Penalty heartbreak for Arsenal as PSG go back-to-back

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1:28Coming up on today's show As a complete neutral I would say It's a victory for positive football Over negative football I think definitely the best team Have won the tournament again It was attack versus defence Arsenal can't match PSG For player to player can they? We all know I looked at the two teams before the start I thought oof When you're a defender And you're approaching a penalty Defenders you need an all-in-law that we just say hit it as hard as you can he didn't look confident you know it's almost like he just wanted to get it over and done with the license they are given they make such a difference to psg it was like watching michael richard's at his prime oh well and more it was like in his prime i was being ironic

2:28Hello and welcome to The Restless Football with Micah Richards and me, Gary Lineker. We're recording this on Sunday afternoon after the Champions League final was played last night. And Alan has another lunch, Micah. Oh, man. It's getting unacceptable now. I think you're the big boss, guys. You're going to need to step in. I think he has more lunches than Gordon Ramsay. I don't know what's going on. He loves it, didn't he? I even give him the option. I'm free all evening. Yeah, I know. Have you been mixing it with the stars with David Beckham? Mick Jagger. Yeah, I bet you. What a cool dude he is.

3:0682. And he's got banter like he's my age. And he's just, you know, someone's got charisma. He's got so much charisma. Big Arsenal fan. We had him on the Beckham and Friends show for the first 10, 15 minutes. And yeah, it was really nice. I reckon actually I can trump you. I've just been for lunch at the River Cafe and Elton John walked in. Elton John. Elton John with his family, his two boys, chatted with them. Obviously they're Watford fans. What was Elton John? Candle in the wind. Was that him? What was Elton John? That was one of them. I know, but that was one of them. Yeah, one of them. Rocket Man.

3:48There are a lot. There are a lot of hits. Elton John's had a lot of hits. there was Steve Martin you know Steve Martin the American Richard E. Grant you might have heard of him no probably not I've probably known by face oh you would definitely know both of them by face and here's one even you might have heard of Tom Hanks Tom Hanks I certainly know Tom Hanks what a legend he is yeah I know it was so he's mixing with A-listers yeah well for a little while yeah let's let's talk about a bit of football it was obviously disappointing for Arsenal. They missed out on the penalties and we'll come to that.

4:26But I think overall, probably, well, I think definitely the best team have won the tournament again. Yeah, I would say so. But having reflected on the game, I actually think Arteta got it spot on in terms of his tactics. So we all talked about the PSG Bayern game, didn't we? It was, you know, all the talent on show, really high energy really top quality but Arsenal can't match PSG for player for player can they? We all know I looked at the two teams before this and I thought oof it was a golf wasn't it? There is realistically in certain positions particularly and I just think how can you approach a game against PSG and the way Arsenal set up for a defensive unit and I'm looking at it from a defender and if you're neutral everyone's going to say a boring game.

5:20But if you look tactically what Arteta did and how they stayed, if you give Klamaskeli a time on the ball, it's going to make you look stupid. Same with Dembele, same with Dwey. We know, we've talked about the midfield all season now. Vettinia, Jaunevis, outstanding. The way Arsenal played against them, every time the ball went to one side of the pitch, they shuffled across. And then when they had to jump, they jumped at the right time. the only problem for Arsenal I thought is when they got the ball back they couldn't get out so you're expecting Havertz to hold the ball a little bit more when it went up to Trossard and then when they tried to break it was a little bit too deep so that's the only thing I took from it for could they have been a bit more positive in that way could they have gone with a Martinelli could they started with a Jokeres maybe just for the transition but in terms of defensively I thought they did the job ever so well I really did well they do defend very well I mean looking at the game as you know as a fan um with no skin in the game other than the fact that I do genuinely like to see the Premier League teams win and I think that would have been great we've obviously won the other two European competitions I would say that Arsenal had to play that way.

6:41I don't think they could probably have beaten them if they'd played expansive football, entertaining football. But at the same time, I would say probably football won though. I know there are all sorts of different ways to play and you can play defensively, but ultimately football is a sport. It's an entertainment and you want to see teams that are really positive, creative, have the best players and play wonderful football. And I think this season, those three teams have been Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona. I think our sides have struggled a bit in terms of that side of the game. And Arsenal are brilliant defensively.

7:26And if they'd have held on, not given away that penalty. I mean, PSG didn't create much because Arsenal was so well organized in the structure and the manner of the played, like you said. So I just think as a complete neutral, I would say it's a victory for positive football over negative football. I saw similarities between Arsenal's final appearance to England's against Italy in the Euros at Wembley. I saw similarities of when England played Croatia in the semifinal in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. so I saw similarities there where you score early and then you think now they probably would have played the same way anyway but I think the fact that they did get that early goal and you've got something to hold on to made them even more determined I think to play on a defensive manner but as a forward as someone who you know likes the beautiful game I just love to see attacking football and I think in terms in the way the sport should be played I think the best team won yeah I would say the most entertaining team won definitely if you look at football it was attack versus defense and we all want to see that and the bravery of the players Travis Gelian now even though he had a I would say quieter game than usual than you expected obviously because the way Arsenal set up but when he gets on the ball it's just so so dangerous the way you can go both ways but when you look at wingers now guys and I because I play fullback I always look at what wingers do and how they've evolved and yes the play with three up front but I'm sick to death of wingers coming back and playing the simple pass Kaviskelia never ever plays a simple pass he always tries to be positive I'm watching him live especially higher bird's eye view tactically can see what he wants he always wants support and he couldn't get past mascara for the first until until they got the penalty but he was still going and trying to do and make something happen and that is the difference so when you're talking about positive football yes that's what i'd like to see i would love to see someone like saka in a psg so he can go at people a little bit more a lot of his energy he spent defending because of the setup of the team rightly or wrongly but watching some of those performances from PSG over the course of the season Vettinia he's the best midfielder in Europe at the moment in form without doubt Chael Nevers the way he's just so composed on the ball Dembele the way he presses Dwey was quieter by his standards I would say because there's no space to run into but I really like Pacho Pacho the centre half who doesn't really get a credit Everyone talked about Saliba and Gabriel, but I thought Paco was really good.

10:25I saw on social media. Do you see his history and why he wears number 51? No, I didn't see that. It was quite poignant, actually. He broke through, obviously, in his home country. And on the day that he was to make his professional debut, his mother died. Yeah. And they didn't tell him before the game. They told him after the game. and she was 51. Wow. And he's obviously gone on to great things and certainly would have made his mother very proud. But I totally agree with you. Inspirational stuff. Inspirational player. And we'll see him in the World Cup. But it's interesting what you said about Kravitz Gellia and the way he takes people on.

11:10We know we're inundated with stats these days and sometimes. Do you know the players that tend to give the ball away the most are also the most creative players? Correct. So many years I saw the stats in Barcelona that the person who lost the ball the most was Messi. And it's like Kravic-Galia probably would be something similar. But they're the people that take the most risk because they've got the most ability to do it. So they actually make a huge impact, even if their stats can lie a little bit sometimes. So I thought that was quite fascinating, those things. I remember another player that gave the ball away a lot was Di Maria plays for Argentina.

11:53And he was another one that always tried forward passes and trying to get the ball through a knee, you know? So I think, you know, you can see those sort of players and they're the ones that actually, I think, make the difference in the end, because if you've got no one taking chances, you're not going to create chances. Yeah. But he also having the license to do that. If you look at the way PSG set up, they're fullbacks. Nuno Mendes, apparently, not Nuno Mensch. So Nuno Mendes. Don't tell me after all this Nuno Mensch business, you've got it wrong. Apparently it's just Nuno Mendes. So apparently I've got it wrong.

12:35And Hakimi, the license they are given, there was both doubts before the game, guys. Both doubts. They played the four. How is that even possible? Up and down, up and down, up and down. But going with real conviction and quality, they make such a difference to PSG. It was like watching Micah Richards at his prime. Well, and more. It was like Micah Richards in his prime. I was being ironic, Micah. I didn't really mean it. I was being ironic.

13:08Well, you know, he's so good seeing them do the things that they'd be doing all season, but then implement that in a final. Because you know, yes, the holders, they won it last year. Could they do it again? Yes, they would have liked to do it in normal time. I felt as though for me, when Dembele came off and when Kravashkeli came off, Borkola had that chance when he went through. I think the quality dropped off a little bit. Well, I think he did. Yeah, I don't think that's just a fact. you know Barkley he's great to have as a sub but he's he's not as good as the aforementioned yeah totally agree and Dembele what he's done that to take the penalty the pressure and we were sort of behind the PSG fans and they were so nervous half of the fans weren't even looking were too nervous to look at when he put it in it was just just relief and those fans were brilliant PSG as well couple of decisions people have been talking about a lot.

14:12There was the Saka handball and then the penalty shout for Madweki when he went through. I actually think they were right with both. I know a lot of people said, well, Saka handled it well. The first, the ball ricocheted off his shoulder, didn't it? I thought his shoulder above and then went down, hit his hand, and his hand was actually by his thigh. So I didn't think that, but I was surprised they didn't give it because you know what they're like in this competition. anything that touches your hand so I was surprised they didn't give it but I would hate to see penalties given for that but they are but they are in a Champions League final and actually when you look at the Madweki thing again if there was a foul it was probably outside the box and also Madweki did seem to wrap his arm around him so I think the officiating got those decisions right other people would disagree of course Yeah, I think there's certainly not enough to overturn the Madweke one.

15:12I think if it would have been given on field, you hold your hands up and say, it's a little bit soft, but you understand why he's giving it. But he's not going to overturn that. The Saka one, like you said, champion, forget even the Champions League final, but in any football, it's not intentional, is it? It's come off from its ricochet. Well, that doesn't matter anymore, does it? I know, but it's the phrases with the law that people are sort of weaving and using terminology on one thing and not on another. It was one of those. It ricocheted off him. If it would have been given, you would have understood why it would have been given.

15:48But we don't want to be seeing them given. Which is said consistently all season. Yeah. And we want to go back to how the handball law used to be, which was there had to be a degree of intent. Yes. And there clearly wasn't. And it was like in the Champions League final, you know, Liverpool Spurs a few years ago, I was at the game in Madrid and Sissoko didn't he, his arm was out and someone struck the ball and, and obviously was away from his body and they gave a penalty. I mean, you can't have rules for one game and rules for another final, but I think if we could get back to a bit of bloody common sense about just change, you know, because we'll all end up arguing about every decision and we still will.

16:30and we did do in our day about handballs and stuff, but it's become, I think, pretty ludicrous now. Totally. Totally, yeah. And then apparently shootout. It's just a bloody awful way to lose. I mean, it is, but a great way to win, I would suggest as well. I know, but imagine what, did Arsenal concede six goals up until the final and then seven goals when they conceded the penalty? and Arsenal have gone all the way through the competition without losing. It's just penalties. It's taken away from them. And that's how cruel football is. And like you said, on the balance of who was trying to win the game more, it would be in PSG's favour.

17:18So you say, okay, they tried to play. Maybe the football gods had spoken and said, okay, they tried to play their football. They tried to win, so they probably deserved it. But to have it taken away from you, on a penalty shootout. It just seems harsh. You know what I want to do though? I want to get rid of extra time. I've said this for years, Michael. It's nonsense. No one's trying to win. Everyone's knackered. There's been so much football throughout the season. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of time. I've been saying this for years. It's ludicrous. The only time I think you could, I mean, you possibly could have one is in a huge final, possibly, because the World Cup we saw, that was an amazing extra time, which is such a rarity they also need to help footballers out a little bit because i mean i know yes they're unbelievably well paid and all this stuff but in terms of the supporters who pay you want to see fit fresh footballers that are that are going to give you the most entertainment possible but at the moment we don't we've got more and more fixtures there are more champions league games now than there were a few years ago because of you know the nature of the group stage is now a league stage.

18:28We're going to the World Cup where there's an extra round of matches. So that's an extra game. I was going to come to the Club World Cup as well. So please, at least give us something back and stop extra time because I think 90 % of the time, unless it's your team, unless it's your team, as a neutral, you're watching a game and it's a draw at the end of full time. You say, well, I hope it goes to penalties. But you don't, sometimes you don't want to wait for another 45 minutes because it takes forever now. And it would be a little bit of something that wouldn't take away from the game at all to say we're not going to force players when they're completely exhausted and knackered, which imagine this World Cup.

19:10There'll be so many extra times playing in the heat and it'll be difficult and a lot of them will still go to penalties anyway. Yeah, just get rid of extra time. I've never really been a fan of it anyway. So if you can't sort it out in 90 minutes, then let's get the penalties going and then well the penalties there's always someone that's got to miss uh it's yeah i mean i will say as i always say give them credit for being prepared to put themselves on the line under severe pressure um i've seen abrichi has he's got a bit of stick because of his stuttering thing and he's missed a couple before like that but i would also say that if he'd have scored, no one would have uttered a fucking word.

19:54Some of the penalty takers at Arsenal would probably want to take them, I can think of immediately Saka, you'd go, was not on the pitch, so, you know, was he originally planned to be number five? Possibly not. And again, if he'd have scored, no one would have scored. It's so easy after the event. Yeah. When Gabriel stepped up though, I don't want to say look nervous because you could probably say that about every player that stepped up, but I was wondering what technique he was going to use. So when you're a defender and you're approaching a penalty, defenders union and all that, we just say, hit it as hard as you can.

20:29That's what we think. And when he was running up and taking it, he didn't look confident, you know? It's almost like he just wanted to get it over and done with, you know? And I remember when he sat next to me and said, Gabriel's going to hit this as hard as he possibly can. It's going to go over the bar. and that's exactly what happened as well you know he just got a sense of the feeling but like you said fair play for him stepping up he wanted to lead by example but I would have liked to see Madweki take one you know a technician I know it's easy saying that like you said after the event but that's why you've got the players they have better technique they play in forward positions because they have better technique even if you're nervous your probability is higher if you're more technical you'd have thought so No, I totally agree with you.

21:16But if you're not prepared, if you're not up for it, if you're... And that's not me throwing my way kit under the bus. I just think if you've got technical players on the pitch, you give yourself a better chance. That's all. I always thought PSG might win the penalty shootout, again, because of the technical abilities. Although, you know, a lot of their great players were off the pitch as well by that stage as well. And that's the other thing, isn't it? By the time you've played extra time, there's, you know, half your team is different to the team that starts the game. But overall, I think Arsenal need to brush themselves down and say it's been a pretty good season.

21:52They've won the Premier League, which I think a lot of the Arsenal fans would have taken ahead of the Champions League, not all of them, because they've never won that trophy. But all in all, it's been a very successful season. I'd like to see them play next season. Now they've got that off their back, a little bit more adventurously, tactically, would you agree? Yeah, definitely. I think in terms of the pressure's off now. And I think recruitment's going to be key because they've got a really good squad, Arsenal. What do they need? I think they actually need another striker. Haberts is outstanding in terms of technical ability.

22:34I think Jokeres has done well for coming in in his first season. But if they could get someone like Alvarez, It would just give him something a little different, you know? He's got a 500 million euro spot out clause. Have you seen the responses from Atletico Madrid towards Barcelona? No. Well, they've had a real pop at Barcelona for allegedly tapping him up. Yeah, it's been a bit of social media fun. Let's say Atleti are not happy. They're not happy at all. Not happy about that. That's what happens when your players are playing well. He's one of the best strikers in world football at the moment.

23:10going into the World Cup. World Cup winner as well in the last tournament. So it's to be expected. I think they need a wide left. Yes, I would agree with that. I also think they need another centre midfielder. I think bringing in Norgard has worked to a certain degree in terms of his temperament. So he's not going to moan if he's not playing. Myles Lewis-Gelly could definitely do a job in there. I thought his performance was exceptional. Young, well, teenager. I thought he did really well. I mean, he's a teenager, but he's bloody mature in terms of his performing. I just feel to get the best out of someone like Zubimendi, you need to be a little bit higher so he can get on the ball and then distribute his passing for a little bit deeper and dictate it.

23:58Yeah, you don't want him on the ball 80 yards from goal. Exactly that, which is so difficult. And then in the Premier League, the energy. So if they were to tweak the way they play, he can definitely be important in terms of but I just feel at times when you're moving Myles Lewis-Gelly to left back and you want that physicality and that pace and that power plus his technical ability, if you can get someone else in the middle with a rice, just a bit more box to box, a bit higher energy, a bit more aggressive that, a left winger and a striker and I think they can compete for two three, four years.

24:38That's how good I think they can be. I definitely agree with that. They're definitely going to be one of the main contenders, obviously, for the Premier League, but also the Champions League. Again, let's take a break, Micah. When we come back, I want to discuss one or two issues. We haven't talked about Crystal Palace's European triumph. We might have a word on Villa, even though we have on theirs as well. And also, of course, the dismissal of Arne Slott. Back in a moment. This episode is brought to you by Hotels.com. Booking your next hotel for a work trip or a weekend away to see your team play?

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25:55The rest is football. We'll be on Netflix every day for the world's biggest tournament. Join myself, Alan and Micah for daily debates, unfiltered takes, and the most special of guests, all from the heart of New York City. Yeah, that's right. We're excited too. See you soon. This segment is brought to you by the Lego Group. World Cups tend to be remembered in images. And between Argentina, France and Brazil, there are already plenty. We've each got Lego edition football sets in front of us. And once you put Mbappe, Messi and Vinicius Jr. on the table, legacies are on the line. All eyes are on Vinicius Jr.

26:36to create his own piece of history. In Qatar, Messi lifted the trophy in what felt like the final piece of an extraordinary story. And Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the same game, but it feels like he still has more of his World Cup story to write, even though he's won it. So with the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the way, which moment will the next generation remember? Is it going to be one of these three in front of us? Shall we just start on Vinicius Junior? I mean, what, two Champions Leagues? The only problem is when you've got someone like R9, Pelé and Neymar, all superstars, I think it's his time to shine now.

27:13He's got to be the one to take them to the next level. And he's got the ability. I'm not sure he's got the teammates. Yeah, they've got some good players. They've got good players, yeah. Got some really, really good players and a very good manager. Ancelotti. Carlo Ancelotti. What about Messi then? Going to play in his sixth. He's still got it, do you think? He's still performing. He's obviously not quite. Yeah, he's still performing. I just think the last one was probably his best one, I think, in terms of him winning it and the way he did. What a player. What a story. I mean, to play in six is incredible, isn't it?

27:41Two golden balls as well in the previous ones he's played in. So, not sure they'll bet what they did and go again. Well, it'd be hard to do that again, wouldn't it? But you never know. France will be one of the favorites. And, you know, Mbappe, superstar. Kiki. He's won the World Cup, scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final and lost. Scored pretty much a goal a game for this season, 1440, something like that. I mean, he's going to take some stopping. The only thing is I'll say about that team is that there are so many superstars up front. And where do they fit in and what position does... Because Mbappe's been playing as a nine at club level.

28:16Will he play the same way for France? It's all going to be very intriguing. How long did it take to put that together? Probably a couple of hours. For each one? No, for the lot. For all of them? Yeah, two hours. Pretty impressive. I'm good with my hands. Well, Cup memories aren't made of group tables, fixture schedules or combined 11s. They're made of images. It's that goal, that shirt, that celebration. A player who became your legend. But greatness isn't just for the pitch. with a passion that rivals the pros, the fans are part of the action too. For a lot of young supporters, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the first one they've properly experienced.

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29:19Welcome back to The Rest is Football with Mike Richards and me, Gary Lineker. I suppose the big news aside from the Champions League final was that Arnie Slott was parted company with Liverpool. It looked like he was maybe going to stay and then suddenly it happened. I don't know whether it was a late change of mind or whatever happened. Some people think so. We won't know that. But were you surprised, Mike? No, I wasn't surprised. when I heard the news it was just if you look at Liverpool last sort of 10 games there was nothing really there was there and the amount of money that they spent and Liverpool historically don't spend that money so he was always going to be under more scrutiny and more pressure I love Slott I think he's a really good manager to deal with the whole thing of Klopp leaving and then to win a Premier League let's not forget you know Liverpool had not won a Premier League for, was it 30 years?

30:16Klopp comes and does that. Slopp does that. And people will say, oh, well, it was Klopp's team. It might have been, but you've still got to navigate the ship to where it needs to go. Which is a difficult thing to do. He had a little bit of calm. They changed a little bit in terms of their tempo and it worked for them. I just feel there was a little bit of a disconnect between the manager and the fans at the end. and the Liverpool style has always been high energy, be aggressive and use Anfield to your advantage. And in the end, they had none of that. So would I have given him another year? Yes, because of the whole thing we've said all season in terms of Diogo Jota and what that did.