In short
ESPN FC episode “Three Horse Race?” covers a Premier League title-race weekend and debates who’s truly in contention.
Guests
Shaka Hislop (former goalkeeper, ESPN FC analyst) argues Aston Villa’s resilience and Unai Emery’s coaching keep them in the title conversation; Stevie Nichol (former defender, ESPN FC analyst) focuses on Arsenal’s struggles in the final third and Chelsea’s inconsistency. Frank LeBoeuf (former France/ Chelsea defender, ESPN FC analyst) emphasizes luck/decisions in Villa-Chelsea and questions Chelsea’s late-game control.
Key claims
Villa are “in the race” despite being outplayed for an hour; Emery’s substitutions and Watkins’ late impact are decisive. Arsenal remain top but need more goal threat; David Raya’s save vs Brighton is framed as title-level difference. Man City beat Nottingham Forest via late Cherki/Reinders impact, showing game-changers.
Notable examples
Watkins scoring after a missed Chelsea penalty; Raya’s late stop; City’s late winner; Liverpool’s 2-1 vs Wolves after leading 2-0, then losing confidence.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOPremier League Highlights
0:46 to 3:00
Recap of key matches including Manchester City and Arsenal.
“Elsewhere in the late game, Chelsea took on Aston Villa.”
Villa's Resilience Discussed
3:01 to 6:00
Discussion on Aston Villa's performance against Chelsea.
“whether it's all fantastic for Villa or whether is this Chelsea slipping up big time?”
Chelsea's Struggles Analyzed
6:01 to 8:30
Debate on Chelsea's missed opportunities and team dynamics.
“They do not have as good a squad as Arsenal.”
Unai Emery and Aston Villa's Strategy
8:31 to 10:00
Exploration of Unai Emery's coaching impact on Villa.
“You look at the first half against Newcastle, the second half today once Watkins has scored.”
Arsenal's Narrow Victory Over Brighton
10:01 to 13:00
Recap of Arsenal's tough match against Brighton.
“they still have to learn many, many things before chasing for the title.”
Arsenal's Struggles in the Final Third
14:02 to 16:48
Analyzing Arsenal's performance, focusing on their struggles to convert chances into goals.
“And listen, on today, Arteta had to make adjustments.”
Brighton's Tactical Adjustments Against Arsenal
16:48 to 19:20
Discussion on Brighton's tactical shift and its impact on the match against Arsenal.
“So I really don't want to call it a blip.”
Manchester City's Recent Form and Game Changers
19:20 to 21:42
Examining Manchester City's recent performance and key players contributing to their success.
“You know, Haaland wasn't in the game, but yet they've got Cherky and they've got Reinders scoring goals.”
Ruben Diaz's Controversial Tackle and Referee Decisions
21:42 to 24:18
Debating Ruben Diaz's tackle and the implications of referee decisions in the match.
“And you don't allow a player with that talent, with that skill, being allowed to shoot freely from 18-year-old box.”
Title Race Predictions and Team Performances
24:18 to 28:03
Predicting the title race outcomes based on current performances of Arsenal, City, and others.
“Because I don't think you can look at that.”
Show all 16 chapters
Liverpool vs. Wolves Match Overview
28:31 to 29:50
Discussion on Liverpool's performance against Wolves and their struggles.
“Your stay should feel just as memorable.”
Confidence Issues in Liverpool's Game
29:51 to 31:58
Analysis of Liverpool's loss of confidence during the match.
“were void of confidence as a unit and as individuals I mean the passing went all the passing went astray all the stuff we saw in the first half, particularly Verts.”
Coaching Defensive Strategies
31:59 to 33:12
Exploration of the importance of defensive coaching in football.
“Because there are so many teams that do the same thing, as Frank said.”
Liverpool's Uncertainty After Goals
33:13 to 34:15
Discussion on Liverpool's mental state and performance post-goal.
“Would you like to add anything to that, Shaka?”
Juventus Match Review
35:39 to 36:39
Overview of Juventus' recent victory and implications for the league.
“And talk to your doctor about Vivgart Hattrulo.”
Episode Discussion
42:00 to 49:00
“I don't think that Stevie's that media savvy.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Protein is now at Starbucks and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.
0:19Craig Burley:Welcome in to the latest edition of ESPN FC. I'm Dan Thomas joined by Shaka Hislop and Stevie Nichol. A lot of Premier League matches today. Let me take you through some of the highlights and try not to muck this up. We'll kick things off with Manchester City against Nottingham Forest. Now that was the early game. Turkey's late goal would give Manchester City a victory then, which would put them top of the table. As Arsenal would play later, they would take on Brighton, 2-0 up, cruising the Gunners. However, Brighton would get one back and it was a nervy finish to the game. But in the end, Arteta's side hold on to take all three points.
0:49Craig Burley:Elsewhere in the late game, Chelsea took on Aston Villa. Villa, of course, flying at the moment and they're still very much in the title race. despite what Unai Emery says. They would beat Chelsea by two goals to one. Chelsea dominated the first half, but however, Villa got themselves back into it after the break. Elsewhere, we'd say Liverpool pulled on with a 2-1 victory over bottom of the table walls, which means the top of the table looks like Arsenal at the top. City two points behind them. Villa are still very much in touching distance and in a big gap now to Liverpool in fourth. And for more, let's welcome in, shall we?
1:24Craig Burley:Frank LaBeouf joins us from his holiday in a sauna. What a lovely time for Frank to join us. We'll be hearing from LaBeouf in a moment. But, Stevie, let's start off with you. Big talking point from all of this is that Villa aren't going to go away, isn't it?
1:39Gab Marcotti:I don't know whether I'm going to agree 100%. You don't have to agree at all, Steve. I mean, for an hour, they were completely, totally and utterly outplayed. But they've got a resilience. They've got confidence now. They've got players, the likes of Watkins, who had a bad start to the season, who comes off the bench, gets two goals. I mean, Morgan Rodgers is just a beast. And everything else around them is organised. I'm not so sure that I'm putting anything on them to win the title.
2:12Craig Burley:You know how I'm really saying we're not in the title race. Shut up. Well, I'm going to go with the manager then.
2:17Gab Marcotti:But you're three points off the top. They're three points off the top. And they've been on an incredible run. I mean, what's that, 10 wins out of 11? Yeah. That ain't going to last. I don't see them having the strength of squad for that. But you said yesterday that you didn't think they were going to get a result in this game. I didn't think they were. And for an hour, I was like, I was absolutely spot on. But then you weren't at the end. You were wrong. Well, the thing is, is that down to, is this victory got something to do with Chelsea? I mean, you can't take it away from Aspen Villa, the way they came back in the game.
2:47Gab Marcotti:But at the same time, you've got to look at Chelsea and say, how can you be so dominant, be so much on top you should maybe have killed the game off and then Villa can't do what they did so I'm kind of stuck in the middle here whether it's all fantastic for Villa or whether is this Chelsea slipping up big time? Frank? Well, Chelsea didn't win that game because they didn't convert the chances they had they were for an hour the better team they deserved a penalty that's a penalty nowadays whatever you can think about our times and where it should have been a penalty in our time, that's a penalty a clear penalty in our time and then after you have Watkins being lucky on the face-to-face against Sanchez, getting the rebound and then you have a team who is lucky and yeah, Chelsea maybe didn't do everything but maybe sometimes you have to take me seriously when I say that St-Villa is in a race for the title because they have the chance.
3:53They have the luck and they use it because they're very well organised.
3:56Craig Burley:Frank, you've completely diminished their win today, saying that they were lucky. Yeah, but it's part of the football. I mean, sometimes you need to be lucky. That's quite disrespectful in their team, to go to Chelsea and to come away with a result. Well, I don't know in which part it's going to be disrespectful. You know, Chelsea did what they had to do, but when you play against the team... Well, Chelsea didn't do what they had to do, did they? For an hour, there was no complaint. And if the referee gives the penalty, it's maybe 2-0, game over. So you can say whatever you want. And after Watkins, who have been invisible for four or five games, comes in, faces Sanchez, gets a rebound, scores a goal, and the game is changed.
4:36So you can explain everything in football. You have to talk about the tactic. I mean, the good thing about Emery, that he puts Watkins and Onana on, that made the change. and Palmer went out and you had also another player went out. So Villa weren't lucky
4:52Craig Burley:they were outcoached? Oh, no, no, no, no. The coach made what they had to do. He did what they had to do. But they had the luck and it's part of the football. I mean, I played football and I played 700 games how many times I say, wow, we've been so lucky today. That's part of the game. If you are lucky, you're not going to get anything. And that's what it is. And it was, that was that for Aston Villa today. They were poor for an hour, but they made, they were capable of winning that game because referees didn't do the job. And because the second goal, the first goal, Watkins is lucky. That's what it is.
5:31But credit to the coach because of the good change and credit to the players because they kept on believing that they could win that. And I'm the first and maybe the only one right now saying that Aston Villa is in the race because I take everything into account. Xhaka. Well, I'll finish where Frank ended there. I'll start where Frank ended. Arsenal and Villa are in the race. They're a point of Manchester City. I don't think there's any denying that. Now, whether they'll be there come May, that I have my doubts on. And the thing is, Villa do not have as good a squad as Manchester City. They do not have as good a squad as Arsenal.
6:06They don't even have as good a squad as Liverpool. The difference with this Villa team is, and you touched on it, Unai Emery, who has been simply outstanding. Now, to Frank's point, after an hour, it quite easily could have been Chelsea 4-0 upon Villa. But at the end of 90 minutes, if everybody took their chances, it quite easily could have been Aston Villa winning 6-4. And for all the luck that Frank attributes to Aston Villa, the truth is that the final whistle, Sanchez is probably Chelsea's mighty match. For that half an hour, for the half an hour that Aston Villa showed up, But once Unai Emery made those changes and Enzo Mureska really did not have a response to, as a matter of fact, what he fashioned as a response, we can certainly question a lot about.
6:53Aston Villa was simply outstanding to the point where, as I say, Sanchez, for me, was Chelsea's man in the match over the course of 90 minutes. Now, again, I don't see Villa continuing. I don't see Villa upending Arsenal or Manchester City come the end of the season just because they just don't have the size of squad. And as the games go on, you just wonder if that's going to take its toll. But no question. I think Unai Emery is getting a tune out of this squad that you could say no other match in the Premier League would.
7:24Gab Marcotti:Were Villa lucky? Things went their way. You know, I don't know whether it's just me, but I always find it funny, you know. Unai Emery made three substitutions and everybody's like, oh, great move and perfect timing and what a coach. You know, and I kind of go, well, they were so bad for an hour. Is he not responsible for that hour? But yeah, things turned on, you know, and what Frank said is true. The game turned on that first goal. Yeah, 100%. And it was lucky. There's no question the first goal was lucky. After that, there was nothing lucky about it. You know, Villa absolutely came alive. And Shaq and Serra, I mean, Sanchez had half a dozen really good saves.
8:09I mean, so they weren't lucky.
8:13Gab Marcotti:They were lucky that they got the equaliser. But after that, then you've got to give them credit for the way they went about it. But you have to worry about Chelsea, though. Absolutely. But before the first go, and granted, Watkins got a huge slice of luck there. they had another one-on-one before the I can't remember who it was Sanchez made a really good save so you could almost see it coming so while the goal in itself yes he got the rubber of the green there striker's luck, it was coming and so you can't just say oh it was lucky and nothing else it was coming, they had a bit of luck about it but it was coming.
8:54Craig Burley:Chelsea are weird aren't they Frank? You look at the first half against Newcastle, the second half today once Watkins has scored. There's nothing particularly that says, trust us, we'll get you across the line. Of course not. And we know that. And it's a question of consistency. I always talk about that. You have talent. You have the potential. But they have to grow. They still have to grow. Players are doing what they have to do. I think Mareska also have his responsibilities for some game changing. And when we saw some players going out, players coming in, when you have a Cucurella who is, I think, on the top of his football going out, I don't know if he was injured or something went wrong, but I'm concerned about also his moves and everything.
9:41So Chelsea is still a very young team who still needs to grow and to get experiences from their games. But they are talented. And I'm not being fifth or fourth in the league. I'm not surprised. and I think it's where they belong, with all due respect. Because, comparing to the others, they still have to learn many, many things before chasing for the title.
10:08Gab Marcotti:I'm sorry, Frank. I'm kind of... I hate this line about Chelsea are young. I mean, Sanchez is 27, Cucurel is 28. You've got two central midfielders who are 24, but they've got as much experience as anybody. I mean, Rhys James is 26. I mean, so I'm past the young thing. You know, at the end of the day, particularly Enzo Fernandez and Kaiseido in the middle of the park, in my opinion, it all starts with them. Now, I do believe that they've got problems at centre-back, and I think that doesn't help. But the guts of the team is those two. And in my opinion, those are the two who should be sorting things around them and behind them in terms of being ahead and stopping the opposition number one from playing and then getting the result.
11:00Gab Marcotti:You know, you play your football, you get ahead. Now you have to be smart. And I'm sorry, these two guys, in my opinion, have had enough experience. How much experience do you need? So-called World Club champions, they've won a European title. I mean, how much experience do you need? I think the two of them have to be... Maresca has to get a hold of the two of them and speak to them and make sure that when they get ahead and they try to see the game out, that they do certain things at certain times in the game. You can't just keep playing, keep playing, keep playing and lose goals or we'll just keep playing.
11:36Gab Marcotti:No, sometimes you've just got to do the dirty stuff and just make sure you get over the line. And those two guys, as I said, for me, that's where it starts.
11:46Craig Burley:Frank, your young narrative is getting old. No, no, but hey, I hear what Stevie said, and I'm going his way in a way that I think, in terms of an experienced team that I explained, is the fact that I don't find the chemistry. I don't find that at some point they know exactly what the others are doing when you're a player, that you know what you're doing, that you're going to cover it, or you're going to challenge something. It's like they're still discovering each other because of the old changes that we see, and we have seen throughout the season. But again, for an hour today, don't forget that we didn't see Aston Villa.
12:29Aston Villa had four times the ball in the opening side of the field. And if Martinez doesn't make a fantastic save on Rhys James, I don't know if it was a cross or if he tried to score, it would have been a different story. Again, if the referee gives the penalty, that's a different story. And maybe we talk about something else. Wow, Chelsea, what a performance against Alstom Villa. Because the game would have been over. But it's true that when they started to concede that chance by Watkins and then the goal by Watkins again, they lost their mojo. And that's what they have to work on. It's why maybe I'm talking about an experience.
13:11Maybe it's more about chemistry and knowing each other, covering each other, working together.
13:16Craig Burley:Next up for Aston Villa, the league leaders. They'll take on Arsenal, who took on Brighton. Of course, a 2-1 victory for them, which just they made such hard work of, Shaq. Brighton didn't have a shot at all in the first half. It should have been dead and buried. But yet again, Arsenal fans are made to sweat right to the final whistle. Is there going to be an occasion where this is going to bite them in the bum? That's kind of what I actually predicted for this one, that you've seen this from Arsenal over recent weeks where they've gotten over the line, at times have kind of limped. I spoke about the injury time winner against Wolves.
13:51You saw it in the Cup against Crystal Palace. And I just wonder if that would be, again, be the case here. Arsenal just have not been blowing teams out of the water, as they should. And listen, on today, Arteta had to make adjustments. He struck Declan Rice out at right back. But still, you come away from the game, get three points, but almost you feel as though you're left with just as many questions as answers. What's Giocares, what's his role in this team? How is he making this team any better? And similarly, I'm not sure. And while great, you come away from this with three points, you're still top of the table.
14:35Very good response, given what happened earlier in the day. you rely on your own goal
14:44and then did David Raya save? I mean, while you can just say that's why he's there, that's why he was signed blah blah blah, that was simply outstanding and that really is the difference between having a totally different conversation about Arsenal and maybe Arsenal being in a totally different psychological position had they drawn they would have been second after being tough for so long. And I just wonder, as you look at these games, as the Champions League restarts and Arteta inevitably has to rotate with this inability to run up three or four goals and give yourself a comfortable lead over anybody in the Premier League if that will come back to haunt you.
15:25Craig Burley:Is there not a different side to it to say, look, this is Arsenal's blip. They're not playing very well. They're having to rely on things like own goals, yet they're still getting results. So once they get through this, then they're going to be cruising.
15:38Gab Marcotti:It's hard to call this a blip. I think they're just struggling in terms of the final third. You know, yes, well, you know, Shaq is talking about that. You need a goalkeeper like Rare to win the league. To come out and make a save like that when he's basically had not a lot to do the whole game. And then all of a sudden he pulls that out of the heart. I mean, that's two points. That's two points. But that's how you end up winning the league because you've got talent in your team. And today, that talent that mattered was your goalkeeper. But there's no question that their biggest problem is up front.
16:13Gab Marcotti:And I've been kind of hesitant to get on the back of Jockerez. But today, when I was watching them, I'm thinking, boy, I'm starting to kind of go the other way. Because they thought they were signing a goal-scoring centre-forward. a guy who would finish games off, a guy who would score two and three to kill the game off and do it from nothing, but he's actually not contributing. And unfortunately for Arsenal, right now it seems like nobody else is really looking that dangerous in the final third, including Saka. So I really don't want to call it a blip. I just think they have to figure out how they create and score more goals when they're on top.
16:59Gab Marcotti:because there's no question. I mean, they were the better side. But you've got to finish games off because unless your goalie can turn around and do what Raya did, then that's why you wouldn't win the league. Frank, Arsenal did win the game.
17:11Craig Burley:They are top of the league. Are the boys being too harsh? No, no, I agree with the guys. And we were talking about Chelsea being good for an hour. That was the same case and the same scenario from the Gurners. I was standing for an hour and suddenly something gets wrong. And the thing that got wrong is because the coach of Brighton changed the tactic. And they started to play at four at the back and it was more stabilised, more organised. And suddenly Brighton were better than Arsenal. The first in the Premier League. And again, if you don't have Roya and that's a fantastic save, it's a draw. They weren't performing against Wolves.
17:51They struggled before against Crystal Palace. they're not at the best of the best. So I'm not going to talk about the luck again because people are going to say, oh yeah, it's all about luck. But everything goes their way. But be careful because at some point you can be punished if you don't finish it. But as the guy said, yes, the final four is not there. He's not performing. He's not doing great. So is it Jocares? Is it others? Because Saka also is not sometimes. I remember one action. when he has the ball and he has to give the right to other guard and decided to shoot, put like three yards above the crossbar.
18:33And I say, why he doesn't give the ball to his friend? It was easy. And there are some stuff who tells me that it's not perfect. Months ago, I would have said Arsenal are going to win the Premier League easily. Now, it's not given, for sure.
18:49Craig Burley:What, of course, is added to that discussion is Manchester City's form of late. Beating Nottingham Forest 2-1, Shirky's late goal, very much the difference. Pep Guardiola afterwards said we wouldn't have won this game last year. And I think that's a big statement, isn't it? And a fair statement.
19:04Gab Marcotti:Yeah, I agree with you 100%. Listen, Sean Dyche has turned Forest back into the Nuno team. I was impressed with them today. You know, they gave it a go. They were trying to go forward. And all the question marks that we've had over City, I think we got answers today. You know, Haaland wasn't in the game, but yet they've got Cherky and they've got Reinders scoring goals. And then defensively, pretty much anything that was thrown at them, they dealt with it. So, yeah, I mean, right now, as we stand, there's one team is on the up and another team is kind of just floating. It's floating. They're not really going anywhere.
19:48Gab Marcotti:They're just kind of there. but Man City no question today I thought they looked as though they could won the title today I thought I thought maybe they got a little bit lucky with the early opportunity and then Forrest just kind of camped out I was a little disappointed in Forrest because for huge spells they seem really uninterested in attacking Manchester City and then all of a sudden they get the goal and again, we disagree, I thought Ruminia should have been sent off, but City get the goal and all of a sudden it becomes a football game. Now Forrester are attacking, Forrester are taking a little more chance simply because they have to and they certainly gave Manchester City an awful lot to think about and even when they got the equaliser, they didn't kind of sit back as they had previously and Manchester City get the winner through Cherokee.
Read the full transcript
20:47Manchester City have difference makers in the talent that they're able to call on. And today it was Rad Chirky, both with the assistant and the goal. I think that's the big difference. When you compare where Manchester City are right now, and you ask yourself who are the game changers for Arsenal, City have three, maybe four players at the top of that list right now. Saka, as Stevie said, right now isn't playing that well. as he hasn't been ever since the Spurs game has not been the player I think many expected him to go on to be and so Arsenal are struggling in that attack in third whereas you know even when you camp out even when you make things difficult for Manchester City you can count on any number of players to just pop up with that moment of magic and that's the big difference between the two right now Talk to me about Shirky Frank Well he's exceptional right now but maybe some coaches, you know, who are going to play against that team, we're going to think about, you know, don't let Sheki getting the ball just outside the 18-year-old box because he's been his third goal in that positioning and today he was absolutely free.
22:00And you don't allow a player with that talent, with that skill, being allowed to shoot freely from 18-year-old box. So he's great. what he said after the game that he said he's not there to score goals, that's Allen's duty he's there to assist players and I love the fact that he thinks that way, he's a great talent I knew that when he was in Lyon and what he does for City is exceptional for his first year and he's a game changer right now he's a real game changer for City
22:34Craig Burley:He's got some sparkle that I feel the Premier League has been missing
22:39Gab Marcotti:Yeah, I think I remember not that long ago certainly last season thinking City's boring to watch. They became boring to watch. I can't say that now. They've definitely turned the corner. The movement and the free-flowing football seems to have changed. And they don't go backwards as much as they used to either. And I think that's probably down to the signings they made, particularly Cherky. Because if you've got a guy like that and you can get him on the ball and he can find Foden, Why would you not go forward? So, yeah, absolutely. I think there's been a little, not a little, there's been a significant change in the way City go forward.
23:21Craig Burley:Stevie says no second yellow. Xhaka says yes second yellow to Ruben Diaz. You have the deciding vote, Frank Le Boeuf. So Xhaka, his club's going to win. Yes, of course. I was a defender and I saw what Diaz was doing. He looked down, looked at the legs, he knew exactly what he was doing and then looked up, like pretending, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose. But he knows what he does because he knows that if he lets the players going, they're going to struggle. So he goes up, he puts his head up, pretending, but he knows exactly where the player is, where the opponent is. And he touches his leg.
23:59Well, I'm not ready to bet on that, but I'm almost ready to do so because I was there. And I knew exactly how to make a mistake pretending that I wasn't doing it on purpose. And I'm pretty sure he did it on purpose.
24:16Gab Marcotti:Here's where I stand with this, though, right? And I'll tell you why. Because I don't think you can look at that. And we've seen that. I mean, today I've seen that about six times. Showing off. And I still don't know whether he meant it or whether it was an accident, right? It's the seventh. And so if you can't say that he means that, you can't send somebody off his field. Frank says he does mean it because he looks at his leg and pretends he's not looking at it. That's the thing for me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't see that. For me, Ruben Diaz's eyes is not always on the ball. He knows exactly where Jesus is.
24:51He has a look. So he knows he's beaten and makes no attempt to play the ball. He's only attempted to play the man there. And so while it wasn't egregious, it wasn't going to cause any harm, it was intentional. No attempt to play the ball. That ticked all the boxes for me for a yellow card.
25:13Craig Burley:Right then, Nasser boy. Percentages. Of what? Title. That's Don's job. No, Don's not here. Don's not already tweeting about Telemans. Percentages, I go, I think Villa are in the race, but just. So I'll go 10 % to make the math easy. And then after that, I go 50-40, somewhere in between. in between that, Arsenal as favourites. Arsenal favourites, 50%. But maybe a little bit less than 50, but I don't want to get my maths in. But you're scared about maths. Yeah, I don't want to get my maths in a muddle. Frank? I go 50 % for Arsenal. OK. I go 30 % for City and 20 % for Arsenal. Wow, Frank. That's quite generous.
26:01Well, 11 games in a row. And we have the example of Leicester, not having the squad for that, but doing it. And I remember in France also Montpellier and Lille doing it as well against the big Paris Saint-Germain. So everything is possible. And the way I see Aston Villa doing, yes, it's possible that they're going to fall and they're not going to follow the rhythm, whatever. But so far, so good. And we are in the middle of the winter window where it's complicated. They keep on winning. And they keep on winning against Chelsea and not being good. But they won. So, yeah, I give 20 % to Arsenal.
26:43Gab Marcotti:Stephen? 50-40-10. 50-40-10, same as Shaq. Arsenal's favour.
26:48Craig Burley:OK, all right. For a lot more on what's been going on in the old footballing world, be sure to check out the latest edition of the Gab and Jules podcast that is available to listen to now as they reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026 as well. If you run a home service business, you're probably wondering if your current software is ready to handle that next phase of growth. You're working hard to bring in more revenue, stay on top of marketing, payroll, projects, and more, all while keeping your customers happy. But your software isn't cutting it. If that's the case, it's time to upgrade to Service Titan, the all-in-one solution that scales with you.
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29:06Craig Burley:Liverpool taking on bottom of the table Wolves and it was a great start for Liverpool as they were 2-0 up in the first half Gravenberg and Vert scoring within a minute of each other but then Wolves would score in the second half early on and it would be a bit of a struggle for Liverpool certainly for their fans as they watch their side hold on against the team bottom of the table We've kind of had this conversation about Liverpool before Stevie even when they win you're not exactly it's not convincing is it?
29:34Gab Marcotti:well it was convincing at 2-0 absolutely up until the goal but then you as soon as they lose the goal you know a lot of people hear us talking about confidence and things like that and they're not much going oh they're talking about confidence but you saw a team that when they lost the goal were void of confidence as a unit and as individuals I mean the passing went all the passing went astray all the stuff we saw in the first half, particularly Verts. Verts in the first half was easily the best player on the field. But all that stuff disappeared when they lost the goal. And that is down to confidence.
30:09Gab Marcotti:And a realisation of, you know what, some good teams when they lose a goal, go, you know what, we're never going to, we shouldn't make that mistake again. You know what, we're going to start closing them down, we're going to be tight defensively, we're going to get after them. Liverpool, it's almost like they're all looking around going, what are we doing here? Right, let's hold on. Because that's where it was. I mean, I was sitting there waiting. I was shouting at the telly, telling the referee to blow his whistle. Against probably the worst team that's ever played in the Premier League. Two points.
30:42But it's...
30:43Gab Marcotti:That's Liverpool these days. Yeah, it is. Frank? That's not only Liverpool. We've been talking since the beginning of the show about Chelsea, about Arsenal, about Liverpool, where they were so dominant for an hour and disappearing, almost disappearing for the last 30 minutes. So it's, again, I'm talking about consistency. You have to finish the game. And Liverpool played very well, but suddenly became very shaky and uncomfortable playing against the last of the Premier League. We are the former winner of the Premier League, losing almost all their tools because they considered one goal. And as Stevie just said, eluded, yeah, it can happen once.
31:30And you say, OK, we close up, we go back to our basics, to our foundation, we know what we have to do. We're going to finish and we're going to score two or three other goals. Because that's not a problem. But it seems to be a problem. Players seem to be having no confidence whatsoever in their football, in their teammates, and they lose it. You have to wonder, are today's coaches interested in coaching defence?
32:01Gab Marcotti:Because there are so many teams that do the same thing, as Frank said. And you have to think, is it because everything is about little short games, short passes, moving the ball fast, attacking, going forward, do they actually spend, you know, the classic George Graham at Arsenal, where he used to take the back four out, a couple of...
32:21Craig Burley:George Graham, boys and girls, who is a coach of ours. He's a 700-year-old.
32:24Gab Marcotti:It's not that before you were born. Anyway.
32:30Gab Marcotti:But the point is, is this guy, every single day for 10 minutes at the end of training, would work on defence. So that when it came to closing out a game or when things were tight, everybody knew what to do. Everybody knew their job. And then he would pull everybody else in as well. Did you do that in the revs? Absolutely we did it. Absolutely. I mean, it just seems, because nobody does it anymore. It's almost like if it's not going right, going forward, and the passing's off, and we're under a bit of pressure, what do we do? We just keep trying to go forward. I'm sorry, there's a huge part of the game, in my opinion, that's not getting coached today, and that's defence.
33:13Craig Burley:Would you like to add anything to that, Shaka? The game more than his old man. Yeah, no, especially I mentioned, kind of Bradley made a challenge there that certainly saved Liverpool two points. And to Stevie's point, you can't have Wolves on the ropes like they did. I mean, Wolves were the happiest team on the day to hear a halftime whistle. Because had that game kept going, Liverpool would have just kept running. That's my feeling. Liverpool would have just kept running up and score. But then you go to the break and you come back out and this uncertainty about who you are from a Liverpool perspective just kind of comes back to haunt you.
33:51And I find that amazing. A lot to be happy about on the day. I thought Frimpong was good. I loved seeing Kies out there. But then, again, as soon as you get one punch on the chin, you don't know what to do, how to respond. And this coming from the worst of the teams in the Premier League, Not a good day, in my opinion. 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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35:48Craig Burley:Elsewhere, Juventus beat Pisa by two goals to nil. Third in the table, however, those, of course, ahead of them and indeed behind have two games in hand. They'll be talking about that on the Gavin Jules podcast. Of course, that will be available at some stage before the end of the year. That is it, that brings us to the end of today's show, but Frank will be back, Shaka and Stevie here as well, if I can find the Extra Time questions. Here they are. There we go. What are you doing, Shaka? I have no idea. What is that, Oliver? I don't know. Stay with us. I'm trying.
36:24Craig Burley:Welcome here to the latest edition of Extra Time. Shaka's here as is Stevie. Frank LePouffe, where are you, Frank? I've been in the abbs in a mountain, in a place where I used to go when I was young, and I invited my brothers and my mother to celebrate my brother, older brother's birthday tomorrow.
36:45Gab Marcotti:Aww. Very nice. Beautiful. He's always got a name. Oh, well maybe he doesn't want to give it away. Oh, he doesn't want to know, it's top secret. Oh, sorry. That's right, that's right. Sorry.
36:56Craig Burley:We have plenty of snow here, didn't we, Steve? Did you have to clear the snow today?
36:58Gab Marcotti:I did, I.
37:00Craig Burley:What contribution did you make?
37:02Gab Marcotti:I made sure it was noticed that I actually did some.
37:05Craig Burley:Okay. So if we spoke to Eleanor now, what would she say?
37:08Gab Marcotti:She did it.
37:09Craig Burley:Yeah.
37:10Gab Marcotti:She was up at 6 o 'clock, didn't it? Wow. It was 7 o 'clock before the show. Last week, there was some snow and he shouted at Eleanor. He's seen on the old ring. On the doorbell. He shouted at Eleanor, trying to do the snow all by herself. Yes. He's here giving her a hard time.
37:27Craig Burley:I couldn't do the snow because, you know, the old liver. Oh, right, right, right, right. Very careful of that. I didn't know that was one of the side effects, Dal. You should try it. Frank, was Chelsea bad today or Aston Villa too good? We talked about this. Frank said, don't take any notice of Villa. They were lucky. That's it. No, no, no. You know what? I just saw at the end of the show, I saw the Nigerian player putting his arm and getting a penalty against him. I don't see the difference between this handball and the Aston Villa handball. And I get frustrated because I want a referee to explain to me what is the difference and why you don't give a penalty.
38:08Because I tell you, 2-0, that would have been another scenario. So, yes, Chelsea, no, they haven't been bad. They played well for an hour. But, yes, I have to say, it's part of the game. Aston Villa has been a little bit lucky.
38:23Craig Burley:Chelsea were bad in the final third of the game. Yeah, but at some point, we were bad for an hour. And they got the three points. OK, so the good part of Chelsea outweighs the bad part. I don't know. At some point, at the three points, Chelsea got nothing, so it's bad. Right, so they were bad today. Right, good, let's move on. Is Emery, Stevie, the foremost talented tactician in the game as of today? Lucky. Lucky.
38:51Gab Marcotti:There's an answer. Throw up Watkins. I said it during the show. If he was the foremost tactician in a game, they wouldn't have been that bad for an hour. He would have played those three players from the start. And he's able to make changes that make a difference. Maybe he knew Chelsea would be bad and couldn't get more than a goal. Maybe he'd have to see us. Yeah. Yeah, clever. He made the changes in the walk. Yeah, but I just, you know, you've got to balance it.
39:17Craig Burley:Overall, though, if you were to have a manager of your side, where would Unai Emery rank in the world's managers I assume Pep would still be number one yeah I think
39:28Gab Marcotti:yeah you can't argue with Pep can you but he's in the conversation after that isn't he he's in the conversation after that yeah yeah I think he's in the I think he's in the next tier okay yeah you don't listen you don't win the Europa League so many times unless you know what you're doing and there's no question he knows what he's doing but he struggled at Arsenal struggled at PSG yeah people like Pep have a little sprinkling of something. Which bit's harsh? Well, he took over from Arsene Wenger. That's always difficult. Manchester United are still reading from that. PSG were an absolute mess.
40:03Ancelotti struggled at PSG. So, did he struggle at those clubs? Just a bit harsh. I think there were underlying reasons for that. But overall, he did. But he's not to blame. For any of it. Carry on.
40:19Craig Burley:Frank, what did you want to say? No, he has to be blamed when he played Paris Saint-Germain second leg against Barcelona and winning 4-0 or 4-1 the first leg. And he didn't do the tactic properly. So he has to be blamed. And I'm sorry. History talks. When he was in two big clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, he didn't do well. When he was in Sevilla, I think Valence and now Aston Villa, he does great. So maybe the kind of coach who needs to be in a more, per se, so-called family club than a big, big club. So maybe, maybe. I hope that one day he will prove me wrong. But so far, that's what it is.
40:57Gab Marcotti:Yep. You're not in your head. Absolutely agree with Frank, yeah. I mean, you wouldn't ask Pep to go and coach Wolves. You wouldn't expect Pep to do anything with Wolves, would you? You'd swap slots for Unai Emery right now, wouldn't you?
41:12Craig Burley:and Liverpool's a big club.
41:15Gab Marcotti:Why would I swap
41:16Craig Burley:Unai Emery for Slott right now? Because Slott's having a nightmare and Unai Emery's a more experienced, better coach.
41:23Gab Marcotti:Tell me a coach that hasn't had a nightmare spell. Look at Pep last year. They had a complete shocker.
41:29Craig Burley:If that's what you're saying,
41:30Gab Marcotti:then I can't argue with you. I wouldn't swap Slott for Unai Emery today. Would you, Shaq? Yeah. Quickly. He was saying that last year when he won the league. Shaq and he didn't play for Liverpool before. He didn't ask me last year.
41:45Craig Burley:Frank, where do you stand on this? I said, Xhaka never played for Liverpool before. There are some stuff you can't really say. Because tomorrow, if Stevie says, yeah, I will change slot for Emery, tomorrow is in all newspapers. I don't think that Stevie's that media savvy. I think you're giving it a little bit. I never thought of that, Frank. Frank, same question to you though. If you're Liverpool and you could swap, would you? Yes, I would. I would, yeah. I would. Frank, are you still confident that Chelsea make the top four? It's possible, you know, because of Liverpool. Because it's possible between those two that one of them is going to get the four spots.
42:29But before, I think Aston Villa is ten points ahead and City and Arsenal are better for me than Chelsea. But it's still possible for So for Chelsea, if they fight with a couple of clubs, I would say, to finish fourth, it's possible, yeah.
42:45Craig Burley:Frank has a good way of making Chelsea sound like these little underdogs. They're the world champions, Frank. Of course they should be finishing fourth. They spend 40 billion in the summer. Iral has said he wants to keep Semenyo, Xhaka, for as long as possible in January. What's going through Semenyo's head when he hears that a move to Manchester City could be on the horizon? Oh, it was good. I need to buy a house in Manchester. Wow, quick. Let's be honest. I don't think they're going. You never know. My dry up. I was remarking my dry up. Those£10 million pounds. Listen, you also menu. A club like Manchester City with a manager like Pep Guardia comes calling.
43:26It's just, you're just waiting for the time, waiting for it to happen. Results like today don't help in that regard. Yes, Pashaka, can I ask you something? You are Semenyo. You go to Manchester City. You're not sure you're going to play. You're going to go to Manchester City?
43:47I think, yes. If I were in that position, absolutely yes, I still go. And while I, as you may be suggesting, I'm not sure how he fits in. But I've said this time and time again. Players really have this fetal self-belief almost. that you're not thinking I can't get into that team. Right. You are. You're thinking I am going to light it up when I get up there. Every single player thinks that way. And I'm sure Semenya does as well.
44:19Craig Burley:I'm Rashad. Yep, you're nodding. Stevie, I hate these questions. What was your most memorable Liverpool New Year's or Boxing Day match?
44:28Gab Marcotti:No idea.
44:29Craig Burley:Yes, I knew it. No one remembers anything. Mario doesn't remember getting fits off. Sucked up. I haven't said what.
44:37Gab Marcotti:I'm reducing that. I can't remember any of them. Frank. The only thing I remember... Oh, wait, wait. No, the only thing I remember is Christmas Day. Running round Anfield. Because that's what we did. We would go in for half an hour in the morning. Don't try for sympathy again. Sorry? Frank. OK, I mean, it's the game away from home that we play on Boxing Day against Southampton. And it was the first time when an English team didn't play with any English players and we knew that we had to win otherwise we would have been hammered by the press and fortunately we won that game but that is why I remember that game.
45:16Not because of the Boxing Day or the New Year's Eve, whatever it could be, it's just because that was a big pressure that day.
45:23Craig Burley:Okay, I'm going to skip this next question because I don't want to do it. Final question, for the panel all of you are dads. What are the worst Christmas presents you've ever received from your children and did you use it? What did you get for Christmas this year, Stevie? Anything nice? You're quite difficult to buy for.
45:42Gab Marcotti:Yeah. Yeah, I've got aftershave.
45:45Craig Burley:Yeah, look at that face, full of excitement.
45:49Gab Marcotti:Snow shovel.
45:53Craig Burley:Have you ever had a horrible present that the kids have got you?
45:56Gab Marcotti:No. Not the kids. I remember when I was 15 my godmother got me a pair of socks. Okay. They were about a size 7 or something. Because you've got 13 feet. I was like, what's the point?
46:16Craig Burley:That's incredible, that's stuck in your head for over 50 years. Yeah. Wow. Trauma much? Shaka. This would have been... Should have been last year. My son, who for some reason is a Spurs fan. Don't know how I feel him as a father. Decided to get me a Spurs shirt. Yes. For Christmas. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Nice. Yeah, I still wear it. Nice, nice. Because I'm... When do you still wear it? Around. When he's playing his pick-up games. Just around. I just wear it because I don't want it to get better of me. I'm not going to let it get better. You don't wear casual things anyway, do you?
46:59Craig Burley:No. You kind of go from dressing gown, robe, to smile. Yeah, there's nothing in between. No, there's not. You basically go from bed to work. No, yeah, yeah. You go from bed to work and back to bed. Come on. I've seen Stevie in his robe. It's quite something. Every now and then he might shovel some snow. Yes. But that's about it. I've told you this before, Denise got me an electric tie rack once. I've worn a tie since I've worked there since 2008. Since like 2008. Frank? Not my kids, but I don't like when people offer me fragrance because first they know, if they know me, that I've been using the same fragrance for perfume, the same perfume for the past 20 years.
47:43Right. But I think it's really, it says something. is when you don't know what to offer, you offer a fragrance to somebody. So you don't want to look for anything. Maybe, yeah. Maybe they need to take a shower for 20 years. There's a reason why. At some point, you've got to move on from that Old Spice.
48:08Craig Burley:ESPN FC sponsored by Old Spice. We'll return tomorrow. Be sure to... I've been waiting for 20 years. Shaker's precious spurs are in action. Crystal Palace, be sure to join us.
48:28As 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. 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.
From the publisher
The FC crew break down the Premier League title race and react to wins for Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa. Plus, the guys break down Liverpool's nervy win over Wolves and praise Florian Wirtz for a brilliant performance capped off by his first goal for the club.
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