It's only complacency that can really stop them, I think, at the moment. Maybe Liverpool getting back to their very best form that they showed tonight. How amazing is it for Arteta Robbo that he can rely on Mikel Moreno like this when he's not got Jochrez to be scoring the goals for him when it's not even his position? Yeah, because he came short at times. He linked up in the midfield to create an overload, so they dominated possession after the first 20 minutes where they didn't really get going. But after that, he dropped into midfield, kept everything going.
35:50Jurgen Klinsmann:They had Saka making runs from outside to in. And then when balls came into the box, Marino always seemed to be there. He always seemed to be getting on the end of things. So he played very well today. I don't think he's an outstanding centre-forward, but what he does, he links up the play when he goes short, but he also makes the right runs to get in the box. and against the better teams, I don't think he'll score goals, but he's a good player. What are you laughing at? Well, because it was too much positivity about Arsenal with Stewie. It was all optimism. It was all beautiful. And then he said, well, he's not that great of a striker.
36:23He's not going to score too many goals against better defenders.
36:27Jurgen Klinsmann:Well, that was why they didn't win. That's what we said. They didn't win the title last year. They didn't win the Champions League last year because they didn't have a centre-forward. So, Mourinho was mainly that centre-forward. I'm not disagreeing. I'm just saying that I felt it coming. Oh, no. Jürgen, did you... There was always going to be a but somewhere, wasn't there? Yeah, yeah. In your prime, Jürgen, do you think you could score against this Arsenal team? Oh, come on. Oh, no. I mean, obviously, for a former Tottenham player, there was nothing nicer than scoring against Arsenal. For sure.
37:00Jurgen Klinsmann:But, no, it's impressive. I mean, also, they are on the run as well. Not as much as Bayern Munich at the moment, but, you know, they're now eight consecutive games without conceding a goal. They're looking strong. They're going very strong in the Premier League. So you can only give them compliments at the moment. It seems to fit everything. Can you give them compliments, Stevie? Not backhanded ones like Stuart Robson. Yeah, I'm kind of going to go down the rubber route here. Oh, no. I don't know why I even tried. It's just what he said. It's complacency is going to be their biggest problem. or their only problem?
37:33Jurgen Klinsmann:Because I agree with Robbo 100%. And it would be a crime if Arteta and his coaching staff let that happen. Because that is the only thing, really, that can trip them up. They've got themselves in an incredible position in the Premier League. And so, yeah, complacency is their biggest, biggest enemy right now. The worrying thing, and I know perhaps this is the wrong way to look at the world, is that everything is so great right now at Arsenal. And the seasons usually are not like this, where everything stays beautiful and wonderful and everything is awesome. Seasons tend to take a turn for the worse every so often.
38:15That's just the nature of playing. I'm just saying everything feels great. There are no questions about Arsenal. There is no real palpable or tangible criticism. It's not like you can point at this, oh, they're not doing this well, or they're not doing that well, or this player is this, or that player is that. No, everything looks great. The issue is that we're in November. And sustaining this all the way through, that will be a question, and that's when, perhaps, the complacency that Stevie and Stewie are talking about may become a factor. I don't see it happening. I think this team is solid throughout, and it really depends on the personality, the mentality and the character of the group and the manager to be able to push this thing forward.
39:01Jurgen Klinsmann:Yeah, I don't see it either. Listen, Liverpool were in this position this time last year and they did blow a gasket because they did not have the squad that Arsenal have this year. And so that's why I don't think a lot happened to Arsenal. All right. Gavin Jules will be talking a lot more about this and I'm sure Jules will be positive about Arsenal. Is he going to be able to talk? Of the show. Is Gavin going to let him or what? latest Gavin Jewel show coming up on Thursday. There is one available now that dropped on Monday. Make sure to check it out wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's get to Tottenham Hotspur taking on Copenhagen today after that lackluster outing against Chelsea.
39:40Jurgen Klinsmann:Things a little bit better today. 19th minute. Xavi Simmonds is going to find Brennan Johnson. What's she calling to do? Hunting for butterflies. What? I mean, it's a nice ball. But the goalkeeper, absolutely horrendous. Johnson keeps his composure and rolls it home. 51st minute. Oh, boy. Tom Omani's going to bring it down. Find out a bear. That wasn't an easy ball to bring down. You know. I'm sorry, little ripple for Moani. That could only go wrong. Everybody expects you to bring it down. Again, but the goalkeeper, what's he doing? And this, indeed, to your point, is class from Colin Mohani. And then the patience to find the incoming playing Odober, good finish, 2-0.
40:33Jurgen Klinsmann:The 57th minute, Brennan Janssen will be sent off for a studs-up challenge. Well, he catches him in the Achilles. So, you can't argue, I'm afraid. Can't wait to ask Jürgen Klinsmann about this from Miki van der Ven. Here we go. Here we go. Going on a run, all up the pitch. Go on. Go on. charging through the players and then scoring as well. Let's not focus on the defending because why? Let's focus on the athleticism, the speed, the acceleration. I'm just going to kick this ball past people and I'm running, baby. I'm running and nobody's keeping up. And to see a man of this size move like that and then be able to finish, that was impressive.
41:13Jurgen Klinsmann:67th minute. Breaking again. He should have was telling them to get a man saying off. Paulinho would make it four. Yeah, nice ball across. Paulinho just opens his body up. Good connection, good goal. Are we still going? Yeah, we are still going. 91st minute, James Scarlett fouled in the box. Penalty given.
41:41100 % a penalty. Defender takes a stab at the ball, doesn't get Henry Charlinson.
41:48Jurgen Klinsmann:Also doesn't get there.
41:53Is it in?
41:54Jurgen Klinsmann:Is it out? It's not. There we go. Now that is quite the bounce back from what we saw at the weekend from Spurs. And I'm sure the home fans are much happier with what they saw today. 4-0 it would finish for them. Jürgen, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about that goal from Micky van der Ven. Oh, fantastic. What a run, you know. What an unexpected run. because from your centre-back you don't get goals like that usually. I mean, this is just fantastic. His instinct is just saying, I'm going, I'm going here, I'm going. There are three guys running after him, four guys, and he's not stopping.
42:31Jurgen Klinsmann:Fantastic. He takes that with him for the rest of his life. You expect a centre-forward to finish like this, not a centre-back. Yeah, he looks up, he still knows exactly where the goalkeeper is, and he places it in the short run. Fantastic. What difference did he make? Really enjoy it too much. Yeah. Yeah, the opposition helps. Absolutely. But even so, just the whole attitude today, that's just got to be the perfect pick-me-up after what we saw at the weekend. Yeah, I mean, you couldn't have written it for Thomas Frank and the players after what happened at home to Chelsea. Everybody booing them coming off the field.
43:09Jurgen Klinsmann:I mean, I can't imagine how awful they felt. Well, as bad as they felt after Chelsea, as you said, they will come off feeling the complete opposite. And hopefully they'll have put that behind them and they'll march on to the next one. Best way to bounce back for you, Jürgen, because it was a difficult weekend for Spurs. We've got to be honest. Yeah, obviously, I mean, you want a positive result after what happened on the weekend. And yeah, and to build consistency, I think this is Tottenham's biggest kind of concern right now. is to get the right balance in the Premier League, in their performances, not only the results, but also in their performances, and then add something special to it than in the Champions League campaign.
43:55Jurgen Klinsmann:And this is not easy. This is a difficult task for the manager and for the players. But obviously, the expectations over the last years at Tottenham, yeah, they got bigger. They want to see trophies. They want to see something special. And when you have bad performances, and especially with Chelsea, then a major rival, then you have now the fans. They express their feelings and boo them. And the best way to respond to that is obviously by winning the next game. And thanks God, Copenhagen helped a little bit with it as well tonight. Yeah, brilliant stuff from Spurs tonight. Definitely a bit of a pick-me-up.
44:37Jurgen Klinsmann:Make sure to check out our YouTube channel for all the latest things that have gone down in the Champions League. on match day four. Just trying to be on Jürgen's side, aren't I? That's a good side to be. That's a good side to be. So good, so good, so good. New summer arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60 % off brands like Rag & Bone, Levi's, Adidas, and Free People. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.
45:19This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast instead of doom scrolling? Smart move. Another smart move? Getting help from one of State Farm's 19 ,000 local agents when you choose to bundle home and auto. Bundling. Just another way to save with the personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state.
45:46Jurgen Klinsmann:Let's get to Bodo Glimpse Against Monaco. Swan and gold to show you here. You want to know who it was from? Who? You want to find out? Mina, Mina? Apparently not. No. Yes! America! USA! Yes!
46:12Yes! Fútbol Américas! Hercules Gómez!
46:17Jurgen Klinsmann:Oh, we're not done yet. We are not done yet. Okay. Olympiakos hosting PSV. All right. Couple of goals to show you here. All right. 17th minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait. No, is that not it? Jelson Martins is going to open the scoring. Very nice goal here for Olympiakos. Beautiful. It just bounced. It just sets up lovely for him here. Just right there. It's going to smash me. This is nearly the appetizer. They're moosh moosh. But. Yes! Ricardo Pepe with the equalizer. USA!
46:56Football Americas, baby.
46:58Jurgen Klinsmann:Well, the good news is we've got Jurgen Klinsch. Yes! We see Balogun and Ricardo Pepe score here. Who should be the number nine for the US, Jürgen? Here we go. Yeah, now you can play with two forwards, no problem. You have two playing with each other. That's the easy way out. No, but it is. Yeah, but the easy way out, this is what you need. If you're obviously a big fan of the US national team, you want your strikers to do well. You want your strikers to score goals. And they are in Europe and they're fighting their way through. And having both of them no scoring tonight, I think is a special day.
47:32Jurgen Klinsmann:Absolutely. I mean, it makes you happy. Yeah. And a special edition of Football America is no doubt to follow what we've seen here tonight, Ali. It's true, though, what Jürgen is saying. This is what you want to see if you're Pochettino. Well, absolutely. And the answer to your question is far in bargain as to who should start the number nine. And the last time that we saw him with the national team, he was impressive. And I think he created some separation from him and the others. What I would say about Ricardo Pepe, and it's something that we mentioned while we were watching the game, and it's something that I think Jürgen would agree with.
48:02There is a quality to Ricardo Pepe that he seems to get chances. He plays five minutes, he gets a chance. He plays ten minutes, he gets a chance. It's reminiscent of a player that Juergen had at the World Cup in 2014 in Chris Wondolowski. That you put him out there for ten minutes and somehow the ball finds him in a good position. You need players like that as well at the World Cup. Because maybe the chance falls to Ricardo Pepe and the Pepe Express delivers. USA, baby. USA. Number one. Number one.
48:36Jurgen Klinsmann:You were smiling at Ale's point there, Jürgen. Yeah, because it's kind of unpredictable piece of strikers. You know, when you have number nines and they live for goals, they live for numbers, obviously. You want to have them in a way that nobody can predict anything, you know, when you get on the field. And as Ale said, you know, you maybe just need 10 minutes to prove your point. and you get one chance and you put that in and you win that game. So, I mean, having both on the score sheet tonight in the Champions League in Europe is big. Yes, absolutely. Good stuff. Jürgen, thank you so much for being with us.
49:12Jurgen Klinsmann:We're looking forward to speaking to you. What a man. What a smile. See, it's, you know, MVP. MVP. Welcome anytime, Jürgen Klinsmann. Football Americas will have you covered and a lot to talk about on Thursday. Christina Herck and the Shaq is back. Big Shaq. always worth a watch. That will do it for the latest edition of ESPN FC. Stick around though. Robbo stuck around for us. He's going to be answering your question with these guys on the latest edition of Extra Time. See you there.
49:46Jurgen Klinsmann:Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Ellie and Stevie here in the studio. Stuart Robson is here with us as well to answer your questions. All right. No funny quips or remarks at the top? I don't. I don't. Were you expecting? All I would say is the last time I was on the show, Sebastian Salazar had a mental breakdown. Has there been any repercussions about that? Well, we did get quite a bit of content out of there. You haven't been throwing paper around and doing all that sort of stuff? Not in my nature, Robbo. I'll tell you what has happened, Stewie. We now have a person that comes into the studio and sorts out the shot sheets for us so that people are not freaking out when they don't have the right shot sheet in their hands.
50:34Jurgen Klinsmann:Basically, Sebi changed it for all of us. You know, he walked so we could run. It sounded very good tonight. I thought you were so professional. So the question is, Rob, here's a question for Robbo. So we're right down the pipe, right? Emotional breakdown. Do we go on the sympathy side? or do we go on the pile on side who do you think do you think we piled on or we sympathised now Stewie I know sometimes technology is a problem in your set up were you able to see it were you able to actually see the video of him throwing stuff around I couldn't believe it I've seen people angry that's the angriest I've seen anybody on the television set And maybe the happiest we've ever seen Greg on a television set.
51:30Jurgen Klinsmann:Yes. Yeah. Yeah, very. Well, obviously, for the next four days, we got a lot more content. So what you're saying is that nothing makes Craig happier than somebody else's mystery. Perhaps. All right, OK. OK. First question. Bayern Munich beat the champions of Europe and the world champions and are flawless so far this season. Are they the best team in the world right now? Well, it's hard to argue against it. You know, sometimes when we talk about teams, it's like, oh, they're just perfect right now. No, no, no. Bayern Munich are literally perfect. Literally. And they're making it look so easy in Bundesliga.
52:12They are... Vincent Kompany, in playing against Bayern Leverkusen this past weekend, thinking that that would be one of the teams that could potentially challenge Bayern Munich in Bundesliga. Maybe. He didn't start Harry Kane. He didn't start Luis Diaz. He didn't start Michael Olisse. He made all sorts of changes. They were up 3-0 at halftime. And that's how every weekend seems to be at Bundesliga now. And so then it became really a question of, well, can they do it against PSG? Man, they can do it against PSG. Right now, they are certainly playing better than just about anybody else. And there are certainly, you know, the odds that we show all the time in terms of who's going to win the Champions League and somehow they were fifth best.
52:57I believe we have to climb that ladder a little bit when it comes to Bayern Munich. They're at the very worst top three, but they should be certainly in the top two.
53:07Jurgen Klinsmann:Yeah, I think there might have been some changes in those odds tables. Okay, Ale, when Tibor Courtois is the best player in a Real Madrid game, is it a lack of creativity in the midfield or the back four its biggest problem? Well, I don't know that there's a connection between the lack of creativity in the midfield to Thibaut Courtois being the player of the match. What I would say, though, is that there is a lack of structure in the midfield. And that back line, I was telling Stevie, I'm still not convinced by Dean Hausen. My opinion. Other people may see it differently. Militao, while he covers a lot of ground with speed, sometimes he can be disorganized.
53:51Then you have Álvaro Carreras, who is more of a player that can give you an outlet down the left-hand side, but not necessarily a great 1v1 defending. And then you have on the right-back position a guy who's not a right-back in Fede Valverde. So you put those things together, you're going to need Thibaut Courtois to make some saves.
54:10Jurgen Klinsmann:Fair, Stevie? Yeah. Couldn't stop Liverpool in the middle. Couldn't stop them in the back line. I had to rely on another incredible performance from Courtois. Sorry. They still go big. Sorry, I know we're moving on, but very quickly. Let's not forget that when they were playing a couple of weekends ago against nine men, Thibaut Courtois had to come up with a save to keep the result. That's where Real Madrid are. That even a team that is down a couple of players, they can still create a really good opportunity. Robbo, the only big match that Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid have won was El Clasico versus a Barcelona riddled with injuries.
54:53Jurgen Klinsmann:Is this Real Madrid side a paper tiger? A paper tiger? I still think they're a decent side. They're going to win La Liga. I'm not sure what a paper tiger means. But are they the real deal? I'm not sure they are at the moment. And I'm not sure the manager has quite got to grips with some of the players. Even today, we talk about Val Verde having to play out position, but he's almost sort of playing, you can play at right back, but we're going to play a midfield player in front of you who's going to tuck in a little bit so you can get forward down the right hand. So I'm not really just sticking you at right back.
55:27Jurgen Klinsmann:He's almost like he's trying to keep everybody happy. He's saying to Bellingham, oh yeah, you can go and be a number 10 because you don't like running back and you don't like being a central midfield player, which he always was as a youngster and always was when he played for England. So he's trying to fit people in the side and I don't think, as Ali just said, there doesn't seem to be a real structure about them. and against the very best teams in the big games in the Champions League, they're going to come up against some very good sides, and that's when they have to be structured. When things aren't quite going Mbappe's way, and it might not be going Vinny Jr.'s way, you have to have a game plan and be structured to cope with those bad days.
56:01Jurgen Klinsmann:Today, they weren't structured, and they had a bad day. I don't want to take your words, Stevie, so I let the world know what is it that you were saying about Valredde playing at right back. I don't even remember what you said about it. I don't see. He was being wasted. I wasted that, you're correct. I said he's wasted. And you miss everything that he actually brings in the middle. Well, yeah, so when you try to fit people in, you're kind of wasting all of them. When you're just shoehorning them in somewhere, like Camavinga playing where he played today is like, really? Ali was talking on the show about when the coaches sat down together who came up with let's play Camavinga wide on the right hand side so straight away you're putting somebody outside the comfort zone outside you're asking them to do something completely opposite of why you brought them to the club in the first place but you're going to ask them to do it in one of the biggest Champions League games of the season Oh and by the way Behind you is going to be a guy Who's playing right back Who should be playing in the middle of the park Beside you And he's going to supposedly keep you right When he doesn't actually understand The right back position So it It just creates problems And when you get a problem on the right It's a bit like getting injured You know when you injure your right knee You end up putting all the weight on the left Compensation And so we saw that today everything went down the left.
57:38Jurgen Klinsmann:Everything went down the left. I wasn't LA did it. Yeah, it was just... It messes everything up. I've never put Stevie down as Dr Stevie. Yeah, no, you don't want me to be a doctor either. Keep making Stevie walking in the room when you're all right. No, Robert, hey, Mike. The prescription for everything is lots of sausages and cigarettes. Oh, dear. Wait a minute, what? That's why Stevie is not a doctor. For some reason, Dan Thomas, while he's ill, sent me a picture of your breakfast before the Manchester United-Liverpool game. Four sausages, three rashers of bacon, three eggs, four slices of toast, and then a whole load of tomatoes.
58:26Jurgen Klinsmann:I suppose that was the healthy bit, the tomatoes. What's going on, Stevie? Well, you need carbs, you need protein, you need a little bit of storage and a bit of fat. You had all of it. Well, all of it. I didn't want to miss out on anything. In one go.
58:43Jurgen Klinsmann:The whole day's calories in one plate. That was only breakfast. That was only breakfast. That doesn't mean that he skipped lunch and dinner. That was the start of the day. Was Bradley excellent tonight or was Vinny's performance subpar? I'm thinking a bit of both, to be honest. I can't help the way I think, right? But at times, watching Bradley and Vinny, I'm like, where has this been all season? I mean, it wasn't just with him, but particularly with him. Where has this been all season? Because defensively, he's made mistakes. Tonight, he was like a tiger. He was like all over Vinny. And not a paper tiger.
59:27Jurgen Klinsmann:And not a paper tiger either. A couple of times, I think he was overzealous. but I would prefer that as opposed to the standing off and, you know, you know, I said in the show that Liverpool actually just, they had forgotten to play football. And so when you just go out and play, you do things naturally. And there was nobody overthinking it more, I think, than Bradley. Because when he was defending previously, he's thinking about all the things he's been told. You know, don't get too tight, don't get too far off. You know, you've got to try and squeeze it. And then by the time you think all this, the guy's gone and that's what was happening previously so he amongst a lot of them have shown tonight that's the standard you've set yourself and that's the standard you need to come up with every time you step on the field and if he does that he'll be playing right back whether Frimpong's injured or not he will be the right back so yeah I mean it was great to see him doing well but I hope he takes that lesson that that's your standard there is something sorry Stevie There's something to be said about just being excited about the challenge that you're about to face.
1:00:37And what I saw from Conor Bradley today is that rather than being intimidated by the fact that it's Vinny getting after him, it was him being excited about this duel and being motivated by it and buoyed by the fans and the crowd and all that it means to play against Vinny Jr. And saying, maybe other days you're going to get the best out of me. But not today. Today, I'm going to dominate this. And I think there is something to be said about the competition aspect of actually making this, this guy today is not better than me. And I'm going to take pride in doing my job the best that I can, which I don't think Liverpool has done over the course of the season.
1:01:22And to your point, we saw it today from a lot of players, including, of course, Conor Bradley. So what Alex is talking about there is, you know, you always hear us talking about,
1:01:33Jurgen Klinsmann:well, it's OK if you play for Bournemouth or Brighton or even Newcastle or whoever, right? And we always talk about to play for the big teams, to play for the Liverpools and the Man City right now and teams like that and the Barcelonas, that standard, that excitement, that wanting to get after it, is what you have to do every single time you step on the field. And if you're playing Real Madrid, it's easier, I get it. But if you're going away to Bournemouth away on a freezing cold day in the middle of whatever, that's when you have to be still excited, still up for it and still hold the standard.
1:02:19Jurgen Klinsmann:That's what makes you a Liverpool player or a Barcelona player at the very top. Not turning up every now and again because it's a big game and you're excited to play against a really good player. The best guys and the reason teams like Liverpool and City and all these teams that win Champions Leagues consistently and Premier Leagues is because the majority of their players, when they turn up, whether it's the Bernabeu or... the pub team down the corner then you're there. That's where you play regardless. I was going to say something else here but I fortunately pulled it back in. Thank you Stevie.
1:03:03Jurgen Klinsmann:Probably better for us if that's the case. That's how the sausage is made. Last question Robbo. Is it too early to talk about a quadruple run with Arsenal? Oh my god. I don't think they're going to win the quadruple. It's always difficult. But at the moment, I think they'll win the Premier League. It all depends what sides they put out in the League Cup and the FA Cup. And they're going to have a great run in the Champions League. I think they can get to the semi-finals, if not to the final. So I think they could probably win two trophies this year. But they're going to have to perform consistently well as they're doing at the moment.
1:03:39Jurgen Klinsmann:And as Ali said in the show, they're going to have a bad spell. And it's how they cope with that bad spell. whether they lose a couple of games whether they get their confidence back or whether they go back into their shell. No one will know until that happens but at the moment I think they'll win a couple of trophies. That's everything. Thank you so much for sending in your questions for the latest edition of Extra Time. Be sure to join us tomorrow for more Champions League talk. Get your questions in.
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From the publisher
The FC crew react to Liverpool's 1-0 win over Real Madrid and question how the Reds were able to turn their form around so quickly. Plus, the guys break down if Bayern Munich are the best team in the world as it stands after their 2-1 victory over PSG. Plus, Jurgen Klinsmann reacts to a few standout performances by United States Men's National team players in the Champions League.
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