Ferran Torres is PSG Bound

20:48So I think that's more interesting, more than his playing ability. I completely agree. I do not see Enzo Fernandes as being a 120 million player. That kind of bemuses me, I'll be honest. The only way this makes any kind of sense is that the expectation is that Roger is going to move on so therefore there's a gap there and Maresca has worked with Enzo Fernandez before and so therefore that's the fit. Otherwise, this makes absolutely no sense to me. Frank? It makes no sense because on top of it, citizen fans don't want to see him. Chelsea fans are fed up with him. I think all English fans are fed up with him and Citizen fans are fed up with him because of his behavior.

21:34He's a good player. I agree with Ali. He's not a great player. I again, I agree with Ali. I don't think he's going to change the DNA of Manchester City. Maybe he can bring something. He's the champion of the world so he has the value. But really, I would be him and I would try to go to somewhere else if I wanted to go. If I wanted to play, if I wanted to play in peace. Because in England, And that's going to be very hard for him for the season. And whether he can play for City or Chelsea, I think people are not going to be happy to see him. Our fans are fickle, Frank.

22:06Craig Burley:If he plays well, they don't care what happened in the World Cup or they don't care that he flirty with Manchester City. Well, that's your opinion. I don't think so. People won't forget. As soon as he's going to do something bad, and the press, the media also, they're going to jump on him. He's going to have a hard time. He's going to be under pressure all the time. And we all know we've been players to be under pressure for all season long. That's pretty hard to handle, even for good players. So, waiting on whether or not Anzo Fernandes will join at Manchester City or stay at Chelsea, one thing is for sure.

22:39Craig Burley:Doku will be staying at Manchester City. He signed an extension to his contract to stay there till 2031. Yann, how do I say, how do I ask you about Doku without insulting him? But I want to kind of... OK, well, that's a good start. Is this guy good enough to be the star alongside Erling Haaland and Manchester City? Because that's what they need, isn't it? Of course. Well, if I take my striker hat on, he's very good, Doku, when he makes that cross without doing the last trick. And I think that there were times that he found that last season. Then it was major for them. but it's also frustrating when you have that kind of of of crosser of the ball who doesn't want to cross the ball because a striker you want to you you make that space for yourself so why doesn't he why doesn't he cross the ball because everybody says the same thing yeah and i'm sure his coaches have said the same thing i'm sure his family says the same thing why doesn't he do it well i don't think his family will say when he's going to cross the ball but i understand what you're saying he's not married to my wife she tells me what to do all the time well my wife tells me a lot because she never told me about CrossFit but no I do understand that but I think that is the playing ability but we've seen I think the reason they extend his contract is that they believe you can put those games more often I mean his stats at the beginning of his time at Manchester City with lack of assists were unbelievable It shouldn't be possible to make that few for Manchester City because we have a lot of players who can get on the goals.

24:18But at his best, taking on people, get the early crossing. Danny, at his best, I do understand that they want to extend his contract. You made some noises, Frank. Yes, because I don't even understand the presentation of your question. We know because Jeremy Doku was unbelievable at the beginning of the season. He was the game changer because of the pay that he puts comparing to the other. Why he doesn't cross? Because that's forbidden to cross when you are in Manchester City. I remember, I remind you that Guadalajara wanted to not lose the ball. So you go and you come back. You go and you come back.

24:59And Doku, when he changed his mind, he said, I'll go for it. He was a game changer. Semeno signed half season and he came and it was a little bit like that at the beginning. This guy is crucial for Manchester City. Yes, Haaland is a key player scoring goal, but you need a Doku. You need somebody to get the defence crazy because they don't know what to expect. I'm really fond of Jeremy Doku. He's a great player and a good catch for Manchester City. Shaq? From a business perspective, it makes perfect sense. Even before we get into whether he crosses or shouldn't cross, he had, what, a couple of years left on his contract, anything running after that, the kind of...

25:43We're not their accountant, Shaq. I'm just saying from just that perspective, the ownership power shifts to him. So signing him in 2024, signing him in extension, makes perfect sense just from that perspective. I like Doko as a player. He's not Semenyo, not that good as Antoine Semenyo, but very effective in what he does. Can you trust him? I'll also say this. He was better last season than he was the season before. And I think he continues to show good progression. So for me, it makes perfect sense from a footballing perspective and from a business perspective to extend his contract right now.

26:25Now, we could debate whether it should have been four or five years, but that's up to City. For me, it's a little bit of a no-brainer in terms of a contract extension. You know how you mentioned the coaches talk to Jeremy Doku, their family, your wife, everybody talks to Jeremy Doku and tells them what to do. I think the most important person that could talk to Jeremy Doku is actually Jan's boy, Erling Haaland, and talk to him and say, listen, Jeremy, let me tell you what's going to happen here. I'm going to make this run here all the time. I'm going to be there. You just put the ball there and I'll go get it.

26:58I'm going to beat this guy. I'm going to beat that guy physically. They can't stay with me. Just put it there. We're going to score. I'm going to score. You're going to have assists. We're going to win games. I'm going to be there. And if I'm not there, then you can tell me. You can raise your hand at me and say, hey, I thought you were going to be there. Have that conversation with Jeremy Dockler. I imagine that it's a conversation that's already taken place. Your responsibility, Jeremy, is to put the ball right there. And the moment you create that space, I'm making my run because I'm anticipating your cross.

27:26If that conversation takes place, as I think it should, because it's basic communication between the striker and a wide player, then Jeremy Doku is far more effective. Less is more with Jeremy Doku because he can be a dominant player due to his speed and his change of pace.

27:39Craig Burley:Jan, has that conversation happened? Well, every striker will do that. And we do know that Erling is very into details and you will make out deals or runs. But having said that, if Djokou don't know about the runs from Erling Haaland, then he should go to check his eyes because he's done this for the last 10 years. So, I mean, that conversation is not the most necessary thing, I think. Just use your eyes. Just a reminder, Jeremy Djokou will be in action against Arsenal. Live on Sunday from Cardiff, it's the Community Shield. And it's a game you can watch live on ESPN. Our coverage starts 10 a.m.

28:22Craig Burley:Eastern.

29:19We'll see you next time. Visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more. This episode is brought to you by Welch's Fruit Snacks. Back to school season can be tough on parents, but choosing a snack you and your kids can both get behind doesn't have to be. Stock up on Welch's Fruit Snacks, made with whole fruit, and now made with no artificial dyes. It's a snack kids already love, and one you can feel good about giving them. Go back to school with Welch's Fruit Snacks, Now made with no artificial dyes.

30:18Craig Burley:Five-second countdown on throw-ins or goal kicks to limit time-wasting. No tactical timeouts for goalkeeping injuries, Shaka. And UEFA yellow card threshold raised from three to four. Exceptions to the rule that we saw, of course, the covering of the mouth red card. That will not be implemented this season. Neither will intervention for diving either. That will be up to the officials on the park. frank which one of those do you like the most um what it was um oh the thoreans and the wasting time i think that we can it can be good if the referees are very strict that can be very interesting i just want to go back to the uh that the explanation they say um uh that it doesn't count if you put your your your hand in front of your mouth depending on what you're saying that seems as stupid because if you put that you don't see what I'm saying so how can you judge if somebody's saying stupid things or insulting somebody or giving advice to a teammate if he puts his hand in the mouth you're not going to see so another incomprehension from the board of the referees but whatever, it's getting better and better, I like some points and let's see how it works one of the most frustrating things from the Champions League final for example was the time that Arsenal took in taking throw-ins and corners.

31:45Craig Burley:This hopefully will eliminate that. It certainly worked for the World Cup. Well, absolutely. I mean, we took the best thing out of the World Cup. I miss Justin Bieber at halftime. But instead of that, we've taken everything that we could take. Ronaldinho and Ronaldo were the best. Yeah, with Madonna. Yes, the best. With Madonna. Now, but I like the way, I mean, you could say, Dan, And I think that during the season you will use this as calling this the Arsenal rules. It seems that they've taken everything away that Arsenal have done to kind of slow things down. I think that everybody who loves football will applaud every rule, every movement to get more netto time of playing, more efficient way of seeing a football game.

32:32I mean, the last two seasons in Premier League, and I'm not only saying Arsenal, but there were times during the last two seasons in the Premier League that it was bizarre how long they spent doing corners, doing even throw-ins. And for me, the worst thing that I think was fantastic at the World Cup, no injury players were lying down just for the sake of it. That was brilliant to see at the World Cup.

32:56Craig Burley:To defend Arsenal, we've seen Atletico Madrid for years do it exactly that. It should hopefully eliminate it. It's good. It is. I do like a lot the rule change. The one that kind of stands out for me is VR interventions on second yellow cards. VR can intervene on red cards. A second yellow card, wrongly given, they can't intervene on. I think the game has been screaming out for that to change. That makes perfect sense for me. And it's an easy and logical change. It actually took a while for that to happen. A little too long, in my opinion. I like when you're changing things for the better in plays that can specifically affect the score of a game.

33:39And to your point about the second yellow, that's the one that is very obvious, but the overturned corner kicks. It's also, it's one that I think makes a whole lot of sense. Because if we go back to a conversation with Arsenal or Atletico Madrid for that matter, for them, those are goal scoring opportunities. And an overturned corner kick that wasn't supposed to be now changes the dynamic of the game. It takes away the opportunity from Arsenal, but in a sense, you're making the game far more about what's the right call, what's the correct call, not hiding in the loopholes of, well, you can't do anything here.

34:13We cannot get involved here. Now you can get involved and make a decision. Everyone's happy.

34:17Craig Burley:What about that? We're also happy because La Liga returns this weekend. We've got to wait a little while for Real Madrid and Barcelona to be in action, but they're back with a bang. Real Madrid against Espanyol on the 22nd and on the Sunday. It's Elche against Barcelona. Those games live on ABC. Meanwhile, this weekend we see La Liga start without those two. Alaves against Getafe. Sevilla against Ravio Cano. Atleti kick off their campaign next Wednesday against Malaga. We were so sick of talking about Ferran Torres and Infantino that we went off on a bit of a sidewalk talking about Vinnie Jones after his Netflix documentary.

34:59Craig Burley:Stevie played with him, Frank, as well. Got great response from everyone. They enjoyed the tales back in that day. So, Jan, we just thought we'd extend it to yourself as well, given your age. You were very much involved. We were talking about it, Jan. It was a different sport almost then. It was, and I do remember the first game I played against Vinnie Jones, at Sellers Park against Wimbledon. I remember it was a free kick. And he came over to me. He just saw me in my face. And then he said, Wah!

35:36That is not the worst thing that Vinny Jones has done to a football player. But yes, I see back in the 90s that they threatened now before the World Cup. I had to see through our Norway-Mexico game. The game has changed so unbelievably. This was not even a yellow card. Yeah, and I saw the Netflix documentary as well. There is something about Vinnie Jones that you don't like, but on the other hand, you love that kind of attitude. I think there are attitudes today as well. Can you imagine all these new rules to stop Vinnie Jones? I mean, I mean, if I would have been meeting every week, look at that take it.

36:14But I love the way Cantona just stands up. Yeah, but his color there. I love it. So 90s were different in all kind of terms.

36:21Craig Burley:Shaq, what was it like for you coming from college here? It was absolutely scary. Now, first of all, I have to say, Vinnie Jones, in his own right, was an incredible footballer. I remember going to see Villa against Wimbledon, this is when Dwight Yorges played for Villa. Vinnie Jones was an incredible footballer when he was allowed to or when he decided to play football. But so much of his persona just lent into what you saw. And I remember Stevie talking a while back about, back in the day, you're allowed a free hit. That was kind of the rule back in the day. That first, you could do anything in that first challenge of the game.

37:00And the ref would just tell you, OK, that's your one. And games would continue. Absolutely. And so Vinnie Jones would, opening minutes, come knee high, as you saw. Opening minutes, come knee high at somebody. And he was like, all right, that's your one. and now you progress. But then, if that's how you start the game, that's how you're going to play it. And Vinnie Jones just, I think he was...

37:25Craig Burley:As a keeper, Shaq, what was it like? Because... Not just Vinnie Jones, but that entire Wimbledon team, that entire crazy gang, Harford and the likes, they would always come high-looping crosses, come blindside and smash you from the back. When you go up to take a cross, they would just come across the back of you, elbow across the back of your head, whatever. And again, the referee just goes, OK, Tony, that's your one. And you feel exposed when, you know, as a player, you are totally exposed to whatever they want to do. How quickly did you have to adapt to that, Ninsho? You kind of have to figure out how to protect yourself.

38:10You have to figure out who the kind of physical ones are and know where they are in the park. And if a cross is coming over, you have to know where Tony Alford is. You have to know where any of those kind of big, physical players who will try to hurt you, you have to know where they are at all times.

38:30Craig Burley:What fascinated me, Ali, when Steve was talking about it, and I was like, how did people not get injured more? And it's like, you knew how to ride a tackle. You knew it was coming. You knew it was coming. And as someone who kind of made a living of riding tackles and winning free kicks, how is that something that you adapt to your game when you know that these sort of challenges are coming in? Well, in some cases, at least in my case, I was inviting the challenge. Right. And because of my own limitations in my game, I knew that I wasn't going to beat somebody with speed. So there were times in which my team needed something different, draw a foul.

39:07I would invite the challenge. And because I know the challenge is coming, I'm inviting it. I'm putting the ball out there and saying, come and get me. And as soon as the other player is coming, then I'm sticking my big backside there. And now they're running into me. But because I know it's happening, then I know how to position my body accordingly. And riding a challenge was a key for guys like me that, well, speed was a challenge. Speed was an issue or lack thereof. And so how do I stay in front of a defender? Not because I'm running away from him. is because I know he's challenging and I'm riding it.

39:43It really is physically that. Riding the challenge and being fully aware of how to utilize your body. You can utilize your own body to protect yourself from what you know it's about to come. And I know that we saw those challenges there from Vinnie Jones and you kind of go, how do you protect yourself from that? You're actually, you don't want to be hid while you are planted, for example.

40:05Craig Burley:That's exactly what Steve is saying. And so you know, you feel, maybe it's protection and it's an instinct that you have in your mind, in your heart, in your soul. It's like, oh, it's coming. You're not going to catch me with my feet planted on the ground. You're going to catch me jumping. And in catching me jumping, I'm able to then ride the challenge even better. Jan? And for young viewers, Steve McMahon, when you see him, here he is your victim. You know, Vinnie Jones, he can take him down. It's no coincidence that Vinnie Jones takes him out, you know, because he was a madman himself. And it's funny because when we got relegated with Swindon, we went down to Championship.

40:45Oh, yeah, look at here. And this guy was my manager, the Liverpool player. Oh, really? Yeah, and he was my playing manager. And I was at home watching Vinnie Jones, this video that he got him so much into trouble with all the things he did. And then the first game Steve McMahon was doing was Southend United away from home. And he played, my manager. And after 10, 15 minutes, suddenly a Southend player was down. And I was running over to kind of defend my teammate, Steve. Not my manager, but Steve. And then I just had a look at the Southend player and his nose was going two directions. And so this is not a victim.

41:32I just want to say that. And I also want to add that the hardest thing for a striker in English football in the 90s, and I needed some time to adjust to that, you know, when the right back or the left back just kind of hung the ball in the air and you knew that the defender would absolutely smash you and he would just go through you. And as Xhaka is saying, the referee would just laugh and get up, you Norwegian. and you had to learn how to go in there and Frank LeBeouf's best friend, Alan Shearer I looked a lot at him because what he did he pushed a bit into the defender to kind of stop that kind of flight into you trying to kill you and so it took some time when you came as a foreigner from other leagues to understand this kind of thing that Stevie Nichol would have in his kind of British blood from football.

42:29And it's not limited to English football. I'll just tell you, in playing against Uruguay, for example, and the center back parent was Diego Lugano, who if you look at him to his eyes, his eyes are going everywhere. This man is, things are not connecting up there. Things are missing. And the other guy who was playing next to him was Diego Godin. So it's Godin and Lugano. And when they were playing those clip balls that, or when Venezuela coming out of the back is playing those clip balls and I'm the one having to hold it, right? The only way that I could survive against those two guys is that I went and hit them first.

43:05I delivered the first hit. Now they're kind of like, they don't have a running start. Because otherwise you're just a sitting duck. And the other thing I would say about that challenge set by Vinnie Jones, even in that challenge, the other player, what was the name? Steven Mann. Yeah. he sees it coming and he takes a little hop he plays the ball he takes a little hop, he knows it's coming you know as a player when it's coming when you're about to get done, you know and that's when you've got to take that little hop

43:31Craig Burley:Frank, you're on the show with us, did you want to add anything before we go? No, no, no it's funny because we feel the same thing, that yes, I agree with you, it was another sport but we felt it, we anticipated everything and yes, strikers maybe were more in danger. But I can tell you I played against the Fjortov, the Ferguson, the Dublin, the Shearer. It was a hard task because they were massive. They knew how to use their body. They knew how to use yourself. And you had to be a real badass, I would say, to make sure you can cope with those players. And that was the time where English football was very viral and violent in a way.

44:17but we knew exactly what to do. I agree with Ali. If you're not planted, when a defender comes and tackles you and you could see him coming, you don't have any risk. You don't have any danger. You have to feel it. And those players, they were playing that. I played against many real talented players like Michael Owen. He exactly knew what to do, pushing the ball while you were tackling and going up like that. If you touch him, nothing dangerous for him, a free kick for him. they were clever, they were really clever it was a great football, we enjoyed it I think the fans enjoyed it I would say nowadays it's safe, but

44:56Craig Burley:it's a little bit too soft a little bit too soft Frank, thank you very much, ESPN FC back on your screens tomorrow maybe a bit of Community Shield tomorrow Chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more can make me feel like a spectator in my own life Botox, onabotulinum toxin A, prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It's the number one prescribed branded chronic migraine preventive treatment. Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms.

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46:02Why wait? Ask your doctor, visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com, or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more. This episode is brought to you by Welch's Fruit Snacks. Back to school season can be tough on parents, but choosing a snack you and your kids can both get behind doesn't have to be. Stock up on Welch's Fruit Snacks, made with whole fruit, and now made with no artificial dyes. It's a snack kids already love, and one you can feel good about giving them. Go back to school with Welch's Fruit Snacks, now made with no artificial dyes.

46:38Craig Burley:That is it. No, the answer is no. We are done. ESPN FC back on your screens tomorrow. But fear not, Extra Time is next. Jan and Frank are back answering your questions. And Shaka on the League's Cup format.

46:54Craig Burley:Welcome to the latest edition of Extra Time. Boys here in the studio, Jan and Frank are here as well. As a player in pre-season, are you aware of what areas of the squad need strengthening? And do you get annoyed if you see your club supposedly not going after necessary players or linked with subpar players? I know exactly what you're going to say, Jake. I'm going to say yes. There you go. That's all I'm going to say. Is that it? Is that what you've got? Yes. No, listen, as a player, you know, especially if you've been at the club before, you know, not your first season, you know where you kind of got found out the season before and you hope that they address it.

47:32And if they don't.

47:32Craig Burley:But what if they bring in a better goalkeeper? Oh, well. I'm kind of used to that. But saying that, that's part of the game. Your position is always under, regardless of what position you're in. But you can't welcome a new goalkeeper. Yeah, you can. Yeah, well, you can. Did you? This explains a lot, Jack. Depends on who you ask. Who you ask that. But, Jan, you must have seen strikers going in and go, all right, we're moving. We're out. Well, when I came to England, I mean, it's funny when you play in English football because at that time, it was not the here we go time. And it was not a lot of playing experts or finance.

48:14There were no experts. It was just happening. And you just came to the dressing room and suddenly a striker was sitting next to you. When we were at Swindon in the Premier League, I mean, we had a manager, the best manager, the best person I've ever seen in football, John Gorman. And he had the feeling if we lost 5-1 and we have six chances, we needed another striker. I felt it at that time. So we're ending up with Frank McEvaney. Remember him, Xhaka? He came on. We had so many different strikers coming on all the time. And to Xhaka's point that I was sitting in the dressing room thinking, oh, I hope there comes a striker better than me.

48:49Forget it. I was lucky every day. I was happy when I came into the dressing room. another guy was sitting there and trying to take my place. Get out! Of course we welcomed each other. Of course we were teammates because that is a very good thing in England. And I played for, was it five clubs in England? I can't remember, four or five. And I was just coming into new dressing rooms all the time and they welcomed me. I think that was a big part of English football that I did love. But you're not sitting around in a dressing room. I just hope they get a better striker than me so we score more goals next season.

49:28Craig Burley:So Jan, did you have different experiences in other countries when you arrived at clubs? Yes, absolutely. When I came to Germany, it was clear that I came as a number nine to replace the number nine. And the number nine didn't speak to me for four months. He went away when I crossed him in the dressing room. And I then was in an age that I didn't, I can't say that word, I didn't care. So I didn't matter. And it was also, because in England, it was easier to adjust, especially in the 90s. I'm sure it's probably the same now. But in the 90s, it was good to come into an English dressing room. Yes, there were bullying.

50:07There was a lot of things that were going on. But somehow you loved it, I must admit. Didn't you have someone you didn't speak to? Yeah, Kostas Chalkias, Greek goalkeeper. It was Portsmouth. So he arrived and just would not speak to me, like, at all. And at first, it didn't really click. But then I just kind of noticed, like, I would, you know, or he would come in and say good morning to everybody else. Or I would come in and say good morning to everybody and everybody else would respond and he just wouldn't. So then I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Like, because, like, yeah, and I was at an age now where, yeah, those things not bothering me.

50:45So whenever I come in, I would go look for him. when I was at Portsmouth we had like we trained at a university ground so you had a number of different dressing rooms so you had five or six players in one dressing room so I would go find his dressing room and just take my head and go hey Custos completely ignore me and then when I was leaving it was so much fun I get it I was just at an age where those things just tickle me more than anything else Dan I was so lucky when I signed for Chelsea. I'm sure Jan knows the guy. Erlan Jensen was the defender, the central center back. He was a Norwegian guy, strong guy.

51:30Am I doing it? He was Norwegian. Jan, do you agree with me? My best football mate and my mates in 10 years. Okay, so I was right. And I signed for the club. But on top of taking his position, I asked for the number five when I signed. And it was his number. And the guy, the guy is a monster, really a monster. And he was the first to welcome me. I tell you, he was the first to welcome me. And I had a chance to score my first goal because it was an assist from his left foot from Allen. Who played because I think Steve Clark was injured. And he played and gave me the great assist when I scored with the header.

52:13The guy was the best teammate ever. Never complaining, fighting, everything, and even welcoming me. And he had to leave the year after, but I had a very good season with the guy who had to be on the bench because of me. Great guy, LN, magical. Oh, beautiful. This is a guy, when I roomed with him in the national team, I was sleeping with shin pads. So I do understand that Frank LaBeouf was a bit afraid, but a great lad. And I think that Frank, that story just shows you how it was like, especially in the 90s, because that was a kind of the team atmosphere. And I played for four different clubs, I counted now, and four different clubs.

52:54And when you came into a dressing room, you didn't take long to adjust, to be a part of the team. And Xhaka, I guess you will confirm that.

53:03Craig Burley:Who hated you? Everybody.

53:10You know, it's funny. As you know, this week I'm going to Houston for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of our winning MLS Cup with the Houston Dynamo. And in all honesty, in my head I'm trying to count the guys that I actually had a really good relationship with and I'm kind of going, well not that guy. and not him.

53:36Craig Burley:So why did you not have a good relationship with? Because of your personality? Well, it doesn't help. I am a little prickly at times because I just pick my mind and say things that perhaps other people do not want to hear. But there were people like Stuart Holden, who could not be more the opposite of me. Well, he's very outgoing, friendly, happy. Well, yes, but I was already an older player and he came in as a first-year player. And you're thinking, because this is the way I was brought up. As a first-year player, you're kind of thinking you're kind of quiet and you're just going to mind your business and stay in your lane and do what you're told.

54:14From the moment this guy showed up in the locker room, he wouldn't stop talking. I mean, and he had the frosted tips as well. I mean, it just was. It could not be any far more different than me and how I would have approached my career. Well, he hasn't stopped talking because now he's still – He's a TV analyst as well. And I found out that he's going to be hosting, like we're going to have a Q &A, he's going to be hosting, still talking, still talking. 20 years later, he's still talking.

54:44Craig Burley:Oh, brilliant. For Jan and Ali, who do you think will score more goals in the league this season? Isaac, Xhorez or Jao Pedro? Wow. Go ahead, Jan. Well, I will go because I dare, because Stevie is not in the studio, I will go for Isak. Okay. I will think that in Iraola. I mean, Liverpool is one of the big question marks this season. How will they develop with a new coach? How will he, can he manage to come from off-Broadway, going into Broadway, doing Liverpool, Iraola? Will he get a system going that will fit Isak? I think they're depending on him scoring a lot of goals. Jokeres, of course, playing for Arsenal, we know that they will score.

55:31I will go for Isaac. He gets my vote. Okay. Do you agree? I think Isaac is going to be substantially better than he was last season. It doesn't take much. He doesn't have a broken leg. Yes, that helps. But I do think that Joao Pedro is going to get more goal-scoring opportunities. What does that mean? I'm going to take Joao Pedro.

55:50Craig Burley:Okay, Shaka, let's open it to the floor. Isaac. Okay, and Frank? Joao Pedro. It's a split. So it's you Dan, it's down to you. You are the guy. You're the vice president. Jao Pedro is my answer. I thought you'd go for the Arsenal guy. You just seem to have this way about you this season. Yeah, about Arsenal. I just thought. I just thought. Is two years enough time for Xavi, I've just literally had to check that he did get the job, to turn Netherlands into Euro contenders along with Spain, France and England? Xavi's got the job, Shaq. Has he? I bet you didn't know that. I did not. No, I didn't know that.

56:31All right. I had a way to prepare for the show, Shaq. Well, I'm the host and I didn't know. I had a way to prepare for the show, Dan. I didn't know this was coming. I didn't know who told me that. Well, the fact that they take Xavi is surprising, but still it makes sense when you know the connections between the Netherlands football and Barcelona. We're starting with Cruyff and all the players. They go in different ways and that's the way they want to play. The big thing that Xavi and Jurgen Klopp will find is that they can only pick players from Netherlands and Germany. Oh, this is a new thing?

57:06Yeah, this is a new thing. I don't think they've thought of that. I think that Jurgen Klopp will probably say soon, I need a couple of transfer windows to make this Germany team great. Yeah, but the influential part of it is good. That is good. It's a great name. But when you see now they go less and less days to prepare the team It's quite hard to find the way you want to play in there. So I am a Skeptical optimistic that the Netherlands and Germany will be better. Oh, well, they can't be worse Germany can't be worse by the way. So Germany will be substantially better than the Netherlands first game

57:44Craig Burley:Can I just throw this in? Yeah, yeah, yeah against Jurgen Klopp's Germany. Oh, well. I would just say that the talent level for the Netherlands is a tier below the best teams in Europe. And in order to be a contender, you have to be able to match that, and they just don't have it right now. Jan, what's the percentage amount? Kane replicates his numbers from last season. So he got 61 last season, is that right, in all competitions?

58:13I would say that, I mean, that is a trick, by the way, because how could you use percentage that it will replicate everything. But I think there is a 90 % chance that he will get that amount of goals. So I take 10 % off his tally. Yeah, you're confident. Yeah, I am. Why? Because Kane is, I think, first of all, a lot of these goals are for Bayern Munich that will still win the Bundesliga. You've seen some of the teams like Dortmund now got some good players in. I'm sceptic of what happened in Demichelis in Leipzig. So Bayern will kind of win this easy and then he will get loads of chances. And Harry Kane is great, great professional, great attitude.

59:04And if you have a striker in a team like Bayern Munich, I'm not saying you can't avoid scoring goals, but I'm saying that he will do the same thing as Lewandowski did, score and score and score and score.

59:15Craig Burley:Frank, are you interested in pooling your money together to purchase Leicester as the owners have put the club up for sale? Do you want to buy Leicester? Should we buy it as a team?

59:27Yes, Leicester was my lucky number and always had good goals scored against Leicester City. So I really love that club and I like the way they moved into a very good club to the Premier League and how they won the Premier League. I'm not sure we put some money because I don't have enough to make sure it's gonna please them I have to rebuild the sash roof you know very soon

59:59Craig Burley:I have to travel for holidays for winters and summer so I'm sorry Lack of commitment. Anyone else want to step up? Jan, do you want to buy it? No, I can take the Norwegian oil fund. We can probably buy it. Leicester is a great club. Let's put it this way. If you want to buy a club in England, Leicester could be your best choice at the moment. Okay, alright. I don't look here. I had something on Insta. The algorithm is some man talking about leasing and renting private planes. How does this get into mine? And then who's the follower of it? Shaka Hisslop. Wow! I need some kind of proof around that.

1:00:45I need evidence. I don't believe that. 100 %! I don't follow anybody who follow a couple of guys with a rowboat. A first follow a couple of guys with a rowboat. Try to save up for a paddle. That's it. No, definitely. The private playing man is Shaka.

1:01:01Craig Burley:So would you step up and use some of those Shaka millions? No. No. If I had those millions, I'd buy Reading. Reading's my first club. Oh yeah. Let's pull up and buy Reading. You don't have to live in Reading, no? No, you don't have to live in Reading. I thought that was... You love Reading. I do. But I don't want to be there. No, I'm you over in Reading. Shaka Eslov says, don't worry, you don't have to live there. No, I've got a Chamber of Commerce. I'm going to come into work at the ESPN. I've got to pay for it somehow. I've got to pay for it somehow. I'm still coming to Reading. Best pitch I've ever heard.

1:01:41I'm going to buy a Reading, but I don't want to live there because I don't like a place to live there. That's not what I said. That's not what I said.

1:01:48Craig Burley:I loved Reading until I had to live there. Yeah, brilliant. I've got a lot of my last questions. No, no, no. That's what you get. Are Pedri's adoption papers tied up in the system? Will you be saving a chair for him come Thanksgiving Day? This is when you suggested that you would swap Pedri for either of your two children. I will tell you that Alejandro scored a goal the other day. City! So maybe he's back! He is back! And Pedri didn't have a great World Cup either. How did the game finish up? But that's not important, the track. That's neither here nor there. That's really, they may have come up short.

1:02:26Craig Burley:Lost 2-1, but Alejandro scored, so maybe he is back on the table. Thank you very much, and thank you to Frank and to Jan. Just a reminder, Instagram followers can find Shaka Hislop. Yes. Leesu explains. Reading supporters or Reading residents.

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