In short
This ESPN FC episode focuses on Liverpool’s slump and whether manager Arne Slot can “fix it,” plus broader Champions League and Premier League/La Liga discussion. Liverpool have lost nine of 12, including a Champions League home defeat to PSV, with the club mood described as “shell-shocked” and Slot’s position increasingly questioned. Guests debate a “tipping point” for Slot, arguing the squad’s confidence and on-field decision-making are collapsing: Van Dijk is singled out for “schoolboy” errors and slow recovery runs; Konate is also criticized as inconsistent and potentially being scapegoated. Curtis Jones is quoted urging players to be more aggressive off the ball (“be a dog in this fight”), improve work rate, and stop reckless tackling. Notable examples include Liverpool’s rare streak of three consecutive heavy defeats (first since 1953) and Van Dijk’s handball/penalty moment. Contract talk centers on Konate likely leaving at season end.
Guests
Alexis Younes, Stuart Robson, Craig Burley, Frank Leboeuf, Ian Darke, Beth Lindop.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOLiverpool's Struggles After PSV Defeat
0:49 to 2:49
Discussion on Liverpool's poor performance and the questioning of Arne Slott's position.
“Well, this is what he had to say about his position at the club.”
The Mood at Liverpool and Player Accountability
2:49 to 4:33
Analysis of the mood within Liverpool and accountability of players and the coach.
“I think Arna Slott used the word confused before the PSV game.”
Curtis Jones' Fiery Remarks
4:33 to 6:26
Curtis Jones emphasizes the need for a stronger attitude and work ethic.
“They became champions with the same coach.”
Managerial Pressure and Liverpool Supporters' Reactions
6:26 to 8:19
Discussion about the tipping point for managers and fan sentiments towards Slott.
“You know, we heard that Van Dijk is a world-class player.”
Virgil van Dijk's Leadership Crisis
8:19 to 11:23
Examination of van Dijk's recent performances and leadership qualities.
“There is a tipping point at some point, and I just can't answer that question to when that is.”
Canate's Future and Contract Talks
11:23 to 14:00
Discussion about Canate's contract situation and his current performance.
“But at the moment, the signs of him being able to do that are pretty scarce.”
Leadership in Crisis: Van Dijk and Canate's Challenges
14:00 to 16:30
Explore the challenges facing Van Dijk and Canate as Liverpool's defense struggles.
“Now's the test of whether he's a good leader when things are going wrong.”
The Impact of New Signings on Team Dynamics
16:30 to 21:02
Discuss the effects of new player signings on Liverpool's team chemistry and performance.
“And he's not been the only one, but he's probably been the worst of the bunch.”
The Future of Liverpool: Predictions and Expectations
21:02 to 26:06
Analyze Liverpool's future performance and fan expectations for upcoming matches.
“No, because Alexander Arnold was leaving and Andy Robertson can't do it anymore on a weekly basis.”
The Future of Liverpool: Predictions and Expectations
26:37 to 27:42
Analyze Liverpool's future performance and fan expectations for upcoming matches.
“You know that purple shop pay button you see at checkout, the one that makes buying so incredibly easy?”
Show all 25 chapters
Arsenal's Victory Over Bayern Munich
28:22 to 30:54
Discussion on Arsenal's performance and their potential as a top team.
“All right, let's shift focus, shall we, and talk about Arsenal, who got a big 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.”
Assessing Team Strengths and Predictions
30:54 to 34:31
Analyzing the strengths of Arsenal and Bayern Munich, along with predictions for the season.
“But Frank Leboffi, did I hear a chuckle from you there when I was reading the quote from Joshua Kimmich?”
Bayern Munich's Performance Review
34:31 to 38:10
Critique of Manuel Neuer's performance and decision-making during the match.
“They lost in the League Cup where everybody saw them winning everything.”
Chelsea vs Arsenal Match Predictions
38:49 to 42:00
Preview and predictions for the upcoming Chelsea vs Arsenal match.
“Well, another big result in the Champions League this week that I'm not sure that many would have expected, or at least our Stuart Robson, Chelsea thrashing Barcelona at Stamford Bridge by three goals to nil.”
Chelsea's Recent Performance Against Barcelona
42:00 to 43:16
Discussion on Chelsea's impressive performance against Barcelona and predictions for their next match.
“Very fast, small players and very skillful.”
Young Talent in Chelsea: Esteval vs. Laminia Mal
43:16 to 44:27
Comparison of young talents Esteval and Laminia Mal and their performances in recent matches.
“He's looking like the real deal, Darkie.”
Barcelona's Defensive Issues
44:27 to 45:55
Analysis of Barcelona's defensive struggles and implications for their season.
“Now, Robbo, you did the game last week against Athletic Club, and he's maybe starting to overcomplicate it a little bit.”
Pressure on Hansi Flick at Barcelona
45:55 to 47:54
Discussion on the pressure Hansi Flick faces due to Barcelona's current form.
“I mean, and there was one quite worrying bit, wasn't there, where Neto was in a foot race with Koubasi and completely left him for dead.”
La Liga Coverage and Future Predictions
47:54 to 49:40
Preview of upcoming La Liga matches and commentary on the competitiveness of the league.
“But if he doesn't sort this defence out, A, I don't think he'll win La Liga.”
Extra Time Thanksgiving Special
51:06 to 56:00
Hosts discuss various football topics and answer viewer questions during the Thanksgiving special.
“In today's world, planning ahead isn't always top of mind, but not having life insurance can leave families facing difficult financial uncertainty during already emotional times.”
Chelsea's Current Performance Assessment
56:00 to 56:46
Discussion on Chelsea's recent performance and expectations for improvement.
Analyzing Chelsea's Stability and Sign-ins
56:46 to 59:19
Exploration of Chelsea's sign-ins and their impact on the team's stability.
“Craig, maybe what we can say is that we didn't expect Chelsea being able to do what they are doing right now with what we have seen lately.”
Holiday Football Culture and Turkey
59:19 to 1:01:11
Light-hearted debate about football during holidays and opinions on turkey.
“Thankful to you all for working on our biggest national holiday.”
Recollections of Boxing Commentary
1:01:11 to 1:02:39
Nostalgic discussion about past boxing commentary experiences and notable fights.
“This year, Craig, there's no games on the 26th in the Premier League.”
Cook-off Challenge and Culinary Skills
1:02:39 to 1:04:48
A humorous debate about cooking skills and a fictional cook-off.
“Like the food before, like the food before.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Are 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? No, 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.
0:34Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of ESPN FC. I'm Alexis Younes, alongside Stuart Robson and Craig Burley. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our viewers in the USA who are celebrating and those outside of the USA as well. We're going to be thankful and start off that we had some wonderful football to talk about in the Champions League, but it wasn't wonderful for one specific club, and that is Liverpool, as they were humbled by PSV at home Well, now a lot of people have been questioning how long can this rot last and how long can Arnest Slott last at the rate he's going. Well, this is what he had to say about his position at the club.
1:16Yeah, we've had the same conversations as we've had since I'm here. And as I'm not sure if I said last night, but we fight on and we try to improve. That's what we all try. But the conversations have been the same as they've been for the past one and a half years. All right. Well, we're thankful to be joined by the rest of our crew today. A bit of a full house here. Frank LaBeouf, Ian Dark and Beth Lindop are joining us. Beth, you know I'm going to have to start with you because you were at that Arna Slott press conference today where, of course, he was defending himself there. He said, look, they're just going to fight on.
1:57It's business as usual. but in a week where PSV are humbling you at home in the Champions League, is it really business as usual? What is the club and the mood like saying about his position? Yeah, well, I think the words to describe the mood at the club at the moment is just shell-shocked. You know, everybody that you speak to, from the manager through to the players, to the supporters, everybody can't quite conceive that this is actually happening. You know, it's only six months ago that Liverpool were lifting the Premier League trophy and they obviously go on a huge summer spending spree, which many people thought would mark them out as favourites, both in the Premier League and in Europe as well.
2:36So for them to now have lost nine of their last 12 games and to be in a position where Arna Slott's authority and his future at the club is generally being questioned is just almost inexplicable, really. And everyone is shocked. I think Arna Slott used the word confused before the PSV game. It was confused that Liverpool had managed to go on such a poor run when they had so much quality, which when you look into your head coach Francis, maybe is a little bit concerning if even he doesn't know the solution. But what I will say is, as you say, I was there today. I've been there at most of his press conferences over the past few weeks and his mood and his tone hasn't really changed.
3:12You know, he's not really seemed too downbeat. He seemed to sort of maintain that air of sort of quiet calm, which was so integral to Liverpool's success last season. But ultimately, you know, no matter how much credit you've got in the bank, positions can become untenable. And I think another few defeats and Arnislak could be at that point at Liverpool. Oh, another few defeats and Arnislak could be out. But we know our Frank Labeuf has a flair for the dramatic Frank. And you think he should be out now? Well, it seems to be something huge going on there. And I think something is broken and it's hard to find a way to resolve the problem unless you get rid of the one person you can get rid of because you can't get rid of the 25 players.
3:55So if you have to take a decision, you will go for the coach. But I don't forget the last season, and Beth was mentioning it. Six months ago, Liverpool, with the same coach, became champion of England. So there is a reason. And it's not only because of him that Liverpool is in that situation. I mean, all the players are really only the shadow of themselves. So how can you resolve the problem? I don't know, because that seems to be huge. The only way to have a reaction is maybe getting rid of the coach and try to have another atmosphere, another energy from somebody else. Because those players, they have qualities.
4:34What's wrong with them? Really, what's wrong with them? They became champions with the same coach. Why they are only the shadow of themselves? I don't have the answer. I think nobody has the answer. I don't even think that the players have the answer. But that's becoming very dramatic. Darkey, well, Frank thinks that they need some new energy now, probably from a different manager. Bess says that it could probably be a few more defeats that they will have to suffer before Arnest Zlat is out. How long do you think he has? Well, things will get a bit awkward, I think. I mean, the time isn't now, quite clearly.
5:06Champions six, seven months ago. But their next three games are West Ham away, which is a harder game than it was a month ago because West Ham are picking up points now. They've got Sunderland and they've got Leeds United. All games in the normal course of events, you'd think Liverpool would win. but this is not the normal course of events. I think the players look visibly shaken. I think they look haunted. And I think, just as Frank was saying there, I think why they're haunted and they're shaken is they can't work it out themselves. They don't know what's wrong. And that is alarming, I think, for Arna Slaug.
5:44All right, well, Curtis Jones had a fiery message for the players at his boyhood club. And this is what he had to say.
5:55We're going to get that quote up in a bit, but he did have some feisty woes there. And of course, you can understand that Curtis Jones is a red through and through. And this is what he had to say on Liverpool's struggles. He said, look, it starts with just wanting to be a man out there and just wanting to tackle someone and just be a dog out there. Like, go and smash someone. There's times when we do play, but off the ball stuff. I think that's the stuff that has to change. Stewart is that it just a little attitude readjustment be a bit more of a dog in this fight when things are going badly you the one thing you can change is your work rate and your work ethic and you've got to try and make get the crowd back on side sometimes that is making one or two tackles but you've also got to be clear with what you're trying to do it's no good just racing around trying to tackle people you get played around even worse so that comes down to the coach to making sure the defensive situation is completely stable the players are going to make the right decisions on the field because they're making bad decisions on the field.
6:49You know, we heard that Van Dijk is a world-class player. We have done for many years. At the moment, he's making schoolboy errors in terms of his positional play and his recovery runs. He looks as though his confidence is completely lost and he can't make a decision. So just running around kicking people or making tackles, yes, it might inspire the crowd a bit more and get everyone going, but it's not quite the way to do it. What did you make of what Curtis Jones had to say, Craig? Would that fix it? I didn't pay any attention to it, to be honest. there's a tipping point for every manager. And I don't think we're there yet.
7:20No. But there is a tipping point. But as I said in yesterday's show, or whatever show it was, I haven't got a clue, I can't remember. Some clubs are very reactionary and make hasty decisions. Whilst Liverpool are not perfect and no club is, history will tell you they don't tend to react on a whim. they don't tend to just hire and fire willy-nilly like a Real Madrid and Abramovic's Chelsea and others it was get them out pay off the manager give him his lump sum and bring somebody else in and then make a change historically they haven't really it might have been the odd occasion but they haven't really been like that and he's got that money in the bank from last year I think he has time to figure this out but like every other manager in the Premier League I don't know.
8:10Eh?
8:15Who's shouting? Oh, we thought someone had something to say with you. Guess not. Somebody not shouting there? No. Did you hear that? I did hear a shout. Yeah, I heard it. It's Thanksgiving or Halloween. You never know. I mean, dear me. So, I think... No, no, no, no, no. Are you hearing that? So, there is a... I mean, what's happening here? There is a tipping point at some point, and I just can't answer that question to when that is. But clearly, if he doesn't turn that around quickly, going into Christmas and the new year and it gets busy and I think there's less games than Boxing Day this year, there might only be one game actually, but it's a very busy period, then there is going to be that tipping point for Arne Slott.
8:58But I just don't know when that is. And interestingly enough, and I was going to ask Beth actually, what's the I know the Liverpool fans are not going to be shouting for Arnie Slott out or anything like that but what's the general feeling amongst the hardcore fans that are at the game in terms of how he needs to approach this and the reaction if any to the manager or the players when they're having these bad results Yeah well I think Liverpool fans pride themselves on the fact that they are supportive of their players they very rarely turn on their own players. That's why it was such big news last year when Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed when it came out that he was going to Real Madrid.
9:40So they have been, for the most part, quite supportive, but everybody has a tipping point. It's the same for the manager, but in terms of fans as well, everybody gets to a point where they feel like they can't possibly keep up with what's happening. And I think two home defeats, I think it's the first time since 1953 that Liverpool have lost three games consecutively by three or more goals. And in that season, they were relegated. So, I mean, that just tells you how far they've fallen from last year. And there were at the full-time whistle last night, a few boos. I mean, it was still very much in the minority.
10:14But, you know, when the match-going fans start to turn on the team and the manager, then that's when things can start going badly wrong. I think most fans have a lot of affection for Slott and feel like he deserves time because of what he did last season, because of how well he navigated a very difficult summer and a team grieving the loss of a teammate and a friend. So I think all of those factors mean that Liverpool fans want him to succeed. But ultimately, if you're getting beat every week, then there comes a point when you have to just stop the rot. I think the issue for Liverpool is it's all well and good saying get rid of him, bring someone else in.
10:51But then who do you bring in? Because you look at the managerial market at the moment and there aren't many standout candidates. And, you know, some of the names that have been touted, the likes of Andone, Areola at Bournemouth, Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, you know, those types of managers, they haven't been tested at this level. It's a very different task delivering at Bournemouth than it is to delivering at Liverpool. So it would be a big risk to bring anybody in at this moment in time. And I think that's why for a lot of match-going fans, they would still quite like slot to be able to turn this around.
11:23But at the moment, the signs of him being able to do that are pretty scarce. Frank, of course, a name that Robbo mentioned is Virgil van Dijk, and it's rare in the last couple of seasons that we ever had to question what on earth he was doing in situations. But he had a moment, especially in the game yesterday, where we did have to wonder, I think the boys brought it up, that when other players like Kanate make a mistake, it is glaringly obvious, but van Dijk has been making some mistakes as well. like this handball. What did you make of this performance and, of course, his more recent performances?
11:56I don't understand. I don't understand players with his talent, with his experience. I don't get it. And again, as I said before, we don't know what's going on. I think the world should go to see a shrink because they have a problem. It's in their heads because you don't lose your capabilities and tools like that. It's impossible. So Conate is not the Conate that we have known. And, of course, Virgil van Dijk. I don't recognize him. He will have never done a mistake like that on the penalty. But also on some of the things that I see that he's not confident. He lost all the confidence that he had in his football.
12:39And for me, I don't understand that. I don't understand why it's possible like a player like that can become, because I play in this position. Yeah, you can have darts. Yeah, maybe you think twice, but you don't go that far. That's really extreme for me. And I don't understand. It happens to all the players. It's like a curse, you know, and I don't get it because you cannot, well, we saw that with Manchester City last season, you know, became the champion of England and became a shamble six months after. Same thing for Liverpool. Champion, shamble. I don't want a next champion because they're going to be scared the season after.
13:20Van Dijk, Alisson and Salah have to lead this team as the senior players in the dressing room out of this mess. They're the ones, and they've all played poorly. Not really the goalkeeper but certainly Van Dijk and Salah. Those are the two players, and three if you add the experienced goalkeeper, that have to lead the dressing room now and be the ones putting their hand up for the manager and saying, listen, we will turn this around. We will make sure the dressing room and the squad and the players are back on track. And they have to start leading. And they have to lead by example. And they haven't done that.
13:57Quite often, when a team's winning, you say, what a great leader Van Dijk is. Now's the test of whether he's a good leader when things are going wrong. They used to say it about John Terry. And I'd always argue, what happened when John Terry at Chelsea was the captain and his great leadership when managers were getting the sack and they weren't doing particularly well? Now Van Dijk has got to step up. We all said he's a great leader when they won the title last year and did well the year before that. Now he's got to stand up. He's got to stop making mistakes himself. He's got to play with more confidence.
14:23And he's got to get everybody around him playing with more confidence as well. And he's got to back the manager. Because we don't know what's going on off the field, on the training field. Frank said it earlier, I think, and Darkie said it earlier. You can see what's going on on the field. But is it a combination of what's going on on the training field and what's happening in the dressing room? Well, Beth, another player, of course, that we were talking about who just simply has not been up to par at Liverpool is Canate. We know his contract expires at the end of the season. We know that they did have some contract talks and they had stalled.
14:51But given the rate he's been going and the fact that he has left a lot to be desired, what do you see happening here in terms of contract talks? Yeah, well, I think there's been a sense of inevitability for a little while about Canate's future. I think a lot of Liverpool fans expect him to leave at the end of the season. I think the club stance, you know, as of a few weeks ago, was that they hadn't given up on him re-signing. But then I think ultimately if it was announced tomorrow that he was staying and he was signed a five-year contract, I'm not quite sure that would fill Liverpool fans with a lot of confidence at the moment.
15:26Now, a few hours ago before we came on air, he actually talked to social media and he made quite a passionate post where he said, you know, this is a really dark time, but we need to stick together. And he sort of fronted up to some of the criticism that he's been facing, which I think is good to see that from players, but you want to see that on the pitch. It's all right talking about it, but you want to see that put into action. And I think he's always been a player, I think, Canate, who has those inconsistencies, but more often than not, he's able to make up for that with solid performances.
15:56And I think if he's got Van Dijk beside him playing at his best level and the players in front of him and around him playing at their best level, then that allows him to thrive. I think he's not the sort of player that really leads the back line. and I think with the back line being a bit of a shambles at the moment, it's really exposing his deficiencies. So it is a really difficult one. I think if you put me on the spot now, I'd say he probably leaves at the end of the season. But at the end of the day, I mean, the fans are calling for him to be dropped and you can't really argue that he should be starting at the weekend because I think he's had a really, really poor spell.
16:30And he's not been the only one, but he's probably been the worst of the bunch. So I think, you know, talk of him going to Real Madrid, PSG, You've got to look at, will those teams still want him if he continues playing in the way that he's played over these past few weeks? Can I say something, Alexi? Go ahead, Frank. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, he seems to be in the press for quite a while now that Konate is a target to get out of the team and being the weakness and the weakest link. And I don't get it because we talked about, and Craig was saying that, the leaders, they are Van Dijk. They are Mo Salah.
17:07Where are they? Where are they to cover those players, to protect those players in the game? Yes, Konati can make a mistake. And Stuart was mentioning John Terry. When the other players there at prime, John Terry was there. He was there helping them. I played with Marcel Desailly. I can tell you, the guy was a leader. And Marcel Desailly, you had a problem. He was there to supply you. That's something I don't get. It's very strange. Yeah, Konate is not good, for sure, but he cannot be the only target. I mean, if I see every player, they have been struggling. Krovenberg, McAllister, they're the same thing.
17:45I don't even talk about Isaac. I don't know if because of the World Cup next summer, those players are maybe shaking because they're afraid that they cannot be with the national team. Because if Konate continues like that, he won't be with the national team. but again he cannot be the only one being targeting as the weakest league because they're all bad yeah canate's made one or two mistakes and they're glaring mistakes they're miscontrolled or he runs over the ball whatever it is but i'm looking at van dyck because the the the mistakes i don't excuse are the ones where you take up bad positions you get run past and don't recover and then you blame somebody else for it and at the moment van dyck is doing that to canate too many times throwing him under the bus throwing him under the bus he keeps waving his arms if canati should be coming across to cover him but he's not running back quickly enough his recovery runs are slow and they're not he's not understanding the game thank you it would be interesting actually just before i get to darky but beth just speaking on hearing what rabble has to say about virgil van dyke how many questions are there surrounding him of course at this point he is a liverpool legend but as rabble is saying not really being the leader they need especially when you keep throwing your teammate under the bus when they're making mistakes yeah I think there is frustration absolutely and I think Virgil will be probably the first person to hold his hand up and say that that he's not been playing well enough this season and I think to Virgil's credit you know a number of the players haven't been wanting to speak to the media over the past few weeks and Virgil has with the exception of yesterday actually every single week has come out and has spoken to us and has been honest has been frank and I think that is what you want from a captain and from a leader.
19:23And, you know, I do agree. I think you want him to be a leader on the pitch. There are maybe occasions where he's maybe looked to his teammates, the likes of Canate, the likes of Milos Kerkers, who struggled a little at their door. But I think on the whole, he has more credit in the bank than everyone else. And, you know, I agree Canate should not be the only person singled out for these poor performances. But at the end of the day, you know, he's not a young player anymore, Canate. You know, he captained France not too long ago. He's got ambitions of captaining them potentially at a World Cup.
19:56Van Dijk won't be at Liverpool forever. And so if Canate is to stay at Liverpool, is to become the next leader of Liverpool's back line, you do want to see a little bit more from him. And I think that's where the frustration comes from, from Liverpool fans towards Canate as opposed to Van Dijk. Well, Darkie, we know that Liverpool definitely splashed some cash and brought in some big name reinforcements over in the summer. Now with the January transfer window coming up, a lot of fans, of course, demanding that they bring in defensive reinforcements. Do you think Arnazlott should be given the time to reinforce in January?
20:28Well, yeah, I think he should. But, you know, look at the£450 million that they spent. The only signing that has so far come off is Hugo Eketike, who scored a few goals and looked pretty good. Izak's never been fit since his strike at Newcastle. Vietz hasn't adapted yet to playing in England. Kerkhez has looked a liability at left-back. Frimpong's been unfit most of the time. So that's a problem. I mean, a question I'd throw out to everybody here on the panel tonight is, did they change a little too much? I know title-winning teams have to refresh, but were there too many changes? No, because Alexander Arnold was leaving and Andy Robertson can't do it anymore on a weekly basis.
21:11So those two positions had to change. Robertson's backing the team, Greg. Andy Robertson... Ian, Andy Robertson is not a long-term solution anymore for Liverpool. That's why they went and bought Kierkegaard. If you watched him play for Scotland and watched him play for Liverpool, he's come in and been able to do a job. Think back to the game at Chelsea. I think when he came in, he either played or he came on. He struggled. He struggled for the national team. OK, they had a big result against Denmark, but the game prior to that, he was getting pelters. They wanted him out of the team. So those positions they had to make changes for the future.
21:47There is no doubt about that. You could argue the signing of Florian Wirtz with the midfield of McAllister, Soboslay and Gravenberg. You could argue about that scenario. You might also argue about getting somebody to back up Mo Salah on that side, which they haven't got because they've lost Luiz to Bayern Munich. But I think if we sit here and talk about Liverpool, to your words, reinforcing in January, I think people would just laugh, wouldn't they? We all said they were good signings. When they made all those signings at the beginning of the season, not one person I don't think would have said, oh dear, they're terrible signings.
22:26Don Hutchin was always on about Kirkus being the best left-back in the Premier League. We saw a lot of Frimpong in the Bundesliga dominating down the right-hand side. Eketike last season was excellent. and Florian Wurtz was the best player in the Bundesliga. So these are the players that we thought would make Liverpool a better side. Has he been able to integrate them well? Probably not. And that's been Arnaud Slott's problem. He hasn't been able to integrate the players into the system they were playing. Well, Frank, yesterday on the show we discussed, you know, when Liverpool did reinforce in the summer and there's a lot of new faces and Robbo brought up the fact that those reinforcements probably robbed the older players or the more experienced players, the Premier League title winning players, the wrong way, that they felt some type of way potentially being replaced by these new kids on the block.
23:11Do you think there's any of that?
23:16That's possible. Don't forget also the death of Diego Jota. That can be also an aspect of the players, you know, being in the dressing room and not feeling well every time they see the seat. So that can affect also the players. I don't know why and how we can find the solution to resolve the problem because we don't know where the problem is. And I don't think the players have been bitter or jealous because of the arrival of other players. And as Stuart explained, that was only fair. The players who came, they were there because they were needed. And they were needed. and they had to reinforce in those specific positioning because they wanted to keep on winning.
24:07So that was only normal and should have given more competition between the players. But like Fling Pong is not fit enough, Kierkegaard is not good enough, he's not doing great. They need to adapt. but I think again players have to stop trying to find excuses elsewhere because they all have to look at themselves in the mirror because they all have been bad and it's not because of the arrival of the others or it's not because they can adapt or anything, it's because they can't play together because something is not working. As Stuart said Arnuslott is guilty for that because he has to make sure that the The chemistry works, but he's not the only one.
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24:53And they have to stop trying to find where the problem is. Where the problem is maybe just do what the coach wants. Well, look, we've just done 25 minutes on Liverpool here. Let's stop dragging the backside out of Liverpool. If they don't start winning games, he's out. It's quite simple. Tipping point will come. Yeah. Well, it's a good thing that you say that, because Liverpool now travel to West Ham this Sunday in the Premier League. We've asked for everyone's predictions. and majority of us, apart from, well, Darkie and Frank, have gone with a draw. Craig and I have gone for a Liverpool win and Beth and Robbo going for a West Ham win.
25:32Craig, you're the only one with me that thinks the Reds can bounce back. Yeah. Were you going to listen to me last minute? I'm not dragging the backside out of this Liverpool stuff any longer. Do you think West Ham's a perfect opponent for them to bounce back? 3-1 Liverpool. Robbo, you're not. West Ham, as Darkie said, are playing a little bit better now. Liverpool, no confidence at all. I can see West Ham beating them. All right. Well, at this point, we're going to thank you so much, Beth Lindup, for joining us on this one. I know it's been a painful segment. As Craig said, we've been dragging Liverpool through the hot coals, but we'll continue checking in with you very soon.
26:10Thank you. Better luck on Sunday, hopefully. We'll see if we can actually get a happy Beth Lindup soon enough. All right. Well, there's plenty more Premier League preview talk on what's coming up this weekend and looking back on the Champions League action that we saw this week on the latest edition of the Gavin Jules show, a fresh episode dropped today. If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple shop pay 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.
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28:04Plus, 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 and protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgrainger.com, or just stop by. All right, let's shift focus, shall we, and talk about Arsenal, who got a big 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Here's a look at the match stats, and it was quite the performance from Mikel Arteta's men, which prompted a lot of people, including us, to say that Arsenal are quite possibly the best team in Europe, if not the world right now.
28:44Well, someone else begs to differ, and as Rabo hinted at it, it was Joshua Kimmich, the Bayern Munich midfielder. This is what he had to say. No, I don't think so. I think PSG was the toughest one, especially the way they play. Arsenal is completely different. They rely on set pieces. They love to play long balls. They love to fight for second balls. It was a completely different game than PSG. It was more a football game. Well, the best teams can win football games in many different ways. If they want to play football, Arsenal can play football. If they need to go long because the opposition are pressing them high up the field, they can go longer.
29:21If they want to get set plays and get them into the box with great quality, they can do that as well. So at the moment, along with PSG, who have got some outstanding footballers and play a great style of football, Arsenal are an all-round team and they're very difficult to play against. Bayern Munich tear up the Bundesliga and they've done it in the Champions League where they've scored goal after goal after goal. We saw the expected goals. I know you love the expected goals. 0.68 for Bayern Munich because they didn't create chances because Arsenal stopped them playing. Well, nobody said Arsenal were the best team in the world.
29:52No. We said maybe. You didn't. I didn't say maybe. I'm not getting tarred with that brush. I mean, getting carried away. I mean, they're strong at the moment, but what's handed out pre-Christmas? Nothing. Absolutely not. Remember Arsenal beat PSG at this stage last year in the Emirates 2-0 in Thresden? PSG were struggling. And then when it really mattered, which is where Arsenal have struggled in recent years, where it has really mattered. So, yeah, I mean, it's what they do after Christmas, after New Year, come March, come April and May whether it's tight in the Premier League or not, or they're in the knockout in the Champions League.
30:35I don't know where they'll be. But they're certainly strong enough squad-wise to be in a very good position. Whether they will be or not remains to be seen. And at this particular point, I don't think any team would want to play Arsenal. They're the team that are in form at the moment, I would say. They are the team to beat indeed in the Premier League and the Champions League at the moment, I suppose. Of course, PSG as well. But Frank Leboffi, did I hear a chuckle from you there when I was reading the quote from Joshua Kimmich? Yeah, especially in the last sentence, referring about the game that he played against Paris Saint-Germain, he said it was more a football game.
31:10What the hell that means? That means that Stuart Craig and myself, we didn't play football because we didn't play the tiki-taka. Like Bayern Munich yesterday, passing 465 passes and not having chances to score, or almost not chances to score. I mean, Arsenal adjusts its football right now with the opponent that they have. And they're doing great. And you have to refer to that as a great team. Yeah, I'm with Craig. And you have to not be carried away because of what Arsenal is doing right now. Because we all know that that's going to be after winter that we're going to see what Arsenal is really worth.
31:52But right now, I found Bayern Munich very impressive. When I saw the game in Paris Saint-Germain, I was at the Parc des Princes. That was the most impressive team so far. But seeing Arsenal being capable of dealing with Bayern Munich and winning 3-1, well, you know, you cannot say that it's not, well, maybe it's not the best team. It's one of the best teams, for sure. Darkie, what say you? Best team? No, not yet. You can't say that. I agree with Craig. There's no silverware handed out in late November. What they've proved is they're a very, very strong team at the moment. They may deliver silverware, but for me, Paris Saint-Germain were brilliant winners of the Champions League last season.
32:34Until anybody proves otherwise in the later stages of this competition, Paris Saint-Germain, I think, still deserve that accolade if you're having that argument. But Arsenal are good. All right, well, let's... And should be. With the mental players they've got, the score they've got. Liverpool, when we're talking elongated about Liverpool, nobody's going to be feeling sorry for the fact that they spent all that money and they're struggling. It's the same for Man City. When Man City were beefing up their squad and when they had injuries, nobody cared. You've got a big squad, deal with it. Arsenal are the same.
33:10Gabriel's out. How's that going to affect them? Who cares? Crocodile tears. You have to handle it. And they've brought in players that have been able to do that and should be able to do it. Now, they're not the best team in England or Europe until the end of the season, and we know that. At the moment, they're the in-form, one of the in-form teams, but there's a big difference. Big difference to being an in-form team and a successful team at the end of the season. And until that all comes out in the wash, I think we should be a little bit guarded about how we talk about some of these teams. Because historically, some of these other sides have done a better job at the business end of the season of getting results at the best times.
33:49You look at Man City, you look at how difficult it was for them to win the Champions League. They should have won it. Could easily have won it. They should have probably won it, put themselves in good positions on three or four occasions before they did win it. But they crumbled and either the manager got it wrong or teams outfoxed them or outdefended them or whatever it was. Just pinpointed the weak areas of the team and they struggled to get over the line when many people thought, right, they're going to dominate Europe and England for many a year. and he couldn't. He couldn't. There was three key words that I think three of us used.
34:22At the moment. At the moment. At the moment. That's all we can say. At the moment. Darkie? Yeah, exactly that. At the moment. I can't answer that. Sorry. No, no. For me, for me, yes, for me, but at the moment, but remember last season, I think Liverpool were first, they were on fire and it was November and they won the Premier League because they managed to deal with that and because the other team couldn't react. but they lost in the Champions League. They lost in the FA Cup. They lost in the League Cup where everybody saw them winning everything. And it didn't happen. So again, let's not be carried away.
35:06But what Arsenal is doing, they are at the moment very good. But we'll see at the end of the season. Darkie, you wanted to chime in? No, I was just going to say, I'm thinking we're all asked, aren't we, at the beginning of every season to make predictions. Predictions make fools of you. I think one of the great things about this game is it's impossible to predict it. Among us anyway. All right, well, let's flip the script a little bit then and talk about Bayern Munich now because they were looking pretty darn good coming into this. And not that this takes too much shine away from them, but something that happened in that game specifically against Arsenal, Robbo, we talked about Virgil van Dijk showing that he has more mistakes in him than we've seen in the past.
35:46But Manuel Neuer, someone as well who we've never really had to question much in between the sticks for Bayern Munich. What did you make of his performance? Decision-making, you know, and it's a bad decision. You know, Jürgen was on the programme last night. I said, well, that's what he does. But it's a bad decision. You've got to make the right decision. You've got to judge the flight of the ball. You've got to see who's going to get there first. On this occasion, he was never going to get there first. And Martinelli didn't even try and take his touch around him. It hit Martinelli on the leg and went beyond him.
36:12It was a poor piece of goalkeeper. And if he does that too often, then he becomes a liability. He's not as good as he was 10 years ago. He's not as agile and he's making poor decisions. All right. Well, we'll leave it at that. I saw... Sorry, Alexi. Go ahead, Frank. Yeah, I saw the game again, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and I saw Vincent Kompany asking Neuer to be halfway, as you say, on the halfway line all the time when Bayern Munich was attacking. So I think they put him, and they tried to put him in danger like that because they want him to anticipate. And as Stuart said, that was a bad decision because he couldn't have gotten the ball.
36:56But that's what Vincent Kompany asked him, to be very high on the field when Bayern Munich attacks. So when there is a contract attack, he's where he was yesterday and he's in between, he has to make a decision, bad decision. I think I'd be pretty comfortable if it was the only game I'd lost all season. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't be too worried about that. Yeah, don't think there'll be too much panic stations for Bayern Munich. Either way, they will be back in action. This weekend here is all of the Bundesliga fixtures coming your way on ESPN+. Everything kicks off on Friday with Mönchengladbach against Leipzig.
37:35That's 2.30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN+. well for plenty more talk about the Premier League Bundesliga and La Liga and more make sure to check out all our content over on our YouTube channel I like things my way my coffee my schedule and my treatment so I talked to my doctor about self-injecting with the Vivgard Hytrulo Pre-Filled Syringe which contains F-Gartigamide Alpha and Hyaluronidase QVFC it's injected under your skin subcutaneously it means I can inject in my space on my time. It's my treatment, my way. Visit vivgartmyway.com. That's V-Y-V-G-A-R-T myway.com. And talk to your doctor about Vivgart Hattrulo.
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38:54Well, another big result in the Champions League this week that I'm not sure that many would have expected, or at least our Stuart Robson, Chelsea thrashing Barcelona at Stamford Bridge by three goals to nil. And this weekend, it's another big task for Chelsea, as it's the small matter of a London derby, as Arsenal will be facing Chelsea this weekend. And these are the predictions. Everyone, except for Frank Laboaf, shock, have gone for an Arsenal win. Craig? Well, it's pretty simple, really. Arsenal are a better side. Better in every position.
39:34Chelsea was a really good result against Barcelona but Barcelona are horrendous defensively Arsenal are not
39:44I think Chelsea can cause them some problems I think midfield is going to be really interesting because Chelsea are strong in there got some good players maybe Rhys James will step in again who knows Kaysida, Zubimendi Enzo Fernandes Declan Rice was great the other night again really dynamic I think the midfield is going to be key for them. Can Saka push back Kukurela? All that sort of stuff. These one-on-one battles. But ultimately, Arsenal are stronger in every position. I'm just going to pick Craig up on one position. One position I think that Chelsea are stronger. Kai Sado, I think, is a better player than Zubimendi.
40:22But in all the other positions, I think you're absolutely right. Yeah, I'm not... Kukurela? No, no, no, no. I wasn't talking about individuals. Yeah, yeah. All around the team. Yeah, yeah. I was talking about, you know, take Arsenal's midfield, take Arsenal's back four, take the front line. But, you know, I think Kaysido's a different player to Zubimendi. I think Zubimendi's a little bit more under the radar. Kaysido's more physical about the way he goes about it, breaks the game up a little bit more. Maybe Zubimendi a little tidier on the ball. But you're right. I mean, it's... And Frank just shouted out, Cucurella I could hear in the background, better than maybe Calafiore or Lewis, certainly better than Lewis Skelly at the moment.
41:04I like Calafiore. Yeah, me too. Frank, you went for Chelsea though. The thing is that, yes, I went for Chelsea because, well, I should have gotten the same result as you did, guys, you know, because when we all predict the same thing, you know, normally it happens the opposite. But realistically, I don't want no race. I want Arsenal to have trouble. I want to enjoy the Premier League. I don't want to see that being too easy. And Chelsea deserve some credit. And you don't win randomly against Barcelona. Even if Barcelona doesn't do well, yes, it's going to be different with Arsenal. But you don't win like that and keep on winning like that against some of the teams without getting some credit.
41:53And you never know. It's going to be that Stamford Bridge. It's going to be a great atmosphere. Arsenal, they can struggle with players like Estevão and Neto. Very fast, small players and very skillful. You can have a surprise. And I want to believe that my former blue team can do something who makes a race interesting. Darkie, how impressed are you by Chelsea against Barcelona this week? Very impressed. I thought they absolutely battered Barcelona and completely exposed that high line, that they were playing a high line without any pressing going with it, which I think compounded Barcelona's problems in the game.
42:33That's another issue. I think Chelsea-Arsenal, I mean, it's an interesting game. I mean, I'm predicting Arsenal because they keep finding a way to get things done. They can win in different ways, as Stuart was saying earlier on in the programme. I do think Chelsea are coming of age. So my prediction isn't a completely confident one. I'm just thinking of that recent game where Sunderland gave the Arsenal defence a few problems in that 2-2 draw. So I think it's going to be a very tight game, not much in it at all. But the way Arsenal have gone this season, you probably always want to be on them.
43:07Could Chelsea win? Yeah, sure. And one of the reasons why Chelsea has been so impressive of late as well is just the young talent that they have in Esteval. He's looking like the real deal, Darkie. Yeah, I mean, what an exciting talent. I mean, of course, on the night, a lot of the pre-publicity of that game was him against Laminia Mal. Well, Laminia Mal hardly got a kick on the night, and this lad was doing the kind of things you're seeing here on screen. Solo, I think Messi would have been proud of that one, wouldn't he? Yeah, but he would take the two years that Laminia Mal's just had. Yeah.
43:44Put that in the bag and run with it, wouldn't he? Yeah. You know, I mean, all this, you know, I get it. People make comparisons. You know, Laminya Mal's playing Estival. Estival's a great young player. Laminya Mal's already won the Euros. He's already won the Spanish League. He's won the Spanish Super Cup. You could argue he could have won the Ballon d 'Or, but Dembele was a... You and I watch him most weeks. We've seen him have absolutely magnificent games week in, week out. They were 2-0 down in the final classical last year and not quite single-handedly, but he just dragged this Barcelona team back in the classical to, I think it was 4-3 in the end, Ian was there, it was just magnificent.
44:21So he has done it as a youngster. Now, has he gone off the ball a little bit or off the boil slightly? I think the answer is yes. Now, Robbo, you did the game last week against Athletic Club, and he's maybe starting to overcomplicate it a little bit. Yeah, and I think he's put pressure on himself with all the things that happened with the Spanish team and not going there, and the club haven't helped that. And I just thought, you know, the really good players, and he's a great player, You use the skill and your technique in moments where it matters, in and around the box. He was doing it on the halfway line, getting caught on the ball.
44:55A great coach that I played on, John Cartwright, used to say, don't play your ace all the time. Keep it back, and then when you need it, when it's the most important time, then throw your ace down. And that's what I think your mouth's just got to start to do a little bit more. Well, Darkie, you know that we watch Barcelona week in, week out under a magnifying glass with our La Liga coverage, and I think both you and Rob have pointed out the fact that it's not just that they lost against Chelsea in the Champions League. It's how they lost against Chelsea in the Champions League and how other teams, even domestically, have been figuring out a way around them, especially when they can't always outscore all of their opponents.
45:27So is Barca's season, both in Europe and domestically, looking like it's a bit in danger? Maybe not domestically, because I'm not sure too many of the teams in La Liga will be able to exploit them in the way that Chelsea did. But against the top teams coming to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and we assume Barcelona will be in that competition at that stage. Yeah, I think they're going to have a problem because people are going to play, you know, pacey types against them who just get in behind. And it's quite that. I mean, and there was one quite worrying bit, wasn't there, where Neto was in a foot race with Koubasi and completely left him for dead.
46:06So, you know, is the recovery speed there as well when you're playing that high line? And, yeah, I mean, it's something for Hansi Flick to think about, but I think he's thought about it and he's going to stick with exactly the way they play. Just going to pick up on something Darkie said there, and we were talking about it before the show. Remember, they lost 4-1 to Sevilla, and Sevilla were just cutting them open at will. And the game that you and I watched, Celta Vigo, the first half, it was some of the worst defendants. So even teams in La Liga, as Stevie Nichol called it, even teams in La Liga are now finding ways.
46:36The lower teams are finding ways to break them down. Well, the Sevilla game was earlier in the season, wasn't it? and it was equally as embarrassing. And you thought, well, that's the eye-opener. That's the moment... If Sophia are doing it against you, you've got a problem. That's the moment where they're squeezing up and others are running, you think, right, OK, it's not wholesale changes, but it has to be some subtle changes, and they haven't. And then you have Hansi Flick coming out. And listen, I don't know Hansi Flick. I've never met the guy. But I like watching these teams play. I found Fama neutral.
47:08It's great entertainment. Absolutely. When you're hiring and firing and you're under pressure, and you always are in Spain, as you are in most countries, particularly when you're at the big clubs, then you've got to get the results. And the fact that he came off the international break and said, if we play, this would worry me, if we play how we played against Celta Vigo, will we find the rest of the season? No. No, no, no. Yes, you scored goals against Celta Vigo, but you were horrendous at the back. absolutely horrendous now the one saving grace that they've got is Real Madrid are equally as poor it seems and have their own issues which I won't really get into so there's nobody like there's not like an Arsenal at the moment or like normally you get in France and PSG who are off and running I know it's a little bit tighter in France this year with Marseille and one or two others but there's nobody out there just putting 7, 8 9, 10 wins on the spin that would really crank the pressure on And so they have that to be thankful for.
48:08But if he doesn't sort this defence out, A, I don't think he'll win La Liga. And B, they've not got a cat in hell's chance of winning the Champions League. And just remember, you can't watch every La Liga guy on ESPN+. It's so bad, these two teams. No, it's so bad. But they make things entertaining, at least, right? It's great entertainment, yeah. It's great entertainment, indeed. Well, we shouldn't sit here and say they're great. Because you were in Elche. Darkie was doing the commentary. And they were horrendous. Oh, absolutely. I mean, they were absolutely horrendous. But it makes for great entertainment at the moment.
48:38For the neutral. For the neutral. It was a really good game that day down in Alicante. And Elche played some great stuff. As you guys know, you were there. Arguably should have won the game. But, yeah, the fact that they have their deficiencies are something worth discussing. Oh, of course. Absolutely. We would not be doing our job if we just buried it under the carpet. We said, yeah, Real Madrid and Barca did great. Greatest things in sliced bread. No, they are not. But the other point is what we were talking about earlier is come February, March, April, it doesn't look like it at the moment, but they may have figured something better out and be in a much better position.
49:18Or we could be ending up with Hansi Flick gone and so Xavi Alonso gone at some point if they don't get results in the Champions League and don't get results in the... And Arley Slott gone. Who's going to be around? Alonso to Liverpool. Alonso to Liverpool, I tell you what. Darkie? or hands you flick to Liverpool what Stuart forgot to mention is in his big promo for ESPN Plus all 380 games in La Liga and half of them commentated by Ian Dark so you know there you go I mean come for Ian Dark stay for the football and the entertainment if I was guessing I'd say there's contracts coming up for renewal it looks like he's got athletic club's shirt on behind him they're probably not going to get renewed though Oh, we will always be here.
50:01We can't have that, Darkie. La Liga coverage without Darkie's voice? Come on. Is that even La Liga anyways? Well, speaking of La Liga, it is back this weekend. Rob, which game are you on? I'm on Sevilla versus Raul Betis. All right. 3.15 English time. And are you with Darkie? No, I'm not with Darkie. I'm with Rob Palmer. All right. Well, tune in on Sunday. Darkie gets the big one. Indeed. We will see exactly what happens this weekend. Barcelona going up against Alaves. And then on Sunday, Girona against Real Madrid. That's 2.30 p.m. Eastern time. You know where.
50:37All right. Well, you know we like to have a bit of fun over on Extra Time. And we've got Frank as well as Darkie who are hanging around with Craig and Robbo to answer all your questions after the show. Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Cover All Tire Dressing. Plus receive four times O rewards points now at O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Coverall delivers long-lasting shine. Visit your O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or OReillyAuto.com. In today's world, planning ahead isn't always top of mind, but not having life insurance can leave families facing difficult financial uncertainty during already emotional times.
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52:29welcome in to extra time happy thanksgiving to everyone watching we've got craig we've got rabo we've got frank we've got darkie what a full house so let's get straight to the first question coming from dan's fancy dress shorts happy thanksgiving who's been the biggest turkey of the season so far in world football. Liverpool. I feel like Turkey's a good thing, though. It's like the main event at Thanksgiving, right? I don't think they're using it as a good thing. Who's been poor? I suppose you have to go with Liverpool. From where they were to what they are at the moment, they've had a major drop-off.
53:06Frank? Ah, I agree. I just want to say I'm so happy for Strasbourg. Winning against the FA Cup winner community show, winner come on Strasbourg again. Crystal Palace so happy for the guys you know. How many French teams does Frank have? Darkie what about for you? Are you going with Liverpool as well as the biggest Turkey of the season? I thought Turkey was a phrase you used about movies that flopped but if you want to put it to football yeah probably Liverpool but you'd probably throw in wolves as well wouldn't you? Yeah. Mind you Portsmouth's Darkies team lost 3-0 last night, I noticed. 3-0. Down to 10 men.
53:45Oh, I don't care. They lost 3-0. Yeah, they were pretty awful. We're piling on, Darkie. Next question, shall we? It's for Craig and Frank. Does Frank still think that PSG is better than Arsenal and Arsenal cannot win the Champions League? Who said that? I bet that's the boss. This is a question for Craig and Frank. Who said Arsenal couldn't win the Champions League? Who said that? I'm always intrigued by these because people just make things up. I don't remember having said that. I think PSG, I don't know if they're better. And nobody's better than anybody else. Arsenal are doing great right now.
54:26But again, as Craig said during the show, there are no silverware to win right now. We're going to see at the end of the season. To make a statement, it's absolutely stupid. Again, Liverpool last season, they were first in the Premier League. Everybody thought they would do the quadruple. They only won the Premier League. Well, only. They won the Premier League. So, you know, it's too early to say. And I still think that PSG is better than Arsenal. All right. There you have your answer. Next question. Three years on, are you ready to say Chelsea's scattergun approach actually works? Or does it still look like they're just signing anyone with two legs and a passport?
55:05Do you think it's working? Darkie? There's an argument. Starting to say it is working in the crazy way that they operate. I mean, the revolving door at Stamper Bridge is almost coming off its hinges. I mean, look at the number of players who left as well last summer. That was a huge number, too. But the way they're performing at the moment, they're challenging for the title. If they beat Arsenal at the weekend, all right, a big hit, they're three points off the top. So we've got a title race. So there's a conversation to be had along those lines. I thought for it to work, you have to have success.
55:42Because they used to sack their manager if they didn't win the Premier League in any one season. All right, I hear you. Some Chelsea fans out there, did you just say Club World Cup? Forget that. Chuck in. Chuck in. Sorry, Chelsea, I tried. Chuck in the conference, which they won, against the dog and duck, the red line, the whatever pub the dog the Real Betis it was actually yeah they were terrible who we've got on ESPN Plus every week Real Betis well I tell you what I'm glad I'm not doing them with Anthony are you doing them this week I am doing them he is doing it I just refuse to do them why would I do a Real Betis game I do have to I don't know anyway so again we have more people getting carried away it's a bit like the last question it said somebody said Arsenal cannot win the Champions League check the tape I don't remember anybody saying that so give your ears a clean and this one uh is it working what I don't know where's the proof in the pudding so for it to work they've got to win a title a big title well we're talking Premier League FA Cup yeah League Cup well what What else is it?
56:54Champions League. What other barometer is there? Craig, maybe what we can say is that we didn't expect Chelsea being able to do what they are doing right now with what we have seen lately. Why not? Because that was a real shambles. Like two or three years ago, that was a real shambles. They sat managers. No, but I mean, I thought it would take more years, more times to get maybe results, maybe a little bit more stability that we can see now. They are a little bit more consistent than we were explaining, more consistent than we saw last year or the year before. So it's getting better now saying that they could win everything.
57:46What we can say is that they've had some good sign-ins, but they've had some bad ones as well. Over the course of all these, as Darkie said, the revolving door, there's been some good sign-ins, there's been some bad ones. You want more good sign-ins than you do bad ones, and that's not always been the case. I think, again here, I think people are jumping off the back of this Barcelona game. If they get walloped by Arsenal at the weekend, and that's enough, if they get walloped by Arsenal, it'll be all doom and gloom again. Oh, well, you know, what's been handed out now? Nothing. You're winning nothing now.
58:19So, I mean, have they been better? Yeah, they've spent money. They should be better. But again, Craig, you're right. Last year, in December, Chelsea were first or second. And everybody thought they were in a tighter race. And when I say no, they're not, because we have to wait when they're going to lose one game. They had a long time winning games and games, and suddenly are they going to win the league? No, we know football. We're not there to criticize just randomly, and because we love that. No, it's just facts. We know football, and we know that Chelsea wasn't last year ready to win the Premier League.
58:58And as soon as they lost one game, they suddenly collapsed. So we have to be, yeah, we have to be careful, and just say it's better. but let's see, as Craig just said, let's see how it works against Arsenal. And if they win against Arsenal, we say, well, they're getting better and better. All right, Owen, that's your answer. Next question. Thankful to you all for working on our biggest national holiday. Football stops for no one. Is Turkey overrated? Yes, dry. Yes, I agree. No, I love Turkey. I love Turkey. I love the Christmas dinner. I love Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey is my favourite meat, without doubt.
59:40Of all? Of all, yeah. I don't eat beef, I don't eat pork, I don't eat chicken, but I like turkey more. With a bit of cranberry sauce. Wow. Do you like Christmas pudding? Oh, absolutely. But you don't have that on Thanksgiving, do you? Christmas pudding. With custard or cream? With brandy cream. Oh, hello. He's a fancy man. You don't eat beef? I don't eat beef, no. Well, no, I would, but my wife doesn't, so she won't cook it. Not even in a pie? If I really want to annoy, I have venison when we go out for a while. Oh, wow. I've ducked the stars from venison for main course, and that really does offend her.
1:00:15I'm having a T-bone steak, if that's the case. The tomahawk steaks. Frank, what about you? I don't know how many turkeys are consumed in France, but is turkey overrated from what you've tried? No, no, I think it's just symbolic. But I don't really eat turkey. I eat chicken, but I don't eat turkey. We eat kind of turkey for Christmas, but that's it, you know. And we're not celebrating, of course, Thanksgiving like the American do. And therefore, the turkey is not very popular in our country. See, we're used to working on holidays anyway. Because in England, when you're a player or a broadcaster in England, Christmas and New Year, you're full on.
1:01:02Biggest work days. You don't even think about it. It just works. So it's part and parcel, isn't it? And just add a note to the turkey. This year, Craig, there's no games on the 26th in the Premier League. I thought there was one game. Well, one game, you're right. Yeah, one. One. And you're not doing it, Darkie. Blimey. You're having a day off. What's going on? He's having a day off. I turned on my telly the other day. And they were looking back at boxing clips from about 30 years ago. And there was Darkie's voice on it. Surely not that long ago. It was. Lennox Lewis versus Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson.
1:01:38Listen, go and watch this one on YouTube. Yeah, go on. That was only 20 years ago. Go and watch this one on YouTube. I was at it, and Ian was doing the commentary. I was with a big crowd in Nottingham for Carol Froch versus Lucien Butte. Yeah. Good fight. And I don't want to bore you, But Butier was supposed to be the guy going to knock Frotch out because he was a Canadian, he had a big puncher, and he got destroyed. And Ian was on the commentary, very excited. Is he? Darkie was the best boxing commentator there has ever been. Oh, hello. This is a Darkie appreciation. There was always Harry Carpenter or Ian Dark.
1:02:22Ian Dark was up there, Harry Carpenter was up there. Ian was the best commentator after Harry Carpenter and Reg Gertridge. Reg Gertridge. There were only three of us. I absolutely love Frank's blank stare. He has no idea what we're talking about, and he would happily keep it that way. Like the food before, like the food before. Like the chipper's pie or whatever. Oh, my God. That was something I saw on the social network where an English girl was saying that the English food was the best in the world. What? And an Italian guy and a French guy, they were answering, and they were naming like 250 countries we could be better, we could find better food than in England.
1:03:03And it was like six hours later and he's still naming countries. Exactly, exactly. I saw that one. Well, finally enough, the final question is about food. Who would win a cook-off between the four of you? Well, before we even start, I have won a cook-off against another member of the panel here. Oh. Really? Oh. We went to the Champions League final in Paris and we had to make a croissant. We had to make pan au chocolat and a croissant. And who beat Frank Leboeuf? The Englishman. Yep. You were terrible, Frank. You paid no attention to the woman. Frank paid no attention. You were rude to the cook who was trying to teach you.
1:03:41And then you cleared off. Rubbish. You like cooking? No, I hate cooking. I like to eat croissant. That's it. I don't like to make dandem. I like to eat croissant. I don't care. You do the croissant. I eat the croissant. I cooked a paella. Did you? Yeah, you did. Well, I didn't really, but... So you're a good cook? No, I wouldn't go that far. I would go with Robbo. I feel like Robbo looks like he could put a meal together. No, I can't. You said he doesn't like cooking? No, but it's not necessarily if you like it or not. It's who would just cook. Well, I always say, if you can read, you can cook.
1:04:13Oh. Craig, I hear you're a cook. Where did you hear that from? A little birdie. He has a face off a chef. I just said that. Robbo has a face off a chef. I don't know. He's clear. Yeah, because you could see Robbo with one of these big white hats on. Yeah, exactly. I'd be rooked. Stuart brews a very good coffee. Yeah, I do, yes. But you can't use that machine at Hammersmith when we come and take from Hammersmith. You have to put your hand around it and the water comes out, Ian. You've never quite managed that. Stuart's an expert. Yeah. All right. I think I'd be relegated for this conversation. I think I'm bottom of the four.
1:04:50Yeah. A bit like Portsmouth will be in the championship. Fair. Ooh, that's tough. Wow. All right. Yeah, well, we'll end it there. I think we'll all go with Craig for this one. I think Craig would win the cook-off. No, he's cook of the year. Yeah, I think Craig would win the cook-off. Did you say cook? All right, make sure to tune in to tomorrow's edition of ESPN FC.
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From the publisher
The FC crew reacts to the aftermath as Liverpool have lost 9 of their last 12 games and how things can change for them. Then, discussion on Arsenal's domination and if they are the best team in the world. Plus, discussion on Real Madrid's win in the UCL and players backing Xabi Alonso amidst reports of tension between coach and player.
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