In short
ESPN FC debate on Champions League match Club Brugge vs Barcelona (3-3), focusing on Barcelona’s high defensive line, VAR/non-call controversy in the 90th minute, and broader tactical/leadership issues; plus shorter segments on other Champions League games and “Quick Hits.”
Guests (backgrounds)
Kay Murray, Alejandro Moreno, Xhaka Hislop are studio hosts. Frank Leboeuf (former France/ Chelsea defender, ex-Barcelona player) and Gabriele Marcotti (ESPN football analyst/journalist) join for analysis. “Ali” refers to Ali Moreno. “Shaq” refers to Xhaka Hislop.
Key claims
The panel argues VAR should have allowed a late Brugge goal (or at least no foul/penalty dispute), and that Barcelona’s high line repeatedly gets punished because they don’t adjust tactics. They criticize Hansi Flick’s stubbornness and say leadership/club recruitment failures left Barcelona without a defensive organizer (Inigo Martinez absence cited). Lamin Yamal is praised as a bright spot and increasingly central/more diverse.
Notable examples
Chesney/Vertman VAR moment; earlier similar overturned penalty (Balde vs Forbes). Goals described as coming from space behind the high line; Dortmund’s drop line vs Phil Foden; Chelsea’s 2-2 vs Qarabag with Hato/Tosin errors; Luis Suarez “donkey kick” suspension in MLS.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOBarcelona's Defensive Struggles
1:26 to 2:00
The hosts discuss Barcelona's performance in a recent match, including VAR decisions.
“kicking things off in the Champions League with Club Brugge taking on Barcelona.”
Debating the VAR Decision
2:00 to 3:12
The panel debates whether a controversial VAR decision should have stood.
“There was so much to talk about with what we've seen in this game as we welcome in Frank Leboff and Gabriele Marcotti as well.”
Analyzing the Foul Call
3:12 to 4:22
The discussion deepens on the foul call against Chesney and its implications.
“who seemed to be the only person in the stadium that felt it was a foul right away, he calmly was saying, ah, it's a foul.”
Barcelona's Defensive Tactics
4:22 to 7:32
The hosts critique Barcelona's high defensive line and its inefficacy.
“But did you like the explanation at least?”
The Simple Pass: A Missed Opportunity
7:32 to 9:30
The panel discusses the simplicity of the passes that led to goals against Barcelona.
“But when it doesn't work, when you've been tracked once, trapped, sorry, once, you have to change your mind, you have to change your tactic.”
Accountability in Defense
9:30 to 11:30
The conversation shifts to player accountability and the implications of poor defending.
“If you are a high-level player, you should be able to complete that pass with your eyes closed.”
Leadership and Tactical Issues
11:30 to 14:00
The hosts explore the lack of leadership in the Barcelona squad and tactical failures.
“The four players playing at the back, they are insulted by Hansi Flick's tactic.”
Barcelona's Defensive Issues
14:00 to 15:21
Explore the deficiencies in Barcelona's current defense and leadership.
“and Filippo Galli and Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, Whereas these guys, you know, tonight, you had Araujo, who's a guy who, you know, they've been trying to move and is clearly not suited at all to play this.”
Laminya Mal's Impact
15:21 to 17:30
Discuss the talent and influence of Laminya Mal on Barcelona's performance.
“Inigo Martinez, in his absence, in going to Saudi Arabia, has now become a combination of all the players that Gav just mentioned from Milan.”
Upcoming Matches and Challenges
17:30 to 19:12
Preview Barcelona's upcoming match and their defensive challenges.
“Thank goodness for him because I'm not sure that there's anything else in this Barcelona setup that you can really feel good about.”
Show all 27 chapters
Phil Foden's Return to Form
20:10 to 21:03
Analyze Phil Foden's performance and his significance for Manchester City.
“Phil Foden scored twice as Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League with Erling Haaland also scoring against his former side.”
Manchester City's Tactical Evolution
21:03 to 23:07
Examine the tactical changes in Manchester City's play and its effects.
“Nothing against the tall Norwegian guy, but it's nice to talk about Manchester City and not just make it all about him.”
Erling Haaland's Scoring Certainty
23:07 to 26:19
Discuss Erling Haaland's scoring prowess and confidence in front of goal.
“that if Foden is back here, then City are a problem?”
Chelsea's Struggles Against Karabakh
28:00 to 31:37
The discussion focuses on Chelsea's disappointing performance against Karabakh and the implications for their Champions League campaign.
“I feel some sympathy about the young Hato and the fact that he made two big mistakes who allowed Carabag to score goals.”
Reflections on Luis Diaz's Red Card
31:55 to 41:24
A debate ensues about Luis Diaz's red card in a match against PSG, discussing the fairness of the decision and its implications.
“It's never good to start like that way and people have seen that so you want to find some reconfort I would say from everybody.”
Booing Trent Alexander-Arnold: Fair or Unfair?
41:24 to 42:00
The hosts discuss the booing of Trent Alexander-Arnold by Liverpool fans upon his return, weighing perspectives on player loyalty and fan reactions.
“The guy kissing the badge and leaving two months after.”
Defenders Showcasing Skills
42:00 to 42:50
Discussion on defenders demonstrating impressive skills, referencing Van Der Ven.
“I think he's been named the fastest guy in the Premier League this season, but he shows that he has skills.”
Ronaldo's Legacy and World Cup Debate
42:50 to 45:38
Analyzing whether Cristiano Ronaldo's legacy should be defined by winning a World Cup.
“Cristiano Ronaldo saying that the World Cup shouldn't define his legacy.”
Gab and Jules Podcast Mention
45:38 to 46:52
Hosts mention and promote the Gab and Jules podcast.
“It's random because it's hard to do so, but he can define his legacy.”
Luis Suarez Suspension News
48:12 to 50:54
Breaking news about Luis Suarez being fined and suspended by MLS.
“Off the ball incident, kicking Nashville defender Andy Najjar in the 71st minute.”
Luis Suarez Suspension News
51:03 to 51:16
Breaking news about Luis Suarez being fined and suspended by MLS.
Match Reactions and Discussions
51:16 to 56:00
Analyzing recent match performances and discussing team reactions.
“second half underway derrick luckerson with the only goal of the game simple set piece dead middle of the box, four yards out, free header.”
Barcelona's Defensive Strategy and Goalkeeper Challenges
56:00 to 57:20
Explore how Barcelona's high defensive line affects goalkeeping strategies.
“He loves getting countries wrong, don't worry.”
Hansi Flick's Confusing Comments
57:20 to 1:00:00
Analyzing Hansi Flick's confusing remarks about team strategy and philosophy.
“I am more confused than when I was watching them play, no?”
Memorable Moments in Football
1:00:00 to 1:02:40
Recollection of iconic moments and games at San Siro from various perspectives.
“So many a save like that, but just not Harry Moreno.”
Injuries Impacting PSG and Chelsea
1:02:40 to 1:06:20
Discussion on the influence of injuries on performance for PSG and Chelsea.
“Even if you lose, well, luckily we drew with Dennis Wise scoring a goal, but really, that was a big honour to play in Milan.”
Updates and Closing Remarks
1:06:20 to 1:07:30
Personal updates on Dan and a summary of the episode's key points.
“A couple of us have been to see Dan this week.”
Transcript
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1:19Dan Thomas:Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Murray, Alejandro Moreno and Xhaka Hislop here in the studio kicking things off in the Champions League with Club Brugge taking on Barcelona. Barcelona having to come from behind three times in this game and almost losing it completely. When in the 90th minute, Brugge thought they'd scored. VAR intervened though and it was given as a foul in Chesney's favour, Xhaka. Should it have stood? I think the goal should have stood. Chesnikan called himself very, very lucky in my opinion. Yes, there was some shambolic defending from Barcelona. We will be getting into a lot of talk on that high line.
1:57Dan Thomas:But in the end, the game finished 3-3. There was so much to talk about with what we've seen in this game as we welcome in Frank Leboff and Gabriele Marcotti as well. We have to start where the game ended, Frank, and what we saw there. For you, what would your decision have been? because it was given in the end as a foul in Chesney's favour. Well, that would have been for me a penalty, 100%. I mean, I think I agree with Chaka in the fact that the striker doesn't touch the ball and the Bruges player doesn't touch the ball. And Chesney tried to compensate his mistake and goes to the contact and touches the player's knee just to prove that there is a contact.
2:44But he gives the contact and he pushes the referee to say, oh, there is a contact. But the contact comes from him. So therefore, for me, no penalty. 100 % no penalty. It should have been a goal. And I'm sorry. That ref, we know him. He's bad, very bad. And today he has proven it. Ali. So no foul, I think is what Frank is trying to say. No foul. What I would say is that if I'm going to take the position of Chechny, who seemed to be the only person in the stadium that felt it was a foul right away, he calmly was saying, ah, it's a foul. Well, why are we concerned all about this? It's going to be a foul.
3:24Don't worry about it. Go take a look at it. It's a foul. I think what Chechny would argue is that he has the right to be able to put his leg down when he's about to turn. And in the sliding challenge of Vertman, Vertman does not allow that to happen and does make contact with Chechny. Now, the sliding challenge doesn't make contact with the ball, seems to make somewhat of a contact with Chechny. And I guess, I suppose, that's where the foul is given. I can understand the position that Xhaka has taken. I can understand the position that Frank has taken. And if I had been Vertman doing the same thing, I probably would have been frustrated that that was given as a foul.
4:02I would suggest that if you don't give the right to the goalkeeper, in this case Chechny, to be able to put his leg down so that then he can go and turn and find the ball, then I think if you didn't touch the ball and you made a sliding challenge, you committed to the sliding challenge, I would say borderline, but just enough for a foul. Shaq? But did you like the explanation at least? No, the explanation was great. The issue around that explanation is, a few moments earlier, we had a similar exchange between Balde and Forbes, where Balde gets a position, Forbes is trying to continue running into the ball, and Forbes initiates the contact.
4:44And again, referee gives a penalty, has a look on the monitor, overturns that. So if you see that as Forbes initiating the contact and therefore that being no penalty, you overturn that penalty, then later on in the 93th minute or whatever it is, I see it the same. That Chesney is the one who initiated the contact. Vermann just slides in to make a block and Chesney initiates the contact. What Vermann does, he doesn't touch a man. Granted, he doesn't touch a ball. He's comfortably far enough away, but Cezney comes down on top of him. So for me, it's the same situation, albeit reversed. If you overturn the penalty earlier, you have to give the goal later on.
5:33The slightest of differences, Shaq, is that Bergman does commit to a challenge and does give an actual sliding motion towards Cezney, whereas in the case of Alejandro Valde, he's just standing still and four kicks him. That, I think, is where you can draw a difference and your parallel. While it's an engaging argument, while it is an engaging argument, I don't think they're the same situation.
5:58Dan Thomas:Let's see if Gabriele Marcotti wants to wade in on what he thinks. You know what? I was 100 % certain that it was a penalty. but then I heard Ali's explanation and he's so eloquent I now want to hire him to represent me next time I'm in court because he's managed to so to plant a seed of doubt in my mind, that's why I would not make a good referee however, what we must talk about well done Ali it was another shambolic defensive showing Frank from Barcelona oh yeah it was the three goals come from the Highline and we've been talking about that, you know, for a year and a half now. And we said sometimes they're going to be punished.
6:45And this year they have been punished a lot. But for Antiflick, it doesn't seem to be a problem because he doesn't try to cope with the situation and maybe try to correct that situation. And he carries on and he's being stubborn. And you cannot be punished that way every time because people, they start to know. And as Ali said, you don't even need a perfect ball in the space. You just need to put the ball in the space. And the people at front have to go and they're going to get the ball because nobody is there to cover. And they're going to be in front of Cezney in an easy way. That's not possible anymore.
7:28At that level, you have to have, again, as I always say, a second option. You can try that. But when it doesn't work, when you've been tracked once, trapped, sorry, once, you have to change your mind, you have to change your tactic. But the coach doesn't.
7:42Dan Thomas:Now, we were all watching it together in the green room. We're actually laughing at times, almost like watching through our hands like this at certain points with Barcelona. Because at what point is it going to be too much that Flick continues to set us side up like this? Well, to call this bad defending would be an insult to bad defending. I think it was after the Sevilla game where we mentioned that you could make a video just out of that match as to how not to defend. Well, over the last month to six weeks, actually Barcelona now, you can put together a compilation package. The greatest hits of how not to defend.
8:21And Barcelona has touched upon all of them. To Frank's point, it's one thing that you're defending poorly. that you maybe do it one game, that you maybe do it two games, and maybe it goes for three weeks, but that you haven't addressed it and it continues to happen, it's an insult to other teams. You're basically telling other teams, you know what? We don't think you're good enough without pressure to find a pass that all it has to do is to be over the top of our defenders or splitting the defenders that are 15 to 10 yards from each other. If a professional player who's playing at the Champions League level cannot play that ball consistently, he would be out of his job very soon.
9:08That's how simple of a pass we're talking about. The first goal today, and Shaka mentioned it while we were doing the highlights, the run happens. And the player that has to complete this pass doesn't even have to split a line or split defenders. It's just a straight pass from here to there, and it's a 10-yard pass. That is a pass that you should be able to complete at 10 years old, consistently. If you are a high-level player, you should be able to complete that pass with your eyes closed. This is not even I have to be creative in order to break this down. I don't have to be accurate with my pass in order to break this down.
9:48I just have to hit the ball into space 10 yards. I am confident, I am certain that everybody on this panel, everybody in the studio and everybody who's with us, with Frank and Gab, can complete that pass. Everybody can complete that pass. I said everybody in the studio. Hey, even my guy on the camera over there who's on his phone right now, he can complete that pass. Amber Monkong, yep. It's just, there is no pressure on the ball. The space is right in front of you. All you have to do is just put that ball there, and it happens consistently and regularly. If I can jump on that, you know, two things that I'm thinking about while Ali was talking, the fact that I was a former defender, and I knew every time the guy in front of me who had the ball, the opponent had the ball, and was looking away to know where to give the ball, I knew that I had to stop and make a little drop to make sure that there is no ball in the space.
10:48That's an automatic answer to him watching and knowing what he can do. You have to protect yourself. What I see from Barcelona, even if the guy looks like that, they go further. They go further up. That's absolutely insane. That's a real suicide. Now, having said that, I'm a defender. I'm Frank Labeuf. Lucky to play for Barcelona under Enzi Flick. How do I behave? I think I end up on the bench. Because I'm going to go to Enzi Flick. I'm sorry, I'm not playing the fool. I'm not playing like that. I'm not being ridiculous. So, sorry, find me another club or put me on the bench because I don't want to play like that because that doesn't serve me.
11:29Because you said you're insulting bad defending. You're insulting the players. The four players playing at the back, they are insulted by Hansi Flick's tactic. Here's the thing for me, right? We've spoken about Hansi Flick's high line all of last season and certainly to start this one. and the sentiment has always been you have to have pressure on the ball. If you want to play that high line, you have to have pressure on the ball because an average professional player can make that pass without their playing pressure on the ball. But what you saw today with that line being five yards away from the man in possession, even with pressure on the ball, because now the pass doesn't have to be measured.
12:10It doesn't have to thread the eye of a needle. All it has to be is forward. and somebody like Forbes running on with his pace is going to have an absolute feely. And in fact, Forbes with his pace had an absolute feely. Let me ask you, who? Yeah, exactly. Carlos Forbes looked like he was a world beater. Like this guy, it's the second coming of every great player we've ever had in the history of mankind. But to play the point, even with pressure on the ball, even if Barcelona consistently got pressure on the passer. If you hold out a line that's five yards away from wherever that ball is, you are going to get exposed time and time again.
12:53So to have this high line, to not have pressure, I really do not understand what it is Hansi Flick is getting at, what he's trying to get out of this team. They are going to get hurt time and time again.
13:06Dan Thomas:As an Italian, should I say, Gab, Does it hurt your soul to see defending like this? Yeah.
13:17Barrizzi would have done that. No, no. I'll say this. Those are old enough. They remember Rigosaki's Milan. They played a crazy high line. But when they did that, sometimes, they didn't do it the whole game. When they did that, they had forwards, big, fast forwards, who would run themselves into the ground, putting pressure on the ball, as Shaka just said. Right now, this version of Barcelona has Marcus Rashford, who's not that, and Laminia Mal, who's not fit. So, frankly, it becomes doubly difficult to do that. And the other minor difference is that that Milan side had Baresi and Costa Curta and Filippo Galli and Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, Whereas these guys, you know, tonight, you had Araujo, who's a guy who, you know, they've been trying to move and is clearly not suited at all to play this.
14:13Eric Garcia, who, you know, is an afterthought. Cubarsi was on the bench. And to Frank's point about defenders standing up to the coach, none of these defenders are good. None of them have the authority other than perhaps Cubarsi. But then that guy's still a teenager. So, you know, who's Cubarsi to stand up to Flick and say, hey, boss, should we go and do this a little bit different? I think there's a leadership issue there. And it goes back to what they decided to do over the summer. Oh, that little tiny amount of money that we have to spend. Should we go and spend it on Marcus Rashard? Or should we go and spend it on finding a replacement for Inigo Martinez, who maybe wasn't super quick and maybe isn't the second coming, but I thought played very well for long stretches for Barcelona and could read the play and could be a defensive leader and mitigate some of that high line.
15:03No, they said, oh, no, we're fine. Yeah, give me Christensen. He's always hurt. Give me Araujo, even though we don't like him. Give me Eric Garcia, even though he's a dud. And give me Kubarsi, even though he's 18. We'll be fine with these guys. That is the cardinal error. That goes beyond flick. That's on Deco. That's on the club. Inigo Martinez, in his absence, in going to Saudi Arabia, has now become a combination of all the players that Gav just mentioned from Milan. Yes, he is. Quite frankly, no player has elevated his status by not being somewhere as much as Inigo Martinez has been. A guy who wasn't even supposed to start last season.
15:44But now every time that something happens like this, which happens every single week with Barcelona, it goes back to, well, they're missing the leadership of Inigo Martinez. They may be missing that, but they're missing a whole lot more too. And that lack of pressure, and we've already gone around in circles, but the inability of this team to get numbers around the ball in order to affect the decision-making process of the player on the ball, if you're not getting close enough, that is where all alarm bells should go off, whether you're Franco Guaresi, whether you're Pao Cuarci, whether you're Costa Curta, whether you are Ronald Araujo, somebody's got to take a step back.
16:30And they never do it.
16:32Dan Thomas:Meanwhile, Laminya Mal, obviously we saw, as Gab just mentioned, not fully fit at the moment. Milan trips aside, thank goodness for Hansi Flicky was on the pitch tonight. Yeah, I mean, I know we've said this before, but what special player Laminya Mal is? I mean, in terms of changing a game, in terms of dragging a team back into a game. And just how sometimes it's playground stuff. You see some of the things we saw in the highlights, some we couldn't cover it all with Laminia Mal. But he just makes this game look so easy. And then to the point where you go away from home, you score three goals, and yet still, you really should have lost.
17:13You really should have had, at least you get a point. That has to be frustrating on any attacking force, especially one where a teenager is carrying it the way that he is. That's a hard shift for a young man. But again, what a talent. Thank goodness for him because I'm not sure that there's anything else in this Barcelona setup that you can really feel good about. We're beginning to see with more consistency the tendency of Lamin Jamal to not just stay on the right-hand side, on the wing, just right next to the sideline. He's actually taking more central positions. And we saw from playmaking positions his ability to find through balls.
17:55We saw the ball for Ferran Torres. That should have been a goal. and we saw the combination that ends up in his goal, is him starting in a more central position, taking more of an inside position, where he can now combine with Firmin Lopez, goes on to score the goal. That tells me this is a player that is beginning to mature and to understand that, yeah, I can dominate out here, but I can also impact the game over there. The more he does that, his game becomes far more diverse, and in becoming more diverse, he becomes more dangerous, and becoming more dangerous, more difficult to stop.
18:29Dan Thomas:Special player, Gab? Yeah, no question. Special player, joy to watch. You just hope, you know, the kind of groin injury that he's dealing with, you just hope as a neutral, as somebody who loves seeing ridiculously talented players play, you just hope that he's getting the medical treatment and the sports science that's needed to make sure that we see him at his best later in the season and, of course, at the World Cup. Yeah, we've got more La Liga action coming up this weekend as Barcelona will be back, and we'll see if their defensive showings will be back as they take on Celta at Balladios on Sunday.
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20:10Dan Thomas:Phil Foden scored twice as Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League with Erling Haaland also scoring against his former side. Gab's still with us too. It's not all about Haaland then. Gab, we got to see Phil Foden today getting two goals. Is he back? You know what? If he's back, then we have a real title race on our hands because we all remember how good Phil Foden was two years ago. I was hugely impressed, not just by this game, but sort of his run of matches. That Foden-Rinders partnership, if that's what he wants to continue with, against Liverpool this weekend and whatnot, that is so well-rounded.
20:52in terms of drive, in terms of running into the box. You saw Reinder serving up both assists there, in terms of finding each other. Foden's creativity, Foden's genius, the way he strikes the ball. That's exciting. And you know what? Nothing against the tall Norwegian guy, but it's nice to talk about Manchester City and not just make it all about him. Although, all that said, it looks like a very gaudy scoreline. At 3-0 up, they get the goal back after Doku falls asleep. And then Dortmund had a couple chances, Donnarum having to come out way outside the box. It looked to me like it got a tiny bit potentially nervy before, obviously, Ryan Shirky put it away.
21:35But yeah, Foden, that's really exciting. You got Foden coming back. You got potentially Rodri. He was supposed to be on the bench tonight. He wasn't. But, you know, they're going to take his return slowly. Sydney could be a real force I think in a month or two.
21:51Dan Thomas:Frankie, I've seen some head nods and some head shakes at what Gab was saying there. What were you thinking? No, no, no. I agree. Totally agree on what Gab said about Foden and the fact that Ireland wasn't the only one. But you have to add Doku and Savinho as well. Where they absolutely put a mess on the side and it maybe opened up a little bit in the middle of the park where Foden could be freer than he is. And we can see on the first goal, if we talked about the high line of Barcelona, we have to talk about the drop line of the back line of Dortmund, where they were like 10 yards away from Foden, where the time to turn and put his beautiful left foot on the first goal.
22:32And, well, the second goal was absolutely beautiful, but because he had to be fast. And I want to think that Foden is back to his best. But because of the tactics that Guardiola was able to put, where you don't play tiki-taka, you don't turn around, you have players on the side, Tokus having you able to take on players and go a little bit faster than the other ones. And that, I think, for me, makes the difference on what we used to see. And that's that boring tiki-taka that we used to see with Manchester City.
23:06Dan Thomas:Do you agree with what Gab said, that if Foden is back here, then City are a problem? I think City will be a problem anyway. Listen, I think we've all said at various points during the last week or two at least that this is Arsenal's title to lose, right? They are easily the best team in the league, certainly at the moment. Now, the big question comes around Manchester City, which version of City will show up for the remainder of this season. And we've seen in the good version of Manchester City of two or three years ago, the kinds of runs that they can put together in the second half of a season.
23:37Now, if City can all of a sudden rediscover that form and kind of run the table as they've done just about, it puts a lot of pressure on Arsenal, sitting in the second half of the season. Ali alluded to it yesterday. Now, in any title-winning season, every single club goes through a spell where they just aren't playing well, things aren't going great. And it's how you manage those periods. It's how you manage those five or six games. And the old cliche, you've got to win ugly and all that kind of comes in. Now, how Arsenal manages that five or six games will determine whether they win this title or not.
24:18Again, if this is the city of two or three years ago, you aren't allowed much more than five or six games. Not in this form, even with this kind of head start. So, there can be a problem, but that problem, or how much of a problem, is ultimately Arsenal's city side?
Read the full transcript
24:36Dan Thomas:We must talk about that poor Norwegian guy that Gab mentioned as well. I think it was put to him after the game about another record, and he was like, which one? Because there are that many for him now. He's not even sure which record he's talking about anymore. Well, it must be nice. First of all, Shaq, I appreciate that you're supporting the show when you're not on it and you're actually watching us. That's great. Laughing at Stevie's references to cigarettes and sausages. You mean Dr. Nick? As it pertains to Erling Haaland, When that ball was being crossed from the left-hand side from Doku, and he goes through the defenders and Foden, and it's now you see the big strapping young man setting up with his left foot.
25:14You're like, well, there's only one outcome here. And it's him about to score a goal with the sort of power that he did. He, not now, but has been for a while, a certainty in front of goal. And that's a certainty for us that are watching it as a striker. And I don't speak with a whole lot of knowledge on this subject, but at one point or another, when you're scoring a bunch of goals, you feel like everything that you touch is going to go into the back of the net. And what a place that has to be for Erling Howell. That he now knows clearly and fully when he steps on the field, If he's given a chance, if he's played a ball through, if somebody's crossing the ball, more than likely he's going to score.
26:05That, I tell you, it is where you want to live, where you want to dream if you are a striker. And Erling Haaland is right there every single day. What a great place to be if you're Erling Haaland. And what a moment in your career if you're Erling Haaland. And if you're him, all you want to do is keep playing, baby. Let's keep playing. Let's keep scoring goals. Let's keep putting balls in front of me because I'm going to score.
26:29Dan Thomas:Yeah, meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund going, look at what we once had. They will be back in action in the Bundesliga this weekend. Make sure to catch them against Hamburg on Saturday away from home. We will have all of these games available on ESPN+.
26:57over time and with as soon as the same day funding you could hit the ground running asap apply today with no fees required at sofi.com slash debt rebound loans originated by sofi bank na member fdic terms and conditions apply nmls 696891 fast funds terms apply at sofi.com slash debt rebound grab a cotton candy five hour energy shot and get in on the sweet life You get the classic throwback cotton candy flavour, but with zero sugar and a five-hour energy boost. A tasty caffeine kick that satisfies the sweet tooth without any of the sugar gill aftermath. Bring on the sweetness with cotton candy five-hour energy shots, available online at 5hourenergy.com or Amazon.
27:44Dan Thomas:Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by Carabag in the Champions League, despite scoring first through Estevão. Carabag then responded with two goals, but it was Alejandro Garnaccio who salvaged the draw for the Blues. Is it defensive errors, Frank, costing the side today, costing Chelsea? Not only. I feel some sympathy about the young Hato and the fact that he made two big mistakes who allowed Carabag to score goals. But that was only that. First, it's nice to rotate. It's nice to give some rest to some players, but you have to make sure that you can be able to win, you know, in Azerbaijan. And it's what Chelsea weren't able to do today.
28:28They played well for the past, for the first 10, 15 minutes. And I said, OK, that's great. You know, it's going to be an easy game. They scored a goal, a good goal from Esteval. And after that was, I didn't see the difference between an Azerbaijan team and Chelsea Football Club. So I feel frustrated. and when the second half they changed some players, it was a little bit better, but still Karabakh has some chances, so let's say that the players weren't convinced that it was an important game to play, a draw was enough for them maybe to get through in that Champions League campaign, but I wasn't convinced by anything today.
29:11Dan Thomas:Is a draw a fair result? Is it the right result for you, Gab, or did Chelsea actually get away with a draw in the end, considering how Karabag played tonight? I think arguably they got away with it. And I think that's what's going to disappoint Inzo Mareska. Because, you know, I take on board what Frank said. It felt like, you know, they felt, well, we don't really need to worry about this. It's only Karabag or whatever. Well, leaving aside that Karabag are doing more than OK in the Champions League, for me it was a lot of those individual players who I think just had poor nights. It's not just Hato, it's Tosin at the back.
29:51And when you think, you know, those centre-back positions right now at Chelsea, they don't really have an established partnership. So those roles are pretty much up for grabs. And it's in games like this where you can seize the opportunity, especially if like Hato, who of course is also the backup left-back, but he hasn't played that much. Tosin, you know, show Maneska that, you know, you should be first choice until Kolo comes back up front. Same thing, Tyreek George, who I think has done well, but some players don't cope well when, you know, they only play once in a while and sometimes he's wide, sometimes he's up front.
30:29That's the frustrating thing, and that's the flip side, I think, of managing a big squad, especially of younger players. You'll have games like this when the people who come in don't seize the opportunity. Maybe some of the regulars, you know, maybe, I don't want to say take the night off, but maybe are at as intense as they usually are. And then you pay a price for it. And then you've got to rely on St. Moises, Caicedo, to come and bail you out for the umpteenth time.
30:57Dan Thomas:Would you like to say anything about this game, guys? Um, no. You're not going to stick up for Caravag, your most favourite team. How ranking featured Caravag. I was focusing and I was solely focus on another game where we get to it a bit. That's fair enough. He was watching Papo Villarreal. At the same time, it was Papo Villarreal. He was. Wait till you hear him on the highlight. I'm going to bring it. Big Papo's fan. I thought he was Caravan. Frank, would you like to add anything else about Chelsea today? So your team just got knocked out of the FIFA World Cup. Brutal, right? Well, the good news is you're not done.
31:36It's time to jump on the Lay's bandwagon and nobody loses on the bandwagon no upsets no heartbreak no stress only good times so join Lay's on the bandwagon grab a bag of Lay's get ready for the next match cheer for whoever you want Lay's keeps the party going Lay's official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Oh me? Yes. I'm sorry me? Yes. Uh no no no well um now again I know I want to I want to think about 8-0 and I know how dramatic and traumatic it could be to have a kind of game like that and I really hope that that guy is going to step up and his teammates will cheer him up to make sure that he can carry on and have a great career.
32:22It's never good to start like that way and people have seen that so you want to find some reconfort I would say from everybody. he has mine because he can make mistakes and he has to carry on but it's that was an off night that was a good night I was in a good game away from home against the so-called best club in the world but but really that was I was very disappointed by by the by the team today yeah time to bounce back Stanford
32:53Dan Thomas:bridge this weekend against Wolves thanks so much guys make sure to be with us tomorrow. I think Shaq I wanted to talk about it a little bit. I gave him his in. I walked you back out. You moonwalked. Too focused on pathos.
33:18Dan Thomas:Make sure to check out the Gab and Jewell show twice a week. You will hear a segment on the show every single session called the Quick Hits, which we've been stealing from on ESPN FC this week. Hope you don't mind, Gab. Given that you're here, we thought it would be a great time to bring some Quick Hits. We actually went to Luis Garcia first the other day, Gab, and he didn't quite get the meaning of the Quick of the Hits, so it was about a three-minute answer. It was Quick-ish. It was Quick-ish. We'll let you start things off tonight. Yeah, we're kicking off with another Luis, so we're kicking off with Luis Diaz of Bayern Munich and the red card that he received in their game yesterday against PSG coming after he'd scored those two goals for Bayern.
33:59Dan Thomas:This was the challenge on Ashraf Hakimi. Initially a yellow, upgraded to a red. Right or wrong for you, Gab? 100 % correct. I think it's a red card. There's a scissor effect. I think whether he wants to do it or not is kind of immaterial, given the way he goes into the capital. Frank? Yeah, I was at the game and I watched it. And first I thought, I didn't think that it was that big. And I said to, you know, it was like screaming, Ashraf, stay on the floor, get out, and he will get a red card. It's what happened. But I was told that his ankle is in a bad state and he was really suffering. And that was a deserving red card.
34:48You know, that was only fair. That was bad from him because he was the best player on the field. For the first half, I mean, that was amazing what Luis Diaz was capable of doing. But that was a very bad, I would say, forward tackle. Because those guys don't know how to tackle. Ask Ali Moreno.
35:05Dan Thomas:Yeah, six weeks, Hakimi. We wish him well in his recovery. That's what's been reported at the moment. Were you a little bit more generous with your decision towards Luis Diaz? Tell me if this sounds familiar. That was 100 % a red card. Never in any... From the time I saw the replay, you realize the referee had no choice. That, for me, was never in any kind of doubt. Ah, well, turns out for me, there was some doubt. 99 %? Yes, 99 %! First of all, bad challenge from Luis Diaz. Bad challenge. Unnecessary challenge from Luis Diaz. The only thing that I would say is that it ends up being as bad a challenge as it became in terms of the outcome from Hakimi, because Hakimi is trying to get himself between the ball and Luis Diaz.
36:06And he actually takes his foot onto the path of Luis Diaz, And then Luis Diaz is actually turning his ankle basically with his sensitive parts, with his crutch. You cannot tell me that Luis Diaz, when he lunges for the ball, he's trying to get his sensitive area in a compromised position. I'm just saying. I'm not going to offer that as an explanation for Luis Diaz.
36:28Dan Thomas:Do you remember when Ale convinced Gab earlier in the show? No, no, but I would say this, that it was orange, right? You know, I'm okay with the yellow card. I didn't think it was a red car. Potentially, once you go and see it and you see the ankle bending in the way in which it did, yeah, I suppose you go with it. I didn't think it was a red car to begin with, and I still don't think it is. By Gab's face, I don't think he wants that. Yeah, I don't think we need to go by that. I think we can tell. All right, Frankie, next up to you, Luis Enrique. You see, I kept talking so that Gab didn't have a record.
37:04That is part of what lawyers do. Thank you. You're here at the game, Frank.
37:08Dan Thomas:Luis Enrique coaching from the stands in the first half of this game. Do you like it or not? Yes, I like it. He has been doing that for a while now. I've seen him in many games in Ligue 1. And I understand that. I think it's nice to see the game and you have a better view, I think, from the stand, from the touchline. So I think it should be done for many, many coaches because sometimes you don't really understand what's going right or wrong. And so being a little bit above the field, it gives you a better look and a better statement from your players. So I think it's a good idea. And again, he's been doing that for the past five or six games.
37:54And well, it didn't work yesterday because they were awful. He should have been on the touchline to say, guys, you're doing stupid things right now for 45 minutes here. You have to react. But, yeah, it's becoming a habit for him.
38:07Dan Thomas:Shaq, are you like innovative methods and new technology? I'm not innovative. Do you like what Luis and Rike's doing here? Harry Rednup used to do this. A little bit of some alladies. Nobody ever accused Harry Rednup of being an innovator. I am sure of that. You've seen a ton of managers do this. I think it's totally fine. I totally understand it. But like Frank said, it didn't work. It wasn't working. And his team, up until the red card, were getting housed by Bayern Munich. Just saying. All right. In at number three on the quick picks today. Quick hits. Sorry, Gab. Artistic license. Trent Alexander-Arnold returning to Anfield, coming on in the 81st minute and getting booed.
38:49Dan Thomas:Harsh or understandable, Gab?
38:55I think it's understandable because that's a narrative that was laid out. I think those same people, we've seen this before. In fact, I can think of one Steve McManaman, who many years ago left the club on a free to go to Real Madrid. I think what fans want is they want respect, they want honesty. And I think the reason I find it a little bit harsh in his case is that I don't think he ever swore everlasting loyalty to Liverpool. I don't think he ever said, you know, this isn't Sol Campbell going from Spurs to Arsenal. It's nothing like that. He spent a big chunk of his entire career from when he was a boy at Liverpool.
39:41He won the Champions League. He won the title again after the next many years. And eventually he left to go join a club of comparable standing to Liverpool, if not greater, albeit in a different league. So I think people should respect that there's a person in there. But no, I'm certainly not surprised.
40:03Dan Thomas:Brent, harsh or understandable for you? Absolutely harsh. I think it's unfair. Sometimes I can even think it's stupid. Because really, again, as Gap said, you know, he served the club. He served it very well. He started from scratch to winning the Champions League with Liverpool, winning the Premier League. He doesn't belong to Liverpool. He has a free will. And again, he served well. So thank him. Wish him good luck. And if he comes back, you know, stand up and give him a big clap because he served well. And I don't get it. I really don't get it. I'm so disappointed because I thought Liverpool fans were supposedly the best fans in the world.
40:51They showed yesterday that they weren't.
40:53Dan Thomas:All right. Anything to say on it, Shaq? Harsh but expected, given the narrative that Liverpool fans were trumpeting all of the second half of last season. Just the same way I say that players should be able to celebrate when they score against their own team or their old team, well, then fans also have the right to boo their old players. So, what I would have loved to have seen is Trent Alexander score and actually give it one old team. I take that. Kiss the badge. Kiss the real.
41:27You boo. I saw it. The kissing is good. I love the kissing. The guy kissing the badge and leaving two months after. Yeah, I love that.
41:37Dan Thomas:OK, so I'm going to go to you first, Frank, because I need to talk about Mickey Vandermen's goal yesterday that we saw. Did he already score the goal of the season? Oh, my God, yes. I mean, you know, only defenders can do those kind of things because he's tough from so far away. Oh, boy. But we know that the guy is fast. I think he's been named the fastest guy in the Premier League this season, but he shows that he has skills. When I hear, oh, well, he missed that volley because he's a defender, I mean, that was a hell of a skill, a hell of a goal. I love it. We know we've talked about Messi. We talked about Maradona doing that.
42:21Now we have Van Der Ven. We have our defender, Van Der Ven, doing that. See, that's your problem, Ale.
42:27Dan Thomas:You weren't a defender. I would have run out of final season. I would have ran out of gas. Add it up. You two on a relay. Come on, Lex. Come on, Lex. Now you stop. Okay, we're going to go to the last of them. We had to put that one to Frank, obviously, that goal from Mickey Van de Vem. Cristiano Ronaldo saying that the World Cup shouldn't define his legacy. He says it's unfair to be determined by whether you've won the World Cup. Is that fair or not, Gab? It's 100 % fair. If you're a Ronaldo hater, you'll say, like, well, don't worry, Cristiano. It won't define your legacy because you didn't win.
43:11The reality though is that to win a World Cup there's so many things beyond your control and I think his legacy goes beyond that. He's been tremendously successful with his country if international football is your bag. He played a huge role, albeit getting injured in the final, in helping Portugal win the Euros. to me that's about as impressive, just about, as leading Portugal to a World Cup. No, it shouldn't define his legacy at all. I know it's the yin to his yang, and we all put it out. Oh, look, Messi, you know, now he's won the World Cup, he's the GO, blah, blah, blah. So do we apply the same standard to Cristiano?
43:56You know what, to win a World Cup, part of it is also, hey, it helps if you happen to be Brazilian or Argentine or German. all these things contribute to whether you're likely to win a World Cup. So, no, there's in no way impact Fusciano's legacy.
44:13Dan Thomas:I was going to come to LA by... You might win 2026. Oh, yeah, absolutely. He hasn't won it yet. Frank, I heard that there were some facial expressions being pulled during Gab's explanation. No, because I'm... Yeah, it can define your legacy because it's important to win a World Cup. And as Gap said, when you belong to a country, we can win it. And yesterday I was the Portuguese coach and we talked and I said, well, I think you are one of the contenders and you can win. And it would be nice for Cristiano to win the World Cup. And if you do so with Portugal, because he has a team for that, he has the elements and all individuals, if they carry on like that, they are, for me, simply contenders with Spain, France and Argentina.
45:01but they can do that but it's important to win a World Cup but I think about like players like George Weir who was one of the best strikers in the world but playing for Liberia and Liberia I don't know how you say that but and I always say that it's sad to see a player like him not being able to to win a World Cup because he belongs to a country who doesn't have enough talents to do so but Portugal can do so. So he can win and because he belongs to a big country, he can define his legacy. It's random because it's hard to do so, but he can define his legacy.
45:43Dan Thomas:Did Frank win a World Cup? Well, yes. He did. And there is a legacy there. With Le Bois?
45:55Dan Thomas:I don't say a word. Should it define his legacy? It should not define his legacy, but Cristiano Ronaldo could never and will never be separated from Lionel Messi because of the things that both of them did at a crazy level for over a decade. And if that's a conversation which it always seems to come down to, Ronaldo, Messi, Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldo. One won the World Cup, one didn't. It shouldn't define the legacy, but if that's a comparison, then Messi has one up on Ronaldo. All right. Gab, did you like our quick hits? I'm sorry? Did we do okay on the quick hits that we stole from the Gab and Jules show?
46:41You did fine, but sorry to say, Jules would agree there's nothing like the original.
46:47Dan Thomas:And if you do want to catch the original, you can catch it on the Gab and Jules podcast twice a week. And you can catch these guys answering your questions every single day over on our YouTube channel on Extra Time. Gab Marcotti here for Gusto. Right now, everyone is trying to run leaner, tighter budgets, smaller teams, higher expectations. Now, the last thing you have time to waste on is manual payroll or chasing down an HR form. Gusto is how small business owners get time back when every hour counts. 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.
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48:17Dan Thomas:All right, we have got to tell you a little bit of news about Luis Suarez, who has been fined and suspended by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for Violent Conduct, this in the 71st minute of Inter Miami's match versus Nashville on Saturday. Off the ball incident, kicking Nashville defender Andy Najjar in the 71st minute. More than just the 71st minute. First of all, that's Andy Nahar. Sorry, Andy Nahar, my bad, Ali. Derek would not be proud of you today. He would not. today. The donkey kick, the old donkey kick from Luis Suarez. And of course, if you had to pick one player in Major League Soccer, I'll give you one option as to who would do this in this sort of matchup, in this sort of game, in this sort of moment where now you are not able to play in game three, who would it be?
49:06Yes, Luis Suarez and nobody's surprised. And to some degree, there's a little bit of justice here too. Because after the spitting incident that he had in the League's Cup final, So after that incident where he was sort of given a get-out-of-jail-free car, now we continue to see that if you don't punish him, and even when you do, but if you don't punish him and he's allowed to do whatever he wants to, here comes the donkey kick, and now he's out of game three. And this puts Miami in a position in which maybe, oh, could it be that Miami, inter-Miami doesn't make it past this round? And if that's the case, what a disaster that would be for Major League Soccer.
49:46Dan Thomas:Yeah, well, we were going to let Xhaka in on this, but of course we don't need to let him in on this. Because he's going to have plenty more time to tell you exactly what he thinks on Football Americas tomorrow.
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51:15Dan Thomas:here we go this is the game that he was watching obsessed with today yeah pathos against fiarial second half underway derrick luckerson with the only goal of the game simple set piece dead middle of the box, four yards out, free header. I'll tell you what. Okay. She just gave it away. You know, Nicolas Pepe had a chance late. Yeah, but it's Paphos. You're not going to score Paphos with that. It was a big chance late, Tom. Where is Paphos from, Sean? Huh? What? Small Greek town of Paph. Greek?
52:00To his mother. They're Cypriots! They're from Cyprus! Same thing, here with me.
52:07Dan Thomas:Oh Shaq, do not go to any geography lessons that Shaq is in, trust me. Here's the rest of the results from the day we brought you all of them and there is Pruhers with the 1-0 win over Villarreal. Absolute Trojan effort from there. Oh God! Here is the Champions League table. We got tears, we got tears in this title. James played by an Arsenal and Inter are perfect as it stands right now. Papos are in the playoffs right now. Oh, baby. Got to beat a good Papos. And Liverpool. Okay, well, we'll calm down here in the studio. Let's get some reaction from Hansi Flick, the Barcelona coach today, talking about what we saw from his side.
52:50We can make it like this, that we make a look block and then we defend in the last third. or we go on our way, our philosophy, how we want to do it and make things much better. I think when you see the first goal last season, for me 100 % two metres offside or one metre offside, clear offside. We struggle a little bit, we have not the confidence and of course we can speak about to change everything, but I'm not a coach to change this because we want to play like our DNA is and we don't want to defend in a low block and then we make maybe some transition to win 1-0. 3-3 is not the best result for us.
53:42We came back after every goal so this is a positive thing but we have to speak about this match.
53:51Dan Thomas:Yes, and we will be speaking about this match in Extra Time. There is still a little more of the show to go. The main show ESPN FC ends here, but stick around because your questions are in. We'll be talking more and Frank Leboeuf will be joining us. He feels a little pained after hearing what Hansi Flick had to say there. Stick around to find out why. Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Frank is joining us to answer your questions as to Isgad Markotti. We've got Ali and Shaka here in the studio. First question is for Shaka. Shaka, not even a question. A statement, a demand. Shaka, defend Chesney.
54:29Dan Thomas:I can't. Well, Ali can. Ali can. I thought it was a quality. And did. I did a very good job. I did a very good job. Actually got hired as Gab's lawyer. And then quickly fired. For a very short period of time. They're quickly fired. Did he do a really good job, though, Shesney, of just staying so calm that it didn't make as much of it? Yes, he did. He's like, no problem. That was a foul. Shesney did a good job of it. Not sure how Hawaii the referee felt for it, but that's another conversation. OK, next question. Gab, start, bench, or drop these for Italian cities for the food, Palermo, Bologna, and Naples.
55:10Maybe.
55:12Dan Thomas:Ooh. All right. So since part of my family is from the Emilia region, I should be leaning towards Bologna, but I have to go with Bologna first.
55:33Second place, I might go Naples. I've just spent more time there than in Palermo. and yeah, I guess I would drop Palermo and I hope all the Sicilians out there don't get annoyed with me, but guys, it's a lot of competition there with Bologna and Napoli. Although none of them can hold a candle to the small Greek city of Paz.
56:07Oh, yes. Wonderful destination.
56:10Dan Thomas:He loves getting countries wrong, don't worry. The people are excited in Puff because of the result. Exactly, exactly. They'll be eating worse than night in Puff. They're in a playoff position right now. That's right. And to continue the conversation about the best Italian cities for food, none of them actually hold a candle to Stevie Nichols' Spag Bowl. Oh, baby. Oh, baby. Those two words are not allowed to say. My household, I'm sure. That's household, though. Disallowed. I'm just saying. Spank ball. All right. Xhaka, how does Barcelona's high defensive line impact a goalkeeper's approach? When the team starts conceding, how does it change the way you play and react?
57:00Dan Thomas:I'm not here today, Xhaka. There's going to be a lot of questions coming your way. to be fair I don't think it changes anything about Chesney he's just that guy in terms of he's kind of been there seen it done it and he's not he's not going to change the challenge comes when there's a younger goalkeeper playing with that ridiculously high line what's your starting position without getting lobbed if if nobody if there's no pressure on the ball that that's the difficulty I I do not understand for the life of me and we had Hansi Flick's post game press conference at the end of the show there. I am more confused than when I was watching them play, no?
57:39And nobody, you know what? You know what? Nobody's asking Hansi Flick or Barcelona to go into a low block. So he got a little defensive there. Finally. Finally. Finally, Barcelona got defensive about something. He's like, oh, so we can be a team that is in the low block or we can play our style and our philosophy. Nobody's asking Barcelona to go into a low block and absorb pressure. is logically thinking through the game, reading the game, and adjusting to whatever the reality of the game is at the moment. And in specific moments in which there is no pressure on the ball, the first reaction of the defender should be to take a step back.
58:16The first reaction of the Barcelona defender is to take a step forward, and that puts them in all sorts of problems. What confused me is when he said, last season, our first goal, it would have been two yards offside. They were yarded to their own half. Where's the fact that you're going two yards outside from? I'm with you, Xhaka. I didn't get. They're already offline. So how can he be offline if he's online? I'm like, what am I? I mean, that was insane. And after what he said when he talked about his DNA, that they didn't want to change their own DNA. What kind of DNA is that? You know, a year and a half ago, Barcelona never played like that.
58:56So he's not part of the Barcelona DNA, you know. Doesn't mean anything, really. That guy lives in another world.
59:03Dan Thomas:Nice stuff. Xhaka again. Have you ever pulled off a save like Courtois, the one where he stretched out those giant legs to block the shot? I've pulled off many saves in my day, K. I'll have you know. Not against everybody, Xhaka. No, no. I can't. I'd Liverpool. Not against everybody, Xhaka. He scored at me. Yes! Yes! That's the way he's getting it. Ali scored a minute. 100 %! Tell us more about when you scored on Xhaka, Ali. Oh no, that's the low point of my career. Well, I know. How far away from you was he? Huh? No, I was beyond him with a change of pace that he was so characteristic of my game.
59:50It was two yards that Hansi Flick is talking about. That same two yards. The dip of the shoulder. There was a dip of the shoulder and then this way. And Xhaka was thrown on the ground. I should have just left. Yes, I know. I thought about leaving. And re-grated the path. I should have moved the path. Retire. Retire the path. Good God.
1:00:12Dan Thomas:So many a save like that, but just not Harry Moreno. Okay, Gab, what's the most iconic memory you have in the San Siro? Oh. Ooh.
1:00:31This is not a game I was at, but it's a game I watched on television. And it was a great Milan side of the late 80s. And they beat Foggia 8-2. You know, back when Serie A was dull and defensive and all this stuff. It was just a game where they pulled everything off and Foggio very attacking, very open, wide, scored two goals. They were true to their DNA, as Hansi Flick might say. But yeah, that was vintage.
1:01:12Dan Thomas:Frank, do you have any memories in San Siro?
1:01:18Can I say something, Kay, about San Siro? and yesterday I was at the game and at the Pag des Princes and Andrei Shevchenko was there, a true legend of Milan, of Chelsea and now the president of the Ukraine Federation. And I remember playing in Champions League against... Oh, yeah, well done. Thank you. Thank you very much. And, you know, and I remember playing against Andrei and I have the picture because I really have in the photo, So I don't remember where it is, but where I pull his shirt because he was too fast. And I pull his shirt for like 10 yards, even in our 18-yard box. And it should have been a penalty.
1:02:02And the ref never gave that. And we talked about that yesterday. And he say, I remember that. I say, that's impossible that the referee didn't give a penalty. I say, I can't even more agree with you. That was insane. But remember that time. and for me playing at San Siro against Andrei Shetschenko, Franco Baresi and so many others, of course Maldini, that was a big honour because you know that you are somewhere in a place where football has been so big, so successful that you want to be, you are absolutely happy to be there. Even if you lose, well, luckily we drew with Dennis Wise scoring a goal, but really, that was a big honour to play in Milan.
1:02:51Dan Thomas:Gab's laughing. What are you laughing at, Gab? I don't know, because when he started describing the game, I remember it very well, because as you know, I live a couple of miles from Stamford Bridge, and to this day, Chelsea fans keep singing about that goal that Dennis Wise scored at the San Siro with 10 minutes to go. So, yeah, it's seared into everybody's brain. Frank, what was your choice of red there? We see you've got a nice glass of red wine in the picture. That was a beautiful Bordeaux of Pauillac. And that was absolutely fine. We enjoyed it. Yes, I'm sure you did. You think, I was thinking about this in the show, when Frank mentioned he referred to as the Portugal coach.
1:03:39Do you think Frank just forgot? Portugal coach's name? No, Martinez. No, no, Mr. Martinez. No, no, no, no. His lawyer said... His lawyer said no-go qualities. We were... Before knowing you, Mr. Ali Moreno, I worked with Mr. Martinez and Mr. Kompany in the 2016 European Championship. They were ESPN pundits. This is how important I am in your life, Mr. Frank Leboeuf. I've been in ESPN since 2013 and I was actually working that same... Obviously, you did not care about me at all. So you should have remembered Mr. Company and Mr. Martinez working with me. So it's how important I am in your life. Don't gaslight me.
1:04:35Don't deflect now. Oh, you know I love you, Ali. You know I love you. Personally, I know.
1:04:44Dan Thomas:OK, Frank, I've got a question for you here, and the other guys can wade in. How much of how PSG and Chelsea have been playing is down to injuries, and how much of the injuries down to the so-called Club World Cup? That's how they've written it here in this question. Well, I think it had an effect, for sure. And we talked about that for any team would be involved in the Club World Cup, that they're going to struggle in October, November. And it's what it's happening right now. And but, you know, PSG had five players missing against Barcelona and they won 2-1 away from home. So, yes, you can talk about injuries and the fact that it affects your performance.
1:05:35but it's not the only excuse. Yesterday, Paris Saint-Germain didn't play well because Bayern Munich were absolutely fantastic first and because PSG didn't put the whole ingredient. Yes, it's sad when you lose Dembele. It's not nice when Douay doesn't play. Marquinhos is not at his best, but, you know, it's part of the game. And they have proven, I'm talking about PSG, that they're capable of doing better, even with five players injured. For Chelsea, it's a little bit more tricky. I think they cannot allow to have too much rotation because some players are very, very important. And today, that was too much.
1:06:15That was too much. We didn't see enough first team or first 11 players being on the field. And it has a bad effect. OK.
1:06:27Dan Thomas:We must give you an update. A couple of us have been to see Dan this week. He's doing very well. he's walking about as fast as Jan Agafjortoft in the fish race the fish would definitely beat Dan right now yes but he's doing well because we know so many of you are asking and he's keeping up to date with the show and he's hoping to be back soon alright sending lots of love to Dan and thank you to all of you for sending in your questions today look at this penalty 100 % a penalty nothing Nothing, nothing. Come on, we need another bar. Play on.
1:07:06Dan Thomas:Love it. Oh, that's nice. All right. That is all we've got time for on the latest edition of Extra Time. Thank you so much for being with us. We'll be back tomorrow and we'll do it all over again.
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From the publisher
The FC Crew react to Barcelona's 3-3 draw against Club Brugge where they continued to show holes in their defense. Then, they discuss Manchester City's impressive win vs Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea's surprising draw vs Qarabag. Also, some quick hits about Trent's return to Anfield and Luis Diaz's red card vs PSG.
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