In short
Gab and Jules recap Germany vs Ivory Coast at the World Cup, arguing Germany won late thanks to Denis Undav, while Ivory Coast’s bold tactics and young midfield were impressive. They also run “quick hits” on other matches and broader football news (coach/club decisions, transfers, legal controversies).
Guests
Gab and Jules are the two hosts (no external guests mentioned in the transcript). Gab and Jules discuss matches as football analysts/commentators.
Guest backgrounds
Not provided; only their roles as co-hosts on “Gab and Jules Show” are stated.
Key claims
Germany were narrow/predictable for an hour; Ivory Coast tactically prepared to attack Germany’s width and midfield. Germany’s late comeback hinged on substitutions and Undav’s calm half-turn finish. Germany’s ceiling depends on Musiala elevating and on injuries (notably Schlotterbeck).
Notable examples
Franck Kessie/Diomande cross leading to Ivory Coast’s early goal; Undav’s 94th-minute winner; Emerson Faye’s praise of Adingra’s chance vs Undav’s composure; other match mentions include Canada 6-0 Qatar, USA beating Australia 2-0, Mexico’s 1-0 vs Korea, and Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOGermany vs. Ivory Coast Overview
0:30 to 1:04
Discussion about the Germany vs. Ivory Coast match and its significance.
Ivory Coast's Strong Performance
1:04 to 1:56
Analyzing Ivory Coast's impressive play and tactics against Germany.
“I told you, I was so impressed with Ivory Coast in their opening game against Ecuador.”
Germany's Tactical Adjustments
1:56 to 3:30
Exploration of Germany's tactical decisions and lineup choices.
“He made five changes from the opening game.”
Evaluating Substitutions and Game Impact
3:30 to 5:00
Analysis of key substitutions made by Germany and their effect on the match.
“I mean, I've heard that 40 % of the board yesterday, so they didn't really take the game against Germany, though.”
Germany's Future Prospects
5:00 to 7:30
Discussing Germany's potential future in the tournament and areas for improvement.
“Julian Nagelsmann, like I said from the start, I think a lot of people did.”
Comparing Teams: Germany vs. Ivory Coast
7:30 to 8:50
A comparative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.
“So that idea that, I know it's a stereotype, but, you know, there's truth in all these stereotypes, is that Germany often doesn't adjust to the opposition.”
Youth and Experience in Teams
8:50 to 9:50
Discussion on the importance of youth and experience in team dynamics.
“depending on you, you were chasing the game, you wanted a goal.”
Anticipating Upcoming Matches
9:50 to 12:20
Preview of Germany's next matches and potential challenges ahead.
“I mean, that pass, that was almost like a shot.”
Final Thoughts and Predictions
12:20 to 13:05
Juls and Gab share their predictions for the tournament's outcome.
“They can do some damage because Florian Wurtz and Jamal Musial are really good players.”
Germany vs. Ivory Coast Predictions
14:01 to 14:48
The hosts predict which team will advance further in the World Cup.
“So, you know, we can debate about it, but we know it won't happen.”
Show all 34 chapters
Germany vs. Ivory Coast Predictions
14:49 to 15:31
The hosts predict which team will advance further in the World Cup.
“and more Ivory Coast talk, remember, you can tune in every single day to ESPN FC and get your gimme-go.”
Quick Hits: Sweden and the Netherlands
16:23 to 17:42
The hosts discuss the performances of Sweden and the Netherlands in the World Cup.
“Holla and destroy Sweden as Brian Brawby and Cody Gakbo bag two goals each.”
Brazil's Response Against IT
17:42 to 19:06
A discussion on Brazil's performance and tactics in their recent game.
“And look, in the end, everybody in Brazil was screaming for, oh, we need Hendrik, we need Hendrik.”
USA's World Cup Journey
19:06 to 21:10
The hosts analyze the USA's performance and their potential in the World Cup.
“But I'll tell you what, if Vini drops deep and dispenses one-twos and stuff, they can get away with it.”
Mexico and Canada's Performances
21:10 to 23:18
A review of Mexico and Canada's games and their chances moving forward.
“Mexico, meanwhile, also make it two wins in two, Gabi.”
Morocco vs. Scotland Analysis
23:18 to 27:49
The hosts break down the match between Morocco and Scotland.
“And now Switzerland, so that would be really their first test.”
Ecuador vs. Curacao Review
27:49 to 28:01
An overview of Ecuador's match against Curacao and their missed opportunities.
“Curacao somehow managed to hold Ecuador to a nil-nil draw, Gabi.”
Ecuador vs. Germany Match Analysis
28:01 to 29:06
An analysis of Ecuador's performance against Germany and the impact of key players.
“I saw Curaçao were actually relatively open against Germany, against Ecuador.”
Group Stage Dynamics
29:07 to 30:17
Discussion on the current standings and potential outcomes for teams in the group stage.
“They can also finish with two points each if they only draw their third game and probably be out.”
Tournament Elimination Risks
30:18 to 31:28
Exploration of how teams can be eliminated early in the World Cup based on new rules.
“have a master table for the eight best third place sides.”
Tournament Elimination Risks
31:36 to 32:41
Exploration of how teams can be eliminated early in the World Cup based on new rules.
“The one that makes buying so incredibly easy?”
Real Madrid Transfer Statements
32:46 to 34:08
Discussion on Real Madrid's recent transfer statements and their implications.
“Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Coverall Tire Dressing.”
Controversies Surrounding Players
34:09 to 36:15
Debate over player conduct and the implications of ongoing legal issues for footballers.
“The work is done by intermediaries There are six or seven in Europe.”
Transfer Value Discussions
36:16 to 37:55
Analyzing transfer bids and valuations of players like Sandro Tonali amid market dynamics.
“who ruled that there was, quote, sufficient evidence to stand trial.”
Evaluating Young Talents
37:56 to 41:40
Discussion on the potential and valuation of young players in the current market.
“By the same token, if the club comes to you and says, hey, Sandro, we need to let you go for a lot of money, you know, he's going to go.”
Club Dynamics and Transfers
41:41 to 42:01
Insight into club strategies regarding player transfers and management changes.
“The other guy, Mickey Van de Veen, yeah, he's big.”
Transfer Market Insights: Vuscovic and Juventus
42:01 to 44:40
Discussion on player transfers, specifically Vuscovic and Juventus' financial strategy.
“So what do you think happens loan or because surely other people have seen Vuscovic Brighton have put to 45 million I would assume with all due respect to Brighton is gonna be bigger clubs that my might get involved.”
World Cup Venue Speculations
44:41 to 46:46
Debate over the hosting of the 2030 World Cup final between Spain and Morocco.
“Can we just, like, instead of keeping up every two weeks, having this, ooh, Casemiro on his way to Inter-Miami, let's just go, like, yes, he will play there.”
Gary O'Neill's Departure from Strasbourg
46:47 to 48:40
Analysis of Gary O'Neill's mid-season exit from Strasbourg to Ipswich Town.
“And now he's being linked to Ipswich Town.”
West Ham's Ownership Talks
48:41 to 51:06
Exploration of Amanda Stavely and Mirdad Goodusi's involvement in West Ham's ownership.
“The dynamic duo talking about yours of Amanda Stavely and Merad Goodusi Reportedly in talks to acquire West Ham Gab your thoughts Sure, did you purposely pronounce his name the way you did?”
Atletico Madrid's Transfer Targets
51:07 to 53:23
Discussion on Atletico Madrid's potential signings including Grimaldo and Hulman.
“Midfielder Morten Hulman is reportedly top of Ruben Amorim's list at Milan.”
Atletico Madrid's Transfer Targets
53:31 to 54:00
Discussion on Atletico Madrid's potential signings including Grimaldo and Hulman.
“That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.”
Ronaldinho's Return to Football
54:06 to 56:00
Discussion on Ronaldinho's unexpected return to the game with Ravenna.
“Apparently he's got a respiratory issue of some kind.”
Discussion on Ronaldinho's Career
56:00 to 56:55
Exploring Ronaldinho's unique training habits and performance.
“Ignacio Cipriani, by the way, is the owner.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00I am one of Mochanui. On July 10th. Maui, you will board my boat and restore the heart of Te Fiti. And here we go. The journey begins. See her light up the night in the sea. She calls me. The ocean chose you. Let's go save the world. I got your back chosen one. Disney's Moana. Boat's neck. His name is Heihei. His name is Yum Yum. When he goes in my tum-tum. Game theaters July 10th. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. hmm it's the gab and jules show presented by gusto i'm gab he's jules uh no idea about the weather in london because we're here in new york where we've got bright sunshine and intermittent clouds but jules what a show we have so much going on uh things are starting to get delineated a little bit for the knockouts and uh we're gonna start though not with brazil's comeback not with Holland, but we will troll you about the Dutch guy in a minute.
1:01But let's start with Germany. Because Germany, Ivory Coast, I told you, I was so impressed with Ivory Coast in their opening game against Ecuador. And they nearly put one over on Germany. Yeah, it was cruel.
1:16Julien Laurens:I was there in Toronto on Saturday night, where I thought Ivory Coast for an hour were the better team. Even if Germany had more possession, even if Germany had some chances, of course, they were always going to. But I thought this quite young Ivory team, to be fair, with a young coach as well, just managed the game pretty well, took the lead, thanks to Franck Cassier, once again on a cross by Diomande. And a lot of the things that they did with the ball and without the ball was just very good. In the end, Germany came back, and I think the draw was probably to be a fair result, even if Ivory Coast had chances to win it.
1:48Julien Laurens:And obviously, in the end, Germany won it, thanks to super sub Denis Hundav. But overall, I thought it was, despite the defeat, a very encouraging display again from Ivory Coast. So, we'll get to Germany in a minute, Mannschaft fans, but what strikes me about this Cote d 'Ivoire team is Emerson Faye has been criticized for saying, oh look, they're less than the sum of their parts, you've got so much talent. He's a bold man. He made five changes from the opening game. He inserted, I'm blanking on his name now, but into midfield. Now to what? Exactly. He put Amad Diallo on the right wing. And of course, my man, Anjo, I'm Bonnie up front in place of a guy like Nicolas Pepe, who is, you know, one of the leaders of this team.
2:33Some changes at the back, but that was from injury with Kosunu coming back. I was kind of wondering, like, you're making a statement here that you want to do this. And you're sending a message to your team that we really want to take the game to Germany.
2:47Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think so. And I think he also shows the ambitions for this team. I mean, I wrote in my piece on the ESPN website that I think you could see a lot of similarities between this Ivory Coast team and the one in Morocco four years ago that went so far. I asked Faye the question yesterday and he said, like, you know, this is the ambition we have, is we believe we can do something similar. He didn't say they would go to the, you know, to the semifinals, but he said, like, we are a really good team. And I think they showed that. They showed a lot of those signs of being a good team. And in the end, they lost in the 94th minute to a really classy goal from Mundav, where maybe they're a little bit naive.
3:21Julien Laurens:And again, it's a young team. But I thought overall, it was very, very encouraging again. Yeah, the Morocco analogy, I think in terms of results, probably more so than in terms of style compared to 2022, because I kind of feel that this Ivory Coast team can take the game to the opposition and will have the courage to do so in the latter stages in a way that Morocco, which was more about being tight, more about picking your spots, you know, in 2022 anyway, completely different in this World Cup. I mean, I've heard that 40 % of the board yesterday, so they didn't really take the game against Germany, though.
3:54Julien Laurens:And after taking the lead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But even, you know, before that, I think they're a very solid team that can clearly tactically make other teams struggle a little bit. We saw Germany being far too narrow, far too predictable, and that was the game plan from Ivory Coast, and the MS5, I think, prepared that really, really well. And they've got so much talent going forward that I really think there could be a threat against anybody. Nobody would want to play them. No, no question. and they're a lot tighter in midfield as well with Sangare compared to Seiko Fofana, who came on. I told you, he was like some kind of bowling ball in the first game, a little bit out of control.
4:27He's older, he's bigger, he uses him as a stopper, but here on now, Sangare should start, right?
4:33Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think this midfield of Kessier, Sangare, and Ina Ulay, who is the revelation of not just the game, but I think even of the season in Turkey with Fras Vonspor, he was outstanding, he's only 20 years old. He never started, obviously, a World Cup game before, and to see him dominating that midfield and bossing that midfield like he did, you know, against Pavlovich, Mecha, the young players too. It was not like if Kimmich was there. But still, I thought he ran that game really, really well. And I think those three in midfield really have to be the way forward for Arvore Kozma. All right, let's go with Germany.
5:04Julian Nagelsmann, like I said from the start, I think a lot of people did. You know, it's his first experience with international management. Things have gone up and down. if you need a position filled, you can't just go and sign a player. You have to kind of work with what you have. And these pieces don't always fit together, I think, in the way he wanted. And you have to make decisions. And when I see Joshua Kimmich as part of that back line, for example, I look at this and I say, all right, this is a compromise that you're making. You're taking, for me, arguably your best passer, and you're putting him in a position where effectively he's peripheral to the game.
5:45Because, yeah, we can say that back forward, he's a three and a half, but it's a three and a half because Nathaniel Brown comes forward and it's like watching Nico O 'Reilly out there.
5:55Julien Laurens:Yeah, yeah, Brown, I thought, was really interesting in his positioning and what he did. And they attacked a long, that left-hand side through him in what was a really narrow kind of game plan from Germany, which didn't really work until the substitutions on the hour mark. And Kimmich is really, they built with a back three, and he's that third one with Schlotterbeck and Tarr, and him and Schlotterbeck are clearly the better passer of the ball. Maybe you restrict him a bit. You restrict him a lot because he's got too many guys in front of him. Yeah, but there's balance. I'm not sure if he plays ahead of Metzha.
6:25Julien Laurens:There will be a lot of players ahead of him as well. So I can understand why he does that, why he plays him there. The problem is obviously defensively. He didn't struggle as much as I thought he might against Jomande because Jomande didn't have his best game, although, as we said, he still created the goal. but still defensively you would not fancy Kimmich against Diomande or against Dwey or Barcola or against Vini or against those kind of players that at some point Germany will face if they go find the tournament. But you say that and this is going back to Diomande second did not have his best game still set up.
6:55The goal still was one of the biggest threats certainly for Cote d 'Ivoire. On paper and this is one of the things that I think makes Nagelsmann in Germany different from many other teams is I'm setting up against Yomande. He is an absolute threat. Yes, he can play on both wings, but especially once I discover that, or even, I don't know what wing he's going to play on, but then obviously Diallo starts, so he's going to be on the left. And I still go out there and I say to Yosuke Kimmich, okay, you're going to deal with him. I mean, it would have been the same thing on the other side, right? I don't know how Nathaniel Brown would have dealt with him.
7:29Certainly we wouldn't have seen the same attacks. So that idea that, I know it's a stereotype, but, you know, there's truth in all these stereotypes, is that Germany often doesn't adjust to the opposition. They make the opposition adjust to them if they want to adjust to them. I think that's shown through in this game.
7:51Julien Laurens:I don't know. After 15 minutes, he told Sané that he had to help Kimmich a lot more with Jomande than he had done in the first 15 minutes. So I think they realized that Kimmich really could not talk to them. But he knew that ahead of time, though. I mean, it's obvious Sané, that's not his rank. Yeah, but so that's what I mean. he adapted to Jomande by saying to Sané, you need to defend far more than you usually do in this game because we can't leave Kimmich 1v1 with Jomande. Second half, Jomande went to the right-hand side of the law. It was against Brown. Brown, I think, has more ability defensively, even if he's very attacking left-back, to defend certainly in terms of pace with Jomande.
8:22Julien Laurens:And we saw Jomande a bit less once he missed that chance early on in the second half. But, you know, for me, what Nagelsmann did really well is that triple subs after an hour because you would maybe not, okay, Undav is an automatic first serve, makes sense, especially when you're behind, and like I was saying in the press conference afterwards, but for Amiri to come on and leveling to a certain extent as well when you've got other options on your bench that maybe look, but I don't know, let's say Volta Malle, for example, depending on you, you were chasing the game, you wanted a goal. I thought that was really, really bored from him, worked really well because that changed the game.
8:59Julien Laurens:And away from Undav, who we can talk about after because he's got an incredible tournament at the moment. But to be fair, what Nagelsmann did worked. Yeah, and obviously when you make the substitutions and they combine for the goals, you'll get praised for it. I don't know. I disagree a little bit in terms of that. I think there was a fair amount of good fortune involved here as well. And this is without taking anything away. I think we both said draw would have been the fair result. It looked to me that at 1-1, when you look, you know, he took off Havertz and he put on Goretzka. To me, that smoke of like, all right, draw, live to fight another day.
9:41We have the monster goal difference. And then the Undov goal at the end to win it was kind of the cherry on top. And by the way, Jules, you're the Techers guy. I mean, that pass, that was almost like a shot. Like how he controls it and gets the shot off so quickly. How difficult is that?
9:59Julien Laurens:Yeah, it's tough on the half turn. That's why we keep telling, especially the younger audience and the kids, always be on the half turn, so never have your back to the goal or to the opposition. If you're already three-quarter on the half turn, it's much easier for you, although his first touch is good, but the ball goes up too, which obviously he shouldn't. But the pass from Metzha, as you said, Gabi, is so powerful that it's not an easy first touch to do, but he's in confidence. He had a great season with Stuttgart. I think he's 25 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, 19 in the Bundesliga, second top goal scorer.
10:29Julien Laurens:He's got 9 in 11 in international level. Apart from Erling Haaland, nobody has a ratio of goals per game as high as Denis Hundav. And he's 30 on the day of the final of this World Cup. So he's certainly a late bloomer. He's hitting his pick now. But to see how calm he was, and that's what Emerson Faye said after the game as well. He said, for me, the difference when Adingra gets his huge chance for Ivory Coast and clearly panics. He should take it first time. He tries to control it. And he said, when you look at the Undav winning goal, it's so calm. The turn, the shot is just perfect. And he said that's also why they won it and not Ivory Coast.
11:07All right. A dinger, by the way, for me, one of my favorite players a couple of years ago. Certainly somebody who's, I think, sad to say, has regressed in the last 12 to 15 months. All right. Let's project it forward. There's a lot of Germany, of course, didn't get out of the group stage in the last two World Cups. That's not going to be an issue this time. How far can they go?
11:29Julien Laurens:I was thinking that yesterday, Gabi, watching the game, because you can't judge anything from the Kurosawa game because of the weakness of the opposition. And then if you look at yesterday's game, this is not convincing from Germany. They didn't play well for an hour. They won the game with a bit of fortune, as we said. Okay, it's two really good goals. But still, you know, they were not really brilliant. So I'm not really sure. I'm not sure that the Moussiala, Viet, Zane, Harvard's kind of front four works just yet. I don't think they've clicked. We said they were very narrow in the first hour.
12:01Julien Laurens:It was easy for Avroikos to defend against. And I think they will need to improve massively if they want to go really far. Yeah, I'm kind of with you. I know, like, oh, look, we're ready because of all those jokes. You know, you could never count the German outs and all the stupid cliches. The Anglos chuck at us. I look at this and I say, yeah, this team, once they get in the knockouts, They can do some damage because Florian Wurtz and Jamal Musial are really good players. And we haven't seen the best of them. I mean, we have to underscore that, right? So they can go up several notches, go on a tear, and carry this team.
12:35But the thing is, I don't know that there's much evidence right now that they will. Leroy Sané, I understand why he's starting. I wish it was a different Leroy Sané than the one we've seen. Nemecha has certainly impressed me. Nathaniel Brown has impressed me. You know, at the back, I think they'll be okay.
13:01Julien Laurens:I know you're... The Schlotterbeck injury is bad. It's bad if he's the ligaments, like Nagelsmann said yesterday. He said it doesn't look good. Well, no more today, yeah. I was assuming Schlotterbeck, it was just a muscular thing. You'll miss the first or third group game and you'll be back. But now it looks like... I mean, Nagelsmann said not ligaments and he said it doesn't look good at all. So if he's out for the tournament and Rudiger... Not that Rudiger is a bad player, but obviously... You lose playmaking. Absolutely. And it's not the same way at all if you have Schlotterbeck and Taar, even in your build-up phase, and if you've got Rudiger and Taar.
13:29And Neuer, of course, while he's capable of doing the incredible, he's also capable of doing the incredibly bad. We've seen it before. So I put those things together. For me, they're still outside those top five, top six teams. They haven't shown us anything. What they need is Wierdza Musiala to elevate. They need Wierdza Musiala to go to that next level. Or to find a way to put Kimmich in midfield. Sorry, am I stupid with my obsession with this? It won't happen. I know it won't happen.
14:00Julien Laurens:It won't happen. So, you know, we can debate about it, but we know it won't happen. So let's see how they do. Okay, Ecuador is a tough game now because Ecuador need to win and need to push. Had Ecuador won against Curacao, they would have been almost pretty sure to be you know to be one of the best third team and qualify now they need to go for it against Germany and Germany would I don't think that's what Germany would have wanted I'm sure they would have wanted maybe like a kind of a an easier game in a way where you can rotate a little bit you can play different players because even a draw you'll be happy with it now it's different and Ivorikos can still top that group as well it'd be very exciting last death between all of them.
14:39Who's going further in this World Cup? Germany or Ivory Coast? I won't put you in the spot. I'll answer it now. I'm going to say Ivory Coast. Yeah, me too. I fancy that story. Great story. All right. For more Germany talk and more Ivory Coast talk, remember, you can tune in every single day to ESPN FC and get your gimme-go. So it's Craig Burley and Ale Moreno and everybody else out there. Remember, watch ESPN FC every single day.
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15:48From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Quick Hicks is brought to you by Gusto. Gusto is your small business partner for payroll, benefits, and so much more. Get started for free at gusto.com. Jules, you know what this means.
16:24We not done. Enough Germany. How about some quick hits? Let's go, Gov. Holla and destroy Sweden as Brian Brawby and Cody Gakbo bag two goals each. Jules, I got to troll you. Is he still the Dutch guy?
16:37Julien Laurens:Of course he is, because he left Somerville on the bench, which made no sense, and he actually corrected his mistake at halftime by taking off poor Malin, who didn't do anything in that first half. That's not his position anywhere. I don't even know why Malin would play on that right-hand side when Somerville is clearly so good. It was better even, I thought, with Somerville on the right-hand side. Sweden are terrible. We've said that before. It's not because they beat Tunisia 5-1 in their first game, because Tunisia are even worse than them. but that was the real value and the real level of this Swedish team.
17:07Julien Laurens:They didn't do too badly. I think Ayari is still good. I think Isaac looks sharp. But there was no match for this Dutch team, even with the Dutch guy on the bench. Yeah, I got to say, first of all, I don't need to see much more of Brian Brauby in this tournament, except for certain situations against teams like this when Koeman obviously nailed it. The Somerville thing was weird because I'm watching on television and they tell me that, oh, well, Somerville is on the bench. It's a precaution. He's not fully fit. And then the guy comes and plays in the second half when you're 2-0 up and you've won the game.
17:36It's the Dutch guy for you. There you go. Brazil, defeat IT 3-0. Gab, you were there. They needed a response and they got it? They did. And look, in the end, everybody in Brazil was screaming for, oh, we need Hendrik, we need Hendrik. I don't get this. What, you need the guy who scored like six goals, six league goals in the last 12 months? Really? This is what? And the guy who's a teenager? This is what you need? No, Carlo knows better. He didn't panic. He played Matias Cunha up front. We saw Hendrick in the second half, had a goal disallowed, wasn't great, but it's okay. I think they'll still need him.
18:09He will still contribute in this World Cup. But it was good that he didn't just go with popular sentiment and panic. Some other changes elsewhere. Danilo at right back, obviously. Hey, look, I have a real right back rather than Roger Ibanez. That made sense. Even the packet. The packet was so much better this time around. I thought Paqueta was going to change. And, of course, Vini, I thought, was tremendous. It was Haiti, though. You can't really get carried away.
18:34Julien Laurens:Yeah, am I getting carried away? I am getting carried away. No, I mean, not you. I mean, you know, in general, we can't be carried away. But you know they will. You know everybody will. Of course they will. But I'll say this, Jules, which I thought was interesting. When they took off the packet, I'm like, okay, this is weird now. It appears you've got a glut of wingers out there. And they went kind of to a straight 4-2-4. Yeah. Which he did in, you know, in his first few games in charge as well, yeah. We saw that. That means there's no passing in midfield. I look at the back seven, and the best passer in the back seven is after Marquinhos is probably Alisson.
19:09It's an unusual way for Brazil to play. But I'll tell you what, if Vini drops deep and dispenses one-twos and stuff,
19:15Julien Laurens:they can get away with it. The Rafinha injury is bad, though. It's obviously bad. We don't know yet exactly the extent of it and how serious it is. But I think even if he hasn't been as good with Brazil than he's been with Barcelona the last two years or so, let's say, is still a big blow. We know Rafinha's going to miss the third game and then he'll be assessed for the knockouts. There is a big technical drop-off with whoever comes in for him, whether it's Ryan or whoever. Neymar is back, so hey, what could go wrong? The United States down Australia 2-0, and they do it without Christian Pulisic.
Read the full transcript
19:47Joel's World Cup fever is building in the streets.
19:50Julien Laurens:USA, USA. How much have we heard the USA since they won that second game? and now they all believe here that they can win the World Cup and they're going to win the World Cup. Even Zlatan on US TV said, yes, they can win the World Cup. No, they can't. They're not going to win the World Cup. But it's good for them. Great. I thought, again, physically, in terms of intensity, they showed how fit they are. Oh, yes, Australia. Australia are not very good. We know that. And to be fair, the US didn't really create that much called an on-goal and on-set piece and things like that. And the second half was a bit, at times, a bit tense too.
20:22Julien Laurens:Yeah. They were a bit under pressure. but physically they clearly have something really good going forward as a whole team and it's good even for us to be here and to have a bit of that World Cup fever even if they get carried away a little bit it's great that them, Mexico and Canada are doing so well Antonio Freeman by the way, his kid did really well but it's not their fault that you can only be what's in front of you when I look at this I feel as if okay, you beat a horrendous Paraguay team you beat Australia and it got nervy and a team that made, I think, some stupid decisions. I didn't understand Iran Kounda on the bench to start.
20:58You won't learn anything from the third game either because presumably we're going to see a lot of rotation. We won't see Pulisic. So it feels like their first real test is going to come in the knockouts. But they're through and Poch's time to find for that.
21:11Julien Laurens:Yeah, exactly. Mexico, meanwhile, also make it two wins in two, Gabi. But he took a howler from the South Korea goalkeeper. 1-0 for them to win 1-0. I thought I really felt for this guy. This wasn't a great game, but bro, when you come out, you go for it. And then he looked at his defender. The defender can't see you coming. You're the guy who's running into the back of him. You're the guy who dropped the ball. In the end, this was a difference between the two teams. And I don't feel great about Mexico. I really don't. I thought Korea should have had something from this game. It was not a great game.
21:42But let's see what they can produce next time around. How about the third host, Jules? Canada bounce back from the draw with Bosnia to demolish Qatar 6-0 as the Iceman. He's allowed that. He can have his nickname back now, right? Jonathan David gets a hat-trick. First Uva player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup since who? Paolo Rossi, 1982. Italy against Brazil, 3-2.
22:07Julien Laurens:Incredible. Yeah, I mean, Qatar were bad and they finished with nine men. Even at 11, there was some good stuff from Canada. Kyle Lavin and Jonathan David up front together kind of combining Buccanan again looks really sharp on the right hand side him and Alistair Johnson he's the right back behind him this is good the issue I have and we like Jesse Marsh we like Jesse Marsh he went to Princeton he went to Princeton but apart from Princeton we kind of like him but I don't know why he's put on this kind of personality you know at the end he did his lap of honor with the fans showing like six with his fingers like we beat Qatar 16 What are you doing, man?
22:46Already him singing the Canadian anthem bugs me in a way, you know,
22:51Julien Laurens:because I don't think you should sing a national anthem that is not yours. Roberto Martinez, if we're going to pick on him for doing that, Roberto Martinez, unless he was mouthing something else, was singing the Portuguese anthem. Yeah, and I share that view as well on Roberto Martinez in Portugal. But that's just me. Maybe that's just me. But apart from that, it's been a really good start for them. four points, that win against Qatar and the atmosphere that he created in Vancouver where they also played their third game, it is great. It's great what they're doing. And now Switzerland, so that would be really their first test.
23:23You know why I think you feel this way about Jesse Marsh? Is that, okay, he's obviously a very intelligent guy. He's got a bit of that dorky Midwestern kind of attitude about him, and he's not like the other coaches. It doesn't mean he's a bad coach, it just means that sometimes he doesn't quite fit. One of the celebrations
23:41Julien Laurens:which is like, how old are you? Okay, yeah, yeah, come on. Ismail Saibari scores straight away in Morocco versus Scotland 1-0, which means they're level with Brazil. IT up next. They may have win the group. Oh, yeah, they can certainly pile it on. They could have piled it on, arguably should have piled it on in this game. I thought they had much better chances. I thought Scotland was disappointing. I don't see – Steve Clarke is a veteran coach. At one point, it looked as if he told Kieran Tierney to man-mark Ashraf Hakimi. And so Hakimi, as you know, he's one of those wingbacks who's kind of a pretend number 10 sometimes, Danny Avestal.
24:17When he starts moving around, Tierney follows him, and all of a sudden there's big gaps. It was just weird kind of the way this game unfolded. I think Morocco will rue not scoring more goals, actually, because I think in the end that could be all the difference. Turkey become the first country eliminated from the World Cup as they lose 1-0 to Paraguay. Jules, my boy Vincenzo Montella, okay, they weren't very good. Were they also a little bit unlucky in the two games?
24:44Julien Laurens:I mean, I'm not his biggest fan. I don't really rate him that much as a coach or head coach or manager. However, if you look at the stats again, it is a freak show, really, how they got two defeats in those two games. So I posted them on social media the other night. In those two games against Paraguay in this game and then Australia in the first game in the opener. They had 62 shots. They had 75 % of the ball. They had 102 touches in the opposition box. They had 3.5 pretty much XG, and they scored zero goals, and they get knocked out. And I think they can play those games again, Gabby, another 10 times and win nine of them.
25:26Yeah. It's one of those. It is one of those, and I think you don't want to pick on individuals, but again, this is one for the older people. If you remember Serginho in the 1982 World Cup for Brazil, Denis Gould was channeling his inner Serginho with some of those misses.
25:45Julien Laurens:Gar, we also saw the first ever red card under the new law, which punishes players that are covering their mouth when talking in a cover heated exchange, not a friendly exchange, but a heated exchange with an opponent. What did you make of it and were you happy that the way it happened and also the way it was received, I think. Yeah, so this was Miguel Almiron, who was sent off. The whole thing was over. A Paraguay player was down. It looked to me like he was absolutely milking it. I think he might have been struck in the private parts or near the private parts. But it's like, bro, you play football.
26:17Like, you know, this is... So obviously, Turkey get heated. Mery Demiral, you know, he's not a hothead or anything. Almiron puts his mouth... He puts his hand in front of his mouth. And I think about it. Almiron does not know Demiral. They're not buddies. He's not like, hey, tell your joke. I'm not sure what language they could speak to him to abuse him. I have no idea. But you cover your mouth. And you know you're not supposed to do that. And you know the rules. And I think it's a big loss now for Paraguay. But I'm glad we saw it. Hopefully, this will show people that FIFA are serious about this.
26:51The goals come late, but they come in droves. And Switzerland demolished Bosnia 4-1. Jules, everybody's losing their minds over that Johan Manzambi.
27:00Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, we told you at the start of the tournament, didn't we, that amongst the revelations around the young players in this tournament, the likes of Jomande and Alec Begovic and people like that. There will also be Manzambi, who's had a great season with Freyberg in the Bundesliga that you followed on ESPN, and who is very young, who I still don't know doesn't start for this team, came off the bench in the first game, looked good, came off the bench in this game, and two minutes later scored the opener that really unlocked the game for Switzerland. I don't know why Jakin doesn't start him, I think Jakin is a problem.
27:30Julien Laurens:Remo Freuler, come on man. I mean, don't give me the Ibiza and people like that ahead of Monzambi. That makes no sense whatsoever. But still disappointing, I think, from Bosnia. I'm not really sure why they don't play more football, because when they do, actually they can do good stuff, and yet they don't seem to want to do too much football. So, I don't know, I was very disappointed. Curacao somehow managed to hold Ecuador to a nil-nil draw, Gabi. Quite a way to respond to that 7-1 defeat against Germany. Yeah, look, this is something that we see during the World Cup. I saw Curaçao were actually relatively open against Germany, against Ecuador.
28:05They said, ha-ha, let's fool you now by playing in a completely different way. Look, Ecuador had a chance early. We said before the tournament, Enner Valencia. I didn't know at first it's the same guy. He's 36 years old. He obviously doesn't have the pace he wants. Never the greatest finisher and showed again that he's not, which is a shame because Ecuador, I think, are so good. But this is just the emblem of football. where you can create a million chances and you run into a goalkeeper who stands on his head. 15 saves, equaling the record, isn't it? He set the record for 90 minutes. The overall record is still 16 held by who?
28:41Tim Howard against Belgium. But, of course, that was an extra time as well. This Eloy room, I have no idea if he's ever going to do anything like this ever again. By the way, he plays here in the U.S. for Miami FC and in USL. the less glamorous team in Miami can we say? But the far cooler one I think Ecuador are a good side I still expect them to go through and obviously Germany
29:07Julien Laurens:because two points won't be enough if they only draw against Germany I think it would be weird an example that even in the 48 team World Cup you're going to have some good teams going out early and maybe some not so good teams advancing finishes 1-1 between Czechia and South Africa, which means both are still in it, Jules. Who excites you more? They can also finish with two points each if they only draw their third game and probably be out. They can also finish with one point each if they lose that third game for both of them. South Africa will be against South Korea. Czechia will be against Mexico.
29:44Julien Laurens:But you're right. I think that's where you want to be. Still something to potentially play for on your last game of the group stage. They will go for it. That probably will give you two, give us, sorry, two really spectacular games. And by the way, just to warn you, if you haven't really checked your schedules yet, those third group games will be played. There will be a lot of games on the same day, six of them, because you have to play them at the same time. So three groups per day all play the day, two games at the same time. There'll be a lot of football from Saturday or Sunday onwards for the last games of the group stage.
30:16And we should also point out, by the way, just about those third place teams that the, obviously they're going to have a master table for the eight best third place sides. However, third place within the group is determined not on goal difference, as was the case in the past, but on head-to-head. So that is why some teams are now already eliminated after losing the first two games.
30:38Julien Laurens:Herve Renard isn't enough. Gap Tunisia swept away by Japan 4-0, and the World Cup is already over. Banzai! Ikeda! Come on, man. My man, Ajime Moriatsu, do his head again. Come on, Ueda. Come on, man. Tunisia, not good. I don't know what they were thinking. Oh, look, let me get this handsome man in his nice crisp white shirt. And then all of a sudden he can undo. After five minutes. Yeah, he can do all the damage. I would love to know how much he got paid to do this. I would take the money right out of the salaries of the Muppets who appointed him. Guys, this doesn't work. I know, I know. I worked in the AFCON a couple of years ago.
31:18But this is completely different. I don't know what you were trying to achieve. Whatever. I feel bad for Tunisia fans. Yeah, me too. And the ones who are here, they'll have to endure a third group game. Hopefully they go out with their heads held high. If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple ShopPay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason so many businesses sell with it. because Shopify makes it incredibly easy to start and run your business. Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10 % of all e-commerce in the U.S., from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started.
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33:09Real Madrid released a statement saying that they've had no contact, direct or indirect, with Michael Olisse, his representatives, or any intermediary. Jules, is this necessary? And do you believe them?
33:23Julien Laurens:Right, come on, give us... I don't know why those statements are falling everywhere from Real Madrid. You know, a statement for Alvarez, a statement for Olisse, a statement for Bernardo, a statement for Mourinho, a statement for... What's next? A statement for Gabin Jules? Do you have a statement for Gaben Jules saying like people, Real Madrid fans should watch Gaben Jules? I feel like maybe they have some new lawyers on retainer or something. Maybe, you're right. Who have to do something. Yeah. Do you like risk management? We know they want Olyse. We know the dream and that 150 million euro mystery player with him.
33:50Julien Laurens:They know there's no point to even go there. One, because he doesn't want to leave Bayern Munich. Two, because Bayern Munich are never going to sell this summer anyway. So he will be in Munich next season. So just save your energy Save your fax machine or your emails Or whatever you send your offers on And it's not going to happen And that's what That statement is BS again It doesn't mean anything Look, I don't know that this is specifically what happened in this case But in general What we see all the time in football is Football is run When we think of agents You know, I don't think of that movie with Tom Cruise Where the guy represents the players Jerry Maguire, right?
34:26The work is done by intermediaries There are six or seven in Europe. Of course. They smell the possibility of a deal. Oh, would Real Madrid like Real Madrid? Of course. Yeah, completely. And they inquire with Real Madrid. And they say, you know what? I think this and that. And then there's like a little game of telephones. It's entirely possible they have not spoken to Real Madrid. And they have not spoken to Real Madrid. It's entirely possible they're telling the truth. But as Joel said, it does not mean that the possibility hasn't been put to them by somebody else.
34:53Julien Laurens:England face Ghana on Tuesday. Gab, you'll be there. So will Thomas Partey, who is facing trial for multiple counts of rape, the FA say that they will leave it up to the player whether or not to shake his hand? If he starts, obviously. If he starts, yeah. I don't even know why this is an issue. Look, I don't think Thomas Partey should be at the World Cup because this isn't a question of you're actually facing serious multiple charges. This has gone on for a very, very long time. But it is not the job of the England players. That decision to allow him to come to the World Cup, and of course you're not allowed to go to Canada, has been made by other people.
35:32It is not the job of the England players to be moral arbiters. And it's certainly not the job of the FA to come out and issue a statement where we're going to leave it up to the players or to decide not to. Yeah, I would hope you would leave it up to the players. Right now, he's innocent until proven guilty. There's a lot of reasons to believe that he may be built guilty, which is why he has to stand trial. and probably why it's kind of an embarrassment to have him there. But to even suggest that the FA should have told the players, oh, you guys must not shake Partey's hand, or the opposite, you guys must shake Partey's hand.
36:08Guys, they're here to play football. They're footballers. Just let them go ahead and do their jobs. On a similar vein, Ashraf Hakimi has lost his appeal in a Versailles court who ruled that there was, quote, sufficient evidence to stand trial. Jules, he's accused of rape as well.
36:24Julien Laurens:Yeah, as well by a girl that he met on social media that came to his house a couple of years ago, I think it was, or three years ago now. He said that actually he kind of welcomed the decision in the sense that he'd be able to defend himself and that things have been hanging out over him and things like that. So we will see the club, PSD, support him, the national team as well, and some of his teammates. But clearly the judge believed that it was enough in that investigation to have him standing for trial. Was that expected, that the judge was likely to... I think so, yeah, yeah. Although, Hakim, his lawyer, saying that it's not enough, as you would imagine, defending her client, that it's not enough in there, and that really, if he was not a footballer, that's the line that they used, they would have never made any trial.
37:08Julien Laurens:But now the trial is on, so let's see when it happens. ESPN and others reporting that Newcastle have turned down a£75 million bid from Tottenham for their midfielder Sandro Tonali. Gab, is that a fair price, you think, for him? I think it is a fair price for him. I agree. Maybe you could bump it a little higher. If you're Newcastle, obviously Newcastle in a difficult financial position. They've come out, and they've said this very, very clearly, right? So you can stole all your jokes about Saudi owners or whatever. They still have to comply with the rules and they're taking the rules seriously.
37:41I don't, what it shows is a lot of ambition from Tottenham that they're willing to spend money, having already dropped money on Van Hecke. I think they need help in other areas of the pitch as well. Let's see where this goes. I know Tonali is very attached to Newcastle. By the same token, if the club comes to you and says, hey, Sandro, we need to let you go for a lot of money, you know, he's going to go. Fabrizio Romano reports that Liverpool are prepared to make a new bid for Leipzig Jan Diamande after that€100 million opening offer was rejected.
38:18Julien Laurens:Jules, how high should they go? That's a great question, Gabi I mean, he's clearly super talented If you don't get him now Somebody else is going to get him At some point, now, maybe a bit later And then you won't be able to sign him However, having said that How much is the value on that? On like, we can't let him go somewhere else Kind of tag I don't know, because let's not forget It's one season at Leipzig Just playing the Bundesliga He doesn't even know what the Conference League is, Europa League, let alone Champions League. He's had, OK, two games in this World Cup and did really well. But he's still a very young player that before Leipzig got seven months at Leganes, when they went down from La Liga to the second division.
39:00Julien Laurens:So 100 million is already a lot of money, I think. They want to run 120 million euros. Are you ready to pay for that for? I think numbers still have to be grounded in reality to some degree. For me, the benchmark was Florian Wurz. they spent a ton of money. What was it? 120 million odd on Virz? Maybe even a little more. And Virz's body of work was much bigger than Diomande's at that time. Yeah, absolutely. And I don't think Virz lived up to his transfer from last season. He may further on. So why would you spend that kind of money? To me, it's nonsensical. Rodri becomes a free agent in 2027. One more year left on his current City contract.
39:40Julien Laurens:And so far has rejected all the offers of extension from City. Is there a reason to be concerned if you were there? Or do you think he would have signed now if he wanted to stay? I think this is a situation a bit like the Bernardo Silva situation. They're not going to keep him against as well. I don't think they're very excited to give him a big multi-year extension. I think from his part, it makes sense to buy this time. See how you get on under Maneska. If you feel good, if you're fit and you're doing great and you like Maneska, sure, maybe you sign an extension and you'll be valuable to the club.
40:11If not, I think it's probably best for both to let things run down a little bit and see where you are at the end of the season. I mean, everything has changed at that cup since the departure of one Pep Guardiola. More Spurs. They've picked up Jean-Paul Van Hecke to add to their collection of central defenders. And they have thus far refused Brighton's repeated bid for Luka Vuscovic. By the way, the latest bid, up to£45 million. A lot of money. Jules, Evening Standard reports that he's ready, Vuscovic that is, to go and demand a transfer away from Spurs.
40:47Julien Laurens:Can you imagine? You've had a great season with Hamburg in the Bundesliga. And OK, the Bundesliga is not the level of the Premier League, sure. But you're one of the best young centre-backs in Europe. You've done outstanding. And then you're coming back to your club. And then what you see, your club signing another two centre-backs in San Jose and Van Hecker, having already on their roster, in their squads, five or six that we mentioned before. Romero and Danzo and Van de Veen. Even Ben Davies is staying around. Ty Kha and Ben Davies. All of that. And what kind of message does that send to Vizkovic?
41:22Julien Laurens:I can understand completely if you say, like, I don't want to be here and stay on the bench. He's good enough to play in the Premier League for Brighton, for example. He's the best center back at Spurs right now, Jules. Do you think? I honestly, look. Oh, not far from it. If you get a good Kuti Romero, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That guy doesn't, you know, he's got a devil on his shoulder. And that guy has infected his brain. The other guy, Mickey Van de Veen, yeah, he's big. He runs he runs he runs I bet Vuscovic can do so much I agree and I think if you're him you can really understand what the frustration we understand the frustration and yeah I think he's faith he said listen I don't want to stay here and be number four or five or six and having to wait for people to be suspended or injured to play I want to go somewhere where I'm valued and where they're gonna stop me So what do you think happens loan or because surely other people have seen Vuscovic Brighton have put to 45 million I would assume with all due respect to Brighton is gonna be bigger clubs that my might get involved.
42:11For sure.
42:12Julien Laurens:I don't know because Senesi and Van Hecker, this is not just for one season, you think. So if you're Voskovic, you're not even sure that next season when you're a year older, if you've gone on loan to Brighton Leicester and had a good season, you're not sure if you're going to play again. Just simply because of the numbers of centre-backs that they have at Spurs and the fact that clearly Senesi and Van Hecker are your two starters. So I don't know. I think for him, the best is probably to go and for Spurs to make a profit because they got him for not too much money and now he's worth far more than what they bought him for.
42:40Julien Laurens:club on Merseyside who could use a center back. Giovanni Carnavelli, formerly of Sassuolo, is Juventus' new sporting director. Gab, he has his work cut out for him. Yeah. Carnavelli, of course, made his name at Sassuolo where, you know, the club punched above their way with some very clever signings. He's got a really good network of agents. Really good negotiator as well. He's going to have to do some negotiating. He needs to raise 10 million euros by June 30th to satisfy the various financial stability rules. The club have asked them, by the end of the summer, we want to be balance sheet positive by 100 million euros.
43:16It doesn't mean they're going to sell for 100 million more than they buy. This is all the magic of amortization and all that stuff. That is a big, big target. And what that means, the way you get there is you shift guys who've got very low residual amortization. People like Federico Gatti, he's only around 3 million. Miretti, of course, comes from the youth team. I think it would be a shame to lose him. so obviously he would be pure profit possibly Cambiasso a lot of people liked he's got a lot of work what I don't understand about this club too is you've seen Jonathan David at the World Cup they're apparently pushing for a centre forward we need a centre forward we want Sorloth we want Sorloth bro why don't you make why don't you see if you can make Dusan Vlaovic an offer even a pay for play yeah yeah and between that and David and Openda Yeah, Openda is still there.
44:07No, they hate Openda. You mentioned Openda, it's like you're mentioning leprosy or venereal disease. Honestly, it's ridiculous. I'm here, I'm talking to someone called you. Oh, that Openda's really bad. I'm like, you're okay. Openda was bad last season. He scored a billion goals at Leipzig in the Bundesliga. He played in the Champions League. He's 22, 23 years old. Nice. Like, are you really going to write this guy off as like some permanent turd? Come on, man. Like, I guess Openda's going to go on loan, but still. Yeah, someday.
44:33Julien Laurens:there. Casemiro continues to be linked to Inter-Miami, Jules. Does this make sense? Can we just, like, get on with this and just say, like, this is done. We know that... It is done, you think? Yeah, I think it's done. There's a space for him there. Can we just, like, instead of keeping up every two weeks, having this, ooh, Casemiro on his way to Inter-Miami, let's just go, like, yes, he will play there. He will go to MLS, discover that, play with Messi and the others, and he probably would be a good addition, you think, to MLS if you look at the season that he just had with United where he played one game a week and that was really good.
45:09Julien Laurens:But then if you look at his first two performances on US soil in this World Cup, you might think not so good. Spain and Morocco are reportedly arguing over who gets to host the 2030 World Cup final. Will it be at Bernabeu or the Asan II Stadium, which when finally built will have a capacity of 115 ,000 seats. Or would FIFA throw them a curveball and say, all right, boys, be good. I don't want you guys arguing. All right, that's it. We're playing at a Stadio da Luz in Lisbon. Well, that's an 80 ,000-seat stadium. It's a nice stadium. I guess it's always a problem, right, when you share hosting the World Cup.
45:44Julien Laurens:At some points, maybe two countries or three would win the finals. Yeah. How do you give it to you? What's the criteria? Well, I think we saw it in this World Cup, where I think the assessments, everybody at FIFA, all the experts said, logical place, we'll have it in Dallas. It is probably the best U.S. stadium at the World Cup. Better even than, well, better than SoFi, certainly. And obviously a lot better than MetLife, or sorry, what's it called? The New York, New Jersey stadium? Yeah, yeah. For this World Cup. I still call it the Meadowlands or Giant Stadium, but whatever. but then in the end they're like oh wait sponsors and dignitaries they don't want to spend three four days in Dallas they want to be here in New York so let's put it there even though it's less logical less convenient yeah I think it's in the end I say this is the greatest of respect for Morocco I think the big sponsors the big dignitaries they would much rather be in Madrid so I think in the end it's going to be at the Ben and the Bill yeah Gary O 'Neill took over mid-season at Strasbourg when Liam Rossini joined Chelsea.
46:48And now he's being linked to Ipswich Town. Jules, what happened to the project?
46:52Julien Laurens:Well, there's no Gary O 'Neill project anymore in Strasbourg. This one is almost done. I mean, what was funny, guys, as always, is that Strasbourg were preparing for the season. On record, they were like, this is great. You know, everybody's so motivated. Because they had a good season. After he arrived, he had the fifth most points in the league. Wait, they got better after Rossini left? Well, he... That's me in dual. So they were fifth under him, if you just count the games that he managed in Ligue 1. They reached the semifinal of the French Cup and probably should have done better against Nice to make the final.
47:23Julien Laurens:They reached the semifinal of the Conference League. Okay, Rario Vallecano on those two games were better than them and stuff, but they felt there was something there under Gary O 'Neill. And then next thing they know, he called them and said, listen, I've got this opportunity to go back to England in the Premier League with Ipswich and I want it. So they will have to find a replacement. and for him, I can understand why you swapped Strasbourg for a Premier League team, even if with Ipswich, he's not obviously guaranteed to stay up. I get that. Obviously, the guy with the job before him did get his chance at Chelsea, in Roscenor.
47:58I thought he was an odd appointment to begin with. I think he did well. Yeah, I'm not saying he did well. I'm not saying that, but I thought he was an unusual... That was a blue coat choice, nothing to do with Strasbourg itself, really. But this is why I'm sort of questioning the blue coat choices that they've made over time. Because it's almost like it's a wasted six months with O 'Neal, right? One of the reasons Strasburg exists is to groom people who can take over at Chelsea, like Rossignor did. And now, in their eyes, by the way, Strasburg fans, I know you feel differently and rightly you should.
48:28I don't know. I just think they obviously misread the guy.
48:30Julien Laurens:Yeah, and I guess let's see who they appoint now to replace him. And if he's more of a Gary O 'Neal type or more of a Rossignor type in the sense, not the style of play. But in kind of like the potential that they have and where this could take them in the blue co kind of group The dynamic duo talking about yours of Amanda Stavely and Merad Goodusi Reportedly in talks to acquire West Ham Gab your thoughts Sure, did you purposely pronounce his name the way you did? Merad or did you want to know like saying something that would make people oh, yeah, that's sorry I forgot one D. Sorry my bad now that Okay, look, I think we assume that this is obviously after David Sullivan forcing shares up to sale.
49:13Every indication is that the other main shareholder at West Ham, the Czech guy whose name escapes me right now, he wants to take over Sullivan's shares. So if you're Sullivan's family, what is the best thing to do to make your shares more valuable? Pretend there's other buyers who want to come in. And these two people are very good at suggesting, and I say this with the greatest of love, of Amanda and Mirdad, pretending they are going to buy football clubs. It doesn't make sense. It only makes sense if you can take over full control. You're not going to take over Sullivan's shares and then share control with the Czech guy.
49:47Last time they shared control, of course, was in Newcastle. And that didn't end well, especially because, you know, it comes time to put money in your pocket again. And what happens? They're like, oh, wait, let's just dilute us. We'll sell our shares back. So, no, I don't see this going anywhere, frankly. Alex Grimaldo is on his way out from Bayer Leverkusen we've known this for a while Atletico Madrid appear to be the next destination they're haggling over price Rennes around 20-25 million this is kind of mean to my boy Matteo Ruggeri he still has the mean amount
50:19Julien Laurens:on his part yeah he's done really well this season when he's not doing badly yeah not doing badly I guess Grimaldo is maybe more of a pure left back in the sense of attacking wise he gives you more than Ruggeri sure they want to Cucureia They could not get him. He went to Real Madrid. They were still very much in the market for a left-back. They went for Grimaldo, who, again, is more of a wing-back, really, than a Cholo Sineone kind of defender left-back. So let's see how this one works. But, yeah, for Ruggeri, it doesn't look good. This scene feels a little bit agent-driven, which is, of course, nothing new at Atletico Madrid.
50:54It doesn't make it a bad signing. No, no. And, obviously, with Antoine Griezmann gone, And somebody has to be the alternative to Alvarez, if he sticks around at taking those free kicks, right?
51:07Julien Laurens:Yeah, yeah, that's true. Midfielder Morten Hulman is reportedly top of Ruben Amorim's list at Milan. Do you like this? Let's see. Where does Morten Hulman play his football? Sporting. Oh, is it at Amorim's old club? That's right. Where Amorim's agents has a lot of connections? Look, Hulman, yes, a lot of passion, a lot of energy, works hard. Bro, he's 27 years old. you should not be paying 45 million euros for somebody who is 27 years old unless his name is something other than Morton Hulman. I mean, there's a reason why you still have sporting at that age. This is why the club needs a technical director, a sporting director, a CEO of football.
51:45Honestly, if you're in Milan right now, and look, Jerry, if you're watching this, I think you already know this. And if you don't, Zlatan will tell you. do not make any moves until you have a sporting director in the house. Ruben Amorim is a lot of quality, Superwise, but he is a coach. And it's always such a bad sign when they're like, oh, let me go get players from my old club. And look, my agent knows these people really well. He can put the deal. It's just really, really bad news.
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52:57You just answer a few simple health questions online. And coverage options are flexible, with up to$3 million available and some policies starting at around$30 a month. Ethos has also earned strong customer feedback with a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot based on more than 3 ,000 reviews. Help protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Get your instant free quote at ethos.com slash sports. That's ethos.com slash sports. Application times and rates may vary. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever Is there any other player who has achieved that?
53:42No, just him Now take Duracell Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell Remember, goats only trust goats Because they're built different And Messi only trusts Duracell Welcome back to the Gabin Jewel Show brought to you by Gusto Jules, Jeremy Doku, his camp has denied reports of the story that he was going to pop out of the Belgian camp to witness the birth of his child. Apparently he's got a respiratory issue of some kind. That drew criticism, of course. The story, according to RTL and other sources, apparently not true. But it's an interesting dilemma.
54:26I mean, today's Father's Day. We're both dads. Norway defender Leo Ostergaard, who doesn't play very much, plays a little bit. he was happy to be on FaceTime for the birth of his first child. Where do you stand on this issue?
54:40Julien Laurens:I think it's a different stroke for different folks, isn't it? Whatever works for you. It would be difficult because of the distance to leave your country and your team at the World Cup to go back to Europe or wherever you're from. Even if it's just for 24 hours, I know you don't want to miss the birth of your child, especially if it's the first one. It's very important that you're there, that you show support, that you are there with your wife or your partner, you know, whatever. and I think you want to witness the birth of your child too, so I would want to do that. But maybe you can't do everything either, so you have to pick.
55:12Julien Laurens:Ostergaard seems quite happy in a way, the way him and his wife and the family have done it. Maybe Doku would rather be there in person. Maybe he might not be able to. I don't know, but it's a difficult one. You're right. And stuff like that, you can't really plan, can you, to be honest? Yeah, no, you can't plan it on. I'll tell you this, though, but for some teams that, I think we referenced this earlier, But some teams like Mexico and the U.S. that win their first two games have a meaningless third group game. They're going to go 12 days without a game. That might be different. Every situation is different.
55:42Julien Laurens:11 years after playing his final game as a professional, Ronaldinho has come out of retirement and signed for Ravenna in the Italian third division. Gabby, is this for real or just public distance? I find it remarkable. Ronaldinho is older than usual. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So if he can play in the Italian third division, I imagine. Me too, Ravenna. There you go. Ignacio Cipriani, by the way, is the owner. You know, Cipriani, the posh restaurants and hotels. Look, apparently he might have also had a bit of an ownership stake in the team. It's obviously to draw publicity. But the one thing about Ronaldinho, and we saw this late in his career, he didn't train very seriously.
56:24But he was just so skillful. and he's such a freak athlete that he could get away with it. He's a guy, when he was at Barcelona, there were times, you know, he wouldn't really train for like a week, he'd be partying and stuff and then you couldn't tell on the pitch. So, who knows?
56:36Julien Laurens:Who knows, maybe. I'm going to make my way down. could he do a friendly in pre-season and we could see where he's about and then maybe there might be hope? Yeah, actually I hope they keep him under wraps until the regular season because I want the company to send me there, Ravenna, there's some excellent food there and I want to see Ronaldinho in person once again. thanks for tuning in to the Gab and Jules show presented by Gusto Gusto is your small business partner for payroll, benefits and so much more get started for free at Gusto.com Jules this brings us to an end we're going to come back and do this all over again on Thursday some major verdicts will be in by then until then, love the game love your neighbor, love yourself
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From the publisher
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Germany's dramatic 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, thanks to Deniz Undav's brace off the bench. The guys then touch on some of the biggest stories in world football.
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