UCL Final Drama, Slot Sacked, End-of-Season Awards!

16:56Robbie Mustoe:He's got the balance right. Maybe Mikel now has just got to look at his group. But what he has got is a real great base, Rob, to go from, which PSG didn't have, and why they could never win this title before Luis Enrique got in charge.

17:08Robbie Earle:That's a brilliant shout. It's a brilliant shout. And when you look at this PSG team, we know that they're tilted to attack because they've got great players, but they don't have to work hard as well. And I see Cabez Scalier and everybody else and Dembele working back defensively. There's midfield players who do that, two-way midfield players. That's absolutely right. This is a brilliant team that can do a bit of everything. It can counter-attack. It can dominate. It's great defensively. The game against Bayern Munich, they show that they can defend strong as well. They can play. They can attack.

17:34Robbie Earle:They can counter. It's a great team. and you make such a good example for all teams and all areas of this sport, that modern-day football, really, if you're a star player, you've got to be able to, at times, at the right time, when required, get back and help out defensively, which they obviously have done before. But they're so good at possessing that they enjoy their football more often than not because they're on the front foot. There aren't many teams that are going to possess. I mean, the Bayern Munich games were amazing games, like back and forth and up and down. and that was not the way for Arsenal to go and they didn't and we saw what happened.

18:08Robbie Earle:So it's a good shout to think about the manager and the way that this team has been put together from superstars to stars that are willing to roll up their sleeves and have no ego and are very humble players, both sides of the ball. So that's a very good point, Mr Earl. Very good.

18:23Robbie Mustoe:Let's take you to Anfield, my friend. Mikey. I want to know how surprised from 1 to 10 And were you on the news that Arna Slott had lost his job? I mean, we talked about it towards the end of the season, Rob. I think we both felt he would get a six-month look or three, four months. I think you said at some point, let's see how they stall. Let's get people fit. There's been mitigating circumstances. Not the case. FSG, the ownership group, decide it was the right time to sack Arna Slott at the end of the season. I mean, harsh, Rob?

18:59Robbie Earle:Oh, gosh, this is amazing. Back to your question. Eight out of ten surprised. Eight out of ten surprised. Basically because of the Xabi Alonso thing. Xabi Alonso was available. Xabi Alonso was available. And it was like, oh, what are they going to do, Liverpool? What are they going to do? Are they going to switch? Are they going to change Arnaz slot for him? And they didn't. And Chelsea jumped in and got Xabi Alonso. So at that point, it's like, okay. Either they really trust in Arnaz slot to go forward and they think you've got the right man, or, which I think is the case, they never really fancied.

19:30Robbie Earle:Yeah, I was going to ask you that.

19:32Robbie Mustoe:Xavi Alonso, didn't quite fancy him yet. Or has he been here yet?

19:36Robbie Earle:And the name I'm writing down now, and I've written down many times, is Richard Hughes, Robbio. Richard Hughes is the director of football at Liverpool Football Club, along with Robb Edwards, who's more of the overseeing guy of all the global kind of impact of the soccer side of the business. But Richard Hughes is making decisions. He brought in Arna Slott. Arnaz Slott took a team that was under Jurgen Klopp that was stalling. I think they were fifth, and then they were third, or third and then fifth in the last two seasons before Slott comes in, and he makes them first. Well done. It's obviously the Slott team, but he suddenly changed things, slowed them down a little bit.

20:16Robbie Earle:Maybe the change was good for them too. Got Mo Salah in his best ever season in terms of goal production, and they win a title. And this last season has been disappointing, Rob. And again, I don't know whether we're going to go through all the mitigating circumstances, Rob. I mean, half of the team changed. Half of this team that were champions changed. And it was always going to be a difficult year. But can we just go back on that?

20:39Robbie Mustoe:Could you say half the team changed? Half the team changed with, I think, over half a billion dollars worth of signings. And I remember at the time, I'll talk personally now, maybe you weren't not quite saying, wow, you've added that to the champions. You may as well give them the cup again. Everybody, nobody at that point was going, that Azak's not a great sign. Flory and Vert, I think, was one of them everybody's looking for, but we'd all heard and seen what he'd done at Leverkusen and the ability. Kerkas was a nail on, you know, one of your players of the season prior to that at Bournemouth.

21:11Robbie Mustoe:Frimpong, again, a little bit unknown with Trent going out. Maybe at that kind of money, you can take a bit of a gamble, whether he plays full-back or ahead. And Eka TK was really like your wild card. We'll pay some money, develop one, who came good. So at that time, Rob, I don't remember many people going, they spent half a billion on quality players of what they had, and this is going to make them worse.

21:35Robbie Earle:No, not make them worse, Rob. I didn't tip them for the title, basically saying there's too much change to the start in XI.

21:40Robbie Mustoe:You felt, okay.

21:41Robbie Earle:And my thing was there's a few uncertainties there with some of the players you mentioned. We're not going to see Florian Burtz. We have a sense. We highlight the goals, don't we? And I remember saying that, and you can rewind the tape, Alexander Izak is a fragile player. He's fragile. He's brilliant, but he's easily put off his best. He gets a lot of injuries. And that's for the reason I didn't tip him. But I didn't expect such a worse season. He keeps going back, Rob, to the circle name here, Richard Hughes. Richard Hughes, by the way, for those, there'll be a joint decision about players' recruitment with Arna Slott's kind of recommendation as well.

22:17Robbie Earle:And it all goes into the mix. But really, Richard Hughes is the guy that signs the recommendation to the owners to write the check for these certain players. And as it is right now, what we've seen in the first season of some of these guys, they haven't produced anywhere near what you might expect. Now, this very same guy has now decided that the drop-off, because the team changed, because these players haven't been brilliant, is all or mostly down to Arna Slott. Arna Slott has paid for a very disappointing campaign, Rob, that some might argue, and a little bit of this, is that, wow, that's such a drop-off.

22:52Robbie Earle:I know that Fring Pong's nowhere near it. I know that Kirk is a strike. I know all this stuff. And there's an argument that's too big a drop-off. We will see, my friend. We will see next season, whoever's in charge, we'll get to that in a second, whether with this squad, right, it can get back into the top two or three because that would that would then indicate slot under really underachieved or Robbie or like before we talk about who's if Liverpool finish fifth next season right with this squad and they're probably bringing some new players yeah does then do we then start well I know what I'm going to be pointing at Mr Hughes like yeah because we've had one guy that was a title winner by the way and you to mark for another guy.

23:36Robbie Earle:And they're still fifth. So it's the players. It's the players. It's the players in the squad. And that's the main...

23:44Robbie Mustoe:Let me take it down a slightly different avenue. And I hear your point and valid as they are. There's a couple of things that have happened at Liverpool. I would say in the last two or three months that have surprised me and shocked me. There's been fan unrest. There's been a lot of fan unrest about the football, Rob, about decisions that he's making. It's as though the two people have fell out of love, Arna Sla and the football fans. Now, Liverpool football fans want a couple of things. They want winning football and they want a style of football that represents them. And there's been a lot of talk that the style of football has not been right.

24:26Robbie Mustoe:What about last year, Rob?

24:28Robbie Earle:What about last year? Last year, they won. They won. They're happy? The style of football is okay then. They won happier and they won.

24:33Robbie Mustoe:This year, not as happy because not win. And the football's got worse. The second thing, Rob, is so, you know, we've heard more boos. I've heard more boos in the last three months than I've heard in the last 10 years at Liverpool. They don't boo their managers generally. They're unhappy. The second point is, Rob, if you lose a section of fans and these whispers, and again, this is whispers, that he's lost a section of the dressing room. And I'll point to a certain Mo Salah, who had an outstanding season last season, but has on two occasions this year came out against Leeds. He came out and then recently, just before he left, he's come out and made remarks about that almost make you feel that things aren't right in the dressing room.

25:20Robbie Mustoe:Now, again, social media and things, take it what you will. When Mo Salah came out against Leeds, 12 players liked his social media post. Arnest Locks got sacked over the last couple of days. One player, Virgil van Dijk, has put something on. Thank you, coach. What a great year we had together. One player out of the group. Now, again, I'm not saying that's everything. But what I'm saying is there's also a sense. So if you're Richard Hughes and you think some of the fan base is struggling and this happens, Rob, and it shouldn't be something that happens, players are influencing, Richard, things ain't right in the dressing room.

26:01Robbie Mustoe:He's not the same guy you think he is. We need to be more front foot. He doesn't want to play front foot. If some of those things are happening, Rob, if I'm Richard Hughes, maybe I'm making the decision or more of a decision than we're seeing from the outside. Do you get my point?

26:16Robbie Earle:Brilliant points. Absolutely right. And I've also got notes of the same thing here, fan power. And, you know, I think we said before that Liverpool fans, they know their football, right? They've seen it all. They've won a ton. They know what success looks like, et cetera, et cetera. You know, let me put it this way, Rob. If the fans would have been normal Liverpool fans this season, right, and towards the end, I think the manager still stays in place.

26:39Robbie Mustoe:I'd agree.

26:40Robbie Earle:I think there's definitely an influence. And I don't, you know, I think we've got to be careful here. Either way, if we think, like, you've got to ignore the fans. Like, you've got to be objective about it. You know, I think you have without going too far because you don't want the fans blimmin' dictating what's going on. But I think you're right. I think sensibly, particularly at that club, there has to be a little bit of, hmm, you know, they don't really want to, at least in a lot of this, there's a lot of things they don't like there with this. And then Richard Hughes' job is like, but we've got this player, this player's not doing it.

27:14Robbie Mustoe:More objective.

27:15Robbie Earle:Yeah. Yeah, so not that I think that there should be a ton of that taken from the fans kind of reaction, but I think there's going to be some. And you're absolutely right. Mo Salah chucking his in as well about, let's get back to this football and heavy metal football, et cetera, et cetera, is really not helping. Maybe he's a happy chappy today, Mo Salah, Rob, that maybe he got what he wanted by throwing in these comments about the manager, trying to throw him under the bus like he felt he was done by the manager those many months ago. So I think that is part of it, rightly or wrongly. But again, it goes back to decision makers, the board, Richard Hughes, they've done this and let's see where they go next, which is where we should go next, Rob.

27:54Robbie Earle:So a big favourite is Andoni Irola. And I think our listeners will know what we feel about him and what he's done and the sort of person he is and the football that he plays. And he's direct, he's vertical, he's fast. He wants the ball to be, you know, this has been well documented. He wants the ball forward. He wants it in the hands of his attacking players immediately, if not sooner and really attack with pace with intensity they're a brilliant team with and without the ball the star players at Liverpool will have to get on board with that that's just the way it is I mean again it's not confirmed yet but strong favourites Rob what do you think about Iriola?

28:28Robbie Mustoe:Well I think to the point that Richard Hughes and Iriola have worked together at Bournemouth and they were successful and they worked well and the recruitment was good and the style of football is very much more front foot high press and look what they've done this year, Rob. I mean, an incredible season that they've done with a next-level group of players. And your line was, you know, does the next guy have to be better? Of course he has to be better in terms of probably league position. But I think, as important, has to be better in terms of football and style of football and evolving this Liverpool team to something more progressive.

29:04Robbie Mustoe:Not sitting off, not lacking control, not tempo, Rob. You know, you watch Bournemouth. We see Bournemouth against Manchester City recently.

29:12Robbie Earle:And they're flying forward.

29:15Robbie Mustoe:Yeah, he ain't changing.

29:16Robbie Earle:He ain't changing.

29:17Robbie Mustoe:That's what he does. And there's something, and take this in the right way, and I hope Andoli Areola, when he listens to this,

29:23Robbie Earle:and obviously listens to his every week,

29:24Robbie Mustoe:there's something quite goofy about Areola that I think the Liverpool fans will like. He's not your kind of clean, pristine-looking guy on the sideline. He's not peppy. Like Ass Rovers. He's a bit goofy. He looks a bit all over, and he's talking to... But certainly not in a bad way. We've managed to spend a little bit of time in the Premier League summer series when he's been away. Loves his football, Rob. Really enthusiastic. Remember speaking to a couple of the players, Tavernier and the likes, who said, this guy's another level, tells you everything, but gives you the ability to make decisions on the pitch yourself.

30:03Robbie Mustoe:It's not all like this data, this thing, you've got to do this. And in terms of developing players, Rob, and look at the likes of Kruppi and Ryan, the players who've come into the football club. If they can connect that recruitment again and maybe drag one or two of those kids with them, that's not a bad place to be.

30:24Robbie Earle:Yeah, let me just, a couple of things, Rob, to follow up on that, right? First off, Bournemouth and the job they've done, they're outstanding. But again, we've said many times, the recruitment of that club is ridiculous. The recruitment of that club is ridiculous. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't him. I'm just saying that Ryan coming in, Junior Cooper, Alex Scott. These players that are signed are so well recruited. And of course, he's done a brilliant job with them. So there's just that. The little doubts in my mind is, is he a great coach or is it a great club of recruiting? I think it's both. And the second part that people will point to, and I've already heard it many times already, Thomas Frank going from Brentford to Spurs, Robbie Hill.

31:05Robbie Earle:The jump from Bournemouth to Liverpool. It is a big jump. Let's be honest about it. I'll tell you what I think straight away. I think every one of these is an individual case-by-case situation. You can't say, well, Thomas Frank jumped from Bournemouth to Spurs. You know, this is going to be too – forget about all that. I'm sorry. This is such a small sample size of individuals that have worked somewhere and are going to work somewhere else. You can't say, well, you wouldn't get in because of that. You go for future greatness and maybe as a future star coach of the next era. And, you know, Xavi Lonzo coming in, Rob.

31:37Robbie Earle:It's starting to, Mikel Arteta's established now. We're starting to see another group. We've lost Jurgen Klopp.

31:42Robbie Mustoe:We've lost, you know,

31:43Robbie Earle:obviously Pep Guardiola. There's the next crew coming through, next group of younger ones. And Irola's another one. And for me, I'll be excited. I'll be excited to see how Liverpool goes with Irola. There's no guarantee with anybody, particularly with his squad and the sign-ins that have struggled. It's going to be a fascinating watch. I really hope he does get confirmed, Rob, because I'm a big fan of his. I really want to see this at Anfield.

32:07Robbie Mustoe:Yeah, absolutely. I think it'll be the right kind of football. And this one feels a bit more, to me, Rob, like Pochettino leaving Southampton. You know, lots of good news, lots of players he developed and then like being given the next stage with a decent structure around him. Thomas Frank goes to Spurs and it's like it's mayhem behind the scenes. We know, you know, look at what happened over the last part of the season, who they appoint, how they appoint, how they recruit. It's so much different. And let's remember that Richard Hughes and Iriola worked together. They could work over the next two, three years to put a recruitment team in place that not mirrors Bournemouth, but is…

32:54Robbie Mustoe:At a higher level.

32:55Robbie Earle:The same sort of quality data and stuff, but with a higher level player. Yeah. I mean, and also when you think about what might happen, yes, remember Bournemouth, Rob. Ryan Christie is a technical little footballer. I'd say he's a number 10 or he's a winger. He plays in the middle of midfield with Alex Scott that are both playmakers. So you ain't going to see a need, I don't think, of a Ryan Gravenberg. I'm sure he's there. He's a great midfield player. But he will play, gosh, you know, he'll play Bernardo Silva. He'll play the technical players as a pair in the middle. And that helps link things together, little playmakers.

33:30Robbie Earle:I see more McAllister.

33:31Robbie Mustoe:We might see, you know, Sebastian McAllister, who we haven't really seen under this season. Yeah, yeah.

33:37Robbie Earle:So I think it's going to be fun to see his football at Anfield if he does get confirmed. We'll see.

33:43Robbie Mustoe:Yeah, we'll see, my friend. Okay, now we move on to the most important part of the podcast for the season. It's our annual Two Robbies Award, the bit that every player is shaking. I mean, Arsenal players lost to Champions League, but they're more interested in, are they on the two Robbies team of the year? We're going to start with some of our picks of the season, Musty.

34:06Robbie Earle:Yeah.

34:08Robbie Mustoe:I think we're going to start with our summer signings. Yeah. And, you know, as our picks, Rob,

34:15Robbie Earle:I think hopefully our listeners will, sometimes we're not going to go down the conventional road. No, no. I mean, maybe some will get seen as that when you see some of our stuff here. But, you know, we watch, I mean, might I be so brazen to add Robbie Earl, right? Does anybody watch as many Premier League games as us? Anywhere?

34:35Robbie Mustoe:Well, there'll be a lot of fans, mate, who do. Yeah, but, like, I mean, if we're not in the studio

34:41Robbie Earle:watching the games, the six, we're at home watching the games. That's 38 weeks of it. Anyway, so I think we have a good grasp of different clubs and smaller clubs and important players in certain situations.

34:53Robbie Mustoe:No, it's not just big six. We're not just big six, fellas. No, sorry, mate. Sorry, I interjected there. We're all over the league. But you're right. And so we can think about these things with a slightly different head on, not go down the obvious route, not go down the very public route or the journalistic route that people can be played by. But some of them are.

35:11Robbie Earle:Some of them are.

35:12Robbie Mustoe:Some of them are because they're great players. Let's start with summer signings, my friend.

35:17Robbie Earle:Best summer signing.

35:18Robbie Mustoe:Best summer signing of the season. I go for Granit Xhaka, captain of Sunderland Football Club, who's been my guide, must you? You know me, Johnny. He's been my guy all season. Granit Xhaka, I think, has been the best signing. To take him from Leverkusen, to bring him into this team, to, you know, everything that Chelsea don't have, he brings, and to work with a group of players who was their first sort of hurrah in the Premier League for so many years. Granit Xhaka wins my summer signing.

35:47Robbie Earle:Right. Seventh, Rob, wasn't it? Sunderland. Seventh.

35:52Robbie Mustoe:Seventh in European football, my friend. Absolutely astonishing season by Sunderland.

35:56Robbie Earle:Astonishing season, you know, the newly promoted team. I've got a similar angle on this. I guess, you know, a lot of the big money guys that we'll get to next in terms of disappointments, there wasn't that many big money guys that were brilliant, basically. And I've gone for a similar idea here, Rob. I'm going for impact. I'm going for impact. And my best summer signing, particularly for impact and what's happened, Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds United on a free transfer. I haven't got the number right now. What did he get, like 12 goals, something like that, Premier League goals? He got enough goals, important goals, to keep Leeds United in the Premier League.

36:33Robbie Earle:Again, a free transfer and somebody that I ain't sure I would have gone for, Rob, given his injuries at Everton. The few games that he played at Everton last year, they're coming back, they're going out again, not seeing him for a few weeks, coming back, going out again, being careful. I'm like, gosh, you can't touch him. Leeds United gambled on this guy, a free transfer. So this isn't about the fees, it's about the impact. And when you're Leeds United and you're a newly promoted team, you're desperate for somebody to score. And he has been the difference, I would say, with his number of goals into double figures.

37:04Robbie Earle:That means that Leeds United get to grow in this remarkable league for another season and build on last year. I think he, for me, will be the best signing in the summer in this Premier League.

37:15Robbie Mustoe:It's a great shout because I think like many of us, we weren't sure how many games you're going to get out of him. He hit a really hot spell of form just around Christmas time when I think he was six and seven or something, finding goals. The system changed, suited in, started to deliver. And he looks like he enjoys being the man at a club like Leeds United where your leading line is outstanding.

37:38Robbie Earle:He got 14, Rob. I just checked. 14, yeah, 14 Premier League goals.

37:41Robbie Mustoe:A little unlucky not to make the England squad. It was pretty good for him. But they stayed up and, as you said, they got the goal score they need. So it's a good shout, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Let's go to the other end. Who's been your most disappointing summer signing? And I've got to go for a Liverpool player, Florian Verts, mate, who, like everything, when a new player comes in, we go and do a bit of research, we go and look at his strengths, where does he play, what's he good at, his goals, his assists, his creativity.

38:10Robbie Earle:And you always see the best stuff online.

38:12Robbie Mustoe:I'm thinking this guy is a lovely little fit. He can be from a deeper position centrally on the pitch, can make things happen, lovely interplay. He's got a nice range of passing.

38:24Robbie Earle:We've seen, Rob, the odd glimpse of it, the odd glimpse,

38:28Robbie Mustoe:but nothing that's a lasting three or four games at most. And for the amount of money, for the hoo-ha, for the anticipation I had of what Virts can do for this team, Rob. He's been my most disappointing summer signing.

38:45Robbie Earle:Yeah, well, I agree with you, Rob. I mean, we saw flashes. The game was too fast for him for the majority of time. We saw it from day one, Rob. We were at Anfield for the first game in Liverpool. And we saw it. It's just a bit quick for him right now. And I expected over the course of the season for that to shake off a little bit and get a little bit quicker and move the ball a little bit more creatively. Didn't assist much. didn't make many penetration passes much. So, yeah, I agree. He's young and it looks like a change of manager might help him. We'll see. My most disappointing sign-in, and this goes back to our conversation we had five minutes ago, Rob Eil, is Alexander Isak, another Liverpool player.

39:20Robbie Earle:Now, I get that there was an injury in the middle of it. I get that. But we saw him at the start of things. Didn't look great. And maybe on the back of a pre-season. So there's a few caveats to this one, Rob. But when you spend$170 million, dollars, that's a big decision to make as a football club. And in that decision is all-encompassing things about the player, the fitness record, how he is generally. It's a big decision with that kind of money, and it hasn't worked out at all. He came back. Again, there's been flashes, but few of them. And I know it's not easy in a struggling team like Liverpool have been in some ways.

39:56Robbie Earle:I mean, they finished fifth and they qualify for the Champions League. So, I mean, that's amazing. I'm looking down at this rundown, Rob. now for the first time really and looking at your picks and our conversation on Liverpool if you if you spend your two records huge amounts of money I'm sure their records um or Ezek I'm sure is yeah I mean that that's a massive impact to your team production when your two big money guys are on the two Robbies most disappointing summer signing so yeah yeah I'm sorry it's the same club um and I and I think which is good news for Liverpool that these two players can recover and maybe, you know, this time next year, Rob, we'll go through our teams and they'll be in them.

40:35Robbie Earle:Yeah, I've got to say it.

40:36Robbie Mustoe:He's got 30 goals under Iriola.

40:38Robbie Earle:Yeah, yeah, yeah, there you go. So we'll see. But that's, Iizak is my most disappointing signer amongst, we've had quite a few on this category.

40:47Robbie Mustoe:Not a good category for Liverpool. Let's move into the surprise of the season, Rob. And I'm going to go with a club, Brentford, who lost the manager, lost three or four of their star players, appointed their set-piece coach, Keith Andrews, who many hadn't certainly managed at this level, who many thought was going to be out of his depth. Many thought they're going to be the team that goes down if one of the promoted teams stays up. And yet, Rob, we see him in a top-half finish. We see him with an outstanding team, an outstanding set-up forward, an incredible start. If you would have said to me at the start of the season, Brentford under Keith Andrews would finish top half of the table.

41:29Robbie Mustoe:I would have said you're crazy.

41:31Robbie Earle:Well, I think you'd have said also you'd be crazy. Well, I'm going to pick now, Robbie Earle, because, and again, there's going to be some overlap here, right? There's stories that are outstanding achievements in this Premier League season. It's going to overlap a little bit. But it's got to be Sunderland. Sunderland, Robbie Earle. Straight through. Scrape through into the Premier League with Team A. with Regis Labrice and his French director. They come and they scrape into the Premier League. They then go around a total team. And I mean, like 90 % of the team is switched, is changed. They go on with a good amount of budget and they go and buy a new team for the Premier League.

42:10Robbie Earle:And that team finishes seventh and qualifies in the Europa League with Regis Labrice, this quiet little French guy, quietly spoken with a steely determination, a very smart tactical eye, for that team to come up and achieve that. I mean, if you look to the league table, Rob, right, and we're similar here, but I think my eye's going to go, what? Sunderland seventh? Like above all these big clubs underneath. That would be my biggest surprise of the season. Sunderland football club, and again, there's going to be some overlapping of these categories. And in some ways, Rob, the Brentfords, the Bournemouths, the Sunderlands, you know, Leeds with Calvert-Lewin.

42:49Robbie Earle:And that's a big part of this season, mate. It's a big part of this season when you think about achievements and impressive, you know, again, achievements. These clubs are going to be right there. So I'm saying Sunderland for that one.

43:00Robbie Mustoe:Yes, good shout. We're going to go to manager of the season and I'm going to pick up on your line. He's been my guy, Regis. I mean, you've got to love his name. You've got to love the man. Did a load of research on him before the season because I was intrigued, Rob. He's a disciple, came from Lorient. He's a bit of a Wenger disciple. Wants to play good football, apparently. But wants to stay in the league for a couple of seasons. Then he wants to take it on again. All those players you talked about tactically looks like he can change a game, Rob. He brought some pace and power, the Brobbies and the Diarras and people who just can handle the game.

43:40Robbie Mustoe:I just think if you decided at the start of the season, Rob, one of the promoted teams would finish top 10 and be in Europe I would have said no and I know that people are going to have others and Mikel Arteta certainly will come into many people's thinking but if you'd have said to me at the beginning of the season Mikel Arteta could win the Premier League I'd say possibly if you'd have said to me Regis Labris will finish 7th and get Sunderland into Europe I'd say you need to go to hospital and get your head checked

44:12Robbie Earle:well I didn't go to hospital before I get my head checked. But I was one of those that appreciated what Mikel Arteta has done. He is my manager of the season. See, everybody, we don't know what we picked until we look at the rundown. He hasn't looked this far down. I have gone for Mikel Arteta, Rob. I think he is the manager of the season and there's certain things and categories that I feel is most deserving. But for Mikel Arteta to change this team into runners-up to champions in the Premier League is a big deal. And I know that there was some recruitment that certainly helped. But his patience, his drive, is taken of all the criticism from different angles that don't really like him.

44:47Robbie Earle:I think I said before, he's not a particularly likeable guy, particularly on the sideline, jumping around and going out of his technical area. I don't really like that. But I respect what he's done with his team and to bounce back again after disappointment, after disappointment, to grow this team to be champions for the first time in a zillion years, well, since the Invincibles, of course. 22, yeah. I think it's a big deal and it's a big move for this club. I think he's changed the club. The players himself will be different now. Now he's a Premier League champion. And I think he deserves manager of the year.

45:17Robbie Earle:I get all the other stuff, Rob, and I've mentioned it in different categories. And Nabris, of course, remarkable achievements for some of these managers of these middling clubs, if you like. But I still, for this particular category, I'm going to the top. I'm going to Arteta. And he gets my manager of the season just for getting him over the line. And many doubted he'd do that. And many asked for a different guy to try and do that over the last seasons. He stuck on, the club stuck with him, and he's got them there. So it's our tether for me.

45:43Robbie Mustoe:It's a good shout because I had my doubts in that Man City game. I remember thinking, oh, no, they've let City back in. I did too.

45:51Robbie Earle:That was my only wobble of the season.

45:53Robbie Mustoe:And to be fair, he came again. His team came again. They won out 85 points and they won the title. So absolutely no worries with that one. Our player of the season, Rob, and again, there's a little bit of a mix here in the people we're talking. I've gone for Declan Rice. and I've gone for Declan Rice for a couple of reasons, Rob. And the biggest reason I'm giving it to Declan Rice is not just what he's done in terms of the drive and the purpose that he's given in his football ability and some great goals and great moments. Every time I've seen Declan Rice play for Arsenal this season, Rob, he has given absolutely everything.

46:32Robbie Mustoe:I've seen him on the pitch sometimes, like he can't pick his body up to walk off at the end of a game. it's almost like he's given his heart and soul to this Arsenal team to get him over the line and as much as the manager is I just think Declan Rice for me he was always in the running but as soon as that title was won and what it means to this young man and how he played there's a couple of times Rob I've wondered like and it's interesting I'll just ask you quickly in terms of you know there's certain days when you dig that little bit deeper and you find a little bit and like you know You don't know where it's come from, but you manage to make a run, make a block or get a shot or whatever it is.

47:12Robbie Mustoe:And, you know, sometimes you really have to get into your mind to think. I feel that Declan Rice does that on a quite regular basis. And it's one of those things that surprises me because I, as a player, couldn't. Every now and then you can dig deep and really pull something out. But this guy seems to do it like as and when.

47:31Robbie Earle:No, it absolutely does. I mean, what a heart he's got. And also, by the way, I've used this word for a long time, how durable is Declan Rice? How durable? I mean, he just plays games. He's very rarely injured, like hardly ever. I'd be anything you get from him. He plays week in, week out, in different spots. There's a six, there's an eight. He leads the team. I mean, arguably should be captain of the club, in my opinion, Declan Rice. I'm never going to have a problem with this, Rob. You know, back when I was signing him, Rob, for a huge fee, we both were like, bring it on. It doesn't matter. That does not matter how much you're paying for this guy because he's going to give you a decade of brilliant service.

48:06Robbie Earle:And it's one of those decisions that Arsenal made years ago that's the first one. There you go. That's why we signed him. And you've got him over the line. So I love the selection, Rob. And it was between him and the guy that I selected, of course, for me as well. I thought David Rye was pretty outstanding in terms of honorable mentions. And Declan Rice would be an honorable mention for me, of course. But I've gone in a slightly different way, Rob. And with my player of the year, you know, know you talk about a player that gives everything every game of deck and rice yes there's other players that do that but there isn't other players that can match the numbers of bruno fernandez so i am one of those that that absolutely appreciates what this player has done this season nine premier league goals and a premier league record of 21 assists makes him my player of the season and We've got to remember, Manchester United was a tough gig early on this season under Ruben Amorim.

49:01Robbie Earle:He played him as a deep-lying Declan Rice-type player. He played in Declan's position for maybe half a season, Rob. And then Michael Carrick comes in and switched him to the number eight or number 10, sorry, and his numbers just go through the roof. So difficult times. He's been much maligned at times by certain ex-Manchester United players and pundits that don't like his nasty demeanour. And he's flailing of arms and he's moaning and groaning. He has never bothered me. Never bothered me. Always thought there's other problems at Man United. Bruno Fernandes is not one of them. So his season and that production in this difficult time and some of those passes, Rob, and the quality of the first time through balls, the assists, the crosses that he can make, the set pieces.

49:45Robbie Earle:I mean, there are a lot of set pieces in there. I've got to say that. But his set pieces are brilliant. I mean, I just, I think he's a special talent. He's had a special season. And for that reason, I would put him ahead of a champion in Deccan Rice or David Raya. That's just my opinion. That's just my, what I think is outstanding in this particular season. And it's Bruno Fernandes' contribution. So, yeah. So, two different takes, Rob. Yeah, two different takes. Absolute player.

50:10Robbie Mustoe:Yeah. Absolute players. And when you think of Bruno's ahead of the likes of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Yeah, exactly, Rob. With the assists. Yeah. They basically, Rob, would not be in a Champions League spot without Bruno Fernandes. No. You just said it.

50:26Robbie Earle:The players have just beaten out. He's just beaten out for that assist there. So, yeah, brilliant. Yeah.

50:32Robbie Mustoe:Okay, Moustie, now we get to the gold medal time, the underappreciated and best 11 teams of the year. I've gone down the underappreciated route. You know, the kind of player that isn't going to get player of the year, isn't going to get recognised. The kind of guy, mate, that we'd love as a teammate, who's part of, you know, an integral part of what your team does. So shout-up anywhere you're not happy. Robin Roosin goal. I've got Coyote as my full-back, young full-back, athletic, long throw, you know, current day full-back position. Van Hecker's missed a consistency. Laquaz, next level, next level centre-back.

51:09Robbie Earle:I might have had Chris Richards there. I might have had Chris Richards, but not bad.

51:14Robbie Mustoe:Carry on. All right, Laquaz pays. Truffers, a better full-back. They sold Kirk Heads for loads of money and they found a better one in true fair. Granit Xhaka has to be in. He's my captain, mate. He's got to be in there. Alex Scott, you've talked about him earlier, part of that Bournemouth recruitment. Elliot Anderson, I don't think he's appreciated enough in terms of what he does and the influence he has on the team. And then I've got a front three, Harry Wilson, who, if you're talking about underappreciated awards, he epitomises it. Morgan Gibbs-White on the other side, 15 Premier League goals.

51:45Robbie Mustoe:Can't believe he's not in the England squad. And one of the stories of the season, Igor Thiago, 22 Premier League goals, second only to Erling Haaland at the top of the charts. What a season he's in. And my manager there, Rob, you'll see on the right-hand side, had to be the great Regis Lebris.

52:04Robbie Earle:Robby, I love it. I couldn't love that team anymore. Maybe Chris Richards, but I love a lot of those players, Rob. And you're right, they aren't going to be on the next list that I get, but they might in the future. You know, some of these players, Rob, you pick might get moves. Alex Scott might get a move. Van Hecker's talked about him moving on as well. I mean, Eagle Thiago with that amount of goals, Rob, is going to move, is possibly going to move this summer. Love Gibbs White. Not sure he's going to move, but I love him as a player. I can't believe he's not on the England squad. And Harry Wilson is moving and his contract's up.

52:31Robbie Earle:So, no, I did look at that. I did take a look at that team before, Rob, and I love it. And I love it. And I love what we do. And I love the underappreciated part of it. Because what I'm going to go and do now is something that you're going to see on many different sites with different pundits, et cetera, et cetera, the best 11 in my take. And let me go through my team here, Rob. And I don't know, it feels a bit more boring after yours, mate. But David Raya is the best goalkeeper, I feel like. I mean, so many remarkable saves in big games, particularly towards the end of the season there for Arsenal, which made a difference to their results.

53:06Robbie Earle:So it's got to be him in goal. I'll go from left to right in my back four. Again, same thing, Rob. Pipe up if you strongly disagree with some of this. Nico O 'Reilly, I strongly agree for him at left back. Lewis Hall, I would give as an honourable mention. Surprise, Lewis Hall's not going with the England squad. Anyway, Nico O 'Reilly will be the England left back. And my goodness. I mean, he's over. He's like 6-2, 6-3. He can play. He can defend. He can run. He can create. And he can score. From left back, he's going to get sometimes on the outside. But most often, right through the middle of that inside left spot, right into the penalty box.

53:39Robbie Earle:And right and pulling balls back, Rob, on the byline for other people to score. It's been a remarkable pep-assisted position for Nico O 'Reilly, but his step into the team has been amazing. Gabriel left centre-back, goes about saying what a player he is, what a leader. Brilliant season again for Arsenal. Always seems to be there. He had a couple of injury issues, but generally a very side-reliable player. And Saliba, I mean, I can go and look at other centre-backs, Rob, and I can. I just, and there's some, you know, I could honourable mention for prayers at other clubs. Gehi at City has been good.

54:10Robbie Earle:Kusenov, come on. But I can't pick anybody but Saliba and Gabriel for centre-backs. Now, the right-back might draw a little bit of attention here. And I think in the last couple of shows, Rob, I think I picked out Mateus Nunez, the Man City right-back that wasn't a right-back. There was a midfield player. And right-back was a problem position for Pep Guardiola. He put Nunez there. He looked like a fish out of water initially. And I accept that. But as I saw this player develop and mature over the course of the season, and he played there again and again and again. And there are some younger players who could play there for City, but he was always picked by Pep.

54:44Robbie Earle:And the last few games, Rob, my goodness, he can defend. He's wiry strong, so he's quite tough in that regard. I just think his improvement and what he's done at right back has been astonishing to me. So I have him as my right back. If I'm allowed a challenge, I'm chucking it in on Nunes. I'm chucking it in on Nunes.

55:05Robbie Mustoe:I thought you might. I mean, he's not even the best right-back in his family. I think he's got a brother, a 10-year-old brother. I think he's okay in possession, Rob, but defensively, it's one area that I think Manchester City, if I've got a challenge, if I've got one challenge on your team, that's where he's going in on your right-back. Not quite sure. I think you've got overloading on Nunes.

55:29Robbie Earle:Yeah, okay. So there's Nunes at right-back. Okay, midfield.

55:32Robbie Mustoe:Yeah.

55:33Robbie Earle:Wow. Declan Rice obviously has got to be in the centre midfield spots. I've got a 4-2-3-1 here. And a player that sadly is going to leave the Premier League, Bernardo Silva, a monster city. You know, maybe some people are all in on Bernardo and some aren't. I'm absolutely all in. And he's not a huge goal scorer. He's not a huge assist maker. But everything else in terms of connecting, dropping into the back line, dropping it right back, picking the ball up, making incredible decisions on the ball. In terms of football IQ, as a midfield player, that intangible decision-making ability that players have.

56:08Robbie Earle:He is phenomenal, phenomenal. So that's my midfield too. I'll go ahead and name my number 10 players, Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United. Again, we talked about his season he's had at Manchester United. He's got to be there as a number 10. And my two outside players, again, there's so many of them nowadays, on the right-hand side, Anton Semenyo for goal production, from a move from a middling club to a Man City that seems seamless. And I think Pep just let him get on with his normal stuff. I'd love him. From day one, we saw him play for Bournemouth, Robert, at Anfield against Liverpool. We were absolutely knocked out with his pace, his strength, and his technical ability with his right foot and jibbles with his left foot.

56:44Robbie Earle:So, when you're on the right, and a player that I really, really have enjoyed is Morgan Gibbs-White. And again, there's other players that can play out there. Some might point to Doku, whatever, and different players. I just think Morgan Gibbs-White, for his club, and he can play as a number 10. He can play on the outside, drifting in, and he's got a great goal production, goals assist from where he is. He's got 15 Premier League goals. Robbie O'Morgan gives right four assists from various spots in a team that was threatened with relegation earlier on. So he is a star player for me. I don't get it.

57:15Robbie Earle:He's not going to the World Cup. I just don't get it. I saw an interview just this morning, Rob, about his disappointment. He's good about it. He's like, you know, I guess I didn't, for whatever reason, still didn't quite do enough. I think he's done enough this year to be in the England squad, but he's not. He's my left-sided player. Erland Harland, Rob. You've got to have Erland Harland. 27 Premier League goals. You know, and he gets forgotten about, by the way. In all conversations.

57:36Robbie Mustoe:We take it as granted.

57:38Robbie Earle:I mean, 27 Premier League goals out of 38 max. I mean, it's a huge number. And he's got to be my starting striker. So not particularly sexy, but it's just, that is a brilliant team. And I love it. And if right back's a little bit progressive. Nunes apart, yeah.

57:53Robbie Mustoe:I take the Nunes kid out. But apart from that, I have very little to, you know, Morgan Rodgers was a bit spotty compared to someone like Morgan Gibbs-White on the left-hand side. Yeah. But, yeah, and then Bernardo Silva is like a...

58:09Robbie Earle:Oh, it's one of them, Bernardo.

58:11Robbie Mustoe:Football IQ is genius, mate. Football IQ. I always remember, Robin, it'll stay with me forever, the day Kuzinov had his debut against Chelsea and made a bad error, gave the ball away and they got away with it.

58:22Robbie Earle:It looked shocking, didn't it? It looked shocked.

58:24Robbie Mustoe:He had tears in his eyes. The next three times he got the ball, Bernardo Silva made a run to make sure he had a pass. Yeah, 10 yards away.

58:33Robbie Earle:10 yards, just give it me.

58:34Robbie Mustoe:And he gave it back and he got him into the game. And I just thought, that's class, that is. That's absolute class. And that's what Bernardo Silva gives you. And what Bernardo Silva will.

58:43Robbie Earle:Yeah, he'll be missed.

58:44Robbie Mustoe:Yeah, he'll be missed by that team. Listen, mate, talking about missing, this is coming up to our final podcast of an incredible Premier League season. Arsenal win a title but fail just short in the Champions League while Liverpool make swift bowl decision and sack on a slot. Looks like Bournemouth and Ernie Iriola will be looking favourite to take his place. Now, just for our listeners and viewers, Rob, if they are looking forward to this summer's tournament of the World Cup, if they want to hear more from us, be sure to follow us on the Two Robbies and Friends. It's a new podcast that we're putting out there, looking at more the football, the fans, the culture, the food, the fashion.

59:26Robbie Mustoe:just a very different look on the World Cup and celebrating it here in the US. We'll bring you all that analysis and reaction to the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up here in the US. So look out for that wherever you listen to your podcast. But apart from that, we're going to take a summer break from the Premier League and we'll be back for the start of the 26-27 Premier League season. Just like to thank all the staff behind the scenes who do all the hard work for us. They're our underappreciated team of the season. because we basically couldn't do this job without them. But for the last time this campaign, I'm Earl, he's Musty, together with the two Robbie Centralists, watching and listening.

1:00:04Robbie Mustoe:Be safe, stay healthy. It's a good night from me.

1:00:08Robbie Earle:And it's a good night from him. Good night.

1:00:11Robbie Mustoe:Good night.

1:00:27Madique Mad Cute you