Arsenal Rescue A Point Against Man City, Chelsea’s Bizarre Performance At Man Utd & Alan Stranded In The US

15:31Gary Lineker:Unless you're taking it from a ridiculous spot, which was 20 or 30 yards nearer the goal or something like that, then there is no need to, why does the referee have to set himself? You're absolutely right. You're the team that's been punished. You're the team that's had the foul given for you. Then, yeah, you're getting booked for taking a quick free kick from the spot. It's just madness.

15:56Alan Shearer:I totally agree with you. Let's move on. Manchester United, Chelsea, there's a bit going on in that one. I mean, what a star. I mean, the fantasy things, we're not the experts. but we both got Sanchez in our team. He got himself, I think, minus two points or something. After just a few, what was he thinking?

16:17Gary Lineker:Well, even the keeper that came on, yeah, it was two terrible errors, I thought, from both goalkeepers. One, obviously, Sanchez getting set off, and then the other keeper coming on, not coming for that high ball when it was clearly he had to come and get rid of it. He was an advantage more than anyone else to come and punch it. but yeah it was always going to be tough and I was a tad surprised that he took Neto off I really was because of his he was the one I thought if he's going to keep someone on it's actually going to be him because of his pace because if you win the ball back on the counter attack he was the one that they would keep on but yeah it all seemed rather confusing in terms of making the subs then after that changing the system

17:04Alan Shearer:And the other strange thing, Alan, is that Cole Palmer, not the fact he took him off because obviously he's got a niggle in that groin area, but apparently he went into the game knowing that he got a bit of a... Really? Well, that's the story that's breaking. Whether that's absolutely true, I can't confirm. But if that is the case, then that would be a strange...

17:26Gary Lineker:Yeah, it was all strange. System change, the substitutions, who and what they were. But yeah, I was very surprised and said it at the time, thinking, wow, netto off, that was it. I thought it was a big gamble, yeah. But I thought Man United played well. I thought they showed great character because they were under massive pressure. When Casemiro got sent off, I'm thinking, if Chelsea get an early goal in that second half, then the pressure's right on.

17:53Alan Shearer:I was watching the game and I said, 2-0 up, Man United. I said, the only way they can mess this up is if someone gets sent off. yeah do you think it was harsh I thought it was very harsh yeah I thought but at the same time Alan you know if you've had a yellow card and into the current climate where they give yellow cards for breathing heavily you've got to be careful so he's an experienced fella he's been around for a long time and you think to yourself just be cautious but I do think he actually I mean it was just he had his arm on him I don't think it was a yellow and you would and I thought Alan Smith in commentary was quite right.

18:32Alan Shearer:I think if you're going to send someone off as a second yellow card, it needs to be pretty sure as a yellow person.

18:40Gary Lineker:Yeah, it didn't surprise me when he did, but you're right. You can't give the referee the opportunity to even it up. But I did think it was a tad harsh. But then I'm thinking, here we go, if they get an early goal. But even, you know, the manager, Amarim, is under huge pressure and I thought his players did really well for him for second half. I thought they dug deep, they rolled their sleeves up. Yeah, I think if he wanted to know whether they're still with him or not, I think that sort of gave him the answer. That'll give him a bit of relief, actually. A great three points for them and had to work very hard for him.

19:13Gary Lineker:But I think if he needed to know, then I think that performance will tell him that his players are still with him.

19:19Alan Shearer:You need something to give you a little bit of a spark, don't you? Something to change, a little bit of good fortune and maybe that moment of madness from Sanchez just changed things and then they did play really well, admittedly against 10 men and then when United were down to 10 men as well, Chelsea were the better side, but they were chasing the game. But I thought United defended valiantly and I kept saying, they're going to get one here and it's going to be nervy for them.

19:48Gary Lineker:No, they did well. I thought it was back to the wall stuff and they had to defend and work hard as a team. and yeah, that was a good sign for the manager, I think.

19:56Alan Shearer:Yeah, totally agree. I thought Spurs looked good again. I mean, they were 2-0 down against Brighton and you thought, hmm, that might be another defeat. But I thought they played some really good football, came back well. I think encouraging start for Thomas Frank. They got the victory that you saw them play. I know it wasn't a very good game against Villarreal, but good result. He seems to have got them pretty, I mean, I know they conceded too.

20:19Gary Lineker:Kouda's done well again, I thought. I thought he was a threat. He was a real threat, wasn't he? Yeah, 2-0 down, you're always going to take 2-2, but I thought they were worthy of a point. And Thomas Franks made a really good start there, hasn't he?

20:31Alan Shearer:I think Simon's will do all right as well. He had a couple of opportunities where he perhaps could have done better with a finish, but he was busy and looked a threat as well.

20:42Gary Lineker:Weren't as tight defensively yesterday, but I thought there was plenty of good signs in terms of being 2-0 down and coming back and getting the points. And also after a Champions League game as well,

20:52Alan Shearer:Well, I am playing on a Saturday, which is not that, you know, we know that's not that easy. Totally agree, yeah. I think lots to be happy about, I think, for Tottenham fans at the moment. By contrast, not much to be happy about if you're a Wolves fan. Sorry, producer John. I was texting him and I said, what is going on, John?

21:13Gary Lineker:It's like 1-0 up and then bang, bang, bang, wasn't it? It was like bang. It was, what a terrible result.

21:20Alan Shearer:Yeah, losing at home to one of the promoted teams as well. In fact, all the promoted teams are making a bit of a fist of it at the moment. They are. They are. They're making odds. You know, both, I mean, Burnley got a good point yesterday against Forest.

21:32Gary Lineker:I mean, the comparison to last year and how they really struggled. It took forever for one of them to get their first win. So, yeah, all three of them are doing well.

21:42Alan Shearer:Yeah, I think you'd probably be a bit concerned for Wolves, a bit concerned for Brentford as well.

21:48Gary Lineker:It's a big statement as well, giving the manager a new contract, wasn't it? I was going to ask you about that. After four games, not winning, but giving him the contract, signing that and then losing two needs.

21:58Alan Shearer:You know when you always hear, don't you, a vote of confidence from the board, they used to call it, and now it's obviously the owners. Well, that is a vote of confidence. A new contract is a vote of confidence, isn't it?

22:10Gary Lineker:You don't know what's in the contract. You don't know what can be, how they can get out of it, do you? so does it really mean anything yeah I guess yeah not a lot

22:20Alan Shearer:yeah I think I think Michael would be quite bullish about because obviously Leeds is one of his one of his

22:27Gary Lineker:seven teams isn't it or eight teams what is it yeah

22:31Alan Shearer:but they have they've done

22:32Gary Lineker:done well Leeds absolutely great result after being 1-0 down yeah

22:37Alan Shearer:the free kick from Anton Stack was blimey beauty wasn't it

22:41Gary Lineker:a bit special wasn't it absolutely fantastic strike

22:43Alan Shearer:and good for Dominic Calvert-Lewin as well to get a goal. I mean, hopefully it's not another fault. If he can stay fit, we know there's a player in there.

22:52Gary Lineker:Yeah, that's a big thing, staying fit with him. They know that if they can get balls up to him and into him, then he will score goals. But it's a big if he can stay fit, yeah.

23:05Alan Shearer:It certainly is. Alan, I'm going to come back after the Arsenal-Manchester City game and talk to Micah. by that stage I hope your travel plans are not disrupted once again

23:17Gary Lineker:don't know where I'll be at what part of the world at what time or whatever depends on what fucking American airlines have got in for me in the next 36 hours we'll see

23:27Alan Shearer:well I hope you've got have you got a first class seat at least I hope

23:31Gary Lineker:I've got business Gary business

23:33Alan Shearer:well you won't get upgraded you won't get upgraded after this

23:38Gary Lineker:might not they might not let me on again well actually

23:41Alan Shearer:I don't think this will go out problem well who knows though how long exactly where I'll be

23:46Gary Lineker:I don't know yeah

23:46Alan Shearer:okay well safe travels and let us know when you get home cheers if I ever do yeah alright cheers Al thank you cheers we'll take a break and I'll be back with Micah shortly this episode of The Restless Football is powered by NordVPN with the new season underway we're online more than ever premature fantasy wild cards ticket hunts transfer gossip usually on Wi-Fi you probably shouldn't trust. And judging by the headlines, it's not just football fans turning to VPNs at the moment. Lads, any close calls so far? Couple. I mean, when we're doing fantasy football in the pub, I didn't get any team together, midfielders in, attackers in defence.

24:33But most importantly, the captain, making sure nobody can see my captain's choice.

24:39Alan Shearer:Yeah, it's generally pretty predictable, I would say, though.

24:43Gary Lineker:I keep refreshing my phone in terms of the transfer gossip that's around as well.

24:48Alan Shearer:Yeah, that's where NordVPN comes in. It hides your IP, encrypts your data and keeps everything you do online private, even on public or hotel Wi-Fi. No tracking, no snooping, no hackers, no people seeing your captain. Think of it like keeping a clean sheet online, secure, private, sorted. To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to nordvpn.com slash restisfootball. Our link will also give you four extra months on the two-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. The link's in the podcast episode description box.

25:31Alan Shearer:Welcome back to the Rest is Football. Now it's with Micah Richards, who's in the back of a car. Hopefully his journey will not be as traumatic as that of Alan, who couldn't manage to see the Arsenal Man City game, Micah, because he's had an absolute shocker, which he's told us all about in the first half of this thing. But he's had to go because he might maybe possibly get a flight at some point later on back from Kansas. Shame. Shame. Shame. He serves him right. I won't let you tell me the story, because I'll listen to the first half. But shame on him. Shame on him. I felt for him a bit. In fact, he's been hanging around nearly as long as you were on air.

26:17It was a long old day today. I mean, it wasn't enjoyable, to be honest. But yeah, it was on for 8 o 'clock.

26:27Alan Shearer:We started at 1 o 'clock on air, so a long old day. I mean, they weren't the best games today, even the Arsenal-Man City game. I thought that was interesting. Very interesting. I thought that. And obviously, Arsenal getting a point out of it when it all looked lost was massively important for them. So what did you make? I mean, you've talked to death, Micah, but what did you make of it overall? Your feelings? As someone who supports both teams.

26:58I agree with you. I didn't think it was the best game. I actually fought it once. quite intriguing tactically. You know, I thought Arsenal started very well. It looked like they were up for it. Rotations and Califiori coming into the field and then sort of overloading Man City in that area. But it was like roles reversed. You remember Arsenal back in the big games, let's say. They would go normally into a low block and then try and counter, you know, on that transition. and so it was a strange game but when Haaland scored it was the exact opposite. We'll talk about the goal. Ryan Dessert we've mentioned so many times but his awareness and the weight of the pass because it looked like

27:49Alan Shearer:And the timing of it as well. Correct. It looked like he was going one way and then goes to Haaland. Haaland goes through looks like he's going to shoot or try going to be outside of his left foot but he goes on his right foot. I just thought it was a a really well worked goal from Man City's point of view because I've not seen that from Man City. Yes, we've seen Man City counterattack modes before, but in that manner, it was almost like roles reversed. So that's what I thought was intriguing to start with. But after that, it was Man City going to a 5-4-1. I couldn't believe it. I mean, it just shows you though, doesn't it?

28:28Alan Shearer:Even the most confident coaches and astute tacticians can. And the best, obviously, they can adapt to circumstances. And he obviously felt they were the right circumstances, albeit they got hit by a ball that actually got in behind him. Fantastic pass with Eze. And I saw you debating with the guys on when, and I thought you were absolutely spot on about when they should drop off. But the problem is, of course, if you play in a higher line and there's no pressure at all on the ball, like with Eze had all the time. So they can't actually guess when he's going to hit it. If you've got pressure on the ball, you can.

29:07Alan Shearer:And that's the fundamental difference. So you could understand why they were hesitant and didn't know when to drop. And they were willing to drop. It wasn't like they were trying to push the other way, like we see some teams play with a high line. But they just got the timing slightly wrong. Martinelli timed his run perfectly. and Ezi's pass was exquisite. And it was actually, it was a brilliant finish. I thought Donnarumma, who was brilliant in the game and has been since he joined the couple of games that he's played. But he just got caught. He's just what you want. When you go through with a goalkeeper one-on-one like that, the one thing you want them to do is be in the no-man's act.

29:50Alan Shearer:You don't want them on their six-yard box because then you've, there's no way you could have finished first time and it would have been more difficult. but I think he was anticipating the through ball and then had to drop. It was a little bit like the positioning of Sanchez in the sending off for Chelsea. He went forward, he went back, he ended it at no man's land. Then he took a chance and made a really rash and bad decision but Donnarumma didn't do that but it was still a brilliant finish from Martinelli, wasn't it? It was excellent especially because the whole debate before the game was who were going to play left-hand side.

30:29Obviously, Martinelli against Athletic Club scored in that game. Is he going to play Eze there? He went with Trossard. I was really surprised at that. Everyone was surprised because we're thinking, but if you actually look in the game, Eze against Athletic Club, basically, his defensive work wasn't right at times. He didn't know when to push up or when to drop, but he's a luxury, not a luxury player, but he's a player who wants to get on the ball. He doesn't want to spend a load of time running back. So I understand maybe he thought, I'm going to get overrun by Man City today. Maybe that's the reason why he went there.

31:07But just quickly going back to the goal on that, guys. I think you are spot on. The pass was brilliant. The timing was perfect. But Man City had been dealing with everything throughout the game. Throughout the game. So you know Martinelli's best asset is running in behind. That's what he loves to do. So I'm thinking as a defender, especially when you bring in the Broughton Akin, the Broughton Stones, just give yourself an extra yard. Just an extra yard. Just give yourself an extra yard because you know that's what Arsenal are trying to do. But yeah, let's not take away anything from the pass and the finish.

31:45We're going to see goals in football. But I just think it was quite naive for the experience of Man City defenders

31:51Alan Shearer:at that moment in the game. Totally agree. it was a surprise because it looked like they got the game done. Arsenal didn't really look like scoring. They had a couple of efforts, but towards the latter stage, it didn't look like it was going to happen. I loved Haaland's goal. I mean, you talked about it a minute ago, but when you play slightly high and Haaland gets moving, oh my goodness. I'm not going to compare myself with Haaland here at all, but I see there are similarities in the style of the play. I was exactly the same. I love to run past defenders and try to get behind them. But have you ever seen anyone when he's in full flow?

32:34Alan Shearer:I mean, I mean, he might break the 100 meters world record once he gets going. I don't, it's just unstoppable. I mean, they're relatively quick defenders. I mean, Gabrielle and, you know, but he just ran away from him like he was standing still. And the great thing as well is, despite the speed that he's running at, in his head he's very slow and calm. And that's why you've got the mixture of his physicality, his incredible speed, but also the calmness, the coldness, and the intelligence of his finishing, which gives you, you know, a great all-round number nine. Exactly that. And it's been difficult for Haaland, although he's scored so many goals, in the Premier League because he's having the lack of touches within the game.

33:28Every touch, people will say, oh, he can't hold it up or he needs to do it. But he scores goal and that is exactly the example why Man City bought him from Dortmund because that's what he used to do week in, week out. He must have been delighted with what he used to run into. If he had that every week, he's got 50 goals a season and you're exactly right. Well, he did two seasons ago. Yes, he did. He would score 60 even. Exactly right in terms of, you know, when he went through one-on-one, I had no doubt in my mind whatsoever. Okay, he might not always score, but he's going to make the goalkeeper work.

34:10He's not going to scuff it. He's going to put it in one of the corners. And it was a brilliant finish.

34:16Alan Shearer:A brilliant, brilliant finish. He's an absolutely brilliant finisher. There's no question. I mean, people heart upon about that stuff, about strikers, particularly perhaps nowadays where there's only one number nine. You know, it used to be you play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 or whatever. You play perhaps two up or one up and one just off. But nowadays, when you've got two relatively wide players, or we'll call them forwards, but in the number nine, you're not going to make darting runs out to the wing like we used to have to. You're not going to run wide into the channels. You're going to stay within the width of the box.

34:52Alan Shearer:Therefore, you're not going to get that much of the ball. And I keep hearing, oh, he's not had many touches. No, but the touches he has will be important. One of them is likely to lead to a goal. And he does a job. And also, you've got to remember, when you've got a striker up, and I talked the same about Harry Kane as well, when I wanted him to play a little bit higher with England, only because we didn't have players running past him. If you've got players running past Harry Kane, it's great that he drops deep because he's such a wonderful footballer with the ball and he can pass it, but he does need people to run beyond.

35:28Alan Shearer:Haaland's not that player. He's not going to run deep and drop deep and pass the ball around. But when he is there, he also occupies the two defenders. Even if they do drop deep, which the majority of the defenders do against Haaland, he's creating space behind him in midfield. There's more space because the defense is deeper. If they're brave enough to play high, Haaland's eyes light up. They really do. They do, I'm telling you. Because nobody spins like him because he's unstoppable. So he doesn't actually need to get right on their shoulder and take the chance because he can give you a yard or two start.

36:08Alan Shearer:I totally agree with that. But we have to give an honourable mention to Doku. I think this season, it started ever so well. I mean, his decision-making looks a lot better. He looks more confident. He went away with a national team, did well then. And he's been given a run of games to show exactly what he could do. And I thought when he came off, it wasn't the same. Savino, come on as well. I don't think it was the same. But I just feel like the improvement for a young player is on the right track. Same with Nico O 'Reilly at left-back. and I thought Kusunov in the first half against Trossard was outstanding so there's plenty positives from Man City's point of view but it just looked like Arsenal had a little bit more energy maybe that's a couple days more rest in the Champions League but yeah there were positives from Man City still not at their absolute best and still trying and tweaking different systems but there were positive signs in the game for Man City today Yeah I loved how you spent the last 15 minutes of the show talking about who's going to win the title after five games of the season.

37:21Alan Shearer:It's always a difficult one, that one. I mean, Liverpool, five wins out of five, Mark. I've already talked with Alan about their actual performance, but we've already said we thought they played really well in the first half, but then Everton, we thought, played really well in the second. Jack was terrific and Jai was great. They're two wide players, but Liverpool, I mean, pool from firepower. Liverpool, and, you know, we have our predictions before the season. I thought Man City after their first game of Wolves, but when Liverpool signed Issa, it could be the difference and then when you've got the form of Ekotiki.

37:59Well, he looks fabulous. And then you've got Gatpo playing well. He looks really, look, every player now, Liverpool are not playing well, but they've got players who can change games and that could be the difference. You know, They look real good in moments of the game. So then when all the patterns of play, you know, align, they could be unstoppable force.

38:22Alan Shearer:Okay, Micah, thanks for joining us after such a long day. We'll call it a day there. So goodbye from me. And goodbye from me. Have a good week.