Real Madrid sink Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain outclass Chelsea: Big Match Breakdown 03/11/25

18:46James Horncastle:Having seen him come to Naples and from day one, just do it. I mean, now he just looks like one of those kind of Georgian émigre poets. who sort of wanders around Parisian cemeteries, sort of looking, having this kind of existential crisis and then just rocks up at the Parc de France and finds meaning again. He does look like the kind of man

19:06Roger Bennett:that would lead armies in exile in the 1940s.

19:10James Horncastle:Yeah, so, I mean, he apparently had a bad ankle, Rog. I mean, did he look like he had a bad ankle today? I mean, just a joy to watch. And again, I think having watched Bayern last night, it was the first time I'd watched Bayern in the flesh this season. And then watching bits of this PSG game, you know, having sat through so many Premier League games, low block, low block, set piece, set piece, to see guys who can just really, there's that chintilla that just all of a sudden like sparks a game into life, that they're daring, they're not afraid to take anybody on, they make stuff happen. it just reminds me why.

19:53Roger Bennett:I found it boring without the wrestling from corner bits. Okay. Stay watching the NHL without the fights. Why would you bother?

20:05Roger Bennett:We're going to touch on very quickly Bodo Glimp 3, Sporting 0. I mean, is it even a shock anymore? They beat Sporting Lisbon comprehensively. Fantastic finishes, second and third goal. I love what one of their stars said before the game, Jens Petter Haug. James, he said, one of the most beautiful things about football is that no matter how small the town you're from or how cold it is here during the winter, when the ref blows the whistle, it's 11 against 11 and anything can happen. He's not wrong.

20:36James Horncastle:No, he's not. I was so pleased for him after the inter-game. Bodo was staying at the Sheraton, which is a hotel just behind San Siro. Some of his ex-colleagues from AC Milan, because he got this big move to AC Milan. this would be like five or six years ago now when Bodo first started being a thing and he presented them with his shirt which I thought was amazing just like I've made it boys

21:02Roger Bennett:here's my yellow number 10 Hauger shirt I'm out of this crap hole I'll never need this again

21:09James Horncastle:it was like you know really kids should grow up in and around Milan and dream to play for Bodo Glimt, not AC Milan or Inter. Here's my shirt. There's inspiration for them.

21:21Roger Bennett:Haxionac in the chat says, Superlaget translates to super team. And he says, Arsenal will hate to meet Bodo Glimt.

21:29James Horncastle:Well, you know what? A lot of people, I mean, it was interesting to me. I was told yesterday that Inter complained to UEFA about Bodo's pitch. Because, you know, everyone talks about the surface at Bodo, but it hadn't been rolled properly for that game the first leg which Inter lost. They lost both legs. So they shouldn't have too many complaints. But just watching the Bodo sporting game tonight it still looks cold up there. The ball does bounce differently and their sporting is goalkeeper. Sporting had quite a soft penalty given against them. And then their goalkeeper I don't know if it's the cold or not.

22:12James Horncastle:He seemed to pull a muscle. it's one of those things where you're just like, oh my God, everything, everything is working out. All the conditions work in Bodo's favour, as well as the fact that they are a bloody good football team.

22:26Roger Bennett:God bless. They are the joy of wonder. And Arsenal still work to do, to be candid, to get the honour of being beaten by Bodo, to freeze their bits off in Bodo, as James has hinted. Leverkusen won, Arsenal won. We were told this was the easy side of the draw. Premier League leading Arsenal went to six in the Bundesliga Leverkusen, and heavy legs, heavy performance game started quite beautifully. Leverkusen paid tribute to their former youth team graduate Kai Havertz, left during COVID, didn't get a proper goodbye. We left for the Chelsea in 2020, started on the bench for Arsenal, that's called Chekhov's gun.

23:00Roger Bennett:Leverkusen started brightly, Martinelli smashed the woodwork. Arsenal, though, a little slack, passes not finding the targets, Arteta maniacally disgruntled on the sideline. We were told that Leverkusen couldn't deal with Arsenal's corners, but the hunters became the hunted just past half-time. Arsenal were arsenalled. Somehow, biggest, most obvious target, Andrić, left open at the back post. And I love this moment. Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hojman immediately went over to Arsenal's set-piece coach, Nikolaus Jova, and laughed in his face on the sideline. That's why we watch for set-piece maestro on set-piece maestro violence.

23:36James Horncastle:Yeah, game recognising game. Yeah, I mean, you referenced Chekhov's gun there. I thought that moment might be Chekhov's seagull, which I don't know if you ever read that short story where the seagull gets shot and just a family falls apart. And you just thought, okay, someone's come and done to Arsenal what they do to other people. The seagull is dead. And yeah, Arsenal were not dead. Oh my God. They did not flutter to the floor like a dead seagull.

24:08Roger Bennett:When someone think of Wynn the dog, shut your ears, Wynn. Arsenal God bless Trell for the first time in the entire Champions League campaign which is unbelievable amazing Leverkusen dug in they were organised dramatically they frustrated the Gunners Saka hauled off sub for Madweke I've got to say Nonny was an energiser today rare moments of incisive running Nonny caught in the box United States own Tillman caressed his heel cover your ears Americans and let's just say ill-advised to go down soft penalty but probably a penalty question on our lips James what do you think Kai Habits felt as he stepped up 150 appearance over a decade in Leverkusen tucked it away left just barely yes Arsenal only 100 % record this year's competition is over but I think if you're an Arsenal fan you'd probably be like hmm yeah if we can get these back at the Emirates next week knowing possibly we couldn't be that bad twice in a run

25:10James Horncastle:Yeah, I would think so, Rog. But they have those tykes, those Geordie tykes, don't they, at the weekend, which, you know, when they play Newcastle, it's never a relaxing, easy game. It's one of those kind of more intense ones, which, yeah, it's not an ideal opponent to face before a Champions League second leg. But look, Arsenal's record in this competition speaks for itself this season. So, yeah, and you touched upon it there. Really nice moment, I think, for Kaya Habits. Not only to go back to his old club, score what isn't a winning goal against his old club, but score a meaningful goal for his team at the moment.

25:56James Horncastle:So kind of best of both worlds. Avoid defeat, get a goal, on your return to Leverkusen. And, yeah, he's had a calvary, really, over the last sort of year. Just, you know, a lot of speculation all the time about his physical integrity, whether he can come back and be the same player he was, how often he can play. So, nice moment for him.

26:22Roger Bennett:Yeah, God bless. And this is to use some of your Chekhov as a pivot. As Masha said in that one of the Seagull, I am in mourning for my life. I am unhappy. Let's go to last night. Again, it felt really like watching parts of the pit. Atletico Madrid 5, Tottenham Hotspur 2. I don't like to be hyperbolic. Hindenburg disaster, Pompeii, Chernobyl, Great Fire London. Spurs first 22 minutes against Atletico, who scored on them as if they were Bam Adebayo. Again, I don't like to be hyperbolic. It was honestly, for me, reminiscent of watching the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Atletico, I think Diego Simeone had lozingly talked up as the underdogs in the game, stormed to the earliest 3-0 lead in knockout game ever, the earliest 4-0 lead.

27:13Roger Bennett:The low point, we've got to talk about it. It was an agony. Ferryman, Igor Tudor, Paul, 22-year-old goalkeeper, Antonin Kinski, in just a second start. After 17 minutes, after two dreadful errors, handed Atletico the first and the third goals. This was a very public humiliation. the sight of him walking down the tunnel with his teammates it was Conor Gallagher, Solanke, João Polinha putting their arm around the clearly bereft goalkeeper as he walked out the steps when you see a footballer break a leg James we all feel sick we all know that he's out for nine months may never be the same player again last night was almost worse because you knew the scars were going to be lasting you know footballingly may never be the same person after that James

28:03James Horncastle:Yeah, I actually thought his post on social media today was demonstrative of quite a strong character. And he said, I've gone from dream to nightmare. I'll be back to dream again. And yeah, that's a great way of looking at it. The goalkeepers union really came out in support of him. I know that Peter Smeichel did say on CBS, like he's destroyed his career, which was something that a lot of people echoed. but the likes of David de Gea, Jan Sommer, goalkeepers who are still playing, they offered words of encouragement for him. And I think, you know, we've all seen players come on and be taken off in the same game or be taken off before halftime.

28:47James Horncastle:I remember Jose Mourinho doing it to Nemanja Matic in his second spell at Chelsea. But I think it's a different thing when it's a goalkeeper because I've had the privilege of interviewing Gianluigi Buffon a few times. And he says that the problem with being a goalkeeper is it's sadistic at the best of times because you are there to stop pain being inflicted on you and your team. You cannot stop pain being... Well, it's going to happen. The pain is going to come. and you don't have the opportunity to go up the other end and score a goal and redeem yourself. You just have to sit and stew and wait for another moment to come, which might be more pain.

29:36Roger Bennett:And every mistake is a humiliation, a self-soiling humiliation. That's ultimately the reality, a humiliation, as you say, without redemption. Tudor later said that he did it to protect the keeper. But in this moment, it just felt like a symbol of the team, a leader, a culture of chaos, just irregular decision-making, a sense of tumbling into the abyss. Tottenham's priority this season is not the Champions League, it's survival in the Premier League. But Tudor has become the first ever Spurs manager to lose all of his first four games in charge. He was asked post-game about his job security. He said, no comment.

30:14Roger Bennett:You know him well from Italian football. If he is a ferryman, some would say he seems very lost at sea. The Daily Telegraph had a headline. Spurs are about to appoint their second manager in a month. Pochettino is watching on. There's a lot of managers now linked to the club, including I think Schoen Deitch is number one in the betting. This is almost sci-fi. This is Arsenal fan sci-fi. I am honestly praying that if they do replace Tudor, they don't allow a panel of Arsenal fans to do the final job interview again, James. What do you think is going to happen?

30:48James Horncastle:I mean, you mentioned the ferry boatman, which is what Italians call the caretaker, the tragetatore. But really, maybe this ferry boatman, Igor Tudor, is there. He's Hades. He's taking Tottenham to the underworld.

31:07Roger Bennett:Oh, my God. That is incredibly beautiful and very dark, James.

31:14James Horncastle:Can there be any other explanation? But look, you mentioned I know him well from his time at Juventus. I thought that Igor would be, as much as people made out that he has no Premier League experience, he has experience in these situations and he's regularly got teams out of it. And this is a squad that has a lot of players he's either worked with or he's familiar with in the past. And look, he has made a lot of mistakes in his communication, in some of his selection choices, not only Kinski coming in and then being taken off against Atletico, but also Archie Gray has played every single position apart from goalkeeper in these four games.

31:57But I would say they should have made this decision earlier

32:01James Horncastle:to change the coach, I think. If you look at every game that Igor Tudor had to face, North London Derby is your first game. That can immediately discredit you if that result goes badly, which it did. You've then got London derbies against Fulham, Palace, and then this game against Atletico Madrid. Those London derbies aren't easy. As much as Palace have got a manager who hates managing Crystal Palace at the moment, it's still a guy who won an FA Cup and has won a Europa League in recent memory. A good coach. So I think there was a lot of expectation that Tottenham would make a change today. you referenced the fact that Sean Dyche's name has been trending and that Harry Redknapp has been at the Cheltenham horse racing today.

32:50James Horncastle:So, no, no, it's not going to happen. But I honestly think they can't change him now because the next game is Liverpool. And they just repeat the cycle of just putting a new coach in in an almost impossible game, as bad as Liverpool have been this season, relatively by their standards, but nowhere near as bad as Tottenham. It's still Liverpool. and so I think they have to either commit to this in the way that maybe they'll show as much commitment in Igor Tudor as Tudor showed in Kinski.

33:26Roger Bennett:I think you're talking about a ferryman. There's a term of Mexican football, a bombero, a firefighter. I mean, this is a bombero who's also an arsonist. That's what we're watching. You've got to make that decision. I feel for Spurs fans. I feel for them so badly. this is a club that are just in free fall every single level, the board, the squad, the manager at the worst possible time. And I know Spurs fans feel like the coverage of their team is out of proportion. We hear a lot from a lot of Spurs fans who are in real psychic pain, understandably asking us, tone it down, tone it down. By the way, in the same way Arsenal fans would when, you know, in dark times of second place that we're talking about the team too negatively.

34:05Roger Bennett:But this story is so unbelievably surreal in its, being this is the ninth richest team in the world we're talking about um i other than like enroll or bear stearns went bankrupt i can't think of anything that was like this too big to fail lehman brothers yes i mean this is it's like too big to fail as you say liverpool away on sunday dark times for spurs let's say there's a football phrase out of darkness cometh light and I wish that on you. Unfortunately, that's Wolves Club motto, so take any solace you can in that. Very quickly, to Liverpool, Galatasaray won. Liverpool nil. Going to get to your questions in a second.

34:48Roger Bennett:Cacophony, noise, Galatasaray, seismically wonderful home atmosphere. God bless. A lot of work to do in the second leg. Second time this Champions League campaign, they leave Istanbul 1-0 down against Gala's old boy, Old Star 11 incredibly they've got only one win in 10 attempts in Turkey Liverpool despite all the mythic Istanbul seismology Mario Lamina 7th minute header off that old vulnerability set pieces the game's only goal tough watch for Liverpool fans the worst of their team were shooting like he just had his pupils dilated Mo Meek Virgin Canate so casual and Canate's cleanest tackle of the night was actually on Jeremy Frimpong It was pretty hard to watch from start to finish.

35:37Roger Bennett:Galatasaray are not a good team, but since the bubble couldn't string three passes together, they really didn't have to be. Let me ask you this. I mean, we've got Newcastle and Barcelona here to talk about Eddie Howe, called it the biggest game in club's history. And this is a non-hyperbolic bloke. They were fantastic. Harvey Bonds volley, a victory for the ages. Luminium are hardly in the game, but then at the death, a penalty 20th goal in 36 games. I love what he said post-game, Lamin-Yamel, about his exposure to English football, James. Did you see this? He said, you received the ball. It feels like you've stolen something.

36:13Roger Bennett:Three players come immediately. I don't know how technical players like Bruno survive that.

36:19James Horncastle:I wonder if that's something that they introduce at La Masia for future graduates. It's like, today, this is a new exercise. We're going to go to El Corte Inglés, the Barcelona shopping mall. you're going to all steal something and see if you can get away with it. We will pay the fine if you get caught, but...

36:38Roger Bennett:You laughed when Arteta did the pickpockets, you mad bastards. We've got to say this is a vulnerable Barca, injury-ridden Barca. It's very interesting to think about whether it's inevitable that Toon's journey ends the camp now. But let me ask you this question from a listener at Rodney White. City soiled, Liverpool beaten, Chelsea clipped, Spurs humiliated. Which of those do you believe will get through the next round and why, if you were to make the case?

37:09James Horncastle:Well, the easiest one is Arsenal because that tie is still certainly...

37:15Roger Bennett:Purpose he didn't include those. Arsenal and Newcastle, we'll tell you that. City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs.

37:21James Horncastle:I think Liverpool can still do it purely on the basis of what I saw from Galatasaray away in Turin. the second leg where they had a far bigger advantage to defend and almost didn't defend it. That game went to extra time and they only then beat a Juventus team that was 11 v 10, wasn't it? So, you know, I still think Liverpool can do it. City... You know what? I think City can do it or at least take that game to extra time. I think it'd be really interesting if, let's say, Mbappe comes back in the meantime and all of a sudden this weird balance that Madrid have found in the absence of Mbappe and Bellingham is thrown into jeopardy.

38:09James Horncastle:Nabiloa basically thinks, I have to play Mbappe. And it disjoints the team and it allows City back in. And then what's the other one, Rog? Chelsea, can't see it. Can't see it. God bless him. I can see... Well, Chelsea will have to come on to them, won't they, at Stamford Bridge. I can just see PSG's pacey wideouts. I can imagine PSG being 2-0 up at halftime and then losing that game 3-2, but going through.

38:39Roger Bennett:Oh, God, that's going to be Liam Messina's greatest night of all time. I can just see those dreams. What James is saying is the Premier League is the new Serie A. We're the Serie A now is the reality. God bless. It's time for your calls. A reminder of how it works here on YouTube Live. Just scan the QR code top left of your screen or click on the pinned comment in the chat. Get on the Zoom with our producer, Tony, Tony, Tony. He'll tell you everything you need to know. Let's dive on in. Danny, let's go to you, baby. Come on up and tell us what's your question. Where are you, Danny? Hi, Raj. Hi, James.

39:13Roger Bennett:Danny Jones. I'm calling from Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania. Beautiful part of our country, baby. Tell us what is your question for James Horncastle, double H? Yeah, my wife and I took James' advice. We went to Roma last season. We ate at the Zia in Trastevere, neighborhood of Rome. We saw two games at the Olympico. Only one problem with Horncastle's recommendation. Juric was the manager for both of those matches, so it was pretty dire football. But my question is if he thinks Gasparini can get Roma over the line. Where Mourinho, Fonseca, De Rossi and Ranieri failed, will they qualify for Champions League?

39:59Roger Bennett:And what's the best pathway? Will it be win Europa League or finish top four Serie A? Thank you.

40:07James Horncastle:Danny, I'm so pleased that you and your wife went to Zia in Piazza San Cosimato, where I have played many a game of football down the years.

40:19Roger Bennett:how did the meal compare to Toby's pizza in Sandy Lake Danny yeah it was top notch it's Michelin rated so weird it was a tasting menu was excellent

40:32James Horncastle:it's a special place can Gasparini get over the line ideally hope so certainly since January when they signed Daniel Marlin and Daniel Marlin looks like he plays another speed to every other player in Serie A. It's kind of ridiculous. But I watched their game against Juventus where they were 3-1 up with 20 minutes left. And if they'd seen that out, it would have been a massive step for Roma to get top four for the first time in, what is it, seven years now. And Juventus came back in that game. And then to lose away in Genoa to a Daniel De Rossi coach side, I mean, this is a very Roma provincial mindset.

41:19James Horncastle:I was very pleased for Daniel De Rossi because of what had happened to him last season, how he was treated in getting sacked from his dream job. But that mentality doesn't help Roma get to fourth place. It's that kind of mentality that holds this club back. But does Gasparini have what it takes? Absolutely he does. He should have been coaching in the Champions League last night with Atalanta. And he said it was a big sacrifice for him to leave Champions League football. And even though it hasn't been imposed on him by the owners at Roma and Claudio Ranieri, who's upstairs in the executive, he absolutely wants to be in the Champions League.

41:55James Horncastle:And I think he is, he's someone who can do it, Danny.

41:59Roger Bennett:Godspeed. You know, he wanted to be at Atlanta, but then the three kids offered him a Toyota Sienna and he moved almost immediately. Godspeed, the greatest owners in sports.

42:12Roger Bennett:we've got Nadika Nadika tell us where you are and what's your question for the great Hammershorn Castle Hi I'm Nadika from North Dakota so in the last month Italy has had historic wins in rugby, cricket baseball they got third place in the middle count in the Olympics and they have Yannick Sinner so my question is Is this the greatest era of Italian sports? Or does the men's football team need to do well for that to count? Oh, my God. This is an incredible question. Nadika, how is North Dakota, baby? Ah, it is quite nice. It's like 20 degrees. Oh, man. My mother would be out in a bikini in that temperature.

43:00Roger Bennett:That sounds unbelievable. I've never been there. Desperately want to go and do a lot. Rory Smith, when we do live shows, is always like, why are we going to like Atlanta again? Why don't we go to any? He always wants to pick like the most wonderful places on the map. North Dakota, I think, is top three for Raw. We will get out. What town are you in, Nadika? Fargo. Hey. Oh, wow. 30 years old Fargo is this weekend, by the way. Don't get me off on that one. That is an incredible conversation. But Nadika's asking an amazing question, James Horncastle. Is this the greatest era in Italian sports, even if the men's football team is not part of it?

43:41James Horncastle:It's a fantastic question, Nadika. I always think the 80s for Italy and Italian sport was particularly big because the national team won the World Cup in 1982. The league was the best in the world. and then in other sports you had the likes of Pietro Menea who was a 200 meter runner gold medalist at the Olympics Ferrari were actually more relevant than they are now and so but I think the men's national team absolutely does have to pull its get its shit together let's say because it is being shown up on what feels like a monthly basis now by the other teams. I mean, even Italy winning, Italy beating England for the first time in the Six Nations at the weekend.

44:41James Horncastle:In the rugby. In the rugby was massive.

44:45Roger Bennett:What about Italy beating, is this even registered for you, James? Are you fully aware that Italy beat the United States in baseball last night? Yes, because I use this as fodder in my columns to try and get Italian football to wake up.

45:04James Horncastle:This also happened with the cricket, for example. Italy sent a team to the Cricket World Cup for the first time ever in February and March. They came very close to beating England. They did get a win in that. It was actually very hard.

45:23Roger Bennett:Who plays the cricket in Italy? Are they using a lot of Italian-Americans for that too? Just like these baseball guys.

45:32James Horncastle:The Italian diaspora is really showing up at the moment because you mentioned the Italian-Americans who were there having their espressos in the dugout of the baseball. In the cricket, it's Italian-Australians. And there are loads of them. and so their coach is Australian there were these two brothers who played for the cricket team who were essentially Italian Aussies and I felt really bad for the coach because after their first ever win at their first ever World Cup he was like I think this is going to be first front page news back in Italy I think it'll be headlining everything all the telegenonies and instead the next day I picked up Gazette de la Sport went through every single page and there was not a single mention of the Italian cricket team.

46:24James Horncastle:That's amazing.

46:25Roger Bennett:That reminds me. I'm laughing. I'm sure you're all on your pod radios nodding too. 1950, the United States beats England 1-0 at the World Cup and the American coach after the game was asked how it feels. He said, it's exactly what we need to make soccer go in the United States. There was one American journalist there. I think his name was something like Skint McDimming, just an amazing 1950s American name. And he genuinely was only there on vacation. No one found out. No one cared. When the team came back, they should have been welcomed by thousands as they thought. There was no one there to meet them at the airport.

47:06Roger Bennett:And we know it's taken a lot longer for football to go in the coach's mind than that. I do love this. I find this whole new Italy, though, joyous. It's almost like they've been liberated from the pressure, the misery of the football, the pleasure that hurts, as Eduardo Galliano called it. And they're just thrilling themselves with other sports. Andrew Fisher from New Jersey playing for Team Italy in baseball. By the way, how are Italians reacting to the Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra tattoo he has on his arm? Do they even get it?

47:42James Horncastle:I mean, they love the fact that they've sort of reclaimed Frank Sinatra in Genova. So they, I think there's a monument there in one of the villages just outside Genoa where Frank Sinatra's family was from. And they make a lot of the fact that Frank Sinatra was buried. And I can't believe this, but this is the legend that they tell. He was buried with a red and blue Genoa scarf. No, Genoa tie. I almost think they protest a little too much.

48:17Roger Bennett:Who's going to dig him up to find out whether it's true or not? You can just say anything.

48:21James Horncastle:Let's launch the investigation. Let's get all blue eyes exhumed.

48:24Roger Bennett:We all know he was buried in an Everton top. Let's pull this all together with some sanity. The only way we know how, it's a mighty Josh Youngerman. Josh, ask away. Fire away. Bring us home, Daddy-O. Arsenal fan, Josh Youngerman, the floor is yours, baby. Two things before I ask my question. First of all, in honour of Hamas. I'm eating some Italian pizza, leftover pizza that I had. So cheers, Hamas. The leftover is just a nice touch, baby. Get in there. Did you bother to warm it up or is it just cold in Hamas? Oh yeah, I warmed it up. I'm eating Parma pizza. Amen. Ham, arugula and then cheese, two types of cheeses.

49:04Roger Bennett:Two? God, you're living on the edge tonight, baby.

49:07James Horncastle:One of those cheeses Parmigiano, if it's a Parma pizza. Yes.

49:11Roger Bennett:And the other one is Velveeta. Sure. But it's America. Go on. Get in there. And Raj, also, we play Everton this weekend, Raj. We being Arsenal. We being Arsenal. Yes, we know. Three points for you, baby. There'll be a no-stress weekend. Not Newcastle. But my question to James, and I feel okay. I think we're going to – I think this is actually a decent result, all things considered. but should he start Matueke in the return leg? Because I thought, A, I thought Saka was just, this is the worst I've ever seen him in an Arsenal uniform but I think Matueke, really the game turned when Matueke was introduced and I just think hooking Saka sent a big message as early as he did but I don't know if he thinks that we should start Matueke.

50:01Roger Bennett:God, as an England fan that you are, James, watching Cole Palmer, Saka, And fulfilled and languishing. These are wild times.

50:09James Horncastle:Well, also, just a quick tangent. To see Hammersmith's finest, Michael Alise, on Tuesday night in Bergamo, who could be playing for England, but has chosen to play for France. And I respect that decision. But boy, oh boy, would I have loved to see Michael Alise play for England. To your question, Josh. I mean, so are you now going to start a trend on X, which is say yes to Noni, because it was say no to Noni back in the summer. And now we've come round to actually let's start Noni instead of, let's not just not sign Noni. Let's start him over Bukayo Saka. Is that what you're saying?

50:52Roger Bennett:I've always been yes to Noni and yes to pizza. You can't spell Noni without no, can you? I mean, it's the honest truth. He's saying yes for now. I mean, it's about options. It's about not flogging some of you. There's no doubt Bukayo is a blessed footballer. By the way, for his corners alone, the precision, the weapon that he is, you can't have the grip or grapple without Bukayo taking them from the right-hand side. Just that exhaustion of riding Zubamendi, riding Declan Rice, riding Bukayo into the ground over and over again. For that reason only, to be candid, you'd think there would be an option to play him.

51:38Roger Bennett:But go on, finish your point. I did cut you off sweet James.

51:42James Horncastle:No, I was just saying my explanation or justification for leaving him out, let's say for the game against Newcastle at the weekend. Everton. Or the game against Everton or the game to come against Leverkusen would be, I saw a clip of him talking to the fantastic Nigerian singer Thames, where he... Did you see this, Rog? Yeah. Where he admitted he'd never heard of Celine Dion. So I know Bukayo is considerably younger than you and I, but I'd be in favour of him maybe spending a week out of the team just to go through the Celine Dion back catalogue and just get fully up to date with Celine. maybe even instead of going for these warm winter training now you can't really do warm winter training in Dubai um just go to the sphere in Vegas and you know see uh see a kind of Celine

52:37Roger Bennett:Dion residency you know just why would you do that to someone that you love James why would you do that that's a that is genuinely I think that's like the the the purga because because you love

52:47James Horncastle:me is that's a Celine Dion song I think so yeah you are dropping um all of the all of the joy

52:54Roger Bennett:you've done stagflation. You did the, you did the parrot Hades. We did a bit of, we did a bit of Ibsen. At a certain point, we did the Seagull. Now we're finishing off with the other modern classic, Celine Dion. I mean, ultimately, it is fascinating. How long do you ride the trusted pillars of the team in a quadruple season? If there's anything I'd say that tonight, you know, we've talked about Arsenal, the quadruple. City also game for quadruple. If we're a sensational, hot-taking platform, we say, was this the night City's quadruple exploded? Arsenal are still very much, this is also very real for them.

53:39Roger Bennett:How long do you keep riding the pillars of your team? How do you spell them? How do you periodize them? There's no doubt also, by the way, the way he's ridden Eze, kept him out. Something Rory's talked about that Arteta does so bloody well. just moves his players aside just to frustrate them, to reignite the hunger, never mind the energy in their legs. I think it would be a great thing, to be honest, to spell Bakayo and bring him back in with more energy for the challenges that lie ahead. How many games is it? 14, 15, 16 games now we're talking about between them and not just the one trophy that you've dreamt about, Not like you've dreamt about your Parma pizza, Josh Youngerman, but possibly multiple.

54:26Roger Bennett:These are remarkable days. Last word is yours, Josh Youngerman. Who would you rather start in your heart of hearts? Besides the Parma pizza, I would rather start based on the Celine Dion thing. No, I'd start Matueke and I would bring Saka off the bench, especially considering that we have the Carlin, the Careless Cup final on the weekend after that. I just thought Madweke changed the game. And I think actually 1-1, considering the amount of threat he actually managed to pull, was actually, I think, the right result. And I think, you know, he deserves a start. In his corners, he got an Olympico this year.

55:07Roger Bennett:So, I mean, respect. I've got to say, young lad, so much football. I couldn't believe that he played him off the bench this weekend in the FA Cup sack-up. give our man a rest the ebullient best we will need it in the weeks to come and that is all for tonight whether you're here on our YouTube there's a beautiful piece I mentioned it up top my conversation from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference at MIT with Brent Verona and Matthew Benham it's a man who doesn't speak a lot doesn't enjoy speaking he is one of the smartest minds in football taking the team from the third level to seventh right now in the Premier League by thinking differently and it was amazing to listen to him.

55:50Roger Bennett:And finally, for those of you in Atlanta, not the Bergamo one, the one in Georgia, we're coming down to you March 27th for our live World Cup countdown show. All I can say is we have an enormous guest that I cannot wait to take the stage with. It'll be a night of February. Ladies and gentlemen, Celine Dion! Bigger than Celine Dion. Bigger than Celine Dion in every regard. Maybe even a pint or two we'll get together come and share a night of wonder as we look at what's coming to all of our loving arms this summer our link to get your tickets is in the show notes below we can't wait to see you there all that remains is Hammershorn Castle you're a beautiful human being where are you going for the next round

56:34James Horncastle:believe it or not Roger I'm going to Munich for the second leg to watch the mother of all comebacks the Berger Montada

56:44Roger Bennett:Oh, mate, I love your optimism. I love that you've already got a name for it. You're an incredible human being. You've hit every single random reference on the James Horncastle bingo card tonight. I love listening to you. Thank you for sharing your mind, your heart with us. And to all of you GFOPs, we'll be back next week. I'll be back on Friday with Rory, actually. Until then, huge, huge love, big love, courage.

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