Lamine Yamal: Best in the World?

12:40Steve Nicol:Yeah, I mean, it's not a drama. You're a big boy, isn't he? You can handle it. He hasn't turned around and said, you know, Ferran Torres, if he doesn't do it for me, he's out of the team or he's not a good player. He's just saying he's lacking a bit of confidence. And you can't give somebody... You can put an arm around him. You can tell him you're terrific and I love what you do and you just keep going. But as Franco knows in particular, when you're having a bit of a downtime as a player, the only person that can put it right is you. The only person that can put it right is yourself. By working hard, by getting out there and picking your head up if you miss a chance, picking your head up if you play a bad pass and getting on with it.

13:24Steve Nicol:In this game, like any sport, doesn't matter if it's NFL, basketball, rugby, doesn't matter what sport it is, baseball, when you're having a bad time, you either sink or swim. so you know Ferran Torres has been brilliant for Hansi Fleck both off the bench at the start and then as a starter mainly since you know he's since he's superseded Lewandowski in the side because he gives them more facets to his game than just goal scoring and if I was Ferran Torres I would I would I would live on that the fact that it's not just about my goals it's about my general play about my movement my work rate so there's so much to look forward to but in terms of his finishing and maybe being low in confidence, I don't really have an issue with Hansi Flick putting that out there because I think most people can see that for their own eyes.

14:13Dan Thomas:Are you okay with it, Frank? Yeah,

14:17Julien Laurens:the last sentence of Craig is the truth that we all can see that. And when you are an opponent and you know you're going to play against Ferran Torres, you know that the guy is not in his best. But I don't think why, I don't understand why, in fact, and Siflick has to emphasize that. Because, in fact, when you play against a player like that, you say, okay, he's not at his best. He's not 100 % confident. So at some point, he's going to wonder. And I will have to believe that everything is possible. So I'm going to go for it until the end, when he has a chance maybe to score or not. Like the last tackle that we see that.

14:58Julien Laurens:It would be another player like Laminya Mal that we just talked about. You know that the guy is going to do something. And it doesn't matter if you tackle desperately, he's going to score the goal. But because of what NC Flick says, because of what you are able to see, you're going to believe that everything is possible against Ferran Torres. And he's going to increase the results that he's not going to have. therefore the confidence that he has and that's why you I don't see why you need to to put that out from Nancy Flick

15:35Dan Thomas:this is Spain's number nine as well Alex

15:39Shaka Hislop:yeah this comes at a bad time because it feels like he just basically won the right to be Barca's first choice centre forward and for a lot of people would be Spain's first choice centre forward as well going into the World Cup and this kind of crisis of confidence it feels like that debate has opened up again you know people are once again saying oh okay maybe maybe he's not the guy maybe does to Lewandowski come back in, certainly do Barca have to look at buying a new number nine next summer. And for Spain, you know, what other options are there in terms of that centre-forward position? So like I say, it feels like he'd almost silenced that debate with the way that he was playing earlier in the season.

16:08Shaka Hislop:And everyone had thought, OK, this is, this can be the guy for Barca. Maybe not long-term, but certainly right now. And it feels like with this run of form, like I say, that debate has opened up again. And as well with the national team, it's not like there aren't a host of centre-forward options. You'd say, OK, that's the guy instead. You know, Morata, who was the captain, of course, when they won the Euros, just drifted out of the picture with his form in Italy. And like I say, there's not another obvious centre-forward Canada for Spain right now, so it probably is him. But certainly Luis de la Fuente will be hoping that he gets back to the kind of form he was in earlier in the season, towards the end of the season going into the World Cup.

16:41Steve Nicol:But you're def... You know, again, I'll go back to any sport. You can't... You can't... You can't feel sorry for yourself. You know, he's been through these periods before when he was at Man City trying to make it in England. It didn't happen. He came back to Barcelona. and it wasn't happening for him. And then, as Alex said, he did such a good job for Hansi Flick coming off the bench and playing games that Lewandowski was rested or injured that he became the attacking number nine, and these numbers are actually pretty good. But you're defined as a player by how you cope with these bad times because you're not really defined as a player by, you know, just scoring every game and winning every game because that's not going to happen.

17:22Steve Nicol:So those peaks and troughs are how you're defined. and unfortunately it affects certain players more than others. You know, somebody's having a couple of bad games, they go home and they shrug it off. Other players, they go home and they can't get it out of their head because everyone is different. Everybody deals with it differently, the pressure. But you are defined by that because you either come back and you resurrect it or you sink because that's the kind of level we're at. You know, Hansi Flick hasn't got time for another five or six games with no assists and no goals, as much as he wants to put the arm around him, he needs them to perform.

17:59Steve Nicol:And so again, you're judged and defined by the fact that you can pick yourself up off the floor from a bad time and go back out there and pick your season up. There is a World Cup, as we've talked about. There is a Champions League. There is a league of title. There's a lot to play for. And Barcelona need a Ferran Torres that was doing what he was doing in the first half of the season. But Hansi Flick can be on the training ground with him 24 hours a day. it's not going to make a difference. When you go in that field and a chance arises, you have to take it. And the more you miss, the worse it gets.

18:32Steve Nicol:But you're one or two goals away from picking your chin up and taking the baton and going again. But that's all down to Ferran Torres and his mentality.

18:40Dan Thomas:Yeah, there is the Champions League game for Barcelona coming up there up against Newcastle in the first leg of the last 16. And when we take a look at the odds for this, you'll have Barcelona as favourites in this, as you see in the standings right now when it comes to the overall favourites in the Champions League. But they are at St James' Park to kick things off for this one. And there have been some questions on their travels this season.

19:04Steve Nicol:Who?

19:04Dan Thomas:Barcelona.

19:05Steve Nicol:Well, all they have to do is put a Manchester City shirt on and they play Newcastle because they can't beat Man City to save their life. Look, Dan, for some reason, I don't know if he's watching, has Newcastle to go through. and I'm sure we'll all be eating humble pie if they do, because he will remind us. But as much as we've all talked about their defence till we're sick to the back teeth, Newcastle have their issues. They have their issues. They are not sitting in a good place in the Premier League. They've just been knocked out of the FA Cup. Yeah, they'll go gung-ho, hell for leather at St James' Park, but Newcastle, Bass have already beaten them this season at St James' Park, albeit De Jong and Pedri were fit, and that access in the midfield was working, and they gave Basse a tough time for 45 minutes, maybe a little bit longer, but Basse won the game.

20:02Steve Nicol:I just don't feel Newcastle, even with all the energy of the crowd, I just don't feel they've got enough to beat this Basse side over two games. I think maybe Anthony Gordon might play up front if he's available, and sometimes Eddie Howe's been doing that, using his pace to try and get in behind, to stretch that high line. I think he did it in Paris. Eddie Howe, that was the way he went with Volta Madder sitting a bit deeper. So there will be a threat in behind. But as long as Barcelona, and I say this lightly, as long as Barcelona do the basics defensively, which is, you know, doesn't happen very often, they've got better players.

20:39Steve Nicol:Got better players in the middle of the park. Guimaraes has been out. They haven't had that. Guimaraes, Tenale, Joel Linton, in midfield for quite some time now and that's affected them. And quite simply, it comes down to, Kay, that Barcelona have better players and it's not exactly a Newcastle side that are in a title race with Arsenal. It's one that have huffed and puffed and you just don't know what you're going to get from them. So I don't see Hansi Flick's side being, even though they lost at Chelsea 3-0, that was a disaster. I don't see them losing to Newcastle over 180 minutes, I don't.

21:11Dan Thomas:Obviously, Craig's brought up Chelsea there. Alex has been that game against Atleti in the Copa del Rey, which finished 4-0. Bernabeu back in October. Sevilla, there was a big loss by their standards and back in October also. And then you take it back to September 18th against Newcastle in the Champions League already. So this is being brought up. They're troubles on their travels when it comes to big games, isn't it?

21:33Shaka Hislop:Yeah, that's true for sure. You know, Barca haven't been unbeatable this season. They have slipped up in some high-profile games. But I think overall, you look at them now, they're in a position where Laminas, we've seen, is right on form. Pedri is back in the team. Pedri provided the assist for Laminas, the weekend you've got Rafinha in there yes there are defensive issues but all rounds I think Barca are in pretty good shape and have been and I agree with apologies to Dan I'd be extremely skeptical about about Barca about Newcastle's chances of knocking out Barca over two legs because yes they're not perfect yes they've got their weaknesses but you still look at this team with the players I've mentioned Lamine and Pedri and Rafinha I think they I think they are overwhelming favorites to to go through for me don't apologize to him yeah what does Dan know

22:14Steve Nicol:Well, you know what he does? He throws out this little curveball now and again. He says, I really think Newcastle, I think they could go through. And then when they don't, he goes, I was only just, you know.

22:25Dan Thomas:I think he might have already taken it back yesterday.

22:27Steve Nicol:I was tongue in cheek. And then if they do go through, he'll go, you guys know nothing.

22:31Dan Thomas:Yeah, Frank, don't let him do what you do and remind us all if this prediction does come right now. Because he took it back yesterday. He can't do that, right?

22:40Julien Laurens:No, no, of course, of course. I mean, it goes to the level of me, you know, betting on Denmark winning the World Cup, you know, I think. So I think we're quite safe.

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24:30Dan Thomas:Let's talk about Real Madrid then, because they are up against Man City when the Champions League does return this week. They did get back to winning ways at the weekend after those back-to-back losses in La Liga. They had the win over Celta on Friday. But this feels like do or die, Alex, for Real Madrid right now.

24:48Shaka Hislop:It does a little bit. They're not in a good place. They haven't been playing well. We know how much the Champions League means to them. We know how much pressure Alvaro Abelov has done to deliver as coach. And I've got to say, I'm a little bit worried about what City might do to them. We've seen this season how Madrid has been badly exposed at times against the best teams. We've seen it in the Champions League. We saw it. You know, they played against Manchester City earlier in the season. Yes, there were some key players missing for that game, but there'll be some key players missing this time for Real Madrid as well.

25:15Shaka Hislop:You know, there's no Mbappe. There's no Bellingham. There's no Rodrigo. There's no Militao at the back. Lots of doubts about how Madrid will approach this game. Abuelo, increasingly, it seems not certain, but I'd say almost certain that he's not going to carry on past the summer. The only way that he could possibly change that, I think, is by winning a trophy. And that means the Champions League or La Liga, the Champions League, of course, above all. And I think this is going to be a big test for Madrid because, yes, they got a very, very late win on Friday against Celta Vigo with Valverde's goal in the 94th minute.

25:45Shaka Hislop:But once again, they did not play well. And once again, they got away with it a little bit. And I'm not sure if they can do that against the side of City's quality.

25:52Dan Thomas:You gave us a possible 11 then against Manchester City, Alex. Obviously, you mentioned that there are players misses and there are going to be some appearances. But talk us through this.

26:01Shaka Hislop:Yeah, and there are a couple of big question marks for me. And one of them is highlighted there. I've put Eduardo Camavinga in midfield. He missed the Celtic game. The alternative, of course, is the youngster, Thiago Pitarch, who has impressed everybody coming into the team. He's started a couple of games in a row now, done really, really well. The question for Arbeloa is could he pick Pitarch for a game like this? You know, it's one thing coming in and doing well in the league against quality teams, you know, like Celta Vigo. It's another thing, throwing them in from the start against Manchester City.

26:27Shaka Hislop:That's why I've left Thiago on the bench. and I've gone for Camavinga. But I wouldn't be stunned, given what you've seen from Thiago Pichas, given how much everybody rates him, if it was the other way around. The other doubt for me, the big one would be at left back. I had put Carreras in there. He's not totally fit. We saw Ferla Mundi start on Friday against Celta and play for 90 minutes, which given his injury record is a near miracle. Mundi has tended to be reliable in these big games against teams like City. The question is, can he start again and play anything close to 90 minutes for the second game in five days?

26:56Shaka Hislop:I'd say probably not. So I think Madrid will be hoping that Carreras gets back at left back.

27:00Dan Thomas:How good does that team even look without Kylian Mbappe in it to you?

27:04Steve Nicol:Average. Well, it looks OK. Some of the players look. But then it plays decidedly average. It has played very averagely. Sometimes worse than that. The odd occasion that's been good, the very odd occasion. But I looked at City against Newcastle yesterday, and then I looked at the bench and it was strong. I looked at the options. You know, Marmouche played and scored, did particularly, scored a brilliant, one of his goals was just brilliant. They had pace, they had Semenyo, Cherky came on, Foden came on, Diaz was on the bet. I mean, as Alex said, he could be a little worried for Real Madrid. This is quite a simple game for me in a sense that City are a better side.

27:51Steve Nicol:There's no doubt about that. They have more options. They have Guardiola can tinker more. He's got more game changers. And they're playing better. If City don't implode defensively, and we have seen that on the odd occasion, if they don't play this harem-scarem, leaving themselves open type of game to coffin the ball up and then get encountered, if they're clever and defensively they get it right, I think they're going to batter Real Madrid. Now, I might be wrong, and people will come out and say, you said they're going to batter. But I just see the City side outplaying this Real Madrid side. This Real Madrid side have been pedestrian, and that's maybe nice.

28:33Steve Nicol:Pedestrian all year. Maybe we get one of these one-off games where they turn up like they did at Athletic Club and play really, really well. But those have been one-offs. And Athletic Club have had a struggle, and particularly at that time, were struggling in La Liga. So I think it's a difficult sell at the moment, not impossible.

28:52Dan Thomas:You say being pedestrian would be being nice about Real Madrid right now. Mario Suarez yesterday, Alex, said this is the worst Real Madrid side he's seen in 15 to 20 years. Is he being harsh or is that a fair comment?

29:05Shaka Hislop:I don't think so. I mean, that was a really tough time going back that far for Real Madrid. There's that period in the late 2000s where they went through, you know, basically a manager a season and they were really running out of ideas. Florentino Perez left and then came back again. And it was only when Jose Mourinho came in and sort of put the foundations in for the period of success that followed under Ancelotti and then Zidane that they got back on track. I think this Real Madrid team are a mess. And it's not often we've seen Real Madrid be a mess for this much of an entire season. You know, they might well end it this season, let's see.

29:35Shaka Hislop:But they might end the season empty-handed in terms of major trophies for the second season in a row. That just doesn't happen very often at Real Madrid. Yeah, I think it's a legit observation from Mario. I think that we haven't seen a season like this in which they had one coach, he didn't work, brought in another coach, it hasn't worked either. Yes, the trophies are still to be decided. We know that. They could surprise everybody, go on and win the league. Who knows the Champions League? I can't see it. I can't see it. I agree that this is a really poor rheumatric team that needs pretty major surgery and it's even poorer without someone like Mbappe in the team who's been sort of getting them out of trouble so often this season with his goals.

30:11Steve Nicol:Do you think, I was going to ask you, Alex, I think we talked about this that Xabi Alonso was probably quite happy to be out of that scenario I wonder where Arbor Loa sits with all this at the moment yeah they technically could still win the Champions League and technically still win La Liga but I wonder how this is affecting him and then the other question I have because you're closer to it than me even though we watch them every week or most weeks apart from one or two players being happier Is there any difference whatsoever in the way this team have played since the change of stewardship at the top?

30:49Steve Nicol:I can't put my finger on it.

30:51Shaka Hislop:Not really. I think that Arbelo has sort of accepted that there are things that you can't change about this team and these players. He's gone a bit back to basics, a bit more towards the model we saw from Carlo Ancelotti. But not really. I mean, Arbelo really has been focused, I think, more on the stuff like getting the players back on boards, keeping them happy, getting Vinicius Junior delivering. ring that stuff rather than anything kind of tactical or systemic in terms of where it leaves our below it look I think that he could be one of these we've seen it before from someone like Santi Solari when he was in charge of Real Madrid where he gets this job loses it I think he stays at the club I think he goes back to being behind the scenes at the club or whether it's in the maybe not it's difficult to go back to being the reserve team coach when you've been the first team coach but I think he stays a part of of the furniture at Real Madrid unless he gets maybe a really attractive job offer somewhere else.

31:39Shaka Hislop:So I think everyone knows that he was promoted ahead of time. He was always a candidate to take over, but it wasn't supposed to happen this soon because, of course, Alonso was supposed to be a success. These problems are not of Arbeloa's making. We can't blame him for these problems. These problems existed before. They existed before Xavi Alonso came in as well. But I think it's also fair to say that while he's managed to sort out some things, and notably someone like Vinicius Junior, who is performing when he wasn't before, this task, I think, is bigger than Arbeloa. and he hasn't been able to get the team sorted because I think that was never really going to be a realistic option at this stage of the season.

32:12Dan Thomas:So lots of questions over Real Madrid right now, Frank. However, Craig was positive there on Manchester City. How do you see Manchester City faring in the Champions League this season?

32:23Julien Laurens:Well, they have the chances because they changed their spirits and in fact also the fact that they bought Semenho as well have changed also the way of thinking their game. And I think they're very accurate right now. And they show every game they play that they are back to a better Manchester City. I wouldn't say the Manchester City that we have been used to seeing, but a better one. It's going to be a challenge against Real Madrid. I want to believe that Real Madrid maybe, for once, will work as a team. But at the end of the day, yes, as the guy said, City right now seems to be much better than Real Madrid.

33:08Julien Laurens:The first leg is at the Etihad, so you always have to be cautious about the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. But overall, yeah, I'm impressed with the way that Pep Guardiola has been changing the mentality and also the way of playing as well, of Manchester City. Maybe a little bit too late for me, but it's better once than ever. But he does it, and he does it very well. I like the spirit of the coach as well, and I always put him in a very high level. But he was struggling. He has been struggling a lot last year, beginning of the season, but he seems that he has found a solution and it works very well for City.

33:57Julien Laurens:So they have a good chance to go because I don't see many, many teams, except maybe Bayern Munich. I don't have any other contender for the Champions League.

34:07Steve Nicol:I think Arbel Loa has to worry about, he really has to think about every facet of his team and worry about what he's going to get from the front to the middle. maybe goalkeeper apart all the other facets he's got to worry about whilst Guardiola will think about these things he really only has one area of the park that's going to give him the heebie-jeebies it's not the goalkeeper, it's not the midfield and it's not the attacking options because they are plentiful it's the backline and that goes back to my point, if they get the backline correct over the two games, they'll go through they'll go through whereas Arbolua, he doesn't know what he's going to get from the front line He doesn't know if his midfield are going to be working harder and dynamic or continue to be pedestrian.

34:50Steve Nicol:And obviously they've got issues at the back. So, yeah, Guardiola's got much less to concern themselves than the fledgling manager at Real Madrid. There is no doubt about that.

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37:42Dan Thomas:So while we've got Alex Kirkland here, we're going to let him put his fan hat on for just a moment because all the talk is about Arsenal right now. Four competitions, they still find themselves in, Alex, and favorites in all four of those. Are you confident?

37:56Shaka Hislop:And the last time I was asked about this when I was on, Kate, I was not feeling optimistic at all, but that was before the North London derby. And then Arsenal went and beat Spurs comfortably. I'm feeling better. I'm starting to believe again. Look, I don't know about other fans. I can't speak for other fans. For me, what I really want above anything else this season is I want to win the Premier League. I need Arsenal to win the Premier League. It's been so long. I feel it's become such a burden for this team not doing it the last couple of seasons. I want the Premier League. Anything else at all, any other trophy, would be a really wonderful bonus, a lovely plus.

38:30Shaka Hislop:Believe me, I know we've never won the Champions League That would be truly special But for me it's all about the Premier League That's where all of my worry and concern has been And anything else would just be the icing on the cake for me

38:43Steve Nicol:There's a real weirdness about Arsenal at the moment I know I was away last week, there was a lot of talk I don't really want to go over it again But since when have Arsenal had to be the bastion Of how you win a Premier League Or how you play They haven't won it for 22 years if they cough this Premier League up they'll get called the biggest bottle jobs in recent history and yet we have some of our pundits and we have other people and a host of people online a host that are trying to talk about this beautiful game and how Arsenal are wasting time like a lot of clubs time wasting is not a new thing scoring from set pieces is not a new thing blocking people at corners is not a new thing.

39:30Steve Nicol:Other teams just need to do it better. And if you're going to win a league and you haven't won it for 22 years, and I was in that situation at Celtic. The Celtic hadn't won a league for nine years. And the year we won it, do you think it was pretty every game? No, damn well it wasn't, because a lot of games were to go and scratch a result. And it was horrible. And there were some great games along the way. And that's what Arsenal are doing. And can they play good football? Yeah, and I've seen it. and can they grind it out? Yeah. Can they waste a bit of time? Yeah. But I can't get my head around how it's up to them to play a certain way so as the others can have a better chance.

40:09Steve Nicol:I just didn't get this whole Arsenal talk last week because, yeah, do I get frustrated sometimes watching them talking about set pieces and all this and their teta bobbing about in the technical... Yeah, but do you know what? After last week, I'm swinging back towards their teta because when I saw Fabian Hutzler, who's a bit of a windbag, let's be honest about it, and I think a lot of the other managers know that, and he hasn't really done anything in the league and Brighton are in the bottom half, and then by the way, they had two shots and goal in the last half an hour in the game. When everybody else is looking at what Arsenal are doing, why the hell are they not looking at what they're doing?

40:45Steve Nicol:And so, you know, I know this was my segue. I didn't know Alex was going to talk about Arsenal, but this was my segue into a rant about how Arsenal are going about it. It's up to the rest to be better. It's not up to Arsenal to give everybody else what they want. And what I saw and heard last week was almost like the same people that said Arsenal should play a certain way would be the same people if City pipped them to the title doing that were saying, well, they should have ground out some games. So, you know, I think some people have to give their head a wobble. Arsenal are the best team in England at the moment by a stretch.

41:25Steve Nicol:They may be the best team in Europe. We're going to find that out. And everybody's afraid of them, pretty much. They've already beaten Bayern Munich this year. They've beaten most teams. So you can talk about Arsenal being boring all you want. But they don't really care how they get the job done. And the interesting thing is, and they will win the Premier League, barring a disaster. I don't think Alex has got too many worries. I think the Champions League which they have never done is going to be an interesting one as well can they keep both of those going they're in the Carabao Cup final as well where they play Man City they beat the mighty Mansfield yesterday I would say things are going pretty well if you're a Gunners fan at the moment

42:03Dan Thomas:I love it his first rant since he's back all in Arsenal's favour as well Alex Kirkland worry not

42:08Steve Nicol:don't tell me Frank was one of those saying they were boring oh no he was not

42:13Dan Thomas:alright make sure to join us on ESPN FC this week There'll be a lot more talk about Arsenal and the Champions League. We are available, of course, every single day. In the FA Cup game between Fulham and Southampton, Southampton came away with a 1-0 win and progressed to the quarterfinals. Marco Silva made nine changes to his Fulham team that lost to West Ham last time out. Let's get word from Fulham coach Marco Silva after making all those changes and after losing this game. Marco, disappointing end to the week I suppose, you made a lot of changes do you think that came into it a little bit in terms of your play and your finishing today?

42:55Gab Marcotti:I understand the question and make all the sense and the analysis can start in that way they are decisions that you have to make and of course I can get it and I understand but it's much more than that firstly it was a very bad afternoon for us for this football club and mainly for our fans and of course you have to look deeper because I cannot be pleased at all what's happened this afternoon. For me it's not just another defeat because in football you can win, you can draw, you can lose matches, but this one is much more than that. I really believe that. If anybody wants to analyse in the way that we lost because the nine changes, okay, I'm the manager, I get that responsibility as well.

43:38Gab Marcotti:but if Timotec, Astana, Roa, Quink and Sessegnum probably they played many many times games already this season that we won against probably top sides in Premier League and Emil or Tom Carney and after Rodrigo and after the two wingers that we are the they are available for us to start the game Oscar Bob and Chukwesi if they are not good enough to win a cup tie against the Champions League side with a lot of quality like Southampton we have to look deeper, simple as that, but I get the blame, no worries that I'm at nine chains.

44:11Dan Thomas:Now, Frank is still with us, but I want to start with you here, Craig, because this is Fulham, they're not going to win the Premier League, they're not going to get relegated, so why not go for it in the FA Cup?

44:19Steve Nicol:I think he's a very good manager and I think he's got a lot of time from him and how his team plays, but I'll analyse this for you quite simply. He plays his strongest team, he wins the game, and he did not. So he can say, well, we still should have won because we made these changes and he was just waffling in the end wasn't he with his head down because he knows that and maybe he wanted to be out the FA Cup I don't know maybe he wanted to be out maybe he didn't want the hassle of it maybe he doesn't have the ambition and I don't get that I don't get it because if he gets to a quarter final is he going to rest nine players again if he gets to a semi-final was he going to rest eight players I just don't get the lack of ambition you Frank and I were lucky but I was lucky as a player played in one FA Cup final could have played in two but for Frank's mate left me out it's a different story played in three FA Cup semi-finals and a bunch of quarterfinals and I don't remember once and Frank will tell you about the atmospheres that we used to go to semi-finals and what what it meant to you as a player, quarterfinals and semis.

45:24And I know that was in the late 90s

45:27Steve Nicol:and I know the game has slightly changed in terms of the commercial side of it. But the fundamentals are still the same. You're in a relegation fight or you're mid-table or you're going for Europe and you're going for a cup. And I don't remember one game, one, that we did not put out at Chelsea our strongest team to who was available for the manager. Not one game. Because those moments in a player's career, and you look at Port Vale, and you looked at Macclesfield early in the season, what it means to players, what it means to supporters. And I'll tell you what, when he makes nine changes in that dressing room or on the board or the day before or whenever the hell he does it, when he makes those nine changes, that's sending a message saying I'm not bothered about being in the quarterfinals because if you are bothered you're not making nine changes and I just don't understand this mentality because we had a mentality that we went for it because there was going to be something tangible at the end of the season and you're going to get to a quarterfinal you get to a quarterfinal you can sniff the next one my god we're nearly at a semi you get to the semi all of a sudden Wembley is around the corner if you're not playing the semis at Wembley.

46:44Steve Nicol:So I just don't understand, Frank. This mentality drives me crazy because we've been in a situation where it just meant everything to us to try to be at Wembley at the end of May.

47:00Julien Laurens:I'm 100 % with you, Craig. I'm upset. As much as I appreciate the coach, and he has proven that during the season he could upset many, many other teams, it took away a possibility of dreaming to the fans, to the club, and to the players. I would have been so upset to be one of the nine players out because of this decision and the fact that you lost the game at home against Southampton. That's almost a professional mistake, I would call that, because that was a one-time opportunity maybe for Fulham to reach, as you said, maybe a quarterfinal, maybe a semifinal, maybe Wembley. And I remember, and I won the World Cup with friends, but I have to share the first time that we won together, even if you didn't play, if we won together the FA Cup and my first silverware, that's an unforgotten time for me.

47:58Julien Laurens:And we spent like two hours with the fans because Chelsea didn't win anything for like 25 years. So you know how exceptional it is for a player, for a fan, to share that moment and to live that moment. And he took it away. Betting that without the nine players that he normally put on, they will win and maybe carry on. That's insane. And as we say, I don't remember Freeland being in a Champions League or even a Europa League. So that doesn't make any sense. Really, it doesn't make any sense. I'm very upset for the way he thinks of football and the rotation. Boring system that every coach has to put on.

48:40Julien Laurens:I don't understand that.

48:41Steve Nicol:To be fair to them, I only know this because I was covering it, but they did go to Hamburg for Europa League. It might have been the final, I can't remember. Back in the day, when Roy Hodgson was the manager, Clint Dempsey and a bunch of others, they're a good side. But every manager now makes an excuse. every single damn one of them will come out and they defend their actions to the help. Like, there's 200 games now a year. What do they think? Do they think 20 years ago there was only 18 games a year? Do they think there was no League Cup, there was no Europe, there was no FA Cup, there was no fighting in the Premier League back in the 90s?

49:25Steve Nicol:Of course there was. But I tell you what, there wasn't. this conveyor belt of excuses. Well, I had to make the changes because we were going for Europe. A lot of teams have been going for Europe. A lot of years. What would I rather do? Again, if you get in the Europa League, it's all right. I've been talking to them on it last year, having a helly season, so that's a story for them. But what would I rather have as a player? Would I rather finish sixth or seventh and maybe get in the Europa League and see what happens? I would rather have a bit of an average season, finish twelfth and win the FA Cup.

49:56Steve Nicol:I'd rather finish twelfth and go to Wembley. Because I could talk about that when I finished playing. When we're talking about when you finish a career, you say, hey, I finished seventh, I finished sixth, I finished eighth, I finished ninth. You know, you say, well, we got to a cup final or two, and we lost one, or we won one, and you have those memories. And whilst there's no guarantee that we're going to win it, of course there's not, you've got to give yourself an opportunity to win it. And what he did today was take that opportunity away, as Frank said, from the players, from the supporters.

50:35Steve Nicol:He's took away, basically, he's gambled on Southampton and failed. He gambled the nine changes on Southampton and he failed. And he's not the only one. The Premier League is full of them now. It's full of them. And they'll all tell you, I had to do it. No, you didn't. You didn't have to do it. You chose to do it.

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52:21Dan Thomas:Well, the quarterfinals are almost set. We just wait to see who will be joining the rest of the teams after West Ham and Brentford play on Monday. But the big story of the day was Port Vale, bottom of League One, beating Premier League opposition in Sunderland and making it to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 1950s. And lots more Cup action to come. Lots of talk about the Champions League this week as well. And Craig's back to do so. Stick around, though. Extra time's on the way next. It's just Frank and Craig answering your questions today.

52:49Steve Nicol:I've got a feeling there's another Arsenal rant in the week.

52:51Dan Thomas:I think there might be. I think. Welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Craig's back. He's a little tanned and happy and fresh. He's ready to fight anyone who says Arsenal are boring. Slightly tanned from my Orlando golf trip.

53:10Julien Laurens:He looks 10 years younger, you know, than when he left. That's crazy. I think I would have said 15.

53:17Dan Thomas:15. 10 to 15 years younger.

53:20Julien Laurens:Yeah, OK. Whatever.

53:22Dan Thomas:All right, guys. Guys, if you were Spurs, would you rather win Champions League and go down to the Championship or not win it and stay in the Premier League?

53:29Steve Nicol:Well, there's an easy answer to this. I've got more chance than building a space shuttle and getting in it and piloting it to the moon than they have to win a Champions League. So they can't afford to go down. They might as well forget the Champions League. They can't afford to go down. They just can't. They've got this beautiful stadium, fantastic stadium and all the infrastructure, but they don't know what they're doing on the field. And Igor Tudor was going to come in and be the guy because I think he's got a relationship with a couple of people behind the scenes, the Italian guys that used to be in Italy and Juventus, but it's not worked.

54:08Steve Nicol:And at the moment, they've just made life a little easier for Nottingham Forest and West Ham because it was a two-horse at one point, maybe along with Leeds, but it now very much is a three. I always felt they were too good. I never liked that saying, too good to go down, but I felt they had too much. But one of the things we talked about a couple of weeks ago was the player mentality at Tottenham is not the player mentality of fighting in a relegation battle because they've not really had that, have they? I mean, they had a bad season last year, but they weren't fighting relegation. But they are this season.

54:44Steve Nicol:Now, do they have the mental capacity to understand what that means and what you need for that, or are they soft? And at the moment, it's the latter. And Igor Tudor, he might not be there much longer, and there wouldn't be much of an argument about that either.

55:02Julien Laurens:And going to carry on to what you're saying, those players, maybe 10 or 15 of those players, they're going to leave. if Spurs is going relegated they're going to find another club they're going to ask for leaving and find another club maybe in the Premier League maybe somewhere else in France, Spain or Italy or Germany that's the problem and to answer to your question or to that question you know you have to stop being selfish as a player you want to stay in the Premier League you don't care about winning the Champions League but also for the people working in the office behind the scene as Craig said.

55:42Julien Laurens:You have people working and going to be fired because if you're in the championship you don't need those people. So you have to think about others as well and fight for them. But those players are not really ready as Craig said and going to be ready to leave and leave the club the way they it is. So it's sad. Very sad.

56:05Steve Nicol:So Burnley and Fulham, sorry. Burnley and Wolves are pretty much gone, right? No other side in the relegation battle, if we consider there's probably four. Leeds have got some guts about them. Got some fight, got some organisation. Got a great home crowd, small stadium. Got some quality. They try and play, but they got a fight in them, a spirit. no team and I include West Ham who were probably the leaders in this category up until recently no team out of the box the four that could be relegated outside of Burnley and Wolves fold like a cheap suit more than Spurs sorry to use that terminology but they are folding like a cheap suit every time somebody punches them in the nose and the big question is have they got the fight in them to try and get out of this there's a lot to talk about bringing back in people of experience like Glenn Hoddle and maybe somebody mentioned Harry Redknapp.

57:07Steve Nicol:I think my old manager Glenn, I think Glenn's 68 and I think Harry's in his 70s, well in his 70s. I mean, they're scratching around for anybody that, and I'm not suggesting they're going to do that, but that's what people are talking about. Somebody needs to come in that knows what they're doing here. So, yeah, a lot of big decisions to be had at Tottenham.

57:29Dan Thomas:Absolutely. OK, former Chelsea boys, with Chelsea either playing poorly or super well and with no in-between, do the guys think that without any of their red cards in the league, they'd be in the same spot? Or would they be higher up the table?

57:46Julien Laurens:I want to believe that they would be higher. I mean, they played some games, and we have the game against Arsenal where they played 10 against 11 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge where they shot and they drew against 11 Arsenal players and they could have won that game and other games. And it's always kind of a damage to lose one player because of a stupid red card. So I want to believe that they could have been higher. It doesn't change the way that I think about Chelsea and the fact that they need to be more consistent. but of course, finishing a game 11 against 11 gives you more opportunities to win those games

58:29Dan Thomas:Okay Have you ever seen a player miss multiple games for a reported toothache like Kamavinga has? Craig, how many games did you miss when you knocked your teeth out? So let me give you some of the back story. It's been a week since he's been dealing Kamavinga, Frank, has been dealing with a painful tooth infection so he's likely to be available for Manchester City but whether he's 100 % because of this tooth infection remains in question. There was an emergency dentist visit.

58:57Steve Nicol:Yes, I've had that.

58:58Dan Thomas:Two days later, he was out of the Getafe squad because he trained on Thursday after that. He then travelled to Vigo for the CELTA game and once there was pulled and sent to the stands. So this tooth infection is obviously causing him some problems.

59:12Steve Nicol:Well, I think I'm relatively, I'm not going to say an expert, but I think I'm relatively well, what's the word, versed in this sort of scenario, kind of. Apart from losing some teeth, I also had, when we flew to the United States with the Scottish national team, I got an abscess just before the flight and the pressure on the flight. But when I got off the flight, ironically in Connecticut, because we were playing, we played against the US men's national team it may have been 96 before the European Championships we played them in New Britain, that's a small world isn't it living here now and we stayed in Hartford, the reason I know that because there was lots of sirens going off, that's why I remember I was thinking oh my god what the hell is going on here but I got to the hotel off the flight I was in so much pain with this freaking abscess emergency dentist took it out, it was horrible one of the worst experiences I've had dentists trying to take this tooth out from the abscess I think I had two or three injections.

1:00:12However, once it was out,

1:00:16Steve Nicol:a few hours later, some antibiotics. I mean, there has to be something deeper, excuse the pun, rooted in this. Because, come on. We have painkillers, we have antibiotics. You can't be missing a freaking game. What do you think, Frank?

1:00:38Julien Laurens:No? So for the first time today, we're going to disagree because, I mean, of course, yes, there are painkillers. Yeah, you have antibiotics. I understand that. I remember with the national team, we had a chiropractor. We used to send us to dentists when we had a problem to make sure we could anticipate those problems. Because everything is connected. If you have a tooth issue, you're going to contract. You're going to have your neck going tight. Therefore, you're going to force your back to adjust. Therefore, you're going to put your armstrings at risk. And we had so many players who had these problems and ended up tearing their armstrings.

1:01:25Julien Laurens:So it's why you have to prevent. When you have the problem, yeah, you have the problem. Maybe you can put Kamavinga on the painkillers and say you can play. But if he gets injured, he will have an issue.

1:01:36Steve Nicol:Now, I get what you're saying. There was a scenario in Scotland, I might be wrong, but it was Colin Cameron, former Hearts and Scotland player, played for Wolves as well. I might be wrong, but I think it was Colin. And going back to a part of Frank's point, was Colin, I believe, I'm not talking wrongly about it, but I think he got a mouth guard made to keep his teeth in a certain position because it was affecting his back, which goes to Frank's point to a certain extent. However, I think it's a very difficult sale in the dressing room that I've got an abscess or I've got a gum infection and I can't play because I'm worried about my hamstrings.

1:02:16I mean...

1:02:18Dan Thomas:But if there is an infection there, would it be, like, really painful to put it or anything when you're running and playing a game for 90 minutes?

1:02:24Steve Nicol:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And?

1:02:27Dan Thomas:Just do it anyway. And?

1:02:30Julien Laurens:That's another day. That's another time. Oh, and these guys, they don't want to play.

1:02:33Steve Nicol:No. No, you've got a broken leg, you can't play. You've told me you can't play. If you pull your hamstring and it's stuck, you can't play. Right? You've dislocated your shoulder, you can't play. But if you want to go on the field... Greg, I'm with you. You can't be perfect. I mean, I can't not play with an abscess.

1:02:52Julien Laurens:I had two broken bones, you know, on my face. You know, the eye bone where the eye is standing on. And on the side here, I had two broken bones. I played. I didn't care. I didn't want to go to the hospital. And I was during the game. And that was insane. And people say, oh, you shouldn't do that. Yeah, nowadays, they would forbid you to do that. But we were the only ones who could decide whether we wanted to play or not. Well, I wouldn't say that we were warriors, but that was more important to be there and to be part of it. And because we know the carry is short, so you want to play. You don't want to, and we talked about the Fulham coach deciding crazy stuff, you know, arresting people.

1:03:37Julien Laurens:We need that. We need to, every three days, playing a game. Whatever condition we were in, we wanted that.

1:03:47Steve Nicol:If you'd have been in that Chelsea dressing room that Frank and I were in, or even the Celtic dressing room when I went to Celtic, you'd have got, if you'd have, it'd have to have been bad. you're saying you're not playing it better it better be bad your legs falling off yeah you want to go start hitting your head in the door make it worse I had a player at Celtic this is true I don't want to go on about this this is the mentality we had a player at Celtic we were playing I think it was a Europa League match at Celtic Park and this player on the bus Darren Jackson this player this is a true story This player on the bus going to the game had headaches, started getting migraines.

1:04:33He was worried about what the other guys would think of him.

1:04:39Steve Nicol:Right? He thought, the guys think I'm bottling it, it's a big game, 60 ,000. And this is when sometimes you have to be careful. He went and told the club doctor about his migraines and he couldn't play that night. he had to have an operation in his brain Darren and he came back like a couple two or three the Celtic were great with him but he said to me and said to the boys I was worried about letting you guys down and he didn't know what he had this thing but he had some issue in his brain whatever it was and he had to go in and have surgery and he came back and played and he's fine now but there is this mentality you know sometimes something serious like this does pop up I just can't see a scenario where you have a dental problem that stops you playing.

1:05:28Steve Nicol:I know you're going to be in pain. I get all that. I just don't have that scenario. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm wrong.

1:05:34Dan Thomas:To the end of that question, and I know it happened in training, did you have to miss any games once your teeth had been knocked out?

1:05:39Steve Nicol:No. No. Of course not. No, I didn't even miss a training session. Curried on the session. My God. I'll tell you what, though. Eating a ham and cheese roll wasn't easy, I tell you.

1:05:51Dan Thomas:I bet. Craig, did you ever get your short game in order on your trip? Or did you skull wedge shots the entire time? This is from Chuck Pasadena.

1:06:01Steve Nicol:Yeah, yeah. No, no. Sorry to bore the non-golf fans out there, but my short game around the greens is just... And I've been down to, you know, not bumming or not, I've been making a big head, but I've been down to a one handicap at one point. And I can't chip the freaking bottle around the greens. And the lads, all my mates just... take the mickey out of me. And it's just never gone away. I've got this, I don't know what's wrong with the nerves. I just get the yips. So it's another year of ridicule, I'm afraid.

1:06:33Dan Thomas:To go back to that first question, would you rather have, like, not as good a handicap, but be able to do that? I don't know golf. No.

1:06:40Steve Nicol:No, I just get around it. I take the ridicule. You can take the ridicule. I'm not ashamed to putt the ball with my putter from about 30 yards off the green, if I have to. No. I have to do it. Well, you know, it is what it is. It is what it is.

1:06:56Dan Thomas:All right. Thank you so much for sending in your questions today. Thanks to... Oh, I've got toothache. I can't come in tomorrow. You can't come in for the next three weeks now.

1:07:03Steve Nicol:I'm not in tomorrow, actually. I can't come in for Tuesday, Wednesday.

1:07:07Dan Thomas:Frank, you're up.

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