Arsenal's Aura Growing

25:43Thank you all of them, to all of them for coming so far. And I mean it's the beginning of the season, it's not good enough. Many things are changing, obviously a new manager as well. Still, the way the game starts it just sets you off right away. They get comfortable into playing their game. but in the end as well this is just starting and the most important is that we're already looking forward and we'll be ready for for our next game yeah how much can you all read into that performance today as you head into the season I mean I joined Midway this is the third game since I've since I've been back the feeling has been good obviously today it's frustrating and it's a final we obviously want to win it but if there's a lesson to be learned on the final let it be this one because there's a lot more coming.

26:37It has been a summer of change as you say though your first game at City without Pep Guardiola here and for a lot of the players as well. What's this new era this new start feel like for you all under Enzo Maresca and how's it been so far? Well it's obviously a positive energy and the feeling of a lot of work to put into. It's part of any transition for things not to be so perfect in the beginning and you need to push through, you need to keep on working, you need to communicate, you need to make things work between us and obviously with Enzo as well and I feel like we're in a very good way but we need to keep on working and there's obviously going to be lots of challenges along the way.

27:23That's it. Stay positive, look forward. We have our first Premier League game very soon and we're looking forward to it. Enzo Mareska has named you as his captain today as well. How much responsibility do you feel as the captain to help in this transition period for the club? Well, the captains have not been fully named yet, but still obviously it's not my first year as a captain. The responsibility is the highest because it goes in the same line as the ambition of the club and obviously we need to set the best stand up for everyone else. Thank you very much. Thank you. Nadeem, that defence looks so porous today.

28:07How concerned are you about it? we saw flashes last season as well of going forward with this back four?

28:15In terms of concern, again, it wasn't a great performance at all. Some of the moments that they had were, in terms of decision-making, was poor. But I think some of that comes from what's going on in front of them as well. I think at times, Kovacic and Anderson didn't really offer the support and sort of recovery that you'd expect. But from them, especially for the way the game started, it's just little decisions like Anderson going out there. And it's a great ball by Lewis Kelly, but the set-up is one way about how people are anticipating the wrong things. Sometimes you have to go back to basics, essentially.

28:41More or less, you know, more importantly, to start a game of football. But I'm not really worried about, again, the defence because there are some people who haven't had great games there. But you've got the likes of Gahey who's coming in off the bench whereas somebody, you know, previously who would be a regular starter, they just looked a little bit off it. They looked a bit half off, like half a yard short on Arsenal, looked more than ready. Even the mistake from Donnarumma for the second goal. Yes, the defending's poor, but would you expect a keeper of that standard to essentially be, you know, heading the ball into his own net?

29:06Probably not. So yes, they might not have a defense that say is as good as Arsenal's when Arsenal are playing to their absolute best. But the fact is, they can get better. People will find their fitness. People come back into correct positions and they will improve. Because this challenge here, they were absolutely not ready for it. But as Ruben Diaz has said, they're getting ready for the next game already. Yeah, he was quite vague, wasn't he, when he was asked whether he would be the permanent captain this season. Do you think that he is the right man to lead this team? Yeah, absolutely. I think he's been captain before.

29:35I think the only issue that he had last season was somewhat about selection because gay he was playing and there were times And Ruben Diaz was gonna be somebody who's a substitute on the bench But if you have that on band you almost expecting they're gonna be in there every single week But for City maybe that's not a guarantee because Nico Riley's done very well at left back Which means that your score Vardia will probably play in left center-half Well, who's gonna be right center-half is it gonna be say Ruben Diaz or is it gonna be for example a Mark A You know these are the options that he ultimately has and so selection is gonna be interesting and we won't know for maybe the first one, two, three weeks, but then very quickly Marescu will start relying on the tried, the tested and the trusted.

30:09But I think, yeah, I think it's good that Diaz was vague just because you don't overcommit to something that you really don't have control over. And if not Ruben Diaz, who? Well, he's talking about Erling Haaland. And, I mean, as far as people are going to be playing week in, week out, he's definitely one of those. But I don't know. I see Erling Haaland as being more of a leader without the armband. I think for the way that he plays, you know, he's going to be leading, by example, from the front. I think I'd like somebody that's going to be either in the midfield or at the back to essentially, you know, at times be able to dictate the tempo of a game as opposed to being the cherry on the top that I think Harland certainly is.

30:40They were chanting. You're getting sacked in the morning to Enzo Maresca. Here is the new Manchester City manager. Enzo, not the result you wanted, but how do you judge your team's overall performance today? Absolutely. The result is not the one we hope. For sure, the goal we conceded after 30 seconds, you know, affect the game. but the reaction after the goal I think was good. First half, before they scored the second one, we had three or four chances to score and to draw the game. And again, unfortunately, then we scored, we considered the second one. But yeah, now it's a defeat that hurt us, but it's just the beginning.

31:18A chance to see Elliot Anderson for the first time today in City colours, though, what did you make of his performance? I think overall Elliot was good. Again, I think the performance of all the players has been affected, unfortunately, from the goal that we conceded after 30 seconds. But again, after that, I think the reaction was good. We created some chances to score. But yeah, I think Elliot was good. Phil Foden started today. Obviously signed a new contract with the club this summer. You know him. You've worked with him previously at Manchester City. how can you get him back to the heights that you know he can reach?

31:57He's working very, very good since the first day we start. He's working good. He's in a good mood that this is important for him. And I don't have any doubt that he's going to help us this season. Jack Grealish got a huge round of applause from this big turnout from the City fans that came to Cardiff today. Is he in your plans for his future at Man City? Again, he's here with us. So until today, he's here with us. it's my duty to try to help him and if he deserves he will play games So next weekend the Premier League begins, how big is this job ahead as you try and lead City into this new era?

32:36As you said, next weekend we start the Premier League again, today's defeat is going to hurt us but at the same moment we need from Tuesday we need to prepare Sunday game, the Premier League game and think about that. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Shaka you're pulling a funny face. Yeah I'm not sure about the response to the first goal. I thought Arsene by far the better of two teams even after that. City's first chances that I can recall came right around the 39th 40th minute and those two were two chances back to back within 30 seconds of each other so I'm not sure what Mareska is referencing here because he missed it.

33:18We talked about this with Arsene Wenger, obviously Kieran when he left Arsenal and other big managers like Alex Ferguson, Jürgen Klopp as well. What's it like for Mareska coming in to try and fill the role of Pep Guardiola? And how much does this, even though it's a little stumbling block to start, kind of hinder that? Yeah, I think we can't really look at it as him coming in to fill his shoes, right? He's not Pep Guardiola. And then I think that we have to get used to that. Manchester City fans have to get used to that. It's about him and his ideas and all his ideas and what he can build at the standards of, you know, currently of Arsenal's.

34:03From today, it looks like there's still a lot of work to do. There's still time left in the window. So we have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I agree with with Shakur a little bit. I think he's trying to save face in that interview there. But, you know, ultimately it is the first day of the season. Like I said, he's a level-headed guy. He's not going to get carried away with this defeat. He's going to look at things objectively. And I think we'll start to see the real Mareska's team a few weeks into the season. There's going to be a lot of noise, though, after this, isn't there, Nadem, from people like us?

34:43beautifully put beautifully put in some ways you know the reaction thing i disagree with you guys a little bit especially like shakir you're talking about chances that it created but when i was in the stands and it went one nil after a minute my initial thought and i don't know if you guys have felt this trauma before was that this is going to be five six or seven but from city's perspective they actually tried to keep some level of possession in the game which went okay which took a little bit, gained a tiny bit of territory. Dan, stop interrupting me. So that brought a little bit of territory and a fraction more, not necessarily control, because obviously Arsenal were the better side.

35:16But, you know, myself, Xhaka, you know, Kieran, like, we've had collapses before, and that very much could have been that. Like, it's 3-0, possibly could have been 4. No, it wasn't a collapse at all, because if it was a collapse, Arsenal have had more shots, it would have won 5-6, like they did when they beat City at the Emirates two years ago. I think it was like 6-1 or something like that. When he went 1-0 I thought it was gonna be one of those games But it ended up being a very poor performance and a very good one and a Serena resort and it deserves It was the biggest Community Shield win since 2014 when Arsenal won 3-0 against Man City I guess?

35:46Correct. Of course yeah and they won the league that year as well didn't they?

35:55For me it's just it's just not worth certain things just aren't worth overreacting to and I think Mureska like he's trying to save face with some of his answers and so on but I get it because why should he come out and be really aggressive and essentially lose some fans lose some players by saying something which he didn't need to say I did think it was a strange interview because he looked so deflated yet his answers were weirdly positive yeah yeah I think you have to show some level of like disappointment because if you just bounce in there like it didn't matter then people like Ruben Diaz the first thing he said thank you to the fans for coming this is a long way for them to come and they're disappointed with the performance that they've put out I acknowledge the fans acknowledge that this is something that they're going to draw a line under and try and get better from.

36:30I do get that. And I think for Maresca and the City fans, everyone associated with City, yes, you can say that in the grand scheme of things, it might not matter. But you still put the time and effort and money to be here. And that's why it's disappointing, not necessarily just to lose, but to lose with such a poor performance from your own side. Hey, but at least you didn't lose 7-0. There you go, it's all right. Nae 'n, who's going to win the league? Cheers, Dan.

36:52Do you know what? It's easy to say now, because just say Arsenal. because the squad that they have is the best squad in the whole league, as I've been told. So, yeah, you've got to go for Arsenal. I think with the sort of make-up that they have, with the players being at the age that they're at, whether you're going to have to continue to still be getting better, but they've got that little bit of edge and that bit of nails to understand how to get the job done now. I think, obviously, as the season progresses, we're always curious about injuries, how that will affect people, cup runs in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League and so on.

37:16But they're rightly being touted as favourites because one thing they've got at this moment in time compared to a lot of other clubs is continuity. But not the best squad. but they've got continuity. And I think that is huge. I love Nadim with an edge. You somehow, but we are bringing it out. No, no, not at all. I don't know how that keeps happening. Kieran, I'll ask Nadim who's going to win the league. I imagine you would say Arsenal in a much simplified manner. Let's take a look at your top six, shall we? As we're getting predictions, we count down. You still have City finish second. Yeah, I still think they're going to be up there.

37:52I think they're going to make another couple of signings and we're going to see a very different Manchester City as the season progresses. Really like Chelsea at the moment in their pre-season. Made some good signings. About time that they do something in the league. Manchester United as well, similar. Made some solid signings. I think we're going to see Marcus Rashford come back into form there this year. I forgot who the other two were. Liverpool Villa. Yeah. Really took time and focused on this. Yeah, Villa impressed me against PSG, to be honest, and I think the young striker looks promising as well.

38:32You've got Bruno Kimmer-Eyesh as your player of the year. I have. I have. I just really like the signing. I think it's given Arsenal another dimension, and I think he's going to have a huge part to play. Quality player. Let's get some more reaction then, shall we, from Cardiff. Friend of the show, Mikhail Teta. Mikel, massive congratulations I'm sure there was a lot to like in that performance What did you like the most? Well, a really, really good performance So early in the season to play at the level that we've done it And to show the desire that we showed in every action I was really impressed, really I said to them I really enjoyed watching them play Two assists for Solis today A brilliant debut from him He got the most assists in the whole of Europe last season What's impressed you the most about working with him so far?

39:22I think how naturally he's accommodated in the squad, in the team and his level of understanding. He's a player that I think he makes decisions when a lot of people rushes and make wrong decisions. He's very, very smart, very accurate. And again today, in tight spaces, he made the right decision twice and he set two goals. Your captain, Martin Odegaard, was the player of the match today, along with Rice returning into the team, as well as the addition of Bruno Gimaraes. How strong is this Arsenal midfield? Very strong. I think we've been adding year after year quality, different combinations. And now we have a lot of leadership, players with different qualities, but they can play together and be very strong.

40:11How important was it for you to see a performance like this as you head into the new season? Yeah, I'd be surprised because obviously you had the pre-season. We have three different groups, eight or nine players arrived four days ago just to get tested. They trained two days and to be able to play in the manner that we thought is extremely impressive. But it tells you how much those players wanted, you know, the level of desire that we have and the quality that we have for sure. Going into next weekend, the Premier League starts again. It was such a huge achievement for Arsenal to win the title last year.

40:44So how do you maintain that or even better what you did last season? Pushing each other every single day. And with the squad that we have, with the ambition that we have at the club, that's going to maintain the fire, elevate the level of the demand daily. If we do that, I'm sure we will be very, very competitive. A couple of players that weren't involved in the Arsenal Matchday squad today, Martinelli and Jesus. Do you expect them to leave the club before the window closes? It's really sad not to have the ability. And I've been fighting with the Premier League to an extent and to accommodate more players in the squad.

41:18Because it's always tough. Because they deserve to be in the squad. There's no question. Ethan as well. Marley as well. There's been the whole pre-season with us. So hopefully we can change that role and players can enjoy on the pitch and be an option to play and contribute to the team as much as possible. So you still expect them to be part of Arsenal going forward? Yes, they are all very important for us. Thank you, Mikel. Thank you. Thank you. Let's get some final thoughts then, Alex. Well, normally you ask for our predictions before the match, and I'm pretty glad you didn't because mine was not accurate at all.

41:51I thought it was going to be a lot closer. I thought it was going to be, I'll tell you, I thought it was going to be one of them penalties. But a really, really dominant performance from Arsenal. But I'm surprised by just how dominant they were. Yes and no. I think I was more so surprised about how poor City were. I think Arsenal very much are in Arteta's image. like he's had them for such a long time you know how they're going to play and i think for some of the players that played there you can see that they were ready for the occasion and played in style which we've seen before sometimes it's long sometimes it's short sometimes it's break the press but it's always going to be sort of creative through the likes of martin odegaard so they looked exactly how i expect them to look but from man city like you hope that some of those new signings like anderson would have looked better so i'm surprised about how poor he looks relatively speaking but then in the grand scheme of things like i'd be very surprised if we see man city be this bad again for the rest of the year didn't you say city were going to win three nils for me before the match.

42:39Alex, stop it with the fake news. Never. What a lovely day, Nadem's having. Nadem, I don't want you to go either because I want to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo a little bit later on in the show. Just to remind you, ESPN FC is with you every single day as we continue to count down to the start of the Premier League and La Liga. Be sure to join us on the next edition. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly.

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43:47Because after a long day, comfort makes all the difference. Plus, earn Wyndham Rewards points with every qualified stay. Tonight, La Quinta. Tomorrow you shine. Book your next trip at LaQuinta.com. Terms and conditions apply. Cristiano Ronaldo has said this is probably my last year of football and I want to leave a spectacular legacy. I have my future all mapped out. I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard. After all, it's been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice. Alex, you've of course followed the latter stages of his career in some detail. He talks about his legacy.

44:26There aren't many footballers that will leave such the legacy that Ronaldo will. Yeah, I did work with him at Real Madrid. I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again. He was the first player I ever interviewed when I was an intern, and he was so kind to me. I was so nervous. I could barely hold the microphone because I was shaking so much. He's a top professional, and I must say, I was actually pretty sad watching him at the World Cup this summer. Why sad? He didn't want it to go that way, and Lionel Messi was stealing all the headlines, and he had a poor, poor World Cup, didn't he? Yeah.

44:58And I think to go out like that, for that to be his last World Cup for him, he'll be hurting. Yeah, I'm sure he will. But I think for me, this is now the time where people look back through the archives and see how significant Cristiano Ronaldo actually is to football itself and think about how much football has changed from when he first started to this point. And even from a professional standpoint, he changed the way that people were trying to be professionals. They saw all the work. And he set himself the sacrifice that he's put in. He made that the standard for so, so many players who will never be astounded as he is.

45:26You know and as a consequence his legacy is incredible and if you want to watch you know Ronaldo goals It's gonna take like hours. He's been so significant He's been involved in some of the biggest and best moments in football Not just in Europe around the world across the last 20 years and for him to be able to step away now I think it's time the people you know finally give him his flowers instead of discussion like oh He doesn't run him behind doesn't do this doesn't do that I acknowledge that say for him messy and I think just those two They're bigger than the sport itself, you know, he's somebody who's been an incredible like Joy, I've played against him, beaten him a couple of times.

45:58I've played against him, but he's been the star of Real Madrid. He's been winning Ballon d 'Or, the best player in the world. And as a consequence, as I say, him stepping away from the game would be very different to talk about a game that doesn't feature him. But I don't think there'll be many people become anywhere near being able to meet his legacy. Do you think he'll coach? What do you think he'll do? Or media come join us? He's always welcome. Yeah, he's always been welcome here. But I just feel like he's got other money-making things on the side, which he could probably focus on a little bit more, which might be a little bit easier than listening to Dan Thomas a few days a week.

46:28I think he'd love that. Battle of the six-pack. Looking at it, it's interesting, the conversation about Ronaldo, Shaq, over the last few months has been negative. History won't give a damn what he did in this World Cup. No. Or the fact that he played when he shouldn't play. They will look back and look what he did at United, at Real Madrid, everywhere he went, the success that he had, the Euros with Portugal. it is a legacy that's going to be, as Natham said, very hard to be beaten. I will also add a legacy that was defined and may well be remembered for things on the pitch, but off the pitch he was every bit as exceptional in setting certain standards, about personal, about how you embrace your role in this game.

47:16it is impossible to understate how good Ronaldo was, his importance to the game in this moment. That almost was overshadowed by this rivalry, which we thrived on with Lionel Messi, two players that were just so much better than everybody else who played the game in a generation that we lost sight of exactly how good each was. Ronaldo made the best, made the most of his talents. And I do not think the game has seen a better, more focused goal scorer than Cristiano Ronaldo. Defined a generation as much as anybody in this game. What was defending him like here? A nightmare. An absolute nightmare.

48:06and as Xhaka and the boys said, he wrote himself in the history books forever as one of the greatest. He had everything. He had everything. I love the way, just to try and add something that the boys haven't already said, I just love the way he evolved as a player. When he was young and he burst onto the scene at Manchester United, he was full of tricks and speed and showboat and then as he grew and matured and went to Real Madrid, he changed his game and became more of a finisher, a poacher, just elite, just so, so elite. And then there's people that come into this world and they enter a business or a sport and they are anomalies and he is an anomaly.

49:00He completely distorted stats and made it seem like, you know, getting 10 goals and 12 assists is pretty subpar. He made, he really just took the game to a whole nother level and he has all my respect. I'll also add, Dan, I'd like to acknowledge my role. Well, yes, Xhaka, he was, of course, a phenomenal free kick taker and the first ever free kick he scored in the Premier League. was against Shaq and Hislop. I saw this young, talented player coming to United to give him a boot. But he was lacking confidence and I could tell needed a goal. There are so many players in the history of the Premier League that you try to give that confidence to Shaq.

49:47Well, you know, not many. Ronaldo is my point. I recognise that in Cristiano. He needed a goal, Dan. Selfless. Selfless. And then we're back on Extra Time for a lot more on what's going on with Cristiano Ronaldo in his future. I'm sure they'll be discussing that on the latest edition of The Gab and Jules Show, which drops on Monday. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent.

50:25With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eisen. Terms and conditions apply. The world's biggest soccer tournament has arrived, and you can trade the entire tournament on Kalshi. On Kalshi, you can trade every match from the opening stage all the way to the final. France is currently trading at 17 % to win it all, meaning a$100 trade pays out over$550 if they win soccer's biggest prize. On CallShe, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house.

51:02And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. For a limited time, download the CallShe app and use code FC to get$10 when you trade 10. K-A-L-S-H-I. CallShe. Trade on anything. 18-plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see kalshi.com slash regulatory. That is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. But fear not. Nadem, happy, full of sunshine and optimism, will be returning for Extra Time next.

51:40Oh, boy. Welcome in to the latest edition of Extra Time. Shaka and Kieran are here. Kieran delighted in what you saw from Arsenal, of course. Absolutely sweat monster city aside. Happy boys. Looking easy at the moment. Yep. Shakadet, I quite your omelette. That was the highlight for him. No, I went for avocado toast today, Dan. Did you, Chef? Switch it up. You are mixing it up indeed. Get the chefs guessing there. No one's mentioned the donuts. Did you have one? No. Boy over there. They were nice. There was one Boston cream left, and I thought, should I just leave someone else? I didn't see any donuts anywhere.

52:14Yeah, yeah, they were good. The boss brought them in. Our Arsenal are going to walk the league. Percentage chance to win the league. Don't want to get carried away. Go on, get carried away. Get carried away. Get carried away. I'm going to keep a level head. Okay, give me a percentage chance at Arsenal win the league. It's definitely a solid 40%. 40 %? Yeah. Okay. Arsenal are going to win the league. Arsenal are? Yes. So if I give you every other team, you're taking Arsenal? Yes. Okay. So 100%. Okay, Xhaka says 100 % Arsenal are going to win the league. 100%. Wow. I know Don's not here. but what's the percentage chance that Manchester City finish outside the top four this season?

53:0120%. So who have you got finishing ahead of them?

53:08Ahead of them? Well, yes, because... Arsenal. Okay, right. Yeah. I'm going to go Manchester United second. Why? Why? Because I think there are just far too many questions about everybody else. Far too many questions about everybody else. Including City. So they're not questions about Manchester United? Huh? Less questions. Why? They haven't really done much this summer. They're going to have a massive amount of games. Finished third last season. They finished third last season. They're out Europe. This time. That's alright. This time this year you don't quite have the same depth. That's alright.

53:47No. I'm going Manchester United second. Manchester United finish second. I'm going Manchester City third. Okay. Erik? My only worry about Man City is Maresca losing the dressing room. Okay. I think that's what worries me because he's still got a group of players there that were there winning all these trophies and now they've hit a point where the tide's turned and it's easy for these players, these kind of Manchester City legends that have been there to kind of, you know, just take an easy way out and say, no, I'm not really feeling the manager. So that's why we are in this position. So I think I put them down as second.

54:31Now I'm thinking outside the top four. You literally made your pick 10 minutes ago. Oh, no. But I've just been stewing on it for the last 10 minutes. I think that performance was not... That performance was really... Nadam and Alex have been a card here for us and it's been a miserable day for Nadam overall. But he did have one little highlight. Can we take a look at what happened here? Oh, that jersey. That's nice. Oh, look at Alex. He's like, I've got no jersey, I've got no mates. Oh, wow. Oh, that's bad.

55:11Beautiful. I thought you were going to show when Niram got wet. No, or got angry. To be honest. You guys angry every week with you, Dan, to be fair. There we are. Hey! Hey! Let's see if that's nice. A little sniff. I was just thinking if it was match warm. It doesn't smell like sweat. It's not been warm because we've just been chatting with him. He was sweating a lot. And this is clean and then smells nice, actually. Yeah, smells pretty good. Oh, dear. There we go, going home present for Nadim. Yeah, I'm very happy about that. Except every time I see him at these big games, he seems to be breaking my heart.

55:48Did you just say that to him? Yeah, I did. I told him that directly. And if it came across as me being quite aggressive in the video, it's because I was. I was reminding him to respect his elders. And what did he say? He said he couldn't care less. Right answer. Right answer. If you didn't see the show, Nadim said, look, it wasn't bad today. We could have lost 7-0. So that's where Manchester City are from going to title favourites and triple-writers in the past. They're happy to have only conceded three against Arsenal. Is that right, Naden?

56:19Do you know what, Dan? Yes, that is exactly right. Clip that. That's exactly right. That's what I thought. That's what I said. Thanks, Dan. Thanks for reminding everybody of exactly what I said. Long drive home for you. Long drive home. How many hours back to Manchester? To home. To home. To home, Alex. To home. I'm on the verge. I'm on the verge. What's Cardiff to Manchester? A couple of hours? That's alright. Four hours. Four hours. That's okay, maybe you can calm down and have a word with yourself before you sit in the family. Well the City players will also be doing the same journey. Just back to our top question, what percentage chance do you give Arsenal to win the league?

56:52Let's start with you Alex.

56:57I'm going to go 95 % chance. Wow. Wow. Wow. Go on, Alex! Wow. Yeah. I could have said 100 based on that performance. Oh, there you go. That's my perspective. Shaka did say 100. Yeah, I'm not doing 100, not doing 95. I think it'd be fair for me if you just put it like something, like 40%. I don't think it's a coin toss. It's not, I don't think it's a coin toss just yet. They are very much the favorites and other teams who are going to be going for it. their percentage is going to be lower but they've got the vast majority of the chances of doing it because they have the manager, they have the players, they have the feel and as it stands them trying to retain their title when there's not that much continuity in the league.

57:40I think it's significant but I think to go to the fact that it's almost certain at 95 % I don't know because for the way football works you're one or two inches away from things just collapsing and who's to say that? That won't be Arsenal this year. I'm trying to say City are going to win it. No, no, no, let's not do that. I'll give you all the other teams and you'll take all the other teams combined over Arsenal.

58:03Yes, at this moment in time, I absolutely would, yeah. And I think not as a slight to Arsenal, just because of the history of the Premier League itself, as we saw, say, just a year ago with Liverpool. It's very, very hard to retain your title. Yes, they have the infrastructure and set up to be in a good position to be able to do it, but nothing is guaranteed at this point in the season. I think for Arsenal themselves, as the season progresses, if it's a choice now between going for a Premier League or going for a Champions League maybe the priorities differ a little bit compared to say what it was last year when everyone's saying why not it's more about the Premier League they'll want the Champions League won't they?

58:32well these are things that will come into play so for me I'm, there are very much favourites to do it but one team always has to start as favourites and there's going to be a bunch of other teams who are incredibly hungry to do well and they'll be able to cause Arsenal some trouble Nadim it's interesting, we were chatting with the boys and I was surprised by both Xhaka and Kieran's answer that for Arsenal their priority should be the Premier League this season, not the Champions League. Do you agree with that?

58:59For me, the Premier League is essentially it's bread and butter as such, but I do go the other way because I think Arsenal are capable of doing it and still having a real significant push at the Champions League. They know that they're good enough to do it, and for them, if they do do that, they are making history. So I can't say it's the case of the Champions League is the sole priority. And they've come so close as well. Yeah, there are times where you can just operate along the lines with doing both. But I think come the end of the season, like the drive, the passion that they have for the Champions League, in some ways it'll be similar to the way that, say, Man City were looking at the Champions League, say, five, six years ago, where that was the beyond and all to them.

59:32Nothing mattered more than that. Yes, they were really happy to be winning leagues and are putting in the work that they deserve to win those leagues. But they'd probably give one of those leagues for a Champions League, because that is essentially the thing that they hadn't won to that point. The City fans singing today, Champions of Europe. You'll never sing that. Well, maybe this year they will. Who knows, eh? Xhaka's got Manchester United finishing second, Nadeem. I just wondered your thoughts on that. I don't know. I think if we're going to overreact to something, let's overreact to Ruben Amarim's AC Milan scoring four goals against them yesterday.

1:00:00Let's overreact to that and say United are going to finish sixth or something. I don't know. I think they're obviously set up and they have a little bit more of a balance with, say, Karrick having been there for a while longer than some of these other coaches. But I don't think there are many people who see the squad that he has now and thinks, you know, this is something at this moment, say could challenge the likes of an Arsenal, I think for them it'll come down to consistency and for as much as they finished third last season, how much of that was down to the fact they weren't in Europe. They got knocked out the third round of their League Cup and the FA Cup, so their running was very different to everybody else that they were competing against and I think for me the more dangerous sides in terms of finishing third, fourth and so on would in my opinion be the likes of Chelsea and Spurs who can focus very much on a domestic season as opposed some of the pitfalls of playing in Europe, say, every week.

1:00:44Yeah, Shaq. Chelsea are winning the league then. That's what you're trying to say. What? Three years Shaq and about. He's saying that you're completely wrong with United finishing second. They're not going to finish top four. No, he said let's not overreact on anything. I agree. No, I think he said let's overreact because he got his knickers in a twist because we've been saying that we've been overreacting. Now you just try to wind-poordinate them up again and get me involved. Well, you made the point that United are going to finish second. Listen, don't try to get me on your thing with Nadam.

1:01:15Nadam, we good. Me and you, we good. I've never seen that man in my life. Yes, always. Always, Shaka. Never seen that man in my life. Always and forever. Shaka, do you think Jareth Bowen should get a statue for staying at West Ham? Is it confirmed? Is he staying? I do know, Dan. I've been on holiday. Yeah, we all have been. We have been focused on West Ham. He's... Jair Bunn has been outstanding for West Ham and I'm surprised he didn't move sooner. I'll be honest with you. We have to... Signed a new contract in July, I'm being told. Did he? Yeah. Yeah, I get my statue. I mean, that means nothing, though.

1:01:53The contract means nothing? No, contracts don't mean anything these days. So it's Kieran Gibbs? I will say you don't see this in the game anymore. You do not see this kind of loyalty in the game. So, fair play. Fair play to him. If West Ham do not get promoted, do you think he stays on? How old?

1:02:13My grandfather. This is a really fulfilling conversation. Alex, your beloved Chelsea, you were there yesterday, I saw with your nephew. Percentage chance they finish in the top four. They're definitely finishing in the top four. Did I say second when you asked me? No, talk that talk. Go on, tell us what it's going to be. Second. Second? Second. I'm confident. Why? 100 % top four. Why? Because Xabi Alonso is a brilliant manager. They've got top players. It's about time they had a good season. And there was a really good atmosphere at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Apart from when Enzo Fernandes came on.

1:02:54The booze only lasted a few minutes and then it was all fine. Would you get rid of him Alex? I'm feeling confident about Chelsea this season. I really am. Would you say... Get rid of who Enzo? No, no, no. No, I want Enzo to say stay. I realise I'm not speaking on behalf of the whole Chelsea fan base, but I would like him to stay. He's a superb player. I don't think it's that deep. The boos did stop after about five or six minutes when he was playing so well. He's a brilliant player. I would like him to stay. But I do think he would quite like to leave. That's the issue. Did you waste your money on Anderson, Nathan?

1:03:28Should you have got Enzo?

1:03:32Did I waste my money on this? You think I'm dropping 100 million on Anderson? I'll bring him across. You're right. I did. That's what I did. Yeah. Well stated, I'm very angry, isn't it? I'm not. Yeah. Do you know what it is, Dan? It's because you keep putting a battery in my back. Sometimes I just want to chill, but I cannot answer just a normal question. Bring back normal, like, reporting and so on. But I think Anderson will be alongside other people. and I think long term he'll be a very, very good signing. He was not great today at all, but I thought, say, for example, in the summer, I thought he was one of England's better players.

1:04:06And I think that says a lot about the level that he can achieve. So, yes, I think he will improve and, yeah, things will be fine. It might not look the same as, say, Pep Guardiola City, but the Premier League doesn't look the same as the years when Guardiola was in there either. There's no more clubs, there's no more Guardiola's, and it's more so being, like, surrounded by different protagonists now. So, a lot of this next section is unknown, but hopefully from a City perspective, you know, they end up being a big part of it. To the original question, where do you stand on the percentage chance of Chelsea finishing the top four, Nadeem?

1:04:34I stand quite high for the same reason, well not that I back United, but United looked good to finish in the top four last season. The fact that they don't have European football is a big thing. I think if they would have, say, qualified for, say, the Conference League, which you know that they've won but detest, then I think it forces them to have different sort of questions around the squad. But to be that big a club, to be that good a team, and to have a domestic focus, I think is huge. Yeah, I genuinely think that stuff's huge. I know some of it can be understated, but when it gets towards the end of the season and we're talking about fatigue and so on, you'll be looking at the minutes of some of those Chelsea players and comparing them to the likes of others, like Arsenal's, Man City's and others that qualify for the Champions League, and you'll know that their position is a favourable one as they try to achieve a top four finish.

1:05:14Percentage? Do you know what? I'll go 100. I'm very, very sure they'll be in the top four next season. There we go. We're both saying 100%, Dan. I don't really understand. And last thing, why you had to run out of the way of the fountain? It's just a bit of water, wasn't it? The sprinklers when they came on and it was a hot day. Surely this would have been nice. Who ran? Who ran? Who ran first? I took a step. I took a step. I took a step. My back is still wet now. I'm not sure how you managed to get far more soaked than I did. My back is still wet now. I'm still wet now. Tiny sprinkling. But it was actually welcome.

1:05:47It's been boiling here. Highlight of the day as well, that was. Yeah, I enjoyed it. It says it all. It's a very low bar. Bit of fun. I've had many highlights watching Nadam. Thank you very much. Much appreciated. ESPN FC of course with you throughout the week. Be sure to join us.

1:06:07Are you here tomorrow, Sherry? No. No. Me neither. I'm going to Spain. Oh yeah? Yeah. It's nice. Oh. Tuesday. Enjoy this being done. Go and see Nadam on the way.

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