Maresca Moving On?

25:23They come out with, he was shielding the ball, Chalibah. He weren't shielding the ball. He wasn't in control of the ball. It's a penalty all day long. Yeah, he's definitely sure that he's right on this occasion. Oh, he is right on this occasion. And he's right on this occasion, Gab? No, this whole shielding the ball nonsense. I'm with Don. OK, so I just wanted to tell you guys that the Premier League's key match incidents panel said by a 3-2 margin that VAR was right not to send the referee to the monitor for the challenge because it didn't reach the VAR threshold. But they also said by the same margin, it should have been a penalty.

25:59Does that make sense to you guys? No. Read it again, Kate. Read it again. Okay, there was a margin of 3-2 who said that VAR was right not to send the referee to the monitor for the Chalibur Challenge because it didn't reach the VAR threshold. But a 3-2 margin did say it should have been a penalty. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? It makes no sense. That makes no sense at all. Can you make any sense of that, Gab? Can you help us out here? That's gobbledygook. So I think if they were here, what they would say is that the referee told us he saw it clearly, there wasn't enough, it doesn't meet the clear and obvious threshold, so it's not a clear and obvious error.

26:52But if we'd been refereeing, if we had seen it, then we would have given the penalty. That's what they're saying. You know what? Then the next follow-on from that is, gee, why does the referee on the pitch have a different opinion from you guys? Maybe he didn't see it clearly. Maybe he shouldn't have been pretending he saw it clearly. If he didn't see it clearly, maybe he's not as competent as we would like him to be. So seeing as though the team tonight is done being right, we need to bring up another KMI call here because the panel also ruled that Everton should have had a penalty on the Saliba challenge on Tierno Barry in the game against Everton.

27:33There was a 3-2 margin for that. But Don was right about this one. Don. Well, of course he was right. I mean, anybody... Who are the two numpties that said it wasn't a penalty along with the referee? I mean, that's ridiculous. How you can sit and what? How anybody that's involved in football professionally can sit and watch that and say that it was not a penalty. I'm sorry, maybe Gab's got the vocabulary to explain it. It is beyond me, big time. Yeah, help us, Gab. The only thing I can think of, and this does bother me because we see so much of it on set pieces. Look, I mean, anybody with eyes who sees it clearly can see that he kicks here and he'll bury his foot.

28:18That's not the issue there. To me, the issue is what's happening before, who's pulling whose shirt. And if you can see, Saliba's pulling Barry's shirt. Barry is also pulling Saliba's arm back. If the referee had blown up because we have two grown men fouling each other in the box, that would have been a different story. Instead, it seems that the standard is, well, if you're fouling each other, go right ahead, gentlemen. and just make sure that then you don't kick the back of somebody's foot. I'm assuming that was the genesis of his non-call, the fact that both were involved with each other, and that's why it wasn't given.

28:58OK, same day, Spurs played Liverpool. You'll remember Van der Ven's challenge on Alexander Isak. The panel said that this was not a red card offence, Don. No, I agree. I agree. I think we're all getting a little bit caught up with the fact that he's fractured his foot, which alarm bells ring and you go, oh, it must be a dangerous tackle. I think every defender is within his right to try and block that. We're seeing that in real slow motion. Van der Ven is sprinting at top speed to try and put the block on. I just think it's one of them. It's an unfortunate coming together. I think Van der Ven, you know, I watched his interview when he said he rang Isak and he apologised, but it was just the nature of the game.

29:37I never saw that as a red card. Yeah, that's not a red card. No, no, not at all. And finally, by a 4-1 vote by the KMI panel, Eketike's goal was right to stand. You remember this, against Romero in Spurs. That 66-minute header, Romero adamant he'd been fouled by Eketike. Gab, right to stand. I know you put two hands on somebody's back. We can debate how strong the push was, whatever else. But there's no reason. You wouldn't put two hands on somebody's back and shove them away in the middle of the pitch. But then suddenly this is tolerated in the box. Now, does Romero go down like a sack of figs?

30:24Sure.

30:28But to me, I don't know. I don't think this goal should have stood, personally. A sack of figs or a sack of potatoes? Absolutely should have stood. Done? Same. It's one of them. I think if you're Romero and you feel the contact and you go to the floor far too easily, you're hoping, you're just hoping that you've hit the floor and you're hoping for VAR because you know you're in a world of trouble and you know that Eketike's got the jump on you, he's finished it off, and you are desperate because you've hit the floor too easy that they're going to bail you out. Gab, you put your hands on your opponent.

31:08You put your hands on your opponent in the air all the time. And it does matter. It does matter the force that you use. And 100 % Romero has misjudged that. He's felt the touch and that's why... In mid-air, it's as if he's parachuting. He's 100 % trying to make the referee give him a free kick. He has completely misjudged it. And here's the final thing I'll say. Had that been disallowed, I wouldn't have complained about it. I would have accepted it. but it is one of those calls where you can argue to your blue in the face either way, whether it's right or whether it's wrong. At the end of the day, the guy that decides is the referee and you go along with it.

31:54So I think it's a goal. Look at his legs. But I also think had it been disallowed, I wouldn't have been overly arguing about it. Okay. All right. These guys will be joining you on the latest edition of Extra Time. Gab, Don and Stevie answering your questions. Check it out over on our YouTube channel every single day. Quick time out. Some breakfast intel you want to know about. Kodiak Frozen Power Waffles and Flapjacks are built for busy mornings. Heat it, eat it, and you're out the door. No long prep, no complicated game plan. They're packed with 12 to 14 grams of protein per serving, a good source of fiber, and crafted with 100 % whole grains, not refined white flour.

32:37So you're getting something that actually fuels you. And there's depth on the roster. Buttermilk and vanilla, blueberry, chocolate chip, even gluten-free options. Breakfast that delivers. Snack that delivers. Find Kodiak frozen waffles and flapjacks in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. They're the ones with the bear on the box. Protein is now at Starbucks. And it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.

33:37to welcome in Rob Dawson because you saw those 11 teams that were able to beat them before Manchester United Rob, but Manchester United weren't able to do the job against Wolves. No, and this is the type of performance that United have been throwing in for the best part of a year under Ruben Amrim. The United fans who turned up at Old Trafford yesterday would have had every right to go there thinking that it was going to be quite a comfortable win, but they know better than that now and you hear the United fans streaming into Old Trafford last night. And they were worried before kickoff because they know what this team is capable of.

34:12You're talking about Wolves, who could be statistically the worst ever Premier League side. And the United fans who turned up just weren't confident that they were going to win and they were proved right. And you weren't talking about a smashing grab either from Wolves. I mean, you just had the stats up there. Wolves more than held their own. They probably could have taken more from the game. There was incidents towards the end of the game where the Wolves players, obviously they're on the back of quite a long losing run. were torn about what to do with the ball when they got into United's final third.

34:41Did they want to save the ball and play for a draw or were they trying to win? So it's just another dreadful performance for Man United, another dreadful result, and there's more pressure now on Ruben Amorim. What's the fallout today then, Rob, in Manchester? Well, he's just, the manager's under more pressure and has been really ever since he came in. The Wolves' result isn't an isolated incident. the home form recently has been appalling they've taken three points from home games against Everton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Wolves, that's simply just not good enough, United fans again are questioning Amrim's system, he went to a back four against Newcastle they won that game and kept a clean sheet Amrim had fewer players against Wolves because Mason Mount was injured but decided to revert to his 3-4-3 formation which has irked many United fans ever since he arrived there are more calls from United fans this morning that he should go and that he's just simply not the right man.

35:38There were boos at half-time and at full-time during the Wolves game. Some of his substitutions were booed. He really needs to win when United turn up against Leeds on Sunday because if he doesn't, the pressure's going to increase even further. Oh, yeah, nothing like that coming up against Leeds, Manchester United, when the pressure really is on. Oh, no, I can't figure this out whether... You know, to watch Manchester United players be so lacking in desire and character, there was just a lack of fire in their belly. Now, is that because the manager is so uninspiring during the week in training and he's talking and his team talks before the game that he sends his team out and they're not mentally in the right position?

36:30because it's hard to get your head around which way it is. As a player, you would think that all these Man United players are playing for the spot because they must know that the manager can't last forever the way the results are going. And so when somebody else comes in, they want to be able to keep putting that jersey on. But it doesn't look like that when you watch them play. So is it all coming from the manager? Is he just so uninspiring that nobody's bothered? That's what it feels and looks like. What does it feel and look like to you, Don? All of the above. I think Stevie and Rob have probably nailed it.

37:09I mean, you go back to, it might be in the Grimsby game or games after when he's watching his team take penalties and he can't look. He's got his head buried in his arms and he doesn't give off good signals. He doesn't give off confidence signals that he trusts his players. All of the quotes that he said over the last year said a quote a couple of days ago when he said, I've made 75 % of my decisions were wrong. He's come out recently and said that even the Pope wouldn't make me change my system. And then he did. And it's like, I can't read him. I think there's a lot of honesty coming from him, but sometimes there's a lot of waffle at the same time.

37:44And I think the conclusion that I've come to, and I say this with all due respect because I always respect, you know, football players in general, but I think I'm looking at a Man United team now that's just very average. Apart from one or two, I'm looking at a team now, it doesn't matter what system you play. I know they had a good half against Newcastle. Newcastle were terrible, but Newcastle batted them in the second half and the system change sort of did work. But I'm looking at a lot of individuals that play for Man United and I'm thinking they look very average. And when it comes to the manager, Rob, we do hear some interesting comments coming out of his mouth.

38:18Were there any special ones after this performance? No, not particularly. and Don's right he can be quite hard to read sometimes Ruben Arrim sometimes after these kind of results he'll come into news conferences and he'll be absolutely furious he was after the West Ham game they were leading that game then conceded late on and drew 1-1 and he came in and he was absolutely foaming from the minute he sat down yesterday we were kind of expecting him to be similar to that but he was sort of dancing around the touchline for the entire 90 minutes screaming at his players he looked very frustrated all the way through but then he came in and was relatively calm he sort of said well I'm not going to make excuses because we're missing a lot of players but just so you know we are missing a lot of players as if you know we didn't already know that he explained his his system a little bit he obviously knew that the fans would want answers for that he said that he went back to a back three because he knew the Wolves were going to play in a five and was worried about Wolves and how much width they would have he explained his substitution of Joshua Zerkesy at half time Zerkesy had scored the goal in the first half and then was brought off at half time he said that he had to bring him off it was a tactical change because um they just weren't coping well enough with with Wolves midfield so he was he was relatively calm in his post-match yesterday whether that is the case when he comes and sees us next on um on Friday before that Leeds game we'll have to wait and see um he has been very up and down ever since he arrived from from sporting Lisbon I think that's probably part and parcel of the kind of runner form that he's overseen it's he's never had any kind of consistency in terms of results.

39:47That poor lad who's waiting to get his hair cut when they win five games is still without a haircut and that tells you everything. They just haven't had that level of consistency and he's always been struggling to explain his decisions and the results that have followed. Rob, is there any chance that we will see a managerial change at Manchester United in the near future? I don't think it'll be in the near future. As I say, he's under immense pressure in terms of the fans and he was booed at, well, the team were booed at half-time and full-time against Wolves. In terms of what the board are thinking, the board will probably tell you that even though the results haven't been as good as they would have expected, Amri Mee is still on course to meet what they designated as the target for this season.

40:29They told him that they wanted United to be back in Europe, and as poor as that result against Wolves was, they are still sixth in the table, which would get you back into Europe. They're only two points off fourth in Champions League qualifications, so we are halfway through the league season and United are still in position to meet that aim the difficulty comes if form A drops off a cliff or if the players just stop having him I think if those two things were to happen then the board would be forced into making a change because you can't have a dressing room who's not behind the manager and you can't turn up at Old Trafford every week with the fans booing loudly and calling for him to be sacked I think what the board would like is to get through this season get through this season get back into Europe and then make changes, more changes to the squad, bring in a central midfielder, strengthen the wing-back positions and then judge him on the first 10 games of next season.

41:22Now, if he's going to get that time, he needs results. For any manager at any club, results buy you time. And at the moment, Amrim is in desperate need of some results just to buy in time to get to the end of the season and make those changes to the squad. Absolutely. Interesting 2026 ahead for him. And we'll say Happy New Year to you as well, Rob. Thanks so much for being with us. You can hear a lot more from Rob on the Football Reporters podcast. Check that out wherever you do get your podcast. You can see clips of that over on our YouTube channel sometimes too.

41:59Brilliant control from Mbappé. Gets into his stride. Brilliant from Mbappé. Sensational from Mbappé! Sensational again for Mbappe, who's in unstoppable form at the moment. And suddenly the counter-attack is on. Mbappe doesn't need any help. Right on cue for Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe. He just can't be stopped. Mbappe's been a bright spot for Real Madrid this season. You can see 65 % involvement when it comes to goals for the team. 29 goals and four assists in all competitions this season alone, starting almost every single game. But he will not be doing that in the coming games because the club have announced that he has a sprain in his left knee.

42:46The word is he'll be out for three weeks. Here's the matches he'll be likely to miss against Real Betis against La Liga this weekend. You've got Atleti against Real Madrid in the Supercopa coming up. And then obviously we'll see what happens and who they'd be facing if they're to make the final there. Real Madrid against Levante in La Liga and Real Madrid against Monaco in the Champions League. Gab is back with us and this is not good news for Real Madrid, Gab. No, it's not good news. And if you're Xabi Alonso, this is where you try to turn a negative into a positive or at least an opportunity.

43:22I think you look at this and you have to honestly say Kylian Mbappe has papered over so many cracks for Real Madrid this season. This is a chance for other people to step up when he's not there, whether it's Gonzalo, whether it's Vinicius, whether it's Rodrigo, or indeed Bellingham. You have to try to spin it around to the positive. Do they have enough talent to beat? Most of these sides are coming up. Obviously, Supercopa is going to be a little different. and if they reach the final, that's different too. But most of the other ones, you expect them to compete. And all those people who say, oh, there's too much Mbappe dependency, right, this is a chance for them to show that they can get it done without him as well.

44:11There's certainly enough talent there. Maybe, but it does make you wonder why he was playing against a third-tier team in the Copa del Rey, Stevie. Yeah, I mean, you talk about... I mean, it goes back to Bellingham, playing Bellingham in the Club World Cup. He's going to miss the start. I mean, it just seemed madness. And again, if there was one player, one person that Real Madrid and particularly Xavi Alonso can't do without, it's Mbappe. And so to take a gamble, it's just not smart. Kind of sums up where the Real Madrid are right now. So let's see who will step up in Mbappe's absence when Real Madrid take to the field again, because they'll be doing so without Mbappe.

44:48Real Madrid against Real Betis coming up on Sunday. Day before that, it's a Catalan derby. Espanol taking on Barcelona. Both games available, as always, on ESPN+. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink, then straight to the gym. Pre-K pickup, back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius, got to keep the lights on. When the three alarm hits, I'm ready. Celsius. Live, fit, go. Grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius.com. So good, so good, so good. New spring arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60 % off Rag & Bone, Mark Jacobs, Free People, and more.

45:35How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Because there's always something new. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you Rack. So given that Gab Marcotti is a big fan of a bracket, here's the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 bracket and what we're seeing going forward from all of these teams, Senegal against Sudan, South Africa, Cameroon, Algeria taking on DR Congo, Nigeria, Mozambique, Mali, Tunisia and Ivory Coast to face Burkino Faso. Here are the odds and it's Morocco who are favourites as it stands right now, but Gab, who are your favourites to win the tournament?

46:23Well, forgive me if I look down in my phone, but this is why I have my practice. I don't have a return. Morocco, obviously, I think they kind of eased into this tournament under a lot of pressure. I think their run to the semi-final at least is pretty good. Obviously, Tanzania and the winner of South Africa and Cameroon. And then at that point they would take on, from the other side, Nigeria. I think I've looked good in this tournament after obviously struggling in qualifying. if Nigeria get passed the winner of Algeria and Congo which is by no means a foregone conclusion by the way imagine if Congo beat Algeria given all the blood but bad blood between Congo and Nigeria you know Nigeria fighting an appeal with CAS over Congo's use of dual nationals and whatnot at the other on the other side of the table or their bracket rather Egypt Mosala and Marmoush If they get past Benin, it's the winner of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso.

47:22By no means a foregone conclusion. And I think this is where Egypt's run could potentially end. And at the very top, my fourth semi-finalist, looks to me like it's set up pretty nicely for Senegal. If they get past Sudan and then the winner of the Mali-Tunisia game, but keep an eye out for Mali, obviously. They've proven to be a very tough nut to crack. And keep an ear out for Gab Marcotti, because there's no doubt that he and Jules will be talking more about the Africa Cup of Nations and what's next coming up on Friday's Gab and Jewel show wherever you get your podcasts.

47:57Okay, so games coming up in the Premier League tomorrow. Sunderland will be hosting Manchester City, a number of games to be played on New Year's Day. Let's start with this one because City actually beat Sunderland 3-0 earlier this month. That was at the Etihad though. This is the farm guy for the last six Premier League matches for both of these teams. Don's back with us. Gabby's too. Don, what's going to happen tomorrow? I think City will just crank up the pressure and put it back on Arsenal. Arsenal had a great win last night against Villa. Bit of a statement win. But I think City will go there in quite a hostile atmosphere.

48:32We saw that when they suddenly got a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. I think it was when they rattled Arsenal. I think they'll try and do the same against Man City. But I think, in truth, the form that City are in, I think they're looking like six wins on the spin if they win this one in the Prem. So I think City go there and make a win. You smell a victory here, Stevie? Yeah, for City. I mean, Sunderland's got so many players missing. So, yeah, I think on the face of it, you look at the Arsenal game, and Sunderland gave them a fright, and you think, well, maybe. But then you think, hold on a second, half the team's missing, so it's not going to happen.

49:09City are flying. I expect a comfortable victory for Manchester City. OK, let me stick with you, because Liverpool will welcome Leeds to Anfield and we all know how it finished. Last time these two sides faced off 3-3, bit of a thriller. Obviously, stoppage time goal from Leeds to secure a point in this game. It's not going to happen again, is it, Stevie? It could. It might. I mean, on paper, it's a Liverpool one. But Liverpool, you can't back them against anybody right now. you really can't I mean they quite easily could have dropped points at home I mean I'm sorry Wolves, I was forgetting who I was talking about they quite easily could have lost points at home to Wolves so that means that every time Liverpool step on the field regardless of the opposition in the Premier League they're going to drop points and you can't say it any other way I can't sit here and go, Leeds away from home, Liverpool's at home, the talent Liverpool has, they're going to win this comfortably.

50:19No, you can't. It is absolutely, for every Liverpool fan right now, you're sitting waiting on the whistle blowing and then you don't know what you're going to get, whether it's home or away. I think Liverpool wins, but I'm not particularly confident. We've had a few connection issues with Gab Marcotti throughout the show, in case you didn't notice. but apparently you've been pulling a bit of a weird face while Stevie was talking. We don't know if it's our producer that you're pulling that face to or what Stevie had to say about this Liverpool-Leeds game. No, no, I actually agree with Stevie. I watched Leeds play Sunderland.

50:57I thought they looked pretty good. And I think if you're Liverpool right now, you don't think anything for granted, especially after the Wolves game. As I said, of course, Wolves also got a point at Old Trafford. But again, maybe that says more about Manchester United. I would also factor in the fact that a number of these Liverpool players, not only are new, but guys like Ike Tika, guys like Florian Virts, they've never been through this kind of Premier League holiday calendar where you're playing so many games one after the other. And I think that's going to be pretty new to them. And given Liverpool's injury situation, it's not like you can rotate these guys out.

51:40So, yeah, by no means a foregone conclusion. Yeah, we'll be talking about these games on tomorrow's show. And there are more to enjoy as well. Palace taking on Fulham. We'll also see Brentford up against Spurs. That's what's coming up on Thursday in the Premier League. And coming up soon on ESPN +, it's the FA Cup third round, bringing up a few games that are definitely of interest, including Everton against Sunderland. Manchester City will be taking on Exeter City, Newcastle Bombers, Spurs against Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic taking on Chelsea. Let's see also how Arsenal fare against Portsmouth, Manchester United against Brighton and Liverpool taking on Barnsley.

52:20As mentioned, all games available on ESPN+. Now, as is tradition, every single year, Gab weighs in with his 30 wishes for the New Year. Now, that article is coming out tomorrow. Very generous. and he was very generous to let us have a sneak peek at his article and at his 30 wishes. We're not going to tell you all of them. We're going to tell you which ones were our favourite and pick them out for you now on the show. Starting with you, Don, what did you go for? I like the one where Gab was talking about looking at VAR for corners or second yellow cards. I think that makes sense. I think, I mean, listen, I don't want yellow cards and VAR getting involved in every single thing, like throw-ins and stuff, but it does...

53:05I do find it a little bit odd that you check for a first yellow and then you might see a really bad tackle in the referee and the VAR. If the referee misses it, the VAR can't then get involved for a potential second yellow and a red card. So I think that one stood out to me. That one seems to make a bit of sense. Stevie, what did you go for? I went for the one that really got off my nose, to be honest, and I 100 % agree with Gab. the Manchester City debacle of the all the so-called 115 Gab is it misdemeanors? It's actually 130, more than 130. It's been so long that nobody remembers that we just 115 are stuck.

53:48Well if I'm Everton or Forrest or any of these teams that within months lost points how is this thing taking so long and Gab's main point on it was when they finally decide what's happening can they please make it so the ordinary person like myself can understand it because usually it's all gobbledygook and it's all language that we don't understand, it's all lawyers speak so yeah, that one got right up my nose Gab, I agree with you 100 % Gab, you can probably guess which one I went for and it's Italy making the World Cup because I do not want a You crawler! It has to be a crawler I forgot. Your husband's Italian.

54:29My husband's Italian. You know, I need happy spouse, happy house in the summer. We've even secured World Cup tickets for next year, and then that sent him off going, oh, but imagine if Italy were there. This could have been an Italy game, and now it isn't. And so, Gab, I'm with you on that one. I hope Italy make it. When does it come out, Gab, the article? It's tomorrow, right? That one was a little bit personal. Yeah, of course, and same. Article's out tomorrow, though, right, Gab? That's right, yes, New Year's Day. Yeah, the article's much better than Gab's Connection tonight, so make sure to check it out over on ESPN.com.

55:06But that will do it for the latest edition of the show. Happy New Year to you all. Thank you so much for being with us all year, for the arguments, for the laughs, for everything that we're bringing in here. We don't argue. We debate. Well, there's been a few arguments tonight, to be fair. No, we don't. We don't argue. We do argue. No, we don't. We do argue. We don't argue. Did you always say that we don't argue? We do a million times and I always have to see you going on and on and on about it. Go on and on and on.

55:36Hello and welcome into the latest edition of Extra Time. Happy New Year to you all. It's New Year's Eve. We're waving goodbye to 2025 and saying hello to 2026. A World Cup year that we're all hoping to be celebrating teams in. We've got Gab, we've got Don and we've got Stevie here. Stevie, will you be applying for Liverpool's vacant set-piece coach position?

56:05Do you know, it's really tough to be a set-piece coach. And really you're relying on the players to deliver. I mean, that's the bottom line. I mean, are you telling me that Arsenal's set-piece coach has got so much more information on how to do things than all the other set-piece coaches? What it is, is he has players who understand it and who then can actually produce what he's looking for, particularly Gabriel. Because when Gabriel missed those two or three games, they weren't quite as particularly great. So, yeah, it looks like a cushy number. let's put it that way but at the end of the day if you don't get the results you get the sack and that's why Liverpool are looking for another set-piece coach but it won't be Stevie Gab why are you so enthusiastic when I'm Gab and Jules compared to when on the show I don't understand I'm equally enthusiastic I think you're more enthusiastic on the podcast it's because he's a host maybe I think he feels he has to be a little bit more lively.

57:18Yeah. I think you're looking at Gab tonight. I think you're looking at Gab tonight who's dressed for a party afterwards and he can't wait to leave to get to that party. He's definitely going somewhere. Because his Lancers have been way shorter than normal. He's got the black shirt on, he's got the J-Ket. He's pretending the connection's bad, but we've kept him on anyway. He's not at all. He's ready to go. I mean, it's not in the slightest. Where are you going, Gab? Nobody I would much rather spend New Year's Eve with than the three of you on a crappy Zoom connection looking at his room. Where are you going?

57:55And I can actually hear fireworks outside my window. It's two minutes to 11, so any way you go in London takes at least 35, 40 minutes. So that's why he's in a hurry. Gab's the host of the party tonight at his house, for sure. Oh, is he? Oh, well, he's going to have to be there, isn't he? Gab, yeah, that was for you. Don, one for you. You were on comms for this match. How do you know that? Because he always tells us when he's on comms for this match. And Steve Nicholson... I was on comms for that. I was on comms for that. We got one of those tonight, didn't we? Emery seemed to get the tactics right against Arsenal, but they got outplayed.

58:28Do Villa have the talent to compete for a title? I thought his tactics in the first half were magnificent. And I was on comms for that game as well, just to let you know. I wish he'd mentioned it. They played a few long balls. I think it was very interesting watching Unai Emery. I love watching him at work. I love watching managers at ground level working. And Uri and Timba, Arsenal's right back, was stepping into that inverted position. So every time Villa won the ball back, Oli Watkins pulled onto that side and he kept getting in, you know, time after time after time in the first half. And then I thought they shaded it in the first half, Villa.

59:03And then I think Arteta gave them a huge team talk to be more aggressive. And he stepped onto Villa in the second half, pressed the life out of them and Villa couldn't survive. I think in the end I think when you look at the two young boys that came on for Villa compared to what came off the bench for Arsenal you know Villa fans shouldn't be too downhearted when the quality and the hundreds of millions of pounds of players that were coming off the bench compared to what Villa are going to have to try and do in January by I think they signed a boy today I think for about 10-15 million quid so they're in completely a different market.

59:38Okay Don John, another one for you. What's the percentage chance of Arsenal bottling the Premier League title with Man City breathing down their neck again? Oh, that's a strong 99. That's not nice. OK, we've had this bit of fun back and forth for the last three weeks. I still say 50-50 because City will win tomorrow against Sunderland and then they play each other. And there's so many more points to play for. It's not done yet. All right, for Stevie and Don, in your careers have you ever played with or against players from ex-Yugoslavia and especially from Serbia who left you with good or bad memories?

1:00:21Happy New Year from Belgrade. Yugoslavia, Serbia. Unfortunately, well, yes. It was back before they all split up. They used to be called Yugoslavia. And there was a certain midfielder that used to play for them who was a fantastic player. But was a horrible, dirty little piece of work. I shall refrain from giving his name. So it was bad memories. He's now a manager and he played in the centre of the park and he's about five foot nothing. He was a horrible piece of work. Spitting and tripping people and kicking people. Just you name it. All the rotten stuff. But it was before they all split up into the different states.

1:01:13So, yes, Stevie was left with some bad memories, as you can tell. What about you, Don? Don't think so. I can't remember the years that they split into different countries, but I'm not sure. Couldn't say. OK. Happy New Year to you, though, Andrea. Nice to have your question in. All right. Sorry it wasn't a happier answer, Andrea. Start, bench or drop? Which club has been the most disappointing so far? Oh, Gab, for you. West Ham, Fiorentina or Nottingham Forest?

1:01:47Fiorentina. It's got to be Fiorentina when you win your first game and Christmas is around the corner and then you get spanked again in the next one. Yeah, no, it's definitely Fiorentina. Nottingham Forest, I think, I'm not a Sean Dyche guy, but it was disappointing what happened before but uh i think the deitch business is is uh is kind of working so i don't know if start is the good one and then dropped is the bad one or the other way around most disappointing so i guess you would start fiorentina uh you would bench west ham uh and and you would drop forest if you're talking about kind of the last six weeks or so Don?

1:02:32Well, I'm guessing start means which one's the worst. So if start's the worst, it's definitely Fiorentina. Bench, then I think just after Forrest. And then I drop West Ham because I think that's where West Ham will go this season. I think I'll get the drop. I've seen no signs in what Nuno's done. Sorry, Don. So you're saying that Forrest are worse than West Ham? No, no. So you mean it the other way around? You mean it the other way around. Is it the other way round? I think I'm like, Gab, I think I misunderstand. West Ham are the worst. I thought I'd have been dropped. I thought dropped would have been worse than benched.

1:03:08Technicalities, don't worry about it. Yeah, don't worry about it. It's a new year tomorrow. OK, Stevie, if you were shabby, would you keep Mbappe for 90-plus minutes against the third division team to chase a record, even if he insisted himself? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Absolutely not, 100 % not. any time the inmates are running the show you're in trouble there's a possibility it can go absolutely haywire so yeah Xabi has to show who's in charge and it seems he either showed he either showed us that he's not in charge or he's not thinking straight take your pick neither are good this is coming with the news gab that we've talked about in the show that Mbappe's got an injury at the moment.

1:03:56Apparently, it's the recurrence of an injury that he's been struggling with, which is why people are bringing up this game against Talavera. Yeah, I get that. And you always look like a genius after the fact. However, if memory serves, they had another game after that against Sevilla. So I don't think the record is that big a deal in this context. Also, I might remind people that I think they won that game 3-2 and it was very close at the end. Lunin having to make that big save, this could have gone either way. It was another game where the team served up a collective stinker. So, yeah, I don't know that we want to chuck everything into the Talavera basket because, remember, Xabi was also in danger of losing his job.

1:04:39And if you get knocked out by Talavera, which, given the way they played, and Mbappe last Real Madrid could have been knocked out just before Christmas, that's not helping anybody either. Gab, correct me if I'm wrong, though, but did Mbappe not put them ahead? 2-1, 2-0. Yeah, he did. Yes. So why don't you take them off? As soon as you go ahead against a third division team, you take them straight off. That's what you should have done then. Because the way your team is playing, and as we saw in the rest of the game... Come on, if you can't rely on... You don't feel great about this at all. Well, that's...

1:05:17Well, again, that becomes... I'm not a doctor, but they won 3-2, right? Yeah, that becomes a judgment call. Because there's been some massive debacles over the years, though, in the Copa del Rey. Very embarrassing for some coaches. Let's look at this rationally. Are you telling me that keeping Mbappé on, you're telling everybody that the rest of your squad isn't good enough when they're 2-1 up against the third division side? I mean, that's what you're doing. And then you're also putting him at risk of getting injured. I mean, we can go about it a few different ways. We don't know. Unless we know that Mbappe came to him and said, hey, look, I have an injury and if I keep playing, it's going to get worse.

1:06:03And the doctor says the same thing. And he says, no, you stay out there. I don't say you can come to that conclusion. And by the way, 88th minute is when they scored the winner. Is the key not that they go ahead That's the point They go ahead against a third division team And you're sending the signal That you're not taking Mbappe off Because you need to get another one to make sure That's not a good signal Yeah absolutely And it's still a bad decision It's still a bad coaching decision That you leave your main guy on When you're ahead against a third division side You have to be thinking about Somebody having a kick at him Will he get injured and it's actually it's landed right in your plate for any coach with a guy letting Bappe when you're 2-1 up and you take him off that lands right because even if he's complaining he wants to score goals A, you've let him play B, he scored his goals now you take him off that is what you should do you take him off and then serve up a whole load of Gonzalo Garcias and whatever other nonsense and given how bad this team is.

1:07:14Oh, yeah. And then you get knocked out. Let me remind you that until minute 88, it was 2-2. So, do you know what, Gab? Then you get knocked out. I'll be honest with you, Gab. And sure, nobody's talking about Mbappe. If we're just talking about how you want to sack Javi Alonso before Christmas because he got knocked out in the third round of the Copa del Rey. Gab, if we're talking about Wolves against somebody in the first division, then that's a different ball game. You get your star man on. can you make sure? We're talking about Real Madrid here, really. You can't seriously think that a Real Madrid side, a 2-1 up against a third division side, and you're scared to take Mbappe off when you're ahead.

1:07:56That's ridiculous. They can't be that desperate, can they? That's ridiculous. They can't be that desperate. There's no scenario where it's a good idea, Gav. There's no scenario where that's a good idea. He's watching the game. He's watching the game like the rest of us guys. he sees how bad Real Madrid are playing. He shouldn't have been put through those minutes though. He shouldn't have been put through those minutes. Even if Mbappe goes to Giambi Alonso and says, I want to play because I want to keep scoring, you've got to be brave enough. And I don't even think brave is the right word. You've got to say to him, no, I'm going to need you for the rest three or four months of the season.

1:08:31We've got a busy schedule coming up. I can't afford for you to be injured. You'd never play him against a third division team just because he wants a couple of numbers. And now the proof's in the pudding now he's injured now you're going to miss him never been a good decision I'm sorry guys guys I I I don't want to I'm not Jules here I don't need to stick out for Mbappe or Travioloso but we're making a lot of assumptions here are we no we're assuming no that there was a medical opinion from the club and from Mbappe where the club doctor said hey if you keep playing this guy he's going to get injured we're assuming that Mbappe said no I I want to play because I want to equal this Fugazi record of Cristiano Ronaldo, which, by the way, he's not going to equal anyway.

1:09:15No, Gab, I've not made any assumption. Because of 13 penalties, Cristiano only had nine, and that was in nine fewer games. So we're assuming all of this, yeah? You don't know any of this, yeah? No, Gab, I'm not making an assumption at all. I'm talking fact here. This is coaching page one, right? You're playing against the third division side. you are the biggest club on the planet and you're 2-1 up and your main star has got you ahead then you take him off because if you're going to argue that you can't see a game out and you're Real Madrid against a third division Spanish side and you think you have to keep him on in order to win the game then I'll tell you what it's ridiculous and it's not an assumption That's what you should have done.

1:10:08That's what I'm doing right now. It is ridiculous. OK, funnily enough. So you're saying that every time a top-flight team plays a third-division team, the minute they take the lead, they go 2-1 up, they need to take off their best players, regardless of whether they're injured or not, regardless of anything. It's just normal practice. Of course it is. Yeah. Yeah. Of course it will be. You'll see it in the FA Cup. It's called sense. You'll see Arteta when they play Portsmouth. It's called sense. You'll see Arteta when they play Portsmouth. he'll go with a strong side you'll take them all off that's what happens that's what you do yeah we're going round in circles now funnily enough the next question is for Gab how do you feel about Stevie picking you for his family feud five-a-side team absolutely I feel honoured that the gaffer has has has picked me and I vow not to let him down one of my false picks Gab alright that's hey would you hey Stevie Would you pick him, though, if you're playing a third division side?

1:11:07Or would you rest him? No, I would pick him. I'd just take him off and then bring Dan in. There you go. Once I knew he'd hit in hand. Don, Stevie and a quarter of K. Will you all partake? I don't know. Let's just remember something there. Tell me. I was talking about quizzes. I had a testimonial to it in Birkenhead. And so there was four Everton players and four Liverpool players. and I can't remember I'm trying to remember his name the centre forward a young guy centre forward blonde hair done played for Everton he wasn't a star but oh oh come on what's his name the little rapid one yeah oh I hope the name comes anyway here's what here's what I'm so it was a quiz Everton v Liverpool and you had to buzz in to get the answer and the question was what height what height is a badminton net and this guy went and he went yeah and he went head height and so the guy answered the guy answered the question he went what if you're 6 foot 4 he went all red I can picture him he played with Paul Rideout I think I think he played with Paul Rideout that era he did a little rapid thing He scored loads of goals.

1:12:31He went to Oldham, moved to Oldham. That's him, that's him. Got next question, I'll look him up. Yeah, you look him up. OK, so Don Stevie in a quarter of K and also Gab also can partake in the Scots chat. Will you all partake in any Hogmanay traditions for New Year's? Don? I mean, my tradition, it's sad that I don't live in Gateshead anymore because my dad was a miner and we used to get the coal from next door and hand coal out for everyone. That was good luck. But my tradition for the last 25 years, and I'll be doing it tonight, I watched the Jules Holland show. The cooks are on, Olivia Dean, who I think's just got the most amazing voice in the world.

1:13:09I never missed it as a player, Jules Holland. I'll watch it tonight, and I'll watch the celebs in Edinburgh. I'll watch the Hootenanny, and I'll watch it, yeah. Very nice. What about you, Gab?

1:13:25In terms of the Scottish side, Stuart Barlow! Trying to pass it out to the family.

1:13:37I will probably have a little piece of shortbread in the morning and that will be it. I'm more about the Italian New Year's Eve tradition where we eat lentils and cotecchino and that kind of stuff. Very nice. Stuart Barlow, his name was. Very nice. What are you going to do tonight for New Year? Any traditions? Bed. Bed. 12 o 'clock. All the best. Bed. Get yourself on the duels, Holland Stevie. BBC Two. We've never celebrated New Year. It's just music. We've never celebrated New Year. Brilliant. I love a bit of New Year. Watch it. Now I've got little ones, I just need to be in bed. In a few years' time, I'll get back to my New Year's traditions.

1:14:18No. Gab, before we go, you wanted to say something about Maresca? Well, as we're talking, there's reports out there that are suggesting, we had the reports earlier in the evening, suggesting that Chelsea were evaluating the possibility of making a managerial change. Now there are reports suggesting that Maresca is evaluating his position as Chelsea manager and whether he wants to stick around. Now, if you were really, really cynical, you might suggest that this isn't a case of one-upmanship, but it's kind of in everybody's interest, if they do part ways, to part ways on the best possible terms.

1:15:03In other words, without Maresca having the stain of being sacked, but it could be one of those mutual consent jobs. and by the same token, Chelsea, you know, perhaps negotiating something. He does have many years left on his contract where Madeska walks away. Or it could simply be that Madeska says, you know what? Like, you're not dumping me. I'm dumping you. I'm deciding this and it's really come to a head. So, again, these are just reports. I haven't done any reporting on this because I've been hanging out with you guys on New Year's Eve. so let's see how the story evolves in the next 24 to 48 hours that's how it sounded, how Gab put it at the end I'm not dumping you you're not dumping me, I'm dumping you I ended it, not you it's not you, it's me

1:15:56I walked away from this one I didn't want you anyway anyway, we'll find out going into 2026 Happy New Year to all of you thank you so much for being viewers of the show we'll get the money's worth of less extra I know. We're putting all this on, aren't we? Oh, it's brilliant. So high-tech. There'll be so much more of it in 2026. Make sure to be with us every single day. See you next year.

1:16:22From 30 for 30 Podcasts.

1:16:32Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami. Gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. Boy, he's ripped it. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing what's about. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. They can place him to arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now.