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20:35Jurgen Klinsmann:I mean, they're going through those scenarios all day long, the coaching staff. They always think about what if, what if, what if. I think they know that now with the Ivory Coast or with Ecuador, it's going to be so different because they bring physicality to the table. They are strong. They're provocative. They're nasty in certain ways. So they prepared differently, obviously, for these two opponents than they prepared for Curaçao. But I got to give them a compliment because they took Curaçao seriously. They were in there. I mean, obviously, they scored them the equalizer. They looked a little bit stupid in that moment but then they took care of business one goal after another and they brought you know so many players already on the score sheet that that helps them that gives them already confidence especially a musial especially a undaf who came in as a as a sub player to have them on the on the score sheet is is important and yeah i mean for the coaches now It's really the next five, five and a half weeks, if you stay that long in the tournament, obviously until the end.

21:41Jurgen Klinsmann:Every day, 24-7, you think about those scenarios. What if it doesn't work out on that side? What if it doesn't work out in the center pairing? And Alejandro has a great point there. It's a new combination there with Metzger then going a little bit too much forward. And Pavlovich then has to cover him up. then there's a solution possibly that Goretzka comes back in. Obviously Goretzka and Kimmich are best buddies from Bayern Munich and if Kimmich shifts then into the sixth role they know each other inside out. So they have those options on the table and they can do and utilize them any time of the game.

22:20Jurgen Klinsmann:I think important is that now comes a real test in the next game where they figure out are they also physically ready for the real opponents And with Ivory Coast, you're going to have that. Yeah, you certainly are indeed. You mentioned feeling sorry for Curacao, Jürgen, and also feeling maybe a little stupid conceding a goal to Curacao. How do you feel about this broadened World Cup tournament, 48 teams and some weaker opposition, that you see a 7-1 score like this at the grandest stage? No, I mean, we all knew that, you know, there will be some results in the group stage. You know, they are a little bit exaggerated.

22:56Jurgen Klinsmann:And you can have that discussion, absolutely. why so many teams now and how it was split and in a different continent because obviously the European sides, they were kind of the victim of this whole 48-team scenario because they could just add a few ones and a team like Italy is at home right now. And Ireland, Jürgen. And Ireland. I think it's funny. Yeah, Ireland too. But it's also a wonderful opportunity for a country like Curaçao to get on the world map to see them, I mean, to see their fans coming in the stadium and yeah, they cheered their goal as they would have won the World Cup. Those are very emotional moments and will be forever with this nation, forever with this country.

23:39Jurgen Klinsmann:So I feel for them too. Obviously, we can talk about the tournament. Does it dilute the product at the end of the day when you widen it to 48 teams? Here and there, it might be the case, but I think still it's cue to see those nations in the group stage and then from the knockout face on from the round of 32, then it's going to be serious business. I take what Jurgen is saying, and I know that he means it because he has a loving heart. But had Jurgen been on the field today for Germany playing against Curaçao, this man would have been scoring goals left, right, and center, and he would not have felt sorry for Curaçao.

24:16Jurgen Klinsmann:I'm just saying that. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Thanks. No, Alejandro, you're totally right. I mean, I still regret the 90 World Cup. We played a group stage game against the United Arabian Emirates. So they're against the Emirates. You know, I think it ended also 7-1 or something like that. And I scored a goal, but I missed, I don't know, five, six, seven, 100 % chances. But I did not think, you know, it didn't come up in my mind that actually with one game, I can become World Cup top scorer. Easily. Easily. And I see still this game in front of my eyes because at the end, then Toto Skilaci became best co-scorer in 1990.

24:54Jurgen Klinsmann:And I had only three goals in a tournament and I was so mad at myself. I was so angry at myself. So I wish that that's why I mentioned it. I want Undaf on the score sheet. I want Havertz on the score sheet because get those goals early in the tournament because then they have a chance to be among the top. I mean, to be among the Harry Canes, hopefully, at the end of the tournament. Given the profile of this team, Jürgen, who's starting up front for you? if you're the coach. We've talked a lot about Dennis Undav here behind the scenes and the qualities that he has. Well, it's the favorite topic right now in Germany is definitely, you know, that he wants, Julian Nagelsmann loves the fourth number nine role of Havertz.

25:34Jurgen Klinsmann:You know, the whole Bundesliga obviously, since Havertz is placed in the Premier League, wants to see Undav as a number nine because he scored 26 goals in the Bundesliga, had a great season and he's a fantastic kid. Me as a traditional more number nine, in my days we played as two number nines basically in the partnership roles. Yeah, I mean you want this striker that kind of drives the centerbacks crazy and obviously Harvards, he roams around, he comes back in midfield, he goes left, right, so he's a different role. So we have that debate every day with the German journalism, with the German fans.

26:12Jurgen Klinsmann:As long as he wins his games, you know, it will not be too heated for Jürgen Nagelsmann. But as soon as something goes wrong, this will be the discussion, the number nine role. It's a good thing that 36 years later, Jürgen Klinsmann has turned the page and missed chances against UAE in the 1980 World Cup. Good Lord. It's all right, Jürgen. You did well in that World Cup. Things worked out for you and your team. Oh, man. Hey, one of the teams that Jurgen Klinsmann is tipping. Great success for this summer is Brazil. These are the scenes. The Copacabana is Rio de Janeiro. When Vinny Jr. burst the back of the net, it was a beautiful strike, but it was not enough to get all three points against Morocco.

26:53One of the most eagerly anticipated group stage matches here at the World Cup. Some of the headlines in Brazil reading avoided embarrassment, disappointment in debut. Curious to get your thoughts on this one, Ali. We haven't heard from you. Here's Ancelotti, first of all, here. saying maybe the team was a bit anxious and the nerves were all over the place. The second half was better, but it was still tough and I'm sure we'll get better. In the first half, we were very unbalanced. We did better in the second half. The result isn't bad. You don't win the World Cup in your first match. It's the first time we're hearing from you, Ali Moreno, on this game.

27:25Jurgen Klinsmann:It's a glass half full from Carlo Ancelotti, which you would expect him to be the sort of doom and gloom that people want around Brazil. I don't think that would help the team if Carlo Ancelotti took that approach. So it's expected that he would be a little bit more positive. What I would say is what was frustrating in watching Brazil play is something that we already knew coming into the World Cup that was a limitation for them, but it was very much a limitation yesterday. The outside backs are not a presence in the attack whatsoever. When have we ever said that about Brazil? At all. And let me just take you to the other side of the field and think about how important Hakimi is for Morocco and how much he gets forward and how influential he is in the attack for Morocco.

28:10Jurgen Klinsmann:And I have to imagine, I don't know this for certain, I haven't talked to Ashra Hakimi, we haven't had a one-on-one conversation, but I'm sure that part of what influenced his game as a right back, as an attacking right back, is watching a guy like Dani Alves. Maybe he's too young to have watched Cafu. Hopefully he did. But that's, what you saw from Hakimi is what you would see from Dani Alves is what you would see from Cafu. You're not seeing it from anybody on the right-hand side from Brazil. You're not seeing from Douglas Santo on the left-hand side. And so it really becomes a team that depends very heavily on whether Vini Jr.

28:45Jurgen Klinsmann:can have a moment or two of brilliance and whether Rafinha can run in behind and find some sort of moment. They're not creating enough out of the midfield. They're not creating enough out of wide areas. And so it becomes about the individual in a moment of transition, hopefully creating something for Brazil. And this is what they were throughout qualifiers. They had issues in qualifiers because they didn't have enough creativity. They were not dynamic enough. They were not explosive enough. And they are vulnerable defensively because through the midfield, they have some legs that are unable to cover the space.

29:18Jurgen Klinsmann:What we saw against Morocco is similar to what we saw throughout qualifiers, so it should not be a surprise. So you're preaching concern. Juergen Klinsmann, we saw Carlo Ancelotti preaching calm. Where do you stand? No, I think Ale is absolutely right. The fullback positions are there. A thing to talk about, also the midfield line, obviously up front with Rafinha and Minisio Juniors, you can always hurt any team in the world. But I also kind of on the side from Carlo Ancelotti saying, you know, you don't win the World Cup in the first game. You know, I think it was important that they showed a solid, a decent performance to get into it because they were definitely nervous.

29:58Jurgen Klinsmann:They were, a little bit anxious of getting into that tournament after the last couple of years, you know, everybody was offloading on Brazil because they left in the quarterfinals in Qatar, which actually had a very, very good showing in Qatar in that tournament. So I think, I really think that this team can grow, you know, and they find solutions. And Carlo Ancelotti is maybe doing the same move as Jogi Löw did in Brazil in 2014. He put then two centerbacks as a left back and the right back and just kind of, yeah, shut the door basically. And the rest was done then by the attacking players. I think he has that experience to maneuver the team through the group stage step by step.

30:41Jurgen Klinsmann:And then, I mean, obviously, once they get their first couple of goals under the belt, it is a team that can really do well this tournament. So I still have to hope that they're going to be the winner of the tournament. So this is his first sort of venture into international football, isn't it? But for some reason, as you were reading every word he said there, I fully believe it. I fully believe that's how he's seen things. And maybe some of this is due to, I don't know whether you can call it trauma or just memory of Real Madrid doing this every single year, it feels like, in the Champions League.

31:11But he's right. You don't win the tournament after this first game. And the example that was used, I think it was about USA a few days ago, was Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia at the last tournament. What a terrible start that was for them. For Brazil, they've gotten a point, and you know that they can get better. So the team is obviously flawed. And you've mentioned the point about, say, the fullbacks, the fact that, you know, you've got Igor Thiago playing as the nine. I didn't think he was great in that game, to be honest. But I think if we're going to talk about positives that existed within that match, I think quite a few people as the game was developing probably thought this was going to be Morocco's game.

31:43The second half was very much Brazil being in control. And it wasn't like the best version of Brazil we've ever seen. But neither was it from Morocco. So I think the job that they've ended up doing on them shows that the more defensive and solid part of the game that they can establish, it does give them a chance and with the quality that they have in terms of the forward line when it needs to be there I think that can make a difference. Will Neymar be a real addition if he can get back fit and healthy for you?

32:08This feels like genuine slander to say no but I think at this moment in time if he was to come in who is he playing instead of? You know that's the thing. If you've got a fit and healthy Neymar for 20 minutes Again who's he coming on for? You're going to take off Vinicius Junior for him? Are you going to take off Rafinha for him? Like, I don't see those being the changes at this moment in time. I suppose it depends on the game state, right? Jürgen, where do you stand on this with Neymar?

32:34Jurgen Klinsmann:Yeah, absolutely, he's a weapon. I mean, because he's frightening the opponents. I mean, if Neymar steps on the field, it's Neymar. You know, and the other team will try to figure out, OK, what role is he playing now? Is he, or how fit is he really? So many question marks, yeah. The tricky part is, you know, who do you take out? But you've got to pick one of the top, the front four in that moment. And that player that goes off, they will not be happy in that moment. But still, you bring on somebody that is unpredictable for himself and for the opponents. Believe me that we did not plan the fact that there was a siren in the background when you mentioned Neymar coming in as a guy saving Brazil.

33:13Jurgen Klinsmann:But that's exactly what it would be. It would be alarming status for Brazil if you're depending on a guy who has a bad calf to begin with, who hasn't been productive for Santos, who has had a difficult time for him to be the guy that is going to prop up this national team. How good would that look for Carlo Ancelotti, right, who brought him in when a lot of people felt he wouldn't, and if he was to produce? It's a big case of what if, but it's Neymar we're talking about. You're trying to make a case as if you're Neymar's agent. Is he not? Do we know that he's not? You don't know that he's not?

33:47Well, look, let me put it to you this way. Ibrahimovic are having to depend on Neymar at this point of his career

33:57Jurgen Klinsmann:with the physical limitations that he has. I'm not making it up. He didn't play and wasn't available to play because he has a calf injury. But they're depending on him to be the guy that saves this team. They have bigger issues. And when it comes to bigger issues, one of the things that we said were a strength for this team was the center back pairing. Two guys who started the Champions League final, the Marquinhos and Gabriel. Look at the goal of Morocco. It's a straight ball in between the two center backs. That cannot happen. So if you don't have a whole lot of dynamic movement and explosion going on in the attack and your center backs are being split by a straight ball right through the middle of your two center backs, then you have bigger issues than whether Neymar is playing or not.

34:37Jurgen Klinsmann:I thought you said this was a positive show. No, this is positive. This is factual information. We're just putting knowledge out there whether people can take it or not. and that includes Neymar's agent. Jurgen Klinsmann, top class as always. Thanks a million for joining us here on ESPN FC. I just want to add, you know, the dynamic during a World Cup comes from the inside. The dynamic comes from the team, from the players, how they gel right now, how they build chemistry and how they start to figure out also solving their problems themselves. It's not only Carlo Ancelotti solving Brazil's problems, you know, and he cannot reinvent the game in Brazil and he will never do.

35:18Jurgen Klinsmann:But there is something extra that I, as a coach, I would love to have an extra card to play called Neymar. And maybe he's not the fittest right now, but he's just a kid that kind of confuses everybody then. But you don't know the energy that he creates within the Brazilian locker room. So we don't know that. Unfortunately, we would love to know it. But this is on a daily basis, basically. There's a whole team together for five or even seven weeks with the preparation. And if they create a specific dynamic and support each other and are there for each other, and if this Brazilian team goes behind Neymar and says, you know what?

36:01Jurgen Klinsmann:You're not in the best of your shape and this and that. But, you know, you can do some special things if, you know, you choose to. so and in support that and the locker room supports that then i mean maybe not right now in the group stage but there comes a knockout phase maybe there comes extra time because these teams will go if they go all the way till the end they're going to go through at least two penalty shootouts because now with round of 32 you have five knockout phase games so and i can throw in an 88 minute neymar for 32 minutes with the extra time and scoring me a penalty at the And then two, well, I take him blindly.

36:38Jurgen Klinsmann:Oh, you're going to be fired up. This sounds like a man who picked Brazil to win the World Cup. That's what that sounds like. Speaking facts, Jürgen Klinsmann, thank you so much for joining us as always. Appreciate you. Cheers to Jürgen. All right, every morning, 9 a.m. instant time, you can see the great Kay Murray and these tacticians are doing their business as well as Adrian Healy catching up with the Dutch Army. Okay. ESPN FC available daily on ESPN2 with Kay Murray and the lads. Are you looking to rebound from your high interest credit card debt? A SoFi personal loan can help you get back on track.

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38:31Groupies standings looks like this. Well played the Ivory Coast with that 1-0 win. Who got the goal? Natham? Amad Jolland. Amad, late on in the game. Big-time winner for the Manchester United man and the Ivory Coast take it. Were you surprised by that? I'm gonna say no. I don't think this was a great game. I don't think it was a great game at all. But I thought in the second half Ivory Coast felt like they were better. They felt like they were the better of the two sides. Senegal not much better in the first half.

39:04Excuse me. Or Senegal, for that matter. Let's not worry about Senegal just now. But it felt like they were a little bit better. They carried a bit more threat. And I think in terms of star attackers, I thought Yandir Mande was really good. I think he was forcing the Ecuadorian defenders back. And some of the quality in terms of his final pass wasn't great for the most part. But he was very, very dangerous. And I think he carried the flame for them. So I think based on the second half, I think I'm OK with that result. But it was a tough game. It was very much a battle. Certain bits of individual quality.

39:35But they're going to be tough teams to play against.

39:37Jurgen Klinsmann:Yeah. In order for Ecuador to be successful in this World Cup, they're going to have to answer a question that I don't think they answer in common world qualifiers. And that is, are you going to score enough goals? And in all honesty, they did create a couple of chances today. They hit them off the post. And when those things begin to happen, then you're depending heavily on what you do defensively. Again, this is a team that scored less than a goal per game in World Cup qualifiers over a course period of three years, three and a half years. It tells you that they're not all that dynamic or all that productive, and so they're going to depend on what they do defensively.

40:11Jurgen Klinsmann:And to your point about Andy Amande, Piero Incapié is going to have a difficult time sleeping tonight because any time Andy Amande gave him one of these, And Capier was, I know. I'm a man. Where do I go now? You see the guy not moving all that well. And it's not like Diamante was doing a step over. It was just a little, ah, ah, a little, ah, ah. And he's gone. Sorry, what was that? Ha, ha, ha. I mean, and Capier, you think of Viero Capier, and he had a good season with Arsenal. You're thinking that this is a guy that can defend 1v1 situations, and, ah, ha, and he's gone. It happened often, very often, certainly in the first half.

40:49Jurgen Klinsmann:and it happened again in the second half, and the goal comes from that as well. The one-on-one defending of Ecuador has to be able to address even a guy like Yandi Omande, as difficult as that may be. Why do I say that? Because if you're struggling to score goals on the other side, you have to keep it at zero on your side, on your defensive half, in order to have an opportunity to win the match. They did not that, and then they did not do that, and then give Ivory Coals the credit that they deserve in the sense that they took advantage of the opportunity. He was a really good finish from Matt Diallo.

41:20Jurgen Klinsmann:A finish that could have been taken the same way by Nicolas Pepe in the first half, which he did not. Ecuador will think back to the post that they hit, but I think more so than anything is the fact that they just don't create enough chances. And when they do, they don't put them away. It keeps every coast around. They scored a goal, 1-0, three points to you guys later. I mean, I don't know about you, Nathan, but I was told that South American teams were going to do well in America. You know, they haven't won a game yet, lads. I think the conditions are going to play into it. Quite a few are looking tired.

41:49I haven't shown up so far, Ale. Anyway, let's get to some transfer news, shall we, before Ale decides to get a word in here. I'm sorry, what? Mark Cucurea, Chelsea's left back, the Spanish left back, 27 years of age, set to join Real Madrid, are the reports out right now. £51.7 million sterling. This is a man who has incredible experience, yet still comes in for some massive criticism, Ale, by the masses, for whatever reason. How do you feel about this move? Well, by the masses, I imagine you're talking about the Premier League masses.

42:22Jurgen Klinsmann:Marco Curea, I think, is a well-respected player in Spain, and a guy who has made a career from being a guy who you thought was just on the outside looking in, that was just going to be a professional over the next 10 years, but there wasn't going to be a whole lot about him. No, no. He's worked his way up to the point to where he made that move to Chelsea and now makes his move to Real Madrid. In the middle of all that, he's made himself very much a part of the national team with Spain and a guy who is, I think, critical to the success that Spain has down that left-hand side because he is willing to defend.

42:57Jurgen Klinsmann:While he can get up and down and he can be an option down the left-hand side in the attack and a natural outlet down the left-hand side, he's a guy that doesn't mind grinding, that doesn't mind fighting, that doesn't mind defending. And that in itself, I think, is useful to Real Madrid because they just didn't have enough of that in that left-hand side. So they need him. Absolutely they do. A player of that profile. Fran Garcia is just simply a guy who's there to make up the numbers in the squad. And whenever there is an injury, he can be an option to play off the bench. But as it pertains to Álvaro Carrera, who was brought in to take control of that left-sided position because Fernand Mendy is always injured, yeah, not so much.

43:40Jurgen Klinsmann:Abro Carreras, to me, in some of the big games, if not all of the big games, he looked intimidated by the moment. And he looked intimidated because he didn't play well initially in those big games. Now all eyes are on him. And he, to me, looked afraid. 23, first season. Well, I don't care. He looked afraid. There you go. He looked scared. He looked scared. And when you have a guy that is supposed to be an option for you down the left-hand side in the attack, but is too scared to get forward or too scared to complete a pass or too scared to split lines with the passing because you don't want to make any mistakes, and gets really uncomfortable when a guy like Laminya Mata is going at him, I understand that that's difficult, but it's your job to try to give it a go and see if you can defend the player.

44:30Jurgen Klinsmann:He did not seem like the player that Real Madrid thought they were getting. in the end, when everything was falling apart at Real Madrid, Álvaro Carreras was comfortable sitting on the bench. That tells you everything that you need to know. Yeah, for sure. And I think as well, when we're talking about, say, the stage that football is, like Real Madrid, they are the biggest team. The lights shine the brightest. I'll be ready. Yeah, the weight of that white shirt playing in that situation and playing in this last two years where they've not won anything. Like Ali makes the point that he's hiding.

44:58You don't just need to be good to play for Real Madrid. You need the personality to be able to play for Real Madrid as well. because the noises... For Jose Mourinho. Literally, yeah. Yeah, that's the whole thing in itself. But I like this Cucurea signing because I think he's a very good player. And I think you sort of undersold something a little bit. You said he's willing to defend. He's obsessed with the defending. When you watch him play, he sees the winger and he's thinking, this is my battle. This is me for the day. And I think that in some ways, you're sort of changing the way that Mourinho wants to have his Real Madrid side be compared to what it has been.

45:29I think one thing about Real Madrid in the last few years is that they're not exactly the toughest team to play against. Yes, when they're going forward, you can see their absolute best. But in terms of stuff on the other side, like if we're to talk about, say, Trent Alexandrano, for example, if we're talking about the worst version of him defensively, he doesn't look like he wants to defend. Well, on the other side now, you've got somebody who's desperate to defend. But also, as we've said, he went to Chelsea for 50 million, or just over 50 million pounds, and he's going to Real Madrid for a similar fee, except in that time, he's become a full-time Spanish international left back.

46:01Love it. it seems like to me that's a very good deal.

46:03Jurgen Klinsmann:And let's not forget. For everyone except for Chelsea. Yeah, well, let's not forget. When he was playing in Spain, he was playing for Getafe. If anybody knows anything about Getafe, it's a team that likes to fight, that likes to defend. Barcelona condition. And while his upbringing was Barcelona, Getafe is also very much in his make and what he has become as a player. So he is a guy that can play the ball, much like a Barcelona player can and can complete the passes and will get forward, but does have the mentality to defend. Coliseo Alfonso Perez to defend in Getafe. Well, that's the way that he plays.

46:44Jurgen Klinsmann:Look, it's not for everybody. And for whatever reason, he gets this sort of treatment from other people that seems like they're picking on his hair or something. I don't know. I think Marco Curella is a very good player for the position and the role that he plays. and within that role, I think he seems to make a whole lot of sense for Real Madrid. Do you think they're signing him just so they can say they have a player at the World Cup, Real Madrid? Wow. For Spain, I mean, Spain's group, they're in action tomorrow. In Atlanta, Georgia, taking on Cape Verde. Another David versus Goliath affair here as we look at the group.

47:18Cape Verde. Mr. Positivity over here. Cape Verde, for those unaware, a small nation off the west coast of Africa consisting of 10 islands. Here they go up against Saudi Arabia, the giant killers in the group stage against Argentina four years ago. On Lamin Yamal, Luis Telefuente said as much. The good news is that Lamin is in perfect condition. That's perfect condition, he's saying. He's arrived at this point in the state in which we wanted him to be. The doctors say Lamin can play tomorrow without any issues. Not play 90 minutes, but to play some minutes. Hold on, hold on a second, hold on a second, hold on a second, hold on a second.

47:53He's in perfect condition, but he cannot play 90 minutes. That seems like a contradiction. Yes. Maybe I'm missing something, but it feels like a contradiction. Condiciones perfectas, Neyron. So it's just loose. It's just a loose meaning. There was some talk at Barcelona, but the Blagrana saying that he wasn't quite ready. And there's a bit of back and forth between Spain and Barcelona. So maybe he's just having his say here. Yeah, maybe he is. But I think if we look at, say, someone like Laminio Mar, for as good as he is as a player, you can sense that he has this sort of amateur spirit to him into where he just wants to play the game.

48:24So whether he's 100 % or he's 70%, if he can be out there, he will be out there. And I think what a boost that will be for Spain, but also - For the tournament. Yeah, genuinely for the tournament, and essentially just for the rest of the Spain team as well. Because the attention that he will be given will probably mean that other people will be able to thrive as well in the spaces that they have. We're talking about somebody who probably in the next few years will be a Ballon d 'Or winner, someone that could potentially be the best player in the world. So for him to be at this World Cup, going with Spain to try and win the whole thing.

48:51And he's 19. Yeah, must be 19. Oh, he's 19 because it's always during tournament season his birthday, isn't it? Yeah, so he'll be 19 soon. He may be in condiciones perfectas.

49:04Jurgen Klinsmann:Perfect conditions, right? But use him only if you need to use him. Get him a few minutes to get a couple of touches in the ball here and there. 25 minutes, 30 minutes. We assume, this is an assumption, but we assume that Spain will be able to beat Cape Verde with or without La Minya Mal. And if indeed that's the case, then you get them out there for the last 30 minutes or so, what would be the equivalent to a training session, get them some touches on the ball, move on with your lives, and we build the momentum of La Minya Mal in this tournament. You don't need to have the best of La Minya Mal tomorrow.

49:39Jurgen Klinsmann:You need to have the best of La Minya Mal on July 19th. No, no, game three. And I mean that sincerely. Game three is Uruguay. Uruguay, Spain are in the same group. If you fall short and you finish second in that group, you likely play Argentina in the round of 32, which is massive. So it would seem that that game maybe is what you want to manage your team for. No, no. My point is, Kevin, much larger point is that you need to build them up. No need to have them 90 minutes right now. That's not – it's not important. And mind you, that game three that you're talking about is two weeks from now, which then allows him two more weeks of training, Two more weeks of strengthening, two more weeks of getting to trust his body once again, two more weeks for Luis de la Fente to come on the press conference and say, condiciones perfectas.

50:22Do you know, that is something I think is interesting about this tournament, because you mentioned before about how many teams there are. The gap between games now is making me think that the quality towards the back end of the tournament will probably be higher than it has been in tournaments gone by, because of the amount of recovery time you can have in between games. And yes, it's obviously at the end of the season anyway, but the fact that teams can now basically play a game and almost have, take a day off. You know, go and relax your mind. Then we do a little bit here, maybe a little bit there, and then maybe in five days' time, be ready to go again.

50:50That's a positive thing. You want to hear about two teams that have had no time off whatsoever? Almeria and Malaga. It's a massive clutch. Who's going to take on La Minha, Mal, and Barcelona next year in La Liga? It's nil all after the first leg, and we go to Almeria. Malaga on their travels. It's Saturday, 3 p.m. Eastern, right here on ESPN+. This is a massive game. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly.

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52:42That's ethos.com slash sports. Application times and rates may vary. There you see AC Milan. Fifth place in the Serie A standings last year and now heavily rumored to be bringing in Ruben Amarim as their manager for next season. Let's get the thoughts then. Craig Burley and Stuart Robson on Exactly This. Well, another manager who has to be the luckiest man alive to... And there's a few of them who go from job to job, it seems, these days. But Ruben Amarim Robbo was, in football parlance, a disaster at Manchester United. And here he is, walked straight back into one of the big jobs in European football at Milan.

53:25Well, all Milan can have done is looked at his CV when he was the manager of Sporting Lisbon, because he did well at Sporting Lisbon. He did well in terms of their performances, did well in terms of their results. They played some attractive football. But when he went to Manchester United, there's not one aspect of his management or coaching that said he's a top class manager. Right. So a good manager in Portugal. It's a bit like saying you're a good manager in Scotland. Some of these provincial leagues, you know, Holland, you know, it's not they're not they're below the elite level. They're not La Liga.

53:56They're not the Bundesliga. They're not the Premier League. It's not Serie A. is it a fact that he could do it in that country but he hasn't got what it takes to step out of that comfort zone into the pressure? Well I suppose what you have to think is we don't know what went on behind the scenes at Manchester United he went in there with a rigid system this is what I'm going to play and the players have got to adjust to what I'm doing which is one way of doing it I'm not sure it's the best way of doing it and the players didn't particularly like it they weren't cut out to play it particularly well and therefore he had problems so they didn't perform well they didn't get good results And instead of changing it, he didn't do that.

54:32Because as soon as Michael Carrick comes in and changes the system slightly, they look a much better team. And he changed the system, but he did the basics. Amarim was so rigid, complained, it seemed, almost on a weekly basis at press conferences about what he didn't have rather than what he did have. You know, it wasn't rocket science Bruno Fernandes had to play further forward, but yet he wouldn't do that. It also seemed that Kobe Miner, who was put to the side because it was a personality class, he comes back in and he's arguably one of United's best players. He made a lot of bad decisions.

55:07His man management was terrible with some of the players that were out of the team. And he just seemed to me out of his depth. How the hell is that going to change going to Milan? And when you go to Italy, you have to handle the press. The press will be right onto you. And he was terrible. He was terrible at that. Because right from day one, it was almost as if he was asking to get the sack. We're the worst side that Manchester United have ever had at one point, I think he said. He complained about the players. He complained about the hierarchy. He complained about the support. Wasn't quite right.

55:38And in the end, he came out with some comment. He said, I'm not the manager. I'm the head coach. What the hell is this guy talking about? He didn't do a good job from day one. The only game they played, I thought, oh, they look a decent side. It was the first game he took over. They played Ipswich away. He put out the formation. He thought, oh, they know exactly what they're doing. He had Rashford on the left-hand side. I forget who played out on the right-hand side. They played with their wing-backs. He thought, well, this might work. But from that day onwards, it just didn't happen for him. And I can't see how he's got this next job because Milan is a big, big club.

56:09Successful in Portugal. Disaster in England. What's the chances of him doing a good job in Serie A? What's success at Milan? I'm not sure it's winning the title in the first couple of seasons. If he can keep them in the top four, keep them in the top three, he's done an OK job. If he wins the title, he gets his reputation back. Well, we'll see what happens. Watch this space. Back to you, Kevin. Our top stuff, fellas. Great stuff from Robbo and Craig. You can see more of this great action. With the likes of Robbo and Craig over on ESPN FC's YouTube page. Go and hit subscribe now and check out all our great content.

56:45Coming up on Monday in the World Cup, we kick it all off at Atlanta Stadium. Spain taking on Cape Verde, Belgium in action, De Bruyne up against Salahs. They take on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and then Iran, New Zealand to wrap it all up. Sid Lowe, one of our Spanish reporters, has taken to the EA and he's hit the varsity. What'll you have? That's the slogan there in downtown Atlanta. And Sid, it's not that big. He's acting like it's this gigantic hot dog. Maybe you've been living in this country too long. Listen, it looks like he's done that before, that's what I'm going to say. Yeah. Ali, you're not having it at all.

57:15Jurgen Klinsmann:Well, if you're going to go eat in Atlanta, you've got to go with something else. Thank you, thank you. I'm just... I've lived there for seven years. I'm just saying. I haven't eaten there. You gotta go deep in this Southern comfort sort of food that is available to you all over Atlanta. So I'm just saying, a hot dog, please sit, do better. All right, we're jumping aside for just a split second. Coming up right after this, we've got extra time. Don't go anywhere.

57:46This is hashtag FC Extra Time. It's my first experience. This guy's good, you know. This guy's good. I'm having fun here today. I like him. This is great. I don't know if he'll come back, but he's good.

57:55Jurgen Klinsmann:Just let him know that he doesn't have to say hashtag FC Extra Time. I'm trying to promote it. No, I know. That's if you want to ask a question. All right, here we go. Here's the first question that's come in. Natum, over to you. what performance and or result has been the most surprising so far? Australia's win over Turkey, US completely dominating Paraguay or Qatar's draw against Switzerland? I think I'll go for the Australia result because like the Australians have been great with it and some of the broadcasters have pointed out that Turkey was saying that Australia do not have the quality to be able to beat them and now that's going back to back with the video of them losing 2-0 to them so I think that's quite significant because I'm guilty of this as well.

58:34I was saying that USA are going to be playing Turkey in that third game. We decided to finish top of the group. The Aussies, my buddy Tommy, living over in Perth, he said that all over the news they're replaying a lot of the US broadcasts. They hammered Australia when the draw was made. Ale, what do you think? God bless America, baby.

58:54Jurgen Klinsmann:God bless America. America, baby. Look, I think we would have all envisioned the United States beating Paraguay. We all felt that that was certainly a possibility and a likelihood that that would happen. But not the matter in which they did it. They were dominant. It was a backside whooping. I love Miss O 'Neill United States right now. And they have been, in my estimation, let's not get crazy, let's not get carried away. They have been the most impressive performance from a winning team that we've seen so far. I like it. I like it. doesn't mean that they're going to win this whole thing but they were really, really impressive and for those people that are getting carried away right now, go on do it, it's the World Cup live it up, go ahead, I'm not going to be the one who legislates how you enjoy the World Cup and how much you believe in this team and whether you think that miracles are happening or not if you believe in it, then so be it God bless America Alright, Ale, to a team you actually have concerns about right now, would Ancelotti lived to regret leaving Joao Pedro at home.

1:00:05Jurgen Klinsmann:I don't believe that this is the difference between winning and losing for Brazil right now, Joao Pedro. He made his decision in thinking that Neymar was going to help him, or maybe he made a decision based on the fact that every question he had to answer was about Neymar, so not including him would have been a headache in having to answer that question over and over and over again. It was the most discussed subject in Brazil prior to the World Cup roster being announced is whether Neymar was going to be part of this conversation or not. He makes a decision to bring in Neymar and then finds out that Neymar has a calf injury.

1:00:43Jurgen Klinsmann:Great. Now he doesn't look great. Neymar doesn't look great and João Pedro is sitting at home going, but I could be playing. And in the meantime, you put out Igor Tiago out there thinking that he's going to be a guy that is going to resolve an issue for you as a center forward and that wasn't the case. Didn't play well against Morocco. And so, there are a lot of questions about Brazil, and that's one of the questions. Who plays center forward? There are many other questions that I think are far more relevant. I personally really like João Pedro, and I would like to see him play for Brazil. But the case against Igor Thiago is a tough one, especially because of how well he did domestically.

1:01:19And then he played, I think he did make his debut this season for Brazil. So he's done well in there, he scored some goals.

1:01:24Jurgen Klinsmann:He was nowhere to be found six months ago in terms of the Brazil picture, and now he's starting for the Brazilian national team in the World Cup. That's when people are kind of going, well, where did this guy come from? Whereas Joao Pedro had been part of the conversation. But what they all have in common is that up to not too long ago, none of those guys had scored in World Cup qualifiers as center forwards from Brazil. And so it's not like anybody was saying, I'm the guy. None of them really made a strong case, and Igor Tiago made a stronger case at the end. And that's why he's here and Joel Pedro is not.

1:01:58Natham, with the expanded World Cup and Germany's 7-1 win today, do games against overmatched teams actually give the favourites an advantage by letting them ease into the tournament with little pressure? No. I'm going to say no just because is it a guarantee that Germany say this high-ranked side will be playing a side ranked so low at this stage? Look at the fact that we've just seen Brazil-Morocco just the day before. two teams who were heavily fancied to get out of that group and you know progress far in the competition but I think also this is a story more so about execution like we said on the main show the stats from this game today the 7-1 are the same as the stats from the Switzerland game yesterday which was 1-1 against Qatar but instead you've had two very different outcomes two very different displays of finishing and as a consequence two very different feels as they walk away from the stadiums after the game so I don't think that's much of a concern and I think I think in some ways as well, this thing about 48 teams and so many of them being poor sides, I couldn't name you 16 poor sides that couldn't cause trouble.

1:02:57There are some sides who are here now who maybe wouldn't have been here normally, who were going to be just as competitive as some of the sides that maybe made their way in as well. So I'm not really part of that bandwagon just yet. It's a lot of football, but I like football. It keeps me at work.

1:03:10Jurgen Klinsmann:I mean, I would really complain about goals being scored. Fuck. Of course, I took a beating today, but did they seem all that concerned in the stands? Curaçao knows full well that being here it's already a party. The fact that they're in the dance that in itself is an accomplishment Whatever they get out of this experience. They'll enjoy it one way or another Obviously losing 7-1 is not very enjoyable, but as if you're a fan of Curaçao You're not expecting them to beat Germany and so I don't love the 48 team World Cup I think it dilutes a conversation is supposed to be an exclusive tournament not an inclusive tournament It's not open mic night.

1:03:47Jurgen Klinsmann:It's not everybody gets a chance. This is not karaoke night. But if we're going to be. We didn't make it. You didn't make it. I didn't make it. You didn't make it. You didn't make it. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Open mic night. Everybody gets a chance except us. But regardless. Once you're here and you're part of the competition, maybe you take a beating, maybe you don't. I say enjoy the ride if you're one of these teams because quite frankly just being here is an accomplishment. This one addressed to you. It says, Natham, how good was Boadi last night? If Forrest keep rejecting offers for Anderson, should they just go and get Boadi instead?

1:04:28You make it sound so simple. Literally that's the way football works. He was very good to be fair. He's very, very good. Is he really, is he 19 or something like that? You can see that he's got like a bright future. To be fair, I've got to say, I've got to give credit to Julien Leroy, our colleague. because Julien was saying, oh, Bwadi is so good, is this, is that. I was like, whatever, Jules.

1:04:48Jurgen Klinsmann:Is that your French? No, that's my Jules impression. That's my Jules impression. But then I saw him play and his composure on the ball, the way he got around the place and the way he dictated the tempo for what is essentially a very good Morocco side. I was very, very impressed. If he was to, you know, happen to make his way to City, I'd make him more than welcome, you know, welcome to the blue side. But you know how in the men's show I was talking about Alvaro Carreras and looking intimidated by the moment and the big stage, if you will. You did not get that sense from Guadalupe at all. He is running all over the field.

1:05:20Jurgen Klinsmann:Give me the ball, I'll find this guy. You give me the ball, I'll find that guy. He's running back, Castamiro. See you later. Take care. We'll see you. I'll talk to you later. I'll be back in a second. Distribute play here. I'm back, Castamiro. Are you still here? I mean, it's just he was all over the field, and that in itself I think is encouraging. And to be specific about this now from a football standpoint, point it's very easy to hide incredibly easy to hide but instead what he was doing was receiving the ball under pressure whatever the state was he made sure he was an option he'd receive the ball somebody be on him maybe it's a little you wouldn't enjoy like all this type of stuff but he's willing to take the ball under pressure move the ball under pressure and what that is is showing personality and that's like a massive sign because in that moment when the lights are that bright this is you playing for your country at a World Cup the peak of football for you you look like it's just a regular game from Yeah, he's a joy to watch.

1:06:10This isn't any fun at all. It says here, with England getting its stolen equipment back, did anyone ever borrow your team's gear before a big match or tournament? How much of a headache was it, Ali?

1:06:22Jurgen Klinsmann:I don't know if it was borrowed, stolen, or simply disappeared, but we were going to play against Japan in Japan, a friendly. and we showed up to Japan and then all of a sudden our gear was nowhere to be found and so the Japanese Federation sent us like duffel bags to our training facility filled with all sorts of Adidas gear for the training and the only reason I bring that up is because the other day A few weeks ago, I went out for a jog, I'm digging through my drawers and I see the gear! No way. And I put it on and here's the news. It still fits, still fits, still fits baby. Patting himself on the back, delighted with himself.

1:07:16That's when things were a bit baggier back in the day. It still fits, just slim fit now. It's a medium. Yeah, definitely a medium. I can't think of any kit being stolen like that, but it did make me think about a story where when I was at We can say brands on here, can't we? So I was at QPR and we'd just been promoted back to the Premier League since 2014 And now we were going to be sponsored by Nike, yeah? And the kit, the first season, it wasn't a great kit. It was kind of the type of kit you could find at just like a store, more or less. But the next years were going to be better. So we had that kit for a year, got relegated.

1:07:50And then the owner changed the kit brand to a company called Dry World. Have you had a Dry World before? Nope. Have you heard of Dry World before? Dry World? Dry World. Oh no. Where's my single? Have you heard of Dry World before? Probably not. But the start of the season came, pre-season, pre-season came and we had no training kit. We'd left this massive company to this other one to make money I guess. The kit was not there and then when the kit arrived the short lengths were different. The kit itself is probably the worst deal I've ever seen and by the end of the year the company went bust so in some ways I wish the kit had been stolen.

1:08:28Oh man. Yeah, tough eh? That is rough.

1:08:30Jurgen Klinsmann:But does it fit right now? Ummm... It's mine. Yeah. It's looking good. Slightly different era, yeah. Hey, has Ale invited Nadam to play pick-up soccer at his house? Ale, in a 2v2, who would you pick against the team of Nadam and Jules? Have you played with Jules before? I have not played with Jules before, but hold on. So it's Jules, it would be Jules for you. Jules and me, yeah. And then it's me and somebody else. Someone else, yeah. From the ESPN universe. Gab Marcotti? Yeah. Oh, Kev fancies himself. He fancies himself. Kevin's too negative for me. I'll take my son. We'll be playing at the Moreno Mental.

1:09:11Jurgen Klinsmann:Oh, OK. I feel like a 2v2. All right, but you have to pick someone from ESPN FC. Well, he is by extension. Come on, get off the fence. I am done. I'm not on the fence. I need my son because he's gonna run. The kid can run. I can't run. But Mark Ogden? Hell no. Oggy's okay to be fair. No, do you know what? Oggy's probably listening. Oggy's decent. I think Jules is better, but Oggy is decent. Oggy's a lot better than I thought. Craig Burley? What do you want? I'm just throwing out names out there. You gotta pick someone. No, no gap. No, Craig. They can't move. Stevie can't, certainly cannot move.

1:09:47Jurgen Klinsmann:K Murray takes a mean penalty. And I've gone jogging with K Murray before and she does have very high knee pumps when she runs. But no, I don't think so. I think he's going to avoid this game. He knows he can't win. It's just pickless. No, because we need legs. And you know, I would take Jurgen, for example. You can't win. Go. Jermaine Jones. Luis Garcia. He drinks sangria. That one? Yeah. Because he's fit. Makes you happy. And he'll run. Okay. So I'll take Luis Garcia and I cannot hear my producer. If he's talking to me, I think my IFB has gone. I'll take Luis Garcia and then he'll do the running and then I'm going to post up.

1:10:32You're going to post up on who, Jules? I'm going to post up on me. You're not posting up on me. I'll tell you that as a stone-cold fact. You are not posting up on me. Have you seen this guy play?

1:10:41Jurgen Klinsmann:You have never seen me get on turtle mode when I just get like this And nobody can get to the ball. Nobody can get to the ball. We'll see, we'll see. And you can't get around me. I'm too wide, I'm too thick, my backside is too big. Can't get around me. I cannot move, I can't run away from anybody, but I can post up. Folks, we love you, but we gotta go. Hey, it's been a real pleasure. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. Nice jumping in. Are you coming back, Kevin, or what? I will, I'll be back a little bit later on in the tournament. Like La Minha Mal? Exactly. I'm 100 % good to go. I'm ready to play.

1:11:22Perfect condition. Join us here, ESPN FC Daily. Do not miss a beat, and make sure you go and subscribe over on YouTube as well. Take care, folks.

1:11:38As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Granger has your back. From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.