Arsenal, Chelsea and the need for getting up to speed

0:01Waiting for your sign? Here it is. Shop Labor Day appliance deals at Lowe's before they're gone. Get up to 45 % off select major appliances. Plus, get free delivery, haul away, installation and parts, and a two-year Lowe's protection plan on purchases of$999 or more. Labor Day deals are on now at Lowe's. In-store and online. Valid through 916, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for more details. Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word. My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. It was a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer.

0:48They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight, we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees, man. Bye. This is Nick and Jack from The Best One Yet, and we are excited to tell you about Walmart Business. Staying ahead of business trends means moving fast and adapting quickly. Walmart Business helps you simplify operations so you can focus on building the next big thing. Find exactly what your organization needs with their ever-expanding business assortment and everyday low prices. Keep your momentum going fast with reliable shipping and fulfillment.

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1:30Ryan Hunn: Sign up for a free Walmart business account today at business.walmart.com.

2:00hello and welcome back to stadio podcast i'm me so kwanga i'm ryan hun ryan how you doing doing all right thanks man how are you considering this is take two it's for those some technical issues so behind the curtain this is the um i'm good i'm very good i'm magnificent in fact yes very well indeed magnificent the magnificent

2:30if anything i've podcasted that too well wow well we hope everyone's doing all right wherever you

2:37Ryan Hunn: are hanging in there enjoying the football i don't know man this felt like the first weekend where first game it is what it is second game nah yeah whatever totally when you start get into third or fourth games of the season you know you have attention the Bundesliga is behind but second game of the season and it's already Bundesliga ring absolutely yeah the Champions League is back this week and if you want to listen to our Champions League episodes we're going to do two this week go to patreon.com forward slash stadio if you are listening to this on the free feed and you are not yet a stadio member on Patreon you can sign up for the stadio podcast membership where you just get all the podcasts ad free in full or you can sign up to the Stadio Social Club where you get all the podcasts plus access to the Stadio Social Club Discord loads of other perks as well.

3:27Ryan Hunn: So yeah, come and get involved. We're going to do two shows this week. We're going to do one on Thursday where I think we're going to be joined by the great man, Seb Stafford-Blur. Then you and I will do a quick roundup on Friday of just any other stuff because we've got that three nights of Champions League this week, which is great. But also just like, whoa. So we're going to do all that. Is there any other admin? I think that's it. Can I do a quick shout out? Go for it. Something is out this week and you are in it. Oh, thank you. The 10th anniversary edition and reprint of The Good Immigrant is out this week.

4:05Talk about what the alumni went on to do. Some of us went on to co-star with Matt Damon and others went on to write blogs and do podcasts. One of them

4:15Ryan Hunn: was in The Odyssey with Matt Damon. The other one ended up doing a podcast with me. Anyway, today we're going to talk about, obviously there was a big, big game in the Premier League this weekend, probably the biggest fixture of the season so far in Arsenal or Chelsea. The first real battle of quote-unquote title contenders. Although, to be fair, you could arguably say Villa-Arsenal was potentially that as well, but I think that different in terms of like hot lead tips. Different arcs, yeah. And I think as well, in terms of where, funny enough, with all of Villa's quality, just the scare of the rebuild.

4:53Yeah.

4:54Ryan Hunn: We will touch on that a little bit, but also around Europe, just signs of who is up to speed a little quicker than other teams, which we did kind of anticipate on the back of the World Cup. For example, Bayern this weekend slipping up, PSG slipping up, Real Madrid slipping up. Although you could say like, you know, Atleti as well, but I think different big games so we'll touch a little bit about that and we'll focus on Arsenal's game against Chelsea and I reckon that'll do us for today maybe shout out a couple of other things later as well because there was some Serie A stuff WSL's back etc loads to get into so I reckon we do it let's do it

5:37waiting for your sign here it is shop Labour Day appliance deals at Lowe's before they're gone get up to 45 % off select major appliances Plus, get free delivery, haul away, installation and parts, and a two-year Lowe's protection plan on purchases of$999 or more. Labor Day deals are on now at Lowe's, in-store and online. Valid through 916, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for more details. This is Nick and Jack from The Best One Yet, and we are excited to tell you about Walmart business. Staying ahead of business trends means moving fast and adapting quickly. Walmart business helps you simplify operations so you can focus on building the next big thing.

6:19Find exactly what your organization needs with their ever-expanding business assortment and everyday low prices. Keep your momentum going fast with reliable shipping and fulfillment. Eligible organizations can take advantage of tax-free shopping, both in-store and online, saving you more while getting you everything you need. It's Walmart built for your business.

6:36Ryan Hunn: Sign up for a free Walmart business account today at business.walmart.com.

6:44But there is only one place to begin, Musa. There is, there is, there is. And, and, may I say, it has to be Elversberg. What a game of football, right?

6:55Ryan Hunn: Well, I know this sounds like a bit. It's not a bit. It's not a bit. Elversberg coming from behind, 3-1 down against Gladbach, away in their first Bundesliga campaign to come back and win 4-3 in stoppage time at the end with unbelievable goals as well. Yeah. An amazing free kick, great winner, and they actually had a chance to win it earlier just before that as well I would recommend if you're looking for a team to root for outside of the teams that you usually root for around Europe this season and you want it to be fairly low expectation but quite fun and any point really is a bonus I would recommend checking out Alversburg 6 points from their opening 2 games at home against Leverkusen and away against Gladbach and they've scored eight goals.

7:48And they've won these games in completely different ways. So they flew out to the early lead against Leverkusen and then held on and then they clawed back a 3-1 deficit against Gladbach. So they've scored seven goals, my bad. And they've won the two games in very different ways and now the problem with this team is well for the opposition anyway they just don't go away. They've got Bayern next week as well at home. Quite reminiscent of Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen in that sense of I mean, very different playing style, but in terms of real quality, real grit and just relentless. I cannot wait to see how the rest of the season pans out.

8:23And yeah, Bayern next.

8:24Ryan Hunn: Well, we don't want to lean into it too much, into the bit too much, but Bayern dropping points away at Schalke was a huge win. Sorry, a huge result. Great point for Schalke as well. And it's the first time that Bayern haven't topped. I think this is, I think I'm right. This is what the stat was. I heard Derek Ray talk about it on commentary. the first time that Bayern haven't finished a Bundesliga match day top I think for 67 match days Can I say this as well what a great way to return for Schalke I know right Can you imagine you come back in a girls' engagement Abzi bumping Horodetski pulling out no sorry Loris Karius in goal for Schalke Horodetski was in goal for another victorious side this weekend He pulled out a banger a victorious side this weekend And he was brilliant as well so apologies just me shouting out the veterans Loris Karius was brilliant for Schalke.

9:12He was aided a little bit by some slightly shoddy Bayern finishing. Although, great to see Jamal Musiala coming back for Bayern. even amid all that sort of the disappointing news for Bayern, there's a great sign. Great sign there. Green shoot.

9:28Ryan Hunn: Another come from behind win, this time for Dortmund away at Hoffenheim. They were 2-0 down, came back and won 3-2. Ethan Raniere in the mix and very much involved for the winner. he squared ball and he looks pretty good came on after half an hour that is such a great move for him I love it I love it and actually to be honest like both loans obviously the Marseille wasn't the best but I think it was a good placement I think it was a good attempt so yeah very hard to find so the top of the Bundesliga is looking very unfamiliar and albeit I know after two match days but 100 % records for Augsburg Freiburg Borussia Dortmund and Elversberg they're the only teams on six points Augsburg are top on goal difference cooking Eintracht after getting a goal down the goal before the thrashing they were warned we will have plenty of opportunities to talk about the Bundesliga I'm sure this season we will but yeah this weekend there were I think some signs of rust some signs of maybe what we could potentially see this season and also again especially with the Premier League I think which we would talk about with regards to people like Hull the importance of capitalising on that early stage variation in conditioning fitness fluidity new signings arriving chemistry etc PSG losing at home to Monaco on Friday 2-1 after being a goal up there are some wild statistics around this game so PSG are now winless in the first three league games for the first time since the 2012-2013 season it's the first time that Monaco have won three league games in a row against PSG and Felipe Luiz is the first ever Monaco manager to win his first five games in charge Absolutely amazing and he's a coach that Luis Enrique really respects very very smart coach very canny he's got a great future I'm fascinated to see how this plays out this league season I think unfortunately I can't help but feel it comes back to squad depth just because PSG have all that firepower, all those wide forwards.

11:41If you look at the four to sell this summer, they could afford to sell and buy. They've still got Mayulu in the mix. They could afford to sell Barcola, Lee Kang in. Barcola good for Liverpool, by the way. Looks really good. They sell players that are basically going to be, I mean, fundamentally for the most part, starters wherever they've gone next. And they're trying to integrate Ferran Torres and Magnus Aklius, both fantastic players who will click at some point. but I think there's a theme here which is that Monaco caught PSG while they were a bit groggy and looking at this more broadly the teams that have really come out and started well you look at Hull Elversburg you look at you know Arsenal too in the mix teams that just know who they are Como too over in Serie A against Genoa with a great win they brought in Moise Kane who looks fantastic and then Barcelona of course who just look amazing.

12:37Amazing.

12:38Ryan Hunn: Yeah, I mean, Real Madrid slipping up against Betis on Saturday, Friday night, sorry, 1-0. Troy Parrott scoring on a cut after coming on for Betis, getting the winner. Hector Bellerin posted a lovely thing on his Instagram stories where he was just like, love you already, Troy, or something like that. Now, Troy Parrott, there is a man living a footballing odyssey. What a signing. There is a footballing odyssey. Like, what a move, though. I mean, like, we've talked about this before, right? About when people go to Bettis or Sevilla quite often, they, they either go back or they stay. Right. And it's, I think instant legend.

13:13Yeah. That guy, if you think of the peaks, he's hit, you know, we talk about like Ollie Glassner probably has like one of the greatest footballing scrapbooks in terms of glory that he's seen in his career. In terms of the ceiling, the peaks, Ollie Glass's managerial career has peaks to rival. Can you like when relative to the fan bases that he's coached relative to like almost any coach in the world? era right F-A Cup at Palace Europa League Eintracht unbelievable right Wolfsburg in the Champions League Wolfsburg Champions League exactly and Troy Parrott incredible like feats for Ireland did brilliant things in the Eredivisie and now instant legend status you will always be the person that scored the winner the Real Betis against Real Madrid that's you're always

13:57Ryan Hunn: going to be that guy that is astonishing and he's in he's back in the Champions League I love that film yeah incredible But back on this theme of teams getting off to hot starts, teams finding their identity, finding their feet early. And I think the case in point has to be the Arsenal-Chelsea match. So Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1. And this game felt, it felt significant. The opening skirmish, yeah. I'm really interested to hear your take on it, obviously, as a neutral, because I was kind of joking in the Stadio Discord just about how I was like, I kind of wish I wasn't an Arsenal fan so I could actually enjoy this game because it's a really good game.

14:38Ryan Hunn: But there's a touch of nerves in there as a fan of either club. Yeah, of course. I loved it because it was the best possible Chelsea that Xabi Alonso could have summoned. And Chelsea looked like a team far quicker than I thought they would. The way that he's assembled, he's got them playing is fantastic. Such a clear identity. Enzo Fernandes wasn't part of that. I think even if he hadn't gone to Manchester City, I don't think he starts in this XI because of the specific way that he's setting up that front. Yeah, maybe. the way he's setting up the front three only because he likes those two sixes to really really be a bit more not static but hold the shape and Enzo Fernandes I think he can pass through the lines yes but I think his greatest strength is when he's mobile actually I think the Morgan Rogers signing makes the Enzo Fernandes exactly departure even more understandable because the way that Rogers and Palmer operate in those spaces behind Jao Pedro, I think there would have been a tendency or a willingness maybe or an eagerness, let's say, from Enzo Fernandes to kind of tread on Rodgers' turf.

15:47Ryan Hunn: And I think that that's fine, but then you just don't really get the best out of either player then. And for that fee, I mean... Yeah, and this is not a knock on Enzo Fernandes. It's more that if you look at the way the Leverkusen was set up, they had Andrik and Xhaka, right? Very good progressive passes with the ball, but fundamentally they would sit. And the sitting midfielders, I mean, Caicedo to come back, Lavia is a very fine player who I think will only continue to develop. This is a young Chelsea side. Sorry to cut in, but that Leverkusen side, they would also sometimes put Palacios in there, who's now at Ipswich.

16:23Absolutely. What a signing that was. But for this game, the way that Chelsea set up and the way they came out, fantastic goal by Rodgers, obviously was very much coveted by Arsenal. I think it would have been a great signing for them. But I think having said all of that, it's ended up in the right place. as has Solis. I think that both of them have ended up in the right position for them in the right place for them. Chelsea's acted really well but I was so impressed I think by Arsenal's ability to just solve problems by not panicking. Calmly playing their way back into it breaking the lines. It would have been easy to panic when Palmer was fighting this space in the sort of inside right pockets but they played out down those same channels.

17:03And Mars Lewis-Skelly like we saw him do this in the semi-final of the Champions League we saw him in the final itself, his ability to make the line breaking pass, his ability to smuggle the ball out of danger, his ability to run into the alleyway that you're least expected to or least advised to. You can tell this is not AI football because he is making decisions that an AI would not advise you to make. Like, he's such an unconventional... It's like Spock and Kirk, and it's like Spock is saying, There's a 6 % chance of landing on that asteroid. And Kirk's like, I like my chances. That's Miles.

17:41That's Miles Lewis-Skelly. He fancies his chances. He looks up. He sees two people pressing him. And he sees if he gets through the two people, there'll be an angled pass. And he backs himself all the time. And he broke this game open.

17:55Ryan Hunn: I completely agree. I'd like to kind of separate a little bit into the Arsenal side of it and then the Chelsea side of it. Because I think obviously while the defeat from a Chelsea point of view will sting, I thought there were, as you mentioned, there were quite a few signs there that I would be really encouraged by. Yes, yes, yes. And those signs of encouragement or reasons to be encouraged, I think, make this win for Arsenal even more key at this stage of the season. Because I think that if you face this Chelsea side in a few months' time, I'm not entirely sure you come out of that like they did.

18:31Ryan Hunn: on the same side of that. I would say that the performance from Arsenal I thought was absolutely brilliant. I think you've seen three very different wins for Arsenal in their opening three games. The first one at home, Coventry, newly promoted side with the champions. That should be one that you put away fairly comfortably. And they did, despite Coventry, I think, showing really good signs of promise as well, which I think you saw that again this weekend in the Man City game. Then they go away to Villa that is a fixture that they lost last season. Villa Park on a night game is not really a place that you, I would really want to, I'd fancy playing in that often.

19:11Ryan Hunn: I don't think anyone's enjoyed that fixture for the last 30 years. And it was, you know, there was, it was a bit raucous. There was a bit of crowd stuff going on in terms of, you know, there was referee stuff going on. It was a bit like, it wasn't super fluid, but I actually thought both teams played pretty well. And Villa's been a bit of a party pooper for Arsenal last couple of seasons too. And they come out of that with, I think, good value for the 1-0, win but a different kind of win they had to really grind that one out and I saw a few people saying is this the return to last season again that kind of nervousness that anxiety to get it over the line and that kind of cautiousness and I think that what you saw from this game from both sides actually it was super end to end it was really felt like a quiet you touched on this earlier when we were chatting and I'm sure we'll expand on it a little bit again but how adventurous the Premier League looks now compared to what we saw last season, early sample size or small sample size I know but early stages and whether that's down to maybe the mismatches created by the varying levels of conditioning or cohesion or whether that's just actually the way that teams are going to play a little bit more this season because they want to create a little bit more chaos to find openings where teams are so good at defensive setups now that actually leaning into those advantages by allowing teams to settle and have time to settle and shape is maybe not the way you want to kind of break the game open right and you still use set pieces as a weapon which i think a lot of teams are doing i think we've just seen it feels like we've seen a little more variation on set pieces this season so far and i think the new guidelines or rules did this amazing thing in one of the corners where they had like four of their players like almost like outside but not outside the box but like really high up yeah and then ran late runs into the box.

20:59And this is the thing, it's almost like arriving really late runs, but not late runs into the box, but late runs across the box, like across the byline. So not necessarily a brand new thing, but something which I found quite fascinating.

21:11Ryan Hunn: Yeah, and they did that thing where they left players up when they were defending corners, which we saw Liam Rosseño do that against Arsenal. And other teams have done that over the last few years. Rosseño doing big things at Paris FC, by the way. Shout out to them. I think they're second, aren't they? Yeah, they're cooking. But on this, can I just jump in on Chelsea just quickly? I know I mentioned a young team but really this is a team that's going to grow together Atchampong looked very assured Hato too involved in the opener Esteval come off the bench and looking brilliant he just scored an absolute world fairly young front three yeah and I think Arsenal's great strength actually in this was keeping the young was keeping that young front three apart actually because one thing that Xabi Lonzo was known for at Leverkusen was you had that front three combining it's a spellbinding effect so any team watching Chelsea is how do we divide them how do we keep Rodgers because Rodgers is an interesting one he is a bit more of a not a soloist because Cole Palmer is a soloist too but I think he's someone who you can just allow like out on his flank and just cook and he's someone who can draw the strike away because he's such a threat from distance he can finish close in he can really run in his own show.

22:26He can create his own shot, basically. And that allows Palmer space in which to thrive. What I think Arsenal did so well was they policed Palmer really tightly. They played, okay, look, Rodgers caught fire. That's going to happen. He's going to score a banger at some point in the season. Okay, you eat that, you take that L, you hold that L, and then you move on. And I think Arsenal are quite impressive in terms of maintaining their shape and not allowing themselves to be dragged out of position. Because after Rodgers did that, he had one other very good chance, I think, which he probably should have scored.

22:57I think it was a harder chance than the one. It was an easier chance than the one he actually put away. But fundamentally, I think that Arsenal didn't allow themselves to be dragged out of shape. Because if this Chelsea team unbalances you, and they will do that to many teams a season, if they unbalance you, they will just absolutely take you for two goals in 20 minutes.

23:16Ryan Hunn: Yeah, I agree with that. And I think that there was a bit of commentary just about how Arsenal look a little more open than they were last season. And I do wonder if that's actually just them being so supremely confident in their defensive ability now, but also having players looking fitter, right? So for example, Calafuri fully fit is one of the most unique players in the Premier League, genuinely, because I think John McGinn was talking about it on Stick to Football maybe about saying he's one of the best defenders that he's played against Calafuri. But he gets so much attention for his attacking roaming, right?

23:57Ryan Hunn: Where he's playing as a number 10 or he might drift out on the right-hand side in an attacking role. But then all of a sudden he's in position again when you need him to be defensively. Whereas I think maybe last season a little bit more of the narrative was built around Hincapié being the more defender defender and Calafuri being the more kind of loose player that you'd use in an attacking sense. And I don't think that's really true. I just think that they have been... And it's another thing that goes into Arsenal's attacking three, which there's been a lot of talk about that this season, about getting weaker in terms of numbers.

24:32Ryan Hunn: And I fully agree that numbers-wise, Arsenal are down and they're also down on goal involvements from last season and all that kind of stuff. I think the counter to that is, and it's a big if, obviously, but if... they maintain the fitness of the core of the attacking guys for more of the season, then I think you end up replacing that and adding to it. Because already at this stage of the season, last season, Havertz was out until pretty much the new year for a long-term injury. There were a lot of players who weren't fully fit, didn't look fit early or got injuries early. And before you know it, you're scrambling for numbers.

25:15Ryan Hunn: so I think that while the actual number of personnel might be down they look better from an attacking point of view Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz looked so sharp they looked phenomenal and I think the thing is I want to say about the introducing chaos this is something we've seen tactically before we saw it from Luis Enrique, it's seen a lot of managers but Luis Enrique in 2015 when Xavi was aging out and they brought in Ivan Rakitic and then there's that goal they score, I think it's Suarez where it's the counter that Busquets Busquets basically like turns cross inside out plays it into space and then Rakitic just carries it 60 yards ends up squaring it for Suarez that is the new look of Arsenal where it's like you risk a little in terms of match control so instead of starting a Zubimendi you start Lewis Skelly not that Lewis Skelly can't control games but I think his primary skill is actually driving the ball forward from deep so you invite you invite what you do is you don't you lose the appearance of control what you're doing is you're inviting pressure if you look at Zubimendi and Lewis Skelly as players.

26:16Zubimendi has the game in front of him, but like holds the space and controls the space in a certain way. And that element of jeopardy of, ah, we're going to actually like, we're going to press miles. You're tempting them. And I think Arsenal in this iteration, there is an element we saw at the end of last season. They're trying to invite pressure. Like some of the stuff that Lewis Skelly did against Atleti and PSG was high wire stuff. He's a risky passer. some of it in this game as well,

26:43Ryan Hunn: yeah, but I think he's quite press resistant. He's press resistant and that I think is Arsenal's, this is going to see more of this evolution actually, which is why funnily enough this conversation about the left wing and the left sided player, I'm not saying it's irrelevant on moot, I'm not saying that, I'm saying that the system, rather like the Spain World Cup team, right, if you look at the collection of players that started for Spain throughout the World Cup, you look at some of them and go, actually is Alex Baena like, is he better than Nico Williams? Yeah, I know what you mean, yeah. Well, technically, not necessarily, but what he executes, you look at that flank, he's a superb defender by Ena, and he's a great chance creator.

27:19If you look at that Arsenal team now, Calafiore can really defend. He can really defend, right? So you go, actually defensively, I can't get much change out of him. Plus he makes gaps, he breaks lines, he moves well. So now all of a sudden with Arsenal, you're thinking the individuals aren't that dangerous to me on paper, but that's actually not the great thing because that's a problem because the system's dangerous. Sometimes it's easier to mark names. I think sometimes, weirdly enough, it's not the Vinicius, of course Vinicius is a better attacker than Califio, of course he is. But sometimes it's easier to mark a name because you know what you're dealing with.

27:54With Arsenal now, everyone popping up at different places and with Eze set to come in and evolve, with Madiweke maybe playing with more freedom. This Arsenal team now, very different to the Barcelona team, but the reason both attacks would concern me from an opponent's perspective is I'm not exactly sure where the threat is coming from. Right? The pass that Solis plays in, that Havertz dummies, the way he drives that ball into feet, that's a Bruno financial level delivery. You know what I mean? So this is now, this evolution of Arsenal as a neutral is what I wanted to see from them. I was watching Arsenal this year going, okay, where and how are you going to improve?

28:33And it won't just be personal, it'll be tactical. And I'm seeing the improvement in these early stages.

28:37Ryan Hunn: So if you think back to the third game of the season last season by that point Havertz was already out with a long term injury Saka went down the game before against Leeds and was out and Erdogan was out injured already at that point and it was significant yeah so Arsenal lose to Liverpool 1-0 in the third game of the season last season how many people do you think who started that game started against Chelsea just off the top of your head because it doesn't feel like a huge amount of time ago does it and it doesn't feel like a massive evolution six four oh my goodness so Raya, Gabriel, Calafuri and Rice were the only four who started that game against Liverpool away who started against Chelsea Saliba went off after five minutes and started the game Timbers started at right back Zubamendi Madueke, Marino Martinelli and Jokeres that was the line up against Liverpool away and the subs that they brought on at that point were Mosquera, Eze, Erdogan came on actually and Max Dowman if you think about this game the starting line up is vastly different and when healthy this is the real potency that Arsenal like possess right because they can bring on there's a Champions League round this week so you take off Calafuri Lewis Skelly Erdogan and Havertz before 80 minutes you know and you bring on Hincapie, Zubamendi Marino and Jokeras and then you take Sakharov right at the end and replace him Madueke that's the key for Arsenal this season and that's why I think you maybe saw them upgrade in defence and midfield, their attack is good enough and Solis does add a new dimension there.

30:12Ryan Hunn: And I think, to be honest, you mentioned him before and I think a major part of that is Myles Lewis-Skelly locking down a midfield spot because I think what he gives you, just in addition, if you think that is like a brand new signing in there, I know that's a massive cliche, but now having him fully operating in there because you remember, he only started to play there at the end of last season. having him there as a starter now it just gives the whole the whole team like a fresher look and it's quite from an Arsenal fan point of view it's super exciting I mean it's going to be interesting to see how they can absorb some injuries which they will have to do at some point because I think every side has to but I think so far so good I think so

31:04For curb appeal that lasts, shop Labor Day Extra Big Deals at Lowe's. For a limited time, get 50 % off all Holland Pavers. Plus, save$110 on the Ego Power Plus 56-volt 2.5-amp-hour blower-trimmer combo kit. Now just$249. Labor Day deals are on now at Lowe's. In-store and online. Valid through 9-7. While supplies last, selection varies by location. Holland Pavers' offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. This is Nick and Jack from The Best One Yet, and we are excited to tell you about Walmart Business. Staying ahead of business trends means moving fast and adapting quickly. Walmart Business helps you simplify operations so you can focus on building the next big thing.

31:46Find exactly what your organization needs with their ever-expanding business assortment and everyday low prices. Keep your momentum going fast with reliable shipping and fulfillment. Eligible organizations can take advantage of tax-free shopping, both in-store and online, saving you more while getting you everything you need. It's Walmart built for your business.

32:03Ryan Hunn: Sign up for a free Walmart business account today at business.walmart.com.

32:12Ryan Hunn: Should we focus on Chelsea for a bit? Yes, I was going to jump to Chelsea. I'd like to talk about Chelsea because I found this quite interesting from a Chelsea point of view. My only concern about Chelsea is the depth. Yeah, I agree. At the nine position in particular. They're asking a lot of Joao Pedro and I think their first choice, 11. There were a couple of players missing for them. Obviously, Caicedo was the big one, although he sometimes struggles in the games where it's like, I don't know, sometimes the big games and the intensity can make interesting decisions. But Caicedo was a huge absence for them.

32:45And Chelsea at full strength. I mean, they already look really, really good. And like you say, a few games in, they'll look even better. I am quite optimistic for them in the league this year. They should really be looking at Champions League. given what I've seen of them so far, given their quality, that's a really good squad. Welbeck, really nice option for them too. I think he's an interesting signing. He was a great signing. And I think such an Alonso signing. This now makes me look at his power universe. This makes me think about Danny Welbeck at Leverkusen. He would have got an absolute hatful.

33:23They would have loved him. They would have loved him. But they've got these brilliant wide fours. They've got Quenda is in the mix. They've got Gittins. For that front three, my concern for Chelsea is not their front three at all. I think that's going to be one of the most exciting things. Colwell, fantastic player who can really, really pass. I think there's so much upside for them. I'm really hyped to watch them this year. I think they've got some real, real quality. I would say they should be looking at top four. Top four for sure.

33:53Ryan Hunn: Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think to be honest, they'll probably be looking at a little higher without any European competition. Yeah, they should aim. I think they should aim higher. They should aim higher. Yeah. I think we saw some really interesting stuff from Chelsea in this game. And I think for a side that finished, what, 10th last season in the end, right? There's this... I think they're actually carrying a bit of a swagger that I didn't expect them to have so early on. And I think that's the more encouraging thing. Because I think sometimes when you're in a situation like the one that Chelsea have been in in the last few years and there's been a lot of turnover, there can be quite probably an understand especially with a young squad like quite an understandable who's going to take charge here thing but they're really responding well to him they look very cohesive with clear room for improvement I know that there are a little hole I think midfield is key I think midfield is a really really key part of the pitch for them Rhys James and Kaysado will be the two I think it was there were moments where he was a good deputy there was moments where he was really good Lavia but I think you can still see just how much Chelsea struggle maybe without Kayseri in there no of course or even Gusto to be honest I think when Gusto comes in there's just a slight level of I don't know maybe like maybe responsibility I'm not sure if that is the best word actually let me let me put something else in Gusto is interesting because he's someone you can use wide right right back or obviously if there's a super handy player he's a fantastic player I'm interested to see what happens when they take the handbrake off and they start with Estevão in a wide position because Neto, who I think is a fantastic player, who is like a more solid Paulo Ferreira style right-sided player, can carry the ball over long distances pretty well.

35:39When they take a bit more risk against a team lower down the table and they start with Estevão out wide.

35:45Ryan Hunn: Yeah, because also Neto got pulled all over the place by Calafuri and I think that you won't have that or you won't have to deal with a guy like that every week. Compensate for that so much, yeah. So I think, because Estevão, I don't think he gets a spot in well we know that he likes to rotate he doesn't get a spot naturally i think in that front three right with rogers palmer and no i agree no in certain games you might see him in there but you're more likely to see him out wide and i think that is where chelsea could really do something exciting you have the back three they shift across the support him so you've got like one of the center midfielders dropping across the support that flank and then he's allowed to get this inside right pocket and just cook that's going to be a lot of fun this year and i think that he's the perfect guy Alonso to bring the best out of Esteveu just a great coach yeah I agree I agree I'm really excited I think it's going to be a really interesting season for him obviously off the back of that injury last season which he didn't end up having surgery on and there was quite a big deal made about that obviously he missed the World Cup and just seeing this stage of his evolution I think on Jabby Alonso is going to be really exciting from a Chelsea fan point of view and I think that what I would say is that I know that you know games like this are horrible you know like I remember mentioned it before but just the feeling after losing to Liverpool in the third game of the season last season it just feels a bit you kind of you don't want to be having those kind of conversations so early on in the season and what I would say from you know if I was going to offer a bit of not advice but as someone who isn't a Chelsea fan my gut is kind of saying that's just one of those I think you're just going to forget about soon.

37:32Ryan Hunn: No one's going to be thinking about that result in March. And I don't think anyone's going to be really if anything people are probably going to be like you know what actually that probably gave us a little bit of a lesson because the first two games against Fulham and Brighton they I think there were more moments of genuine concern. I know Arsenal to be honest I think Arsenal probably could and should have and could have had a couple more they were quite dominant in large parts of the game but I think you would expect them to because they're a team that A they're the champions and B they're operating at a level of continuity that Chelsea just haven't had right so Chelsea are still evolving but there were moments I think there were more moments of concern in the Fulham and the Brighton game than there were against Arsenal Yes because these are teams that Chelsea should be putting away these are teams that Champions League side or side with Champions League aspirations should be putting away with more decisiveness and this is this is why I think this is why Emi Martinez is such a great signing for them because over time he will impart like his authority on the squad he will give the squad I think a great level of assurance fearlessness command Sanchez as good a goalkeeper as he is there was always a sense with him there that Chelsea were kind of on a journey and I mean Martin as you look behind you go we've already arrived we have a World Cup winner there who's won big things and has been a main character protagonist like having a goalkeeper that's been a star actually has won that much yeah yeah as a back three looking back and your back three is like you know it's super young actually yeah you know Lacroix is the kind of senior figure in that actually is 20 I mean come on like it's having him there as a signing, it could be one of the signings of the season.

39:24He looked really good against Arsenal, actually. I've got to say this too. He bridges the gap between this generation of Chelsea and the next one. So whoever he's a kind of like, he's not like a holding. No, he's a transitional signing, right? He's not a long-term signing, but he's there to bring the experience, to remind people, to watch them prep. That is how you prepare for games. That's how you impose yourself on games. that's how you manage yourself in hostile environments you know this guy went into the Emirates and like head up handled himself despite getting pelters from the crowd throughout like I think that is he's there to educate and I love this signing for Chelsea for that reason because that dressing room was really lacking a lot of that I mean goodness this is a club where at one point there were so many players there wasn't room for them all in the dressing room yeah so this is for him to be there it's such an Alonso acquisition and I really like the way that he's gone about his first few months at Chelsea actually I mean he's an incredible get for them he's an incredible incredible it's so good it's funny because when I first saw the Alonso acquisition I was like it felt weird it did it still feels weird for about two minutes it felt weird then all of a sudden I was like this man wants to he just wants to coach he just wants to coach and actually ironically someone would say you know like when David Bowie moved to Berlin for a quiet life and you're like hang on a minute you don't move to Berlin for a quiet life I think what he was getting up to before it probably well he left Bowie left Bowie left basically like rather like Alonso so Bowie left chaos for lesser chaos so Bowie left LA for Berlin right good switch and Alonso left Real Madrid for Chelsea West London great transition and I think it's going to I mean that decision's aging well by the month

41:11Ryan Hunn: I think with the benefit of hindsight and a bit of time I think I wonder if this coinciding with a slight shifting of the ownership at Chelsea might end up just easing them on a bit more of a smoother path. Let's let this squad age together with the occasional addition in there. Let's let them gel together and let's build in three, four, five-year chunks as opposed to two-year cycles. And if that happens, they will be a real, real threat on multiple fronts. It's early days of Alonso caveating that, obviously, but that should be the goal for Chelsea. It shouldn't be, I don't think, it should be, hey, we might go really far in the Champions League one season or we might go and win the Europa League, but then actually we're going to go and have a bit of a blow-up season and finish 11th.

42:06Ryan Hunn: I don't think that... To be honest though, weirdly, that's kind of been quite common for Chelsea. They've quite often yo-yoed in and out of the Champions League spots but then they've gone and won the league or won the Champions League twice in the last 15 years or whatever it is. So, there is, I think, a little bit more stability and a little bit more continuity would be good for them. quite like him before? Tuchel maybe is the closest but even Tuchel didn't have the kind of attacking expansiveness of Alonso. of Alonso. I don't think they've had a coach quite like Alonso in a while. No, it's funny, right?

42:40Ryan Hunn: Because I was trying to think of who it would be, really. He was a European Cup winner, World Cup winner as a player. There's a different thing. So I think where you would fit Alonso as a player, really, or a manager profile, I think he's quite unique in terms of the managers that Chelsea have hired over the last however long. I think so, yeah. Because he's not a Tuchel who was, you know, had come from PSG. He's not a Graham Potter who had come up from Brighton or, you know, a Maresca who had come up from, I mean, Maresca, no. I think it's just, I think that he is quite singular in terms of the profile of managers.

43:21Ryan Hunn: I was never convinced by the Maresca fit, to be honest. I was never convinced. Yeah. And look, again, they had some success there, but you could, I'm, and this is just anecdotally from the small amount of reaction I've seen. but I can't remember there being such a unified we all want to go in this direction from a Chelsea point of view for a little while it feels like it fits it feels like it works it does so far some of the stuff some of the stuff they played against Brighton was spectacular and we'll see what happens when if there's a bump here and there yeah but yeah I mean so far so good I think look I'm excited to see what both teams produce this year I'm really excited yeah I mean I'm you know Arsenal go away to Napoli this week and then they go away to Sunderland on Saturday night which is again just quite a tough week really so tough start of the season yeah Arsenal don't play another home game until October which is I know there's an international break in there as well but it's quite a weird thing like Carabao Cup and league games they're all away now and Champions League until after the international break so if they can navigate that well they're in a really really good spot and hopefully injury free but can we shout out before two months we've gone long here so yeah good can we shout out Hull the only side in the top four divisions in England yet to concede a goal Neil Nodron the weekend against Villa who were struggling but they struggled early on last season and there's a lot of turnover there and we will definitely, I'd like to talk a little more about Villa but maybe when we've got a little more time because I'd like to see where they're at in a few more games but Hull could have won it at the end as well and they've been really impressive so far this season and you know talk about capitalising on people who maybe aren't up to speed yet those seven points wherever they finish at the end of the season they are crucial they're so important because not just beyond the points they've demystified the league they've demystified the league they've actually it's one thing talking about yeah this is a game plan against United we can go out and do them but going out and doing it and having proof of concept right and the different places they've got the points.

45:31They've won. To beat Coventry in that game was fantastic because that's going to be a right.

45:36Ryan Hunn: Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Prior to the season, that is a club you identify as maybe even one that you battle against at the bottom of the league. I don't know if that's really fair. If Hull now look at their results, they should actually slightly adjust their aspirations, I think. This is really important now to be like, okay, let's look at, Let's think about, we'll don't put it public, but let's think about like mid table. That vast expanse of mid table where you have a cluster of clubs separated by like eight points. Think about finishing somewhere in that pack and have that mentality because the way they've executed to this level, we still don't know what a goal against Hull looks like, right?

46:16We know that they are very good at set pieces. We know they're excellent in transition. They make great choices on the break. What's not to like? and the best is yet to come because the better you do, the more attractive you become for potential free agent signings, for transfers. All of a sudden, Hull have got a bit of hype around them. Yeah. I mean, like when Sunderland came up, well, Sunderland was a bit different case because Sunderland spent a lot more money, but Sunderland coming up and now look like a fixture in the Premier League to the point where when they win a game against a team like Fulham, you're like, yeah, that's par for the course.

46:49Like Sunderland beating anyone other than a top five club last year. It's like, yep, standard. That's fair enough. I mean, they spent, you know,

47:01Ryan Hunn: they also spent like a fair bit of money hole, but I think that they just signed really well. Yeah, signed well. And yeah, man, I think that they're just, like seeing them third in the table behind only Manchester City and Arsenal is at this stage of the season is unbelievable. and they play the team that are directly below them next where they go to Stamford Bridge and the team that we've just been talking about. Manchester City getting past Coventry 1-0. They'll take that but I think that they're still work to be done. They made hard work of that and I'm interested because Phil Foden, I'm a bit concerned I hope it's not an injury thing or whatever but yeah, Foden on the bench and they brought in all these new players and I wonder where he fits into everything and I wonder what his path is in that team very interested to see how City set up with Enzo Fernandes there in the mix I think maybe a team where they're going to drive forward a lot more for midfield which is going to be interesting but yeah a fun variation to look out for but Coventry again like three goals sorry three games in no goals scored okay that's a bit of a black mark but only five conceded only five conceded not getting cooked to consider by contrast the Leeds get beaten 5-0 against Arsenal and they turned out okay so Coventry have avoided those demoralising defeats and they faced Arsenal and City away in the first two games yeah first two away games well first three games Arsenal away Hull at home which is the one that they were a bit like that's the disappointing one and then City away I mean I'm not sure they would have expected any more than maybe beating Hull in that if they could but yeah just quickly because we're not going to have time to, we don't want to kind of go game for game, but good to see Liverpool kind of...

48:54He's had second goal was beautiful.

48:57Ryan Hunn: Looking like, you know, showing signs of what we could expect them to be. Barker looking good when he came on. Yeah, that's a good win away at Ipswich on Friday night, 2-0. Bournemouth could be like simultaneously frustrated, but also encouraged by the fact that they're in these games so consistently. two goals up against Newcastle they should have put that away and there's a thing now they should have yeah maybe this is not fair on Marco Rosa I think you know what it is I think you're just getting to grips with the new team and I think Bournemouth they're trying to get that balance between playing expansive football and then when do you actually control the tempo now again saying all of that it wasn't James' Park not the easiest place to get a win and maybe the atmosphere gets them at some point I don't know having said that you can't legislate for Harvey Barnes banger there's another man that has a collection he's like the English Matteo Politano isn't he he's the English Politano he's always good for like a banger every few games Politano scoring against his old club again on the weekend we'd love to see it what I would say about Bournemouth I'm impressed by how Marco Rosa has started there like results aside I just like the fit really smart hire from there they look fun man they look fun and I think if you think they're kind of missing a couple of players still as well.

50:15Ryan Hunn: Yeah.

50:19Ryan Hunn: They'll get that win. And then after that, I think they will be, you know. They just need to bed down their win. Then they'll move. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this happens like slow starts are a thing, you know. And then we see that, you know, we were talking about Villa's slow start last season, then compared to what happened. If you look at how Spurs started last season, then look what ended up happening to them. It's just, it's so tricky the early on in the season. Underrated part of Bournemouth's summer, the ability to hang on to their gems. Yeah. The ability to hang on to Ryan, Krupe, Alex Scott.

50:48Those are huge, huge. Those are almost, in this context, those, I mean, it's a cliche, but those are basically gets.

50:54Ryan Hunn: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Completely agree. But also from Newcastle point of view, this is why I think there's been so much, there's been so much positive stuff around the Premier League already at the beginning of the season. And people who maybe were coming into this, not, you know, including from ourselves, maybe we were a bit like, I'm not sure about this, but so far the Isler just looks completely at home at St James' Park completely unfazed I mean this is a guy who I think is like very very confident in his managerial ability anyway there are a lot of teams who could have had more points than they've already got but they're that's not really a negative if that makes sense no definitely I mean speaking of points just quickly Brentford Sunderland won all and a point which points were shared between Brighton and Leeds Spurs got their first point of the season picking up a point away at Forest which is a good result I think all things considered and Palace in a wild game what did you call this earlier beating Fulham 3-2 El Caotico El Caotico I was saying actually we need to have a stadio for the most unhinged game of the season nominations all welcome at any time for El Caotico but that is certainly a frontrunner I mean some of the good

52:13some of this football was absolutely yeah I mean

52:16Ryan Hunn: should we wrap up on another bit of chaos which was the end of Everton Manchester United 2-0 which you've not really thought about yet because you went along on the Arsenal-Chelsea game I will say this about Manchester or Everton Manchester United the 2-0 draw Manchester United played some thrilling stuff but I think there's a couple of issues here one of them is Michael Carrick we're going to see this year how he rotates. That's going to be a real factor because his substitutions were a mixed bag. Seshko scored, but Rashford going off and Dorgoo coming on. It's not on Dorgoo. I'm not blaming him for that.

52:50It's more that the balance on the left side went, I think. And it slipped at a crucial point of the game. I will say though, to Everton's point, their substitutions were all superb. Grealish, Hackney and Maitland-Niles all made a difference. And Grealish looked immediately at home. What his first two passes were like kind of basic key passes. in my amateur assessment and Maitland Niles. That is an early contender. How cool is that, man? That is going on a highlight reel. That's an Everton goal of the season already. Like in terms of like the highlight reel end of the season, just in terms of the timing of it, his introduction.

53:24And it's such a, like a mark of, it's such a mark of quality. Because it's like one of those ones where people are the new signings. What's he got? What's he got? And you just go, yeah, you draw for that one. The curve on it, the whip on it. Yeah.

53:36Ryan Hunn: He gave the heart signal straight away. I'm just, look, big fans of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. He's had a, maybe not the career that we thought he might have, especially when he broke onto the scene early on for us, but we've seen how many players, like how many players maybe don't hit the absolute pinnacle. I still think he's had a really good career. You know, he's had some really interesting moves, had some injury problems as well early on. He was one of those players who just got moved around. I think he was a victim of Iris. I think he was a victim of Iris. I think he was, I think Arsenal at the time, not to make this, it's not an Arsenal podcast.

54:09No, no, no. Any player, I think any player, some players are very unlucky because they arrive at clubs where they can be the missing piece, they can be the vital part of a squad. But if the underlying squad is chaotic or in transition, they don't get to really have that role. And I know I talk a lot about a player like Thiago at Chelsea, but Thiago is a good example of a midfielder who vanishes in a squad that's not ready to receive him. Right, there's a lot of very good players that don't quite get their due. And I think he's one of them. I think he's one of them. And it's a real shame that he hasn't got the trophy cabinet.

54:45I think his talents deserve and his application deserves, to be honest. Having said that.

54:49Ryan Hunn: Very interested to see what he's... Lyon, Roma. Yep. Great CV. These are like storied clubs. They're all like clubs with incredible heritage. Was it like Ander Herrera? Ander Herrera basically played under all the great coaches. Valverde, like all of them. Like Van Gaal. Is it Real Zaragoza now? He's at his club. He'll make a great coach. He'll make an amazing coach. He started there and he's gone back there. He's playing for free. Yeah, yeah. Amazing, man. Just amazing. Coming back from Boca Juniors and going, Zaragoza, Athletic Club, Manchester United, PSG, Athletic Club again, Boca Juniors, Real Zaragoza.

55:28The food that man has eaten. That is, you talk about gut health. That man has absolutely, that's some good guy

55:37Ryan Hunn: do you know who's got I think is probably pretty chill after the weekend Gasp with his last I can't nick your pun Roma the last gasp winner the last gasp winner three two goals in three minutes at the end of the game for Roma in the gasp derby and would that be Darby della Gasparini is that what we call it I like that Roma top of the league on goal difference. They've scored 10, they've conceded 1. It was a big weekend in Serie A this weekend. We've talked about, briefly talked about Politano. He's scored for Napoli. Napoli taking a two-goal lead against Inter and then losing 3-2. Lautaro Martinez right at the end with the winner.

56:24Ryan Hunn: And also a late equaliser for Juve at home against Milan from Gatti for one or draw. Some big games this weekend. Como winning as well. Great. Moise are keen looking fantastic for them. I think I mentioned before really really good and they're in the Champions League this week that's vibey as hell Serie A it really is they've got RB Leipzig on Thursday in the Champions League game and they got to I think they got the all clear to play at home it feels weird having Champions League on Thursday I don't like it anyway well they do it that first one's always the three nights I know I'm just not a fan of it you know I like it well I mean to be honest at first I was a bit like this is too much but then actually the fact that they give each competition their own full week I don't hate that at some point through the season because the Europa League gets three days and then Conference League will get three days to get the fixtures tidied up yeah yeah I think it makes it's fine I see the logic I'm just trying not to be a hater you know in my new face just very quickly we won't go too much into other La Liga stuff this weekend but WSL was back this weekend Alexey Piteas making a WSL debut and London City London City Lionesses victorious against Manchester United on Friday night in the opener 2-1 Chelsea dropping points which is very interesting first game of the season won all at home to Villa wins for Brighton Spurs sorry wins for Arsenal Spurs Liverpool Palace and Manchester City rounded up the weekend so you have 1 2 3 4 5 6 teams on 3 points after the opening round of fixtures in the WSL and it is it's so back Love it Is there anything else you want to shout out from this weekend?

58:10I think that is all I just think if you look at how just looking at Barcelona again just because I've mentioned them before the start that Anthony Gordon has had I want to flag that up Anthony Gordon I think only three players in La Liga have started their first four games with four assists the only other in the 21st century the only other two Cesc Fabregas and Luis Suarez

58:37Ryan Hunn: do you want another stat that I saw Albert Blair sends that post oh I love his stuff what did he say Barca signed off with the most good passes so I think the highest completion pass highest amount of completed passes of 763 in the flick era it was also on the day of Rodri's full debut and the second with the I think it's the second most XG generated 3.86 the quality of chance if you get a chance to watch it Valencia actually were not that bad like really they had they had Pedri and Rodri in midfield it looks so good it's an all time it's astonishing the fit is unbelievable it's Barcelona this year I don't know what they're going to win I don't know but they are absolutely box office four goals four wins 17 goals four and two against it's just it's off the scale the RailBettis English Twitter account has literally just posted meanwhile Troy Parrott playing in long sleeves at 37 degrees centigrade on a Friday summer night and then with the sunglasses emoji

59:45I love it I love it I love it alright should we roll yeah let's roll let's roll what can follow that

59:53Ryan Hunn: we hope everyone stays safe and well wherever you are and don't forget if you want to listen to our Champions League episodes and you're not already a member patreon.com forward slash stadio go sign up as a member members we'll see you on Thursday and Friday this week if you're on the free feed we'll be back with you next Monday until then don't forget to check the Standing Archers place on Spotify speaking of which we're playing out on San Bon by El Califon anything you would like to add Moussak? nothing to ever alright everyone much love have a great week members we'll see you on Thursday see you then

1:00:30Thank you.

1:00:59Thank you.

1:01:29Thank you.

1:01:59Thank you.

1:02:44We'll be right back.

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