Three Lions flying high, Portugal disappointing in opener

23:45It is only match day one, but I think for all the reasons the boys have said, when it gets to the crunch, how do you let teams get somewhat domination in a game is when they feel that they have the ability to squeeze you up the field. That condenses everything, makes it more difficult for you. And with this front line at the moment that Portugal have, there'll be very few teams that are frightened to squeeze further up. Then they'll be able to win the ball back. And of course, Portugal's outball then has to be in behind, which unless they're getting it from the wide positions, they don't have it through the middle.

24:15Exactly. It's a very early talking point. The other way you do it is that the centre forward's not going to make runs in behind. He drags defenders into that space and the wide players make outside runs, but they're on the right hand side. He did change him at half-time. They had Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva's not going to make those dynamic runs. I agree. I think, I personally think Roberto Martinez got the formation wrong today. I think when they were playing, when he saw that they were playing a back three, it would have been better, in my opinion, to start with essentially two number nines to fully occupy them so that say maybe the wingers if you're going to play them because another one as you've mentioned penado silver on that right hand side it's not what's needed in this game you had masuaki on one side you had one bit hacker on the other side for congo who are very prepared to defend 1v1 but if you're going to do that you have to have people who after after the first half the first 45 minutes when they were 1-0 up but you could but you can see dr congo coming back into the game that's when the coach has to make changes and has to change the game plan.

25:09Didier Deschamps did it for France and so did Ancelotti for Brazil. Roberto Martinez didn't do it. Yeah, I think in some ways though he was probably like almost mesmerised by the possession that they had thinking the game was under control because at half time the possession was 80-20 and he thought, well, we're in control of this game we're going to create something and so on. But as time passed that creativity just wasn't there and I think that's the thing that's concerning me that when he saw that that wasn't the case why didn't you do something else? Bringing on Conceição at half time, great but it felt like it still needed more and it just didn't do it.

25:40And they started to look vulnerable on the counter in the second half, by the way, as well. It could have easily been 2-1, Congo. So, did Diar Congo to win it? Listen, the gap's getting smaller. How deep have you got going to put you in this tournament, Kieran? I think it's all going to come down to how Martinez deals with Ronaldo. How would you deal with it if you were in charge? Here we go. Here we go. Yeah. I think I would... Who have they got next game? Who have they got next game, Portugal? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It depends on who they've got. But I would give him another game.

26:20And then maybe in the third game, if he doesn't produce, I would pull him out. Would you do the same? No, I think I keep him in the team. But I would try and have the focus, as Robbo said, on the wingers making sure that they're trying to stretch the game from that standpoint. You've got to make sure that the team is not one-dimensional. For long parts in the game today, that's exactly what they turned into. I think he'll be much more impactful coming on in the second half. Right? Yeah, but there's a Spanish... Do you think he'd be happy with that? There's a Spanish guy who doesn't want to tell him.

26:51Is it an impact? Yeah. No, no, no, of course. Here's the deal. Roberto Martinez is leaving, apparently, after this tournament, right? Yeah. So this is not about sentiment. Now it's about strong decisions. Right. You know, does he want to leave and everybody loves him? Or does he want to leave having made some big decisions and it either came off or it didn't come off, rather than sitting in his hands? Now, Ronaldo's not the only one today after that game, but he's certainly the biggest talking point from a Portuguese point of view. But he's hired Roberto Martinez to make these big calls. And if it means taking off your star player from yesteryear and the guy that scores in all the qualifiers, and he does, because once again, you're at an elite level tournament and it's not happening.

27:34We're going to find out if he's got what it takes to make that call. And I think that's another big question for Portugal. You know, we have a striker who's in his 40s, who's been an amazing, incredible professional player. There's not even a shadow of a doubt about that. And here you have a manager who the other question is, does he have what it takes to make that big decision that's in the best interest, Robbo, of the Portuguese national team? I don't think he does. and the one thing that would worry me as well if I was Roberto Martinez, the one thing that Ronaldo has kept over the last six, seven years is his ability in the box.

28:07His ability to hang in the air and win balls in the air. They had a lot of crosses into the box today. He didn't get near one of them. On times he didn't even jump. So that would be my worry for Roberto Martinez. If I was the coach, I certainly wouldn't start with him. So it finishes Portugal 1, DR Congo 1. I don't think anybody saw that coming. Just a reminder, the Gavin Jules podcast is available every day for you to listen to the boys here in the States to reflect on what's going on in the World Cup. After the break, we hand it over to Alexis to reflect on Colombia's opening World Cup match.

28:55Absolute joy there in Medellin and Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, because Colombia now getting a win at the World Cup over Uzbekistan. Alexis Dune is here alongside Stevie Nichol and our Alejandro Moreno. Now, we know that Colombia are still dreaming of 2014. Ale, this is your region, Conmebol. We know exactly how big they can be on their day, but this wasn't exactly 100 % comfortable. No, it was not. And it was such an important game for Colombia to win, not just because you want to get off to a good start in the World Cup. That in itself should be enough motivation. But given the result between DR Congo and Portugal, this would allow the opportunity for Colombia to control this group and really dictate how this group is going to go.

29:42And having that control, you would think it would have been a whole lot easier for Colombia, given the fact that not a whole lot of people know about this team from Uzbekistan. And what we saw is that early on, well, there was possession from Colombia, which we've come to expect. They were creating some opportunities. And while Uzbekistan may have looked dangerous going into the attack, once they got into the final third, they were picking the wrong pass all the time. And so the opportunities were gone. And really became a match because of a goalkeeping mistake by Camilo Vargas. And that is a question coming into the World Cup.

30:15There have been questions of Nestor Lorenzo. Who are you going to pick? And Camilo Vargas has been the number one, but there have been questions about him. And today is not going to answer a lot of those questions, at least not in a positive manner for Camilo Vargas. Regardless, Uzbekitan gets back into the match. What was really key for Colombia is that they scored their second goal right away and that you get Luis Diaz going as well. And where that goal came from was from good pressure on the ball, forcing a turnover and getting Luis Diaz running into space. It's not a coincidence or it's not a surprise that if you're going to find a game winner from Colombia, it's going to come from Luis Diaz.

30:51And we saw him today, his role for Colombia perhaps different than that of Bayern Munich. In Bayern Munich, we see him mostly on the left-hand side. He'll come inside every so often, whereas for Colombia, he's all over the place. He appears on the left and that's where he scored the goal, but he'll appear in the middle. He'll come underneath. He'll go to the right. He has the freedom and I think the responsibility to go and find the game because they depend heavily on him and his ability to create. The other question for Colombia, and I think, Stevie, is something that while we were watching the game, you were paying attention to is James Rodriguez.

31:26They depend on him and his service and his moments. We call Lionel Messi's moments of magic. Well, for Colombia standards, they need James Rodriguez to have his moments of magic. But in order to have moments of magic, Stevie, he has to touch the ball. He has to get involved. And he doesn't seem to be getting around all that well. You tell me, Stevie. You saw it. I was watching it. And it's difficult to see James Rodriguez, how he can influence this team. You know, the way he influences this team is his presence. He really, it feels to me as though he's a bit of a crutch for this team. You know, the fact that he's on the field gives everybody around him confidence.

32:05Of course, we look at Luis Diaz. He doesn't need anybody to give him any confidence. But in terms of the whole midfield in particular, I just think the fact that he is there, it gives them an energy and gives them a confidence to go and do their thing. Now, yeah, of course, with the talent he has or had, you expect more from him. But I think it was a smart move. 70 minutes, take him off. Because he's done his job. Not so much on the ball, but in terms of just his presence on the field. But yeah, Columbia. you know, Luis Diaz brings an energy to this team and it gets everybody off the seat but I think sometimes it hinders them because they do things too quickly he does things so quickly and everybody else tries to do the same and then they turn the ball over and as Ali said earlier, Uzbekistan unfortunately going forward don't have any sort of composure in the final third otherwise this could have been a lot tighter than it was but yeah, for Colombia it's a great win They can relax now.

33:07You've got three points on the board and then go from there. And to your point, Steven, I think it's well taken about Luis Diaz. And again, we make the comparison and contrast it to what he does with Bayern Munich. In Bayern Munich, he can be this sort of unpredictable, crazy guy in the attack that can create chaos and can create the sort of feeling about a back line in which they're uncertain as to what he's going to do because he doesn't know what he's going to do. Right. But you have the common influence and the certainty of a guy like Harry Kane. And you have the talent of a guy like Michael Olisse on the other side, which kind of counteracts this craziness that is going on.

33:47It's useful for Bayern Munich, but in the case of Colombia, you can't have craziness all over the place. And that's what we see is that sometimes they get disorganized. We think of being disorganized in the back line or in the midfield. Sometimes Colombia gets disorganized in the attack, and Luiz Dias is in the middle of that. But it is the way that they attack, it's the way that he plays, and they find in him the answer to most of the questions they have offensively. Shout out to Hamilton Campas, who comes off the bench for James Rodriguez, scores a nice header, and shout out to Cucho Hernandez as well, who also came off the bench and made a difference in finding that cross for that third goal.

34:23Hamilton Campas is a really exciting player for Colombia that has perhaps a different profile to James Rodriguez. He's not going to start ahead of James Rodriguez, But as this tournament goes on and you get laid into matches, he is a dribbler. He's an exciting player. And he is the sort of guy that you can get behind because maybe tiny in stature. But once he gets the ball in his feet, you know that he's about to do something because he's not afraid of the moment. We saw some of that today. A bit like you, Ali. Tiny in stature, but big presence on the pitch, right? Right from celebrations and relief for Colombia to heartbreak for Panama and jubilation for Ghana as that game ended in a 1-0 win for Ghana.

35:08The goal came very late, just sinking what was really good work done from Panama. But in the end, the Ghanaians got it, Ale. You feel for Panama. Yeah. And the reason they give up the goal is because it's late in the match. It's 0-0. They know they have to win this game, that this is the game they have to win in order to have an opportunity to get out of this group. So they're pushing for it. They're going to try to create an opportunity. And what that ended up happening is they turned the ball over in a bad area. And from there, Semenyo was able to find a nowlet. Ghana went on the attack. Panama were stretched all over the place defensively, tapping from my counter range.

35:46Ghana win the match. And Panama, it just feels like this was such a chance, such an opportunity and such a painful loss. For Ghana, they'll take the three points, but there's a lot of work to be done by them because they were dominated by Panama. And as for Panama, they're going to, I think, regret some of the opportunities that they had earlier on in the match, that they did not take advantage of those opportunities. And now, good luck and God bless because you have to play Croatia and you have to play England. And Mami, I don't think that looks good for Panama. Do you know what, Panama? You made us in CONCACAF proud either way.

36:20All right, well, we would be absolutely proud if everybody tunes into ESPN FC. We are back on for the morning show tomorrow at 9 a.m. Eastern time on ESPN2. Well, the USA are getting ready for Australia, but will Christian Pulisic be fit? We'll talk that next.

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38:37I see the spot when they catch my stare. Don't waste time with a cautious hat. One chance, one shot, no looking back. Welcome back. And here's a look at the Group D standings, because that's where you'll find the U.S. men's national team after their win over Paraguay. They sit atop the group, but Australia level on points with them. And that is their next opponent on Friday. Well, there were some question marks about Christian Pulisic after he picked up a bit of an issue with his calf. Here is Anthony Robinson and Brendan Aronson with an update. You know, hopefully, you know, Christian's going to be ready for the game because, you know, he's a big player to us.

39:21And we really want him to be there, of course. But, you know, of course, everybody's got to be ready to go. The depth of this team is something that I've never seen before. And I really it's really nice, you know, in trainings, you know, the sub training sessions after the game and stuff like this. You can see the level of quality, the level of talent, and I think it's just truly amazing. So we can rely on each other on any moment. And yeah, like I said, coming up to this big Australia game, we're going to need everybody. I think Australia, they were really comfortable defending and they put everything on the line and obviously they were a real big threat on the counter-attack as well.

39:49So training up in the next few days is just going to be about how we kind of nullify their threats and then what positions we need to get into to exploit their back line and obviously try and score goals. I think we've set a standard for ourselves and we've set an expectation that if that's the level we can perform at, then why not do that all the time? It's not going to be as easy as we're just going to turn up and play a perfect game every time. There's going to be moments where we're against it and we have to figure out how to try and grind that result and win games when we're not doing so well.

40:18I think the teams get a lot of belief when you know that you've got boys in the team who can score goals and be a threat in the attack. We had a lot of that. We had a lot of chances. I felt like we could have scored more goals. And it's the same when you look at teams like France, like Argentina, like you said, the firepower they have and the quality up front. And they're going to rely on that because if they know if they're not playing well at any moment, they've got players who can, you know, kind of take the game by the scruff of the neck and get goals. And we feel like we have that, which is a bonus.

40:44Right. So as we said, Christian Pulisic taking off at halftime in that opening game against Paraguay. Since then, he has been training solo with a conditioning coach, Seperan and Apart, from the group. Australia next, Stevie. The last time these two sides played, it was a spicy one and it was Christian Pulisic himself who almost got bullied off the pitch and injured. So for this game, does Mauricio Pochettino risk him? I think if he's fit, you play him. If you're unsure, you don't play him. You know, at the end of the day, I think the United States are going to get out of this group. They put themselves in a position where it really would be a disaster if they didn't.

41:20And so I think if there's any sort of question mark, then you don't play them, you keep them out. And as Brendan Anderson said there, I think he went overboard a little bit about the world class sort of part or about the squad. But at the end of the day, they've got enough in that squad to beat Australia. And actually, you know, you mentioned the last time they played, it was feisty. For the US, it's forgetting about that. It's about remembering what you just did. It's about repeating the way you went about it, the desire you had, the closing down, the creating of the chances. So I'm glad that Anthony Robinson said what he said, that it's about a standard they've set.

42:01And if they keep that standard, then they'll be fine against Australia. I think you agree with Stevie in the sense that you just don't risk Christian for this one if he's not 100 % fit. You talk to the player and you have a conversation. He's always going to want to play, isn't it? I don't know. I don't know that. because it seems to be that this was what we define as, quote, unquote, a knock, a contusion, if you will. And he's been day to day and he's had modified training sessions. This is all code for he's got a boo-boo. Can he get over the pain of the boo-boo? That's what it sounds like to me.

42:40But Australia could add to that boo-boo, and I'm sure they're looking to. Maybe so. I think that Christian Pulisic will be on the field. I don't have any doubt about this. Maybe he's being kept to the side so that you don't risk any sort of contact and training with that boo-boo. In terms of the United States and their level of play, when we were previewing this tournament and their first couple of matches, it was a very similar conversation about Paraguay and Australia and what the approach would be from those teams in just sitting behind the ball, condensing space, making the field smaller, making this into a grind, making this into a physical battle.

43:18And you did so well if you're the United States against Paraguay and rising above all that and just playing the game with quality and outplaying Paraguay. And when it came to pressing and counter-pressing the ball, you did that so well that Paraguay were never able to get out in transition. It is essentially the same game plan against Australia. You think about what Australia did against Turkey. so successfully was the moments of transition, was the counterattack. If you're able to counterpress the ball and regain possession higher of the field, you deny that first pass out of pressure and you continue to build on the attack.

43:54If the United States are able to recreate the performance they had against Paraguay, there will be no issues against Australia. But it's a big if. It was a magical performance against Paraguay. Being able to, again, manufacture and recreate that is not always that easy because we have I spent the last week or so telling the United States how great they are. Yeah. Ah, you're awesome. You're unbelievable. Number one, the country's behind you, and you have to be able to handle that and absorb that information, filter it, and then still be able to go back to the things that made you successful against Paraguay and do the same against Australia.

44:30All right. Well, we will see exactly how that one pans out on Friday. Well, there's a break in the NWSL calendar, but action will return to ESPN on July 5th. Sunday you can catch Boston Legacy up against Bay FC. That's a noon Eastern time kickoff on ESPN. Time for a quick break and the three Lions sent England fans everywhere into pandemonium and Stevie Nicholl hated it.

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45:51Well, Bernardo Silva's fairytale run at Manchester City has come to an end, and now he will be a Real Madrid player. He is joining Los Blancos on a two-year deal. He'll be working under Jose Mourinho, his fellow countryman. Ale, do you like this signing? I'm torn. See, the thing is, if you're going to trust Manchester City and their assessment of players, and I think we can trust Manchester City because of their track record, they have been very good about jumping ahead of the curve and knowing full well when the top ability of a player seems to be slipping. And guess what? You can go on your way.

46:30Thank you for your services. And we see that from Gundo on. We've seen that in the case of Kevin De Bruyne as well. And now, is that the case for Bernardo Silva? The other thing that makes me think about this transaction is, what about Arda Guller? Isn't the same profile player, left-footed player coming out of the midfield that can influence the attack, that did some good things for Real Madrid last season? are you sacrificing him, his growth, his maturity, his development, that maybe he could become the player that you thought that he could become at the expense of Bernardo Silva because of potentially a relationship and a trust that he may have with Jose Mourinho?

47:15That in itself, I'm not in love with that because it feels like right now, since you're giving all the power to Jose Mourinho, you're saying, well, Bernardo Silva is going to be a conduit of information between Jose Mourinho and the players out on the field. So therefore, he must be on the field. And then we're sacrificing the talent of Arda Guller. And if I'm Franco Mastantuono, I now know that my time at Real Madrid may be coming to a very clear end. Bernardo Silva, I think he still has something to give. I just don't know that it's worth enough to sacrifice Arda Guller, if indeed that's what ends up happening.

47:53Siri, what do you make of it, especially with the oncoming effects that it could have on such a young talent like Arda Guller? It doesn't make sense to me. It really doesn't. You know, there are certain teams who are all about winning their domestic league and winning the Champions League. And that is what Real Madrid are about. And so why are you signing a guy that Manchester City have let go because they think he's passed his best? Experience. Let's just tell it how it is. They think he's past his best. So if you're going to sign him, for me, the logical reason would be the experience. But at the same time, how is he going to help anybody?

48:37Because the two players that Ali's been talking about, Goulart and Mas Antwano, the first thing they're going to do, he's the enemy. He's the enemy. Because Bernardo Silva isn't going there either to sit on his backside. he obviously will fall for the I want you to be the experienced guy and help the young players and do this and do that but Bernardo Silva wants to play as well so it just doesn't make any sense to me I'm sorry I think it's going to upset a lot of the dressing room and if he thinks Bernardo Silva's going to go in there and sort out the dressing room with Mbappe and Vinny it's going to create other problems with the younger players So I just don't think it makes sense.

49:21All right, let's move on now to another name, Stevie. Victor Munoz. If you don't know him, get familiar with him, Stevie, because he is heading to Liverpool. He has signed for a€40 million fee from Osasuna. Alex, you like this one? Well, if you don't know a whole lot about Victor Munoz, let me just tell you that he has had a rapid ascent in his career over the last few months in which he was a nice young player for Osasuna. to now a Spanish international. And in that rapid ascent, what we have seen is a player that has something encouraging about his game. He's going to take down defenders. There is aggression to his game in that he gets the ball, he's going after defenders, and he plays with that sort of speed.

50:06He will cut to the inside, look for shots by himself. He can hit the ball from distance. He's an exciting young player. And yet I think this is a big jump. It's a big jump not only going from Osasuna to Liverpool, but it's also a big jump in the sense that What do you do with the players that are already in place there that play a similar role? The profile of player would be the fact that he's able to take defenders on and I think that maybe excites Liverpool fans. Stevie does that excite you? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, he he fits the profile of Liverpool. You know, you think of Marnie, you think of Salah when he come, you know, you think of Gakpo.

50:43Their job is to go at defenders. And this guy does that. And he scores a decent amount of goals. And the price tag is good as well for the 22-year-old. It kind of fits the profile of what Liverpool have done over the last decade. So, yeah, I think it's a good signing. Good signing. All right. Well, Stevie, that's some good signing news for you. What about this? I know nothing makes you happier than seeing a sea of England fans happy. These are their celebrations when they saw not one, but two, but three, but four goals today from the three Lions as they beat Croatia. Stevie, salt in your wounds.

51:21I'd rather watch paint dry than watch this. So you don't like this, is what you're suggesting? Why should I be happy that England won? I don't know. Our producer, Mike, thought that it'd be funny to throw some salt in your wounds. Well, it's not funny. Oh, all right. I don't find it funny. Spicy! Our producer is apologizing right now. Mike says he's sorry now. It's a good deal right now. I know. Do you want a bucket in case you need to... No. Hey. All right. We're going to try to cheer Stevie up now. Thanks so much for watching, guys. We'll see you again on more ESPN FC tomorrow.

52:00Welcome in to Extra Time. Alexis Dune is back with Stevie Nichol and our Ale Moreno, who's looking dapper as always, because you're kind of in my favorite colors, Ale. All right. All right, all right. But you've gone. I've gone underworld when you got to talk about football at 10, but also fight some Lycans at midnight. Okay. Is this the Matrix or? It's a bit of both. Okay. A bit of underworld, a bit of Matrix. All right. Okay. Yeah. You know me. They're 70s disco pants. That's right there. I didn't know these were disco pants. I thought disco pants were like more, you know. Apparently 70s disco pants.

52:3370s disco pants. 70s. You know. That was about. We'll come back eventually. Don't worry about that. It was about two decades before I was born. Thank Stevie Swart for it. Do you have any? Stevie, get some. No. No. No. All right, let's get into the first question because it just so happens to be for our 70s wonder. Stevie Nichol. Stevie, are you more proud of Scotland winning their first group stage match against Haiti or the Scotland fans drinking all of the Sam Adams Boston lager causing the Boston taproom to run out of beer over the weekend? That's a tough one. Stevie, there's only one answer.

53:05There's only one answer. I mean, the sensible answer would be, oh, they've got three points. No. It's that they drunk the whole place to dry. The only answer I've got for you is no Scotland, no party. No Scotland, no party. There you go. Love that. There's your answer. Love that. Such pride when you said that they drank all the beer. They're like, yeah, that's who we are, baby. You know it and you love it. Come on, the lads. I mean, not the English did it, not the German fans, because we know they love their beer, too. Scotland, the brave. Very brave. I'll tell you what, the Paddies would probably get close to us.

53:40Yeah, that's true. Paddies would. But you held down the fort. We did. Proud of you. And this is that we didn't even send you out there. Imagine if we did. Well, there would be none left. There already wasn't. All right, next question now. Did Marcus Rashford show enough in 15 minutes to start over Gordon in an important knockout game? Ooh. He comes at a point in the game in which the game is open, very open, which plays right into what he does very well, running into free spaces and open spaces. He took his goal really well, but I think it would be unfair to Anthony Gordon to say, yeah, he's done enough, you out, because on the balance of what Anthony Gordon had done and the rest of that attacking core group of players, I think they deserve yet another opportunity to go out there and play together once more.

54:33Stevie? I think if you're Thomas Tuchel, you've got a fantastic weapon to bring on during the game. To add pace, confidence. I mean, Rashford scored some goals for Barcelona, so he's clearly confident. You saw the way he took his goal today. So I think Thomas Tuchel should realize that right now, bringing him off the bench is the best thing for both the team and for Rashford. And it's a change of pace that he gives you coming off the bench, as I mentioned, with the game open. It's different if you get just picture a knockout stage sort of match, and usually spaces are going to be condensed, and things are going to get tense, and there's a lot of pressure, and so you try to defend first.

55:16So that doesn't really suit Marcus Rashford. You would rather have him in this when it's become a back and forth, when it's become open, when there is a chance for you to get out in transition. and it's what he does very well and he did it very well today. Gosh, the fact that England can bring all that off the bench. Cade, Dan, Natum, Kieran, who am I missing? They're all going to be insufferable, aren't they? I don't want it. Eventually England will let them down. I can already hear them singing It's Coming Home. All right, next question. And it's about England again. Would England benefit from playing both Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rodgers at the same time?

55:53No, because I think that would change the way that they would have to play and I think we saw today, well I think we saw the way the squad was picked with no Palmer, no Foden and you see that they basically got four wingers with Pace, Rashford and Gordon on that side and you've got Meduake and Makai Ossani on the other side. Or Saka. Saka, big of a big one. That's a little blast from the past there. I know, from one Arsenal, but it's another. So you see what they're all about. And if you have Bellingham and Rodgers, then that would have to change. They'd have to go about it a different way. So, yeah, it wouldn't work.

56:34The balance would be too detrimental to the whole team. So it's not going to happen. It's going to be one or the other. And right now, it has to be Bellingham. Ale, you agree? 100%. I had the discussion yesterday with Natum in which he was trying to make that case that Morgan Rodgers and Jude Bellingham should play together. And I'm thinking, no. And let me just tell you, Natum, if you're watching, Tomas Tuchel agreed with me. So, yeah, you know nothing. So Ale won, Natum nil. Well, yes. We're going to start keeping count. Next question now. Which of these coaches are under the most pressure to go deep in the World Cup?

57:12Ancelotti, Tuchel or Roberto Martinez?

57:19It's a good one. It is a good one. What do you think, 70 Superstar?

57:27You know, that's a tough one because... Yeah. Because Ancelotti... Because Ancelotti went and coached Brazil, automatically they kind of went from everybody's like, well, they're not winning it, to all of a sudden, because of Ancelotti they're one of the favourites so I think if they don't win it people will just realise that they got carried away because Ancelotti took over so I think it's between Tuchel and Martinez Tuchel there's no question Tuchel was brought in to win the tournament and Roberto Martinez is under pressure because he's got such a great talented squad I'm struggling to separate them to be quite honest with you I think if neither of them wins it, or if neither of them get to the final, then they're both going to be under as much pressure and scrutiny as previously.

58:21In fact, you know what, I've just managed to talk myself into saying Roberto Martinez. OK. Because if Tuchel gets to the final or gets to the semi and doesn't win it, then it'll be, you know, they'll find a way of blaming the players. but Roberto Martinez I think it's a winner bust for him Ancelotti incidentally has already signed an extension so just by process of elimination you kind of go listen Roberto Martinez everybody in the world that watch Portugal today that is not in love with Cristiano Ronaldo the legend and hasn't made this a lifetime achievement award celebration for Cristiano Ronaldo, but objectively analyzed the game, would have to admit, and it is clear for everybody to see, that the biggest decision that needs to be made is whether Cristiano should be on the field or coming off the bench.

59:27And that decision is on Roberto Martinez. And so just on that decision alone, he's under more pressure than the other two. for me it has to be Roberto Martinez as it pertains to this question You think I should take my Cristiano Ronaldo goggles off Ale? No Cristiano, no party At the end of the day it's actually not Cristiano's fault No It's the coach's fault The coach has to do what's best for the team and again I think I can speak for Ale here neither of us think that what he's doing is the best thing for the team but that's not Cristiano's fault You know, he's not going to say, Cristiano, I want you to start today.

1:00:04And Cristiano's going to go, no, I don't think you should. No chance. I think you're probably better if Ramos started. And then maybe what we could do is you can bring me off the bench. No chance. No, it's not happening. All right, so Roberto Martinez then. Next question now. Stevie, if Scotland make it through, would you welcome a match against England with the prospect of eliminating them? or do you want to avoid meeting them all together? Completely avoid meeting them all together. Oh, Stevie, come on. Get behind your tartan army. You weren't impressed by what you saw against Haiti, though, right?

1:00:38Listen, I haven't had a beer. Thank you, Stevie. Just like in the last hour? In the last hour? Thank you, Stevie. True professional. True professional. He never does. If I had my beer goggles on, it would be like, yeah, it'd be great. Play them, knock them out. Magic, that would be fantastic. But if we get through, we're not good enough to beat England. We're not. And so it would be even worse. All the joy of getting through to the next stage would be kind of sucked away a little bit. We lost to them. Yeah. So, yeah. If we get through, I want to avoid England. There is disdain when he talks about England.

1:01:17Oh, yeah. I can feel the aura. Oh, yeah. What is it that Stevie tells us that they grew up in Scotland, you cheer for Scotland and anybody else that will beat England? Nobody else. Right? You can feel the weight of history here. Oh yeah, don't worry. I think there's a lot of people on that bandwagon. That's for sure. We're not just talking about football here, by the way. We're talking about anything. Tiddlywinks, you name it. Tiddlywinks? Aye. How'd you play that? You never played Tiddlywinks? No. In Jamaica, I don't think it's very popular. Well, you get two little plastic cylinders, right? The shape of like a 25 cent piece.

1:01:52You've got to bump the bottom of it and it skips the disc up into a cup. And you get a point for it. Sounds like an amazing game. It's called tiddlywinks. Is this what they played back in the Stone Age when you were growing up, Stevie? Before electricity and everything. I didn't play it. Aww, I'm just kidding. Alright, next question. Does Dalic, the manager of Croatia, start Modric when Croatia plays Panama in their next group stage match? Of course, he took Modric off today, and we don't see that very often. But the truth is, like with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric up today, isn't it Luka Modric of four years ago?

1:02:29Yeah, and it's a position that actually influences the game even more than the position of Cristiano Ronaldo. You're in the middle of midfield. You're running the team. And so if I'm not making an argument for Cristiano Ronaldo, I'm probably not making an argument for Luka Modric either. The thing is that the options that they have in place of Luka Modric aren't necessarily better than Luka Modric even at this advanced age. And so you think about, well, you can bring Mateo Kovacic, but he's been struggling with injuries and doesn't move all that well either. You're obviously not going to play them together because then you're really going to leave spaces open.

1:03:08So, yeah, there's a decision to be made. I think he sticks with Luka Modric for the game against Panama, assuming that ball control is going to be with Croatia, that they're the ones who are going to have the possession and that's where Luka Modric is going to thrive rather than having to chase people around. All right. We're going to have Ale to have the final word on that one. Oh, there's another question for you, Ale. Ale, would a current version of you, current, so as fit as you are right now, Ale, would a current version of you and a prime Stevie Nichol beat current Jules and Nadum in a 2v2?

1:03:42Oh, absolutely.

1:03:46100%. No hesitation. No. Let me just say. I mean, Jules is only a lot. Respectfully. Look, let me just say. We're talking about world class in his prime. Yes. Right? Yes. And while I'm nowhere near world class right now, in a 2v2, I can throw my body around still. Oh, hello. And I'm still wide enough to where you can't get around me to get to the ball. Turtle shell? Yeah. I just, yeah. And so, I mean, I'll hold the ball off for Stevie and we're cooking. We are cooking. He takes care of Nadam. Yeah? And I'm left with Jules. Easy. And there's only one way that's going. Easy. Stubs up tackle. So we've sorted it already.

1:04:28Oh, I'm starting to take it done. We've got how we're going about it. End of story. And we'll run our mouths too. Far better than they do too. Oh. Oh, did you give it a lot of that? Oh, well, we will. You will give it a lot of that. Jules loves to give it a lot of that too, though. So, Ned Amino is a silent, strong type. Tills are going to be too busy chasing us too, by the way. Every time you start chatting. Oh man, I feel like if there were only a way we could bring this to... on the pitch. If there was a way that we could bring Prime Stevie back... Yeah. I could play for Scotland, didn't I?

1:04:59Yes! Yes! 100%. What if we had Stevie after one or two? I feel like your confidence rises after that. Maybe we need more than two. to have an effect. Yeah. I'd still have been some sort of control. I'd figure it out. Probably it's not a good idea. Not a good idea. More after that. Bring it on, Jules and Nadam. If only. All right. Well, don't forget that ESPN FC is on daily. We also have a morning show throughout the World Cup. Make sure you wake up and join us for that one every day. And then you can see our late night show. Find all our content on ESPN+.

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