Can France Finally Get Past Spain?

25:34Yes. Man.

25:39This is nothing. I agree with shotgun. Blackboard or not, I agree with shotgun. This is nothing. And actually, I think more to the opposite. I think this benefits England. You want a prickly, edgy Jude Bellingham. That's when I think he is at his best. Now, admittedly, they both could have been a little bit more graceful in the manner in which they shaped their answers. But I appreciate the honesty. Honesty is the best policy. And they both fell the way they fell after the game. They both communicated as such. And I think they both have a point to what you said, Natum, in that they're not incorrect.

26:19Both of them actually have very valid points in the way that they approach it. It's just they could have been a little bit more graceful in how they expressed it. Regardless, I don't believe this is anything whatsoever. And Jude Bellingham thrives in a prickly environment. Please trust me when I tell you that being prickly is not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, sure. Does it benefit England? Some of us thrive in that environment. Does it benefit England though, Jules? I think he showed character again from everyone. But we knew, I don't think it's a surprise. And by the way, I just don't think either that Tuchel and Bellingham just really like each other.

26:58I think what Tuchel said that Archie reminded us a year ago, he's still pretty much in the head of Bellingham and the whole family, and completely understandably so. But you don't have to get on with your manager to go find a tournament or to be very good, as we're showing. I think the two alpha males that show a lot of personalities and characters. Sometimes we've said it before, maybe Thomas Tuchel could be a bit less honest and transparent and no filter, like Archie put it again. And maybe he could have just managed that a little bit differently in the post-match interview, flash interview that he did after the game.

27:31But I don't think there's anything wrong in there. And I do agree with Ali that it will galvanise them even more. And I think at some point you'll have to make the peace. It's great that Harry Kane came and you knew exactly what Harry Kane would say, that he would speak exactly like he did yesterday as the captain and as a very good communicant in a way. And that's good again. and they'll be ready to go tomorrow and there will be no issues. There's four more days of this tournament, or five more days of this tournament to the final. Tuchel and Bellingham can be friends for five more days, and then they go on holidays, and then let's see what happens later on a much longer term.

28:04Do you know, I'm glad Jules has said that, because I don't think Bellingham likes Tuchel. I'd probably say Tuchel probably doesn't like Bellingham. Does it matter? I think for some people, they kind of want it to matter. Some people want it to matter, but Bellingham is such a good professional, as is the case with the other players, that it doesn't matter. If the manager says we're training at midnight, they'll come and train at midnight they'll hate it they'll do their best but this is what it's going to be and i think from jules the way jules has just been describing that there i think that's the bit that is essentially key and archie made a great point as well because i forgot about what tucall said a year ago if i was jude bellingham i would not like this manager either and i think the way that a lot of the british media spoke about him in the year leading up to this tournament i remember every single one of those things as people now want to praise him say oh it's a generational talent look how great jude bellingham is this that and the other i think he knows that some of the stuff that's going on right now isn't really the way that people feel about him.

28:56And I think, Ali, you're right in terms of if this environment is one that makes it a prickly Jude Bellingham, this is the best version of him because they need someone to be able to step up and do things outside of, say, the conventional way that Tuchel's doing things. And I think it was Jürgen yesterday or two days ago. He said during that game, because he was there, Tuchel's passing over messages onto the players and the players are looking at him like, what's this guy talking about? and that reminds me in some ways that because we're watching it from the outside and we're just following the ball we don't see those relationships maybe the players don't have them but they still have a great opportunity and I'm sure they're going to do the best to make it to that final Yeah, these two characters as you mentioned just a little bit earlier Archie though are very outspoken but Jude Bellingham does and has said that he likes to play with that chip on his shoulder

29:43He does and have seen it throughout his career and at times it got him into little bits of trouble the way that he was going after some of the younger players at Dortmund, I remember. And to be honest, Thomas Tuchel actually also had his problems at Dortmund because of this very chip on the shoulder that he has, albeit when it's so permanent, can it still be described as that? I don't know. I think that it is interesting how this honesty that Thomas Tuchel has, it is quite new for us, I think, in England to have a coach who really is saying it as it is when we've been so used to Gareth Southgate in the past who will no matter what protect the team and I kind of like it I do think that you do have to tread a thin um a fine line with it but there is there's a part of me that likes the fact that even though England are in a semi-final Thomas Tuchel's going I don't care I want more and it's that kind of mentality which you want to see from a coach driving driving your players on to have more it's just you know how sensitive it can be for players and particularly because Tuchel doesn't have that past playing career as Bellingham brought up it can create problems for him but as long as they can both put their egos away at the right moment although I say that you want Jude Bellingham to have his ego on the pitch because it seems to benefit England.

30:59Very quick Nadem. Yeah very quickly I just want to say like I think from the outside people want to hear this from an England manager but the players that he is coaching are the best players in that nation they know when they're not playing well they know when they can improve so I think sometimes they're overemphasizing this coaches' impacts because in reality, the players themselves can see just as clear as they as everybody else. Yeah, and we'll get to see more of England tomorrow and more of Archie tomorrow as well. Thank you so much for joining us, Archie. We look forward to hearing from you tomorrow, 9am Eastern, ESPN2 right here.

31:29Make sure to be there. But the much-awaited sandbox moment is coming up after the break. Ali and Naden, break it down. Where's the blackboard? In Spain. Where's the black by day as you know managing maintenance repair and operations is never easy but for the ones who always rise to the challenge granger 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 plus their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities.

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32:36Here's what we're looking at on the tale of the tape between France and Spain. Remember, France have not conceded in the knockout stages and are the only national team to achieve that so far. However, Spain are unbeaten against France under Luis de la Fuente. But it could be the midfield where it's won or lost today. Here's Ali and Nadem with more on the men in the middle. Thank you, Kay. If Spain have any chance of winning this match against France, they have to dominate the middle of midfield. In order to do that, they have to create some number of mismatches. That's exactly what we want to look at.

33:09We know that Rodri and Pedri, assuming that Pedri is going to be on the field, that they want to get on the ball. Dani Olmo, who usually has been in this sort of position, I think is going to be helpful if he gets right in here. The difference is about 10 or 15 yards, but it's an important decision that he needs to make because it forces Rabiot to make a decision. Do I pick up Dani Olmo? Do I pick up the player on the ball? Kone or Chouameni is also going to have to make that decision. The other thing that I think is going to be helpful for Spain in order to create those mismatches, Alex Baena has to come in here.

33:38He's not a winger. He's not going to take players in one-v-one situations. We might as well just come in here and create a numbers mismatch. Why can you do that? Because we have seen Cucurella in the latter stages of the competition actually be more of a threat down the left-hand side. So leave him to cover that space down the left-hand side and create the numbers mismatches. Why, again, is this important? Because as France loses the ball in this sort of area and now Spain have regained possession, Michael Olisse has to make a decision. Michael Olisse has to get in here now so that he can even things up.

34:10And if Cucurella pushes up, then now you give some defensive responsibility to Dembele, which makes Dembele less effective going forward. If you're Spain, you want to control this area of the field so you can dictate how France is going to play defensively and affect what they do offensively. Because even if France win the ball in this area, now there's a whole lot more space to cover in order for them to get forward. Tell me please, tell me, oh tell me, Natum, that this makes sense. No, this makes perfect sense and I think from a Spanish perspective, it's a great way for them to maintain possession but also be really good with their counter-press, which we've seen them be good for for the decades now it feels like.

34:45But one thing about this French side that's so different, you talk about their attackers, you talk about the work rate of Dembele, the work rate of Michael Elisse, and that's part of their skill set. I think in times gone by, finding an attacker who would be forced to come back in and be in these areas, going side to side essentially, that wouldn't necessarily suit them. But for this front side, it definitely does. We're talking about Ousmane Dembele, a Ballon d 'Or winner, not just for his goal scoring, but his general work rate, and the success that he brought to Paris Saint-Germain. So from a Spanish perspective, this is a great way to maintain possession, try and control the game.

35:13But the thing that concerns me the most, Spain can have all this possession and they can have the counter press. But if they break that counter press, you're gonna have the likes of Elize, the likes of Dembele, and just in case you forgot, there's one Kylian Mbappe up there on the halfway line as well. You see that I did not include Lamin-Yamal in this conversation, I did not include Kylian Mbappe in this conversation, We know what they're going to be all about. I think my concern if I'm in Spain is I know Kylian Mbappe, but the problem is the role of Michael Olisse. And if I force him to defend, I think that makes Kylian Mbappe less effective.

35:44If I force Ousmane Dembele to go and defend, then I think that makes Kylian Mbappe less effective. And if I'm able to create these mismatches, then France is going to have to address defensive positions in the midfield, which then allows Lamin-Yamal to be in a 1v1 situation with Luka Dean. That's how I see Spain maybe having an opportunity today. I don't know that it's possible, but they have to dominate this area of the field. And if they don't, then they're out. Listen, France have lost to Spain the last two times they've played. Okay. So maybe there's something in what you're saying. All right.

36:15Well, you seem surprised, Nathan. Oh, yes. We are all in on France-Spain today, which is why we are now heading to Dallas with Alex Aljo and Casey Keller to tell us more about today's game. What have you got for us, Alex? yeah morning k look at the view from here this impressive stadium so so excited really looking forward to it and casey it does feel like if the draw had worked out differently this would have been the final yeah i think most of us were talking that france were the favorites and clearly they've been the the best performer everybody's been talking about on the show i've been talking about this whole world cup everyone's been waiting for spain to kind of show what we know they're capable of doing.

36:57It's been a bit of a slow burn for Spain, even the quarterfinal match against Belgium. It took kind of a goalkeeping mistake to kind of get them over the line in the end. So I still feel that Spain have to have their best match of the tournament if they're going to compete against this French side. And the French have to maybe capitulate a little bit. Maybe there has to be a little bit of an issue that we haven't seen. Yeah, Lamin-Yemal as well just one goal so far he spoke in the pre-match press conference he said well everyone's saying i'm not on my best level so that's good then they won't expect much of me against uh france do you think that's the right approach confidence for the 19 year old well well confidence but loose but he's also admitted that he hasn't been in his best that he hasn't quite recovered to the level after the injury near the end of the season and so i i agree that he needs to probably have his best performance of the tournament as well because i think spain will have a lot of possession.

37:50I think Spain will create enough, but as we saw against Belgium, there was a lot until the final third, and then it was the final pass or the final shot that just kind of let them down. I don't know if they're going to have maybe as much of the ball as they had against Belgium, but I still expect them to be dominant. Now the question mark will be is neither of these teams have trailed, and so one of them is going to, and how do they react? And I still think France on the counterattack will be something that Spain will worry about. Yeah, so that early goal could be key. Everyone's speaking about France's attacking force, but their defence isn't too bad either.

38:31The guys were speaking about it just now. They've only conceded two goals the whole tournament. I feel like everyone's speaking about the guys up front. Well, when you're talking about two of the best teams in the tournament before the tournament even started, they've both performed. They're not conceding goals. First of all, Spain has so much of the ball, they're not going to concede a lot of goals. And France as well have been that good. And so it's only really Argentina that has been the team that has conceded the goals. And there's a question mark kind of with them in tomorrow's semifinal is how can they defend.

39:05So I'm interested to see how either of these two teams are able to break down each other because we really haven't seen teams in this tournament be able to break them down. So, yes, the attack on both sides, strong, but defense is even stronger. Looking forward to it? Oh, of course. Tremendous match. Counting down the hours, what a game we have in store, Kay. You're in a great spot. Give us your predictions before you go, Alex. Well, mine was really bold. Okay, let's hear it. I was saying to you earlier, I think Spain score early-ish in the first half, and then they park the bus, shut up shop, and stop France scoring, which...

39:42Which then I pointed out they couldn't do that against Belgium. This is true, but football can be a strange concept. Correct. But I see France just being maybe even extra time, maybe 2-1, maybe 3-2, just because I think it's going to be tough to contain these offenses. And I think France is just that little bit stronger than Spain. Well, there we go. That would be more entertaining. I'd rather stop. That's my – yeah. I'm manifesting it. I heard Casey. Spain – oh, I mean France there. Great stuff, guys. Thank you so much for being with us. Enjoy the game later on. It's great to hear from you. Thank you.

40:16Thank you, Kay. Yeah, make sure to be with us. 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2 as the team look back on the results and everything that goes down as France take on Spain in the first of the World Cup's semifinals. Time to talk a little transfer news. Shakir Hislop, Alejandro Moreno, Nader Manua, and we will have Julian Laron joining us as well. My name is Kay Murray, and we're looking at some of what's been going on during the World Cup, particularly at Manchester United. Andres Sanchez has joined United from Chelsea, £48 million transfer fee plus£2 million in add-ons. And Uri Tillemans on the verge of completing a surprise move right now from Aston Villa.

40:57Jules, what more can you tell us about this situation with Tillemans? Yeah, I mean, that's quite an incredible story for the last of the last 24 hours. I mean, not so much incredible in the sense that he had a release close in there and he put it himself because I think he always wanted at 29 that kind of bigger move to happen, if you see what I mean. But once the Edison transfer from Atalanta to Manchester United collapsed because of his failed medical, I think United looked at Tillemans and I think it's a great signing. I think it's probably a better signing than if they had signed Edison, by the way.

41:33They thought about, OK,£35 million. He's 29, but still, he was Aston Villa's best player last season. He's a proven Premier League player. I think he's an outstanding footballer. He's got pretty much everything. If you add the right midfielder next to him and next to Kobe Mainou, for example, then I think you've got a great double pivot, midfield three, whatever Carrick wants to do, really. And I think for that, he's perfect. So it's a really good coup for Manchester United and a terrible blow, I think, for Aston Villa. Where are you on this, Nadem? Because as Jules mentioned, he's 29 and we've seen this whole Ineos thing, that it was 26 and under with transfers and players coming in.

42:09This is a player, though, that has obviously impressed. Listen, I don't really take the Ineos stuff too seriously because I think the goalposts can be moved as and where. And I think I'm with Jules that this is a great signing for them because this is an established Premier League player. I think he was the captain for Belgium at this World Cup and United signing for£35 million almost feels like a steal to be able to take essentially the heart out of what is a competitor for United and Aston Villa for£35 million and with that experience that drive to be successful to you know for anyone that signs for United it's the idea of taking them back to the promised land back to them contesting for titles again I think Tielemans are going to be very very competitive from that standpoint and yeah at 29 he's probably older than they would like but for that fee that's a brilliant deal I think I think it just makes Manchester United better.

42:55And that's what you want with transfers, is that you want to improve what you already have. And I think Michael Carrick, who did a tremendous job with Manchester United, looks at this as a player who can improve his team, who can improve his squad. And I think beyond the fact that you're improving yourself, you're really taken away from Aston Villa. I just can't picture a midfield in Aston Villa without Tielemans. And now you can start to think about the possibilities of what they can do with Tielemans at Manchester United. If you're a Manchester United fan, you should be excited about this. I get the 26-and-under thing from a business perspective, but right now Manchester United's needs are far greater.

43:31You've lost a defensive midfielder in Casemiro. You've lost that experience. You bring in Tielemans. I think this is a good get for them in leading Manchester United forward. Truth is, quite simply, is he better than what they currently have in the dressing room? The answers are yes. from a footballing perspective, it makes perfect sense. Yeah, and Jules, you mentioned it. It's a revamped midfield that we'll be looking at with Manchester United because Andres Santos is official. Tell us a little bit more about this one. Yeah, I mean, I seem to be the only one to like Andres Santos, to be fair.

44:06He was outstanding in France, in Ligue 1, one of the best midfielders when he was at Strasbourg. Things haven't really worked out. Maybe the way Chelsea were hoping when he joined them or when he rejoined them, really, from Strasbourg. although I thought at times he had some good games last season for them in what was quite a difficult environment because of the change of managers because of things not really working out with Liam Rossini so I really like him I think he's still a young midfielder but he's very complete in a lot of the things and the skill set that he has to do a lot of things on the pitch and at 22 I think the room for improvement is great there maybe it's a little bit expensive but again I think that was the value on the market for a player like him at his age with the skill set that he has?

44:51Yeah, this is an interesting one just because like when I'd watch Andre Santos play I thought yeah he's a good player but he just kind of blended in with whatever Chelsea was but for me he never stood out in a negative way and now that I see these 22 years of age like the fee itself feels quite high for somebody that hasn't exactly like you know what I mean brought so much light to his career at this moment in time in the Premier League but with good coaching you can see something positive happen and i think for the age that he's at and given the fact that chelsea once saw the talent there say three years ago i believe this can be a really good signing i believe it can be the fee feels high now but in five six years time when he's 27 years of age and he's done well for united let that feel look like the softest thing you could you could have paid so i'm a believer that this can be a good one and whilst united can afford to do that a guy that does have premier league experience it's even if it's only for like a couple of years i think i'm okay with it i just think the math doesn't quite add up if you're thinking tillman's 35 andre santo 48 that that doesn't quite add up however i think this high slide highlights how good of a sign in tillman's is that you were able to get him for that amount of money is this is it's a project this is an expensive project.

46:05We're banking on, well, he shows some signs. I think those signs are more actually what his game is going to be all about, and he's going to fully develop. Look, I'm all in on Telemans. I'm not nearly as all in when it comes to Andres Santos. I see the potential, but so many times you bank on potential, and that potential doesn't quite come what you think is going to be and therefore you get yourself into trouble. I think it's a lot to pay for a player that hasn't done quite a lot in the Premier League. Don't feel too bad for Aston Villa on the Tielemans situation because they seem to have just hijacked Newcastle United's move for Jorn Manzambi.

46:44How are you feeling about this, Xhaka? From a Newcastle perspective, I mean, I'm not sure things would get much worse for Newcastle. There's as much money as they spent 12 months ago and those sidings, Volta Mara, Visa, didn't live up to expectation. So Newcastle struggling in the league and now this summer has just been a calamity is the only way I can put it. So from a Newcastle perspective, awful. From a Villa perspective, Manzambi's outstanding player. You saw that during the course of this tournament, established himself as a player that many clubs would want and I think Villa have gotten a good one here.

47:27There's no other way to put it. So, well done, Villa, but I'm losing some sleep. So what's happened here, Jules? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Not a lie. Not a lie. Before we go to Jules, please, do you want to retract what you just said, that you're losing sleep? Not a lot. Not a lot. As has been established, Xhaka can sleep on a clothesline. So, Jules, we do need to know What's happened here? Was Champions League football that decisive dangling carrot for Manzambi? Yeah, I think it was the two projects were on the table. It was the same. It was a very similar offer. I think there's a little bit more money for him, wedge-wise.

48:10At Villa, that's only what I was told. Then at Newcastle, but again, not that much. I think it's the two projects. I think where the clubs are at, really what the clubs did last season as well. and the Champions League attraction for sure for him is huge. I feel for Newcastle a little bit. I mean, even if they were trying to re-sign Xhaka Islop, that would fall through. Everything seems to fall through for them. So, like, Victor Munoz was the first one. Then, obviously, Monzambi. Remember the Ekitike saga last summer, too? It's just one of those. They have a plan B and a plan C, sure. But the plan A was Monzambi, and I think it's a massive loss for them and a great gain for Villa.

48:51Okay. Okay, what letter grade would it be, what plan would it be to have Xhaka as your target? If it's plan B, plan C, how far down the alphabet do we have to go to get to Xhaka? Your law. Feels harsh, by the way. And mind you, and we also take... I love having Xhaka in my team. I'm not bad enough somewhere as it is from a club perspective. Can I just say the anti-Bundesliga bias on this desk is, what about the perspective of Freiberg? My beloved Freiber. Ali's even visited Freiber. I sure have. Okay. Did you want to... Yeah, I was going to say as well, because we... Okay. Hold that thought. We'll go back to that.

49:30I thought it was a great point, Nadim. Yeah, well... This is Xabi Alonso on whether he wants to keep Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea. He says, yes, we have spoken, but as you can imagine, what we have spoken about remains private. Ali, he wants him to stay. Should come as no surprise to you, or is it? That he wants Enzo Fernandez. I think Chablonso recognizes that Enzo Fernandez is an important part of what he can do in the future. And I think he can extract more, at least he believes so, that he can extract more from Enzo Fernandez. I also think that when you come in as a new manager, while you want to establish your players and your style of play, you also want to keep some continuity while you build on top of that continuity.

50:12And part of that continuity in terms of personalities inside that locker room, Enzo Fernandez seems to play an important role. So I think he's massaging the situation. There's a lot of massaging going on. And Xavi Alonso is coming from a very difficult circumstance at Real Madrid. He knows full well how difficult a locker room can be. And massaging a guy like Enzo Fernandes, I think, is a start for him to be able to shape what he wants to do with this team. Nadeem, let's go back to the thought. The previous one? No, I was just going to say, it sounds a bit negative. I'm sorry, I don't want to have to do this.

50:44But we were talking about, say, Newcastle and their signings and so on and people not arriving. But we're also not addressing the fact that Gordon, Tonali, and Gimrash is potentially on the way out as well. Three of your key, key players. You know, so, yeah, it's great that people, you can say, oh, people aren't going there. How sad. How much sleep do you want me to lose, Nathan? I don't know if it's possible for you to lose too much. I know what's happened to you. Sitting next to the beacon of positivity is not paying off. Why are you so angry? I don't know. I think maybe it is you. Not me. What did I do?

51:14Do we know any more about this whole Enzo Fernandes situation and where he might be headed? I think Xabi Alonso feels that he would fit perfectly the system. We know that Xabi would very likely play with the back three like he did that by Leverkusen. And then in that system, you can have Enzo as one of the two tens like we used to see at Leverkusen. You can imagine him and Cole Palmer behind your striker. You can play him a bit deeper if you want in that double pivot in front of the back three. which I don't think is a role really, and I've said it many times, that he can play in front of a back four.

51:48If there's a back three behind him, that obviously very different dynamic and very different context and situation. So if you're Xabi Alonso, you would want to keep him for the quality that he can bring. What's different is what Enzo Fernandes wants himself. And as we know, already last season, he was thinking about leaving and about what to do. Maybe Xabi Alonso can convince him to stay at least another year, work together and see where that goes. but right now I think there's more probability for Enzo to want to leave than to want to stay. Okay, let's take a look at how things are shaping up at Liverpool right now in terms of the ins and outs.

52:23Some big name outs, Mohamed Salah out on a free, Ibrahima Kanate too and Andy Robertson. So far only Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz coming in and Andoni Iraiola has said that more is needed in the transfer window. Obviously we've signed two players already but we need more players. We know this. Who are they getting, Jules? That's the question, really. We know that Michael Edwards had left the club and they are right now looking quite aggressively at targets. Somebody like Bradley Barcola, for example, they need pace in those wide positions. One to replace Mo Salah on the right-hand side. Victor Munoz is there, but Victor Munoz is a really young, promising player, but not an established player already who will have to discover the England and English football and the Premier League, et cetera, et cetera.

53:13So they want somebody as well as Victor Munoz. Bradley Barcola was, I think, the main objective with Yandam Diomande. Diomande, it looks like they've missed out. For Barcola, it's very expensive. What PSG would ask, would want for their winger. So they probably will have to look at other options. Somebody like Jakub Aminte, for example, at Brighton, is a player that they've liked and followed for a long, long time. but is it the caliber of player that they want to sign? Is it good enough for a Liverpool team to start, for example, and be a Mo Salah replacement? I'm not so sure and I don't think they are sure either.

53:49So they're looking, but they need at least one of those wingers that can ideally play on both sides. They need another midfielder. They need another centre-back too. That's a lot of signing to do when they've already spent£100 million on two players and have no money coming into the side. Yeah, might start going to look at the bargain, Bennett. at Newcastle United right now, Shaq. Wow. The rollback special, the clearance. This is an interesting situation at Liverpool right now, Nadem. Yeah, it is for sure. And I think last year it felt as if the squad wasn't big enough then. Keep it positive. I know it's hard to do.

54:21So they're building back. So they're building back. Yes. They're building back. And you saw with the three names that are left, you're looking at Canate, looking at Sal, looking at Robertson. These are three players who've been key for them throughout this five or six years, you could say, if not longer. And the ones that you're bringing in, you see the fee, you think this could work out. But Jules made the good point. like Munoz for example he has potential Liverpool as a club aren't in the position to be building on potential they almost need to have this like final form so for example the signing of someone like a Thielemans United like that's the type of signing that I believe Liverpool need at this moment in time yes they are possibly a little bit older than the general sort of market would suggest is ideal but it's a type that can make them competitive almost straight away because as well player wise it's easy to forget Eketike is not going to start the season you know he did his Achilles so he might not appear for the rest of this year.

55:09So these bodies, they do not have enough. And Eroyo has a new coach in that space to not have a squad deep enough straight away to try and change the way that he's trying to play and so on. His job is probably the most difficult of any manager I think in the league right now. I'm sure your analysis was great, Nadam, but you lost me after you said Munoz. Munoz. No, it's okay, Nadam. That's all right. Sorry, should I say it? No, no, you said it great. I'm just saying you lost me. I was in trans. You lived in Spain. You speak Spanish. Lo siento. Go with it. Stick with your car. Okay. Thank you so much, Jules.

55:46Thank you, guys. Keep up to date with everything that's going on in the transfer window over on our website. And let's see if any new players are coming in. Liverpool. Muñoz. Legally, we can't say drinking storm makes you smarter and more focused. But with zero sugar, 200 milligrams of caffeine and immunity support, you're smarter and more focused for drinking storm storm good energy in good energy out energy for life this episode is brought to you by google chrome you think you know a browser but gemini and chrome that's new it can help you with practically anything on the web like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks gemini and chrome is here for it ready to make anything online make sense?

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56:41Norway arrives home to a hero's welcome. Look at these scenes from Oslo. Incredible. Absolutely wonderful stuff and very well deserved as well. This team really did give quite the fight. They gave it their all and Erling Haaland became an absolute darling over here in the United States. He also brought some souvenirs back with him. More on that. What could it be? What could it be? Nothing that you would expect, trust me. Oh boy. It's a stuffed raccoon. Oh, oh. Why not? That seems like a good decision. Is it holding a bottle as well? It's holding a bottle. Obviously. What do you want your stuffed raccoon doing?

57:16Yeah, fair enough. That's a good question. More interested in his bag, but never mind. So this is from Wild Bill's Western store, this stuffed raccoon, but don't even bother getting yourself there because you can't get yours today because they've all sold out. I'd hate to be a raccoon right now. Of course they do.

57:36Jules, have you got a stuffed raccoon? Not yet, but nah, I'm with Erling here. I just love how much he's embraced this World Cup. And I know it was his first one and always first one since the old days of Yanagir Fjortov, you know, but I think he's wonderful. And that's why the World Cup is all about. The next one will be different and the one after, they won't have the same novelty for players like him who've just discovered this whole thing. But I just love the fact that on him getting out that plane, he's got one of the most expensive bags that you could buy, that you could think of in one hand, and on the other hand, you've got the stuffed raccoon.

58:12This is Erling Haaland for you. Yeah, I know which I'd rather have, trust me. His bag collection is quite impressive. It is true what Jules is saying. He has just completely embraced this World Cup. On the pitch, he gave everything, and off the pitch as well, Shaka. He's just completely won over all the hearts of football fans. I was about to say, and this World Cup has embraced him. They've loved everything about Erling Haaland. His presence on social media, just the kind of purity to it, the realism that comes with Erling Haaland. It's been great. We look at this tournament, we look at these players through a certain lens, and Erling Haaland has just kind of made so much of it real in ways that we can all identify with raccoon and all.

58:55It's also proof positive that when you are in a tournament like this and there's a lot of downtime, there's cabin fever. And you get bored and you need to get yourself entertained. Otherwise, you go crazy. And so, yeah, you end up making some decisions that perhaps in the future when he sees the raccoon, you go, he's going to love the raccoon. It's going to remind him of a time in his life. But it's a questionable decision. He's world famous. Yeah, apparently so. I did learn that the raccoons are not native to Norway, and therefore, if he wanted a stuffed raccoon, he had to get it in Texas, babe.

59:32If you go down the 84 on the way home from here, you'll see a little bit of roadkill and can scoop one up if you want. Is it holding a bottle? Maybe not. You'd have to do that yourself. He's going to put the raccoon next to all his golden boots. That's the thing. He's going to remember it just the same way. I've got to say as well, from supporting Man City, I see a lot of stuff from Erling Haaland, and this is who he is. but I think when it's from the context of a club side people are the light club side or they don't but coming here as a superstar for a nation that like not many people knew much about on this stage you get a chance to see who he is and that's with his snapchat which is hilarious him being on youtube and so on you realize he's a really normal person that just happens to have a superstar lifestyle as well can I tell you something very quickly so we've been doing a lot of sports center hits and stuff.

1:00:16You have, yeah. Well, we all have. And one of them, they were setting up the conversation about Erling Haaland and his golden locks. And they were, you know, he's doing this whole thing. And then, I don't know why the producer did this to me. It seemed like a personal shot. Then they came to me. Wait a minute. This is a mismatch. This is not fair. This is not fair. Obviously, he wins. It's brilliant. The great thing about Erling Haaland as well, especially when you've got little kids, is it's these kind of players that capture the kids' attentions and make them start really enjoying soccer, football.

1:00:50So thank you for that as well, Erling Haaland, because that's definitely the case. I bet your kids love him, Jules.

1:00:58Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, they're more Kylian Mbappe than Erling Haaland, but I think it's always great to see. Yeah, it absolutely is. OK, so let's talk about Norway if we can, Jules, and what they did, the celebrations, everything that we're seeing, the fact that they really did make this World Cup count for them. Yes, it's great. And I think we said it before the tournament that they were one of our dark horses, outsiders, you know, underdogs, call it what you want, because we knew they had talent. But again, it was a new experience for them, a new adventure. No Euros before, no World Cup before for this generation, for Stalus Stolbacke as well as a head coach.

1:01:35They learned very quickly. I think they also paid to learn against England in that quarterfinal. that could have gone their way if they maybe managed some moments in those games slightly differently. And then we don't need to go back over refereeing, etc. But, you know, I think they will learn a lot from what happened against England in that quarterfinal. Come back stronger. Now it's all about building on what happened in this tournament for the next Euros. And that Euros being in the UK is close from nowhere. They will have a lot of fans. They will have players who are two years older, two years better, two years more experienced too.

1:02:05And then the next World Cup, because now they should qualify for every of those tournaments. obviously every two years and like Jan put it on his social media so yesterday maybe one day they can organize the Euros with Sweden and you know with Denmark maybe like a joint organization bid if you want World Cup is a bit more difficult but build the right infrastructure keep producing those youngsters like you do having those academies you know the likes of Bodoglim keep thinking outside of the box like a lot of Norwegian clubs I've been doing lately and keep up that good work and it will pay off.

1:02:41There's no doubt about that. It does feel like this could be a turning point for Norwegian football, Shaka. Absolutely, and you would hope so. And given the time since they've qualified for a tournament, given the talent they've been able to put on the park in every single department, given the performances and how encouraging that is to youngsters involved in the game, to recognise their own abilities or certainly the potential of their abilities. This can very well be a pivotal moment in Norwegian football. I will also say, kind of recognising Trantobago's own feelings, that if you don't harness it immediately, and if you don't get that right, it can cave.

1:03:22It can crash in on itself. So I hope they do the right things, make the right decisions, and build on it as opposed to trying to live off of this euphoria. What a generation of players it is for them right now, Ale. We've seen that. Well, and that, I think, is the key. You have talent on the field. And talent on the field that will be around for a while longer. And so, while I agree with Xhaka that it's important that they harness this moment and grow from this moment, I think what's really key for them is that in this World Cup, they thought they had talent. But they proved it to themselves, on the field, on the big stage, that they belong on that stage.

1:04:02And that, I think, is invaluable. That, I think, is priceless. Because it's one thing to tell yourself we're good enough. It's another thing to prove it out on the field. And then to also look around and say, if we have that guy playing up top for us, we have a chance. If Martin Odegaard continues to play in the level that he is, we have a chance. We just have to continue to grow this talent and make sure we nurture it so that we're ready for the next time this World Cup comes around. Go get yourself on the wait list for a stuffed raccoon and go and check out our transfer page over on the website to keep up to date with everything that's going on in the transfer world.

1:04:36When we return, animal predictions. No raccoons, though, weirdly. They're all hiding.

1:04:48Be sure to be with us for NWSL action coming up between Gotham and Washington. Wednesday 8pm Eastern on ESPN.

1:05:01Pitch Preview is brought to you by DraftKings Sports. France against Spain coming up in the World Cup semi-final today and it's gone Spain's way in their previous two meetings in big tournaments in the Nations League in 2025. They beat them 5-4 and then we got to see them face off in 2024's Euros. Oh, you see the double movement. Oh, boy. That was a dip of the shoulder. Dip of the shoulder. Oh, wait a minute. Okay, all right. Oh, he feels strongly about that. Wait a minute. Oh, boy, okay. Okay, okay. Okay. What do we have on the plate? Well, France might be the bookies' favourites, but the animals seem to be going for Spain.

1:05:46It looks like a very fancy prosciutto going on there. This is a raccoon thing. That's what I want. That's the only thing that matters. Like Ale said, they're all hiding it. Julian Laurent is joining us for the predictions. I don't know why, because I think we all know what he's going to say. But we'll find out in a minute, okay? We'll start with you guys. Keep us guessing, Jules. Okay, all right. We're going to make this very quickly. I know France is the best team in this tournament. Wing. Are you kidding me? It's gone that way. That is the most important thing. My bracket. That's what I was going to say.

1:06:14It's his bracket. How could I forget? How could I forget? And I'm going to not support your bracket. I'm going to go away. I'm going to support my bracket. Selfish. I'm gonna support my bracket. Selfish as well. Alright, you know what? I was gonna go for France but something tacky. Jules, that's you. You did this. Alright, Jules. Which way, Jules? What do you think? I'm disappointed in you, really. Sorry. 2-1 for France, 2-1 back in Mbappé. I've seen the game already. Oh, you've seen it already. He's time traveller. Who knew? Okay. So many skills, Jules. But more importantly, he's disappointed in you.

1:06:50He's disappointed in Not Ali. No. He doesn't expect anything from me. You expect disappointment from Ali. That just says that he liked me. I don't know what it says about you, Ali. Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow with more ahead of the next semifinal. See you there. MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand. Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy all in one place. Sign up now for MLB.tv and the ESPN app. Separate subscriptions required. Blackouts and other terms apply.

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