Early Concern for Spain + France gears up for its opener vs Senegal

25:55They can be because they're going to be strong and physical. They're going to be well-organized. They can counter-attack as well. But it's up to France to do what Spain didn't do. And that was, and I was talking about it on the sandbox, Mbappe and Dembele at times have to make runs in behind right from the start of the game and put Senegal under pressure. Get the wide players on the ball to go past people. Play at a high intensity. Play a forward-thinking game right from the start of the game. Get yourself one thing up, and then you can pass the ball. then you can control the pace of the game, start the game quickly.

26:22That's what France have to do. That is what France have to do indeed. Well, Rabo was there and Jules Rabo, not just Rabo, rather Frank, called Senegal the African champions. I hope all Morocco fans are covering their eyes and ears. But the last time we did see Senegal in action in a big game, it was the AFCON final. And boy, Jules, there was a lot of drama in this one. I mean, so much drama, Alexis, that is still not over yet. We still don't know who won this game actually and who are the African champions. We're waiting for Kass to come up with their verdict on is it Morocco, is it Senegal. Remember the Senegalese player leaving the pitch because they were not happy with a penalty that was awarded for Morocco.

27:03Relating to the game, Sadio Mane is the one that stayed, called everybody back in. It was messy. In the end, the game finished. Brian Diaz missed a penalty. Pap Gay scored the goal, the winning goal in the end for Senegal, who got the trophy, who got all the medals, who got the parade in Dakar. And now, Kafe has decided that he had to be Morocco. So, we will see. But what that game showed, apart from the drama, what that game showed to Robbo's point and Frank's point, that's how strong this Senegalese team is. Mentally, physically, technically, tactically. Pap Thieu, who, by the way, was there in O2, was on the bench, has turned this team into a really solid team in every aspect of their play.

27:46They've got good depth as well. If you think about any Liman Ndiaye, for example, who we expect to be on the bench today, coming off the bench, for example, after an hour to replace Mane or Ismail Assal, somebody like that. So they've got depth. They've got confidence. They've got momentum. It's a really tricky game for France, but I think it would be an amazing game, really, because the French know that they can't really take this for granted. They will have to step up. Amazing game indeed is what awaits us. Let's have a look at how Senegal have done in World Cups. Because for France, it may be just another World Cup game.

28:15But for Senegal, it's a reminder of that result, what they did in 2002 when they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sporting history, upsetting the then-champions France. They went on to go all the way to the quarterfinals in that one. Well, I've been hanging out with Anscapes' Bill Roden, helping him understand why some games are bigger than what we see on the pitch. And he got to experience the hope of the Senegalese fans firsthand when they faced the USA a few weeks ago. I'm Bill Roden with ESPN AntScape, and I'm here in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the friendly between Team USA and Senegal.

28:49I'm here because my colleague at ESPN, Alexa Nunez, challenged me. He said, Roden, if you're going to be covering the World Cup, you've got to get boots on the ground. You've got to be here in person to soak up this great environment. Bill, please remember, it is football, not soccer. So, here I am. Hey, ondra rama, assalamu alaikum. Okay, now... Yawfodjududu Senegal. Yawfodudu Senegal. What do I need to know about Senegal? Senegal, it's a Teranga country. Teranga means everything given. Hospitality, yeah. Teranga means hospitality, you know? We are humble people. We like to give, we like to share.

29:36That's our filter. We love sport, especially we love soccer. Like me, if you ask me when did I start playing soccer, I cannot tell you. I was born with it. Our way to play soccer is always going forward. Give everything we got and win the game. So how do you feel about Senegal being in the World Cup? All the best players is from Senegal East. For example, Stardumane, Unabani, Piqui Sagan again. How far do you think they're going to go? I think they're going to go to the final. Yeah. Yes, I do. Well, we have a big team and we feel confident. We win the last Cup of Africa. That's why we think we can win the—we can take the Cup for this world.

30:22Where were you in 2002 when Senegal upset France, and the biggest upset in World Cup history? Where were you then? I was in Atlantic, Georgia. It was the best day in my life. Do you think you could do it again this year? I guess. We're going to do the same what we do in 2000. Oh, really? Yeah. All right. You know, I believe my team, so I know they are the best. We have the best player in the world. We're going to win again because... You're going to beat them again? Again, man. I would think it's better than 2000. Wow. You're better. Yeah. And I believe Selegal is going to beat first 1-0. Trust me.

30:571-0? Okay. Yes, it's going to be 1-0 again. We're gonna whoop them! All right. Yes, sir. We're gonna whoop them. And today, we're gonna whoop USA! Go, go, go! Go, go, go! Senegal, go! I love the American team. They are good players, but the Senegal is the best. Try, buddy! Try, buddy! Senegal, Senegal! Beat the USA! Go Senegal! Woo! Senegal, la yaro! It was Senegal! The Senegalese are excited, and I'm excited. I'm excited to talk to more players, to more countries, about how they feel about representing not just the city, but how they feel about representing their country. This has been great, and I look forward to taking you guys on the journey with me.

31:51Well, Senegal actually only gained independence from France back in 1960, which is why what they did on this day in 2002, beating our Frank Leboeuf and his friends, who are reigning European and world champions, was such a big moment. Frank, tell us about that day, and what was the shock like that you experienced? Well, just for us, it was just like a defeat. So it was a bad one. And I think we hit the post, but it wasn't our day. And Senegal played very, very well. You know what? But that's crazy because we had to respect that defeat. We had to respect our opponent because we have something very special with Senegal.

32:32I had a fan club in Dakar. That was absolutely crazy. And we had to not try to find any excuses about the defeat and put Senegal first. And it's what we did because we weren't good enough. Senegal has been good and deserve to win. And that's the end of the story. We, I think, were at the end of an era. We were unfortunate. We had, like this World Cup, we had three unbelievable strikers who didn't score one goal during the three games, the three first game. Thierry Henry, Nicolas Saletka, and David Trouzeguet. It wasn't their fault. It was a collective problem that we had. And again, against Senegal, we weren't good.

33:16We had to play five days before against Korea. We were absolutely tired. But again, after the game, we just said, well done, Senegal, because that was only fair. And it's going to be a special game. It's how our cousins and Jules alluded it because of the history of the two countries, because the amount of people living in France were before Senegalese. So it's a special game. Whoever is going to win is going to be congratulated and deservedly applauded. Yep, like I said, this is a game that means more than just football. Let's have a look at the odds though. France still very much favourites to win this one as they are also joint favourites with Spain to win the entire World Cup.

34:03So let's get some predictions. Jules, what do you say? I really think it's going to be tight and tricky and physical. I don't think it's going to be a great game in itself, football-wise. But I think France would just edge it 1-0. All right, Frank, Jules is going for the 1-0 narrow victory for Le Bleu. What say you? Well, I refuse to follow what I've seen lately with all the draws, you know, between everybody for the beginning of that World Cup. I want to say 3-1 for France. I want to believe that our crazy attack forward line will make the difference. So 3-1 for France. All right, so victories for France all around.

34:42Jules, Frank, thank you so much for joining us. Make sure to join the crew of Dan, Stevie, Natum, and Frank will be back as well after the France-Senegal game live on YouTube for a reaction. Well, after the break, the long wait is over. Messi is in action tonight with Argentina and Norway will make their long-awaited return to the big stage. 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.

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36:00Welcome back. And speaking of being back, the Vikings are back. Norway for the first time since France 98. return to action on the world's biggest stage. This is Norway's performances at their last World Cups. And let's welcome in our favorite Viking, shall we? Even though he's in very demure clothing today, but Jan Agafjortov, a former Norway international himself. Jan, the Vikings are back. And I am an original Viking. I'm born in West Norway. My nearest neighbor is Iceland. then come Greenland, then come America. And we discovered America as the first Europeans over 1 ,100 years ago. The Vikings are back, and I'm there in my mind.

36:46He is there in his mind indeed. So how much are Norway coming for Iraq today? Well, you know, if you only take the euphoria in Norway, 28 years you said it, I mean, then we're discussing who we're going to meet in the final. I mean, that is the optimism in a small nation like Norway. But we've also seen, and that worries me, because now just hours before our first game against Iraq, I'm turning into a fan. And a fan is always worrying. You see Cape Verde, you see Qatar, you see what it can do. You see goalkeepers have the games of their lives and all those kind of things. But I think the boys have had a good preparation.

37:25They had a good reality check against Morocco in their friendly just before the World Cup. So I think they're ready for it. But I've been there before. I was there in 94. Vikings don't like heat. So we'll see how things are going. They have to take off their helmets and their big clothes because we have to beat Iraq today when you see the group we're in. Yeah, yeah. And we know that the Vikings don't like heat. But Erling Haaland does like to bring the heat on the pitch indeed. He's had enough time. He's been working on his tan here, getting used to it. What are the expectations of him? not just today, but leading this Norway team in this World Cup.

38:01And he's the original Viking, isn't he? You can imagine some ships going to America, and he would be in the front as a captain, as a king. But you know how Erling is like? Against Morocco, he touched the ball four times. Four. Zero, four. But when you see his stats, he's always there. I like what I see in training from him. I like his mood. You can see he's in a bubble. you know we're so depending on him because we need him to get scoring. Because we've been lucky in the qualification, we had a great qualification, but Erling and a couple of other players managed to kind of hide our weaknesses.

38:39So we need Erling going. And I think that you will see with this World Cup, you need your key players to produce. And our key player, well, that is Erling Haaland. Well, if I could give Norway the World Cup trophy for one thing, Jan, It would be for the pre-tournament photo shoot. Because like I said, the Vikings are back and the players pretty much had a nice nod to their Viking culture with this photo shoot. And it was absolutely brilliant. Robbo, I know you love this. No, I don't love it particularly. Well, Robbo, we got into a... We even gave you some hair as well. Oh, no, no. That doesn't look great.

39:19But I do like Norway as a team. and if they're to do well in this tournament, I think they've got to, and Jan just said it, Erling Haaland touched the ball four times against Morocco. You've got to play to your strengths. When they try to play up from the back against Morocco, they get them getting caught on the ball. Be direct. Get Soylot playing alongside Erling Haaland. Get the ball into those players and they can cause damage because Erling Haaland has the potential, Jan might say he's already there, has the potential to be the best centre forward in world football. He's got all the attributes, But you cannot be the best player in the world if you're only touching the ball four, five, six, seven times.

39:55Even though his goal record is fantastic. I want to see him be the player he can be, which is hold the ball up. He can run down the sides. He's going to score goals. He's an outstanding player. Yeah, now we know that Robbo is a bit of a soft Englishman. But how do you think he would fare as a Viking, especially when we gave him hair? I think that's Martin Odegaard's hair, too. Well, first of all, I do understand that Robbo is a bit afraid of Vikings. because the first place we went to was England back in the day. So I do understand that. I think Robbo will be a great Viking. He showed us throughout his career that he was a good Viking.

40:29And I think the afraid Viking of England makes a good point. We have to get him involved. We have to get Sirloot involved because he's almost the key there in front because Erling doesn't want to play with a partner up front, but the national coach Solbarkin still managed to find a place for Alexander Söhrlund and he will say, call yourself a midfielder but you are a sector striker, but don't tell Erling. And he's been very clever in the qualification doing that, scoring goals. So he has to make that space available. But I think that we will see a different Erling now in the first game of the tournament.

41:09You also see the midfielders that we have. We have Noosa who's been playing better for Norway and he's been playing in Leipzig. You also have Martin Odegaard that is reported fit for this tournament. So, well, we do look forward to it, but it's also a bit worrying because we know, and you had a great talk with Frank and Jules about France and Senegal, two great, great teams in our group. This is not an easy group. I was in USA. We had all four teams at four points back in the days. We called it a group of death and this could be the group of death. And if we don't win this first game, well, the Vikings, I'm not saying we have to return, but still Robbo and his likes will have an advantage, the guys who are fighting the Vikings.

41:53Yep, it's going to be an exciting day indeed with Norway in action, but also because Lionel Messi and the reigning champions Argentina are in action today. And this is what everyone has wanted to see, Robbo, especially as Messi makes his way into a record sixth World Cup. Yeah, he's obviously the key player. I don't think Argentina are a particularly great side at the moment. They've still got some players left over from four years ago that are aging and aren't quite so good. But Lionel Messi, we hope, we hope has an effect on the game because he's still the most outstanding player we've ever seen, I think.

42:29Argentina are always... Lionel Messi is the name in lights, of course. It's how everybody fits in around Lionel Messi. You saw... Well, you saw them drop the ball in that regard in their opening game against Saudi Arabia. I want to see Argentina start a whole lot stronger. I want to see the support for Messi. While I say that, I do share Robbo's concerns that this is a team that's four years older and I'm not sure can repeat as they did in Qatar. Jan, what do you think about this Argentina and Messi? Well, I think if I want to put my football philosophy in one package and take everything together, I'm in Argentina.

43:09because they have the hardness of defenders. They have the technique. They have the tradition of great, great players. And no one is greater than a Messi, than a Maradona. But as the boys are saying, they're not in their best form. But I think they will find it. This is something with the World Cup. We remember the great years and the great tournaments they've had. And when you have Messi, you have kind of everything. And what do the Argentinians do as well? They do whatever they need to get them over the line. And I think that is not a bad habit to have in a tournament like this. Jan Agafjortov, I wish I could say thank you in Norwegian, but I can't.

43:49But I will study it because the Vikings are in town. Jan, thank you so much for joining us. Tusen takk. All right. Well, make sure to join ESPN FC tonight as everyone will be looking back at all the exciting action we're expecting to see today. That's 11 p.m. Eastern time. You can find it on ESPN+. Well, now we just take a quick break from all of the international football World Cup talk to talk about Manchester United, shall we, boys? Especially as it relates to the summer transfer window. First things first, it seems like they're heavily interested in Crescensio Somerville for£50 million. Robbo?

44:23Yes. He had a very good time at Leeds for a season when they got promoted. He went to West Ham. He obviously got relegated this season with West Ham. But he had some good moments. He was one of their best players. He's a player that's got lots of pace. We saw him at the World Cup score a goal for the Dutch. He plays mainly on the right-hand side. He's got pace. He can go past people. He can score a goal. Is he worth£50 million? Will he make Manchester United a top team? I'm not so sure. Xhaka, he's putting down one of your hammers. Yeah, no, listen, I think Somerville started a little bit slowly for West Ham and then got better as the season went on.

44:59And I think that's where the valuation comes from. At 24 years old, can't really call him a youngster that much anymore, but he's certainly trending well for Manchester United. And if they do get him and he continues to progress as he has, I think he can prove to be a very good-standing indeed. I quite like this one. Robbo, if you're going to compare him to Ahmad Diallo, who has scored quite a brilliant goal for Condevoir in the World Cup right now, who are you taking? I like Diallo. I think he's a good player. I think he's obviously been at Manchester United. He went on loan and been at Manchester United.

45:35And when he plays, I think he's changed the team on occasions. Is Somerville better than him? I wouldn't say so at the moment. No. So you're sticking with Ahmad? I'm going to stick with Ahmad. All right. Well, let's move on now to probably the biggest transfer story at Manchester United right now. And that is what happens with Marcus Rashford. Now, apparently he's made it known that if he doesn't get the transfer to Barcelona, He wants to see out his current United contract, which has two more years left. Now, his contract includes a hefty£40 million release clause. Now, the€30 million buy option expired yesterday.

46:09So what happens here, Xhaka? Right now, I got the feeling that Marcus Rashford is at least going to start the season back at Manchester United. Rashford commands quite a hefty salary. You're not sure how many clubs are going to take that option. I thought Barcelona would, given his role for Barcelona last season, not a starter, but coming off the bench and giving option. And then once Barcelona kind of passed on that and were more willing to spend 80 million on Anthony Gordon, you just got the feeling that something wasn't quite right, that he wasn't as good a fit as maybe you would think, given some of his performances.

46:49And that is a little bit alarming for anybody looking in from the outside who are considering spending that kind of money, at least in wages, on Marcus Rashford. Yeah, Rob, Marcus Rashford became quite a revelation at Barcelona. Do you think Michael Carrick can somehow integrate him back into United? Well, you're a big fan of Manchester United. That tattoo will tell everybody that. Will the fans like him back? Would the fans accept him coming back? I would accept him back. Yeah, because there was a lot of times in the last couple of years when he was at Manchester United when he didn't play particularly well and he didn't look as though he was enjoying his football, didn't look as though he was trying on certain occasions.

47:26But you can argue that the environment also contributed to that. Yeah, so the environment wasn't quite right for him, but there's no excuse not to be running around and trying. And he was sulking quite a lot of the time. I think it would be very, very difficult for him to go back to Manchester United. But from Marcus Ratchford's point of view, he's got to play football. He's had a couple of years where he didn't play football. He's only been a substitute for Barcelona on many occasions. He might have to take away. Don't worry about the wages. I'm sure he's got lots of money. Go and make sure you play for two or three years and be the best player you possibly can be, wherever there is.

47:57I don't think it will be at Manchester United. But, Robert, you know this game as well as anybody. Marcus Rashford scores three or four goals in his first three or four games. And then all of a sudden, that sentiment around... For Manchester United. That sentiment around Marcus Rashford returning to Old Trafford dissipates. fans warm to that. And in his defence, Anthony Carrick, Michael Carrick, has gotten a lot out of players who we felt similarly about. Kobe Minou comes to mind. Michael Carrick has been able to just put players in the right positions and get the best out of them. If he can do that with Marcus Rashford, despite everything that's gone before, that will prove to be watered in the bridge.

48:38Do you feel he's changed? I think he changed his attitude at Barcelona. He looked as though he was more enthusiastic but there still was something that Hansi Flick didn't like enough to put him in the team on a regular basis and I understand that because his decision-making at times, some of the things he did, you think, what was he doing that for? He can be an outstanding player on his day but his day doesn't come often enough for me. Alright, well I'm pretty sure this is going to be a massive topic that we'll be talking about all summer long as well as the World Cup and everything. Plus we will be answering all of your questions over on Extra Time.

49:13Make sure to catch it every day over on our YouTube channel. We're going to take another quick break, but we'll check in with the U.S. Men's National Team next.

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50:11I see the spot when they catch my stare. Don't waste time with a cautious head. A chance, one shot, no looking back. Well, the U.S. Men's National Team won their opener, thumping Paraguay 4-1. But Christian Pulisic got taken off at halftime. Mauricio Pochettino said it was precautionary. But here's Tyler Adams being asked about Pulisic's availability ahead of Friday's game against Australia. He was extremely sharp and ready to go, but I've just seen him over the past few weeks training extremely well. Every single training session wanting to improve, as he always does. But you can just see the importance level of this tournament, what it means to him, what it means to represent his country.

50:56I mean, he's a leader, an unbelievable player. And when you get that version of Christian, man, it makes everyone else around you just believe even more because he's such an important player for us. Well, here's a look at the group standings for the USA. They're level on points with Australia. Australia getting a big win over Turkey in that one. And both of them will go head-to-head again on Friday. Time for another quick break. But when we come back, we'll get predictions from the boys plus balls. We're going wild in San Salvador. We'll look at that next. Well, the NWSL will be back on ESPN on July 5th with this game.

51:33Boston Legacy up against Bay FC. That's the 12 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Right, let's get some predictions. Here's a reminder of what's coming up today. France, Senegal at 3 p.m. Iraq, Norway, 6 p.m. Then Argentina, Algeria, 9 p.m. And if you want to stay up super late, Austria, Jordan will be the game you will see. Right, I've got the boys back at the touchscreen. It is time to give you our predictions. Let's start off with the juicy one. Can Lightning strike again for Senegal as they go up against tournament favourites France? Xhaka, what say you? Not this time around. I just think France are too strong.

52:11Favourites for the tournament, for me, they get off the flag start. Well, we also said Spain are favourites of the tournament and we saw what happened yesterday. Robbo, what do you think? No, I think Didier Deschamps heard what I was saying on the touchscreen. So they're going to play at higher intensity. They're going to press the ball high up the field. Senegal aren't quite going to be good enough. France to win by two goals to nil for me. All right, so we're all going for a France victory. I suppose I will have to agree with the boys on this one as much as I enjoyed. Hanging out with all my Senegal peeps the other day.

52:42Iraq and the Vikings of Norway. I'm going Norway with this one. I think of the four games of this, it probably will be the most comfortable win. Norway off the fly themselves as well. If they play direct and they get the ball into the front two and the front two link up with each other, Norway have to win the game but they've got to be direct I could have gone for a spoiler for a draw in this one but Norway were very impressive in qualifying I'm going to go for them and we saw so many draws yesterday we don't want that this time around the world champions Argentina and Lionel Messi up against Algeria Jack I don't expect a slow start like we saw four years ago Argentina make easy work of Algeria Robbo?

53:22No, I don't think they're going to make easy work of it because Algeria are okay and they're going to be well organized and I don't think Argentina is good as everybody thinks they're going to be, but they will still win the game. Oh, I thought you were going to go for the draw. I was waiting. He was waiting. Well, should I go for the... No! I'm playing with Albi Celeste in this one as well. Austria-Jordan. Come on, explain this one. I can't. We'll pass my bedtime anyway. Austria-Jordan. Robbo, you're absolutely staying up late. I am staying up late to watch it because I quite like Austria. Ralph Raniuk, who didn't do very well at Manchester United, but is doing brilliantly for Austria.

54:01They play a high-intensity game, and they were good at the European Championship, so I'm going to put them to win the game. All right, well, we have some exciting things to get to, so I'm going to make my very quick prediction. I'm going to go with Austria as well on this one. So we all agree, no more draws. Fingers crossed because we got a lot of those yesterday. Right, now, if you head on over to San Salvador, El Salvador, That's where my mama is from. There's a lot of crazy things that go on there, mainly volcanic eruptions. But in this storm, the ball went wild. It went into the streets of San Salvador.

54:36And oh, my days, Shaka, reckon you could save that? I need a ball that size now to have any chance. You've got a pretty good wind stand, though, Shaka. That's the sort of disruption you give when you go there. Yeah, yeah. Hurricane is right. Big up on my Salvador shows. Crazy things happen. And speaking of crazy things, have a look at these two social media superstars that really happened overnight. Tim Payne, nobody knew who he was before, one of the Kiwi players. And he was put on the map by an Argentinian influencer. Everyone started following him. He had 5 ,000 followers before. Now he has over 5 million.

55:11But the big story as well, Bozinha, the goalkeeper from Cabo Verde. But Tim Payne actually now has his own chant in Spanish. Listen to it. Tim Payne en el Mundial. Es el nuevo Di María. Oh, boy. Yo lo banco, yo lo aliento, lo sigo de de cemento. Con Tim Payne desde la cuna hasta el cajón. Hey! They said, ojo con Tim Payne en el Mundial. He's the new Di María. Okay. I'll take it away, Fred. And how many followers did you get after your World Cup? Three. Three? And they were carrier pigeon because it was that long ago. Thank you for joining this episode of ESPN FC. We will see you again later tonight and tomorrow to look back at all the action.

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