Haaland's Goal Terror Continues

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1:19Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. We came Marie Alejandro Moreno and Chaka Hisslop here in the studio, kicking things off tonight in the Premier League, where Manchester City were taking on Bournemouth. Looking to bounce back from that loss against Villa in the Premier League last time out, and they managed to do so with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, with Erling Haaland hitting yet another brace for his side. He's now just two goals away from 100 in the Premier League. As we welcome in Don Hutchison. Hello, Don. Once again, we see Erling Haaland doing what Erling Haaland does to help his side.

1:56It's just genius, isn't it? It's just how on earth do you stop him? Well, you don't play a high line. That's obvious. Bournemouth deserve a lot of credit for how they try to approach the game. There's a reason why they've beaten Tottenham and beaten Brighton. They're a high-pressing side. They try to play on the halfway line. They try to condense the spaces. But when you're playing Erling Haaland, I'm afraid you can't. You've got to drop that a little bit deeper. but you've got to go into a sort of low block if you can. It's not really Bournemouth style. So I get why they didn't approach the game like that.

2:25But this guy is just phenomenal. I mean, some strikers get one-on-one with a goalkeeper and you think, nope, don't fancy him. As soon as Haaland goes through, you just think, yep, inevitable. And he could have got a lot more. The guy is just a phenomenon. Absolutely brilliant stuff, Chetel, once again from him today. We're talking about the service that he gets, but he linked up so well with Cherky today. I thought that was the difference in Taddee and Grand Tch. Cherokee being on the park as opposed to seasons gone by, when we've been a little bit critical of City in their slow build-up and inability to get Erling Haaland in behind defences.

2:57Cherokee just recognises, listen, all I have to do is just put this ball in space. And in fairness to him, while he makes it look simple, I think his understanding of Erling Haaland, the runs he makes in behind, the weight of his pass is absolutely perfect. Roll back the clock for a couple of years, and Pep Guardiola was telling Erling Haaland to stay up front, don't drop back and get involved in the play. Yet still, with the goal today, you see him dropping deeper, getting involved. And that just opened up space for him to run in behind. All he needed was somebody to provide that service. In years gone by, it was Kevin De Bruyne, but because of his injuries, etc., didn't happen anywhere near enough.

3:37Now, all of a sudden, Chekyan on the park, he looks to have that understanding of Erling Haaland, what he's looking for in terms of the balls in behind. And once you put Erling Haaland in behind, nine times out of ten, he's going to find the back of the net. That one time Petrovic does make a good save. You don't see Erling Haaland missing many more of those any time soon. Have you noticed, Shaka, I don't appreciate the fact that when Don said, when you see a striker, there are some strikers that when they go in a one-on-one situation, you go, nope, and you look straight at me. I did notice that, to be fair.

4:11What? I mean... It's just not your forte, Ali. It's just all I was saying. All right. Can I just say, if indeed you look at Erling Haaland, and it's obvious to see the impact that he has on this team because he's scoring the goals that he's scoring, if you watch the third goal by Manchester City today, we're often having a conversation, well, if it's not Erling Haaland, then who's going to score the goals? Well, it's important that you're getting a goal from somebody else that is not Erling Haaland, but what's also important is that you see how Erling Haaland's presence affects other defenders.

4:42As O 'Reilly's coming with the ball, and he kind of pauses, and you think, well, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it now, shoot it now. He sort of takes that little extra second to allow that space to open up because the defender has a choice to make. Do I step to the shot over right? Which he should have, but he made the decision instead to, I'm going to drop towards Erling Haaland. It's only natural to go and try to cover the guy who you think is most dangerous. And in that sense, Bournemouth thought, I'd rather have this kid have that shot than leave this guy open. The impact of Erling Haaland and his presence in the attack is not just about the goals, it's also the attention he attracts.

5:17Obviously, there's talk about where Manchester City are going to finish this season already, talking about what type of threat they do offer at the moment when we see them on better days like this, Don. What do you think their ceiling is this season? Man City, there's no reason why they can't push for the league. I genuinely think that. I look at Arsenal now and I sit here, right here, right now, Arsenal the best team. But, you know, City play Liverpool next. That's going to be the test. But City can go on a run. They're four wins out of five. They had a blip last week against Aston Villa. Arsenal are in the best form.

5:50They're five wins from five. So you look at the top three, very captain obvious to say. It's still a three-horse race. I think Arsenal are the best team in terms of what they've got, the recruitment, how strong they are. No one can get a goal against them. No one can get a shot against them. So at this present time, they're just sort of streaking away a little bit. and I think the odds sort of reflect that, Kay. I think you take Man United and Chelsea out of it. They've got no chance. They're not ready yet for a title charge. But I look at Arsenal, City and Liverpool. Yes, Liverpool need to get their skates on and they probably need to be flawless for about two months to try and catch Arsenal.

6:24The City game will tell us a lot. I mean, that's going to change all the odds depending on what happens in that game. But there's no reason why Guardiola side with a fit Erlen Haaland and Marmouche now back and a lot of players starting to come back with the likes of Cherki, with Reinders coming off the bench. Phil Foden's having a good season. There's plenty of ammunition there for Haaland. And as you said, you're keeping fit, you're getting better and down on goal. Ridiculous goalscorer. And you see it the same way as Don? I do. Listen, I think City are well within their rights to think a title charge is on.

6:55Now, as we sit here armed with Don, I think this is Arsenal's to lose. But if you're within that Manchester City dressing room, You thinking we have to run Arsenal down at the very least in the second half of the season. We've done it before and let's come good. I think all City need to make sure that that happens, at least our chase, is Erling Haaland stays fit, Cherokee stays on the park. Those two things happen. I think you see the best version of Manchester City. I still think, as we sit here, the best version of Manchester City is not enough to topple what we've seen from Arsenal so far. It's hard to really understand nor believe the case that Dunn is making when one of the things that he said about describing Arsenal is that they don't allow any goals and teams hardly get a shot off of them.

7:44If that's an argument for Manchester City getting back into the race, it's not a really believable argument. Arsenal are far and away the best team in this league, and it's about them. They're the ones that have to give these other teams a chance. If they play up to their standard, this is done and is done quick. Okay. Make sure to join us tomorrow. There'll be a lot more talk because Sunderland can actually go above Manchester City if there's to be Everton tomorrow. Good for me and you, Kate. Ever since they were in Shaq's power rankings. Make sure to join us every single day on ESPN FC. Catching the stress, Shaq.

8:21And wherever you get your podcasts, you can catch the Gab and Jewel show. The latest one will drop tomorrow. The one that's available at the moment has gone purchasing on it. Gab Marcotti here for Gusto. Right now, everyone is trying to run leaner, tighter budgets, smaller teams, higher expectations. Now, the last thing you have time to waste on is manual payroll or chasing down an HR form. Gusto is how small business owners get time back when every hour counts. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere.

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9:48But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From 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-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Barcelona bounced back from their Clasico loss last weekend with a 3-1 win over Elche, Laminya, Malfe, and Torres and Marcus Rashford all on target for the results.

10:27Luis Garcia was watching this game for us and so let's get word from what we saw in this game from Barcelona as we take a look at where they are in the table right now. Back to within five points of Real Madrid. Back to second spot as well after 11 games played. This is how things are looking. So, Luis, they are back to winning ways. What did you make of their performance today? I liked the first 35 minutes, actually. I saw a very intense and good Barcelona creating chances, arriving, scoring goals and not giving much to Elche. That is a very, very good team. There wasn't a scare to play against Barcelona.

11:08They're playing man-to-man everywhere on the field. That's something that we've seen so far in a couple of three teams. But you have to be fearless to do that because you're going to leave spaces at the back. You're going to leave 1v1 situations against Rashford, against Ferran Torres, and then you can pay off. But in the second half, we saw once again the Barcelona that we don't want to see without control of the game, giving so much to Elche. Actually, we saw Elche that had more possession, something that we haven't seen so far for any team during this league against Barcelona. and that meant that Barcelona was needed to get that third goal to kind of calm down, to try to get back the control and we saw a little bit of that.

11:51Even though Elche created another couple of chances, Rafa Mee was really, really a big threat playing on the left side but also appearing to the centre also on the right side. So in the end, a good result. That's the best thing of it. Not a cliche, something that we were expecting or at least we wanted from the first start of the game. and you get closer to Real Madrid. That's the best take from today. That doesn't clear much about this high line and this way of Barcelona, but at least you get another three points and you can build on confidence for what is coming next. What's your takeaway, Ale, from today's game?

12:26Chaka, as you know, I'm a glass half full sort of guy. I always have been. Naturally. Yeah. So I'm going to focus on the first 35 minutes that Luis is talking about, and I'm not going to even mention the inefficiency and the ineptitude in the attack in the second half. We're going to leave that to the side. Whatever you do, don't mention it. No, we're not going to mention it. No, no, no. The sloppiness of the second half. Don't mention it. We don't need to mention it at all. The first 35 minutes. Encouraging in the sense that, well, yeah, there is no Pedri, and as depressing as that is to me, as my son is off the field, I can tell you that Fermín López takes on the responsibility and was active in the attack, and Barcelona was pressing higher off the field.

13:06And it also helped that Elche is losing the ball in bad areas. but you have to be there in order to take advantage of those opportunities. And Laminya Mal, whether he went to Milan, whether he was rested or not, whether he's playing through pain or not, scores a goal. And you're thinking, okay, it feels like Barcelona is not really missing Lewandowski. It's not really missing Pedri, at least not in this first 35 minutes. Again, Fermín López involved in the attack. Frenkie de Jong was controlling the midfield. Casado was very much in control of the rhythm of the game. Ferran Torres is scoring goals.

13:37and it's all great for Barcelona. And so if you just focus on the first 35 minutes, you kind of go, yeah, it's all right. This is okay. Against most teams in La Liga, they're going to be able to win games if they play as well as they did in the first 35 minutes. Again, I'm going to ignore the second half. I'm going to ignore some of the bad habits that this team tends to have and tends to show. And I'm going to ignore the vulnerabilities defensively that are still there. I leave that to you, Xhaga. You are the source of negativity here. Okay, Shaka, I won't make you be too negative. I want to get your take on who should be responsible for looking after Laminemal right now.

14:16Ahead of the game, we were talking about the fact that, in case you missed it, he went to Milan on his days off. Yeah, he went and had a little bit of time in the city there, saw how things were. He's coming, well, he's got a chronic groin injury. He's got something that's going to continue to bother him, and they're talking about him playing through pain, and they're talking about his agent having to get involved and that he's only 18. Whose responsibility is this to be giving him the advice? I think it's the club's. The club have to take a greater responsibility and Laminia Mal all things off the park.

14:46In much of the way that Hansi Flick has to do it, on the park. The agent is hired by Laminia Mal. He's employed by Laminia Mal. And if Laminia insists on doing one thing or the other, the agent can offer his advice but can't really stop him. Now, for me, that's where the club has to step in. kind of understanding and let's be honest kind of given bar sooners record of bringing through young players from the academy and understanding what it takes to make that jump even when you're as talented as lamina mal i'm surprised that they didn't step in sooner that they haven't kind of taking that responsibility on themselves and in terms of guiding lamina mal the decisions he makes some of the things he does and says some of his appearances which we've been talking about certainly for the last couple of weeks.

15:33She just described it as a chronic groin injury. Dr. Murray Bonetti. If that is the case, then shouldn't you be taking care of this injury instead of gallivanting in Milan? Well, personally speaking... Put yourself aside. A good old gallivant does wonders for my groin injuries.

16:01I'm asking the wrong person. I've never said no to a good Gallup. I'm not going to ask Luis Garcia because he's sick of our shenanigans asking about these young teenagers and the youngsters in La Liga. What I will talk to you about is a man who celebrated his 28th birthday this week in Marcus Rashford, Luis. Hansi Flick's definitely getting the best out of this player. It was definitely not Shaka. Yeah, definitely. They have to be happy with what Michael Raffens has bringing to the team because no one was expecting something like this. Definitely not me. He was a player who struggled in the last few years to get back to his best.

16:38And we found out, thanks also to Rafinha's injury, that Michael Raffens has a lot to give to Barcelona. His speed, his ability to go in one-by-one situations, his fine way to contact with the goal, to be linked to the goal. He's a player who is bringing something that Barcelona was missing when you got two wide players who can give you that. Beating players, creating opportunities, linking very well. He's also a player who is one of the top assistants in La Liga. It's something that we were not expecting. I'm sure that Hansi Flake is really, really happy with his performances. how he delivers, and also begins also working hard on that left side, something that is really needed when you are talking about pressing in the last third of the field.

17:28This is a dream scenario for Marcus Rashford. You never wish anyone to get injured as a player. You never wish any of your fellow players to get injured, but you ask for a chance at a club as big as Barcelona and that that chance comes to you and you're able to deliver LA. Well, just think about where Marcus Rashford was this time last year and where his career was going this time last year. And look, I'm sure that Marcus Rashford, when he was in Manchester United, wasn't thinking, you know what I want to do with my life? Aston Villa, this is it. This is where I'm going. Now, this is no disrespect to Aston Villa, but I'm going to suggest that it's not where he saw the trajectory of his career.

18:07And I also am certain that he didn't see that from Aston Villa, somehow there was going to be a path to Barcelona. I have mentioned in the past that I think this is the last go around for Marcus Rashford in terms of opportunities at the big time. And it really comes down to him and what he can give this team that is different than what they already have. And to Luis's point, he's doing exactly that. The goal he scores today, the ability to essentially in a very tight area, able to create enough separation because of the change of pace that he has to then score goals on his own. That means that Barcelona doesn't have to put 50 passes together to create a chance for him.

18:49You just change the point of attack, and he himself, because of his skill set, can create an opportunity for himself. And if he is crowded, if he is double-teamed, then he can find a pass. Marcus Rashford has been better than expected. He actually has been excellent. Yeah, happy birthday, Marcus. Even Ali's got something nice to say today. What a minute. I said I was positive. Mola Liga coming up for you on Monday. Rounding out the match day. Real Oviedo against Dosses sooner. And then Friday, it all kicks off again for another round. We'll be able to see Rio take on Real Madrid and Celta take on Barcelona.

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20:04There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. We're actually going to take some inspiration from the Gab and Jewell show today. So is Gab going to do all the talking then? No. Oh, all right. Okay. For those of you who are regular listeners, this is the quick hits on ESPN FC that we often see or hear on the Gab and Jewell show. So Wayne Rooney criticized Van Dijk and Salah's leadership since signing their new deals this season and also talked about their body language as well on his BBC podcast. So Virgil van Dijk came back out to say this.

20:40I would say it's a bit of a lazy criticism. Last year when things go well, you don't hear that at all. And there are no hard feelings, by the way. I don't take it personal whatsoever. Luis Garcia is back with us. Don Hutchison is with us too. Who are you with, though, guys? Are you with Rooney or are you with Van Dijk? Let me ask you first, Luis. I think there is no way, of course. If you put me like this straight away, I don't know what they say. I'm going straight with Van Dijk, but if you try to analyze a little bit what is happening, what is the situation? Sometimes when you are on TV and you try to analyze what is happening, of course, you're not going to hear criticism if you are playing well, because it's very difficult.

21:23You're going to try to find the spots where the team is doing well or where they are not doing well if you try to break it down. So it's very difficult to hear criticism when you are winning at the top of the league or you are getting a great results on Champs League. So I understand Gruny's side. I understand also Van Dijk's side that when you are not going well and everybody is talking about the defense is not good, the midfield is not working, you are not scoring goals, the imbalance of the squad is not good enough, even though you have to spend a lot, of course you are going to hear the criticism.

21:54So it's to try to understand all situations, try to put the balance on it. There is not a positive way or a negative way. It's the situation that is on these days. Liverpool is not doing well. It's not getting results apart from yesterday. after five, six games without getting a good result. What you're going to hear is all about criticism. Nobody's going to talk well about if you clear a good in the air or if you score a goal or the team builds up very well in just a couple of occasions. You're going to hear criticism. So you have to handle and manage the best you can. So this is a daily basis of a football play.

22:26I understand that Bandai comes out and says it. So no more to say about it. Did you explain the rules and regulation of the quick hits? You thought I said slick hits. Don. We went into injury time. Rooney or Van Dijk. See, I'm a little bit on Wayne Rooney's side here. Virgil van Dijk's got to play the game a little bit. He's got coming up Real Madrid and Manchester City. I'm afraid Virgil should have just...

22:56I am on Rooney's side because I don't think Van Dijk addresses criticism. It's very easy to lead when things are going well. Now if the criticisms about your leadership this season, when things aren't, you can't try to draw comparisons to last season in an effort to address that criticism. I'm with Wayne Rooney. I know I'm going to eat well if I'm with Wayne Rooney. I'm not going to tell you that much. That's all I'm going to say. As for, you're right over there, sir. You're right. You cannot, if you're Van Dyke, you cannot fight against criticism of your leadership. One of the things, the images that we've seen this year is him misclearing a ball onto the face of Caracas and him making it the fault of Caracas.

23:40That sticks with me and that speaks to the lack of leadership that we have seen from Liverpool this year. OK, that was the first topic. Second topic is Real Madrid's penalty taker. Yesterday, Real Madrid got two penalties. Mbappe took the first of them and scored it. Vinny Jr. took the second and did not score it. This is what Xabi Alonso had to say about the situation. after the game.