In short
Gab and Jules preview the Champions League final in Budapest: Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal, asking whether Arsenal are UCL favourites. They argue the match is likely tactically cagey and 50-50, despite Arsenal’s expected-goals advantage in last year’s semi-final (even with a missed penalty) and Arsenal’s very strong defenses (best Premier League defense; stingiest UCL defense away).
Key claims
PSG are the same core team, but more experienced and better rested; Arsenal are different this year with deeper options and more balanced structure.
Notable examples
PSG’s clinical early goal and Fabian Ruiz goal in the semi-final; Arsenal’s depleted squad last year (no Gabriel; Trossard/Merino starting). Guest/hosts: Gab (remote from London) and Jules (remote from London) are the only speakers; no external guests are mentioned. They discuss likely lineups, including Arsenal’s possible Eze left, Havertz starting, and midfield choices (Rice, possibly dropping Zubimendi). They also do quick hits: Crystal Palace win the Conference League; Barcelona’s £70m Gordon bid; Milan’s “Monday Milan massacre” firings; and other transfer/manager news.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOChampions League Final Preview
0:00 to 0:17
Discussing the upcoming final between PSG and Arsenal, including team dynamics.
“Hey sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place.”
Champions League Final Preview
0:45 to 2:20
Discussing the upcoming final between PSG and Arsenal, including team dynamics.
“There are no direct flights except for on budget airlines, and I'm too posh for that between London and Budapest.”
Arsenal's Tactical Changes
2:20 to 4:47
Exploring Arsenal's evolution and strategy compared to previous seasons.
“so whatever happens on Saturday whoever wins there will be something very special there yeah I think if you take Real Madrid out of the mix, which we really should because they're Real Madrid and nobody else is.”
PSG's Strengths and Weaknesses
4:47 to 7:25
Examining PSG's performance, including key players and strategies.
“And also not just the stats, as you said, Gabi.”
Arsenal's Line-up Considerations
7:25 to 11:51
Analyzing potential player line-ups and tactical approaches for Arsenal.
“However, what I would argue is, in Arsenal's case, I would put forward, because I'd like to be contrarian, a kind of argument for both, and you can knock it down, or you can feel free to agree.”
Final Thoughts and Predictions
11:51 to 14:00
Hosts share their final thoughts on the match-up and predict outcomes.
“And I think, for me, undoubtedly, he will go with the best technical players on the pitch.”
Analyzing Arsenal's Tactical Setup Against PSG
14:00 to 18:09
Discussion on Arsenal's tactical variations and lineup decisions for the Champions League final.
“Calafiore will offer and propose far more of a challenge for the PSG team to defend against because he's got all that freedom.”
Evaluating PSG's Improvements This Season
18:10 to 22:06
An in-depth look at how PSG has evolved since last season, including player performance and collective maturity.
“Rice will start because he's Rice and he's been outstanding and you also need his power and all his running and everything.”
Creating a Combined XI for the Champions League Final
23:52 to 28:00
Hosts debate their combined starting XI for the Champions League final, discussing individual player merits and team dynamics.
“I'm going to take Davi Raya every day of the week.”
Substitutions and Squad Depth Insights
28:00 to 29:24
Discusses the importance of substitutions and squad depth in critical games.
“But of course, there's five substitutions.”
Show all 21 chapters
Crystal Palace's Conference League Victory
30:07 to 31:29
Celebrates Crystal Palace's win and discusses their journey to European success.
“All right, enough Champions League final.”
Transfers and Team Building Strategies
31:31 to 34:19
Analyzes recent transfer news and team-building strategies of clubs like Barcelona and Newcastle.
“and the trophy at the end of it is just magnificent what Glasner and the players have done.”
Milan's Major Changes and Consequences
34:24 to 36:22
Examines the significant changes at AC Milan following their Champions League failure.
“And if he gets back to level that he was at two years ago, look out.”
Real Madrid's Election and Managerial Plans
36:25 to 38:36
Discusses Real Madrid's upcoming elections and potential managerial changes.
“More Milan Gab, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jerry Cardinale that you've mentioned already, reportedly met with Ralf Ragnik.”
Reflections on Real Madrid's National Impact
40:08 to 42:00
Reflects on the implications of Real Madrid players missing the World Cup.
“For the first time in history, there will be no Real Madrid players in the Spain team at a World Cup.”
Episode Discussion
42:00 to 56:00
“And don't even get me started on Milan and Max Allegri, but that's another fine example there.”
Bundesliga Playoffs and Paderborn's Comeback
56:00 to 57:12
Explore the dramatic Bundesliga playoffs and Paderborn's unexpected victory.
“I think it was maybe a bit, a bit tricky because you've got home and away.”
David de Ancelotti's Potential Move to Lille
57:12 to 58:26
Discuss the possible hiring of David de Ancelotti as Lille's new manager.
“Jules, are you excited about the mooted replacement?”
Sergio Ramos and Sevilla FC Deal Uncertainty
58:26 to 1:00:26
Delve into the complications surrounding Sergio Ramos's bid to buy Sevilla FC.
“So the consortium is called 511 Capital.”
American Awareness of Upcoming World Cup
1:00:26 to 1:01:21
Analyze survey results about American awareness of the World Cup.
“and are far away from World Cup cities, maybe?”
Marinakis vs. Dimitriadis: A Hilarious Encounter
1:01:21 to 1:02:38
Witness the comical confrontation between Marinakis and Dimitriadis after a EuroLeague win.
“to mention your favourite owner now that John Texter is out of the picture of course, it's Mr.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Hey sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network in service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional cost. Visit activate.espn.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now.
0:35I'm Gab, he's Jules, joining us on remote. That's right, we are recording this way late on a Wednesday night, so it's dark outside in London. That's because of logistical issues, believe it or not. There are no direct flights except for on budget airlines, and I'm too posh for that between London and Budapest. Jules, this is it. We are on the eve of the Champions League final. We will be previewing that. We'll be getting to all the other big stories. Enrique Alvear says his two big signings lined up for Real Madrid. Milan with their Monday Milan massacre. Everybody out. Lots of other stuff. And, of course, shout-out to Crystal Palace, who won the conference league, a competition they feel they shouldn't even have been in this year.
1:23But, obviously, there's one place to start. Budapest, Saturday night. Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champions against Arsenal. Jules, just want to get an early vibe check from you.
1:39Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, the vibe is great. I think it's a very exciting game on paper. I think the game will be quite fascinating too. Maybe not as vibing than what we feel right now because I think there is a way where those two teams can sell each other out and it's quite a cagey affair, a very tactical game. but before that we can get excited because they're the two best teams in Europe really the two teams that beat Bayern Munich who I think are the third best one in this season so we've got the two best teams in the final for one team that can win it for the first time ever which would be an incredible achievement or if it's the other then they go back to back which in itself is an amazing achievement because it's been very very rare in the last 40 years so whatever happens on Saturday whoever wins there will be something very special there yeah I think if you take Real Madrid out of the mix, which we really should because they're Real Madrid and nobody else is.
2:31Nobody has won this competition back-to-back since before it became the Champions League. And that was Milan under the great Arrigo Sacchi, of course. Jose, in preparing for this game, I went back and I watched extended highlights of last year's semifinal. And I have to tell you, I had forgotten a lot of things. I bet you forgot absolutely nothing for obvious reasons. But I was struck by this. The expected goals over the two legs favor Arsenal by a mile. And that's even with that penalty with Tritinha then missed because of the Lewis Scully situation. Gigi Donnarumma had to make an absurd number of tremendous saves, many of them off of Gabriel Martinelli, but not only.
3:19and yet in memory this game it looked as if Paris Saint-Germain fully deserved to advance and look they're an unstoppable force and whatever but that semi-final could have gone could have easily gone the other way and then you look at the fact that that was a severely depleted Arsenal side so few of the guys who started that game are going to be back this year certainly as not as starters If you remember back then, there was no Gabriel. Trossard started the first leg. Merino started the second leg. Arsenal are going to look completely different. Paris Saint-Germain are exactly the same, as we have the news that Hakimi is going to start, except for the goalkeeper.
4:04And while Sofanov has done well since winning the starting job halfway through the year from Chevalier, he's not a patch on Gisodon Arouma. so I'm wondering does logic suggest that maybe Arsenal should be favourites here? Yeah maybe I mean I don't think
4:19Julien Laurens:Am I reading this wrong? No no no no favourite means nothing to me so I think I think it's 50-50 between those two teams but I could see why people would say PSG are more favourite because they won it last year Arsenal are more favourite because they haven't beaten in the competition so far this season and because of last season you're right the semi-final could have gone the other way Remember when Mikel Arteta said it after the second leg, people criticised him for saying that he was delusional and everything like that, when actually the stats backed him up. And also not just the stats, as you said, Gabi.
4:50Julien Laurens:Not just the stats, watch it back. It's there on YouTube, watch it back. Yeah, yeah, and I think PSG were quite clinical, both at the Emirates with that early goal and also the Fabian goal in the second leg. Came at a time against the runoff player when Arsenal had started in the best way, the second leg, putting PSG under a lot of pressure, like pressure like I've never really seen at the Paris de France PSG being under in the whole of last season and probably this season either. So yeah, it could have gone the other way. It's those small margins that we see a lot in football anyway. And I wouldn't be surprised if it was quite similar on Saturday.
5:23What I find really interesting is that we're getting essentially the same Paris Saint-Germain from last season, maybe just a year more experienced. And I think in this matters, better rested because of the type of run-in they had versus the type of run-in domestically that an Arsenal had versus an Arsenal side that are completely different, not just in personnel with all the guys they added, but also in the approach that we've seen many times from them this season. I'm not just talking about them, oh, look, they're so defensive, but I think it's undeniable that he chose to approach games a certain way this year that maybe he didn't last season.
6:01And for me, it almost makes last year's semifinal not that meaningful because I think we may well see a different Arsenal side. All right, so Jules, so the basic narrative, I hope people realize that Arsenal are very different this year, like I just finished saying. But the basic narrative is out there, and like most basic narratives, there is more than a grain of truth in it, is this is Europe's strongest attack. and I think if Paris Saint-Germain scored twice in the final they will set a new record at least for the Champions League era beating the mark of Barcelona which I think was 45 goals set some years ago presumably with Pep as manager.
6:44Julien Laurens:No, it was Luis Enrique player in 2001 I think something like that. And on the flip side, if... So, obviously, phenomenal attacking side. And I think it's also because people remember the first leg against Bayern and how they approached it. Arsenal, of course, has the stingiest defence this season in the Champions League, especially away from home, I think. And they also have, by a wide margin, the best defence of the Premier League. So it's not just like some weird European quirk. They just don't concede very many goals. So that is the basic reality of it. However, what I would argue is, in Arsenal's case, I would put forward, because I'd like to be contrarian, a kind of argument for both, and you can knock it down, or you can feel free to agree.
7:40Starting with party-centered man, what we saw certainly in the return leg against Bayern, they didn't just go all out. they kept the ball when they needed to. They obviously weren't defensive, but they were defensive-minded. But they were far more better-rounded, and they kind of let Bayern go and run themselves silly. So this is a team that they're not often called to defend, if you like, in Ligue 1. And in the Champions League in big games, they often do it one-on-one, but not always. They have ballers in midfield, especially with Fabian Ruiz's fit. They can keep the ball a long time, if they so choose, or certainly in certain moments of the game.
8:27Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think they are a much more complete team than they were last season. For example, when I saw Luis Enrique last week, that's exactly what he said to the question of, are you better this year than you were last year when you won it? And I think the answer is yes. And the fact that they can defend now, probably in a much better way collectively, in terms of cohesion defensively and structure-wise, is a big improvement compared to last season because I think they are capable of really doing everything on the pitch, keeping the ball forever, pressing, waiting, transitioning, building from the back but playing long as well and winning second balls.
9:07Julien Laurens:All of that is very possible and I think that makes them far more unpredictable maybe than some people think and certainly seems to me more unpredictable than what they were last season. I think to some degree this applies to Arsenal too. I know some people are going to dispute this because, you know, Arsenal, especially if you're in England, especially doing a stretch run, they became viewed as sort of this caricature of set pieces and defending and transitions. But we saw in big games, I always go back to the Man City game, the one where they actually lost, but they certainly went at Manchester City in a way that maybe they chose not to.
9:46But it also strikes me, it shows not to in other games, obviously, but it also strikes me that he just has so many more options this year than he did last year. And sometimes more options can be a bad thing because it can be more opportunities to make a mistake. But the fact that this year you have not one but two centre-forwards in Gjokras and Kai Havits, the fact that you have somebody like Ebreze who is capable of creating out of nothing, which you didn't necessarily have last year. The fact that you can turn to the left side of the attack and you can take your pick between... I mean, Trossard was there last year, on the first leg at the play centre-forward, but you've got Martinelli, who's a very different profile from Trossard, who's both, I think, a very different profile from Madueke, especially in what Madueke can give you in pressing and what he can give you defensively.
10:46Very different, I think, in the fullbacks, in the fullback areas as well. Okay, at right back, it's going to be Mosquera, we think, and that will be defensive solutions. But again, at left back, you have the option of maybe somebody who's more of a ballplayer and a passer, like Calafiori, and somebody who's more defensive, like Hincapie. He can change the game in running in so many ways, if he so chooses Arteta. And I think that's a weapon that was not available to them last year.
11:22Julien Laurens:Yeah, they've got much better squads, much deeper squads, as well with everybody pretty much free. I know Timber is a big miss, and so he's wide because Timber isn't there as well. But apart from that, even Mikel Marino is coming back, and he can bring you something very different if you need him for 10, 15, 20 minutes now. So yeah, for sure, I think first and foremost, they will be a very solid defensive-minded team, but they can play in very different ways, depending on who is on the pitch, for example. And I think, for me, undoubtedly, he will go with the best technical players on the pitch.
11:59Julien Laurens:So he will pick Havertz ahead of Jokeres. I think Eze will be there, as well as other guards. I think Luis Kelly will play in midfield. I think he needs those players to almost match up what PSG are going to do on the ball if Arsenal want to do that. Because again, they don't have to at all. They can play in a very different game. And also, set-piece is a massive asset for them, far more than last season. Even if PSG have now a better goalkeeper in the air than last season, Arsenal are probably better on set-pieces than they were last season as well. So I think overall, it gives Arsenal a lot of the tools to cause a lot of problems to this PSG team.
12:34It's an interesting point you make there. I mean, you're dropping nuggets in here. You talked about Eze starting. You talked about Havert starting, which I think, as you know, is always the right decision. But you talked about Lewis Skelly starting, which I think, you know, you go back even two months, people would have thought, what? That's crazy. And starting in midfield, I presume, in Lewis Skelly's case, right? Yeah. So how do we see this lining up? Are you, so obviously, I presume, no Zuby Mendy? Are you envisioning a Lewis Skelly as a Odegaard midfielder? Or do you have a, actually you wouldn't, because otherwise there'd be no Declan Rice.
13:14So you're seeing Eze out wide on the wing?
13:18Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think to get at this PSG team, you almost have to try asking them the question that they usually ask the opposition for them. And I think for that, you have to make the pitch dance. You have to have a lot of bodies there, but bodies that are very good on the ball, so they can keep the ball and get out of this position and then attack a PSG team that will be a bit unbalanced because they're not used to that. So Bayern can do it because they've got the right players for it, from Kimmich to Leimer in that, and Kimmich coming all in midfield and that kind of thing. That's why for Arsenal, I think the line-up that should play are players around the pitch that can do that, but then also that can bring variation to the players Arsenal are playing.
13:59Julien Laurens:So if you have Calafiore at left back or Incappi at left back, is very different. Calafiore will offer and propose far more of a challenge for the PSG team to defend against because he's got all that freedom. He comes inside, he can play in midfield, he finds himself in the opposition box a lot. Incappi is more traditional left back that just you know bombs forward at a time and then just come back which is very easy to defend. Harvest dropping between the lines which is something that Giocares doesn't do. It's far more difficult to play against if you're PSG and Patro and Marquinhos than Giocares when you know exactly what you're going to get from him and your carries will only be really there to play in transition and this Arsenal team can't play in transition Sakai is not a runner is the other side on the left are not runners either so I think if you want to play on the in transition and wait for PSG you can if you are to tell anybody else I just don't think he works unless you've got and with the as for example a buy-in and buy-in we're so good against PSG because they can do it all they can play in so many different ways that at some one of those ways will cause problems to PSG or anybody else.
15:03Julien Laurens:So Arsenal will have to find that kind of variation that I think they can have and I think they've showed a little bit at times this season but then to do it in a Champions League final is a different story. But that's what I think Arteta is going to do and that's why I think the line-up that we are mentioning for me is the obvious one. He might go very differently and he might still win the game and everything. I don't know what his tactic is going to be but if I was him that's what I would do. It's an interesting one because you say it's the obvious one, and in terms of matchups, I would probably tend to agree.
15:37I also find it interesting that when, you know, you pretty much have a set lineup all year long, right? You, I mean, Hincapi and Calafiore alternate, but, you know, you're basically, and then there are different profiles. But certainly in midfield, I feel like until March, you know, Zubimendi was in there in front of the back four. He is obviously, in my opinion, a really press-resistant player. And the whole point with bringing him in was that that way you didn't have to have Rice in front of the back four where you could get some more creative passing. Now, it doesn't matter if you have a different game plan for the game, but it is interesting how, you know, you're...
16:21We're just a few days ahead before the biggest game of Mikel Arteta's career. And he goes with a different script than the one he used all season long. And in some ways, maybe this ties into when we talk about the versatility that Arsenal have this season, the optionality they have, both in terms of personnel and in terms of approaches. But I'll tell you what, Jules, it is a really, really big call for you to go and play a setup like this that you really haven't used in any game this season. You know, it means that you have to go and train it. Hopefully, Tonda Eckert hasn't been advising Luis Enrique and sending people around to film training sessions or whatever to try to get surprises.
17:08But it is a big departure. I mean, it's a courageous choice, I think, for a manager to make at this stage, no?
17:17Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, it's only the Eze on the left for Trossard, really. The rest, you know... Well, and then no Zubimendi. Yeah, Zubimendi hasn't played now for four games in a row. He played against Crystal Palace at right back. Yeah, right back. The argument with Zubimendi is that he's not used to playing these many games and he fell off and so on. I read his disappearance from the fact that we're going to need you later on. But then I saw him start against Palace and I said, hey, maybe it's exactly as you said. It's still a courageous choice. Yeah, I think Arteta has changed his build-up patterns though quite a few weeks ago and in this pattern with Reis really dropping into the two centre-backs, Luis Kelly is better than Zubi Mendy to play almost the lone kind of role in that midfield in the sort of 3-1-6 that Arsenal are playing.
18:09Julien Laurens:Now when they build up, again, they might tweak it a little bit because it's the Champions the final and you don't want maybe to go like gung-ho towards against PSG but I think that's that was the idea and I think Luis Kelly is very comfortable doing that more than Zubimendi in that role that's why I think Luis Kelly will play you could have Zubimendi there too you know he's still very good and very neat on the ball and to be fair I think a midfield of Zubimendi and Luis Kelly with Odegaard and Eze in that team too, would be very good as well against the PhD midfield and that matchup that we mentioned against Dore Neves and Vitinha, for example, because you need that mobility.
18:47Julien Laurens:Rice will start because he's Rice and he's been outstanding and you also need his power and all his running and everything. But that's the choices that Arteta has to make, really. But I think Louis Kelly has a part to play in the semifinal that you mentioned earlier, he played at left back, obviously, but was coming inside in midfield a lot. And in the first leg, I thought his game was better than his second leg at the Paris-Denis where at times it looked to be more in trouble. But I think in that midfield, if you've got Calafiore at left back, I think that could work really well. A reminder, I never mentioned the aggregate score, but it was 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain as they won both legs.
19:32Final point, just take it back to Paris Saint-Germain. You mentioned before that Luis Enrique said that this team was better than last year. In terms of the collective, I can completely see the argument. In terms of the individuals, when I look at this, you have I'll give you you can tell me where I'm wrong. Pacho is as good or better than last year. The goalkeeper, okay, we can say he's better in the air and stuff. Sorry, I still think The guy who left is better than Safonov. Marquinhos is a year older. That is a big ask to keep performing at that level. Vitinha and Joanevs have had ups and downs this year.
20:18Fabian Ruiz has had injuries. He only just came back. Desiree Douais had ups and downs as well. Barcola has had ups and downs. Kvara is better than last year. Dembele is just as good. Did I get any of these badly wrong? You watch more Paris Saint-Germain than I do, or you watch more closely?
20:39Julien Laurens:Yeah, no, no, it's pretty fair. I think everybody's had injuries in that team because of the club World Cup and because of the fact that they played a million times, a million games in the last 12 months or so. And I think that was inevitable. So I think that probably slowed down a little bit through the season. But I think collectively, they are a team that so as we said is better than last season but also I think the team that has been so has matured so much by winning the Champions League last season has had different challenges to face this season and they had to find different solutions to it including the injuries or including the players who maybe were not at the peak of their form when when they should have been there was a time where they kind of I think the Rennes game were in the league in March when they lost 3-1 they lost their way a little bit and then Bele as a good leader, I know he's not the captain, but he's almost like the captain.
21:33Julien Laurens:I think it was very smart to remind everybody that if you don't play as a team and if you are this PSG team, you're just not going to go anywhere. This is not a team that is built on individual talent doing something pretty special on their own to win games. And after that defeat, it looked to me that that was almost like the kick that they needed because they became again this collective force that we've seen now for 18 months or so which they kind of have forgotten maybe between January and March you know the game against Monaco was was laborious then that defeat against Genn was really poor on the collective sense and I think the fact that Dembele kind of you know hit the table and said listen boys this is not that's not like that that we're going to keep our you know win the Champions League again for example or even when Lance were so good in the league, just win the league.
22:24Julien Laurens:And I think that something changed that night, definitely. Dwayne took it personally and reacted and has been very good since. I think a few of the players reacted in the right way after the Dembele criticism. And that's what it is collectively. I think they are better, maybe not just in terms of individual form, but as a whole, as a unit that works together. And again, I think that maturity tactically and mentally is very important for them. If you've ever wanted real energy without choking down something that tastes like regret, Bucked Up is the answer. The flavor is the thing people keep coming back for.
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23:47Ask for O 'Reilly Veriscan today. Alright, Jules, let's go to one of our other Champions League final tradition. The much-loved combined 11. See where we agree, where we disagree. Let's start with the goalkeeper. For me, you know my thoughts. I just don't like the guy. I'm going to take Davi Raya every day of the week.
24:11Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think that's a very obvious one too. All right, at right back, we're not counting players who are injured. Since Hakimi's back and Timber's not there, I got no choice. I'm going to go with Hakimi. Yeah, even if Timber was fit, to be fair, he's not at the level of Hakimi yet. At left back, do I go make the romantic choice of Calafiore, the very handsome Calafiore? No, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to go Nuno Mendes. Yeah, that's right. Best left back in the world, I think, by far, too. All right, so far we're agreeing. I'll let you handle the centre-backs because I think this is going to be a painful choice for you to leave somebody out.
24:57Julien Laurens:Yeah, maybe, although the right-hand side is pretty easy, I think, between Saliba and Marquinhos. For me, Saliba has been the best defender, best centre-back in Europe this season, so he's naturally ahead of Marquinhos. and then it's just simply I don't think there's much between Pacho and Gabriel at all maybe the attacking threat from Gabriel on set pieces is certainly better than Pacho but if you want to prioritise that it's fair and also if you pick Saliba and you want the kind of relationship between him and Gabriel you can on the left hand side otherwise I think Pacho can easily be also picked ahead of Gabriel but we can go for the two Arsenal boys because they obviously are so used to play with each other and have been so brilliant together All right, this is where I'm going to disagree as much as I love Gabriel and I thank his parents for choosing to give him such a lovely name.
25:48I agree there's not much in it. For me, Pacho is just a monster out there and I also think he's quicker than Gabriel and marginally better on the ball. All right, our three midfielders. I'm going to let you go first on this one.
Read the full transcript
26:07Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, I think, again, there's a pretty obvious choice. Jordan Eves and Vitinha have to be there. And then you bring Declan Rice over from Arsenal. And that's the best front three that you could do between the whole midfield of those two teams.
26:24Yeah, I'm not going to argue with that. Those are exactly the three that I had. Which brings us to the front three. And I think this is where it gets a little bit easier. or sorry a little bit interesting because i think there's some um for me at least there's some difficult choices to make um i went with saka and kratzkelia as my wingers um and i went for dembele through the middle when it's really painful because it means no kai hovarts i was thinking of putting dembele on the wing and and just so i could have my kai hovarts through the middle, but no, I got to take this more seriously. So you can tell me if I got it wrong.
27:07Julien Laurens:No, I agree with you completely. I mean, also, I love my, you know, inverted winger. So I would have a right footer on the left and a left footer on the right, like Saka and Varskelia. And then if you don't pick Dembele when he's the Ballon d 'Or, you know, you would never pick him. So, or one would never pick him. So I think that front three of Saka, Varskelia and Dembele is pretty good as well. so this is another way i think to read the game there are six we picked six paris saint germain players um in this team and they were all pretty unanimous uh you sorry you picked six i picked seven because i had pacho over over gabriel pacho and gabriel that there's really not much in it um uh this suggests that in terms of starting 11 um Paris Saint-Germain probably have the edge.
28:00But of course, there's five substitutions. I'll be very surprised if we don't see at least four from each team, Jules, because certainly, especially in the Arsenal end, there's so many different ways he can change it, and he'd be foolish not to.
28:13Julien Laurens:Yeah, absolutely. If he needs two, especially in an attacking way, if they are behind, for example, or something like that. for PSG is a little bit different because if he doesn't start at right back for example because Hakimi is maybe not just fully match fit or can't last over 60 minutes if he doesn't then he's a great asset to have on the bench like Barcola even like a Gonzalo Ramos who's been a kind of a super sub for most of the season so in both squad really the depth that we mentioned earlier is very significant I think before a game like this especially with the heat that would be in Budapest with the game now moving to 6 o 'clock local time instead of 9 o 'clock local time like before.
28:54Julien Laurens:I think that also could play a bit of an impact on what kind of game we're going to have and how many changes we will see.
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30:46Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think so. I mean, we expected the first half that could be quite like it was with not much happening because I think that's what that's what Rayo's game was, had to be. And Palace probably will be slow to get in. A bit like what Chelsea and Real Betis like played out last season in the same final. And then after that, I think it could have easily been a 3-0 win for Palace. I'm so happy for Mateta to score the winner. and again continuing this quite incredible last 18 months or two years that he's had with this Crystal Palace team before probably very likely leaving in the summer. I think he's an incredible ambassador for the game and for the club.
31:24Julien Laurens:What a wonderful story he is for somebody who's had to fight so hard to get to where he is now and now he's going to even discover the World Cup. So first ever European campaign for Crystal Palace in their 126 year history and the trophy at the end of it is just magnificent what Glasner and the players have done. Gab, Barcelona have agreed a fee of around£70 million for Newcastle's Anthony Gordon. What do you make of it? What I make of it is that this is weird. I see the logic in terms of some longer term leverage over Rafinha, whose contract is up in two years or whatever. But Barcelona are still under pretty severe restrictions from La Liga.
32:06they hope to move to the level where they can be at one-to-one, so for every euro you save, you can spend a euro. But I would have thought you'd put your resources, whatever they are, towards centre-forward to get an alternative to Ferran Torres now that Robert Lewandowski's gone, and perhaps in central defence get somebody other than Kubarsi, or in addition to Kubarsi and Gerard Martin, who he seems to like so much. Instead, they've gone for a winger. I don't know what this means. I don't know if it means they're going to sacrifice one of their attacking midfielders. I think at this point, I think you have to.
32:43And I'm also pretty sure it means that Marcus Rashford won't be sticking around. But I don't see any other way to interpret this. For Newcastle, I think what's pretty evident, some people even suggesting the reason we didn't see him at the end of the season was that they desperately need the money and they didn't want him to get injured so they could shift him. Manchester United, meanwhile, have reportedly agreed personal terms with Ederson not the keeper, but the Brazilian midfielder from Atalanta we're talking around£38 million reportedly, make sense?
33:15Julien Laurens:I think it's a really good signing for them and yes, this season it was not as good as what he showed last season with an Atalanta team that was not as good, obviously, after losing Gasperini than what they were before, but I think he turns 27 in July I think he's got huge potential I think he'll be perfect in front of the back four there's a lot of things that he can do there's a lot of different ways that you can use him to and I think for me for a team that needs midfielders at least two maybe even three as we mentioned before I think he's a really good first signing to have especially at that price which I think is a decent price It's a decent price if you get the one from two years ago even the one this year maybe my only and I love his skill set because he really is a legitimate all-rounder.
34:04If they sign Elliot Anderson to complement the other two or somebody like that, then I will probably like it even more. My unease a little bit is just simply with his age profile because obviously Cunha and Mbumo are also kind of in that age bracket and should they have gone for somebody a little younger perhaps. But phenomenal player. And if he gets back to level that he was at two years ago, look out.
34:30Julien Laurens:Gab, we knew Milan failing to qualify for the Champions League would have its consequences, but were you expecting this level of change? No, it was the Monday Milan massacre, Jules. Max Allegri, the coach, out. Iglitada, the sporting director, out. Giorgio Furlani, the chief executive, out. Geoffrey Moncada, the technical director, out. They said that it was an inequivocable failure, I think is a term, that Jerry Cardinano used in his statement. He's wiping the slate clean. I hope that there's a plan. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, of course, is still around. I didn't particularly love the fact that he said everything was going great until we started losing games at the end of the year.
35:15No, your results were good. Your play wasn't. I hope Jerry Cardinano has enough smart people around him to show him that this was not the case. Nico Gonzalez has been linked with a move away from Manchester City. so much for the guy who Pep called a mini Rodri.
35:31Julien Laurens:Yeah, that's right. I mean,€60 million, that's the release clause they paid Porto at the time for a player that we've said it from day one. He's a good player, but nothing special, certainly nothing at the level of Rodri. And we saw that he was most of the time, not most of the time, that was a bit harsh, but he was just not good enough in general. He has had some good games, he's scored some nice goals, including very recently in the FA Cup semifinal that then obviously led City into the final and winning the final. There would be a team for him, less a level than what City are right now. And it's one of those where I think they just panicked a bit 18 months ago when they signed him in January because Rodri was injured and they just needed a more defensive midfielder and they could not find one and they went for him.
36:16Julien Laurens:And like we said, if he's leaving, nice because he hasn't worked out. But it's okay. Not everybody can succeed at Manchester City. This is a bad signing. Let's call Spade Spade. Yeah. More Milan Gab, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jerry Cardinale that you've mentioned already, reportedly met with Ralf Ragnik. Surely not. Well, it's odd because in 2020, when he was linked with Milan the first time under the previous ownership, Zlatan famously said, Ralph who? I have no idea who that is when asked about it. And guess what? I tend to believe it. Maybe Zlatan shouldn't be this involved in certain things. As a technical director, it's fine.
36:54He's also negotiating with Austria. He wants a contract extension. Of course, he'll be leading Austria at the World Cup. I think his contract is over just after the World Cup. The guy Milan really wants is Andoni Raola. But reportedly, Raola wants to stay in the Premier League. But we'll see what jobs might be available for him because they're going quickly. Real Madrid elections are on June 7th, Jules. The campaign is underway and a big part of it is making promises to voters, just like real life. Eric Alvear says he has, quote, two great international stars already signed for Real Madrid and he's working on the manager.
37:31Julien Laurens:Yeah, I'm sure. And like we said last time, I'm not sure we believe him either. But you know what? At least we know the dates. We know when the elections will happen. I think it's quite important for their, you know, to prepare for their program and how they reach to the fans. And also for us to know when all these circuits will end. Maybe the manager's Iraola. Yeah, maybe. Exactly. You are. Maybe that's the manager. And if we stick with Real Madrid, if Florentino wins, he said he would bring back Jose Mourinho to the club. We knew that. But except that now it's going to be more expensive than he would have been.
38:05That's right. He really shot himself into the foot. because basically what happened, he decided to call new elections, which means that he can't bring in the manager now. Mourinho had a clause which would allow him to move to Real Madrid from Benfica for 7 million euros. But that clause expired on May 26th, on Tuesday, Jules. Now it's going to cost more. Now Benfica can set the price. People are talking 15 million. In today's world, planning ahead isn't always top of mind, but not having life insurance can leave families facing difficult financial uncertainty during already emotional times. In many cases, loved ones are left managing expenses, debts, or long-term obligations without a clear plan in place.
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40:10For the first time in history, there will be no Real Madrid players in the Spain team at a World Cup. Jules, I know it happened recently in the Euros. It still feels weird.
40:21Julien Laurens:Yeah, you're right. I think it was Euros 2020, played in 2021. and maybe this is a reflection gap as well of the current level of this Real Madrid team that the other day filled a full 11 without any Spanish players either in it because the ones that are there from Carvajal to I don't know like Fran Garcia or even Gonzalo or Thiago Pitarch are just not really right now kind of Real Madrid level when you think about some of the great teams than some of the great Spanish players they had through the years. So maybe that's a bit kind of where they are right now in terms of the evolution of that team too.
41:02Julien Laurens:And it's maybe not surprising. Like De La Fuente said, you know, he doesn't look at what club those players play for when he does his squad. So I think it's quite damaging for the club too. It's definitely damaging for the club. I just would have thought with Samuel, Gonzalo, you've got 26 players. It wouldn't kill you to bring him in as a spare center forward. But that's just my view. Yeah. United's account have revealed that Saki Ruben Amorim cost the club£16.7 million. Gab, that's even more expensive than the Dutch guy. That's right. Eric Ten Hag cost him£14.5 million. And I go back to this, which I say again and again, Jules.
41:53there are more football clubs there are more great managers out there or even good managers than there are football clubs there's only one Manchester United don't worry the guy should be paying you to be coaching there not quite but why they feel the need to bring these guys in give them these enormous contracts for enormous salaries I mean honestly where was Ruben Amarim I know obviously it was interesting from Liverpool but they always pay over the odds for managers. And don't even get me started on Milan and Max Allegri, but that's another fine example there. And then what happens is when you sack them, you give them these enormous payouts.
42:32And these long contracts to me make no sense whatsoever. Alexia Puteas played her final game for Barcelona on Wednesday, a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, I think. And she said goodbye to the club. And reportedly, London City is her next destination.
42:48Julien Laurens:Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an English club and the WSL more than maybe now the NWSL. And certainly London City with Michel Kang at the helm has been doing a lot of waves in that kind of recruitment, superstars bringing to the club. So 14 years at Barcelona where she won everything, including four Champions League, a Ballon d 'Or winner, incredible player. I watched her again in the Champions League final and she's just fantastic. Everything, the way she speaks, the way she presents herself, the way she plays. I think she's just an incredible, incredible talent and incredible person.
43:27Julien Laurens:So it'd be great for the WSL if she does come to England to have her in the league. She very much works, I think, as a face of a club as well. She's not one of those kind of silent superstars. Mikel Arteta was named the Premier League Manager of the season. Gab, are you OK with that? I'm OK with it. I don't care about this prize. I think the prize is a little silly. I think there's other people who I think could have been just as good candidates. There's Irola, who we mentioned. There's Unai Emery, who we mentioned. Regis Labris, as well. You know, taking a newly promoted team into Europe in seventh place.
44:06It's apples and oranges. They're almost performing different jobs in different contexts with different resources. What I will point out, though, is I am not surprised Mikel Arteta won it, because I don't exactly know, I just know it's a panel that the Premier League convenes to give this prize out. What I find absolutely remarkable is that since 2014, the prize has always gone to the manager of the Premier League champions every single year, except for one. Now, one year was 2021-22 when Jurgen Klopp won it at Liverpool, and of course Pep Guardiola won the league that year. I find that bizarre.
44:47I find equally bizarre that between 2009 and 2013, in that four-year spell, the prize was won by Harry Redknapp. You ready for this? Harry Redknapp, Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis. I find that equally weird. Don't you?
45:03Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think it's the LMA. So, you know, managers voting for managers and maybe at times there's just a bit of kind of bias in their votes. I don't know. I think Le Brice would have been a worthy winner, but I can see why Mikel Arteta won it again because I think he's been magnificent this season. Nuno Espirito Santo is sticking around at West Ham and will try to get them back up to the Premier League. Are you a little surprised, Jules? Yeah, maybe. I think it's a nice challenge to take on. I think he owed it to the club because he failed in his mission to keep them up. And it's not like if he's arrived in April when everything was lost.
45:42Julien Laurens:You know, he arrived in September and there was plenty of time to keep them up. And he didn't. So in a way, I like the fact that he said, OK, you want me to stay? Then I'm happy to stay and we'll come back up together. And then, you know, maybe he stays a little bit longer if they're back in the Premier League or he goes somewhere else. But I think it's the right thing to do from his point of view, for sure. Tottenham CEO Vinay Venketashan apparently thinks that the club's training ground is a bit too fancy, Gabi I thought this was weird and Vinay, don't get annoyed, we're just having fun but he gave an interview with the BBC where he talked about their training ground and he says their training ground is one of the best, if not the best in the world but when you look around, it looks more like a five-star hotel than it does a quote, performance environment that will change over the summer.
46:32I'm really curious what you're going to do. What do you do? Take out the air conditioning? Stop sending the cleaners into the dressing room? What, you think making it uglier and less cushy is going to make the players perform better? I kind of get what he says, but then I kind of don't. It sounds like something you say for the fans. I'm going to be a tough guy. Everybody's going to work harder. He also said that what Tottenham have done as a club in kind of the commercial sphere has been amazing and really has been amazing. The commercial numbers for a team that, you know, finished one spot above relegation the last two seasons have absolutely been remarkable.
47:10And he says it's the football operations that can improve. And I think everybody agrees with him there. I think he's been there since April 2005. So, you know, the commercial part, which is really his background, where he comes from, we know that's good. the big question is who's going to fix the other part and is it going to be him? Nicolás Hernández scores twice in the last four minutes to lead Belgrano to a 3-2 upset of River Plate in the final of Argentina's Apertura. It's Belgrano's first ever title duels. And more impressively, they all thought that Cuti Romero was going to be there since he was injured, be there to go and cheer them on.
47:53Belgrano, of course, is where he started out. but instead he was shamed into staying in London to cheer on Spurs I'm pretty sure he was watching though Yeah I'm sure he was watching
48:03Julien Laurens:I mean there was previews between Belgrano and River Plate as well a very long time ago but first title in the most incredible dramatic fashion is amazing I really believe Kuti Romero wanted to be there and watch that and not be at Spurs but against the public pressure you know he felt that he had to and the backlash towards what looked like him in South America clearly ready to stay there for that game. He came back to Europe, was there in the stands when his team stayed up. And as a captain, the club captain, I think that's the right thing to do. But I'm not sure he would have done so. He would have been there if there hadn't been all that outrage from the fans.
48:42Julien Laurens:Philippe Jorgensen reportedly wants to leave Chelsea to get first team football, Gab. Yeah, your favourite Chelsea keeper, Jules. Look, I I don't blame him. He's 24 years old. I think he knows which way the wind is blowing. Chelsea have a zillion goalkeepers on their books. Obviously, Robert Sanchez was the number one. I think they're going to have to make a decision on him next season. And, of course, they also have Mike Penders, who is very big and very young and, of course, was on loan at Strasbourg last season. Yeah, he is.
49:24The thing is, they paid 25 million euros for him two years ago. And the magic of amortization is pretty clear on this one. You need to get 50 million euros back for him. I don't know who's going to give you 50 million euros for a guy who's played very little the last two seasons, who's been generally really bad when he has played or then he's been injured. I think if he wants to go somewhere else, he might be alone. Maybe a loan to Strasbourg, with Penders coming to challenge Sanchez for the number one. Ronald Koeman, speaking of Dutch guys, has named his Holland squad for the World Cup. There's no room for Jeremy Fringpong, but Jules, mighty Martin De Roon makes the return, and Crescensio Somerville is there too.
50:12Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think for Somerville he's deserved, because I know West Ham went down, but I thought he had a good season. De Roon is that kind of experience and that kind of leadership that is always needed. Memphis Depay is obviously in it, even if he had injuries the last few weeks now and was not always in the teams at Corinthians. For Frimpong, I think you can understand that he didn't have a good season. There's so much competition for players like him and positions like him in the Dutch squad that I was not too surprised not to see his name on the list, really. Yeah, I think Mats Viefer is the guy he wants to play in his place.
50:47Obviously, he had a good season with Brighton. And I think a big part of De Rune's return is Sgouten's injury. I think they really want that leadership, if not in the first 11, at least in the squad.
51:02Julien Laurens:Meanwhile, Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has called up Thomas Partey, despite the fact that he's due to stand trial in the UK on rape and sexual assault charges next season. yeah so he's called him up to the pre-selection squad of 28 but that gets cut down to 26 so we don't know yet if he's actually going to be there um he denies all charges there's a presumption of of innocence which is part of um which is certainly no part of legal principle I think when you face these many counts from multiple women, that's a tough spot to be in. And I understand K. Risch's thinking. Obviously, he had no problem playing all season long, of course, in La Liga.
51:55I don't know what the right answer is. I know that me personally, I would not be comfortable with it. I would say there's enough evidence to charge you. Go and defend yourself. And once you're deemed innocent, then you can come back. Phil Neville is back on the managerial market, Jules. He's been dismissed by the Portland Timbers after two and a half years.
52:17Julien Laurens:Yeah, I thought that was a weird appointment in the beginning anyway. And then, to be fair, he took this team to the playoff. And then they were knocked out in the first round in the two years, the two full years that he was on. So I don't think they will remember him too fondly. I don't think he worked, although I'm sure he learned a lot. Certainly, I hope so for him. But yeah, I'm not surprised that they called it a day. It's funny. We always talk about Phil Neville learning and stuff. He's not a kid anymore. He's like 50 years old. That's wild. Managers on the move in Serie A. Mauricio Sarri leaves Lazio for Atalanta, which I guess makes some sense.
52:55Julien Laurens:Does Lazio picking Rino Gattuso, though, on the other hand, make sense? What do you think I'm going to say, Jules? How did he get that job? it makes sense in the context of Lazio and Claudio Lotito who I think has thoroughly jumped the shark at this stage Lazio are making massive cuts every year Rino Gattuso is obviously he'll say yes to anything he wants to prove himself he genuinely feels bad about what happened with the Italy job and not helping them qualify to the World Cup and so he immediately wants to go out and he wants to coach again. I don't know. The lots of fans are going to be pretty happy with this.
53:37But then I guess they had the visionary coach before in Sarri, and that didn't quite work out either. I'll be interested to see what spirit Sarri takes the Atalanta job on. Obviously, he's going to have to work within a structure. He's not Gasparini. But let's not forget, I mean, Sarri's a guy. He won the Europa League with Chelsea. He won Serie A with Juventus. He's not Mr. Nobody. but he can be a difficult character to manage. Nice and Saint-Etienne drew 0-0 in the first leg of their relegation playoff in France. Jules, their return leg is on Friday, but what's up with the story about the clubs not being sure if they have to release players, international players, for the World Cup?
54:20Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, first of all, the game was terrible. I hope you didn't watch it because it was really dreadful. One of the worst playoff games that we had since they reintroduced the playoffs or they introduced the playoffs a few years ago. Nice were tired. They played the Coupe de France final. Yeah, exactly. And that's why that rule about FIFA and players kicked on. It's because that second leg would be quite late. And that I think, well, it's not I think, I know it's the FIFA dates already for national teams to be able to gather their players to get prepared for the World Cup. So, and rightly so, not that they have many international players, neither of them.
55:00Julien Laurens:But I think it's right for those managers to say, hang on a minute, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault if you had to play the French Cup and now French Cup final. And now these playoffs, home and away, promotion relegation games, it's so late. I need my players to prepare for the World Cup. It's very important. I need the players with me in our camp. the list I saw Jules there's seven or eight players for Nice including important players like Eli Wahey who of course was suspended for this game there's three players for Saint -Étienne I mean when they scheduled this playoff they knew that there was going to be a World Cup this summer and that FIFA had certain rules about when players needed to be released right?
55:47I mean, they're not like that 20 % of Americans who don't know that there's a World Cup going on.
55:52Julien Laurens:No, you're right. I think that there's just, there was no other time to play the final because of the French Cup final, uh, those playoffs, two games, the French Cup final, the league finished the weekend before. I think it was maybe a bit, a bit tricky because you've got home and away. If you had just one game, then I think it would have been easier, but home and away, I think it was a bit more difficult to place in the calendar. And it's playoffs as well for promotion and relegation in the Bundesliga, Aga, between Paderborn and Wolfsburg. That's right, Lauren Kurda scores in extra time and Paderborn come from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1.
56:29Wolfsburg scored straight away and you figure you're just going to manage this game. Instead, it turned into something completely different because Joachim Mele got sent off in the 14th minute and the rest of the game was just Wolfsburg hanging on, Paderborn peppering the goal 3.47 once it got into where the expected goals to just 0.44 once it got into extra time it's pretty obvious Wolfsburg playing for penalties as rightly you probably should but it's a tough thing to do when you're down to 10 men and you're tired and eventually they capitulated sad to see Wolfsburg go obviously they are one of the not necessarily one of the bigger teams because Wolfsburg is not a big place but they've been one of the wealthier teams of course former German champions as well.
57:15Bruno Genesio has moved on from Lille. Jules, are you excited about the mooted replacement? I am.
57:23Julien Laurens:Well, because you're right, the leading candidate of the shortlist for Lille is David de Ancelotti, who you know really well. Obviously, he's the son of Carlo, who's learned from his dad by being in pretty much all recent technical staff in various locations and clubs and now with brazil as well um genezio deciding i think with the club not to extend he had two years there two pretty good years to be fair now let's talk about him either paris fc probably more likely in marseille um but certainly in terms of french managers he's certainly one of the best we've had in the last few years so he should not be short of offers i think.
58:02Julien Laurens:Gab, we told everyone that Sergio Ramos was about to buy Sevilla FC, his former club, at the helm of a consortium. But now we're not sure anymore. We're not sure because the current Del Nido's and the other investors in Sevilla who control the club are saying, guys, we haven't received those bank guarantees you promised us. So the consortium is called 511 Capital. It's a bunch of investors. There's a bunch of them from Mexico. And the concern is that one of them might have pulled out at the last minute. And all this hype about Sergio Ramos returning home and now they need to find somebody else to pony up the money because I'll tell you what, Sergio Ramos does not personally have that kind of money.
58:54Maybe they can ask Enrique Alvear if he loses the elections. He'll have some money lying around. A survey of more than 1 ,000 adults in the United States by ticketing platform SeatPic, which I'd never heard of and at first I thought it was SeatGeek, but it's not. It's called SeatPic, reveals that one in five had no idea that the World Cup was coming to the U.S. this summer. Not a great sign, is it, Jules?
59:18Julien Laurens:No, I guess not. But then I looked at previous years and I felt that even previous World Cup didn't seem to have too much buzz or too much going on a couple of weeks or three weeks before the start of the tournament either. So I don't know if it's in particular with just the US or not. I never think that, you know, in Russia, I didn't think that it was massive buzz when we got there before it started. I didn't think that Qatar was the same either. So maybe it's just what happened with the World Cup. And let's not forget that in the US right now, you've got the NBA. well one team is in the finals already the other the two great teams are in the conference finals you've got the baseball season still going on Jules Jules there's a big difference between there not being buzz and not knowing that it's taking place in Doha we were both there you had to know it was taking place because Doha is so small and it's everywhere here I think it has more to do maybe with the size of the US and the fact that maybe there's just a lot of people who just don't consume the kind of media that would even mention it and are far away from World Cup cities, maybe?
1:00:30Yeah, maybe, maybe. Garbo Limpiacos beat Real Madrid. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We can't let this one slide because it's a chance to make fun of Pochettino. Three out of four don't know who Pochettino is. I find that a lot less surprising, right?
1:00:46Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, it's a thousand people. They've asked that. Is that what you said? Yeah. In a country of 300 million people, I'm not sure a thousand count that much anywhere of what they think or what they know, what they don't know. I completely agree. 350 million people, even if one seventh of them have a marginal interest in the sport. I'm good with that. That's like the size of the people who have a marginal interest in the sport in a major European country. I'm good with that. Olympiacos beat Real Madrid to win the EuroLeague basketball title but Gab, you know, I'm just mentioning this to mention your favourite owner now that John Texter is out of the picture of course, it's Mr.
1:01:27Marinakis another triumph for Mr. Marinakis of course, who owns, who's the president of Olympiacos, not just the football team but the basketball team too and I thought this was hilarious check out the video He's like wandering down after the game, and he's wearing his trademark giant white T-shirt, and he gets accosted by this nerdy-looking guy in the stands, this balding dude with glasses, who I later find out, his name is Grigoris Dimitriadis, who's a nephew of the Greek prime minister, former advisor. And the two get into a discussion, and next thing you know, Marinaki slaps the guy, and the guy basically jumps at him, rips Mr.
1:02:08Marinakis' shirt, I don't know exactly what the content is Something that maybe Marinakis' newspapers had written about him But I'll tell you what, Marinakis is just so much fun And I would have loved if you didn't have hundreds of people Stepping in and we saw the Marinakis vs. Dimitriadis Matchup that everybody wanted to see Dana White, if you're listening I'd love to get these two in a UFC octagon sometime soon I'm just chucking it out there Jules, this brings us to an end but the next time that our audience is going to hear from us we will have new European champions. I've left it until now.
1:02:51I hate predictions I will make a prediction and I will predict that Arsenal are going to win. You care to make a prediction I will not force you because I hate it when people force you. It's okay man, I think PSU will win one nip There you go. Fair and balanced as always. Alright so we're going to be back on Monday and see if we were right until then, love the game, love your neighbor love yourself
From the publisher
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the upcoming UEFA Champions League final between holders Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal and debate whether Arsenal could be considered favourites heading into the tie, The guys also discuss Anthony Gordon’s rumoured move to Barcelona, the end for Max Allegri at AC Milan & ask if Florentino Perez has a fight on his hands to remain Real Madrid president.
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