Carrick's Rambunctious Red Devils

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26:32Another disappointing result to Anfield. This time, Liverpool currently manage a 1-1 draw against relegation threat in Burnley. It's a bit like City in a sense, isn't it? There shouldn't be any excuses. It's just not good enough. But it's just weird. No, but it's just not acceptable. It's not good enough. He had everything he wanted pretty much all right. He didn't get Mark Gay in the summer, right? But nobody thought that Kanati and Van Dijk in particular would have poor seasons and Kerkers would struggle. But, you know, he's got to address that, the manager. But he got pretty much everything else.

27:04I mean, they were just going to turn up and everybody else was going to get on their hands and knees and give them the Premier League trophy. So to see some of their performances this year, it's embarrassing. And I saw a stat earlier. It's the first time in Premier League history a reigning Premier League champion has failed to beat a promoted side at home. And they've drawn with Leeds, they've drawn with Burnley, they've drawn with Sunderland. There's nobody that turns up at Anfield and doesn't think they can win. And that's on the manager and the players. It's just not good enough. When Edward scores, you think, right, everyone's going to rally now.

27:43And I suppose we thought that all season. And there's just no response. We've talked about that glass chin that Liverpool have. Yeah, I mean, defensively, if you're playing against Liverpool, you know they're going to give you a chance. I mean, you just know. And regardless of how long you defend, like Burnley did today, when you know in the back of your mind that we can get at these, and we just need to get it right once. And that's pretty much what they did. They got it right probably twice in the game, and they took one of the chances. And then Liverpool have been doing, going forward, what they've been doing all season.

28:19There's no real combination play. There was a couple of times over the last two or three weeks when Frimpol has been playing that him and Verts have had a couple of... What are we doing in training up front to address this? Because as you say, we see it all the time. I would guarantee you in training, they're hitting the back of the net for fun. The problem is training and games are two different animals. You can set up in training... you know, ideally what you want is repetitiveness, right? And that means you're setting training up, you're doing exercises so that your forwards and your attacking players are hitting the back of the net.

28:55So that when they go into the game, they're confident. But of course, unfortunately, when you go into the game, the opposition stick people in front of you. And the opposition do things that they're not supposed to do. And so it completely changes the whole thing. But the biggest worry for me is there's no combinations with the forward players, really. you know it's all individual stuff and when it's all individual stuff then the percentages just go down in terms of creating chances and scoring goals and then when you can't defend then it just needs one break and all of a sudden you drop two points It's not even a big story anymore is it?

29:32No. That's the whole thing the order that we were looking at today it's different about Liverpool But it should be and maybe that's had, listen had Liverpool not won the Premier League last year and they did had they not they would have been dragging I think the Liverpool fans that is would have been dragging this manager through the coals the fact that he came in and they did play so well particularly for the first six months or seven months of the season domestically and took the Premier League by the scruff of the neck ok they fell away at the end but they'd already won it the fact that he did that is allowing him at the moment this leeway for all these performances.

30:15And he can thank his lucky stars he got that. Because had he not, and they had been just also-rans last year, he'd have been back in Holland by now looking at some of these results. We talked about it the other day, Stevie and I. Barring a disaster, he's going to get to the end of the season. But if this is a continuation next year, he hasn't got a snowball's chance of staying in that job. Not a chance. There's no sign of improvement. I think that's the thing, isn't it? There's no sign that what he's doing... Well, he's got the Salah issue. Yes. And again, next year, one year older. Van Dijk's starting to struggle one year older.

30:50So it doesn't get any easier when you get into your 30s like that and you start to struggle. It's much more difficult to have a bad season when you're 33, 34 and flick a switch and come back in the summer and have a great season. It's much easier to do that when you're 26, 27, 28. so if he can't address it the chances of the form of some of these players getting better next year is very slim Yeah, Oggy, the drop-off has been so stark and it's a question that none of us thought we were going to be having at the start of the season is questioning Slott's future especially with a certain former Liverpool player who just left his job at Real Madrid

31:31Yeah, I've got to be honest the backing for Slott amongst the fans it's beginning to wear a bit thin to be honest I think, you know, having been at games and spoke to, you know, some Liverpool fans that I know, they are losing patience with Slott. And it's almost like they don't want to, but they are doing, because they accept that, you know, he won the league last season and he had a, you know, a great year, first year after Klopp. But I think they accept now that it's not looking great. And you're right, Xabi Alonso's available, and Xabi Alonso is kind of the darling of the Liverpool fans. He was their first choice to replace Jurgen Klopp.

31:58And none of them had actually heard of Arne Slott, to be honest, when he got the job, but they all wanted Alonso. But he ruled himself out pretty quickly. So the fact that he's there, obviously he'll want a break and he'll want to kind of freshen up. But when the summer comes, I'd imagine he'll be available. So that doesn't work well for Arnaud Slot. So he has to get something out of this season. He has to start finding a way to deal with those issues that Craig addressed. And I think the big one, the Mo Salah thing won't be an issue next season. It'll have to be resolved either now, in the next two weeks, or in the summer.

32:25I don't see Mo Salah being at Liverpool next season. I really don't. He may not even be here for the rest of the season. I think he will be. But that hasn't been resolved, that situation. and he comes back from the African Nations on, I think, Monday or Tuesday. And, you know, what does Arnestlott do? They haven't lost a game since he dropped him, but obviously they haven't been beating teams and turning up any twos, but they haven't lost. Now, when he put Mo Salah back in the team, the issues that they dropped him for in the first place, the lack of work rate, the lack of goals, if that remains the case and it affects Florian Virts' kind of slow progress, then Mo Salah's a problem again.

32:56So Arnestlott's got a massive issue to address this when Mo Salah comes back. And it's kind of been brushed under the carpet a little bit. And I guess it's something that he's kind of dreading because, you know, the Mo Salah situation, it was a hard one to solve last time, so that could blow up in the next few days. And we'll be talking about Salah's future at Liverpool, of course, later on in the week when he returns from the Afrin Cup of Nations. I like things my way, my coffee, my schedule, and my treatment. So I talked to my doctor about self-injecting with the Vivgard Hytrulo pre-filled syringe, which contains F-Guard Tegamide Alpha and Hyaluronidase QVFC.

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34:54Is it fair to say the scoreline doesn't quite reflect what happened in this game? 100%. It was two mistakes. Certainly the second one from Collins, who put Kilhar, who's been brilliant, under pressure. If you watch this game, and I don't know, that's why I'm intrigued to know what Rosinha is going to say about it, or has said about it. Chelsea, and I don't say this lightly, they got battered, outplayed, for the bulk of this game. They had their moments. But if you'd have looked at these two sides and said, one of them lost three or four top players in the summer and the other one has spent millions, you'd have thought Chelsea had lost the players and Brentford had spent the millions because the way that Keith Andrews' side played was terrific.

35:41They sat Chelsea back on their heels. They punched Chelsea in the nose several times and they were frightened to press Brentford because they were playing around them. and they had, you know, the big fella up front who was always a threat, they had Jensen playing some stuff. They just played. This sounds strange because they lost. But they lost this game because they had two poor moments in the match and their finishing was very poor. And to be fair to Robert Sanchez, he was the stinker in midweek, but he made a couple of good saves. But in terms of what Liam Rossignor takes from this game, he takes three points.

36:20And run, is that basically it? And absolutely runs. Because if they play like this, Chelsea that is, most teams in the Premier League will beat them. And Brentford, who are our fifth, I think, going into this game, which is a testament to them with their squad, they played by far the better football in this game. They had the Chelsea fans moaning and groaning at home. The fact that they didn't score was down to them, but they completely bossed this Chelsea side. So I think there's a lot of questions there for Liam Roussignor about how he's going to approach the games and what he's going to bring to this Chelsea team.

36:58Because how they played today was a bit of a head-scratcher. Well, we saw how they're going to play against Arsenal midweek. I mean, it's open. And so, unless you're so dominant and you're creating and taking your chances, you're leaving yourself open. and a team like, I don't think we give Brentford enough kudos that they actually play some good football. We know that they compete and we know that they'll play the ball forward early if it needs to be. But in this game, they showed us actually they can knock the ball around. And so you have to ask yourself, what is the senior going to, is he going to keep playing open attacking football against everybody, home and away?

37:39Because if he does, it's going to be great to watch. But unfortunately, he's not going to get many wins. because that back line isn't capable of stopping most teams. So, Brentford, they're way better than I thought they were. I didn't give them enough kudos. But Chelsea, they're way too wide open. It's all this lovely, we're going to play football, Pata. Sometimes it doesn't work. And when it doesn't work, you have to change. And they never changed anything the whole game. Kudos to you. Thank you. Hoggy, any business that Chelsea will do now in the next couple of weeks? Well, they want a defender, but you never know with Chelsea because Chelsea seem to go into every window saying, we'll have a quieter window this time, we'll get to the last week of it, and they start throwing money around.

38:22So, you know, they do need a centre-half. They were looking at Mark Guay, but that was never going to happen with City and Liverpool in there. So I think they would look to do anything at the back end of the pitch. I think they're OK in a sacking centre. They've got a lot of wingers, a lot of forwards, but they need a centre-half. But whether they can find one or not, I'm sure they will because that's what they tend to do, but they are looking for a centre-half. Let's check out what else happened today in another new low, if you like, for Thomas Frank at Spurs. Tottenham taking on at West Ham.

38:49It would start badly, it would end even worse for the hosts. 15 minutes in and it'd be Somerville who would open the scoring, thanks to the deflection. Yeah, I mean, there's not an awful lot. Bacario can do it with this. Through bodies, sends him the wrong way. Into the second half, great header from Romero to make it 1-1. He's better at that end, isn't he? He's less of a liability when he's up there. I mean, at home against West Ham, my God. Connor Gallagher, signing from Atletico Madrid, what a warm welcome it is for him. On the next plane back to the Spanish capital, ball comes in. Varl will check for a handball here.

39:34Let's take a look at this. Fingertip. I mean, if it hits, it's a penalty, isn't it? You think it's a pen? It's hit him in the hands, it's part of your arm isn't it? No penalty given. Terry Simons here. That's a penalty isn't it? He's a frustrating player, I'm still thinking about the Invincibles. He's a frustrating player, I mean Tottenham. And then look at this, 93rd minute. Goalkeeper's a shocker. Callum Wilson. Goki had a complete nightmare, look at him. He has no idea where the ball is, flailing his arms all over the place. And then he starts crying about a free kick. That's a well used flag isn't it?

40:19Time for change at Spurs. Thomas Frank looking on frustrated as West Ham get a much needed victory of course in their quest for survival. Taking a look at what that means, they still sit in the relegation zone. Five still adrift of Nottingham Forest. for Spurs they sit 14th they don't have to worry about relegation but Thomas Frank most definitely has to worry about his future he's a dead man walking in need Mark Yeah I think he is and it's because it's the fans that have turned against Thomas Frank way before the club have lost patience I think the club would like to stick with him but the fans are booing him off every game the fans just don't like him, they don't like his football they think he just doesn't get the Tottenham way and we know that the Tottenham way is to play a certain style of football and, you know, it's cost a lot of managers the job at Tottenham, but he just doesn't fit there and I think that's the issue.

41:10I think next week they've got Burnley away, which is, you know, they have to win that game if Thomas Frank's still in charge. If you look at the games they've got in February, they've got United and City, they've got Arsenal and Newcastle, so he really, really needs to get a result next week if he's still there, but I think the case is that the fans have turned. It's a case of Tottenham. Can they find somebody who can replace him until the end of the season? Then they can do this, you know, search for a manager in the summer, but they're in a bit of a mess Tottenham. They really are. They're not going to be in a relegation battle.

41:38It's like last season, isn't it? They're way down the bottom half of the table, not at risk of relegation, but going nowhere. I think Thomas Frank is going to be very, very lucky to see out the season if he sees out the month. It's results and it's performance, isn't it? I mean, they're not borderline unwatchable. They're just unwatchable. Look at the expected goals, for instance, in that game against West Ham. West Ham, who are one of the worst teams thus far in the league going forward, they are so blunt going forward, they don't create many chances. We're almost double Tottenham at home. And it's not an anomaly.

42:15And it's OK being, you know, you look at Brentford. Stevie talked about, you know, we were talking about Brentford and how they played some really good football. That's a sea change for how they did it. They're starting to play some good football. They're seeing what Keith Andrews is working on in the training field. What got Thomas Frank, his name at Brentford, was sitting in, was physicality, was long balls over the top for Mbomo, and it was Ivan Toni before, and Johan Wiese, who had run in behind. It was Norgad in the middle, they were digging away. And that was okay for Brentford. That was okay, but he's gone into Tottenham, and he's tried to do something similar.

42:51And at the start of the season, it was all right. Man City away, you thought, well, organised, City away, not much possession, that's clever. But when you're playing that way against some of the poorer teams in the Premier League at home and you're not getting results, the only way to satisfy supporters when you're watching such dire football is when they leave a ground and they got three points. It's a bit like when Mourinho was at the end of his tether at a few clubs. The only way you can sell that type of football to supporters is victories and success. there is nobody buying football like that when the results are not there.

43:29That's the only thing that's going to keep you alive. When your performances are as dull as Tottenham's are then there has to be something tangible on the league table and there is not. Spurs fans want Xavi Alonso, Mark.

43:44Xavi Alonso for Tottenham? No, I'm not so sure about that. I think, I mean, Ryan Mason's available again. He lost his job at West Bromwich and Ryan Mason could step in for the rest of the season. But, yeah, I mean, you know, Spurs have got... And the problem that Tottenham have got is if they do get rid of Thomas Frank, they're up against Man United who are looking for a manager as well. So that will automatically diminish their chance of getting a coach. Real Madrid might want a permanent manager soon. So Tottenham are going to be looking at, you know, there's going to be fifth or sixth choice with these top managers.

44:11So, again, that's an issue. So I do think Oliver Glas is a chef for Tottenham, but whether he wants to risk his reputation, I'm not too sure. Anything you want to add, Stephen? No, you're done. When your own fans at home are singing, you're getting sacked in the morning, you're in trouble. Just a reminder, plenty more reaction to what we've seen across the board over on our YouTube channel. Be sure to go to ESPN FC and subscribe. It wasn't exactly the perfect start of the season, was it, for Alba O 'Alba Loa losing in the Copa del Rey? Well, it was the first home La Liga game today as Real Madrid took on Levante.

44:44For more on this, here's Kean Ali. Thanks, Dan. And so the big question was, how would the Bernabeu respond? And I think we all knew the answer to that, Ale. Not very well is the answer. Not very well is the answer. But what else did you expect today when they went back home after getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey? And of course, that loss in the Supercopa, all of the players were booed in the huddle. The white hankies were out, as you can see here. There were jeers when the players' names were called upon the screen. Each one of them was booed. But it wasn't until the second half that Real Madrid actually got it together.

45:19And it all started when they earned a penalty through Kylian Mbappe. A little step over action. De La Fuente goes down. Mbappe anticipates that the contact is coming. Drags his feet. There is contact. It is a penalty. Kylian Mbappe takes on the responsibility. No issues. No problem. Looking pretty fit in this game. Active. Quick. Adagouler came on in the second half and from the corner sets up this Raul Asensio the header. Raul Asensio does well in attacking the ball gets above the defender it's a really good header as well two nothing and one of the few players that was actually met some with some positive vibes.

46:02Yes they were not the big names though it's fair to say there you say, Quarantino resigned. Some of the signs out there in the stadium. Luis Garcia has been watching it with us today as well. So it was a win and they did what they had to do, Luis, but there's still that little but, isn't there? Yeah, exactly. We were expecting a punch from the very beginning, a statement of Real Madrid from the first minute, but in the moment that they hear the whistle, I think their confidence went and dropped so much because we saw some of the big names. No one did the ball, not facing 1v1 players. We're talking about Vinicius Jr.

46:39on the left side, trying to, but not really accomplishing. We saw Juve Bellingham also maybe in the second half a little bit better when Artagule got involved, when Mastantono got involved, when Teballo got involved. They brought a spark on the field and a creativity that he was lacking in the first 45 with Kamabing and Tremenni being kind of stuck into the middle. Yes, well done on recovering the ball, but not really bringing the ball in good condition to the players up front. So in the end, it's a so-so. Yeah, it's a good result. Important to try to build on that. It's the second game of Arbelola.

47:12Actually, it's got three days to plan this game and to looking forward to the next one. But definitely not what we were expecting because of the energy, because of the intensity and the fight that we were all looking forward to see the Real Madrid on the Bernabeu. They were ready to put on a test to these Real Madrid players. So, yeah, so-so, and let's see if we can see better in the coming games against Monaco, Villarreal, or even Benfica. Now, he didn't leave any of his big names out today, but which of the big names impressed you today, if any, Ale? Impressed? Well, that is a loaded question, Kane.

47:51I suppose you're impressed by the fact that Kylian Mbappe has miraculously recovered from his injury and was ready to play 90 minutes today. But as it pertains to the other big names, I must say, in that first half, they were more concerned about, man, if I hang on to this ball any longer, they could not whistle any more than they have so far. So what they did was, let me get rid of it. Let me get rid of it. As long as I don't have the ball, I'm not getting whistled. There were players, and we talk about how Santiago Bernabéu affects, in terms of pressure, the visiting players. Today, Santiago Bernabéu were affecting their own players.

48:26In the first half, these guys were afraid to play. You watch a guy like Dean Hausen, when the ball comes to him, like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don't want any of this. Not for me. Huh? A guy like Vinny. Luis just referenced that. Is he taking players on 1v1 situation? No. Sideways and back. Let me get rid of this ball. And it was happening across the board. Duke Bellingham just playing the ball straight out of bounds. The pressure and the whistling of their own fans got to this player. And it wasn't until we got players that were not involved in the first half, like Arda Guler, that comes on the field, and he starts playing the ball forward and penetrating passes and finding spaces in behind, that Real Madrid got better with a different type of energy, with a different type of intensity, and guys that were not affected by the environment because they were not being whistled as much as the big-timers were, in particular, Vinny Jr.

49:15The whistling kind of went away, kind of, went away in the second half to most players because Real Madrid were playing better, because they were scoring goals, because they were winning the game. It didn't matter with Vinny Jr. At the end of the game, even when he was dribbling players and trying to take shots on or whatever, the whistles were still there. There is a disconnect right now between Vinny Jr. and his fans that I think is the fans demanding something from him. It's not Xavi Alonso's fault anymore. It's now on you, Vinny Jr. You need to show us something. We're demanding something from you.

49:51It hasn't happened just yet. And I think to some degree, Vinny Jr. was kind of like, why are they still whistling? So much so like towards the end, he's kind of clapping to the fans, hoping that the fans were going to clap back. They're like, no, we're going to keep whistling until you show us something. And I think this is true for the rest of the team. They need to show more than they did today. The first half was horrendous. Second half slightly better. But they need to build on this as we face forward and think of what this thing can be going forward. They have to be exponentially better than what they were today.

50:27Yes, absolutely. Vinny Jr. finding out that it doesn't matter what your name is at the Bernabeu, you can still get whistles. So now Real Madrid are within a point of Barcelona. But of course, Dan, Barcelona will be playing tomorrow. And that game, of course, live on ESPN. And past me and Craig, we'll be taking you through it as they take on Real Social Advoc game at 2.30 Eastern. This college basketball tournament moment is brought to you by Marriott Bonvoy. In the 2019 NCAA tournament, 12-seeded Murray State was led by projected lottery pick John Morant. In the opening round against fifth-seeded Marquette, Morant put up a rare triple-double, scoring 17 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds.

51:10Obviously, I wouldn't be able to get the triple-doubles without my teammates making shots. He followed that with 28 points against fourth-seeded Florida State. Marriott Bonvoy, where game day checks in. Clinton Yates here. Game day brings the excitement. Your stay should feel just as memorable. With Marriott Bonvoy, official hotel partner of the NCAA and U.S. soccer, you're connected to a portfolio of brands designed for how you travel. Some offer complimentary breakfast. Others give you room to spread out, space to stay productive, or extended stay comforts. So whether you're a traveling fan or part of the team, Marriott Bonvoy celebrates the moments that live on before and after the game.

51:47Marriott Bonvoy, where game day checks in. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin? Or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews, all on the Thumbtack app. Download today. Bayern were 1-0 down against the Leipzig. Boy, did they turn it on in the second half, though. They would win by five goals. So one Harry Kane amongst the goalscorers, he spoke to us after the game.

52:29Well, we'll be brutally honest. at half-time, we thought a reaction was coming. We didn't think that was coming. Did you? Well, I think, you know, this season, second parts of the game, you know, the last 30 minutes of games, I feel like we've grown in a lot of those. I think when the space gets a little bit bigger and we have the squad that we have and the subs that we make, you know, the energy stays high, the intensity gets even more almost, and then we punish them. They were still dangerous, you know, Manu had to make some really good saves in the second half as well, so it was one of those games where it was on a tipping edge and then once we got ahead and then obviously the third we kind of just pushed on from there and really just kind of set a standard that we've been doing all season.

53:09What did the managers say at half-time? He was quite calm to be honest I think although obviously they had more chances than us we felt like there was moments where the pass was just an inch too far or an inch too slow and we had moments ourselves so and we knew as the game would go on the spaces would still be there and we just had to be a bit more cleaner with the ball especially when we recovered it about them first one or two passes to get out of there kind of counter press and we've done that well second half and then obviously we took our chances when they came. How much does it elevate the squad shooting game when you're coming up against Manuel Neuer in training?

53:44Yeah I mean Manu is incredible honestly to obviously share the pitch with him but also to watch him train every day. 39 years young you know he's still bouncing about small sided games finishing practice it's easy for him to probably just go inside after he's done his goalkeeper training but he's always there with us and and you saw today we needed him he made some really big saves and in the big moments and and helped us win the game life of a striker includes a nice slip from your opponent sometimes what was going through your head when you saw the slip was it yeah it was kind of a quick reaction to be honest I expected him to just head it away and then yeah just come at my feet really quickly and the touch was really good from my point of view i talk a lot about the touch before the finish and it kind of set me up i took another one and i was able to kind of put it across from that distance it's more just about power and thankfully uh it went in and he called it by and doos i don't know if you've heard that expression before but he said immediately it's by and do so what's that so so it's by and get it is seen in germany let me say first of all this in in germany that boy and sometimes have a piece of luck that will go their way okay mind you not this season it's very different this season no He has thrown me so far under the bus here.

54:55I'm not complaining. And he was buzzing when the fifth goal went in because my prediction was 4-1. So just to make that clear. Thank you very much for doing that, Thomas. I was going to say, you can go. Thank you very much. It's a part of the right, aren't they? 11 points clear at the top of the tail. Borussia Dortmund win today, but they still remain very much the underdogs to catch. Companies side. Action continues from Stuttgart, Union Berlin, Oldsburg, Freiburg live on ESPN+. That is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. Mark Ogden will be returning. Craig and Stevie are obviously here as well to answer your questions on Extra Time, which is coming up now.

55:43Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Thank you for your questions. We welcome Mark Ogden, Stevie Nicholl, Well Craig first question for you, why is Haaland always so invisible in important games? Well he isn't. Not every game. I think his record would tell you that but I will say one thing, there were a couple of ex-man United players and not for the first time, embarrassed themselves this week. Well yeah, Scoles and Butt who came out and said Haaland would pick Martinez up like a I think Nicky Bott said he'd pick him up and run with him, Martinez, and if you look back Actually, Martinez's record when he's been in a team against the Haaland team, whether it be Dortmund against Ajax or United against City, I think he's got one goal in the seven games.

56:31So, you know, whether you think Martinez is the greatest or not, he's an aggressive little player and just because he's small doesn't mean Haaland's going to have his way with him because he's not. But a lot of that Haaland stuff wasn't just about him today. as it hasn't been in a lot of the games. This is not the first United game where he's had little... They've had lots of possession, although they didn't have as much today as normal. And he's had very little ball. And it's... No, they're tippy-tappy football at times. But, yeah, I mean... But when he did get the ball up to his feet, it wasn't off.

57:08He wasn't great. But this notion that he never does it in the big games is just not correct. Stevie, you've obviously been critical of Martinez and his size. No, he played well today. Yeah. Yeah, he played well today, yeah. But the one thing he gives them, he can pass it out from the back. You know, probably his best. We can argue about his defender and his height. But the one thing he'll bring to that side is those pacey balls he plays for with in two feet. He's very good at that. Er, Oggy, there are going to be so many overreactions to United win, but is there anything Carrick can show that could earn him the permanent job?

57:48Tactics, positive performances against teams that allow United more possession, getting more out of the squad?

57:57Well, we're going to get to that point now, where they've beaten City today, if they get a result at Arsenal next week, there will become a momentum and it will be a case of, you know, does he deserve the job? And I guess if the tactics are good, if the performance is good, if they get players playing much better than they were in the past manager then he will be considered now United have been kind of scarred by what happened with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he did really well they gave him the job it dropped off and then he persisted with him for like three years and it was obvious it was never gonna go to a different level but I suppose you can't compare Michael Carrick to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he's a different character at a different level altogether he's been a bit more open-minded about the coaching staff because when Ole was there he wouldn't add better coaches to his staff whereas Michael Carrick from day one has said we need a better coach, he brought in Steve Hollander I guess has been around the block who will have a big impact so you know Michael Carrick's different to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and if he gets the run of results then what will count in his favour is that he will be cheaper than a Thomas 2, Cloracalo and Cilotti and there'll be a popular appointment with the fans so if you're Ineos or the Glazers you think right who's cheap, who's popular, Michael Carrick, that's how it'll work in his favour.

59:04it's pretty straightforward really. If Kamek gets them to be at it consistently the way they were today, then it's up to you up the stairs to get him better players. Surely if he gets them to produce what they did today, regardless of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or anybody else, if he gets them to do that, he would deserve the job. But then they've got to get better players. It's pretty simple if you ask me. For Stevie, what are the three major positions Liverpool need to strengthen in the summer? Well, centre-back is pretty much the obvious one. We could probably do with two, never mind one. I think if they brought a real midfielder in as well, I don't think Curtis Jones is a starter in Liverpool's best 11.

1:00:01So who would you have from the world? From the world? I don't have anything at the top of my head, but, you know, the Solvers' Lie, McAllister and Gravenberg, no question, were fantastic last year. Hasn't quite worked this year for whatever reason. I think they need somebody who's going to really shove one of them out to get them back to where they were. And I don't think Curtis Jones does that, so I would say a certain midfielder. And I think they need somebody in the wide areas, because obviously Mo's going to go somewhere. He'll, as Augie says, probably not this, but the summer. And Gakpo's becoming a little predictable.

1:00:38So I would look for a wide attacking forward. Greg, West Ham are only five points off Forest. Who gets relegated?

1:00:51Between those two. If it was between those two, and Leeds have got a couple of good results, they've got, I think, their three points ahead of Forest. I would say at the moment, still West Ham. At the moment. Big result for them today, obviously. Between the two of them right now, I'd probably still say West Ham are, even though they're behind in points, they're still a more vulnerable team, I'd say. I mean, don't forget, Forest just beat them in London. Yeah, that's true. It wasn't a great game. Augie, was Manchester United actually that bad during December, or were they just missing Ahmad and Mbwemo?

1:01:29I mean that is a good question but they were that bad, I mean they were definitely missing on Bumo, I think that the Wolves game was the one that showed you that no matter who was playing that Ruben Amarin was just going up a blind alley because they had their great result against Newcastle with four at the back, Wolves game comes a team that hadn't won all season and he goes back to three at the back and he's had a terrible performance, I think nine defensive players so I think no matter who the players are, the coach is the one that picks the players and you know we saw some bad results with Mbouma and Ahmed in the team anyway.

1:01:58So I think they were pretty bad in December and it was pretty much down to the head coach for picking the tactics and the players that he did. Mark, why doesn't Manchester United want to spend any money this transfer window to solidify their chances of getting a Champions League spot? Well they had the money to do Antoine Semenyo. If Semenyo had wanted to go to Man United they could have done the deal at£65 million. But the reason why they're not going to spend it elsewhere is that they believe that they need midfielders and the ones that they want the ones that are good enough they feel aren't available this window so elliot anderson adam walt and carlos belaba in united's eyes are not available so why why dip into your money now on people that aren't quite what you want and dilute your spending power in the summer so that's their their logic but obviously if they spent 50 60 million pound now on a couple of players that would make them better like they haven't got a right back who's any good apart from masravi who's a wing back so they've no cover for Dalli, you need a right back.

1:02:55I guess you still need to bring Redfield in, but their argument is that if you spend that money now, it means that we might not get the player that we want in the summer. So that's their view of it. But obviously, if they spend now in getting the Champions League, they'll have more money to spend on the players they want in the summer. Time to replace Slott with Xavi is the final question, Stevie. No. Why not?

1:03:20Well,

1:03:23What did Xavi do at Real Madrid to fill anybody with any confidence? I mean, he didn't do anything. But could anyone have done anything at Real Madrid? Well, that's a question I can't answer for you. All I know is that managers are based on what they do. So if you were starting a new club, you had to choose a manager between Arnaz Slott and Xavi Alonso. You would choose Arnaz Slott. Well, it's not that straightforward. Right, straightforward question. Well, it's not. I think it is. Well, it's not. It is. No, well, honest. So, so Xavi, Xavi Alonso had a bunch of players who were kind of unknowns, but were all together.

1:04:02They were all young. They listened to everything he said. He got them all together. Got them playing. It was fantastic. Oh, yeah, Xhaka's young. Jonathan Taj's young. So it's a completely different ball game when you take over one of the so-called top clubs. Craig was addressing him. Well, you don't normally listen to anything he says anyway, so why would you listen now? Don't start getting gnarly at me because he's proved your point. What do you mean he's proved my point? Wrong. Wrong. Take your time. Cut. No, Xavi got a bunch of kind of mostly unknowns, mostly, and turned them into a team. So what Anaslop did with Liverpool was more impressive?

1:04:41Last season, that's what you're saying? You're trying to be clever. I'm not trying to be clever. I'm just telling you that Xavi took over a bunch of players that nobody was expecting and he turned them into something fantastic. And Arsenal took over a team. It's a fantastic story. Do you want me to answer this or do you want to just keep butting in? No, it's okay. I just feel like I just need to add a little bit. So you want to go on then? No, I've finished. So you're saying Xavi Alonso's a bad manager now? That's what you're saying. Sorry, Dan. What are you trying to say? I am saying that Xavi Alonjo got a group of players and come up with an incredible story and got them together to play some incredible football.

1:05:21But when he took over a bunch of superstars, he couldn't handle it. So why would you give him another big job like Liverpool? Really? That's your stance on this? So when it comes to summer and he's hired, that's going to be your stance? He doesn't deserve the job because he can't take it. I didn't say that. You said that. You said that. That's exactly what he doesn't say. No, I didn't. If he doesn't work again. If I'm picking in the world and Xavi's one of them, certainly you think about it, but I'm also going to look at... So would I be completely stupid to look at Real Madrid and say, well, that's nothing to do with Xavi.

1:06:01It's because it's Real Madrid. So is that your answer? No, of course not. Well, it sounds like it. That's exactly what you said. I have given you the option of Arnazlaut and Xavi Alonso, and you've danced around this answer for some reason. What do you mean for some reason? I don't know why. Because it's not a straightforward yes or no, right? But you still haven't given me an answer. I'm not giving you an answer. He can show me your answer. I can't wait till Alonso gets appointed and he goes, I have a really good appointment this. I know, it's going to be brilliant. I can't wait. Well, they all have forgotten what he said anyway.

1:06:34I can't wait completely. I don't know why you get so gnarly about a simple question. it's the simple ones that get them it's the person answering the question that's the problem I just love all those unknowns at Leverkusen that's it thank you very much oh wow you knew them aye so you did oh Granit Xhaka Florian Fettles Jonathan Tarr one Primpong oh you know them now you know them now because you sat and watched them for two years you wouldn't when you went there you wouldn't have been able to tell me three of them I just told you four I'm going to be flinging all the names I just told you four.

1:07:08Yeah, right. Been watching him for three a year. Are you back tomorrow, Stephen? I hope not. Probably for the best. Are you, O'Don, are you back? Me and Emma are doing it. I think I'll be sick tomorrow. I can feel it. Wow. Who's in tomorrow? Who's in tomorrow? Who's in tomorrow? So why are you sick then? I'm sick of you. And I'm getting sick of you and all. Good. So I won't be in tomorrow, regardless. Well, you're not on the schedule. I'll definitely not be in there so there you go there's no need to be sick Augie anything you'd like to say before we go Augie's still there Augie who are you giving the job to slot a Xavi Alonso well when I was talking to somebody about the Man United situation during the week we kind of went off topic a bit and we were talking about Xavi Alonso and how he wouldn't be a Man United coach anyway it was put to me that Xavi Alonso will end up at Bayern Munich this summer because Vincent Kompany would go to Manchester City.

1:08:08So I don't know if Liverpool are going to get but that's the story I was told in midweek. Oh, OK. There we go. You can poo-poo that. Well, we don't want him anyway. That's it. ESPN FC. Well, why would... You know... Why would Bayern Munich? You know, he just... He just failed at Real Madrid. Funnily. Oh, dear. That is it. We will be back tomorrow to reflect on Barcelona against Real Sociedad plus a couple of rubbish games in the Premier League. No. Who's playing tonight? Villa. Villa are playing and Everton are playing and Wolves are playing. Right. Thank you.

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