Arsenal Survive & Advance

20:24Dan Thomas:Would you like to add anything, Frank? Yes. Stevie said that he was very rational talking about Semenho going to Liverpool. Well, if you are the board of Liverpool spending 400 million last summer, do you really want to spend 65 other million to see maybe somebody suiting the team and there are no slot tactics i think they won't take the risk i really think they won't take the risk they spend enough money to make sure that slot can deal with the player that he had in charge and in disposal uh and semino i don't see semino coming to liverpool i mean we don't see liverpool spending lots of money this summer or last summer they spent crazy money like we never seen that it doesn't work so do you really think that they're going to spend other their money?

21:15I don't think so.

21:16Frank Leboeuf:To that point, and I'm with Stevie here, I mean, while you're right, Frank, Liverpool spent an awful lot of money last summer, all of a sudden, six months on, we're not really quite sure whether Mo Salah is going to be, where he's going to be playing come the end of January. We know for sure that Alexander Isaac is out, as much as on the slot is saying for a few months, I have my suspicions that he may not contribute significantly till maybe right to the back end, he's at absolute best. So now there's a need. There's a need in a season that things have kind of, despite the spending, or maybe because of the spending, have come apart quite quickly.

21:52Yeah, they need him now, and they need him for the future. Mo Salah, I mean, I honestly believe that Mo Salah will be gone in the summer. They can't afford to let him go right now. And Semenyo can come in now and play. And you look at all his signings, yes, right now, things are not going well for anybody, pretty much. But then you've got to look, what are we going to be talking about in 12 months' time? Six months' time at the start of next season. You know, this will not continue, how bad Liverpool are. And Semenyo is the future. If you sign them now, and it may sound like, OK, they've spent a lot of money, but£65 million?

22:31Let's be honest, they could probably recoup most of that, if they sell Mo Salah in the summer, to Saudi Arabia. So, to me, absolutely, go and get Semenyo.

22:41Dan Thomas:OK, so that's Antoine St-Menu. But we must talk about Bruno Fernandes as well, because meanwhile, over at Manchester United, they know that they will be without such a key player to their team, Bruno Fernandes, for at least a little while. What's the latest on it, Jules? Yeah, I would believe a few weeks. It could be up to four weeks, I think, a month. And it's the worst time, obviously, to get injured because the festive period is so busy. United are playing on Boxing Day. It's the only game that we have on Boxing Day. then you play again on the 30th, then you play against on the 3rd, then you play again the week after that.

23:14Then there will be the FA Cup, as you see here, the schedule. And in what usually four weeks could mean just missing four games, for example, because they're not in Europe. Then you look already at a whole month from, let's say, the 22nd to the 22nd, and it's not just four games. It's potentially eight games that you could miss out. So it's a lot when you know how instrumental and important he is to this Manchester United team. The fact that, yes, there's a transfer window, but we're not really sure exactly what United are going to do in this transfer window. Certainly, it's not now that you spend 100 million on Wharton or Anderson or Baliba, whoever is the midfielder that you want, that you need badly to strengthen your midfielder and maybe push Bruno a bit higher up on the pitch.

24:01That's not going to happen in January. So at the time where you need him so much and so badly, that's what he's going to be missing.

24:07Dan Thomas:Yeah, there will be more on Bruno Fernandes coming up on tomorrow's show. So make sure to join Dan and the team on ESPN FC on a festive edition tomorrow.

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27:01Dan Thomas:Alexander Isak is facing a lengthy absence with a fractured leg. As you know, he was caught by Mickey van der Ven as he scored the opener against Spurs on Saturday. Arnaz Slott was not happy with van der Ven's challenge. Yeah, this was for me a reckless challenge. I think I said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons, which for me was completely unintentional. I don't think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that, the tackle of Van der Van. If you make that tackle ten times, I think ten times, there's a serious chance that a player gets a serious injury. Stevie, what do you think about Slott saying there?

27:44I don't agree with him, to be honest with you. I mean, it's a last-ditch tackle. We've seen it hundreds, thousands of times. And occasionally, somebody comes out on the wrong side. I mean, that's just what it is. And we can't start talking about, well, because of the outcome, then you have to start suspending people or fining people or whatever it is.

28:08Dan Thomas:You were saying that to Frank? Well, I heard Frank talking about it the other day, and I just disagreed. I don't think you can, you can't start refereeing games afterwards on the outcome. If it's a terrible challenge, then retrospectively, then the FA can look at it anyway. But this challenge for me, I think we've seen it a hundred times and unfortunately, 99 times, it's okay, everybody gets up and we get on with the game and occasionally, that one time, Somebody gets injured. And unfortunately for Isaac, it was him. And unfortunately, it is a bad injury. So it's not how Slott feels. And I know it's not how you feel, Frank.

28:50Dan Thomas:You still feel so firmly on this situation? I never said it was a reckless tackle. I said it was a desperate tackle. And I agree with Stevie. We saw that so many times. And what I only said, and that's to express what I want. I'm pretty sure that had Isaac didn't score that goal, the VAR would have seen the tackle and would have given a penalty and a red card to Van der Ven. So it says a lot about the tackle. But again, for me, it wasn't reckless. Again, it was desperate. But on that desperation of moving the way it was moving, that's the result of it. It's not what happened on the field. It's the result of it.

29:37Isaac might not go back to his best. Frank, that's not a red card. That's not a red card, Frank. Do you really think? Do you really think the guy's going out? The guy's going out. He doesn't score. He doesn't touch. Van der Veen doesn't touch the ball. I can bet on you that that would have been a red card with the VAR. But, again, where I want to go, my comment last time was more about a player... The VAR saw it. We had VAR, and VAR would look at it anyway to see if it's a red card and said nothing. And there wasn't a player on the field who was hands in the air, crying and screaming and running at the referee and all the things that would happen if it's such an egregious challenge.

30:27It's just a challenge. Because there was a goal. Stevie, because there was a goal. He would have missed the goal. I can tell you would have been another story. But again, again, you have the right to try everything. I was a defender. I tried desperate tackles and everything. And Stevie, I know you did because you were a defender too. It happened to us. I'm not punishing the tackle. I'm punishing the result of that tackle and desperate tackle. Somebody got injured, got a broken leg. He's not going to play for like two, three, four months. Maybe he would never go back to his best. There There are consequences because of that tackle.

31:04And that's what I want to punish. I have nothing against Van der Ven. He's a fantastic player. I love him. But he tried something, missed it. Therefore, he has to be punished because of the result of his tackle.

31:18Dan Thomas:Would you agree with Shekhar? That's the only thing I say.

31:20Frank Leboeuf:I'm with Stevie on this one. I didn't think it was a foul. To Frank's point, I think even if Zach misses the target, I'm not sure it goes any further than a goal kick in this instance. And to Frank's point, because I was discussing yesterday, I broke my leg. Not similarly, obviously not kicking a shot. But I broke my leg, I broke my fibula after a challenge from Dean Saunders, which I didn't think was a foul then and I still don't think it was a foul now. And the result was every bit the same. I think it's one of those things that happens in high-intensity games, in physical games. That's a part of the game.

32:00Frank Leboeuf:That's a risk that every player kind of accepts when they step onto the park. I saw nothing wrong from Van der Ven. And this is just one of those things that we know can happen. We all hope it never does, but we know it can. And when it does, I'll speak for myself here, when it happened to me, you just take it as part of the game and move on.

32:21Dan Thomas:What continues to be the reaction on the ground in the UK, Jules? I think it's quite divided a bit like for us on our show I think there are people who sympathise with Slott, Liverpool and Isaac in the sense that Van der Ven just catches the ankle and the leg so badly really and there's a few I heard a few people saying could he have tackled the ball or tried to go for the block instead of going for the leg like he does and he was arriving really really fast too by the way and he was late there's also people who say like Stevie and Xhaka that those tackles happen all the time and we don't really see this breaking leg injury that often if you think about it.

32:59So I can see really the divide. It'd be very interesting to see if VAR did look at it and we will have our friend Howard Webb soon doing his favourite TV show to explain why calls were made, etc. Let's see if he addresses it or not. It'd be interesting to see from a referee point of view, from a VAR point of view, what they saw and what they made of the tackle if they were to be divided like us, for example.

33:22Dan Thomas:Yeah, I think Howard Webb is Craig Burley's best friend right now. Craig, a fair few things to say recently about him on the show. Anas Lot was also asked about Milos Kirquez. The left back position is basically the only position where you have two men available. And Milos played three games for 90 minutes recently. and he had cramps and knocks, difficult in his life. Do you consider him as a starter or maybe you can give some rest to him? I rested him during the week against Inter Milan, so he started indeed three times in the league, but against Inter Milan, Robertson started. it and indeed I also see that even when I arrest him during the week he struggles to find the end of the game and which is not a surprise to me but it's indeed what's happening.

34:27Dan Thomas:Your reaction Stevie? He struggles to get the end of the game? What's he doing? Is he on a treadmill every day for 24 hours. I mean, come on. We've been playing for four months. He's been rested, by the way, on many occasions. No. I mean, come on. You can't kid the kidder. You just don't want to say that he's playing badly. That's all it is. You're trying to protect him, I'm guessing, because there's nothing else in that that makes any sense. I mean, seriously, four months into the season, somebody's getting cramped all the time and they can't finish the game. If you can't... He's in the wrong job there.

35:13I mean, basically. How's he going to get through the Christmas period and then the business end of the season after January? Oh, my goodness, he's going to have to have a lie down. Isn't it in rugby that they only play 80 minutes? Maybe. He should have gotten to rugby. Right now, his hands are probably going to be better than his feet. Oh, boy. No. The only thing I can think of is, rather than say he's not playing well, is he's having cramps and I'm resting him. That's the only thing you can say. Seriously.

35:51Dan Thomas:We're just taking a look at his game log here. So you're not seeing any signs of improvement? One, two. He's played four games. Four full games in two months. And he's getting cramped. I need five minutes against West Ham.

36:07Frank Leboeuf:I need five minutes. Five minutes is there, they're both. Five games. Because he doesn't play enough. It's because he doesn't play enough. He's not fit. Jules, where are you on this? Well, I think Milos Kerkers is 42 years old, so that's why he's... Oh, hang on. He's 22 years old, and last season he played for one of the most intense teams at Bournemouth. All he did at Bournemouth was running up and down, up and down his left-hand side. What happened to him? This Liverpool team doesn't play with the same intensity that he had last season. Last season he had a game per week. As we've just seen on the schedule, he's been playing a game a week because he's been rested in the Champions League as well.

36:50What's going on? I just don't understand. We don't know, obviously, what happened in pre-season and at the start, But how can Liverpool as a football club and as a technical staff, fitness coach, fitness staff, performance analysis, everything you want, how can they not get him fit enough to play 90 minutes without struggling at the end of having cramps? There's clearly something going on that we don't understand. Yeah, but the thing, if I may, if I may, Stevie, I have a question. Stevie, I have a question. If you ask a bad question when you're a journalist in a press conference at Liverpool, are you not invited anymore?

37:26Because, you know, when you say that kind of stupid comments, can anybody say, you know, why are you saying that? He played only once a week and he's tired. Why are you saying that he has cramps and he played too many games? We have statistics. We see that. So find another excuse. They cannot say that on a slot. I mean, is that untouchable at Liverpool? that guy because they have to stop overall managers, they have to stop coaches to say some BS's at the end of the day because really, that was the biggest BS's we ever heard.

38:03Dan Thomas:Because now obviously he's set himself up to have this situation revisited and be questioned about the fitness of this player, Shaka.

38:09Frank Leboeuf:Every single time. Regardless of... We are in a position now where whether he plays 90 minutes you're going to question, can he play 90 minutes next week? If he doesn't play 90 minutes Is it because he's simply not fit enough? I think while trying to defend Kerkers, he's just opened up opportunities to be further questioned and Kerkers be, albeit further criticised. Now, to CB's point, I think it's a pretty simple exercise. You take a step up, you play with Liverpool now, and things are a little bit tougher. That's all that, I mean, how you spin that on a slot, that's up to you. But I think in trying to defend him, in trying to spin it, he's just made opportunities for journalists to ask far more questions going forward than maybe quicker's wants or needs to answer yeah jules is going to struggle to find the end of the show

38:58Dan Thomas:today i've heard he's got cramps so we're going to let him go that's the only reason he's too young what's he doing he's too young the youngest of everyone jules thanks so much for joining us frankie stay right where you are our wily veteran we'll be back on extra time I'm answering your questions with Shaka and Stevie. Check it out every single day on our YouTube channel.

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40:50Dan Thomas:That's all we've got time for on the latest edition of ESPN FC. But stay right where you are. Shaka and Stevie and Frank are lasting the whole game today. And they'll be joining us on Extra Time to answer your questions. Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. We've got Shaka and Stevie. We've got Frank as well. And we've got a whole lot of questions for you guys to answer. I'm just going to pull them up right now, hopefully. There we are. Look at that. I got him. I got him. OK, let's get started because obviously we've seen some League Cup action today. Arsenal have booked their spot in the semi-finals to take on Chelsea.

41:26Dan Thomas:How important was this victory for Arsenal's momentum and confidence going forward, Stevie? How important? they've been getting questioned lately haven't they i mean i don't think this changes anything yeah i don't i don't yeah i mean no look when you win a game you win a cup game you're going through to a semi-final you start thinking about the final wembley the whole thing and so you get a lift from it but i'm in terms of just a little lift from where they are to be honest. I mean, it's not a major victory.

42:08Frank Leboeuf:As a team, I don't think it's major. I mean, it's major for Gabriel Jesus, major for Norgard, major for Kepa, because they don't feature regularly, so you get that opportunity, in the case of Gabriel Jesus, to work towards fitness, towards a full fitness, to contribute with the first team more meaningfully for the first time, and God alone knows how long, given his injury history. Other than that, And like I said during the show, I think in this competition, things start to feel differently now. Now that you're in the semi-final. Before that, he was like, ah, if we get knocked out, so be it. But now you're in the semi-final, or a bit of two-legged semi-final, you're thinking, ah, well, you know, we might be able to win this thing.

42:47Frank Leboeuf:And now all of a sudden it feels different. But before that, he was like, ah. Frank? It's even on the other side, I would go. It's more they go back to the dressing room and they do who we did it you know they play at home and we all do respect they play against Crystal Palace so they were favorites and so they should have won it you know in easiest way so it's more yeah we feel relieved that we won let's see the next game that's it but it's not important it doesn't bring any confidence and and you just go on and they're going to play against Chelsea, that's good, but that's it.

43:29Dan Thomas:Okay, let me stick with you, Frank. If you were in Maresca's shoes, would you take Antoine Semenyo in exchange for both Gittins and Garnaccio?

43:41Oh my God, that's it. You know, if I answer to that question, you know, the press is going to jump on me.

43:50Let's say that Antoine Semenyo is a fantastic player and he has proven in the Premier League that he can be consistent and very successful. I still have a question mark about Gittins. We have seen Garnaccio being good, but not that good the last year or maybe the two years before at Manchester United. So I would take, if I have Antoine Seminot, I have a chance to get him in exchange to those two. Yes, I will take that opportunity.

44:20Dan Thomas:Stevie, do you think that Liverpool can do a PSG story in the Champions League this season? I don't believe so.

44:30Frank Leboeuf:I was waiting for that. I'm all... I thought, what's coming here? I wish.

44:40Dan Thomas:No? No. Not feeling it? Not feeling it. All right.

44:43Frank Leboeuf:Have hope. You've got to live in hope, Steve. Well, if you play...

44:48Dan Thomas:I hope it kills you, Shaka. Yes, yeah. If you play against nine men, every Champions League game, they might have a chance. They might have a chance of hanging on. No, that is confidence in your team. Shaka, growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I guess you never saw snow as a child. So, how do you like it now?

45:04Frank Leboeuf:I'm still not a fan. Snow is good when it first falls.

45:08Dan Thomas:It looks great, doesn't it? It's great.

45:10Frank Leboeuf:When it first falls and then, you know, coming from Trinidad and Tobago, I'm like, whoa, you know, snow is great. But then you realise, hold on a minute. It gets ugly really quickly because it gets dirty and then it's cold and then you have to shovel it I'm like, what sense is this? Does it make any kind of sense? And now, you know, my kids go out and they go sledding. It's freezing cold. I'm not sledding. I'm a beach person. Yes. I'm going sledding. A beach bum. I was giving myself a little too much credit. I don't know about the beach bum. When it first falls, I'm in my warm car. It's great.

45:48Frank Leboeuf:But I don't know. I guess tired of that for five minutes.

45:51Dan Thomas:No, thank you. Stevie's lovely wife Elena was clearing the driveway today and he has a look on the camera and starts berating at him. Start shouting at him. Are you not finished? I wouldn't repeat what she said. That's the angry raker. Yes. Are you a fan of snow, Frank? I'm a big fan of snow. I love the snow. Next week I'm going to the Alps to ski. I've been skiing since I'm six or seven years old. But I'm married to a French Guiana lady and she pretty much hated like like Shaka she liked the beach as well.

46:27Frank Leboeuf:Snow don't make sense after five minutes.

46:29Dan Thomas:If you had to describe yourself to someone using foods you would typically eat over Christmas what would you choose and why?

46:39Frank Leboeuf:It's a bit of a weird question.

46:41Dan Thomas:So interpret it how you will. What are your favorite foods over the Christmas period? Well when I was a kid, probably when I got to about, I'm going to say about 14 or 15 because all my sisters and brothers had all left the house, so it was only me and my twin sister. So basically my mum would give me in and I wanted so on Christmas day I would still have mince and tarties. From about 14 or 15 until I was 19 when I left the house I would have I would have mince and tarties for Christmas dinner. Before that I had to eat whatever else was on but I became spoiled. And there wasn't like a little spruce up just to make them a bit more posh?

47:34No.

47:34Dan Thomas:No just mince and tarties.

47:37Frank Leboeuf:It was every other day. Yep. Oh, boy. I don't know. Can you describe yourself as food?

47:43Dan Thomas:Oh, what do you really like to have at Christmas time, then, to eat?

47:46Frank Leboeuf:Pastels. So, we have this... We were talking about it with Steve earlier. We've got this food. It's like a cornmeal casing and minced meat in the middle. Oh, nice. Oh, it's so good. It's so good. I love that. Yeah.

48:03Dan Thomas:I think, Steve, you might even try that.

48:04Frank Leboeuf:because it's got it has it does have mince it's got a whole lot of mince yeah so you got the mince in the water in the it's a oatmeal no corn corn flour kind of casing oh the corn and shivers pie but it's not it's not it's not like on the kernel it's ground up it's a corn flour kind of like a corn flour casing almost like a feel I feel disrespectful you Are you going to have it this year? Yeah, my wife and daughters were making this morning. Can you cut me a wee bit and keep it? No.

48:41Dan Thomas:Frank, what about you? Well, I would be a dessert kind of food. Like, you know, I told you the last show that I was in, the Concerto chocolate cake. Well, it's not a cake. Yeah, it's a cake. And it's square. It's like me, very square, very strict, you know. but very soft inside and with different layers of chocolate and the good thing it's my wife's favourite dessert so it's all me. I'm a concerto. Yeah, you're definitely not square, Frank. That's for sure. All right, thank you so much for sending in your questions. What about you? What about you? I'll have anything. You just can't get out of this.

49:25Dan Thomas:You can't get out of this for so easy. What food do I like at Christmas? Yeah, you answer that question. It's a hard question to answer, isn't it? I like all the chocolates. My mother-in-law makes all the food these days. And that is good. Oh, yeah. Oh, boy. Yeah. So, there's some posher stuff that I would be eating, trust me.

49:45Frank Leboeuf:Fortunately, none of us play for Manchester City. Otherwise, we'd be in real trouble with Pep.

49:50Dan Thomas:Yes, we probably would be, especially Frank's chocolate. Yeah, don't be putting any weight on if you're playing for Pep over the Christmas period. That's what he warned all his players if you were watching yesterday's show. Thank you so much for sending in your questions today. We will be back tomorrow to do it all over again.

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