Juventus Comeback Falls Short

23:33He hit the ball, kick the ball away. And it's like, imagine that your guy is on the floor, and you kick the ball away. But because you touch your head, the guy is on the floor. And it's not bleeding. Oh no, that's a red card, that's a penalty Because the guy is bleeding I'm sorry I hear what you're saying guys If the guy was on the floor It would be an unnatural position And it wouldn't be a high boot Odd dangerous play So, Frank So you're saying that the guy putting his head down Is on position That's a header Why he doesn't use his chest Why he's using his head You know Now, I can consider and I agree.

24:16I know what you're saying. I know what you're saying. And I'm not very surprised that the ref gave a red card and a penalty, whatever he gave. But I'm just saying that if you go there, you can go everywhere and find something who matches or who suits the guy, the forward player. But I was a defender. And the defender kicks the ball away and doesn't matter what's going on after that. And it's like the Juventus player getting red card in the middle of the park. There is nothing. The guy kicks the ball away with his header, doesn't know where the opponent's leg is, and fell on his leg and red card.

25:05I'm sorry. I cannot agree with that. I mean, that's part of defending. Okay. All right. Gab, let's talk about the actual achievement for Atalanta, making it through, of course. As I mentioned, one positive note for what has been a miserable time for Italian teams. Yeah, they played, what, six games? And they won two and lost four. But yeah, Atalanta, look, I think a lot of this is on Borussia Dortmund too, because that's going to be the narrative in Germany, right? second place team in the Bundesliga heading into Der Klassiker. Yeah, we've got a title race. And then they go and they really collapse like this.

25:48And I really think it was a collapse. You can blame everything on Ben Zabaini if you like, but I thought they were unprepared. Atalanta went for it. They went for it without two strikers. One of them, Charles de Cattellari, very important with arguably their best midfielder, Ederson, unfit and on the bench. and they were rewarded. Tremendous home support. They scored early. They were on the front foot and they kept the momentum going throughout the game and they reacted after Adeyemi's goal. And, you know, since we're keen on drawing conclusions about leagues, I just want to remind you, Juventus are fifth in Serie A, Atalanta seventh in Serie A.

26:30You know, they did lose to do two teams that are in the top two, right? Well, aren't Spurs in relegation? They beat Borussia Dortmund as well. So let's not start waving our Italian flags all over the place, Gav. Exactly. Bona Glimt are top of the league in Norway. Bona Glimt are top of the league in Norway. It's all the same. Oh, yes. It is really a horrible debate that nobody ever wants to get involved in, isn't it? What, Italian football? No, no. It's so stupid when people say, well, the Premier League is, well, Bundesliga, well, the league is... It's just so tedious. This is what Kovac had to say, by the way, about the penalty.

27:09If you concede four goals in the Champions League, we don't need to talk about the penalty. Next up, then, for Atalanta, who will they face? I agree, Nico, by the way. There we go. Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Speaking of Bayern Munich, of course, the Clásica this weekend. Oh, look at that. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Jürgen Klinsmann, Anarimov, Kane, Murray, will be at Tom's Watch Bar at 8.30 local time. Be sure just to click on the QR code. That's details how to register and watch Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich. If you can't watch it at Tom's, obviously you can watch it live on ESPN+.

27:52Many thought PSU were home and host after that first leg victory against Monaco by three goals to two. The defending champions were made to work hard for their win. Monaco would take the lead just before half-time. They didn't get a man sent off into the second half. From that very free kick, PSG would make it 1-1. 2-1 then after they come out, Skellier pounces on a rebound. Monaco would get a late goal, but they couldn't get a third. They could have late, late on with a header that just went wide. But in the end, it's PSG who advance. Frank Le Boeuf with us, of course, gets an eye on this. Frank, it's interesting.

28:25I think it was just yesterday we were talking about whose favourites to win the Champions League. and the general consensus was PSG over Arsenal. But when you see performances like this, Frank, it's difficult to put too much of an argument as to why they can defend their title because they look, as they did in the first leg, they look off again today. Exactly. It was maybe the worst game that I've seen for a year from Paris Saint-Germain. There was nothing. And I don't know if Coulibaly would have been on the pitch, would have changed anything because it's the free kick. And it's a free kick, let's say, because it touches Hakimi.

29:03For me, it's not a second yellow card. It's not a red card, therefore. But Koulibaly would have been on the pitch. It would have been maybe a different story. But never Monaco deserved to go through because of that game. They were lacking consistency. They were lacking offensive spirit. Monaco was so good in the first half, you know, pressing them. They couldn't do whatever they wanted. Neves, Vitinha was only the shadow of themselves. It's unbelievable to see how those fantastic players can be in existence for 90 minutes. And if Fires would give a penalty away the first leg and forgot to hit the ball, would have scored.

29:46Would have been the end of Paris Saint-Germain this season in the Champions League. And it was 10 against 11. So, yes, if Paris Saint-Germain wants to win the Champions League, they will have to recharge the batteries and rethink their football because that wasn't the type of game you need to get in order to get some confidence and to be better and to win the Champions League, for sure. Next up then for PSG in the Champions League will be Barcelona or Chelsea. No, that's a tie. Whatever happens. Yes. Yes. Yeah, indeed it will be. You know, I'm left with a similar feeling with PSG than I am with Real Madrid.

30:30They go through. Yeah. But they go through with a whole lot of questions. And we give them the benefit of the doubt because of what they did last season. And you kind of go, well, they're going to get it right. Yeah, they're going to turn it around. Well, this was an elimination round in the Champions League and they did not get it right. And this is not a great Monaco team. They have frailties defensively. They are vulnerable through the midfield. And through the midfield, they were dominating PSG, an era in which I think, at one point, certainly last season, they were the best in the world through that midfield.

31:01And it's not happening this year. And so I don't know how much more we're going to give PSG in terms of equity and say, ah, they'll be fine. Ah, they'll be fine. I don't know if they're going to be fine Because they haven't shown to be the same sort of working team with that same sort of urgency, with that same sort of energy in the midfield that we saw last season. It's not happening this season. They may be exposed in the next round. PSG-Barcelona, I'm taking PSG all day. I think that Barcelona defence will get thrown apart. Yeah, Hansi Flick doesn't want this at this moment in time. He's hoping, he might be thinking it might come along, but he has so much work to do in his defence in fact I think he could probably be out there 24-7 from what we've seen this season it's probably not going to get much better it is going to be heavily reliant on the midfield and the front line doing the job for them and then getting on the prayer mat that they can, Jean Garcia can keep them out at the other side but Hansi Flick knows if PSG click they could be in trouble but the question is they are miles off where they were at this point last year PSG, they were really gathering ahead of steam they were really getting that momentum going that was then going to become this charge that was unstoppable culminating in was it 5-0 in the Champions League final against Inter?

32:25An absolute walloping that's not the same PSG but Barcelona will get so many frailties at the back against every team they play Who would you pick between those two? At the moment? Just because of the defensive issues that Barca have, I would have to go for PSG, even in their current state. Chelsea figure where in this conversation, Frank? Well, that's another question. We don't know that. That's Chelsea. One day they can be the best team in the world. They did something. I think they beat Barcelona. Am I correct? I think so. And 3-0, like Paris Saint-Germain, beat Barcelona. So I think that would be a title game against Paris Saint-Germain.

33:09They can do something good if they are all spot on. And Chelsea has proven last summer in a fantastic World Cup that they can beat Paris Saint-Germain. And that was a great Paris Saint-Germain. So everything is possible. That's the Champions League. And that's the word. That's the word of the modern football runner. Inconsistency. Nobody is capable of saying something good or bad about the team because they can change their face. They can slip, drop the coin and click and suddenly be good. And the day after they'll be the worst. So it's very hard right now, except maybe with Arsenal, to say that a team has a little bit of consistency and can win or lose a game.

33:55I think what we can guarantee is that if it's PSG and Barcelona, it's goals everywhere. That's on the middle screen. Both teams. It's not in the Olympiacos. Buy a lever. Olympiacos, buy a lever. Get stuff. Do you want me to ask you a question that I don't think any of us would know the answer to? Somebody might know the answer to it. Why are you asking me? I'm throwing it out of the room. I should know the answer. But it's this new form. FPSG. Draw Chelsea. Who do Bassa get? Barca get Newcastle. Yep. There you go. You surprised me. Yeah, because remember we talked about it yesterday and you went on about De Jong and Pedri.

34:38Oh, right, right. Hey, well done, Sean. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Pete. The next edition of the Gabriels podcast is available on Thursday. I think both are turning up this time. Be sure to check it out. That is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. Did the producer tell you or did you know? No, he told me. Oh, come on. Cheat him, mate. Don't tell him again. Stay tuned as we've got Gab and Frank back to answer some of your questions.

35:14Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Thank you for all your messages. Gab is with us and as a result, a lot of questions about Italian football, Gab. Not particularly complimentary ones. It's just one. The end of Serie A. How did Nzaghi get so much out of Inter?

35:31And Zagy's a really good coach. I think that's undeniable. Keefe was in his first season. I think Inter are having a very good season. They were terrible against Bodo. Actually, you know what? They were terrible against Bodo Glimp at home. Away from home, those of us who bothered to watch the game in the Arctic on the plastic bench would note that they hit the woodwork a couple times. And I'll tell you this about Bodo. they're a high risk, high reward team that play with so much energy, which they can also afford to do because they've just been on a long break. I would not want to be facing them in the next round, whether I think they could get Sporting or Manchester City.

36:13Of course, they already beat. So I'm not saying they're going to go and win, but they are extremely awkward to play against. And Inter were clearly unprepared. Can I ask about the long break thing? Because it's interesting that Gab brings it up. And who else was it that brought it up? Was it Barella as well, I believe? Chivo after the game? It was November 30th since they last played a competitive game. You guys always tell me that it takes three or four competitive games to actually get going in a season before you kind of feel like you're up to scratch. So having said that, is not playing since November domestically, does that actually give you an advantage?

36:52Uh... Oh.

36:58Thank you. I don't honestly know. I don't honestly know because it's six and two threes, isn't it? If Bodo Glint had gone out, maybe some people would have talked about match sharpness. Right. Lack of competitive games. But they didn't. So then we might be on the side of freshness. Okay. Let me rephrase that. As a player, what would you prefer? a game every three or four days that Inter are having at the moment or all this time to build up to one game? No, I'd want to be playing. Right. I'd want to be playing because when you come back, you just don't quite know where you're going to be. As it turns out, they were in a good place and in good condition.

37:40And they've obviously prepared really, really well. Of course they have because they knew this was coming. But I still want to be the guy that I want to be in a team that I know where we are. And as Gab said, they're in a good position in Serie A. They're just not as strong a squad as they were. They're a bit more of an aging squad. They've lost some key players. And as I said in yesterday's show, I think it's underestimated the job that Simone Inzaghi did with his squad rotation, with the way he set his team up, with his substitutions. And that's been a big loss for them as well, certainly in the Champions League.

38:12I think it's really dependent upon the quality of the preparation ahead of this one game. I can tell you, and I can just give you an example from my own experience. in preparation for Copa America 2011. It was an intense preparation for about a month. And I mean, we were, by the end of it, we were kicking the backside out of each other. And we just wanted somebody else to play against. And it was like caged animals. We were ready. We just needed opposition. If you have that kind of preparation and you just let the animals go, then that's when you get this sort of energy and intensity that we saw from Boto Glim at home.

38:52The other thing that they have in their favor is that their preparation would have been most of it on the artificial surface, which some people may suggest, ah, how big of a deal that can be. Well, it can be. It is different. And if you're not used to it, and if you're not anticipating where the bounce is gonna be, if you're not used to the speed of the ball and the speed of play and the speed of movement and how you cut back and how you're able to manipulate the ball and how your body reacts to the turf, it makes a difference they know how that made a difference for them and so therefore they're able to play at a higher level and a higher pace higher intensity higher energy than a team like inter that is just trying to figure out okay where is this pass gonna go where is this ball gonna go and then once you build a lead in the manner in which they did then you put all the pressure on inter the pressure was never on bottle glint and then inter were not able to deliver when the pressure got high.

39:44Frank? Yeah I think on top of it they had like two and a half months to prepare so I'm pretty I'm guessing that they had some rest and then they started to play and maybe they went away to play some friendly games before and maybe the coach asked them to say guys it's not it's not friendly games it's games to prepare the Champions League you know so therefore you have to give 100 % in order for you to be physically mentally psychologically ready. So maybe, yeah, it's something awkward, I would say, and I agree with Craig by saying that I prefer to play games than to rest, but the freshness on top of the preparation that they had could be even better than just playing games like we do in our championships.

40:33But they were fresh and on top of it they were they were yeah kind of thriving for for for for games and they wanted to to get it but I'm pretty sure that friendly games were very serious games. Gab we had Jurgen Klinsmann on yesterday who suggested that tactically Serie A were being left behind.

40:57Okay. Did he say that? Yeah he did. I thought I remember him saying that. Yeah, he did. In what sense? In a sense that other teams have evolved, basically. Other teams you feel have kind of moved forward as opposed to Italian teams that are just kind of stale. Well, I mean, Inter were in the Champions League final last year. Napoli were excellent and weighted to the Scudetta. I'll just repeat what you said. No, no, no, no, Jürgen Klinsmann. I don't remember. I don't remember. You are listening. No, you are translating. You are translating from German to English. Oh, no, see, that's a problem. Get some words from...

41:35That's a problem. Right. Frank, which club has been most impressive since the new managers came in? Chelsea or Manchester United?

41:47Oh, my God. I want to say Manchester United because they had so bad results, so bad way of playing their football. that it's kind of a miracle what Michael Carrick is doing right now. Even with Maresca, Chelsea had good games, and if it's getting better with Rosinia, I would say that they haven't evolved like Manchester United evolved into their games. So I would say Manchester United. Gab, why isn't Victor Osserman on a better team? Before we get to that, Gab, he doesn't need his mask anymore, no? But he just wears it for fun? Is that true? That's like saying Iron Man only wears his getup for fun.

42:34What do you think makes him so good? Oh, I'm sorry. So if he's so good and has these superpowers, why is he a Galatasaray? It's because I wrote a whole column about this. You can go look it up. No, he was on an enormous salary at Napoli. I mean a really really big salary which for different reasons certain clubs were unwilling to match some people also blame his agents Napoli were holding out for a huge amount of money there was a whole thing with with his extension Napoli were we're gonna leave him out so Napoli sent him on loan on Galatasaray he did really really well at Galatasaray Galatasaray said well there's only a 15 % tax rate in this country, we can afford it.

43:23We'll play Napoli in installments and we'll work out a way to make this happen. And, you know, I think that's the reality of it. Other clubs, when you make so much money, there's only so many clubs that can afford you. And so if you're a Manchester United and you say, hey, I like Benjamin Sesko and you're Liverpool and you say, hey, I like Ekitike and Handysak and you're Arsenal, you say, hey, I think Victor Gjokeres is better than Victor Oseman, hey, that's where you put your chips down. You know, we can debate whether these were the right decisions or not. Personally, I think no, no, no, and no.

43:59But because I think Oseman is one of the best center forwards in the world, top three or four easily. But hey, that's just me. So once you get out of that, you get into that situation where, you know, it's either Saudi or it's clubs like Galatasaray who can pay those very, very high wages Because like I said, top tax rate in Turkey, 15%. Is that better than Luxembourg, Frank? Oh, here we go. Excuse me, Luxembourg? No, no, but overall, overall, it's very sad. No, no, no. No, no, no, no. Don't talk about Luxembourg or Switzerland, you know. It's not good nowadays. But I want to say something about Victoria's event.

44:41That's very sad. I mean, I understand the way that you want to put everybody more secure in your family and your future, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But I would have loved to see Ozyman, you know, in the Premier League or in La Liga to see it. With all due respect to Galatasaray and the Super League, the Kentucky Super League. But really, that's a little waste, you know. Yeah, money is important, but it doesn't make all. And when you love football, you want to play for big, big, big, big, big, big teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, maybe Chelsea. So that's what it is. And I feel frustrated to not have seen Ozyman playing for those big teams.

45:22Can I ask a question about your mask situation? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your mask has binoculars? Well, it's quite thick, his mask. We spent far too long on that killing Mbappe's mask. I know, but I thought you were all cut. I know, but you weren't, you know. Yeah, but how do you define a mask if you don't have a bit of girth to it? That's goggles. Yeah, no, it is true, but how do you... I need a little bit of thickness. Okay. Would you choose to wear that? What? Throw it out? Dance mask? Where's Craig gone? Oh, where's the mask gone? Thank goodness. Now we know who he is. There was reporting, quoting an unnamed Spurs player, that the squad felt like they didn't have to train as hard under Thomas Frank as previous managers.

46:04Is that more condemning of the Spurs squad or Thomas Frank? This is a story that comes out after every manager that is allowed to or told to go out the back door and say get. There's always some player that says something whether the training session was too hard or wasn't hard enough. As compared to say Spurs when they had Antonio Conte and they were doing sprints up and down the field. I guess I'm sure that the training was not nearly as intense. But this happens in every circumstance in which a manager is let go, that players have something to say about or leak information about how the trainings were either too hard or not hard enough.

46:47Yep. Yes. Craig, would you like to see Millwall go up just so Don would have to be on comms for those games again? Millwall fans hate Don, by the way, because he used to play for West Ham. And then he went back to West Ham. But the thing is, he wouldn't mention it. No, not at all. It would be fun. Actually, they've just moved into, I believe, they've just moved into third in the championship. Yes. It does look like... It's them a whole Ipswich-Wrexham, isn't it? Well, it looks like Coventry and Middlesbrough are probably going to go automatically, but not a guarantee. But it does look like Millwall might, if they put a really good run together, they could get an automatic, but they're definitely going to get into a playoff, and then it's a bond fight.

47:27We've got to send Don to a game. Of course we do. That'd be awesome. Oh, we send them to the new den. Yes. Millwall-West Ham. Off you go, Don. Enjoy yourself. Get him a position as close to the Millwall, whatever it is, ultras. Well, they're all ultras down there. They are, yes. He wouldn't go, would he? You think he'd go? He'd make some sort of excuse. I don't know. I'm worried about my safety. Final question, Gab. We know it involves a mask, but apart from that, what does a perfect day off look like for you? I'm sorry, could you repeat the question? Yeah, I know. What's your perfect day off?

48:09A perfect day off? Yeah. Wow.

48:15I think I would go for a nice meal, a walk in many beautiful parks and amenities that we enjoy here in West London. Lovely. and some reading, perhaps by the fireplace if it's cold or out on the terrace if it's sunny. Could you see you sat by the fireplace for the book? And a pipe? Goodness me. Frank, please be something more exciting.

48:45For me, I'm going to the gym, then having a nice lunch with my lovely wife. then after I'm gonna play with my grandson and go back home and going to see a movie with my wife. Well that's a busy day. And I won't say the rest. That's a lot. And I won't say the rest. That's a lot. It's not really day off is it? Yeah that's not. That's a day on. I'm worn out. Stevie's of course would just be in bed. Well that's a working day. Yes what's yours 36 holes? Not in this weather. No that's very true. When's the snow gonna stop? Yes, yeah, it would involve golf I assume. A day off? Yes. Yeah, very unlikely.

49:28And then the evening reading by the fire. No, it's... It's definitely dog walking in golf. Oh, yeah, beautiful. Ali? Golf in the morning, Brazilian steakhouse for lunch. Nice. And then final round of the match. Brazilian steakhouse? Brazilian steakhouse. Is there any of those around? Yeah, Carf would have got a couple. Yeah. Oh, no, they've got... Yeah. I'm just saying if day off day happened anywhere. There we are. Brazilian steakhouse and then the final. What about you, Dan? Dan, what about you? I don't know what my best day off would be. I just love working, Frank. And we'll be back tomorrow.

50:05Well, you know, when it is a day off, he'll ache the head for a liver transplant. Just hang around. See what's going on. ESPN FC back on your screen tomorrow. Is there Europa League and the other league tomorrow? Guess who's back? Stevie, out of bed. No, Shaq! Allegedly. And the power rankings, of course. Will he still get a cake? If indeed he has set foot on American soil. Did Gav just tear off his microphone? That's it. We're off.