Was Kelly's Red the Right Call?

15:28Andy Davies:All right. Well, let's move on to the next one now because there was a big decision in the PSG against Monaco game. And I know that Jules cannot wait to weigh in on this one, but we'll get to Jules in a bit because the second yellow was awarded to Coulibaly for this. Andy, what do you make of it?

15:48Julien Laurens:I've got to be honest. When I saw it today, I was a bit surprised that there's been as much talk about it, really. I just think it's really, when you're on a yellow card, you make a naive challenge like that. I think you're asking the referee to make a decision and I'm really not surprised that it received a second yellow. I think that's a second yellow in Europe. I think that's a second yellow in the Premier League. I think it's just a silly, unnecessary challenge by the player. And yeah, I'm more than comfortable with it being a second yellow card.

16:17Andy Davies:Now, like I said, we're going to let in Jules in a bit because I know he has a lot to say about this one. But guys, what do you make of that one?

16:21Julien Laurens:Second yellow. I don't think there was any debate to that Yeah Can't argue Initially my angst was at Hakimi The way he sprung in the air And threw himself around But the fact is that He made contact And when you're on a yellow You can't go into that challenge You're asking for trouble And that's the thing for me Steve And while you could say Hakimi sold it And did a good job of saying it As players you know when your opponent is on a yellow and sometimes you target them in terms of you get your dribblers to run at him because his game has to change. It absolutely has to change. As players, you know that.

17:00Julien Laurens:So for this to happen in the way that it did, I'm sorry. You can look at Hakimi selling it all you want, but most players in that same circumstance would do that. That's down to the play in question. Dumb. Yeah. Dumb challenge.

17:16Andy Davies:All right, Jules, what do you make of it as well? because, of course, this was such a big moment in this game. Monaco had a lot of the chances. I think we know now that PSG were not exactly at their best and maybe wondering if this red card wasn't shown, if they could have lost this one.

17:32Julien Laurens:Yeah, absolutely. It's the big turning point of the game. I think I agree with everything the boss just said. There's also, to add a bit of context, because like Andy said earlier, sometimes it's very important. Koulibaly had made two fouls already before in between the two yellow cards who are quite short in space, the two of them. The first one is a bad foul on Nuno Mendes. And then there's also a bit of descent from Koulibaly towards the referee in that short space of time as well where Koulibaly is asking the referee why he's not giving him some fouls. And you could see that Koulibaly is getting more and more frustrated, more and more tense, talking to the referee a lot.

18:06Julien Laurens:And I think that probably also plays in the fact that why he went for that ball on Hakimi, why the referee, I won't say I was expecting him to, But you must know, Andy, as a referee, when a player is trying to get out of his game and that you could see the frustration and you could see the guy is just like, I don't know what the word is in English, but like, you know, getting in that kind of mood, really. And I think this is also one of the reasons for me of why that yellow was there and why Koulibaly made that fall. You could see as soon as he ran towards Hakimi, we were like, oh, don't, don't go.

18:38Julien Laurens:Too late. He went on and that was the second yellow.

18:40Andy Davies:And Jules, just overall with what we said about PSG, just the fact that they kind of got here, they comparing them to how Real Madrid are going on, where none of them are really looking convincing. How concerned are you about PSG in the Champions League?

18:54Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think they're far from their best. They really are, especially the form that we saw in the second half of last season when they were outstanding to go all the way in the Champions League. There's obviously injuries. There was no Usman Dembele, for example, yesterday. I think their midfield, and there was no Fabian Ruiz as well, to go to the midfield area where they were so dominant and so pretty outstanding, really, again, last season, in terms of their rotation and what Vitinha had to do and Neves and Ruiz and the way they complement each other and all that kind of stuff, it's not there anymore.

19:26Julien Laurens:And I think that's a big part of why they're not at the same level as they were last season. I don't know if they will have it back between now and the last 16, for example in two weeks time or even later in the competition I think it's very unlikely that they retain the title and I think it's very hard anywhere to go back to back in the Champions League we know that there's only two teams who've done in in more than 45 years so it was always going to be difficult but I think the season so far showed that they're very much up and down and more down than up to be fair and I think it'd be very difficult to go much further than probably the quarterfinals.

20:00Andy Davies:Well we know that the draw is coming up tomorrow who would you want for PSG Jules, would you want Hansi Flick and Barcelona? The boys are saying that that's probably exactly what Hansi Flick would not want. Or would you take Chelsea? Because I know that PSG have a bit of revenge to get on Chelsea after the Club World Cup.

20:17Julien Laurens:Yeah, I'd take Chelsea, I think. Just because Barcelona as well. Every year we have a PSG game. All the time we talk about it. We had them in the league phase two. And PSG went to Barcelona and won. And I just think it's ten years, I think. We used to have a lot of PSG Chelsea, by the way, in the Champions League. And then we haven't had any for 10 years. And it would make my life easier. I wouldn't have to travel too far for the second leg. I could just come to Paris for the first leg. It would make me super happy.

20:46Andy Davies:Jules, be careful what you wish for. Because then you wouldn't have to travel as far to potentially see your side and get beat. Which, just saying, at the rate they're going. At the rate they're going. All right. Okay. Don't jinx it. Thank you. I would like PSG to it. We love PSG on their good days. All right, Andy, well, I was going to tell you that, you know, you should get your armor on for this segment. I thought the boys were going to go at you, but I think you fared well.

21:08Julien Laurens:A bit disappointed, really. I was expecting Steve to shout at me or at least swear at me. I've never got a chance. We've been all right.

21:13Andy Davies:Shout at him now. Stevie was asking before this if we were able to bleep out certain words he was going to say to you, but I guess...

21:21Julien Laurens:Not needed.

21:22Andy Davies:Not needed. Not needed. Everyone's on the same page.

21:25Julien Laurens:Maybe next time, Steve. Let's hope so. Let's hope so.

21:29Andy Davies:All right, Andy Davis, thank you so much for joining us on this edition of Ask the Ref. Well, we will be discussing the Champions League draw in full on tomorrow's show with Dan, Craig, and Jules. We'll also be back for that one. Well, guess who's back? Shaka Hislop. And we're putting him on double duty. He will be on football. Oh, yeah. About time. About time. He'll be on with Herc and Christina Alexander, 8.30 p.m. Eastern Time. You know where. I love

22:28Julien Laurens:you.

22:32Andy Davies:All right, well, another match that was filled with controversy, mainly from the first leg, was this one, Real Madrid, up against Benfica. Los Blancos were the ones that got the job done. They won, but as we discussed, they did not win convincingly. Now, Real Madrid were missing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, and Arbeloa explained his injury after, saying this, he had to leave training yesterday, and on other days, he has felt discomfort. After yesterday's training, I spoke with him and we consulted with the medical team. We believed it was best for him to stop and recover 100 % so he can return in top form and confidence without discomfort for what's ahead.

23:11Andy Davies:Now, we know that Real Madrid, of course, in La Liga are involved in quite the title race with Barcelona. Jules Mbappe is your boy. So when do we think he realistically will be back for Real Madrid? And how can they manage without him? Because as we said, they've not been convincing at all.

23:29Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think the idea is that he will be rested for 10 days, which takes you to the first leg of the last 16, pretty much. 10 days to two weeks, that's where he takes you, which is a long time. It's a long time without him, it's a long time without his goals, it's a long time without his leadership. You've got Gonzalo Garcia who can play there up front with Vinicius, as we saw in the game against Benfica yesterday that you mentioned, Alexis, and I expect that to be again the case in La Liga this weekend, for example. But it's a big blow. And from a Nabilo point of view, I don't really know what happened before the game.

24:05Julien Laurens:But on Tuesday in the press conference, he said, oh yeah, he's fine, he will play, he will feature when Kylian didn't finish training on Tuesday. And then something happened clearly. And I think Mbappe had been suffering from that knee injury on his left leg for quite a while. And I remember he was flown away to Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup final when he was clearly not fit to play. He went all that way just for 10 minutes at the end where he was clearly not himself. I've been playing with pain ever since and I think it was about time that he needed a rest. But Arbelova and the club wanted him to play as well so it was difficult for him to say, no, I can't play because it's not a too serious injury to the fact that he can damage it even more if he plays.

24:45Julien Laurens:But at some point he had to stop and he decided that it was now, it could have cost them, I guess, with this second leg game against Benfica. It didn't. Let's hope for them that they don't lose too many points in La Liga in the two games that he's going to miss. But they will need him back as soon as possible, for sure.

24:59Andy Davies:Well, as Jules said, Real Madrid will be without Kylian Mbappe for a bit, especially this weekend, as they will be in action. La Liga returns. Real Madrid actually in action on Monday against Getafe. And Barcelona in action early against Villarreal. 9.45 a.m. is when we start our coverage of that one on Saturday. So be sure to join us.

25:27Andy Davies:All right, let's talk about this match again. Inter against Bodo Glimp, because after last season's finalists went out to the Norwegian side, Inter's coach Christian Kivu had this to say. My players tried everything they could with all the energy they had. It's hard to find the energy when you play every three days. We were against a team that played four games in the last three months, all of them in the Champions League. they had a lot more energy than us. Interesting stuff to hear, Stevie, because this literally goes against everything we have learned about getting your players fit and match ready for games.

26:01Andy Davies:So if anything, you would think that Bodo Glimpse players would be at the disadvantage.

26:04Julien Laurens:Yep. Well, they'd absolutely... Normally, they absolutely would be. And when I say that, I'm talking generally about the last 30 minutes of games. I think because of the occasion, the size of the game, it's the Champions League, then your adrenaline, your desire, absolutely when you've not had that many games can take you through, but not 90 minutes. Generally, after an hour you start to feel it. In terms of Inter, they have to have been doing something in training. I'm sorry. They had a break over Christmas. So how can you turn around and say, what, eight weeks later that your team's tired? I'm sorry.

26:45Julien Laurens:I think there's no question. Kievo and his staff have probably got the training wrong. They've probably done too much because they're playing games. If you do too much in training, that's going to take the legs away for the games. So I would tend to look at Kievo and his staff. And as much as I'm talking about them, I think you've got to look at Bodo Glimpse, manager and their staff, and think what a great job they've done. and unfortunately for Inter, their staff hasn't done a particularly good job at all.

27:14Andy Davies:Shaq, I feel like there's just more to this result and what we saw than just a lack of energy from Inter.

27:19Julien Laurens:Without question. I think Christian Kivu is trying to make excuses for his team but if you really kind of look at what he has to say about his team and Inter's own results, I'm not sure any of them hold water. First of all, you've got to give Bodo Glimt full credit for the job that they've done. I'm with Stevie, or I'm sure Stevie will agree with me, as players, we always feel that you need four or five games before you're back to full fitness, before you're back to full sharpness. That's why we have pre-season games. And even then, you come into the season and you do feel that it takes four or five games of meaningful competition to really be at your best.

27:52Julien Laurens:You've got Bolo Glimm now who have been off for, what, three months, have gotten the bet of Atletico Madrid, of Manchester City, and now into Milan twice. That is credit to them and the work that they're doing. Now, added to that, their squad, shall we call it strength or quality, given their spending, is a fraction. It's less than 10 % of Inter Milan squad value. So you, even if Bodo Glimt have more energy and can run around a whole lot more, your quality is supposed to tell the difference. That goes without saying. To that point, Inter Milan, as Stevie mentioned, had a winter break, came out of the winter break and half a dozen games later lost to Arsenal, who did not have a winter break.

28:39Julien Laurens:So if Christian Kivu's thinking is right, Inter Milan should have beaten Arsenal quite easily. So you can't have it both ways here, Kivu. I'm sorry. You got beaten by a far lesser squad. That you have to take on the chin. but don't try to discredit the work that Bodo Glimt has been able to do despite a very difficult circumstance in not playing. Give them their flowers. You got beat. I'm not sure there's much excuse to that. You know, it's not even just the physical side. The tactical side of the game. Bodo got it correct. Twice. Inter got it wrong. Bodo got it, beat them twice. So it's not a one-off here.

29:20Julien Laurens:Yeah, Bodo's not going to be able to go toe-to-toe for 90 minutes against Emde because they're not in the season. So their tactics were spot on. Keep it nice and tight. You know, try and minimalise the running. Just be compact. And then you look at Inter. I mean, I don't know how many crosses they must have had. But you think you're going to play against this team and what ball's in and you're going to win that way? No. And they proved they couldn't.

29:48Andy Davies:Yeah, Jules, because when you look at it, This wasn't the only tie where Bodo Glimt has shown us some actual quality. And we just saw the stats there in terms of the difference between the budgets of both. There's over 590 millions of euros difference in both budgets. So how did this happen?

30:08Julien Laurens:Well, there's a few reasons. And just to answer Stevie's question on the crosses, 51 crosses, Stevie, from Inter in the 19 minutes. and not many of them obviously went to the right place and hit the target that way. There's a lot of explanation. I mean, Bode Glimt, whether we agree or not on their calendar, which is obviously different, out of sync compared to the European calendar, if you want, and whether that's a good thing or not. They're the fittest team in the Champions League. They run more than anybody else, any other team. They run 7k more than Inter Milan on that game, for example. They have more sprints.

30:41Julien Laurens:They're super fit. They also have this way of playing, and we saw at times at San Siro how they move the ball so, so well in slightly different formation. But they are a team that have a lot of the ball when they play domestic football and they leave the ball to the opposition when they play European football and they can manage both game plan and both tactics really, really well. It's a very smart team, coached really well by Knudsen who has been there for 10 years and built this squad exactly like he wanted, with the right players, with the right structure. And they do that great. They rode their leg a little bit, of course, and you have to when you play over two legs against a squad like Inter Milan.

31:17Julien Laurens:That is much better than you. The fact that Lautaro Martinez went in there, no Chagno Glu either for Inter, also was a problem for them. But over the two games, Bodo Glimt were outstanding, I thought. Now they're waiting for the draw. It could be City or Sporting. I think if they draw City, they're not going to beat them over two legs, even if they've beaten them already in the league phase, obviously at home. If it's Sporting, I think they've got a massive chance to reach the quarterfinals.

31:40Andy Davies:All right, well, I want to take a look at their goal because, Stevie, let me know what you think of this one because it's one thing to say, you know, if this just was a one-off or if they just had good coaching or if they had more desire, if they were fitter on the day. But this goal took some real skill.

31:55Julien Laurens:Well, it took a little bit of everything. I mean, the movement's fantastic. You know, the pace of the passes. Every pass has got speed on it. It's not four, five, and six touches. It's one and two touches. I mean, everything that you as a coach desire when you're counterattacking. And then to finish it off, a late run right through the heart of Inter's defence. A fantastic first touch and then a beautiful volley into the bottom corner. I mean, it was just, they made it look so easy. And it's not easy.

32:28Andy Davies:Yeah.

32:29Julien Laurens:Within what, three seconds? They've gone from the halfway line, the ball's in the back of the net with, what, four or five passes? As I said, one and two touch at pace. defenders can't handle it.

32:39Andy Davies:Jules, when we see goals like that, players doing that kind of stuff and I think with this Bodo Glimp story the questions are going to start surfacing now about wondering why these players aren't playing in a better league is it just a matter of time now?

32:52Julien Laurens:It's a great question, I mean we see Evian there who scored his goal, he was very talented when he was younger in Norway, went to Ezekiel Eichmann in the Eredivisie in Holland and it just didn't work out for him and he went back home like Hauger, like Berg, like the goalkeeper, like the left back, like many of them where they found it difficult outside of that little bottle-gling bubble, if you want, in a way. And it's not disrespectful to call it like that. But it hasn't worked out for them. And yet coming back, he was outstanding in that game. It's actually him starting that move in an almost forced number nine position.

33:30Julien Laurens:And then he's there to finish it. I think he can try another 99 times. probably would never score that same goal with that first touch. But it worked on that night. And again, to go back to what we said earlier, to win those kind of games against a club like Inter Milan, when you bought a glimpse, you need a bit of, you need everything to go your way, including those touches, including those finishes, including a great save by your goalkeeper, including the opposition to hit the post, because Inter Milan hit the post twice in the first leg and once in the second leg as well. You need all of that to go with you.

33:58Julien Laurens:And that doesn't take any credit away from your performance, but you just need the complete package to be able to almost overperform like they did over those two legs with the runners-up of last season. And they didn't, Evian, I think, on this goal. But his whole performance was just the perfect example of what they did really well.

34:15Andy Davies:Maybe everywhere was just too warm for it to work for them. Maybe they just need sub-zero temperatures and a plastic pitch, as Frank was saying yesterday, for them to function. All right, well, Bodo, as Jules said, will either get City or Sporting in the next round. and there's much more talk about Bodo Glimta and the Champions League over on the latest edition of the Gab and Jules podcast.

34:40Andy Davies:Well, Jules is one of the writers that is picking their Premier League player of the season so far over on our ESPN website. His pick, though, is not a certain Martin Odegaard, though, who has been overshadowed somewhat by Eberichi Eze. and Stevie had this to say about Odegaard's future.

35:03Odegaard might be leaving Arsenal.

35:06Julien Laurens:What's going on next, Stevie? That's quite a statement. Well, if you're Odegaard and you're the captain and 18 months ago you were the guy and all of a sudden, I know he's had a couple of injuries, but all of a sudden there's question marks, whether he actually starts in the XI because of Eze. Maybe even because of the way he's been playing, somebody else might get ahead of him as well. So if you're Odegaard, do you stick around? I don't think you do.

35:45Andy Davies:Jules, what do you make of what Stevie had to say about the Odegaard situation?

35:51Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think the question has to be asked, really, about his place in this team, the future. He's been a bit underperforming really the last 18 months. He's still the club captain. Michael Arteta still loves him. I think he still has a lot of credit in the bank, for sure. But it's a highly competitive squad to start with because there's players in his own position that can play that offer something very different to what he has as well. I don't think he will leave. I think there's still a lot of love for him and support for him at the club, especially from Arteta. I think there's a place for him in that team if he gets back to his best, which we saw not that long ago as well.

36:33Julien Laurens:But I think it's a good point too, and I think there's probably some fans who share what Stevie thinks. I think it's probably the right question to ask right now because it's a key moment in this season. And I think right now it's a very important time for Martin Odegaard like it is for Arsenal Football Club. And then we see what the second half of the season brings. And then I think we probably have a clearer image or idea of what's going to happen in the summer at the end of the season.

36:59Andy Davies:Shaka, if you were Odegaard, what would you do?

37:03Julien Laurens:First of all, let me say, I don't see Odegaard leaving before the end of next season. I think over the course of the next 15 months or whatever it is between now and the end of next season, you may slowly start seeing a change of the guard to Eze playing in that position. I totally understand his sentiment. is you look at Odegaard and you start to wonder what is his big plus? What is his big upside in this Arsenal side? Still a captain, yes, but I think Declan Rice has established himself more as a leader than Martin Odegaard to this point. And then when you look at the stats between him and Eze, certainly Eze stands out and he's been kind of stop-started, or at least Teta has made him a little bit stop-started.

37:42Julien Laurens:But Odegaard, for me, hasn't been the player that we saw two years ago. And it's not the player that Eze is who would engage defenders and make you rethink, give him his runs and his talents in the ball. He's not the kind of passer that maybe you saw two years ago or you associate with somebody sitting in that position, like a dare I say Kevin De Bruyne. So he doesn't scare you in terms of his role and that position. So without that leadership aspect of it, what is Odegaard's primary role in this team? defining role in this team. I'm not sure that it's there anymore. I still think that given how things are going, especially if Arsenal go on and win the title, there won't be major change in the summer.

38:27Julien Laurens:That will come a little bit slower, which is why I say I don't feel we'll be having that earnest discussion about Odegaard's future until this time next year, thinking what's he going to do come summer 2027.

38:40Andy Davies:Jules, up next, of course, is the London Derby Arsenal facing Chelsea. Do you feel like Odegaard will start in this one?

38:49Julien Laurens:I think this is really interesting because he didn't start against Spurs last Sunday because he was not fully fit, just coming back from an injury. And don't forget that Eberici Eze didn't start in that number 10 position, well, that right-hand side in the midfield three position in the previous league game against Wolves, for example, because Bukayo Saka played there like he did when he played in the FA Cup against Wigan three days or four days before. so I don't know you would think that with the momentum of the performance that Eze had against Spurs that it would be him especially if Odegaard is not fully fully fit yet to start a Premier League game on this calibre with the intensity and everything that is at stake in the game maybe but I don't think it's a given either for Beret-Cise to start that game and you could see Odegaard could play there you could see maybe something slightly different from a Mikel Arteta point of view maybe in that midfield My money is on Eze, and I think it's, you know, I'm sure the boys would agree with me.

39:48Julien Laurens:But again, we've seen a few surprises from Arteta in that position already this season.

39:53Andy Davies:Well, let's see if the boys do agree with you. Stevie, do you agree with Jules that your money's on Eze to start?

39:58Julien Laurens:Well, yes, I think he should start. But as Jules said at the end there, you know, Arteta's done some, you know, he's thrown some wobblies at us. And so if you're Eze, you can't be totally confident. You're actually, if you're Izzy, sitting waiting on that team sheet going up. Because he's been in and out as well. You know, a couple of weeks ago, he looked frozen. Never mind Odegaard. Now, all of a sudden, he's back in pole position. So, I expect Izzy to start. But with Arteta, you never know. Do you think that comes from Pep? I mean, Pep used to do that all the time. I think sometimes he thinks back to what Pep did.

40:41Julien Laurens:because he thinks he's surprising teams. Unfortunately, too many times, yes, you surprise the opposition, but you surprise your own team and you upset your own team as well. So if Arteta's got his try to be clever head-on, then I don't know what to expect. I'd start as it. And I'd start as it because of how I expect Chelsea to play. Now, given what you saw, particularly in the second leg of that Carabao Cup, where Chelsea just kind of, albeit it was at Arsenal, Chelsea just kind of sat and defended and was it Ades or Stamford Bridge's second leg, whichever way. Chelsea just sat and defended and hoped to bring a surprise in the last 15 minutes.

41:20Julien Laurens:I expect Chelsea's approach to be very much the same this time around. Again, just sit back, defend, soak pressure up and hope to come out in the last 15 minutes. In which case, you need somebody just to shake things up a little bit in that attacking third. And Eze can be that for Arsenal when Arteta allows him to be. So for me, if I'm picking the squad, I'm picking Eze to give Chelsea a whole lot more to think about.

41:45Andy Davies:Well, Jules, Arsenal got a big result in the North London derby, but they did drop some points in their two games before that against Wolves and Brentford. So looking at this matchup now against Chelsea, could this be another potential banana skin for Mikel Arteta?

41:58Julien Laurens:I think it's a massive game because of the momentum that they have now after that win against Tottenham. last Sunday. That doesn't mean that you forget what happened against Brantford and Wolves when you dropped those points, when you were leading as well in those games, which is something that you can't really afford to do when you are in this kind of title race with a team like Manchester City. But there's that momentum. You're back at the Emirates as well, which I think is very important. And you're facing a Chelsea team that we saw against Burnley probably deserved to lose that game at Stamford Bridge against Burnley that the week before that could only draw against Leeds again at home after being 2-0 up in that game.

42:37Julien Laurens:So it's not the best version of Chelsea right now. I think Rosinio is still finding out or trying to figure out what is the best formula for his current team. Is he called Palmer on the right-hand side? Would you play Enzo? If you play Enzo as a 10, I'm not sure this is very good for Palmer. If you play Palmer as a 10, that means you play Enzo deeper. I don't think this is really good for Enzo, especially for a game like this against Arsenal. So there's a lot of question marks over what Rosinio has to do or is doing or is not doing. maybe even at Chelsea. So it's probably a good time if you're Arsenal to play Chelsea.

43:08Julien Laurens:It's probably a good time for Chelsea to play Arsenal and in a way having to be fully focused, a bit like what Arsenal had to do when they went away at Spurs last Sunday after the Wolves result. That is a bit similar to what Chelsea went through with the draw against Burnley at home. So it's quite similar. But Chelsea need to wake up pretty quickly. Otherwise, even that fourth and fifth place could escape them very quickly against Liverpool and United.

43:33Andy Davies:All right, with all that said, let's have a look at the predictions that our panel has for this one. Surprise, surprise, surprise. We all went for a win for Arsenal. You know what that means. Chelsea are going to win.

43:45Julien Laurens:What does that mean?

43:47Andy Davies:Chelsea fans, we have just jinxed Arsenal for you, so you're welcome in advance. All right, well, you know we love to take your questions and answer them over on Extra Time. Jules will be joining us for the latest edition coming your way on YouTube, as well as Shaka and Stevie, so don't miss it. Well, there's some more Bundesliga action coming up this weekend on ESPN +, including the big one, De Clasica, this weekend on Saturday, but also the likes of Bar Leverkusen going up against Mainz earlier on in the day at 9.30 a.m. Eastern time. You know where. And speaking of the Bundesliga, we let Ale Moreno out of the office to join Arkay Murray over for this De Clasica watch party at Tom's Watch Bar in LA Live.

44:38Andy Davies:Much warmer weather, 8.30 a.m. Pacific time, early rising for them. Juergen Klinsmann will be there. Patrick Obomayala will also be there. If you want to get involved, just scan that QR code and you can see how.

44:54Andy Davies:All right.

44:55Julien Laurens:Well, that was the perfect way to welcome back our Shaka Hislop after his luxurious vacation.

45:02Andy Davies:Shaka, did you like that little welcome back that we have for you?

45:04Julien Laurens:No.

45:05Andy Davies:Well, then you're going to love this because as promised, I said we were going to dig deeper into what exactly happened with these canceled flights and all. Well, this is what Shaka Hislop texted to our boss, Steve. He said, hey, Steve, my flights back from Trinidad tomorrow have been canceled. No idea when they'll be rescheduled for just yet. I'm supposed to be on FC on Monday. I'll tell you what. Well, as punishment, we're going to show you exactly, because we have eyes and ears everywhere, let me tell you. And we got some security cam footage from Shaka's Hotel in Trinidad. I'm a woman. I can do anything, let me tell you.

45:45Andy Davies:And here is your name.

45:50Andy Davies:This is what Shaka was doing when he was so distraught that his flights were cancelled.

45:56Julien Laurens:He does look a little upset, doesn't he? Oh boy. This is, oh. I was trying to rebook my flights.

46:01Andy Davies:You know, it was hard work.

46:03Julien Laurens:I was on hold. I didn't see any phone there. I was on hold with the airlines. That's what it was.

46:08Andy Davies:Yeah, he looks very distressed that he couldn't make it back to work.

46:11Julien Laurens:You know he's not, I've no idea. That means I'll be back when I'm ready. I was trying to get back I really was I really was Thirsty work, book and flight Thirsty work, wasn't it?

46:27Andy Davies:Did you quench your thirst?

46:29Julien Laurens:Well, I have to keep myself hydrated With an adult bedrock I had to keep myself hydrated

46:35Andy Davies:Alright, well either way we are absolutely happy to have our Shaka Hisslout back, we're going to make him work every single day of the week now That's it for this edition of ESPN But don't go anywhere because Extra Time is next.

46:53Andy Davies:Welcome into Extra Time. Alexis alongside Stevie and a nicely tanned Shaka Hislop. Jules is also with us and the rest of us would love to know what a vacation tastes like. But anyways, let's answer some questions. And thankfully, the first one is for Shaka because we're putting him to work right away. Shaka, I always find that the first few days returning to work are very hard and give off a stark post-vacation depression. As you return to the chilling cold of the East Coast from Carnival in Trinidad, how do you cope with these feelings?

47:26Julien Laurens:I try to suppress them as best I can. That works wonders. Oh boy, let me see this.

47:34Andy Davies:I tell you what Xhaka did. He came in early today and from the crack of dawn, he has just been on his laptop looking at highlights and stats from the last three weeks of football. trying to prep himself for the show today.

47:47Julien Laurens:And if you believe that... If you believe that, boy, do I have a piece of property to sell you. Oh! He came in an hour. I arrived today, and I was like, I have no idea what happened to me last two weeks. I have no idea.

48:05Andy Davies:Yeah.

48:06Julien Laurens:Oh, boy.

48:07Andy Davies:So that's why normally we would have a Shaka Power Rankings on Thursday, but we couldn't put him through it. Well, he actually did give us one, but we didn't really trust it, so we didn't do it.

48:17Julien Laurens:Because there's no power rankings on fruit cocktails.

48:20Andy Davies:Yeah, or ranking adult beverages.

48:23Julien Laurens:Ah, boy. Let me just say, I had a good time.

48:26Andy Davies:Just for the record.

48:27Julien Laurens:I'm sure. Just for the record.

48:29Andy Davies:Just for the record. I can't wait to unearth some photos. All right, next question.

48:33Julien Laurens:No, no, there's none.

48:34Andy Davies:There's none.

48:35Julien Laurens:I've scraped the entire interweb. There are no photos of these.

48:40Andy Davies:Next year, you should take us all to Trinidad Carnival.

48:43Julien Laurens:Absolutely.

48:44Andy Davies:I think so.

48:45Julien Laurens:Everywhere I go, people are saying, when you bring an FC to Trinidad, Trinidad.

48:48Andy Davies:Including Craig? They asked for Craig?

48:50Julien Laurens:Craig, somebody's got to stay here.

48:52Andy Davies:Yeah, I think Craig should stay here. But I think the rest of us should go. Ale Moreno would have a great time. Jules would have a great time.

48:59Julien Laurens:Stevie as well. The same Steve who I texted that I wouldn't be available. He's the one responsible. But he's happy to put my text message on blast. but it won't take this show down to the Caribbean.

49:12Andy Davies:Steve, take us back down to the Caribbean.

49:14Julien Laurens:Maybe if I send a text, maybe I need to send another text.

49:17Andy Davies:Yes, do that. ESPN FC in the Caribbean. We're coming. I said it today. All right. Next question. Stevie, should Liverpool give Virgil van Dijk and Alison contract extensions for an extra year? Maybe there's a good chance Salah and Robertson leave in the summer and I'm sure Van Dyke and Alison's experience and leadership would be needed.

49:41Julien Laurens:Well, yes, I think 100 % Van Dyke. However, Jules will need to help me out here. I've got Kravatskely in my head. It's not that. My goalkeeper. Mamadashvili. Mamadashvili. I'm kind of thinking. Some people call him Kravatskely though. Well, yeah. Some people call him that. The big Georgia. You notice how you got it when you said Kavis Kavis. Yeah. So I, I, you know, if you can get, I think it's time for Mamadashvili to maybe step into Alison's shoes. If you can get some, a decent amount of money for Alison, because I think he still would, then I would be tempted to make that change. Because Mamadashvili is a fantastic backup.

50:30Julien Laurens:but I think he would be a fantastic number one as well. And I think Alisson is just beginning to drop a little bit in terms of, 100 % in terms of his feet. I think this season in particular, his feet have been horrible. He's given a lot of balls away. He's put a lot of balls out of bounds. And I don't think he's made as many big saves as we've been used to. So if you could get a decent amount of money for Alisson, I think I would I think I would move Mr. Mahmoud Ashbili up a little bit. Alright. And what about Van Dijk? Are you calling for an expensive refit? I would give Van Dijk a year. A year?

51:09Julien Laurens:I thought you were just throwing everybody out. I know. No, no. Van Dijk, yes. Without hesitation. Alistair, you can get a decent amount of money.

51:19Andy Davies:Thanks for your service.

51:20Julien Laurens:It's your man. Yeah.

51:21Andy Davies:Jules, what is the contract situation? What are you hearing about what could potentially happen with the likes of Salah, Robbo, Van Dijk and Alisson?

51:30Julien Laurens:Well, both Alisson is out of control in June 2027, which is the same for Virgil, obviously. And I agree with Stevie in the sense that I think the club had prepared for the post-Alisson era with Mamadash Vili being ready. We saw him playing when Alisson was injured a bit this season. I think he did quite well. He would need a bit of time, obviously, to adapt and everything. But I think that's very much the plan. so I'd be surprised if there's an extension for Alisson. For Van Dijk it's a little bit different but I agree on Salah probably leaving this summer coming with a year left on his contract.

52:04Julien Laurens:Robertson is off contract in the summer. I think he will go. For Virgil it's probably a decision that you make this summer probably maybe not this summer but more in the January of next year and see where he's at at that time and also if he wants to stay because we're talking about him staying but for Reno he might fancy another experience somewhere maybe going back to the Netherlands maybe go to MLS I don't know whatever he wants to do so he might not want to stay once his contract runs out as well. Can you imagine an MLS? Oh, thriving.

52:40Julien Laurens:With a cigar out.

52:41Andy Davies:Is that how you hold your cigars?

52:43Julien Laurens:Yeah, well the last time I had one yeah.

52:46Andy Davies:What?

52:47Julien Laurens:Very fancy.

52:49Andy Davies:Why are those fingers like that? I know, that's what I was saying. It's a weird way to hold a cigar.

52:54Julien Laurens:How are you supposed to hold a cigar? It's naturally weird.

52:56Andy Davies:Don't you just hold them like that? It's supposed to... Yeah. This is... I don't know. This is kind of like... Who did that celebration last time? Wasn't it Dele Alli or something? McGinn. Yeah. Nothing like that.

53:07Julien Laurens:It's nothing like that.

53:08Andy Davies:I don't know who holds their cigar like that. Stevie, apparently. But you know what? He's won a lot more stuff than all of us combined, so he's allowed to. Next question is for Jules. Jules, if you could sign one player for Arsenal right now, who would it be?

53:24Julien Laurens:Wow, as much as I like Trossard, Martinelli and even Eze, I guess, who can play on the left-hand side, I mean, I would love Kylian there, obviously, as you know. But in that kind of left-winger type of player, and I know he's just extended his contract at Juventus, but I would love Canan Yildiz to play in this Arsenal team because I think he would bring something a little bit special as well. So for now, it's not possible because he signed a new deal at Juventus but hopefully in the future at some point.

53:59Andy Davies:All right. You guys look lost. You'll agree with Jules. Next question. Six of the final 16 teams for the Champions League are from the Premier League. Will the gap continue to grow between the Premier League and the rest of the top leagues in the world? And is this a bad thing for football as a whole?

54:21Julien Laurens:Well, there's no reason why it's going to start going elsewhere because of the money. So you'd have to suggest that it was, if nothing else, it will absolutely stay the way it is. And because of the money, it might get worse for the other European sides. But at the same time, it's been, they've had some kind of weird results. I mean, we discussed Inter Bordeaux-Glimp earlier, right? That's got nothing to do with money, as we established. Spurs finished in the top eight. God knows how that happened. So it's just been weird in Champions League in terms of how it's all kind of come together. And I know Jules was talking about PSG earlier on the show.

55:08Julien Laurens:similarly they kind of limped through the group stage dare I say Arizona when I think they hit Liverpool in the round of 16 all of a sudden they started looking like a team that could go the distance or could go further I don't think there was any question that PSG would deserve a win as in the end went up until that round of 16 they didn't look like that like that team at all so I just feel that this Champions League just kind of throws up some oddities that maybe money isn't the only answer of four.

55:39Andy Davies:Jules, what do you think?

55:42Julien Laurens:I think every season is different. Last season we only had three English clubs in the last 16, and yet they were still that much more powerful than anybody else, with that much more money than anybody else, and they still only had three. And from one season to another, it can vary. But it's obviously true that they have so much more money than everybody else, that the league is better than everybody else, even if, as we've said many times on the show, we think it's an average season in the Premier League this year, but they still have just about the money and how much they can spend in both transfer windows and outspend everybody else, that gives you a huge advantage going forward.

56:22Julien Laurens:You know, I was just thinking, though. It's not... You know, because we've been talking about how some of the games we haven't quite enjoyed them as much...

56:29Andy Davies:Is that a phone ring?

56:30Julien Laurens:I know, it sounded like...

56:32Andy Davies:Jules, you have someone at your door. This has happened before. What happened? Somebody at the door. Oh, someone at Jules' door. One of the kids.

56:39Julien Laurens:Oh, sorry.

56:40Andy Davies:Jules at like, what time is it? 10pm? I should go and open the door really. Leave him outside.

56:45Julien Laurens:Yeah, there was a party somewhere apparently I was told. Oh, Jules and some 10pm visitors. Yep. Now I was going to say, back in the day with Serie A, all the best players were there. Yeah. And a lot of the games weren't particularly great either. So it's not anything new that all of a sudden, where all the money is, the games are not exciting. Because I can assure you, you know, the old Catanazzo and all that nonsense, some of the games were tough to watch. So it's not a new thing. You're right. All right? Yeah. Just letting you know, a bit before your time. A bit before your time, but there you go.

57:25Andy Davies:Jules has gone to answer the door. It's 10pm busy. Look at that. Hey! Yay! We're done taking off his camera.

57:33Julien Laurens:You snuck into the party for a little bit. Jules was trying to get into the party. I'll just have a drink and an hors d 'oeuv. Come back. I'll tell you what, it'd be great if you came back with a big lipstick.

57:47Andy Davies:Oh boy. Let's not get him in trouble. Sorry. Wow, 10pm visitors.

57:54Julien Laurens:That was good. 11 11 11 11 Even later Jeez Yeah

58:01Andy Davies:Questions Questions

58:02Julien Laurens:I'm not asking any I don't want to know

58:08Andy Davies:Next question now Stevie Is the ultimate frustration Especially as a manager To get a goal to go ahead Or get back in a match And then surrender a goal A minute later

58:21Julien Laurens:To get a goal to go ahead

58:25Andy Davies:Or to get back in the match.

58:27Julien Laurens:Oh, no, the biggest frustration is going ahead and then two seconds later you let one in. That is... Oh. Yeah, I mean, that drives you insane.

58:39Andy Davies:Kind of happened to Benfica.

58:40Julien Laurens:Yeah, that drives you insane. Yeah, easily that one.

58:44Andy Davies:That one. Next question for Xhaka. Xhaka, who does Eddie Howe or you want? Chelsea or Barca?

58:51Julien Laurens:I'd take Chelsea.

58:53Andy Davies:Oh.

58:55Julien Laurens:I think Boston would be a better team, quite simply. You take the lesser team.

59:02Andy Davies:All right. Simple as. Oh, all right. That's it for this edition of Extra Time. That's it. I thought you had more, Alexis. All right. Never mind. Time. Never mind what we're going to do in a minute. I was told that Jules is having people over at 11. I said party. You kept him too late. He said,

59:25Julien Laurens:oh somebody told me there was a party going on. It's him. It's him. He's calling party. They're all standing outside like that. I'm going to bed. I'm going to bed. I'm going to bed. Yeah, we were told.

59:36Andy Davies:I'm funny, the last question was for Jules, but alas, he's going to have to wonder what it is. All right, Jules, go ahead. Enjoy your party. Yeah, Jules.

59:44Julien Laurens:Must be nice. Have one for me, Jules. Yes. Or two. Lovely.

59:47Andy Davies:Have a grape juice for Stevie.

59:49Julien Laurens:What?

59:50Andy Davies:Because Jules doesn't really drink adult beverages.

59:53Julien Laurens:He's not going to do Stevie though. He's not going to do Stevie. He doesn't have one for him.

59:57Andy Davies:All right. CSPN FC, we're on every day of the week. Dan and Craig will be back tomorrow as well as Jules once he recovers from his party.