Mailbag: Which players will define this decade?

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2:45Hello everybody, welcome to the Football Ramble Mailbag Defining players, young players and player celebrations are the orders of the day It's Saturday 14th of June, I'm Marcus Speller I'm Jim Campbell And I'm Andy Rafferty

3:09Hello one and all and welcome to the Mailbag Remember, if you want to get involved with the mailbag, you can tweet us on X at Football Ramble. Message us on Instagram and Blue Sky at Football Ramble. Email us, show at footballramble.com. Of course, patron people, you can get involved on the Discord as well. And you can also leave a comment over on YouTube. Plenty of options, no excuses. And we pick it up now with English Geek on Discord. Let's jump into this one. English Geek says, five years into the decade, the 2020s he's talking about, who do you think are going to be the defining players of the 2020s?

3:44English Geek goes on to say, for Mario and Gascoigne were the 90s. Interesting choice. I'm going to stick to football. They went for Eric Cantona, but there we are. Zidane and Ronaldo were the noughties. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi were the tens. Who's next? Not necessarily a rivalry like Ronaldo-Messi, but the players who you think best define the decades football. Also, I don't know if those players did define those decades. They were just the ones who came to mind. now on the Discord we've had some suggestions here OurBull says Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe as they're both at the right ages to have the best parts of their careers between 2020 and 2030 I think they're two very good ones yeah they go without question immediately they both leapt to mind even though Mbappe obviously won the World Cup earlier than that but still Isaac Hajofan account says Lamin Yamal which is interesting but English Geek who asked the question said Yamal might be too young for this decade I mean he's going to be immense he's going to be immense obviously but he'll only be 22 at the turn of the decade.

4:41I don't think that counts him out from being a significant player in it though, given... Defining why. Yeah, but I mean, he's already won the Euros with Spain, already won the Liga. His trophy cabinet's stacking up already. I think with another five years of Laminya Mahal, I'm sure we're going to see some significant moments. Also, it says the players who will define the decade, not the decade that will be the defining decade of that player's career. Yes. Which is a different thing. Notorious BMT said, I was thinking maybe Mo Salah, but he probably needs to win another Champions League. I would disagree that he needs to win another Champions League.

5:14I would put him in there. And I think Notorious BMT raises an interesting point within this because I think the Champions League is probably the significant barometer of this, isn't it? More so than a World Cup nowadays. Possibly, yeah. It depends who. Because you could argue that this is the decade in which Messi won the World Cup. Sure, yeah. But really, does his play in the 2020s define the decade? It's a question. And I think the thing is, what makes this such an interesting question, so thank you, English Geek, is the fact that there are so many different answers to this. And I think there are less different answers when you go back to different decades, even though we might have a little bit of discussion here and there.

5:55That's because of so much football being seen around the globe these days, because in the 90s, it wasn't the case. But partly. And World Cups. Partly. but also it's a reflection of the fact that since Messi and Ronaldo no longer rule the world, there is a vacuum in terms of who is the best player in the world or who is the defining player of this generation discussion. So maybe in previous decades we'd be talking about a couple of players. We could easily be talking about 12 to 15 here. I don't think we can. That's a nice thing. I think Mbappe is such an obvious answer. Like he just is. So I understand what you're saying but to me and Erling Haaland I think our ball is on it Haaland probably obviously you can't discount Haaland yeah we're halfway through the decade but Mbappe is one of these players if you're talking about two or three players Mbappe is one of them end of bruv maybe yeah no I think Marcus is right there and part of it is his marketability right which is a huge huge factor within that obviously you know he's obviously won the World Cup already which is you know part of the platform that makes him the player he is the Champions League obviously has eluded him so far but he still feels like a significant player in that competition.

7:04And also as well, he won the World Cup 2018, not in the decade. He's got a hat-trick in a World Cup final as well. So he's sort of, if you like, on a personal level, he's done it on the world stage. And he's also been such a huge... I suppose that's the question. Really, what is a defining player of the decade? Now, I think that there is definitely different criteria to that in this decade than in previous decades. Because are we talking about domination on a personal level? Are we talking about domination through trophies and creating an era, a legacy? I think when we're talking about Jamal, it's about the way he makes you feel.

7:44Which I think is like what has really led to Jamal becoming in the conversation for the best player in the world at this moment is just the way he makes people feel when he plays. I think you can talk about him winning stuff already, Jim, and winning La Liga when it didn't seem particularly likely for Barcelona this season, winning the Euro 2024. I don't think either of those trophies or any of the trophies he's won accurately define why people love him so much. I think people look at him and think, fucking hell, what a player. And it's not about his age or any of that stuff. It's just about watching Laminya Mal makes you think you're grateful you're able to watch football.

8:32Yeah. That's what it is. And players like that that completely lift you out of yourselves. I think when we're talking about defining players, it is more like that. When we're talking about the players from previous decades, we're not really talking about the numbers. In fact, it's only when we get to the point where we're talking about Messi and Ronaldo dominating the world and dominating football that it becomes this statistical fuckfest. Because before that, I don't... Does it have to be that type of fest, Andy? Huh? Does it have to be that type of fest? For me. Yeah, well, yeah. I understand what you're saying, totally.

9:07I'm still... I think the defining players, though, sorry, Marcus, and to go back to Messi and Ronaldo, is that they did all of that and they had the trophies. I think that the two things married up do make these kind of superstar players that people, you know, think of defining a decade. Yeah. If they think in that way. I actually, I think that, Jamal will go on to define the decade. But from where I'm sitting right now, I'm having to project all this actually. This is it, isn't it? Whereas he's not been around for long enough. Yeah. Also, if you're talking on a world stage, that's more difficult.

9:39If you were talking to, say, in this country, I'd actually have Kevin De Bruyne in there. Yeah. It's funny. I was going to say Rodri as well. Because Rodri's won the Ballon d 'Or. He's won Euro 2024. from a slightly unfashionable position. I don't think what he does on the pitch is eye-catching enough. I don't necessarily think that actually matters. Maybe this decade's not about that. I think you could argue that as well. Yeah, I mean, so is Paolo Maldini one of the final players of the 90s? Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, but hang on. But how many players are you going to have here? Well, sure. You know, it does depend because for me, possibly.

10:17But yeah, okay, if you think, Roger, that's obviously your opinion. I wouldn't just because of that reason. I think my guess would be, and it is just a guess, what most people would say, it is the eye-catching moments and the goals and the... Profile as well. All that kind of stuff, yeah. And I think De Bruyne, even though he was obviously operating at an incredibly high level before the decade, I think he wins that treble with Man City. He's only just stopped playing for them. He's just gone to Napoli, where he'll probably go on and do some good things as well. So I think it's... You can't have someone who spans the whole...

10:48Well, he might, but... Vinicius Junior is definitely one of them. Like, without a shadow of a doubt. I think there is a doubt, Andy. No, there's not outside England. He is a guy who is a global superstar. He's one of the very best players playing football. He's won two Champions Leagues. And when I say he's won two Champions Leagues, he's scored decisive goals in the final. Not to mention, really, the way he's taken on Spanish football by standing up to like the repellent treatment that he's received on both a playing level and an ideological level and a personality level. For me, I don't know if people would think about that if you look back.

11:31Well, not here, but like worldwide, I think you're massively underrating how important he is. I'd have Robert Lewandowski above him probably. Yeah, I mean, that's just... I don't agree with that at all. Evidently. Maybe not in the 2020s though, actually. It's a hard thing to define, isn't it? Yeah, I wouldn't have Robert Lewandowski. But I think you're talking about the whole point with Vinny Junior. You're talking about someone who's more than just a great player. That's the point. So in whatever way that that manifests, whether it's what Vinicius is able to do on the pitch and off the pitch and the way he really gets under people's skin, whether it's someone like Jamal, who, as I say, just makes you feel something that you don't feel that often when you see footballers.

12:17And funnily enough, that's why I have the doubt over Kylian Mbappe. Like the numbers, there's no argument. The fact that he steps up at big moments and does stuff in finals, there's no argument. But I think if you ask people, does he make you, does he give you that wow? Maybe he should. But for a lot of people, he doesn't. And I think for one of the greatest players in the world, he's surprisingly unpopular. Yeah, it's a funny one with Mbappe, isn't it? And I think he's unlucky to be the first kind of almost new king after the Messi and Ronaldo era. Yeah, totally. Where doing something amazing is kind of the bottom line.

12:54And it's the least you expect from a player like that. So perhaps he kind of doesn't get the credit when he does it. I don't think he does. I think because he's played for most of this decade so far in France, a lot of people globally consider his trophies a little bit worthless as well, which again, I'm not saying is totally fair, but I think you have to factor that in as well. Could we come to the end of the decade and maybe include Jude Bellingham in this? I've got Bellingham in my list, yeah. And actually part of it is because I think it is about the profile of the player. It's about how memorable the player is, how they impact games.

13:29And we've seen Bellingham take games by the scruff of the neck so, so many times. And I think he's that sort of talismanic figure, especially for a club like Real Madrid. being as young as he had again to have won the Champions League, the Champions League certainly to me is a really defining element of this. And I think he should be in there. And also when you kind of, when you look back on decades, you often think of goalkeepers. And I think probably despite not being the best goalkeeper in there and having the most obvious flaw from some of the other top goalkeepers at the time, I'd say it's probably Donnarumma who is the one where you look back and go, oh God, yeah, he was horrible.

14:03Champions League. Again, now he's won the Champions League. We're talking defining players. We're not talking necessarily best or faultless, are we? I agree. In fact, the flaws are often a part of those players, aren't they? Yeah. Yeah. And I think that whole comeback narrative, it sort of adds to the legend, doesn't it? Scott McTominay. What? For a lot of people. He's got five years to go. He's already won an FA Cup this decade. De Bruyne's going to help him get a few more Scudetti over the line. Come on, maybe a Champions League. Quite possibly, yeah. Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay winning the Champions League for Napoli.

14:40The strawberry blondes take over football. I'm going to enjoy that. Yeah. I like it. It's funny. I think the conversation is obviously more straightforward, although it's not straightforward, to talk about previous decades. So halfway through a decade, which is why Laminya Maui is like a reasonable shout. Yeah, but it's a shout that I'm sort of struggling to get on board with just because it's projecting, as I said earlier. But yeah, it is an interesting... I mean, we haven't really mentioned any defenders, but I mean, is that just a sign of the times? Yeah, that's post-Messi Ronaldo. Virgil van Dijk?

15:14Yeah, maybe. People find it very hard to imagine a defender winning the Ballon d 'Or now. I guess that was... It's always been rare though, hasn't it? Yeah, I suppose. But even more so, I think, in the last decade and a half. Why the Rodri shout is such a surprise. I think that really caught people off guard Rodri winning the Ballon d 'Or didn't catch Real Madrid off guard they were ready they were furious well it is a this is a chat that will go on and on because it is not an exact science and football is a game of opinions well get involved in our discord because that's where the chat will rage on we're going to have a quick break and then after which we'll answer more of your questions

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18:53Hello, I am Sven Goran Eriksson and you are listening to the Football Ramble. Mauricio has been in touch on Instagram. Mauricio asks, who do you think will be England's next captain after Harry Kane? Ooh, interesting one. A little question about his old friend there, Mauricio. This is an obvious one to me. To me, if you scan around, so some little mentions for those who are have captain club sides who I think are outside choices quick quick I'm dying for gin's obvious one but keep going keep going quick quick so the unobvious ones would be you've got to think of who's going to be in the team a long time and who's going to play of course so the ones on the fringes of this I would say would be Rhys James and maybe Mark Gay but again I think again the blank looks I'm getting are if Rhys James was fit I think he would be very close for me.

19:48Yeah, but again, not one for... I don't think he's established enough as an England player, personally. Because of the fitness. Yeah. Yeah. If you look around the squad, there aren't many names, which is why I'm trying to kind of... To me, there's two obvious ones and then there's... And if you look at maybe some other ones, I would mention them. But while they sort of nailed on starters, perhaps now would they be in two years time? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The obvious ones for me are two of England's most important players. They've got the personalities, very different personalities. It's Declan Rice or Jude Bellingham.

20:16To me, that would be the conundrum. Presumably you had one of them, Jim. Yeah, I would have gone for Declan Rice. And that's who I would go for as well. Yeah, and I think Bellingham, maybe later, might be too much on his shoulders now. I think he'd rise to that and he would like it, but I'm not sure it would actually be the best thing for him. My outsider would have been Jordan Pickford, again, just because he's very, very likely to play every game. Yeah, possibly. With Rice and Bellingham, to hone in on those two. Both of them are going to start every significant game. They are. I think, I've said for a while, Rice is one of, if not the most important player for England, I might suggest.

20:53Declan Rice is very likeable. Clearly gets on well with a lot of the players. He's great in front of the media. That is underrated how massively important that is for an England captain. Exactly, yeah. I know not every England captain is like that. Why Gerrard would have been a much better England captain than John Terry, for example. Well, it's true, isn't it? My laughter gave you your answer, surely. so obviously Harry Kane is not like particularly charismatic whereas Decker and Rice would be he's not slight on Kane obviously everyone's different Kane sets an example but he sets an example exactly there's more of a Beckham-esque captain exactly which is what I was going to go and say so you have to lead from example and however you do that then that's what you do yes with Bellingham I think that he's maybe a bit too divisive I think that is it Tuchel's comments were interesting weren't they blown out of proportion a little bit yeah I'd agree with that But still noteworthy.

21:45Tuchel's mum's comment. He stitched her up, didn't he? He really did. I mean, that is... Thomas Tuchel has stitched up his own mum in the wake of a really embarrassing England defeat. I knew there would be fallout. I did not think it would go that way. He would throw literally anyone under the bus. He'd throw his own mum under the bus to get England to win. Yeah, it was interesting. There was a piece in the mail, sorry, by Oliver Holt talking about Bellingham. Yeah. And he was saying that perhaps you should give the captaincy to Bellingham because he might rise to it. And it was very interesting, though, because he, you know, whatever one may think of the bits and pieces of this, but he spoke about Bellingham and how, off the back of those Tuchel comments, as a number of people have done and said, yeah, he can be divisive.

22:36You know, he can rub people up the wrong way, as Tuchel was saying. And Holt went on to say in his piece that, that Bellingham is often spared a lot of media stuff, basically because, as he put it, his very confrontational father, Jude Bellingham's father, is what's written in the piece. And I think if you ask around, you'll find that that may well be the case, although I've never met the man, I've never had any dealing, so I don't know, but I'm going on what other people have printed here. And he said that one of the things was, is actually that he was sort of cutting deals with Bellingham in this England squad or playing for England and basically saying, you know, he doesn't have to do a lot of media stuff and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

23:18And he's saying, you can't have these special arrangements anymore. And I think that's the thing with Bellingham. That's a massive barrier to captaincy. Exactly, exactly. And he's saying, right. To England captaincy. Yeah, and he's saying, look, enough of this, okay. You've got to strip that away. Give him the captaincy. He'll rise. And because all this sort of chatting with referees that Tuchel mentioned, and maybe intimidating his own teammates or however you want to look at that, if you give him the captaincy, then you can channel it a bit more and he's going to be the leader and the big man who people can get on board with.

23:49I think that's all a bit fanciful. I think it's massively fanciful. And I think Declan Rice is ultimately the answer to the question. But I think, as Jim said in years to come, but what do you think about all that Bellingham stuff, Andy? Because it was stuff that I actually didn't realise when I read that piece and one or two other bits and pieces around it as well. The Bellingham thing's really interesting because a lot of media, particularly in the wake of England duty this week, have talked about Jude Bellingham should... The feeling within the media seems to be, could he be a bit more friendly?

24:21Yeah. Really? And I think it was Craig Hope from the Mail actually said, he's talked, he gave that press conference at the end of the tournament, near the end of the tournament last summer, where he said he felt he'd been picked on. and Craig thought that was just way over the top. I would agree with him. Well, that was a celebration against Slovakia. Yeah, it seems like hypersensitive. And honestly, he gets off quite lightly compared to... But I think it's really interesting that Bellingham is this really outgoing personality who connects with supporters, particularly in the stadium. Very few players do.

25:01That he is a real leader. That he'll call his teammates to account. but on the other hand, you can be a leader without being a captain, and you have to be way, way more diplomatic if you're going to be England captain. Now, the question is, now, I think we drill back into the wording of the questions, who will succeed Harry Kane? Who will be the captain after Harry Kane? Now, this is the only thing, Jim, where I really feel that Bellingham might have the slight advantage over Declan Rice. If Kane carries on for another few years. Kane's not going anywhere in a hurry, and he is someone who will a little bit like Cristiano Ronaldo play for England until they say right can you please go you know he will carry on and you have to assume he'll be the captain for like pretty much all of that time so he stands with Jordan and Kyle yeah so age wise maybe it works a little bit more for Bellingham and like in the previous question where we were projecting forward to what's happening in the next five years and I think that's immensely hard to do in modern football, who knows what Bellingham will be like.

26:07If he stays at Real Madrid, some of the edge will have to come off that personality. Although it's been ramped up there, Andy. I think that's one of the problems. That's part of the deal at Real Madrid, isn't it? Look at the Ballon d 'Or bollocks where they didn't turn up and then the hounding of referees and all the rest of it. It's been highly charged. Sure, but his current personality cannot be Real Madrid captain. It's too much. It's way too much. whereas if a little bit of the edge comes off that I'm not saying he completely changes his personality because as you say that is completely unrealistic and I don't think it's desirable either but in terms of him learning to It's about channelling it which is what Tugall said him learning to take a breath and not saying what he thinks the whole time that has he can't go on at that intensity forever I think he's one of those players where he's you know less captain material and more general material because he feels like he has to go to war that's fair he has to feel like is going to war to get the best out of himself and he wants his teammates to be like that as well and essentially any opposition be that you know literal physical football or post-game criticism is the enemy essentially that's what I see from him and there's a bit of the Michael Jordan about it isn't there and I took that personally sort of thing yes exactly and look and you want the big personalities you want all this as Tuchel said you know you don't want Bellingham to change it's all about channeling it I mean you think about the so-called golden generation of England You think about the amount of potential...

27:33You had Gary Neville, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Lampard, Beckham, Owen even. It's just full of captains, really, and players on the bench as well. Yeah. Some people look into the England captaincy as a big thing, perhaps more of an ambassadorial role, which is what Beckham probably brought for it. But I think, yeah, to again answer Maurizio's question, I do think it's probably going to be Declan Rice, but I take your point, Andy, about the age thing. And who knows in three or four years' time if Bellingham has indeed channeled it or matured, quite frankly. Is Declan Rice basically the King Charles of England?

28:15Quite possibly, quite possibly. Andy, you've got the next question. Yeah, I do. It's from CJM on Instagram. This is an interesting one. Which manager do you think is most likely to turn perceptions around next year, positively or negatively? Ruben Amorim, both. You know what? Something's going to have to change. It's going to be one or the other. Or is it just going to be... It can't be worse. So it's got to be positive. The only way it's worse is if they're relegated, which is just never going to happen. If it continues like it, it's going to get more negative. But the funny thing is that the perception of him is he's still a good coach.

28:51Yes. So it can actually, only for him, either that is affirmed and people go, oh yeah, there he is. He's got some perception bucks in the bank for sure. Exactly. He can only lose them for me. Yeah, if they bring out like some cool new signings and they're still crap. Yeah. I mean... Well, we've seen that happen many times. That's the confusing thing about it. At Manchester United. Again, it is the perception. He's a good footballing coach. We've seen that at Sporting. Yeah. But we've also seen other managers go from the Portuguese league specifically and then try it, say, in the Premier League or elsewhere and it's not quite happened.

29:21And I wonder if... Some with significantly tighter trousers than Amarim. Now you're talking. So I wonder if, with Amarim, if it doesn't actually go well, I think perceptions of him, people could say, okay, you've got the club, you've got this. Come on, man. If after three or four months into the season, if it's going badly and they look like they're going to struggle for a significant achievement, yeah, I mean, the knives will be out for sure. Totally. And the only way he could actually preserve his perception or whatever in his profile is actually walking. I can't do it. which I've said may well happen.

29:54Yeah, I agree with you. If I could add a little bit more Manchester United magic to the mix, Eric Ten Hag is an obvious one. I think by Leverkusen. Because obviously, and we've seen it in various English-based outlets, there is a bit of, seriously, you must have someone better to replace Xabi Alonso than this. Yeah, I know. And it's funny, when normally when a coach spends a bit of time out of the game, it's like when Obi-Wan Kenobi gets knocked over in A New Hope, isn't it? They get power beyond what you could possibly imagine. People start going, oh yeah, that guy was such a great coach. Remember him?

30:35If you stay out of the game, it almost makes your reputation increase for a bit. That hasn't worked. And I think that goes back to what you said about Amorim. like how long he stays there and if it doesn't get better that is scarring that will go with him you know if he stays there another year and it's another year that shit that will stick with him people won't be saying it's manchester united people will be saying it's ruben amarin and i think that's what a lot of people particularly who watch the premier league on a weekly basis are saying about eric ten haag now this completely overlooks the fact that he's got he's actually a good coach he's got an enormous amount of respect in germany which is why a big german club went for him no one's expecting him and like it's going to be immensely hard to replace xavi alonso xavi alonso to eric ten haggis just fun's over isn't it that's how it feels the fun is done but if you think he was in charge of the most fun ajax side i can think of in 20 25 years so with different players with an environment where everything upstairs works, which it didn't towards the end at Ajax and it never did at Manchester United.

31:48He can just get on with coaching. And his head might grow back. That's how good it might be there. Centre parting by November. Exactly, yeah. I think it could really change the way people look at him. Now, obviously, it won't be easy because he's replacing Alonso, because of Florian Vietz going, because of Frimpong going. Jonathan Carr as well. Yeah, but he never had these players going. But, yeah, that's true. but in terms of what Leverkusen have been over the last couple of years. He might need a season to bed in. I think it'll be really interesting because they're going to give him a bit of muscle in the transfer window, certainly by Leverkusen standards.

32:22I think they could end up with a side that no one expects anything of that will continue to be quite competitive next season. And that maybe, I don't think it would regenerate his reputation in terms of the Premier League because in terms of staying at United a bit too long and not being able to get the stink of failure off you. I mean, he's definitely in that zone. Talking of what happens in the Premier League and how we perceive people for what happened in the Premier League, I can't wait to see Ange Postacoglu's next job and see how maybe he turns his reputation around a bit. Because his reputation from when he arrived, it's like, wow, what a breath of fresh air.

33:00The way he speaks, the way Spurs play, to like the end of it. If you take away the Europa League, the guy loses 22 games and people think his training methods are responsible for injuring all the players. I mean, that has damaged not just what people think of him in terms of his competence and being capable of making a team to win. I think part of the reason that he's reacted in such a prickly way to the criticism, it feels like people have had a go at his intrinsic philosophy, which I imagine hurts an immense amount. because people aren't just saying the team is crap because of you. People have been saying to him, the team has got loads of injured players because of you and your philosophy and the way you want to play.

33:47So if he can go and make Angebal work somewhere else, maybe it's all different. The trick for a club is to get him in with like two games to go at the end of a season and then you're straight into the second season. Yeah, yeah. And they win you something. Seems to be the case. Jim, any managers? Yeah, an interesting one that I want to cover quite quickly because I think everybody will be thinking this by now is that I think we are all expecting Pep Guardiola to kind of turn things around as City perhaps and things to be business as usual. It's truly found out. You think? Yeah. Is that why you're wearing that bold fraud t-shirt?

34:21So I think there is a possibility that City will be serious, serious contenders for the league next season because the business they've done is exceptional and they've done it very quickly. Let's move on from that because it's quite a boring answer. what is the perception what's the perception well the perception has been that his powers are waning perhaps have waned and that he's not going to be the kind of super manager he once was I think there was a real feeling for a long time last season that that was the case and I think he I think he's likely to turn that perception around to sort of stick with the wording of the question if they're horrible again what does that do to his reputation I think people still think of him as one of the all time greats I don't think there's any doubt regardless.

35:04I think it's a sort of a micro perception. Yeah, sure. You were going to say somebody else though. I was going to say Graham Potter but I can't decide in which way because actually I think this is a make or break season for Potter's reputation as a Premier League manager. Totally. If it's really bad again I'm not sure he gets a job other than from a team who's trying to stave off relegation. If it goes well again I think it's essentially the post-Chelsea rehab feels like it's finished essentially and completed. So if he can get West Ham playing well and get them in a situation where things feel upwardly mobile and they feel positive, which I can absolutely see him doing, then this might be him getting himself back up there in terms of being a manager who can essentially improve whatever situation he walks into.

35:55Which he felt like he would be for a while and it hasn't quite worked out that way. I do agree with you because there was talk of him being offered jobs at big clubs like Ajax and AC Milan. In the conversation for England, however spuriously. Totally, yeah. I mean, just to sort of spaff out a few names now. I mean, there's a real chance for Daniel Farker and Scott Parker to change perceptions. Yeah, massively. Whether they will or not. But also, perceptions could change next summer with Ancelotti, with Thomas Tuchel. you know you're the Nagelsmann and Didier Deschamps could he win you back over Andy I think Deschamps needs another three or four tournaments doesn't he we can make a real judgment on him I think I think it would be I don't know would perceptions change on Ancelotti if Brazil had an absolute nightmare I don't think so not in Europe I think it's such a different set of parameters international football especially with Brazil okay that I I don't it would have to be they'd have to fail to get out of the group, I think, for it to be that bad.

36:59But even if that happened, I mean, like, Ancelotti would just turn around and go, well, getting sacked is part of it, isn't it? Yeah, what he said. All right, quick break and a couple more questions. Losing weight can feel like a roller coaster, full of ups, downs, and being thrown for loops, like when someone brings donuts into the office, or your kids' dino nuggets start giving you that look again. That's why there's Noom. They combine GLP-1s to quiet the food noise with healthy habits that help you keep it quiet, even if you get off the meds. Their program is designed to make weight loss a smooth ride, helping you understand what drives you, so you can build better habits to not just lose weight, but keep it off.

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39:03Big Nell Has been in touch On YouTube And asks Which young players Do you want to see more of Next season? I want to see what Tyler Dibbling looks like In a decent team Yes That's a good one Great shout Because He's valued At such a Vast amount I've no idea how good he is yeah exactly he's not a£100 million player is he but you see that figure touted about because obviously Southampton didn't want to sell him they obviously will sell him and it will obviously be for nowhere near that but you're right yeah no I totally agree with you I'd like to see as he's playing at the Euro under 21s at the moment James McAtee play more yes yeah defo and Joe Hart said on commentary Co-Coms during the Czechia game he said I think it was Joe Hart was it one of the pundits Anyway, let's go with Joe Hart.

39:49And he was talking about McAtee and he just said, yeah, he's not playing that much, but he'd want to play. And he said, I've got two words for him. Cole Palmer. It's funny because it feels to me as if he's been built in a quite Phil Foden sort of way. As in leave for Man City and you get more minutes. Yeah. I mean, I don't think there's anything to say that he can't play for City this season. I mean, maybe it's different now they've got Shirky in as well. Maybe it's tougher for him. but he never feels out of place personality wise you know he feels as if he can deal with it as if he can deal with the expectation i think one i'm really looking forward to seeing a bit more actually of is uh william osula at newcastle because you speak to people in the game and everyone i know who's coached him played with him knew him when he was at sheffield united like this guy's got everything.

40:43And again, we haven't really had a chance to see it. Now, with the way that it's going for Newcastle, I mean, they might sign Callum Wilson again, presumably to some sort of players you pay, reduced terms, contract. But when they were bringing him on at the back end of last season to relieve Izac, I was like, yeah, I know what Callum Wilson can do. I want to see a bit more of Asula. And of course, he scored his first Premier League goal just before the end of the season. So So I think to see a bit more of him. Going European, I think Como are interesting because they've started under Cesc Fabregas assembling quite an interesting roster of young players.

41:25They have Nico Paz, Argentinian playmaker. Real Madrid have got a buyback. I mean, Argentinian playmaker, what more do you need? But he was brilliant last season, only 20. And I think he might well get a move this summer. I mean, basically, Real Madrid can buy him back and then they could resell him and have an elevated buyback clause. So he might end up a bigger club. But one who will definitely be at Como next season is Asandial, who came over from Betis. He's only 19, wide forward, and he scored 8-14 in a middling side already. He's such an exciting forward player. And to adapt that quickly to a new league when you're still a teenager with only a middling side, I think he's incredible.

42:11Those are exciting numbers. I think Nico O 'Reilly, interesting season for him. There's a lot of mansions, isn't there? Yeah, Ryan Aitnori coming in to play the left-back position, but Nico O 'Reilly is not considered a left-back. He's more of an attacking midfielder. So it'd be very interesting to see what happens with him, if he possibly goes out on loan or if he possibly gets more minutes in different positions. Another player that I've just not seen enough of, but I think just looks an absolute world beast whenever he's fit, is Romeo Lavia. who's been very unlucky with injuries and he is such a good player.

42:41Yes, he is. Huge asset to Chelsea when they have him fit. He's an absolute difference maker. Speaking of that, actually, I know we're talking mainly about players who we feel we haven't seen enough of and that's been, I guess, what we've read as the spirit of the question. But in terms of a player who come in, made a massive impression as a young player, but could maybe turn into a completely different player, Myles Lewis-Skelly? Yeah, I mean, I'm intrigued to see if Marz Lewis Skelly remains a left back throughout his career because he started attacking midfielder it's completely normal for players to play a different position from the one that they started their youth careers at obviously we see it all the time but the thing the reason I'm putting it down is because we've seen so much well I was going to say if anything a bit more rotation would be a good thing for his development because we see it so often Rico Lewis is an example this season of how young players career paths are rarely essentially like a straight upward line there are setbacks sometimes for various reasons and it's very, very possible that Myles Lewis-Gelly will have moments like that in the next season.

43:43I think his minutes do need to be managed as well. All right, let's finish the mailbag with this question from Jake on Instagram. What's the best signature player celebration in football history? Roger Miller, Andy. Come on. Yeah, that's pretty good. That's pretty good. Not Robbie Keane. No. Yeah. And we could have a lot of not that person. And I think that's Shearer, Kane. Generally, those signature moves are a little bit lame, aren't they? Purely because they're so premeditated. Yes, I know what you mean. Whereas Roger Miller, there was just something wonderful about that. One of the ones I love is Vincenzo Montella, just pretending to be an aeroplane, like a little boy.

44:22Yes. Yeah, well, it led to being his nickname, didn't it? Yeah, that's quite good. I like David Villa, before he turned up at Barcelona, so I guess we don't know his prime level David Villa because he was from the Asturias he used to mime drinking a yard of Asturian cider when he scored and I like that little nod to my culture like you know I've left home but I'm representing my home in different places I'm representing a yard of cider I'm oddly representing a lot of rugby lads as well so I don't know if I like that one or not I mean for me the answer to this is actually it was a celebration that a player did which would then the celebration was named after him but he did it on a one off really and it's Jürgen Klinsmann oh the dive and it's the Klinsmann dive yeah right and Klinsmann of course when he went to Spurs much had been made throughout his career that he was a bit of a diver which he was there's no two ways about that loved the play acting did Klinsmann but a fine fine centre forward a wonderful player actually brilliant player Jürgen Klinsmann goes to Spurs has a great season there and writes himself into Spurs folklore immediately.

45:35And again, in this country, particularly back in those days, still a bit, but particularly back in those days, it was, you know, you didn't dive, it was a really cowardly thing and so on and so forth. To lean into that was quite a brave celebration really, wasn't it? Well, it was. But it was a spectacular one. I remember being a kid at the time, watching it, and just seeing him dive. And it seems weird to say now, and maybe it was just this country, I don't know. But I'd never seen that celebration before. And a full-on dive, like it was just an outpouring. Well, indeed, you've got to make sure the surface is nicely greased.

46:04It would hurt these days, like the pitch is a firmer basis. Maybe. The artificial grass, yeah. Only work in the 90s. But, though, we'd never seen that. It was a really, really eye-catching and really quite outstanding celebration. And the reason why it's not just, it was kind of a one-off, but a single celebration is because everybody, and still people of a certain generation might say, oh, he did a Klinsman when he celebrated. And it was just brilliant. That is still one of my favourite celebrations. It's just like off the surface. So, yeah, brilliant. That's what I would say to that. Jake, thank you for your question.

46:35And thank you all for your questions. And thank you for listening to the Football Rumble Mailbag, part of the ACAST Creator Network. I'll be back with Jim and Vish on Monday to react to the opening weekend of the Club World Cup. It's happening, everybody. Please do send us your responses, opinions and questions for next week's Mailbag. And subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your pods. See you Monday.

47:03The Football Ramble is a stack production and part of the Acast Creator Network.

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