Arsenal v Bayern & Chelsea v Barca headline European midweek

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0:30leagues from Pogba to Pobega and even a bit of Pochettino to Magic Mike putting on a show in Milan it's the Totally Football Show.

0:44Monday 24th of October who we got in the studio for you today listener well there's Julien Laurent of ESPN who's about to get a train aren't you Jules? Yes to France for because you know this is a special week it's France v England really in Europe. that's so true yeah that's so true you know how that ends well we see we will see Admiral Nelson James Horne well alright let's not go there shall we full Nelson James Hornecastle also here hello student of history yeah and Paul Ballou hello hello Paul Ballou's in the studio did you know that James Hornecastle got an A++ in history I'm not surprised by that it's a math that doesn't really exist for normal people apart from geniuses and he got it.

1:28Not really. It's amazing. Yeah. Did you not go on to do that as your university degree, James? Yeah, I did. Yeah. And now he's here. I did. It served me well, I think. Yeah. Yeah. What did you read at college, Paul? Wow. Jesus. You're going to... You're bringing... Paul, you're the youngest person here. You're 22. That's not that long ago. I don't remember what I did last week. All right. Went to Nando's. Minute one of the show. Jesus. and Jules what was your English and history was it yeah I was in a university so it doesn't count but then Jules went to then Jules went to ESPN which is where he continues no I went to journalism school after that yeah and also with us and being very patient Seb Stafford Bloor hello everybody hi Seb Stafford Bloor you're not here you're in Hamburg bar Hamburg yeah yeah I'm here yeah I'm happy here I don't yeah safe distance All right.

2:28What did you study at university, Seb? Politics. Did you? Sadly. Yeah. Yeah. Don't do that. If you're young and you're listening to this and you're weighing up, if you're putting together your UCAS form, don't do it. Why not? Why not, Seb? It doesn't really have any utility. I mean, it's interesting, but you don't really apply it, I don't think. Seb, you could be one of the leaders of the government in the UK. Yeah. I certainly have the schooling for it. Yeah. Absolutely. Excellent. Would you say that your history degree has come in handy? Yeah, I mean, my final year doing 19th century Russian literature, music and art has really served me well.

3:05I must say, yeah. If you want to talk about Gogol and Turgenev and Tolstoy, then I'm here all day. That's part three. George, obviously English has been valuable to you. But in France, you said you're told to study history to then pass the exam to get into a journalism school. Oh, really? You also did a journalism degree? Yeah. Did you? Yeah. Paul, has it come back to you yet? Yeah, no, no. Yeah, that's just what I did. Like the journalism. Ah, okay. Like a specialised in financial journalism, actually. Did you? Important for Barcelona. Yeah, important, but it's still not enough. It's just not enough.

3:41I'm just under-qualified for Barcelona. Excuse us chatting. Listen, we're just excited to be back after our week away. We had the international break. Everybody qualifying themselves for the World Cup, eh? Good to get that sorted out. What's that?

3:58oh yeah well so Italy not out of it yet the draw's been made for the playoffs James yeah Northern Ireland it's easy come on yeah no I've seen Gianluigi Buffon who is the now sort of sporting director head of delegation of the national team was talking about this on Italian TV last night and he was like we've just got to take one game at a time right because they were like it's Northern Ireland and then it's Wales or Bosnia he's just like that's one game at a time but they didn't get past the first game last time. No, that was North Macedonia, another northern team. But I think had they got past North Macedonia, they would have played Portugal in Porto.

4:36And I think they were already quite pessimistic about that. Whereas this time, as long as Gianluca Mancini doesn't do what he did to Erling Haaland, which was either pinch his bottom or put a finger somewhere, and then Erling Haaland scored twice, as long as he doesn't do that to the modern day equivalent of David Healy. Right. And his ponytail as well. They touched his ponytail too. Yeah, don't do that. Don't touch my hair. Okay. Wow. Dramatic scenes at the draw. We're no less than three of the, all three of the sides that have ever stopped Italy qualifying for a World Cup were in that pot waiting for Italy and it turned out to be Northern Ireland.

5:12We'll see how it goes then if they get past that it'll be either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina. So yeah, well, that's next March but rather more relevantly. let's get a moment of the week Jules I mean there's only one place really is it Paul Pogba? yeah yay I mean the moment James has been waiting for for so long people were tweeting me in Jules yeah it was beautiful

5:45I know he only came on in the 85th minute so not a short moment of time on the pitch but he looked so happy waiting to come on with his number eight so much emotion and relief I guess too because we knew he was going to be in the squads we knew he was going to come on regardless of how the game went and they were 4-1 down with 10 men but they still had he had to wait for Wednesday training Thursday and Friday and you just never know after everything that happened to him what if there was a dope test or something or his brother showed up no but after after going through hell really for 811 days or whatever it was since his last game with Juve in September 23.

6:27It was amazing. That's like a proof that we can have good memories of shortest scenes of action. Talk for you. Talk for you because now you put us in the same boat but that's not my problem. That's your problem to like finish early. I'm not saying... Twice now. I'm not saying that's my case. I'm just like just laying it out for like the society. No, it's a nice perspective to bring. to a premature close. Seb, what is your moment of the week? I've got a story about a rogue lawnmower, Jim. No. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. So this was something that befell a tiny, tiny club in northwest Germany, right up by Bremen.

7:07And club members came in one morning, on Sunday morning, and found that their robotic lawnmower had had some kind of malfunction, had not returned to its little housing where it charges, and had instead spent the entire night going in circles and ruining their first team pitch, which now has to be relayed but can't be relayed until the spring because of frost and because of cold. It needs better conditions. And so they're going to have to play the rest of their fixtures until then on all weather pitches. But it's become a national issue. It's received so much coverage in Germany that they've started a GoFundMe or whatever the equivalent is.

7:46and everybody's kind of piling in and hopefully the money raised is going to lead to, you know, some better facilities. What about the little mower, Seb? The little mower that's the Winsentium. So Robbie, Robbie, the little mower, no one's quite sure what happened. We think there's a little bit of a problem with his senses. They got dirty or something. He's been working at the club for seven years and will not be retired yet, apparently. The club president was interviewed by Der Spiegel and he said, yeah, Robbie's been going for seven years and maybe we'll get someone to help him take a few things off his plate.

8:21Is this the worst moments of the week we've ever had? No, this is great. I love this. Don't trim him, producer Lucy. They're moving him towards retirement, but he remains first choice mower for now. Okay. Maybe something to revisit in the spring when they actually have grass to cut again. Yeah, yeah. All right. Wow, follow that, James Thorneco. Well, Lazio have a new eagle. Ah. And a new handler. Yes. After the old one, Bernabe, he was sacked. Barricaded himself in the training ground. Yes. Having taken photos of his post-surgery enhancement, which made him last longer than... Poor. No, come on.

9:08But anyway, the new handler, and he's got a new eagle. It's a new eagle at Lazio called Firmenia. as they're sort of trying to buy the Stadio Flaminio as well. But they were like, what is the criteria for Lazio, like hiring these eagle handlers? Because I think people went through this eagle handlers tweets and Facebook posts in the past. He has a certain political persuasion. He's also a keen student of history. Yes. He also thinks the trains could run on time more in Italy. So anyway. Who would have thought? Who would have thought? But yeah, so that's my moment of the week. Okay, excellent. And Paul?

9:46Yeah, no, I'm going to go to a pretty mainstream one because it was the Camp Nou return. I was at the Camp Nou on the weekend, first competitive game that Barca have had in there after 909 days. And yeah, it was, I mean, if you walk outside the Camp Nou, you're going to realize that it's just still a building site. It doesn't look like a finished product at all. But when you're inside, it looks much better. I think that all the fans that were there, the fan experience was quite good. Speaking with all people, there's more room in the seats. They were happy with how it all was assembled. It was hard to find someone who was not happy about being back at the camp now, like being a Barca fan, because everyone wanted to come back.

10:27And yeah, basically Barca topped it off with a 4-0 win against Athletic Club, which is a team that they have had a tense rivalry over the past summers, especially because of Nico Williams. and yeah happy days for Barcelona and a historical day for the club Laporta was almost in tears in the stadium Again? Yeah, they had a celebration with a kick in the middle of the pitch fireworks after final whistle big day in Barcelona Excellent, excellent Barcelona have a big day coming midweek when they visit Chelsea of course in the Champions League let's start off today then with a bit of a look at the midweek fixtures that await This is the Totaly Football Show with James Richardson part of the Athletic FC podcast network.

11:09All right, then. Champions League match day five, I'm seeing. What's this? No! Paul, I can't believe it. Oh, my. Look at this delivery for you. Is there a Paul Belus here? Paul Belus! A big bag of Nando's is just a lot. You are hungry. Get in. It smells so good. It does. It really does smell good. What have you ordered him? Yeah, Paul. What Paul has ordered? It's nothing to do with this? It's like large peri-salted chips with peri-drizzle and a bottle of hot sauce. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good choice. Which, ah, it's a pity that you say you are not here just to prove you're wrong. Absolutely.

11:53Yeah, yeah. You deserve that. The reason Paul is here in the studio is not because Barcelona play Chelsea at Stample Bridge. It's because he's had a craving for Nantes. Exactly. He came just for that. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that but I can tell you that after the Chelsea game there's going to be Nando's at the Barcelona dressing room that's like a fact in the Barcelona dressing room they love Nando's maybe not at the dressing room but at the hotel so you're delivering that bag I'm not going to deliver that bag tomorrow night it's going to be freezing cold if you want to drink you've got the beetroot juice that James Wyncastle is drinking because that's James Wyncastle we'll have a chat about match day five.

12:35We've got Bayern, Arsenal and Inter are the three teams with four wins from four so far. Two of them play each other. That's Arsenal and FC Bayern. That's Wednesday. I saw Bayern's buses as I walked to the office today. Yeah? How about that? Two big buses. Rafahonicstan wasn't on either of them. No? Maybe they're stopping at a chicken emporium as well. The other team has got a perfect record so far but maybe has had easier fixtures. Certainly doesn't have one this week as they head to the Metropolitana to take on Atletico. That's Inter, of course. Inter, who were beaten 1-0 Sunday night in the Derby della Madonnina.

13:13Also on Wednesday, you've got Liverpool against PSV, who are flying right now in the Eredivisie. Six points clear. They've only won one game in the Champions League, the Dutch side, although they did win it emphatically, 6-2 against Napoli. Liverpool, of course, in some difficulty right now. But they beat Real Madrid last time, Al. They did. Crazy. Meanwhile another of the Premier League's top top ambassadors Spurs visit Paris Saint-Germain That's right Yeah Tuesday Another French English clash As Marseille hosts Newcastle Yeah the Veloadrom Am I saying inform Jules? Very much so yeah So is Mason Greenwood Yeah And Man City hosts Bay Leverkus And at the bridge you've got Chelsea Barca Now Jules we've got like 10 minutes with you Yes Before you get a train Yes That's for the PSG game is it?

14:01So first I go to Marseille on Tuesday. He loves Marseille. As you know. I know I'm going to see a few people there who would recognize me. And, you know, I think it's going to be a warm welcome. Favorite town. Favorite town. And then on Wednesday, come back to Paris for the PSG Spurs game. Wow. So two big games. It'll be sad to leave Marseille though. I mean, we should start off with those two games then. So that you can then do one. Yeah. Or maybe, you know. Which one do you want first? Marseille-Newcastle? Yeah, let's go because it's the Tuesday one. Yeah. There you were on Friday putting out a warning on social media to Newcastle fans.

14:41They're demolishing Nice 4-0. At the time, yeah, after just over an hour. 5-1 it finished that game. Mason Grimwald on fire up front. Angel Gomez excellent in midfield. They lounge impeccable in goal. What a game we will have at the Velodrome on Tuesday. Yeah, and that was before Newcastle played really well against City and I know Newcastle's form away from home hasn't been great in the Premier League this year. It's been better in the Champions League. But if they play like they did against City, then I think this is going to be a great game because Marseille are in great form. And it was a wear-nice in the derby.

15:15There was no Marseille fans. They were not allowed to travel. But they just destroyed them, really. They could have scored more goals than the five. Timothy Weah played well out right back, which he did, to be fair, before when he was in Italy as well. Greenwood, really, really good. Angel Gomez in that number 10 position. Even Hoiberg was rested and only on the bench, but he would start against Newcastle.

15:38I'm a bit of Nando's chips. Oh, that's for wings as well. Yeah, well, you need to have chicken when you order from Nando's. That is Fermin Lopez's favourite, those wings. Oh, yeah? Yeah. Lamine is more of that... You think so? Yeah, very, very sauce. Because Newcastle's wings might be a problem with the likes of Lewis Hall and Liveramento. Yeah, Pachao and Greenwood have been on great form. But I think you could say the same probably from the Marseille footbacks. MSN and Pavard who MSN in the Champions League we saw that against Sporting got sent off not great. Pavard had had a tough November month really about end of October beginning of November too.

16:21So those two jewels right wing left left back right back left wing etc for both sides I think could be the key really could be very very important as well as the midfield because Newcastle are very powerful there and Marseille have a lot of options to be fair so you're enjoying this aren't you? The PSG gang No kidding Let's go to the PSG gang Jimbo is busy Those who are not watching on Spotify and YouTube James is eating a chicken wing But like in the middle age Yeah like Henry VIII Like Henry VIII like in a wild way as in like with not hesitation like he's tearing flesh like he hasn't eaten for two days yeah it's that I've not had food before so Jules what about Spurs' chances at the Parc des Prases that's because at least Newcastle are going into Marseille in form and Marseille are in form no problem not at PSG in great form although they won 3-0 Newcastle in the Champions League since that opening day defeat against Barcelona three wins out of three no goals conceded yeah but then look at the opponents as well it was not the calibre of of Marseille really how many games did Marseille won in the Champions League this season?

17:34so they lost at Real Madrid when they played well Sporting they lost they lost at Real Sporting being down to 10 and then they destroyed Ajax which I think everybody would and then the fourth game avoids me maybe they threw they didn't win but you're right they played well against Real Madrid. They played really well. But the Serbis has a really, really good squad and they're doing well. He changes a little bit too much in midfield for my liking instead of having a partnership that I trust for most of the games. There's Condor Biard, there's Vermeer, there's Hoiberg, there's Gomez, there's a lot of options there.

18:11Good because they've got really good squads but I think maybe that sometimes disturbs a little bit the dynamic of the team but they've been great. They've probably been the better team in Ligue 1. I know they're only second behind PSG but they've been the best team really so far this season in the league it's just that hasn't always transmitted to the Champions League but this is a game they have to win if they want to qualify they can't be beaten on Tuesday I see Paris Saint-Germain who almost got beaten by Spurs who were 2-0 up in Oudanay in the European Super Cup that feels like a long time ago how much relevance is there in that performance to what Spurs can hope to do this I don't I mean they played with a back five in that game like they did at Arsenal on Sunday and I don't think he would play a back five ever again Thomas Frank so I don't know how much their away form has been great although in the Champions League the game against Baudoglip they should have never got a point away at Monaco they should have never got a point so they're good away from home in the Premier League not in the Champions League but PSG haven't been that great either really it was another B team that played on Saturday they beat Le Havre but they considered a lot of chances a lot of shots there's one amazing serve by Chevalier too Is it the only one he's made this season?

19:20Pretty much but But there was a lot of players missing again. And I think some will come back for this game. They even talk about Ousmane Dembele, Ballon d 'Or Dembele, potentially being back for this game. So we see. But PSG are still very much in transition, as in their own injury, kind of less scored transition for this year. Okay. Who's PSG's top scorer this season, Paul? Gontano Ramos? No, but it's the same country. Jean-Nirsch. Yeah, six goals. It's a monstrous season. I mean, it's too good. All right. As it stands, PSG have a two-point lead over Marseille and Lens at the top of the table.

20:02Excuse me. That's what happens if you have a Nando during a podcast. Next weekend, after this game, PSG will be facing Monaco, Jules. That's right. And Paul Pogba. Possibly. Possibly. Monaco, not in good form at all. No. Heavy defeat, we said that. Poconoli struggling a little bit to find his form Zacaria got sent off so he would miss the PSG game and they're already thin because they've got a lot of injuries especially in defensive positions so this is going to be tough also their own Champions League game that they would have to play in midweek it's not like if they had a whole week free to prepare for the PSG game so this should be big no chips for me anymore should be good and Lens by the way who scored their 13th goal on set pieces this weekend which is the highest in the whole of the big five leagues more than Spurs more than Arsenal more than you know Bayern or whoever else is right up there so very good week for last again who didn't play that great but won thanks to one of the kids from the academy excellent which game are you looking forward to more out of those two big ones that we talked about the Marseille Newcastle or the PSG Spurs PSG Spurs we've had it already Newcastle the last one was 0-4 in the UEFA Cup semi-final when Drogba played for Marseille and was amazing and then they lost the final two in Valencia yeah so so yeah I think that one and also the velodrome is going to be incandescent on Tuesday night 60 ,000 fans it's going to be very special because you're there also I get a bit of abuse but that's you know that's fine Glenn Hoddle is there too and obviously as a former Monaco player he's going to get a bit of a reaction to it not as much as you no no no definitely not but already on social media it's started from Monaco fans has it What's the worst thing that people have said to you, Gilles?

21:48But at least the smart ones know that I'm always objective. When Marseille play well, I say so. When they're doing well, it's not that I don't like them in that way. But then they're not so smart ones saying like, obviously the PSG fan, all of that. All that business. Yeah, but it's okay. It's fair. It's fair. It's fair. Banter. Olivier Giroud, by the way, who hadn't scored for two months, scored two for Lille, who were back in the top four. So a very good win for them against Paris FC on Sunday night. Really good game that to finish the weekend. Oh, nice. Okay. Anything else from Ligue 1, Jules, before you get your train?

22:20All good. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Look forward to seeing you again soon. Yes, me too. Either here or on ESPN. Thank you very much. And enjoy that lovely Marseille vibe. I'll tell you next week, yeah. Yeah, all right. For sure. Sure, sure. All right, we'll just have a quick break so that Paul, you can finish your mouth or you've gone for another of the wings here. No, I'm just staying with this one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, since the last one, there's a new one. But these are lucky dips, so there's one of the ones in here that is maximum spice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How's that one?

22:53I think I've been lucky because that's quite mild. I'm going to try one. Yeah, go for it. James is not going to take the risk. James, you're going to go? It's a bit like the end of The Deer Hunter, but with chicken.

23:04That's quite good. It's fine. Okay, so no one's had the hot one, the Fernando's Black, the Peri Peri XXX. No, but I see one in here which has a source quite suspicious on it. I'm not going to take the risk. Look at that. All right. Okay. More Champions League next.

23:30This is the Totally Football Show, part of the Athletic FC podcast network. The Athletic is the only place you can read articles by Daniel Taylor, Amy Lawrence, Phil Hay, James Pearce, Oli Kaye and the very best football writers around. Paul's just hit the hot one. Have you hit the pole? Like, not the hottest one, but we've upgraded the level in here. Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think there's something worse in here. You're ordering some food there in Hamburg. If we're in Hamburg, where would you recommend we go to eat? There's a really, really lovely Japanese place right by the harbour. It's lovely.

24:01It needs a booking because it's not that big, but it's got some lovely kaibe beef in there. Everything's presented really nicely. I say it's Japanese. It's got a Japanese vent to it. I wouldn't say it's strictly Japanese. It's just in that sort of region. Is it fusion? A little bit. Pan-Asian. I'm not sure what it's fused with. Pan-Asian. Yeah, Pan-Asian is probably the fairest description. Yeah, I'd say so. Excellent. What's the name, Seb? I can never remember. Oh, that's a good name. Yeah. But then that speaks to the strength of the food, right? You don't know the name of the restaurant, but you just go there.

24:36You don't give it to tourists. You just say no because it's not very big. You can probably see maybe 30, 40 people in there. I don't really want to get sort of booked out. So, you know, no. I hear you. Tuesday's games in the Champions League, apart from Newcastle and Marseille, you've got Man City hosting by Leverkusen. At the bridge, Chelsea taking on Barcelona. And also the early game, Tuesday today is, well, as you hear this probably, listener, is the two teams at the bottom of the league phase, Benfica and Ajax. both of whom have yet to pick up a single point, and who are the only two sides that Chelsea have actually beaten in the Champions League this season.

25:16Given that, what do you make of Chelsea's chances against Barcelona, Paul Belus, having seen Barca's magnificent win at the weekend? I think that they do have a chance, because Barca are still far from their best. They are a work in progress, as they come now, trying to get back to the version that impressed Europe last season. Some big players are coming back from injury. Rafinha is back from injury. Joan Garcia, the goalkeeper, which is a key asset, is back from injury. But they are still not there in terms of match fitness. I think that in Barcelona, they don't see Barca as clear favourites to win that game against Chelsea.

25:48It's a game that fans assume that they could lose if Chelsea are fine. But that doesn't take away the fact that they want to win. And they expect Barca to play in the same way, high risk, high defensive line, and all the sort of stuff that we know. But I think that Chelsea do have their chances to win that game. We could be seeing Rafinha back as well. We will see Rafinha back. Not as a starter, but he will play potentially like from the 60th minute. The plan or the vision that Barca fans have is that he comes in to replace Rashford, who missed the game on the weekend because he had the flu and he couldn't play.

26:22I see. Yeah. Could be a game that features some hot wings. Yeah. Really hot wings. Between Barcelona. Yeah. His assists at the weekend in the athletic game. No, no. extra hot sauce that was an extra hot sauce yeah no no I mean he did an outstanding game I mean he's one of those guys who is still not there in terms of much fitness he's still dealing with this groin injury with this pubal here that like he has but he's finding his mojo he's finding moments just to find his best version Athletic Club were of course far from their best but that move that he made for the Ferran Torres goal just getting rid of three players in the silkiest possible way and then just sliding the ball for Ferran Torres.

27:06Yeah, that's just what La Minha Mal is. It's a big game for Barcelona and those are the occasions that he really wants to raise in. Last time out in the Champions League, 3-3 for Barcelona away at Club Bruges. James, what do you think? Chelsea's wingers as well. They could get in behind. Do you think Barca are actually going to have some trouble at the bridge? Yeah, Chelsea will cause them problems because Barca are fundamentally flawed, I would say, in that, as we saw, you mentioned that Club Bruges game, James, just the persistence in playing that high line and not adapting, despite being punished over and over again by a team that, you know, on paper you'd expect, and Bruges are a good side, but on paper you'd expect Barcelona to beat them.

27:51And so I think every team has a chance against Barcelona. Just like the main difference now is that they will have a goalkeeper in goal because Chesney, in a way, I mean, I love him, but yeah, I mean... He did retire to Marbella. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, and I think that mentally he's still there somehow. Yeah. So, Joan Garcia is like a high upgrade in that regard. And then if you add Rafinha in that mix, who is a player who is in the high pressing is much better, I think that bars are better equipped in that regard. All right. Also huge looking, a day later, is Arsenal's game against FC Bayern.

28:30Huge looking, although maybe it doesn't have quite so much riding on it given that they're both off to such great starts they can afford to lose and it's not really going to give them any problems but it is a fascinating clash of potentially the two best teams in Europe, eh Seb? Yeah, I was pretty excited until you said all of that but I don't know, that's taken the wind out of my sails a little bit Yeah, also it's lost a little bit because of Luis Diaz's suspension, Jimbo he was suspended anyway because of the um the foul on Ashraf Hakimi Barham were expecting two games became three still not quite sure I understand why that is it's a bad tackle but red cards red cards just what it is but that being said in came Lennon Carl over the weekend Serge Nabry dropped out with um with a little bit of a knock Kimmich was rested as well and Barham played really really well uh Carl I think will probably get some minutes against Arsenal and it's very interesting because up until quite recently the strength of Finstern company's attack was presumed to be its cohesion and the fact that it stayed together its consistency in selection but companies being able to drop players in as he needed to kind of rotate his squad with no detriment at all to performance and Carl was absolutely brilliant Michael Alise was excellent at the weekend in the 6-2 win over Freiburg went 2-0 down actually but rule back to win 6-2.

29:52Carl and Elisa both got, in the Einzelcritic, which is kind of like Germany's version of, like, out of 10 marks, they both got perfect ones. Goes from one to six, with the lowest being the highest, if that makes sense. That is so German. It's so German. It's so, so German. But it did describe just how good they were. And they come in fresh, because Harry Kane also didn't start this game as well. So they were able to rotate some pieces, whereas, of course, Arsenal actually Arsenal played a pretty um pretty mellow North London derby didn't they so um it didn't really um didn't really cost them anything but yeah really looking forward to it because I think in the last round against PSG I think that was billed as two best sides in Europe one and one I think you could probably make a case now given that PSG George mentioned still cut with a few injuries still rotating a few pieces still trying to hit mid-season form I think these are the best two teams in Europe at the moment.

30:46And I can't wait to see how Bayern measure up. And they're also potentially the two best former Crystal Palace players in the Champions League with Michael Ollise up against Eberici Ezi. How good was Ollise at the weekend against Freiburg? I think the question is really, sorry, Honigsteinism. I think the real question is how good has he been since he moved to Germany? He was sensational against Freiburg. I'm not really into rankings. and I say that as someone who's just partaken in a book ranking top 100 footballers in the world. Who's number one? I will defer to James Horncastle. I don't know.

31:25You'll have to go out and buy the Soccer 100. Yeah, it's in all bookstores now. It's just been launched. It features many of your favourite athletic writers including Seb, Olly Kay, Carl Anker, the erstwhile athletic writer Rory Smith. myself and there are 100 players there's a forward by Mauricio Pochettino in there as well a really good forward as well by Mauricio Pochettino, really really interesting so buy it and you can find out who is number one, the Soccer 100 maybe for the soccer lover in your life at Christmas it is called the Soccer 100 listeners if you're saying, oh soccer because The Athletic has launched a series of books over the years in the United States market yeah and there is already a football 100 which is american football oh there's a baseball 100 there's a basketball 100 and so this is the latest in that series soccer 100 soccer 100 i like it also really really helpfully it has a picture of a football on the front so there's no confusion you know you know what you're buying you know what you're getting michael lisey yes he's not in the top 100 he's not in the top 100 but i would say how we got here is me being on the verge of saying i would say he's within the top 15 players in the world at the moment i know crystal palace fans will say he was a star before he left england what i say in response to that is um it's not necessarily that his abilities have changed his profile and the platform from which he operates have changed and that's made a really big difference to kind of his prominence in games and just to how well he's been able to combine with other elements of that by munich attack which for the last six months has not included jamal masiala by the way um which you know teases what's it going to look like when masiala recovers from his injury which i expect will be either right before the winter break or immediately afterwards but brilliant and also you know what like i i love watching elise um there's this balance in his game between seemingly having all the time in the world when he's in possession and being so at ease with his technique versus having a real thrust when the game is there to be changed and when Bayern needs chance creation he's a guy who has that kind of power to him which is a really interesting combination um almost sounds like a contradiction but it's been wonderful to watch and it's also been great to watch the German footballing public see him develop because I think when he got there 50 million euros from Crystal Palace he didn't have that much profile because Crystal Palace that aren't that well covered in Germany.

34:00There's not that much interest, or there wasn't until Oliver Glasner got there. And Alise has kind of been a nice surprise for them. So it's been, yeah, it's been fun to watch him just become a star and just become a real, real sort of like figurehead of the league, actually. Alise, who else? Alise, who else? 84. min, 6-2. The Alise Wahnsinn goes on. Bayern looking in terrific form, 6-2 this weekend. A couple of things though that might give some concern ahead of the Arsenal game. One is the fact that the two goals that they conceded in the game against Freiburg at the weekend were both from corners.

34:41First one was really well done. Really, really nicely constructed. Proper training ground move. The second one was just dreadful. I'm not sure. It's worth saying for context, Jimbo, that this weekend across all the grounds in the Bundesliga there was a 12-minute atmosphere boycott to start each game. So this is a response to, just to fill this in, this is a response to possible new security measures which are being discussed by the Conference of Interior Ministers, which are including things like AI software for facial recognition, personalized tickets, expedited, banning orders, those kind of things.

35:17and the ultras naturally don't like this at all they think it's government overreach um there was a protest in leipzig a week ago which 20 000 people attended from 50 different clubs and this weekend to step up the protest um ahead of a meeting which is due to take place uh i think in in december in bremen for the imk yeah they just uh no singing no chanting no flares just silence and the first Rybar goal occurred during that silence. And I think I was at a game yesterday at St. Pauli against Union Berlin and it sure is weird and it must be quite strange for players too. So because it was so un-buying and willing to forgive it and because they played so well immediately afterwards, they were level by half time and there was never really a doubt about the result beyond that.

36:04I can kind of put it down to the oddity of the occasion. Okay, it's just that they're facing Arsenal and you know, the Gunners and that. However, the other concern that I was going to raise, but they seem to be doing okay without him, is the absence of Luis Diaz. But we'll see, I guess. Yeah, I mean, I think, look, Leonard Karl is on a development curve. I think the German media have kind of run away with themselves and demanded that he be included in the national team immediately, that kind of stuff. At the same time, he is brilliant. And I kind of think throwing him into this kind of occasion, he's certainly good enough to play.

36:39he's certainly good enough to make a difference he can absolutely hurt Arsenal with his ability and hey listen like playing this kind of occasions it's part of your development you have to have to experience it have to see how he adjusts like Paul you'll remember of course in those sort of early messy days you're going to have weird moments where he's not quite playing the right position where he's being dropped into a team which is dealing with an absence or an injury or a suspension and that's part of growing up as a footballer and so um yeah let's see I'm excited for it though because I think he'll get minutes and I can't wait to see what he does outside of the Bundesliga context Is that the frame of reference that they're using for Lennar Karl at the moment?

37:15Early Messi? Yeah, yeah I mean I think it's kind of unavoidable he's very left-footed, he's diminutive he carries the ball past defenders very easily, he's extremely aggressive when he has the ball at his feet. I don't agree with doing that, I don't think it helps I don't think it's ever helped a player to do that but given his style of play, his stature it's inevitable. Racing in action at the Emirates then on Wednesday. On Wednesday, yeah. Alright Seb, the Bundesliga as it stands, Bayern 6-2 win, keeps them six points clear at the top of the table. Leipzig in second place, two points behind them are by Leverkusen who got Man City away this midweek, aye aye aye.

37:56And a point behind them, you've got Dortmund and Stuttgart who had a 3-3 draw which sounded very exciting the weekend. What do you think about the trip to City for by Leverkusen who have recovered form since the exit of Eric ten Haag? They're a lot better than they were There's a lot of stability There's a little bit of development from their younger players I still think they're pretty fragile and this is a really unhelpful unhelpfully timed game I don't think there's ever a great moment to go to Manchester City but I think my main concerns with Leverkusen are that anytime pressure is exerted on their centre-backs or the gap between their centre-backs and the full-backs there are problems Mark Flecken has had a really difficult time and goal as well and that whole unit lacks confidence so yeah they beat Wolfsburg at the weekend but frankly Wolfsburg are dreadful and of going to flirt with relegation this season we're very very mediocre even at home but let's see I think it's about what's interesting about the situation is because ten haag left so early it took all the expectation with him like everybody kind of the season sort of became a write-off which is ridiculous given where leverkusen are on the table but that became the mentality and so anything after that any sense of developing some momentum or allowing some of these young players they bought over the summer to develop and grow poku we talked about a couple of weeks ago guys like that that becomes success and so when you reframe things in that way it means that you can get away with your getting slapped 5-0 by Manchester City, which would be probably where my money is.

39:30But, you know, if the season ends with them in the Champions League having gone through what they did at the beginning of the season, success. That's how Leverkusen operate. So, worried for them this week, short-term, medium-term, long-term, they'll be absolutely fine on Hilderman. All right. Excellent. Seb, thank you so much. We'll catch up on further Bundesliga stories next time around.

39:57This is the Totally Football Show, part of the Athletic FC podcast network. There's the opening against Selve Kertz, the other side is Pulisic. Selve Kertz, Zoper, Pulisic!

40:11Pulisic! Hey, Sunday night in Serie A, big, big fixture, Derby della Madonina as Milan took on Inter, or possibly Inter took on Milan. It was Inter with a home team. Inter with a home team. Yeah. Milan were the winners. 1-0, Christian Pulisic with the winning strike. And that means that Roma, who had beaten Creminesi 3-1 at theirs. 3-1. What is this? Go two points clear at the top of the table. They're two points clear of Milan and Napoli. Napoli, who they face next weekend, do Roma. And then just a point behind Milan and Napoli are Inter and Bologna. So you've got the whole top five, only three points apart.

40:53But lots of things to talk about here. Certainly Bologna, I think, is a subject of interest. But what about Roma's form? A team that was really struggling for goals found three this weekend. Is this the sign of things finally beginning to click? Yeah, I mean, they are the best team in Italy this calendar year with 75 points. And I think at the beginning of the season, And Giampiero Gasparini was able to take advantage of the mentality that had been instilled by Claudio Ranieri, the man who hired him. Claudio Ranieri now upstairs at Roma as an executive. And because I think of the positivity that there was within the group at Roma, he has been able to tweak things little by little.

41:37And gradually this team is beginning to feel more and more like his own. and you mentioned that they scored three goals at the weekend. I think they scored a couple before the international break in their final game. They are starting to score in a way that they weren't at the beginning of the season when they didn't feel like a Gasparini team, a team that was winning games 1-0, keeping clean sheets. And even though Gasparini is playing these strikerless teams with these garden gnomes up front, like Tommaso Baldanzi and Mattias Soule or Dybala when he's fit, What we're seeing now is he brings on strikers in the second half, and the strikers score.

42:14So it was Dovbic against Sassuolo. And then finally, Evan Ferguson got his first goal in Italy at the Zini. At the Zini. 393 days he hadn't scored a goal. Yeah, and I felt quite bad for Ferguson because everyone's been asking, Gasp, why aren't you playing him? And Gasp is like, well, he's a young kid. He's new to the country, new to the language. He's had these injury problems in the past. And by the way, I don't need strikers anyway. My Atlanta team scored 98 goals when I had Gomez, Ilicic, and Pasolic up front. So, you know, we don't really need them. And that stuff you're reading in the papers about us maybe going for Joshua Zerkse in Man United.

42:54Well, you know, in January, well, we'll see. So Ferguson, obviously, in the international break, he watched Ireland's epic win over Hungary in Scholar's Lounge, the Irish bar, which I'm sure you've frequented, James, in your time in Rome. I've won a pub quiz there. Really? Yes. I won a couple of bottles of Jameson. Oh, nice. Where is that? That is near the wedding cake, the title writer. So, Justo Fierre del Corso. So, he watched that game. So, he wasn't part of the Ireland squad that was in Budapest. I imagine he felt tremendous pride in Ireland getting themselves into the playoffs. But, you know, I'm sure he would have liked to have been there himself.

43:35And the competitor in him, seeing Troy Parrott, the guy who was standing in for him, basically score a hat-trick and becoming a folk hero. A lot of stuff that can maybe bring you down. And instead, first game back from the international break, what does he do? He scores his first goal for his new club, Roma. Very nice. So they're two points clear of Milan and of Napoli. Milan's win in the derby owed a lot to Pulisic, actually scoring a goal, but maybe even more to the fellow at the other end, Magic Mike. Magic Mike, yeah, who collected the player of the match award, Mike Mignon. Mignon, who was one of the best players, if not the most decisive player, along with Rafa Leal, when Milan last won the Scudetto.

44:15And that was Mike Mignon's first season. Remember, basically, Milan said to Gigi Donnarumma, yeah, we're not going to pay you all of that money. And Gigi was like, well, OK, well, maybe I can climb down. And they're like, no, we've already signed Mike Mignon. See you later. And Mignon was magnificent that year. he's sort of dipped in the meantime but this year he's been fantastic yeah he made that early save on Marcus Turan he saved a penalty again in a big game so Hakan Chalhanoglu former Milan player has the chance to equalise with 15 minutes to go from the spot Mignon saves it

44:55just like he saved from Paolo Dybala when Milan went and won 1-0 against Roma three weeks ago. So, you know, Mike is, you know, you would say it's a contract year for him because his contract is up at the end of the season. And, you know, I mean, you've been talking about Cesny, Barcelona, and what, Joan Martinez? Joan Garcia. Joan Martinez is at Real Madrid. Yeah, in Intervac, yeah. You know, I mean, I'm sure a lot of the press this week in Italy will be telling the executive team AC Milan, you have to re-sign Mike Mignon, give him what he wants, which is not what Milan do. Well, we'll see. Inter, meantime, face another tough game.

45:41They are off to a perfect start in the Champions League, but the fixtures haven't been the most testing. This midweek, they're off to the Wanda Metropolitano, which, you know, graveyard of many a footballing dream. No, it's going to be a tough kick. It's going to be a tough kick for them. At the same time, I think I said that Atletico stood a chance against Arsenal and that didn't went well for them. But I do think I do see Atletico being on top of it and being like the favourites on it. Atletico are in the best moment of the season for them. They want a bit of a scrappy win against Getafe but it's always scrappy against Getafe.

46:16But yeah, they are finding a bit like their best version. I think that Alex Baena coming back from injury has been key just like for them. And let's see how it goes but I think that yeah, Atletico will present a really tough chance for Inter Milan. I was at the Metropolitano two years ago for the quarterfinal when Inter played Atleti. And Atleti knocked them out. And that was, yeah, Inter dominated the first leg but didn't take advantage. Arnautovic, who's no longer at the club, missed some chances. Inter took the lead at the Metropolitano. Pavard then made a mistake in the final 15 minutes of that game.

46:51The crowd just got on top of Inter. So it'll be interesting because, look, I mean Inter in all of these big games that they've lost in the league they've actually played really well they haven't deserved to lose any of them and we've gone from talking about McManion being great remember last year when Jan Sommer, Inter's goalkeeper was magnificent particularly against Barcelona and Jan Sommer's had a really tough season both in the Derby d 'Italia I think some people thought he could have got to Pulisic's goal as well at the weekend so some speculation again, not for the first time this season, that maybe they should play the Spanish goalkeeper that you took off.

47:31Josep Martina? Yes. Yeah, yeah. But we'll see. Kivu was very defensive about Sommer after the debut de la Madonina. I know what you did last time, Sommer, or something like that. Yeah, I know what you're doing. Midsummer. Midsummer. He's not playing. No. Bologna then, James. How excited should we be getting about Bologna? Two years ago there was that vintage Rosso Blue outfit with your Xerxes and your Calafiores and your Thiago Motta's on the bench this time because you've still got Orsolini who are the stars now? I mean Lewis Ferguson is still there and he didn't play at the weekend I think he was a little bit worn out maybe after being part of that Scotland team that qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

48:24Lucumy is the Colombian centre-back who's really good, but he didn't play at the weekend. And I think this was the surprise, really, because they went to Udinese the last few weeks. They've only lost once at home, and Bologna went there with a load of injuries or a load of players who weren't ready to play in this game. And after a difficult first half where Orsellini missed a pen, Bologna's second string if you like won this game comprehensively they won 3-0 unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions now I think three clean sheets in their last four even though their goalkeeper Lukas Skorupski has been out so remember when they beat Napoli before the international break Skorupski went off injured they had a 16 year old in goal and then in this game in Udine they had Revalia the stand-in so it just goes to show that Vincenzo Italiano the coach is really good and he's been good throughout his career at managing big squads, even in small teams like Spezia, rotating but keeping everybody engaged and everyone is made to feel like they're a starter in the team and I mean this was the great thing about the weekend in Serie A which shows how close the league is, Bologna on Saturday afternoon, they win this game and they go top later that night, Napoli beat Atalanta Napoli go top and then Sunday afternoon Roma beat Cremonese Roma go top and if Inter had beaten Milan Inter would have joined Roma on top but the fact that you could have three league changes in the single weekend really just goes to show how close the championship is at the moment yeah how many sisters do you think we've got this season then well the thing is Bologna are taking Atalanta's place right because Atalanta had their new manager Raffaele Palladino make his debut at the weekend albeit in an unforgiving place like the Maradona against Napoli and they lost and they're in the bottom half of the table at the moment.

50:22You know, Fiorentina, who used to be one of the seven sisters, are still winless this season. They drew with Juventus 1-1. I know you've got Roma, Inter, Milan, Bologna. I mean, Juve think that they're sort of still in it. But it's seven points back. Well, seven points isn't all that much, is it? given we've still got two-thirds of the season and a bit left. But yeah, I mean, it's really interesting how Milan can't beat the small teams but beat all the big teams. Inter beat all the small teams but can't beat the big teams. Napoli kind of go through the motions where, you know, and this was one of the big stories of the international break, Conte basically goes home for a week, doesn't take training.

51:07A lot of speculation about his future, which then De Laurentiis, the owner of Napoli, said is all kind of fantasy and all that kind of thing. And then you've got Bologna who have changed manager three times, and yet they've been able to get better or do something new every year. And so I think from winning the Coppa Italia last year for the first time in, what, 50, 60 years, has really kind of bolstered the mentality of the squad, as has playing Champions League last year. Playing Champions League, and they went out in the league phase, but I think that experience of playing Liverpool away, Villa away, Dortmund, And it's kind of made Serie A feel a little bit easier for them, I think.

51:48OK. They could well be in the Champions League next season. They do have European competition on Thursday night. They're going to be up against Salzburg. Both teams needing a win. They are respectively 24th and 28th in the Europa League. Well, league. And so, yeah. Other European games. Juve, who are 26th in the Champions League, so really needing a victory, are at Bodo Glimt. Yeah. Napoli were 24th Not great either They host Carabag Who are proving really difficult for teams to beat Yeah Carabag up in 15th Only Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club de Bilbao Have actually managed to beat them so far And Atalanta Who are up in 16th Kind of mid-table Are Eintracht Frankfurt Fresh from that 3-1 defeat Down in Naples At the weekend Alrighty Well let's finish off Next up Paul by returning to you and La Liga.

52:41The Nando's Liga. The Nando's Liga. Are they more than ever?

52:50You're listening to The Totally Football Show with James Richardson. Now with you four times a week. Keep up to date with us on Insta and enjoy us in glorious Technicolor on YouTube at The Totally Show. La Liga. Paul, just a point now between Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and Barcelona because while Barca had that 4-0 win against Athletic Club de Etc Real Madrid could only manage a draw away at Elche having to come from behind twice in this game It's been mad that what happened at El Clásico where Barca left with five points away of Real Madrid It's just nothing now because it's been a part of the past after Real Madrid has drawn the last two games against Real Vallecano before the break and now against Elche Picture price, this Elche team I think I've mentioned Delce throughout the podcast this year as one of the revelations in La Liga.

53:41They still are. They are really low-budget team, potentially like below his budget in La Liga. But in Eders Arabia, which was the former Kike Setien assistant, I don't know if you remember Kike Setien, they're playing really good football, really good play style. And both their goals here from former Real Madrid players. And that's what I was about to mention. Basically, two former La Fabrica players, which is the way as you know James it's just the way that Real Madrid names their academy it's their La Masia yeah it's their La Masia yeah yeah so Alex Febas and Álvaro Rodríguez scored the two goals two great goals Alex Febas one of my favourite midfielders in La Liga this season he's been outstanding outstanding and Álvaro Rodríguez a centre forward which is not a starter for Elche but had possibly one of the biggest nights of his career scoring against Real Madrid and then Real Madrid yeah had to run late and equalized the game two times thanks to Dean Housen and to Jude Bellingham who scored in the latest minute of the game.

54:52In a goal that was followed with some controversy because Elche's goalkeeper ended up with a bleeding nose in like a mix-up in the box after Benicius just clashed with him, basically. He couldn't, stood himself after the broken nose, and then Jude Bellingham scored a tap-in. So basically, Elche complained about that goal. The referee didn't even go to VAR, decided that it was part of the play itself. But yeah, 2-2 for Real Madrid, which has left a lot of bad taste in the mouth of all the Madrid fans, Madrid media, and Madrid players, in a way. And yeah, this sense of lack of confidence with what Xavi Alonso is trying to do.

55:34It seems that he is unable to connect with the players, what he pretends to do, and what the players actually do on the pitch. He did this game against Elche, which is a totally different tactical setup. He went out with three centre-backs, with win-backs, with Trent Alexander-Anul and Frank Garcia. Vinicius benched. And yeah, it just didn't work. Elche was the better team in many occasions of the game. Courtois was, again, really, really good. So yeah, a lot of doubts. cast over Real Madrid and La Liga title red which is wide open. Wow. Last three games, the defeat at Anfield against Liverpool, a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano and then this 2-2 draw this weekend which featured, as you were mentioning there, Trent in the starting line-up alongside Jude Bellingham.

56:18It's the first time that two Englishmen have been in the Real Madrid starting at 11 since 2006, the days of Jonathan Woodgate and David Beckham. This same weekend, Barcelona starting with nine Spanish players from, I believe it's called La Masia. Yeah. Well, it's their version of La Fabrica. Oh, yeah. Some of them from La Masia. Some of them from La Masia, exactly. Nine Spanish players and they're starting 11. That's the first time that's happened in La Liga in over 10 years. Yeah, and 11 Catalan-born players featured in that game, counting on the beige players. So it was like a number. It was like a stat that didn't happen until the times of the Spanish Civil War, which as James will know because his history it's 50 years since the death of Franco is it?

57:07yeah the death of Franco was in 1975 20th November it was the anniversary not long ago like 4 days ago actually and the Spanish Civil War was in 1936 up until 1939 those were the times where Barca were able to use 11 Catalan players on a game, and that was repeated on Saturday against Atletic Club. Crikey. RoboJar have Olympiacos, they're way out of Olympiacos in Paris this midweek. How strong are their chances of ending that slight wobble that they've had? I think it's a fair chance for them just to regroup a bit and just to find the win that they need. Just for Xavi Alonso, possibly I envision Xavi Alonso just going a bit back to basics with the system and the line-up that he presents against Olympiacos.

57:59And, of course, with the firepower that Ramadri has and everything, they have a stronger hand in there. But, yeah, let's see how it goes in La Liga because it's a tense title race now, as we mentioned. Yeah, very much so. So those two separated by only a point. Villarreal, who are off to their best start ever, or since the 40s in La Liga. Since the Spanish Civil War. Since the Spanish Civil War, whenever that was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're only two points behind Barca. So the top three and just separated by two points, a point ahead of Atletico Madrid. And then you've got a whopping seven point gap down to Betis, who've fallen off the pace a little bit.

58:37This weekend they had a 1-1 draw at home to Girona, which saw Anthony showed a red card in the 91st minute, which is significant because, Paul? Because he's going to be the Sevilla Derby next week. Massive, massive. Actually, I was considering including this as the moment of the week. What was his red card for then? It was like, for me, it was quite an unfair one and an unlucky one to have because he tried like a bicycle kick. And he basically just clashed with the neck of an opponent. But he was attempting to kick the ball, as in he was not trying to commit a fall. I see there is a fall. He can be booked for that.

59:10But it was a straight red card, which for me was a bit harsh. And even more, given like the context. And next week, there's the Sevilla Derby, which you might know, it's possibly one of the spikiest derbies in like Spain, if not the most. As spicy as, what would you compare it to? Yeah, spicy as, I don't know, I have a bottle of hot sauce, peri-peri sauce. Yeah, yeah, so that sort of a spicy. Excellent. Tasty too. Tasty. Now, good. Anything else we should know from La Liga? I think that's fine. I think that's fine for now. Excellent. Well, you're heading off to, where are you going first? So the Chelsea game is Tuesday night.

59:47Yeah. He's going to Nando's. I'm going to Nando's. Take these empties. Yeah. And then Stanford Bridge And then back to theirs For the after party Exactly Alright Paul thank you so much For coming in It was lovely to see you It's been a pleasure To be here A rare treat for us And many thanks to you as well James Horncastle Pleasure Our thanks to Julian Laurence Of ESPN Of ESPN And Seb Stafford Bloor Of Snood Wearing And to producer Lucy And to anyone who might Have sent in foodstuffs Yep Listen I thank you you too for doing the important bit and we'll be back with another Euro roundup in a week's time.

1:00:28I do hope you'll join us for that just to flag up that we will have Totally shows Wednesday and Thursday running up the Tuesday and Wednesday Champions League action. For now though from all of us here it's goodbye. You've been listening to the Totally Football Show part of the Athletic FC podcast network. For more great podcasts just like this one including the Athletic FC and our dedicated club podcasts, search for The Athletic. We're also at The Totally Football Show on Insta and at The Totally Show on YouTube. The Totally Football Show is an Athletic Media Company production.