Premier League Preview and Predictions

26:54Interesting that he says that. Anyways, at his presser today, Flick confirmed that Joan Garcia will start in goal for their upcoming game against Athletic Club de Bilbao. Pedri will miss out. Marcus Rashford will likely miss out. But Rafinha will be in the squad for the first time in almost two months. And he thinks Lamin Yamal is also able to play. Remember, Barcelona will be playing at the Camp Nou for the first time since May 2023. That is going to be an unbelievable atmosphere. All right. At this point, La Liga is back. So we have to welcome in one of our trusty La Liga reporters, Alex Kirkland, who is joining us right now from Spain.

27:34Alex, there's a lot in there to go through, especially the fact that he said if they just play like they played against Celta Vigo, everything should be fine. Yeah, and look, Barca, I think the feeling around Barca, considering it's not that long ago that they lost the Clásico, the feeling's pretty good right now. You know, it felt like at the end of that last block before the international break, they were on a kind of an upward trajectory. The team's starting to come together. They've had a bit of a rocky start to the season, but things are looking better. They've got some key players coming back from injury.

28:05You mentioned Joanne Garcia, still a few players out as well. The Camp Nou return this weekend is really significant because, yes, they've coped pretty well not being there. And they've been away a lot longer than they planned. Of course, the works have been delayed. They've been a few full steps along the way, but they're finally getting back home. That does make a difference. And like I say, they coped really well. You know, great season last year. They won the league, but it's not the same as being at camp now. It's a big deal for the club, not just symbolically, but also financially as well.

28:34The work is not done. The stadium is yet to be fully completed. But being back there with the fans is going to be really special. And yeah, Flick sounding pretty positive. And yeah, as you say, the way we ended up playing against Celta, if we can keep doing like that, we're going to be OK. And look, the second in the table, just three points behind Real Madrid, despite that Clasico defeat not that long ago. So like I say, I think Barca are in a pretty good position right now. Frank, you and I did that game. There's been quite a lot of exciting international football since that game. And I think there's been a bit of a memory loss.

29:07Yeah, they won the game and Lewandowski was looking sharp and Rashford looked sharp down that left-hand side. But some days they raised the first 45 minutes. Because that first 45 minutes, Stevie came in, we were doing the show that day. The Keystone Cups, right? We're working on it. And when he saw some of the defending again in the first half from that high line, it was crackers. It was just crackers. And Celtic Viga in time and time and time again. And yeah, they outscored them in the end and they outplayed them in the end. But you're kind of papering over the cracks by saying, if we keep doing that, we'll be OK.

29:38Maybe against most of the teams in La Liga, they will be. but as was shown in the classical and certainly some other games there are some major defensive issues with what they're still trying to do and it was still evident in the Vigo game even though they won so so yeah, maybe it'll get better for them but their defending in that game to my memory was just as bad as it's been for this season The key for them is probably not the back line because the back line's not changing. It's the same chaos, probably more this year because Martinez has gone than it was last year, but it's not changed. So really it's about the middle of the park.

30:24If they control the game and they have possession of the ball, then that back line doesn't come into play. When they turn the ball over, if they're not in good spots defensively, the midfield, that's when the trouble... that's when the trouble starts and the back line has shown it's not capable of getting them out of trouble it's just chaos so for me really it's about the midfield if they can dominate the game and then when they do lose it get somebody closing the ball down then they'll be okay but if they don't and nobody closes the ball down then it's just a toss of your coin what happens next and of course any team missing Pedri and De Jong

31:11you're going to go down a notch or two in terms of performance because those two at times can really just take a game by the scruff of the neck which they have done over the piece. So you look at the middle of that park and that's something that Athletic Club maybe can make some hay with that midfield to be honest with you. And there's not a lot of protection for the back four. So it's exciting to watch. I'll give you that if you're in neutral. But, you know, and as Stevie said, it's not changing anytime soon. It's just whether they can do it a little better than they've been doing it because they haven't done it well enough this season.

31:49Nairam, as a defender, I mean, to play in that system, knowing that there's not much protection for you in that back line and just hearing your coach say, well, you know, if the forwards manage to do their job and the attacking players control that midfield, then everything should be fine. But, you know, you're kind of just hoping for everyone to outscore opponents. Yeah, I think from looking at it from that perspective, yes that is an issue. Thankfully, you know, they have a pretty good attack in which they can probably trust to score some goals. But I think the way you've described it is key in the fact that the manager is insisting that this is how it has to be.

32:22And I think if the manager says this is your job and you do it, you will then rely on other people to do theirs. And as the guys were saying, if maybe it's a bit too weak in midfield, then they're not controlling those transitions well. If they're being sloppy on the ball, then it makes that job just that little bit harder. because when we look at that offside, it's the offside lines that we see from Barca. At the start of last season, people were championing how many times they could catch a player offside. As I said before, they played in the Clásico and Kylian Mbappe was offside more than he was onside for that 90 minutes, but now teams are understanding how to play against it, understanding how to hit them in transition.

32:55And sometimes, if not all the time, you've seen runners from deep and just seeing players slicing through Barcelona and it feels like it's big chance after big chance after big chance that they're conceding. and I think for somebody who's experienced as Flick it's not necessarily about saying well we have to completely change who we are but I have to refine it and try and get it back to the position to whether it was a strength for them whether people are comfortable with it or not but it was a strength at the start of last season but again if the manager says that's your job then that's your job, you could question him but this is his identity and I guess for some players who don't like it they're probably the ones who are on the sideline not doing it but I think the job of the midfielders in front the fours in front of them if you turn the ball over, try and win it back as quickly and as aggressively as possible and then maybe people won't be running through on your goal literally a matter of seconds later.

33:39I mean, it was successful for them last year, certainly domestically. There's no argument about that. But I think, you know, Real Madrid were not... Even though it was slightly tight at the end, titling we thought it was going to be towards the end of the season, it went to the last classical, they were always really in control. You just feel maybe, you know, they're not a great side, but Real Madrid in a slightly better place than they were last year to take advantage of any slip-ups. And look, whether you can do it two years in a row with the old adage that Kevin Keegan had at Newcastle was if you score three, we will score four.

34:11But that bit them in the backside in the end because Manchester United ground them down. They ground them down and ground them down and they chased them and they got them because they couldn't get the basics done in the end because they were just trying to outplay everybody all the time. And as I say, that worked for them last year. But the sort of nature of the squad, certainly the defensive side of it, has changed this year. With Inigo Martinez going to Saudi Arabia, he was the organiser. They don't have that. And that's shown. That's shown. So it'll be interesting to see whether the kind of defending that we've seen from them can continue and the results are positive or whether it continues and there's going to be a downfall to the results.

34:52Only time will tell because as everybody said, Hansi Flick, he's already made it clear this is the way they're going to do it and they're not going to change Alright, well Barcelona in action tomorrow and on Sunday, Alex Real Madrid in action away at Elche but we do know that they didn't go through this international break unscathed, of course we heard about the injury to Militao what kind of a starting 11 can we expect from Xabi Alonso for this one?

35:20This season and he'll be missed no question about that, there are doubts about a number of other players as well Chiuameni is back in training maybe this game comes too soon he was expecting Osme back for a couple more weeks he might be back early it would still be a surprise if he made it and it means that Xavi Alonso's got to work things out in defence and in midfield they've got enough players because Dean Housen who wasn't involved with Spain we think he's going to be fit for this Elche game so he probably comes in at centre back there might be a chance for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back and that frees up Feli Valverde to move into centre midfield if Chiuameni can't make it They're also without Mas Tantuono, who's got this scoring problem.

35:58So a number of question marks. And Real Madrid, I mean, talk about the vibes around Barca being generally pretty good. It's a very strange situation at Madrid right now because they're top of the table. They're league leaders, three points ahead of Barca. But at the same time, it's like they're in, if not in crisis, then, you know, not that far away based on two games. Basically, you know, the Liverpool game of the Champions League, the defeat where they were poor. You had the draw away at Rio where they actually did OK. And I heard Thibaut Courtois this week saying that he thought they hadn't actually been too bad against Rio.

36:23but it wasn't a great result anyway. Not a brilliant performance, certainly. And just two games, and there are some big questions about this Real Madrid team, and they're going now to an Elche side, who are a really good team, play really ambitious, aggressive, attacking football, like to want to have the ball, want to go at teams, even against a team like Real Madrid. So it's a big test for Xavi Lonzo's trip, no doubt. Well, Alex, I want to talk about Jude Bellingham, because, of course, he has come under some criticism in the headlines, mainly in the British papers after he was taken off by Thomas Tuchel in one of their international games.

36:57How is it being received in Spain? Yeah, some of that I think with a slightly sort of quizzical, not fully understanding why there's so much seeming controversy around you, Bellingham, in the English press, because it's not something that you see here. It's not something we've seen really generally reflected in his role in this Real Madrid team, which there's never been any question marks around, while they are seemingly, with his place in the England team. Of course, he was out for the first couple of months of the season after that shoulder surgery. He's come back. Him coming back took a little bit longer than we thought.

37:32He was rushed back actually by Xabi Alonso a bit sooner than perhaps he should have. But before the international break, Bellingham was in really, really good form. I think it was something like three goals and an assist in four games or something like that, looking decisive, looking a lot more kind of a lot happier than he had before that shoulder injury, moving with freedom for the first time in a year or two, and looking like the player, you know, the feeling here was the player that he was in that first season, being decisive, scoring goals. Still some work to do in terms of exactly where he fits into this Real Madrid team, whether it's in a midfield three, whether it's sort of playing behind the front two.

38:08But like I say, all of that kind of the questioning of him and his place in the England set up, It's just not reflected here at all because the only thing that Real Madrid have seen from him has really been positive. And the only absence was down to an injury with that surgery that was put off for so long and eventually came this summer. So, yeah, I don't think people fully understand why he's questioned and why he's seemingly so controversial around the England team. And like I said, it's just not reflected here. I imagine the Spanish don't give a hoot about what happens with the English. And this has sort of raised its head recently.

38:45And no player should be beyond criticism. But it's difficult for the media not to take a stance when the England manager is continually talking about a player, which Thomas Tuchel has. I mean, Thomas Tuchel has come out and said stupid things like my mother is disgusted with Jude Bellingham or words to that effect. And he's retracted that. He's come out and talked about the player's attitude. he's come out and talked about leaving him out of the squad the England manager has talked incessantly about him, to be fair so the media are going to pick up on that and he is a big player he is a world star, he is playing at one of the biggest clubs in the world he is a talisman, he is expected if he's playing well for Real Madrid he'll be in the England team but we know Jude Willingham has, I'm not going to say well he has got an arrogance and a confidence about himself because he knows he's a good player But when the England manager, and people can have an opinion, that's what people have, but when the England manager is constantly talking about you in the way that Tuchel has, that's not going to be ignored.

39:50And Ian Dark made that point the other day on the show. It's been driven to start with by the England manager himself, and then it's been picked up by others. Nader, what do you make of it all? And the fact that Thomas Tuchel has been the one that consistently has been keeping Jude in the headlines. Yeah, I think in some ways it's probably disappointing from Tuchel to make it about one player in particular. But then I think as you look at that England squad for as good as they are, I think he's the person, in my opinion, where if something's going on, there will be more clicks. People want to read more.

40:20And as a consequence, I think lots of journalists have jumped on that. And I think the fact that there's an element of negativity around it, they find it very easy to get people on board to agree that, yeah, this is the worst thing in the world. And I'll be honest, when I saw him kicking the dugout in the game the other day, Like I was disappointed, not that he was unhappy, but I was disappointed he sort of showed it in that manner because immediately he already knows that the manager's always fielding questions about him and so the media are very, very quick to pounce on him. Like I don't know him as a person, don't know if he's a good guy, bad guy, whatever, but within that England squad, I think he is the superstar.

40:50I think he is the one who will be spoken about more than any other. So anything he does will face a certain level of scrutiny, which others won't. So yes, I think he's probably, even though he's young, relatively speaking, he's got enough experience to know that's not necessarily the right thing to do in that moment. I think you can show your frustration towards the manager, away from all the cameras, away from people who have an opinion about you, people who already have an opinion that now believe it. Here's the confirmation bias. Of course, he's a terrible person. He's terrible for this squad.

41:17He's so selfish, he's this, he's that. And people can be entitled to their opinion, but you don't necessarily need to play into it. But again, he is the style within that England side. And I think he knows that, and that level of arrogance that he can have on the pitch. I think if England's to be successful, as crazy as it may sound, it'll be because of that because he will see an opportunity which other people won't he'll back himself in a situation where other people have doubt but it's just a case in my opinion of trying to manage that and i hope that he doesn't get completely torn down by the british press like we've seen so many times before because i think you know the success of the nation is going to be very much on his shoulders at some point in the future it's funny how this would never happen in a million years if gareth southcate was in charge there was never any of this sort of nonsense going on when he was in charge.

42:01And 100 % the manager has kicked this whole thing off. And unfortunately, when the press get a hold of it, fans, if they hear it long enough, loud enough and often enough, all of a sudden it's true. I played with one of the greatest England players of all time in John Barnes. And the press got a hold of him and it was, well, he never plays well for England. He doesn't play the same way he does for Liverpool. He ended up getting booed at home. I mean, just ridiculous. So, Thomas Tuchel, this thing just might keep rumbling on and on and on because for somebody like John Barnes, it did. And if it does for Jude Bellingham, not only will it affect Jude Bellingham, but it will affect the rest of the England team as well.

42:49So, Thomas Tuchel's got a lot to answer for in terms of opening his mouth and starting all this with Jude Bellingham. Natum, do you agree the fact that this would have never happened with Gareth Southgate? Yeah, to be honest, I think I have to agree. I don't think Jude Bellingham has just started his career under, or England career under Thomas Tuchel. And I think in the past there were certain things which were being sort of leveled at Bellingham as such, but Southgate wasn't the one who was making it any worse. I think if anything, he was somebody who wanted to try and protect the players and put them in a space to where they could try and perform to their best.

43:22And don't get me wrong, like it's not necessarily the perfect strategy as such. and maybe there were issues in particular at the last Euros where you start to hear little rumours of this happening that happened and discontent within the camp but ultimately you try to keep things within the camp I think sometimes it's not good for the person who's at the top of the tree and the manager almost criticising the player out in the open in a manner which is especially to do with somebody's say character for example because then people start to run with it as the guys are saying when people run with it and fans listen to it it's very easy to believe and even though you've never seen it yourself you believe it must be true because somebody wrote it and not only did somebody write it, someone else discussed it and somebody agreed with it.

43:58So yeah, these are facts now. You start to create this sort of narrative around a player who in some ways needs to support like other people. You know, he's still, as I say, relatively young, you know, he's imperfect, as is the case with pretty much everybody. But I think ultimately, like I say, the way that the British press can be at times, and it's not everybody, but it's enough people to make a difference. And as Stevie said, like that's happened to John Barnes, you've seen it happen before with like Raheem Sterne and other people. and you sort of ask the question, well, why is it happening like this?

44:26And is it something that essentially they feel they need to do? Because it's just disappointing from that standpoint because these are people who will do their best to represent their country and feel the most pride when they do it. Well, Jude Bellingham is probably counting his lucky stars that he only has to deal with the Spanish press this weekend as La Liga returns on ESPN. Alex Kirkland, thank you so much for joining us. Which game can we catch you at this weekend? Do you know what? I'm not at a game. I'll be at Real Madrid's annual general meeting of members on Sunday. It's not quite as exciting.

44:54Sounds like a blast. That'll be fun. Oh, give me a big slice of that. All right, Alex. Well, thank you so much. I'm sure we'll catch up with you on the annual general meeting. I can't wait. Monday. Monday, it's been. Monday, Alex. We'll throw in Gab Markozzi too. Let's talk about annual general meetings all over. Are you flying me over? We'll have an AGM and a PSR chat on Monday. Yummy. Love that for us. this episode is brought to you by starbucks that is fire whoa that's good this might be the drink of the summer okay i like this one too i'm rocking with it okay try it for yourself starbucks refreshers concentrates are coming home find them in the coffee aisle and make it yours

45:40mlb.tv on espn is your home for every out-of-market game live or on demand Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy, all in one place. Sign up now for MLB.tv and the ESPN app. Separate subscriptions required, blackouts, and other terms apply. Visit stream.espn.com slash MLB TV for more information. All right, well, in case you somehow missed it, Troy Parrott's heroics over the international break helped Ireland qualify for a World Cup playoff spot next March. And today, ESPN Dutch correspondent Rick DeCock sat down with the Irish striker to talk about that famous night in Budapest.

46:29How have the last few days been?

46:38Chaos, but really special. Yeah. What has happened to you? I don't know. I don't know. It's a... Yeah, there's a lot. It was a big, big high. But now it's back to earth again. Do you know what happened? Can you realize it already? I don't think I ever will. I'm trying to process it a little bit, how big it was, but I don't think I'll fully ever be able to understand it. Never? I don't think so. The reactions that I've seen from back home is something I've never seen before. Can you give me some examples? Just the videos, the messages, the interviews, everything. I've seen the fans by KOM going wild.

47:46Yeah, it's just a really big moment. Let's go back to Sunday, the last minute of the match against Hungary. What happened?

48:00We were running out of time. I think we just kept putting the ball in the box, trying to see if we could get anything. And then that moment where we win the forced ball and then the rest is a little bit blurry. A little bit? Or a lot? No, it's a lot. From when the ball went in to the game starting again is all a little bit difficult to remember the whole thing. It was, I think, a difficult goal. I thought the first time you want to touch the ball up high, but then you missed it I think and then there was maybe in your mind a second touch and then the ball went in. Yeah, I think when I've watched the back over and over again, my leg was fully stretched.

48:59I couldn't stretch anymore for the ball. So I think once I realised that I wasn't going to flicker up, then I had to try and flicker down. But I feel like my leg grew an extra few inches in that moment just for that ball to go in. It's really, really crazy. Normally you're 185 but that moment I was 190 for sure. My legs definitely grew grew longer just to get on the ball. Can you give the evening a rating from 1 to 10? It's off the scale, 100. That's the evening of your life. Yeah for sure, for sure. And I thought I was on the Thursday against Portugal but But then on the Sunday was the next level.

49:52How many times did you watch the winning goal? Thousand, two thousand. Every time I open my phone, if I see it, then I'm watching it again. And now they keep bringing with another angle and another angle. And it looks like it just keeps getting better and better and better. In the post-match interview you were in tears. What were the first things that came in mind at that moment? There were a lot of things. I think as soon as the game finished my family was sitting right next to where I was going to do the interview. So before I'd done the interview I went to them and hugged them and I seen some of them were crying and then, yeah, as you can probably imagine, one starts crying, two starts crying, then everyone's crying, then I think it was just a build up from that.

50:52But it was also a feeling of massive relief and joy, I think, and yeah, when there's all these things mixed together then the tears come. Do you have any idea how crazy Ireland went because of your goals? I have a little bit of an idea yeah I've seen a lot of videos and I love watching them though seeing the celebrations seeing the joy seeing the smiles seeing people that don't even know each other hugging each other and kissing each other it's yeah special. That's good news because I I have some footage for you. Can I show you? Mm-hmm.

52:05It's all on this from Queenie Keller. Scales is up after it. Scales wins the header. There's a jab. Oh, there's the goal. There's the goal. That's Troy Parrott. That is unbelievable. He scored a hat-trick. And right at the death, Ireland have done it. I've never seen anything like it. Absolutely remarkable. Right at the end, Hungary had been caught. They were hanging on, it seems like, for the whole night. Certainly when it went 2-2, this is just stunning. 3-2, the time is up. The referee has to finish the game. I've no voice left. What do you think is the best part?

52:46It's hard to pick. It could be the goal, it could be the celebrations. Honestly, I don't know. But I love watching all the videos. They put a big smile on my face. Ireland is crazy. Some friends with your name tattooed on their legs. Yeah, they also spelled my second name wrong. So I think maybe they're gonna have to go and get an extra T at the end. But it's crazy. To see people and what our national team can do for people back home, it makes you really really want to chase results like this. And Robbie Keane, the most capped player of Ireland, chanting your name. Is that special? Yeah, that's really special.

53:38And look, I also know Robbie. I've spoke to him a couple of times. He's always looking out for me and to see that he's in a pub just with the fans celebrating like a normal person, celebrating for me also is really special. Yeah and the commentary during the club. The commentary is amazing, yeah. It's amazing. To see the emotion, and this is what I'm talking about, the fact it doesn't matter what you do or if you work at a normal job or a football you play other sports or whatever it may be the the joy that this can bring to Irish people as a whole is yeah it's really really special yeah but you only reached the playoffs I know I know and this is why it's also special because I think it's a little bit more than that.

54:37The way we started in the group, people would have thought that we had no chance. And then to play, I think, the two best teams in the group in the last two matches and have to win both of them. There's a... I think this is also part of the reason that people are really happy with. But what's going to happen if Ireland reaches the World Cup? That I don't know. that I really don't know. And if it's like this for reaching the playoffs, then I can't imagine how it's going to be when we reach the World Cup. All right, Ireland's hero. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we all thought he'd been a wee bit happy.

55:22Maybe he's just tired. Maybe it's like the come down after a wild night out, you know? That's not a come down. He's falling off a cliff there. Natham you you are loving it though you're smiling throughout was it the right Troy pirate yeah I think it wasn't the one with the two T's it was just the one T yeah to be honest as looking at looking at that video like it would make a great transcripts for the way you delivered it wasn't necessarily the most exciting thing in the world yeah but I think as he's mentioned there as the video was showing like to be the hero of a nation is incredible I think the fact that he's mentioned at the end as well they needed to win against Portugal they needed to win away at Hungary to give themselves a chance of making it into a playoff is truly remarkable and to do it with like the last kick of the game basically and for him to be the hero a hat trick like how many players have scored a hat trick for their national side in World Cup qualifiers with the stakes as high as they were you can see that you know we have seen him be high energy because after he scored he was sprinting quicker than anybody else that's ever had Irish blood but yeah it's good because I think sometimes we do get hardened by the way that we perceive football, it's the same team qualifying, it's boring, it's this, it's that but I feel like in this last international break we've seen some really incredible scenes whether it's Scotland itself or whether it's even the Republic of Ireland getting a chance to play in the playoff to get themselves to a World Cup in the summer so credit to Troy Parrott, I'm sure at some point he'll look back at that interview and maybe wonder could I have been a bit happier but the fact is he's lived that moment, yeah exactly and that will be remembered probably until the end of time for all the Irish.

57:01I'm talking me. Hat-tricking qualifiers. Ooh, hat-trick. No, not really. Don't be daft. Hat-trick. I was shooken. I was shooken. No, it's true. I mean, a brilliant story, as Nadam said, one of the many brilliant stories. That was a better story live than that interview. Yes, but maybe because Troy Parrott has realised... I particularly liked the bar with it. I particularly liked the pub with the dog in it. Oh, the doggy was having a grand time. Fantastic. But maybe because he's looking at it now with a leveled head and realizes that Ireland's draw in the playoffs is not exactly the easy one. They do have the Czech Republic first, and if they get past that, they would have to play the winner of Denmark, dun-dun-dun, Deja Vu, and North Macedonia just to reach the World Cup.

57:45Well, Scotland beat them. If it is Denmark, I would imagine it's going to be Denmark because they are a decent... How do you like their chances? Ireland would be pretty good. Against Czech Republic? to get another date with Denmark? There's a reason all these teams. We say, oh, Czech Republic, oh, Italy, oh, Denmark, you know, Poland. All these sides are in the playoffs. They're in the playoffs for a reason. Steve pointed that out the other day. They're in there for a reason. They have not been good enough in their qualification. I mean, Denmark really should have won the group, but they faltered against Belarus and then Scotland.

58:19If you can beat Portugal at home and go and beat Hungary's side that's probably on a par with Czech Republic, probably in a par with Poland and others. Why would you not be able to... I mean, no two games are the same, but I think they've got a good chance of going through it. Stevie, you agree? Yeah, 100%. All right. Natum, you agree too? You agree. Yeah, why not? Why not? I'm inspired after Troy Parrott. Yeah, why not? Yeah, we want to see a proper happy Troy Parrott. We'll do it. We'll check in back in. How many goals is he going to have to score for that? How does he top that? He could score a hat-trick in both games to send them through to the actual World Cup.

58:56Yeah, then you walk up. So good, so good, so good. New summer arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60 % off brands like Rag & Bone, Levi's, Adidas, and Free People. Join the Nordic Club 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. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell.

59:42Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Remember, goats only trust goats because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell.

59:58Well, the Bundesliga is also back and make sure to wake up early tomorrow morning and join us as Bayern Munich will take on Freiburg. I will be there as well as Ale Moreno and our Thomas Hitzelsberg is going to pay us a visit in studio.

1:00:14And guess who's back tomorrow? Our Dan Thomas. He managed to ditch those white pants and he's looking dapper as always. as well. If you missed him, here's a little taste of what you're in for tomorrow.

1:00:53Get that stupid boy grow up. Now you're being stupid. No, I don't think I am. This is the argument you're making. You're being stupid. I'm just copying you, aren't I? What's that? Being stupid. You're seriously going to let me finish a sentence? I hadn't even finished and you were disagreeing with me. I had finished. Number one, you're not going to let me finish. Two, it doesn't matter what I said. You've got some knowledge. Why are you even talking about this game? Here he is, the master of putting words in other words. So what are you saying? I never said that. You, as well as the video, had sat here and said, Are you telling me?

1:01:24If you would like a bet... You're tone again, you're tone again. No, it's the tone. The tone, the tone. Your tone was... Oh, my tone. Oh, my tone was awful. You ask a question, set it up so he gives you the answer. Don't let him answer and then you change the rule. Is the game over at 2-0 away from home? Are you... Is the game over at 2-0 away from home? Is the game over at 2-0? Is the game over? No. Right. All right, I know that was supposed to be a Dan highlight, but it was really a Stevie Nicolau. You excited to have him back, Stevie? Well, no, he does his usual. Wind you up? Yeah. Are you ready?

1:02:01You've had about a month or so of peace. Listen, Dan can do anything he wants for a period of time. And then you're going to let him have it. Because he's up and then he's getting it. All right, well, Dan Thomas, he's back tomorrow. You definitely don't want to miss that. But we are just about to get into extra time, so don't go anywhere.

1:02:22All right, welcome into Extra Time. We've still got Nadam with us, Stevie's... ..reconsidering if he wants to stay for Dan's show tomorrow. Are you on tomorrow? I am. Are you on tomorrow? Craig's on as well. Are you on as well? Yeah, yeah. Craig's actually going to be Dan's chauffeur after. Look how we've all been reduced. I am. Well, to be fair, I've had a little cheaper doodle in front of the car for a month. Front seat. So I'd give it a clean tonight. Oh, I don't know if that's a good thing. Can you? No, he'll be all right. How's he getting in? Are you picking him up? No, I'm not picking him up.

1:03:01I was just requesting to drive him home. Denise will bring him in. He'll be brought in and then he'll be chauffeured home like the king. I mean, I don't want him. The short king. I don't want him. He'll be taking Notwell on the way home in the car. And I got to open the door and kick him out on the I-84. Oh, shut your go, son. Well, Dan, if you're watching, they can't wait to have you back. Hey, I don't do the kiss of life for anybody. I know. I'm telling you that now. It's a disclaimer. Certainly not Thomas. Not a chance. He's going to go. He'll have to go. He'll have to go. So he better be ready to come back to work.

1:03:39Don't be sick in his car, Dan. He better be fit because he ain't doing it. Nope. Don't think so. And I ain't. Would you give him CPR? No chance. It'll be all right. Oh, we've digressed. It's a quick recovery, though, isn't it? It is. Massively quick. It's about a month and change. I'm not sure he's making the right decision. I think I'd have dragged it out. Not that I'm an expert in a liver transplant. Dr. Bully. I think the doctor's suggesting around January time. Yeah, yeah. Why not? He just couldn't wait to be back here with us. All right. Specifically you guys. Because I won't be here. Next question, or first question, rather, at the buzzer.

1:04:15What is City's best midfield three and how do they stack up against the best in Europe?

1:04:26If everyone's fit and playing well, I think it would probably be for me Roger Ereinders and I'll say Foden I think that's probably the three that I think is the most sort of dynamic and controlled offer different sort of like strengths and complement each other in that sort of way and I think in terms of stacking up to midfielders around Europe I think if they're on the day they could potentially match up to absolutely anybody and I'd have no doubt about that whatsoever because they're all really good footballers and all have impact in different sort of like styles so I think that's the best three but they've got lots of other combinations as well which are pretty similar Any arguments there?

1:05:04No Lots But we'll save it for another day We just don't have the time. Yeah, all right. Who's your best midfield three in Europe? Who's your best midfield in Europe, then? Just look away. Just one, I was just wondering. Look away. Just to provide options. Which team? In Europe.

1:05:31Fabian Ruiz, João Neves, Vitinha. I'm trying to figure out whether Barcelona is... That's where I was going. I think I would have to go with PSG. Yeah, fair. All right, take that, Natum. Next question. Mourinho hasn't excelled at Benfica as he might have thought. If he were to wake up tomorrow and decide he wants to coach the national team, would the Portuguese Football Federation sack Martinez for Jose? What do you think, Craig? Not before the World Cup. But I think you could see it happening that if Portugal don't have the World Cup that they want, you could see him at some point coming in to do that job.

1:06:18Do you think Jose still got it? Well, I think the international football is much different, isn't it? You don't have that day-to-day stuff and the pressures. He's been in Turkey. He's now back at Benfica. He was at Tottenham. He was here, there and everywhere. and that sort of magic that he had in the early 2000s is just not there at club football anymore. But international football is a different kettle of fish. You definitely think it's going to happen before he retires, don't you? It might retire. It just depends how soon or how long. We'll see how that World Cup goes then for Portugal. Next question is for Nadam.

1:06:59Nadam, given Thomas Tuchel's preferred system, who should play in that number 10 role?

1:07:09I think, um... I think given the fact that he's got Anderson in there and Rice, and I think they've played really, really well together, then I think it is... It's probably... The biggest name is probably going to be Bellingham. I think he should be playing for England. But I think if it's in terms of really complementing Harry Kane, then he's probably like a Morgan Rogers, somebody who's prepared to run without the ball to be higher up the field and so on. But yeah, I think at some point the system will be down. You bring in a good player, sorry, not a good player, a great player in Jude Bellingham and I think he'll find a way to make it work.

1:07:42I think if he can form a really good relationship with Kane, then great. But I think for how he plays, I think Kane will have to adapt his game more so than if Kane plays with the Rodgers, who have to adapt his game to try and match up to Harry Kane, in my opinion. Seems like I'm not answering that question. This is the daily question. It is. It is the Daily Question now, isn't it? Who's going to play in the number 10 role for Thomas Tuchel? Oh, get me a violin. We could. Daily number 10 question. It's not even Bellingham though. Yeah, it's Bellingham at the moment. Yeah. We'll leave it there.

1:08:16Don't ask those questions again. Sir, yes sir. Yeah. Guys, don't ask this question again, at least when Craig's on. Well, anybody. We've dined out on this for ten days now. Go on, move on. Next question. And it's for Craig. Who does Craig like more, Chelsea or Scotland? Surely it has to be Scotland. Don't bother us, is it? You're not bothering us. No, we're bothered now. Scotland, it's your country. That's unfair. I don't dislike any of them. I don't dislike... But you feel a bit more for your country, right? Clubs come and go. You can only be from one place. Yeah. Well, some people can be from different places.

1:08:53But your Craig is only from one place.

1:09:00I think I'm the wrong person to be asking. I mean, we did enjoy it. Exactly. We did enjoy the outcome the other night against Denmark to see the scenes that we saw. You had a big smile. I've not seen you smile that big in a while. Listen, you're walking on thin ice. I've not seen you. I really haven't seen you smile like that. It was lovely. Well, you'll only see it once. You won't see it again. Don't get too used to it. I know. Oh, no, we know. No, but it was hard to not feel. Yeah. And I've seen the reaction. We've all seen the reaction since then. And you know Steve Clark well, too. Yeah, obviously.

1:09:33I played with Stevie for the best part of 10 years. But you forget. I mean, it's been 28 years since the World Cup for Scotland. That's incredible. Oh, it's mad, don't it? When he was playing and I was playing, it was pretty much a given. And before him, and before him, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. Given. World Cups, European Championships. Nah, the odd blip. The odd. But not 28 years. No. So, from that perspective, it has to be Scotland. Oh, we love it. Got there in the end. Got there in the end. I knew the story was... Of course, if they play badly in the US... You'll give it to them. Fair play. You mean, of course they will.

1:10:18Next question for Nadam. natum if the premier league introduces salary caps would it end the three voted against it that the premier league starts each season from

1:10:33uh i think it depends depends on the nature of that salary cap in itself and whether they're having exceptions within there but also if you do introduce the salary cap how would you pick the number and as a consequence i think if other leagues don't have a salary cap you probably some of the best talent leaving the league as well. So yes, maybe you might lose this three horse race that we tend to see year in, year out. But then also the quality gets to a point to where maybe some people externally aren't as interested in it anymore. So yeah, I think it would change the three team race as such, but it wouldn't necessarily make it better in my opinion.

1:11:08No. No. Nope. No chance. Nope. Well, look at MLS has been changing the rules, the salary cap, it's all under the same umbrella. Year after year after year after year to suit certain... Individuals. Certain things, shall we say. So, absolutely not. No. No. No. Absolutely not. Throw the idea out the window. Yeah. All right. Final question. Oh, it's for me. Lovely. Alexis, what were your honest thoughts when VAR overturned the last-minute penalty for Jamaica? Did you send that in? No, I didn't, because I really don't want to talk about this anymore. Unlike Ireland, I am absolutely distressed that we now have to go into the playoffs, where I don't know if we're going to beat Congo.

1:11:59Who are you talking to? Is that who you played? My camera right here, but I do agree it was the right call. There was no foul. if I'm looking at it from a I suppose an objective eye but obviously I was devastated and I still am devastated did I ever tell you when I got broken up with via my ESPN email my ex-boyfriend broke up with me via my ESPN email nine years ago and let me just say that hurt me a lot less than watching Jamaica draw with Curacao and to go into the playoffs well I'm over that he regretted it let me just say that I'm not sure. Did you know? It was my ESPN email, like come on bro.

1:12:40Who told you he regretted it? He did. In another email after that. What an upstanding lad. He's covering his back. But no, I would rather that 10 million more times than to watch Jamaica play Curacao. So not only have you asked yourself a question on extra time, you're now discussing the fact how your boyfriend broke up with you via email. Nine years ago. How many days? I don't know. He lies. I don't know the days. He's long forgotten. He told me. Nine years. Well, I'm not going to forget it. Us playing in the playoffs next year. 11 days in 45 minutes, he told me. No. I think Jamaica, that's the biggest failure I've seen us do in a hot minute and we have a lot.

1:13:18So, yeah, I'm going to try and heal from it. A lot to choose from. A lot to choose from. But this one was horrible. But it's okay, because I'm hoping Scotland will adopt me. No? No. That's when Craig says it's time to end. Why not? I just think we're going down a road that's not going to lead to... Happiness. Very TV-savvy ending. Well, we can end it right now. ESPN FC will be back tomorrow for more Deep Hearted Talks. Dan Thomas, if you didn't know by now, will be back alongside Stevie and Craig. So you don't want to miss the little man's return. That's a bit up.

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