Matchday 2 Preview

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1:33Hello everyone and welcome to the first preview pod of the season. Regular listeners will know that every Friday we try and predict what's going to happen this weekend in La Liga EA Sports with score predictions. Sidney does his best, doesn't always get it right, doesn't often get it right, but we'll do our best here, Sid. Hello. You did your best, it wasn't good enough. No, it is good enough. You know, here you're not being judged, Sid. Am I not? I'm good. I thought I was. We're in the circle of non-judgment here.

2:02Phil Kitromilides:I thought the fact that we'd reached the point where a rabbit was doing the predictions instead of me was really quite judgmental. The rabbit was doing better predictions than you, I think, as well. So anyway, have you got your rabbit with you? I have got my rabbit with me, actually. Yes. She's hiding under a blanket at the moment. I can see her from here. She's on standby. She's on standby. She should be required to give some answers that I clearly can't. Right, we'll get to the predictions in just a second. But first, I want to talk about what happened yesterday at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque, which is where Rayo Vallecano and Deportivo Alaves played their game.

2:41It finished 1-1. And listeners to the podcast throughout the week, I've been talking about it on the TSFP Daily. We mentioned it on the bonus podcast as well. Know that I was wondering whether or not I should go to this game. There was a mass voice on Rayo fans about playing in Leganes again. And in the end, I decided to go, but not from a fan perspective, from a sort of journalistic perspective, just to go and witness this. You know, I didn't go in my Rayo shirt and take my scarf. I wasn't there to cheer on the team. I was there to see what was this like seeing Rayo play away from Vallecas. And I can confirm and excuse my language.

3:20It was shit. It was an absolutely awful experience being there. I felt sad, frustrated, and I felt profoundly angry. I was actually furious there. The whole game, I didn't really care about the football. I wasn't really bothered about the game. I had Martin Presser about 10 rows behind me, and I was absolutely fuming that we had got to this point. It's just outrageous. It's unfair. It is so unacceptable. And Rio playing outside of Vallecas, and it was very, I think it was important for me to go and witness this yesterday. It's not Rio. It is not, and it crystallized a couple of things for me, just the importance, how important it is that Rio is Vallecas and Vallecas is Rio.

4:09And you cannot take that out of the barrio. You just can't. It is not the same. It is not the same team. It is not the same soul. It is not the same essence. It is completely different. The stadium was silent yesterday. There was 4 ,280 people there. There was no cheering. There was no atmosphere. There was nothing. You could hear the players talking. I could hear the people eating peepas around me. And I was actually struck by the lack of anger from people around me as well. I guess the people who were really angry didn't go. The people who were there just kind of resigned, a bit of gallows, humour, one or two protest chants.

4:45and when the protest chants started I was very very vociferous so much so that I'm a bit hoarse today and I thought hold on I better calm down here because I've got games to commentate and and podcasts to do but no one around me was particularly and no one around me was chanting either I was shouting so loudly that people were sort of looking around me like oh god what's this crazy guy doing here it was a really in I was gonna say interesting an important experience for me to go and to be there and to witness what this was like. And then, of course, we had the players speaking afterwards as well.

5:18And Oscar Trejo has released a comunicado today. He's posted on social media. You can tell us a bit about that, Sid, because you sent it to me. But I just wanted to tell the listeners, you know, this is just an unacceptable situation wherever they play. Again, if it's not, obviously, I'm never going to another game outside of Vallecas. I don't care if I've paid for it or not, because it's not the same. that this is not what I'm passionate about. I'm not passionate about going and watching Rayo in Leganes. That is not what this is about for me. That is not what being a Rayo fan is about for me.

5:50So I'm glad I went, glad I experienced it. It was completely awful. And even independent of the result, we conceded late on. It started to rain. Andre Rattu made a howler for the equaliser. It was horrible. It wasn't a great performance. Forget about all of that. That doesn't matter. Even if we'd won 5-0, it would have been bloody awful bloody awful anyway

6:13Phil Kitromilides:yeah there's not really very much to add to that I think in a way I think it is good that you went and that you saw it even if they may well I mean you tell me of being a part of you sort of thinking I shouldn't be here I shouldn't be contributing to this I shouldn't be part of it but I think it's important that you see it I think it's very interesting what you say about the fact that people weren't necessarily even angry they were just kind of they were just there Exactly. And I think what this does is it offers up an idea of what it might be like away from Vallecas beyond just the fact that this is one-off game.

6:50Phil Kitromilides:So there's the anger about this one-off game. But there's a broader question here, which is what would ever happen to Rayo if they weren't in Vallecas? And it wouldn't be the same, even if the scenario was better. Imagine a scenario, for example, in which Presa goes, in which the club is owned and run by someone sensible. But that person had, say, for argument's sake, inherited a stadium outside of Vallecas. To recover what Rayo had lost, I think, would be almost impossible. Even if it was in a scenario in which, let's say for argument's sake, you won the lottery. You took over Rayo, but you'd inherited the club that Presa had left, by which time they'd gone to a stadium that's not in Vallecas.

7:26and you've done everything you can to integrate with the fans,

7:29Phil Kitromilides:to get the fans to have a voice, to make them feel part of it, to make it feel like Bryo in every other way, but it's not in the neighbourhood, it still wouldn't feel the same. It would be a step in the right direction for sure, but it still wouldn't feel the same. Yeah, it's just very sad. And as you say, I was very, very taken by Oscar Trejo's message because what he did today was he quote tweeted Sophie Cameo post-game. And what Cameo said was, you know, actually in the end, more people than we could have possibly have expected to come have come and this cannot go more people than that should have than should have come yeah yeah more people even than should have come have come and and he made a point we talked about this quite a lot didn't we in the build up to that final the idea that somehow the difficulties at rio create a strength within the squad and the club and the players but we said and we kept insisting on this but let's not romanticize this let's not glorify poverty and poor facilities and all of those things because obviously there is a degree in which that creates a unity and that creates a governance and it creates something special within the squad kind of if you like a fighting against in this case the ownership but there is also a fundamental basic thing which is you need some of the things that you need to become professional footballers you need some of those facilities you need some of those supports you need some of those resources and they haven't got them and and remember then and actually Serka the Camillo said it, who's the person who then repeated this or repeated a similar thing last night, is that, look, we shouldn't romanticise this because it does diminish you bit by bit.

9:00Phil Kitromilides:It brings you down bit by bit. And the phrase he used last night was tired. It tires you. It exhausts you. It leaves you empty. And what Trejo did today with his tweet was to pick up on that and basically say very, very directly, the club does not belong to them. The club belongs to its people. They should step aside. Now, Trejo, who's been the captain and hasn't said this when he was captain, but I think it's really important to say Trejo as captain has said things like this repeatedly. He has stood up for Ryo repeatedly. He is the captain that gave up his captaincy precisely for this kind of reason, because he felt the staff, not the players, the staff at the club have been mistreated.

9:39Phil Kitromilides:and she had this voice trying to fight back against it from the inside for such a long time and this is where I become pessimistic because me and you we we come up with this question lots of times well maybe this will you know maybe this will provoke a reaction maybe this will change things maybe this will and you can't help but come back to something that so many people have tried including the club's own captain so many times and this just doesn't get better now Now, obviously, in the short term, it will get better at the stadium because Raya have actually been frightened a little bit into trying to clean up, but they've been doing a pretty superficial job.

10:13Phil Kitromilides:But at least something has happened. And maybe there will be some intervention from the local government and they will clean up that stadium and it will improve because otherwise they simply can't play there. But I'm worried because I think that what you experienced last night may well be the case for a really large chunk of this season, that this might not be two or three games. But we might be talking about this at Christmas. They're talking about the next game being played in Burgos. In Burgos, yeah. The next home game, which is against Rafing Santander. Burgos being closer to Santander than it is to Madrid.

10:44I mean, absolutely nobody is going to go. Genuinely, nobody is going to go. 4 ,280 were the game last yesterday. Of course, Raya played a game in Butarque last season against Atletico Madrid because the pitch was so awful at the Estada de Vallecas. and there were 5 ,500 at that game. And a lot of the tickets yesterday were given as well, were invitaciones. So, let's see. Let's see. It's an awful, awful situation for any fan to be in. And the game finished 1-1. If you haven't seen the mistake... That's why I predicted, Phil.

11:20Phil Kitromilides:That's me 1-0 up, isn't it? Well done. First correct prediction of the season. Didn't predict that Andre Ratio who would just pass the ball to Mariano Diaz for him to score. But there we go. All right, let's get to some other predictions, hopefully more correct predictions from Sydney. Tasty game tonight in Seville is Real Betis host Real Sociedad. Sociedad, of course, last season, who finished the campaign with the worst defence in La Liga EA Sports. 61 goals conceded, a level with Levante. And they only won three times away from home last season. Betis who had a strong record at home they've got the Champions League to look forward to what are you looking to in this game Sid?

12:04Phil Kitromilides:Well obviously I suspect by the way that he's not going to play but I'd love to think that we might see a bit of Troy Parrot which I think is a fascinating sight did you notice how I Spanialised that I called him Parrot Troy Parrot the Spaniards are calling him Parrot Parrot Parrot Parrot yeah With an accent on the O. Sorry, Parrot. I like it. Okay. So I'm hoping that Parrot will play. I suspect he won't, by the way. I honestly don't know whether he'd be ready. I assume not because they only announced this yesterday. I think Betis, I actually think that's an interesting signing. And, you know, to speak to what Betis are.

12:42Phil Kitromilides:Betis, I think, have a stability about them. I was with them, as you know, actually, funnily enough, in Ireland, just before they played Arsenal pre-season friendly to see Hector Peiard in and talking to people then. And one of the things I had a, I don't know if this is a fault of mine, if I shouldn't do this, but I sort of tend to be a bit honest with people. And I actually said to the person I was talking to at the club, I said, to be honest with you, I thought Pellegrini would have gone by now. So I thought that you'd reached a glass ceiling and that there was a sort of a sense of frustration and that, you know, he surely would have reached a point where he thought, what else am I supposed to do?

13:17Phil Kitromilides:particularly after you'd won the cup. And yet here you are back in the Champions League. And what they said to me was something I thought was really interesting. He said, he's got an amazing ability to be calm about the things that could cause a fire. To not completely lose his head, but to be determined about it. And to get the players to restart every year. To get the players to kind of re-engage with what they're trying to do. Albeit on the same lines. Because his kind of footballing approach is very, very clear. We were talking last year, weren't we, about a slight shift when they have players out and they become a little bit more direct.

13:51Phil Kitromilides:But you look at that team and it's full of players that are Pellegrini players. And it fits and it works. The one thing that's missing, and this is where we talk about Parrot, is that you had a slight doubt about the forward. Now, me and you both really like Kutu Anandes, but they were basically left with only him up front. And so maybe that's the piece they need. I also find Raușovidad very interesting because you mentioned the goal conceding record last year. Awful at the start of the season, awful at the end. Good period in the middle when they were still competing. I felt they gave up after the Copa de Raid final.

14:21Phil Kitromilides:And I think it's going to be really interesting to see how they recover with a pre-season and knowing that these games now matter. Anyway, I've said all of that. I'm going to go for a home win. Okay. Home win for Betches against Royal Sociedad. Athletic Club against Sevilla. I'm commentating this one.

14:43Phil Kitromilides:Well, Unai Simon is back and playing. I think I'm saying that I was not expected to start this I thought Sevilla, obviously I was at Seville last week for Sevilla's game, I thought Sevilla's second half response was pretty good but I thought it was curious actually because it was tempting to say well the second half of course it was good because he put the good players on the pitch and he hadn't actually started them I think that's obviously a bit simplistic but I think there was an element of that I'm going home win for this one Athletic at home Okay, yeah, I agree with that one. Valencia against Celta?

15:20Phil Kitromilides:Do you know, I don't know how to call this at all. I don't know how to call Valencia this year. I really don't. Celta were the third best away team last season, and Real Madrid and Barcelona got more points on the road. Yeah, and I think part of that was because of the way that Celta play, because unlike a lot of teams that go away, they still want the ball. They still go for you, but they don't. I think it's important to point out the nuance here, which is Celta are a good team to watch and they go for you, but they don't go mad for you. They go for you through control. We've talked before about what we think of the signing of Feb, which seems to me that he fits really, really well.

16:01I'm not sure about Sevilla,

16:04Phil Kitromilides:but I think they hopefully are in a better place than last season. And I'm going to go for a draw on this one. Propel Fitness Water with Gatorade electrolytes, zero sugar, and vitamins. Propel hydrates better than water to help you get the most out of your workout and get back to your best self. What propels you? Propel with Gatorade electrolytes. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Shave ice by the beach. A trip to the state fair. And a throwback flick at the local drive-in. They're more than just items to check off the summer bucket list. They're also opportunities to earn 2 % daily cash back when you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay.

16:47Apply for Apple Card now and use in minutes with Apple Pay. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch. Terms and more at AppleCard.com. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web. like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome.

17:20Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+.

17:26Okay, a draw at Mistaya for Valencia against Celta. And then the first game in charge of Real Madrid for Jose Mourinho in his second tenure there at Espanyol, who, of course, won 3-0 against Levante in their first game of the season. We had Jose Mourinho's first press conference this morning.

17:46Phil Kitromilides:I was just about to say that, because me, you and Al, have spent a lot of time going through that. It was a very calm, very long press conference. It's a very calm press conference. It's a little bit rambling. I thought there were a couple of things that he said that were interesting. He talked about having arrived, having been given lots and lots of information about Real Madrid having been told some of those internal things. And I think that links to the phrase that I thought was the most telling in terms of an analysis of last year. It's a bit simplistic and it's a kind of analysis that fans like to hear.

18:17Phil Kitromilides:So I don't want to overplay it because I think there are other elements too. But he says, things that are non-negotiable cannot be negotiated. And then he says, you know, your commitment to this club just cannot be something. There cannot be something that's in question. And essentially what you're saying is this lot was sacking off for a lot last year. And I think at least to start with, they won't. I think there were moments last year, remember last year, earlier in the season, remember me saying that Real Madrid were boringly good? Yeah. Yeah, it didn't end up that way, did it? So maybe we should be careful about what we think will happen to start with.

18:55So what do you think is going to happen in the game, Sid?

18:58Phil Kitromilides:I think Real Madrid are too good for Espanol, don't you? even at Espanol? I mean, this feels like the kind of game that could be a little bit partido trampa. It could be. It could be. And I can see the kind of game where maybe Real Madrid don't totally dominate. But, you know, Mourinho in theory, now obviously, let's see what really happens. And he was asked today about the work that forwards would do and whether they would press high. And he said, well, it depends on the game. Some games, you'll want them to... what I thought was a euphemism. You'll want them to close off lines of passing and have words sit deep.

19:34Phil Kitromilides:Other games, you'll want them to press. And he's used the word machacar. Go and crush them. Go and smash them down. I think that Mourinho, in theory at least, is a manager who doesn't need to dominate a game and doesn't need his best to dominate a game. And this is a team that you look at the speed they've got up front. Yes. I actually think we'll be built to counter-attack for the most part. I agree. I think it's logical that this team is built to counter-attack for the most part. And I think that might be how they win this. Yeah, but you can't... Break away goals. Okay, there are going to be a lot of games where you can't counter-attack, though.

20:05Phil Kitromilides:No. But then there's also a lot of games against opponents where you're so much better than them anyway that you don't need to. Yeah, but there were games where they were clearly better than opponents that they couldn't find a way through last season. Yes, yes, absolutely. No, I think, look, some of Real Madrid's problems haven't been addressed. That central midfield role hasn't been addressed. But I think a different approach, a different mentality, And again, to go back to that fairly simplistic thing of the non-negotiable cannot be negotiated. And last year it quite clearly was. I'm sorry, I don't want to make this too basic.

20:36Phil Kitromilides:But absolutely, last year, what Real Madrid's players did was utterly unacceptable for quite a lot of the season. All right, so we're going for an away win there. Then on Sunday at the Metropolitano, it's going to be very interesting. It's a really good game. Atletico Madrid against Villarreal with Julian Alvarez probably involved at some point. is probably going to be on the bench. We're going to have his name read out. There are going to be plenty of people who are not particularly happy with him. Anyway, what about the game, Sid? Well, I think Julio Alves might well be a distraction. I think they're almost better off without him appearing, to be honest with you.

21:12Phil Kitromilides:Although he's obviously a very good footballer and if he gets on the pitch, maybe he'll do good things. Atletico Villarreal, it always feels to me... Tell me if I'm wrong. Am I imagining this? It feels to me like they always play each other very early in the season. It's always a draw. There are always quite difficult games for Atletico even later in the season. I'm going to go for 1-1. Villarreal were traditionally, or have been, a bogey team for Atletico Madrid. Have you got the stats for me? Brilliant. Tell me if I'm talking nonsense. I don't have all the stats for you, but they have drawn a lot of games.