Man City Full of Fire

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0:34Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Murray, Craig Burley and Casey Keller here in the studio, kicking things off tonight at the top of the table in the Premier League where Manchester City were at the Etihad to take on Arsenal. 16th minute is when we saw Ryan Cherky put City ahead. It was quite the goal as well, but very soon after that, a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma allowed Kai Havertz to level things out. In the second half though, in the 65th minute, Erling Haaland would score to give City the lead and all three points in this game. Frank Leboeuf is joining us now, but I do want to start with you, Craig, as we take a look at the standings.

1:15Because obviously this is where we can see what it means. Manchester City still with a game in hand, just three points behind Arsenal right now. Have Arsenal just blown it, Craig? Well, if City go and give a drubbing to Burnley, their goal difference will get even better and that's why I expect it to happen. Look, I was happy with the way Arsenal approached the game. They didn't come with a negative attitude. They came with a positive line-up. They didn't try and sit in like they did in the Carabao Cup final and got what they deserved. They came to play and it was an ebb and flowing game. You can question the substitutions of taking Eze off.

1:52You can maybe question the fact, have Havre has got his goal? but in the biggest game of the season, your big summer signing is on the bench, Jokka is. There's questions like this and I thought City were excellent. Came out the blocks really fast and then Arsenal got back in it. Mistakes from Donnarumma, big saves from both keepers, a lot of control from Arsenal, to be honest with you, and a great head-to-head old school from Gabriel and Erling Haaland and Erling Haaland got the better of it. So it's not going to be a very happy camp traveling back to London. Put it that way. Because City are now the favorites.

2:30This pendulum has swung an amazing amount. There wasn't a title race two months ago. Right. There just wasn't. There was nothing there. It was like, oh, we're all playing for... And then all of a sudden, City got ahead of steam. And Arsenal started to play negatively. Started to play poorly. started to almost limp over the line when the finishing line wasn't even in sight. And here we are now with City literally having it in their hands. So, yeah, they came to play today, Arsenal, but City were, I think, just the better side. Yep, it's in City's hands right now, Frank. Yes, I think so. And also the mindset is with them where they feel that they have the mojo and they can get into it.

3:19And I'm thinking about the Gunners and the players in the dressing room right now. That must be awful. As Craig mentioned, like two months ago, even less than that, there wasn't even a title race. So it was given. Everybody was according to say, oh, it's going to be easy. They're going to win it. So it's why maybe they let it go. But City didn't give up. And Arsenal didn't play well. They didn't do what they had to do. And it's maybe already too late. And that's sad for the Gunners. But in a way, they deserve that. They didn't do what they had to do to make sure that they would get it and easily get it.

3:57But City, well done to the guys. Well done to Pep Guardiola. They believed that they could do that, and they did it. And today, well, yes, Arsenal played well, but I think the best team won, and Desarvi got the three points. If we'd see more of this version of Arsenal, could things be different for them in those recent games that we've seen? Yeah, I think potentially. I was a little surprised that they decided to be a little bit more negative and a little more conservative. When you could see in today's match away from home, they could have easily scored three, four goals inside the post here and free header there.

4:34But, I mean, at the same time, City could have as well. But you look at the way they play today and the way they set themselves up, you think, why? against other teams nowhere near the quality of Manchester City. Bournemouth last week? Yeah, or you're just letting teams, you could have done what you did today and outscored your opponents comfortably. This argument that Arsenal couldn't go toe-to-toe with City was even in their current form, I just wasn't buying it. They arguably created some of the better chances today. You look at Kai Havertz, you know, great closing down for the goal, but the chances that he missed, that's the difference between winning a title and losing the title.

5:19If that's Erling Haaland on the end of those two chances, they're probably in the back of the net. And I question if you're a big player at a club and you're in the biggest game of the season, the most pressurised game of the season, and you're not playing. and I'm thinking about Victor Xhokeres, who's not been brilliant, but he was the big sign. He was the man that was going to get them over the line. And in the biggest of moments, he's on the bench. What does that tell you? On the biggest of moments, he takes arguably one of their better players off today, Inezzi, who was more influential than Martin Odegaard, certainly in the final third.

5:55You know, Odegaard's tidy. He'll do these little passes and there's a couple of decent crosses, but in the final third, with an opportunity, and we saw the strike that come off the post, you give me Yezzy in that position over Odegaard all day. And Arsenal needed to win the game at that point. And so there are going to be questions of the manager. This was an attacking line-up, and I was OK with that. Four front guys, Rice and Zubi Mendy, holding the middle of the park. But it came with an attacking mindset, and I had no argument with that. It made the game pretty exciting. What I do have an argument with is when you sign big players for big moments, when you're leaving them on the bench or taking them off, that's a telling story.

6:42It's bad decision-making. And I think some of that decision-making recently from Mikel Arteta potentially is going to cost them the title. That negative mindset, the tactics, the team selection, all that sort of stuff is going to be the difference between Arsenal winning and losing this title. and at the moment they're losing the mental battle. Guardiola is winning the mental battle and they've got one over on them again today. Do you agree with Craig on the Arteta tactics and the mindset there, Frank? Yeah, I do. And I go back to last season where we said, you know, Arsenal didn't win the title because they didn't buy a striker.

7:22And this season they bought a striker and on the most important game, the guy is on the bench. Yes, he hasn't been the striker we were expecting, we were scoring lots of goals, but it's also because of Mikel Arteta's tactic and where he doesn't use, he doesn't cross ball. And today, the only cross they got, others were there, but he missed it. There are so many little details that you can sort out and it's hard to say because football is made of details and mistakes, but it's, for me, too much little mistakes which made Arteta, which will make Arteta maybe the guy who's been guilty for Arsenal not getting the title for me.

8:03Can City be trusted, though, now to take it and run with what we've seen from them and where their points have been? Well, I certainly trust City a little bit more at the moment than Arsenal. Have they turned to corner now because of this, do you think? Do you think this will just change the whole mindset? Oh, absolutely. You could sense a little while ago City were just living on the fact that Arsenal may start to struggle or implode, but it was very much in hope. Now it's there for them to go and grasp and carry the batting and go all the way to the end and get the results ahead of Arsenal if they can.

8:36I don't know when all the fixtures are coming out, but particularly if you can play ahead of when Arsenal are playing and you get neck and neck with them with the game in hand against Burnley, and all of a sudden if you play before them on the weekend, you're just piling the pressure on. You're now going three points. I'm getting ahead of myself. I expect them to beat Burnley, Casey. Of course. So they'll be levelling points, better on goal difference, and then you're hoping to go out, you win the next game, and then you say, over to you. That's putting the pressure on. And Arsenal at the moment look as if they're a side that can't handle the pressure.

9:11Yeah, they were better today. I mean, if they played like that against Southampton, they would have won. If they played like that against Bournemouth, they'd probably have won. But they didn't. They did not. They played with fear, which they didn't today. They didn't play with fear today. They believed today they could win. They just didn't win the game. but previous matches in the last I'm going to say four to six weeks they've played with a fear in their football and that's why they've ended up in the position they're in and it's going to make for a really tense and exciting final few weeks of the season it's just great for Man City and then great for the neutral but let me tell you it's not great for Arsenal because you go into that training ground on a Monday morning or whenever it is it's going to be hard to pick those players up it really is How are you going to do it?

9:57light of fire yeah well yeah yeah well again let's not get back to that but um it's uh i mean i think you still look at it you say okay look it's not like we we've seen in the bundesliga where byron have right now i think a plus 52 goal difference or something insane like that the goal difference is right there i agree with you they they beat burnley 3-0 4-0 that gives them the little edge on goal difference but it's not like even even now that you fully expect after the game in hand is done that it's it's all square uh but it's right there you know and i think it also adds a different pressure to manchester city now where before when you said two months ago there was no title race they could just go and play and yeah if it happens it happens well now it's there it's there for them as well so so if you're arsenal yes you need to somehow find a way to to re-spark and and re-watch this match and look at the highlights and go you very easily could have won this game or it could have very easily gotten a point in this match as well asking we shall give here's the remaining schedules by the match day obviously in terms of when they're played if it's before or after the other we can't quite tell you that at this minute, but this is what we're looking at for the run-in.

11:18It's not the most difficult for either size, but in paper, but let me tell you, when it gets to this stage of the season, all the games become relatively difficult. Little shout-out as well, Guardiola and Diaz are out. The partnership of Gay and Kusinov looks quite good. And a big shout-out to the young Uzbekistan man, Kusinov, who, you know, when he came in and played in some big games, he had every City fan, you know, wearing a blindfold or turning the opposite way because he just looked a nervous wreck, the young guy. But isn't it nice to see a young player getting better and better and better as Kusinov is?

11:59What's the hardest game for City in that run? I wonder why that graphic was staying up as long as it was. I wanted a bit more face time. You know what I mean?

12:09Yeah, as I said, hard games, easy games, pressure end of the season. You can pick and choose. I think obviously Burnley for City is the easiest game coming up. It should be. They got walloped at Nottingham Forest today after being in the lead. But I go back to people doing particularly well. It's been a tough road for Kusanov. But he's learning. He's getting better. His positional sense is getting better. He's starting to get an understanding with Mark Gay. And he's got one of the greatest attributes you can have for a defender. And Frank would know better than me. is to be able to read the game and read the play and get yourself in a very good starting position.

12:50But Kushinov hasn't got the experience of a Frank Leboeuf winning a World Cup and playing at the highest level. He hasn't got that yet. So he's got the greatest other attribute when he's learning this skill set, pace. So when he is in a bad position or not a particularly good starting position, he's got a kind of Kyle Walker pace. I haven't seen a faster and Nunez is quick as well I haven't seen a faster centre half in the league in England this year than Kusinov and I think while he learns this position and he is still learning while he learns about where his starting position is where his position of his other centre half and his full back until he gets that right he's got this fantastic attribute of pace to get him out of it and he's been Casey I think he's been in the last couple of months I think he's been brilliant OK we've got to wrap this up so we're going to get some predictions.

13:39Am I talking too much? No, it's great. We want all of this. It's a job, you know. It absolutely is and you do it very well. Frank? Don't patronise me. Who's going to win it?

13:54I have to go for City because of how it goes and how positive the City dressing room will be comparing to Arsenal where they're going to start wondering what they have done wrong and if they can get their mojo back. And I don't think it's possible. And it's so sad because it's going to become like a curse to Arsenal and the fans and blah, blah, blah, because of last season, the season before, and you had everything in your hands and you lost it. And City, they know. Pep Guardiola, he knows how to do it and how to finish the Premier League and how to score maybe the last second. And they did it.

14:37Many times, the first time that they won the Premier League, well, some years ago, but when they had that fantastic era. So I have to put City. They are in a positive way and positive mood, so I don't see how they can miss it. OK. City. City? Yep. City? Yep. All right. Everybody's saying City here. And make sure to stay with us on ESPN+. Manchester City will be back in action against Southampton April 25th 25th as the FA Cup returns to your screens. April 26th is Chelsea against Leeds. You can catch both games on ESPN Plus on one of them on ESPN2. Bayern Munich coming up next though as they have clinched the Bundesliga title.

15:21Reaction after this. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com. Harry Douglas here. Game day brings the excitement. Your stay should feel just as memorable. With Marriott Bonvoy, official hotel partner of the NCAA and U.S.

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16:27All Bayern had to do today to secure the title was to not lose against Stuttgart and they beat them 4-2 with goals from Guerrero, Jackson, Davies and Kane. It means that they are Bundesliga winners with four games to spare. We're going to hear Archie and Thomas who were pitch side today talk with Alphonso Davies but first here's Harry Kane. Bundesliga champion on matchday 30 with 109 goals the team scored. What do you think about this number and the title? Yeah, I mean it's been a fantastic season for us, you know. To finish the league off in the way we have with the goals that we scored, it's just a credit to the mentality of the boys, you know.

17:09From the first game to the last, we're going to keep pushing. We still have a lot to play for obviously in other competitions, but all the hard work, all the days together, this makes it worth it to be champions again. Together with Ulisse and Diaz, you dedicated 95 goal involvements to this title. How would you describe playing within this trio? Yeah, I mean, it's special. I feel like the relationship just gets stronger and stronger. It grows every game we play, every time we train with each other. And yeah, there's still, like I said, a lot to play, but we feel good every time we're on the pitch.

17:4545 minutes a day, so obviously a big cup game on Wednesday now we look forward to. Thank you so much. Let's get a word though from Alphonso Davies speaking to our boys who are at the game today. For us, Archie Rintut and Thomas Hitzelsberger. Okay, thank you very much. Alphonso, Bundesliga champions once again. How does it feel? It feels great. You know, every time you play for a trophy and you win it, it's always something special. You know, we never take it for granted. We knew it wasn't easy and we still have a lot more games left. So we're going to enjoy this one and move on to the next one, I guess.

18:25Congratulations. But you've played in different teams under different managers. What is unique about this group? Yeah, the hunger that we have. You know, every time we step on the pitch, everyone's motivated. everyone's hungry to be better and better each and every game. We never get too high or too low. We try to stay complacent because we know any given day something can happen. So we always try to keep our head on the ground and our feet on the ground and keep focused and move on. It feels like Vincent Kompany has created something special here. At what moment did you think we've got a coach here under whom we could do something special?

19:04Yeah, I mean we saw it from the moment he came. The demand that he put on every player, no matter whether you've been here or you're new, everybody has the same responsibility when they step on the pitch, is to give their all. And obviously football is a running sport and as you can see we run a lot. So yeah, with Vincent coming in, he brought the joy, the excitement and the hunger back in the locker room. It's Bayern's 13th Bundesliga title in 14 years. And since the Bundesliga was founded, it is 34 titles for them. Look at just how far ahead they are of everybody else around them. Borussia Dortmund, Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen as well.

19:46But actually, they feel something more, something special this season with this Bayern team. And they're united from top to bottom. And when I say top to bottom, I mean the board, the coach, the players, everybody on the same page this year. Exactly that, Kate, except I think the one personality that has really helped glue everything together has been Vincent Kompany by the calmness with which he's dealt with everything and every media storm he's able to negotiate it. But most importantly, what he gets out of his players on the pitch, Thomas, there was no doubt about this Bayern Munich side that they had talent, but it's actually all the non-talent things, I think, that stands out and how they get to the task every time.

20:29Absolutely. It's frightening when you look at them this season, scoring almost four goals on average in the Bundesliga. But also what we heard from Alphonso Davies, the hunger, the attitude, and they're also humble. And you would expect every professional does that. But as we know, we watch so many football games, that's not the case. And it's down to the manager. When you listen to people here at the club, everybody admires Vincent's work rate, but the way he keeps his feet on the ground and we saw when they were celebrating the front row was the players and there was a second row that was the staff He always makes sure it's a players first and then the staff and that togetherness is something I have not seen in a long time And also it is something special in German football There is not the same appreciation of the individual like there is in say English football where everyone has a song Before you've achieved anything you have to do something if you're going to be called out by the fans as an individual in a positive way and hearing the way that the fans chanted for Vincent Kompany after the game, I think was a sign already.

21:27It's not the first time it's happened in the last few weeks, understandably, given what's happened against Real Madrid, and Atalanta before it, but of course the Real Madrid game. And what is to come? Leverkusen in the cup, but obviously the fans are singing about the Champions League during it and what I and Robin once did, and yet it is starting to hark back to that in terms of this team being able to do something as special as that. It's almost too good to be true at this stage now, and you just mentioned Vincent Kompany. And he would also, we have to mention, and most people are aware of it, the way he first came in.

21:56He wasn't first choice. It wasn't like everybody wanted him. He wasn't second choice. He wasn't even second choice. He wasn't third or fourth. Well, exactly. So not many people expected something big off him. And suddenly we talk about probably the most source of the manager in world football, because he's got all the ingredients that you want for a top team. And that's why the fans, of course, they call him out. They want to see him. And so many people, and Uli Hoeneze in particular, have spoken about him recently, how much they admire him. And that's probably the biggest compliment because Bayern Munich is only Hoeneß.

22:26And when he mentions the manager and said, you know, this is the best manager we've had a long time and also criticising previous managers, then you know what's going on. Earlier this week, I sat down and wrote down a list of all the impressive aspects of Bayern. It's very difficult to reel them all off because there are just so many. But I think the way that all of these small moments and all the small details add up to them coming up in big moments. I mean, here today against Stuttgart, it wasn't one of those because they've made eight changes, but I think during the week against Real Madrid, that's what's providing all this magic for the fans as well because despite the fact Bayern have had a subscription to the title, as they like to say in German, they haven't necessarily had all those moments where they can get excited as they have done this season.

23:14Well, I think I'd like to talk about today's game, which seems irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, But we're both looking at the first 20 minutes looked like a slow start from Bayern. But then it wasn't just one player tackling somebody and showing a sign of we have to get better here. It was every single one of them realising I can make a difference. I have to step up. And quickly they turned the game around. It was three and a half times. And you're thinking, how did that happen? But this is the team. It's the work ethic from every single one of them. Thomas, thank you very much. I'm just going to turn around quickly to see that Harry Kane, who'd been out there with his very young son, bless him, being Dad of the Year, kicking the ball around.

23:50One of the sweet scenes. It's been muted celebrations for Bayern, but the fact that Harry Kane's out there with his son, that doesn't happen after every Bundesliga game. It's still a special day for Bayern, but the most special thing for Bayern fans is that more could be to come this season. Yes, thank you so much, guys. Thanks for all your work as well. Best team in Germany, probably best team in Europe right now, Craig. Well, we'll find out. Because there's that mouth-watering PSG semi-final. But there's no doubt if you take a look at this Bayern Munich side compared to the Thomas Tuchel one, where after every game it seemed with Thomas Tuchel, there was just a lot of complaining about what he didn't have.

24:28And what Vincent Kompany is doing, he's more concerned about what he does have and how to get the best out of that. And the difference is stark in terms of, I think, in terms of the style of football. and Archie mentioned the entertainment, the excitement. And it's not just the title, but he's brought that excitement, that free-flowing football. Now, the Champions League is going to be a different ball game against PSG, but just the way they performed against Real Madrid in midweek was mightily impressive. Yeah, Harness has been talking about that himself this week, the difference between Tuchel and company, the not complaining about which players he doesn't have, just always confidence and not calling his players out, Casey.

25:11Yeah, I mean, he's found the right formula. You know, there's been more managers than just Tuchel that haven't been able to manage the politics at Bayern Munich. Manage also the ego, the great players you have and how you get them to all get on the same page. and you know if it's some of it also has to be and you know Archie and Thomas talked about you know how companies done that but there also has to be how you recruit players if you get a if you recruit a player that all he does is beat his chest and talk about me me me and then wonder when he comes to your club he doesn't then become a team player well that's part of your recruitment issue.

26:05If you bring in the right players with the right mentality and then have the right manager to bring it all together, and Bayern has done on all fronts a tremendous job. Bayern on course for a treble now, and they will be back in action and have to go again against Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinal of the Pokal on Wednesday. We will have that game for you 2.30 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU. The following dates, Schuttgart taking on Freiburg, same stage of the Kop. Back to the Premier League when we return now. It was the Merseyside Derby today where Liverpool left it late. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy.