City take advantage of Arsenal stumble as Spurs slip into the drop zone

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1:46Totally football show. Today, Manchester City at full throttle, Arsenal at full bottle, and you don't need to be Aristotle to see how this Premier League title race is going. We round up all the weekend's big results from Stamford Bridge and beyond, check in on Spurs where the Deserby debut has brought yet another defeat, ponder Eddie Howe's prospects and West Ham's January business and much, much more as we round up Round 32 in this Totally Football Show.

2:20Hey everybody. It's Sunday the 12th of April. Joining us on our YouTube channel, you're surely aware of that fact. And we've just seen what feels like a pretty momentous round of Premier League action. One game still to go, Man United taking on Leeds United on Monday night. But here to talk about the nine matches so far, we've got Daniel Story of the Eye. Live and in person. Yeah, Daniel. So exciting. Yep, let me see you. And you, Matt Davies Adams is also here with us, very much in the flesh. Nice to see you, James. And also here, corporeally, Tim Spears. How is it going? Pretty good, I would say, Tim.

3:00Love our Sunday get-togethers. And this one, I think, is going to be especially fecund. Chinchura writes in. If you're on YouTube, do send us a comment. Love those. Chinchura says, will Adrian Clarke ever appear on the show again? There's been a lot of people concerned over Adrian. He hasn't been on for a while. events haven't been too kind to Arsenal, you know, adjacent folk. But yeah, that's something we're going to get on to. Tim, you spent Sunday afternoon at Palace. Yeah, and had a surprisingly good time in the end. It started with, I didn't have a seat to sit down in. Right. But we got over that, found one, and then watched the last half an hour of a good football match in the end.

3:42Everybody, most people went home happy. And you saw a nice post as well. Yeah, so there were no seats for me. So the kind lady said you can either sit on the back row, in which case it's a proper letterbox view from Salisbury's press box, or you can sit behind a post. Those are my options. So I went for a post and just did a lot of darting around, you know. It's good fun. Yeah. Excellent. All right. Well, we'll look forward to hearing what you gleaned from all of that later on. But Daniel and Matt were at Stamford Bridge a little bit later on Sunday afternoon. And hopefully they had a good view of what could be a very important game, eh, Matt?

4:18The best view in the house. But, yeah, maybe not the ideal place to be watching it from in terms of whose microphone I was in possession. Oh, right, because you were commentating for Chelsea TV. This is right, yeah. And in the first half, I thought this is going pretty well. And then I said to Daniel, as we made our way out of the stadium, it was very much like the bigger boys put their fags out and said, let's go and take care of some business, shall we? And Ryan Cherky in particular was like a joy to watch. Lovely, lovely stuff from him, second half. But yeah, massive weekend, isn't it? And City looking particularly ominous.

4:50Yes. Daniel, what happened at half-time at Stamford Bridge?

4:53Matt Davies-Adams: It felt, probably not deliberately, but it felt like Manchester City said, we'll give you an Arsenal first half and then we'll show you we can give you a Manchester City second half. will show you that we're capable of going through gears in a way that maybe nobody else is. I mean, Schirke was phenomenal. Chelsea made some pretty poor defensive mistakes. They leave one player free for the header. There's loads of space for Mark Gahey for the second goal and then they turn over possession 30 yards and they go off the third. I thought what was really interesting, again, I said to Matt on the way out of the stadium, this was Chelsea's ninth different central defensive partnership this season.

5:29Matt Davies-Adams: And the fact that the second goal is scored by Mark Gahey, who they sold for£18 million in 2021 because he felt he wasn't going to get a pathway at Chelsea. It's pretty damning on everything that's then followed in pretty much ever since. And yeah, between him and Shirky and Semenyo, there are three players now at the top of their game. Incredible. Crazy stat actually relating to that. City had as many players from the Chelsea Academy in their squad as Chelsea had from the Chelsea Academy in Mark Gahey and Nathan Aki. Chelsea, on the other hand, had as many players from the City Academy in their squad.

6:06But you know how this finishes, don't you, Matt? Yeah, I've said this a few times, but there's a world in which Chelsea have a defence of Rhys James backed up by Tino Liveramento, Levi Colwell and Mark Gay backed up by Trevor Chalabur and Lewis Hall at left back. And yeah, that would have saved him quite a few quid, but alas, no. But yeah, those City players, you look at Nico O 'Reilly and Cole Palmer, for example. Palmer obviously didn't get much football at City and he's been miles below his best this season. But very different trajectories and we're left with Chelsea having lost four league games in a row without scoring for the first time since 1998 and as many points away from West Ham as they are from Manchester City.

6:48So big concerns in terms of their Champions League aspirations if they still have any. but gets this time of the year. City won 29 of their last 32 Premier League games played in April, which is just crazy, isn't it? They haven't lost one in five years and if you're Arsenal, that's a concern. Right, among the many concerns. Let's have a quick run through the results on what has been match day 32 of the season. Arsenal were beaten Saturday lunchtime 2-1 by Bournemouth. The Cherries are now 12 games unbeaten. They haven't lost, in fact, since they sold Antoine Semenyo to City. Remarkable. As for Arsenal, that's three defeats in their last four.

7:24And with Man City victorious at Stamford Bridge, three goes to none. That means that the gap at the top is now six points. City have a game in hand and will welcome Arsenal to the Etihad next weekend. Meanwhile, down the other end, Spurs are now in the bottom three. And two points adrift after they lost 1-0 at Sunderland on Sunday in Roberto Dezebi's first game in charge. West Ham, of course, on Friday having already climbed above them with a mighty 4-0 win over Wolves and Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon adding to Tottenham's troubles with their 1-1 come from behind draw with Villa. Elsewhere this weekend, Saturday tea times for Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0.

8:05Rio Ungolmoor and someone almost twice his age giving them a two-goal lead in that game which they held on to. Brentford for the second home game in a row. In contrast, drew 2-2 after leading. This time it was against Everton. and Brighton claimed their third straight victory. That one was 2-0 at Burnley on Saturday. That's five wins in six for the Seagulls who are thus top of the Premier League form table. Who are they facing next, Daniel Story? It's Spurs.

8:36Matt Davies-Adams: Yeah, it's bad stuff for Spurs, that's for sure. All right, Man United take on Leeds on Monday night. Man United very much in the thick of the race for those top five Champions League places. Alan L writes, it says, it seems like ages since the title, Champions League places and relegation were all still undecided with six games left. What are your predictions now for all the above? Well, Alan, who wants to go first? Sure. Who's going to get the title? Well, we'll get onto that in a second. Oh. Yeah. We'll get onto that in a second, Tim, because we're going to talk about Mancini and what they did at Chelsea.

9:13Bottom three. I think as it is. Yeah. really Spurs Burnley and Wolves you have to go with the direction travel and Spurs haven't won a match this year so yes Spurs Burnley and Wolves

9:25Matt Davies-Adams: you're asking me to jinx everything but yes okay Spurs you can abstain if you want Matt I'm going to swap out Spurs for Leeds controversially won twice in the league since December not scored in their last four games they got a couple of winnable fixtures but if they don't win those I just I still as much as I think it would be one of the great Premier League stories and they'll only be down there for a year so don't get too cross Tottenham fans I still can't commit to the idea of Tottenham Hotspur being relegated from the Premier League but they've given you plenty of practice to get used to it what with last season and now this they surely have but then they've just got this manager who is Premier League ready and supposedly quite good so everything keeps leaning towards well maybe but then I thought they'd win today and they haven't so what do I know I sure hope so let's have a chat about all of that in more depth Alan and we'll see what conclusions we can bring you we're going to begin with events at Stamford Bridge This is the Totally Football Show with James Richardson Part of the Athletic FC Podcast Network One back by Doku Doku all the way And Manchester City are right in the thick of it again Peter Drury there Encapsulating the Premier League moment Matt, what was your bomb though on Chelsea TV?

10:40Doku was 3-0, wasn't it? I think it was Doku 3-0 game over game over crikey when City play they really play yeah they were I mean the first half they were so sort of one paced and slow and Chelsea had done well actually in getting Andre Santos to drop into the back four and just sort of scream things I mean there wasn't much room to work with Haaland was cutting a frustrated figure Cherky wasn't getting the room that he would do in the second half but yeah then something changed at half time and you see that so often from Guardiola without having to make substitutions that's the genius of him I guess that he can affect games in that way and they didn't need Ireland to do much in the game because Turkey was doing it all and Semenya was impressive and Doku was good as well and yeah Gay too as Daniel highlighted showing what Chelsea have missed but it's ominous isn't it if you're Arsenal I think it's difficult to see any flaws in City I mentioned last time I was on the brilliance of the business of Semenya and Gay and you can say well you've got unlimited funds you can go and cherry pick some players from rivals in the same leagues but it sort of happens quite rarely doesn't it that teams take the best players from Premier League teams in January so it's been it's been a huge help for them because those two look like two of their best players.

11:54Was that a deliberate cherry pick in Semenya's case? Oh it absolutely wasn't but thanks for pointing it out. One thing that Haaland did do was wrestle off a couple of Chelsea players that sounds terrible actually but wrestle occupy a couple of Chelsea players leaving Santos to get done by Nico O 'Reilly for the opening goal. City with a front four, essentially, but still getting their first two goals from defenders.

12:18Matt Davies-Adams: Yeah, we've seen recently when Doku hasn't started, we've seen Semenyo given this sort of roaming role around Haaland from side to side and then Shirky staying relatively central and just spraying the passes to wherever Semenyo or Haaland happen to find themselves. But yeah, this was very much Semenyu on the right, Doku on the left, Shirky as the number 10, picking up the ball in spaces. It was Bernardo who was kind of moving from side to side, but from central midfield rather than from higher up to create those overlaps. And they also seem to be trying to create one of those, what I call those like old school Guardiola goals where you get to the touchline and pull it back.

12:55Matt Davies-Adams: That seems to be the plan in the first half. The game then opens up because Chelsea's marking was desperate in the box. Nico O 'Reilly is quite a big lad. The cross from Shirky was pretty telegraphed. It was always going to be that curled cross with his left. They didn't have a huge amount of pace on it, but there was just nobody there. And he finished it very nicely. And from that moment, you could tell that City are in this. If you show us a weakness, we will be prepared to exploit it very quickly and repeatedly and kill the game off. And that's exactly what they did. Goal involvements, that's the 15th for Nico O 'Reilly since the start of the season.

13:33he's playing as a left back he came through as a midfielder but still is extraordinary run of form for a player coming out of that area of the field

13:42Matt Davies-Adams: yeah and he did start in the academy as a very advanced player and you can kind of see that with some of his movement in the box his late runs into the box be it back post for a cross or as today just straight down the middle for a header they're not very left backy and I wonder if that might count against him with the World Cup I think maybe Thomas Tuchel will prefer a more regulation left-back than him. But my goodness, it makes a difference when he's able to kind of... He's the one player who, at the moment in the City's time, who seems to really break through the lines. He'll be running back at left-back and then suddenly you'll see him in the attacking third.

14:18Matt Davies-Adams: No one else is really doing that. But the way that Ryan was breaking the lines, or Ryan Cherky was breaking the lines. Yeah, but he does it with the ball, right? He's a supreme dribbler of the ball. The second goal is phenomenal. He takes on two players, beats them. It looks like playground stuff, basically. And he's picking a decent player. And then just as you think he can play that pass, which every player plays, which is just out to the right, work it back, cross into the box, he stabs it with his left foot to Mark Gahey, which takes out about four players. Reminded me of there's a YouTube compilation of Michael Laudup passes, where if you stop it, you have to guess where the next pass is going to be.

14:56Matt Davies-Adams: And it should be obvious, but with Michael Laudup, it's not. he plays the one you're not expecting and it finds the man. Shirky pass was like one of those. Even at ground level, I could never see that pass was on. And again, he's in space and he finished really nicely, actually, for a centre-back. He was a bit like Palmer was the season before last, playing with that kind of impudence. Would you like a stat about Bernardo Silva? Go on. I'm going to give it to you anyway. He became, it was his 247th Premier League appearance, the most of any Portuguese player. Do you know whose record he took? Is it a famous record?

15:28No, he's Brazilian. Is it a Wolves Portuguese player? It's not a Wolves Portuguese player. It's not Ricardo Carvalho. Is it Abel Xavier? It's not Abel Xavier. It's not Cristiano Ronaldo.

15:39Matt Davies-Adams: It's going to be someone of lesser. Palafreira? No. I mean, I don't know. Carvalho? Oh, Carvalho. Could you give us any kind of clue? He didn't play for an elite Premier League team. Right. He was, I don't think he is anymore, but he was briefly assistant manager of one of the teams that he did play for in the Premier League. Double-barrelled surname. Producer Charlie knows, of course. Lewis Balamorte? Absolutely, Keren. He was always going to be the Intertokiole champion, wasn't he? Yeah, Lewis Balamorte, was it? Yeah, incredible. Incredible as well from producer Charlie. Nick O 'Reilly went off, possibly as a precautionary move.

16:24That was my first suck-through-my-teeth World Cup worry, actually. is he going to be alright but yeah I think he kind of indicated that that doesn't feel quite right let's not be silly we're going to play this game anyway he also

16:35Matt Davies-Adams: when they went over to the away end at the end of the game he wasn't noticeably limping he didn't have ice on anything he was just walking with his socks well down which is normally a pretty good sign okay Rodri on the other hand I mean he has an injury history and it didn't look great but what I would say very cynically it was a part of the game when slowing down the game and just seeing things through was quite a viable strategy. Right. Some glimmer of hope perhaps for Arsenal that despite the contrasting form of these two sides, they may have a chance of not getting beat next weekend. I mean, the million-dollar question is how you approach a game that you need not to lose when the problem with Arsenal at the moment is that it looks like they're playing safety first, win by the odd goal football.

17:21Matt Davies-Adams: Because if they go with that plan and draw nil-nil, brilliant. if they go with that plan and concede at any point and have to change the game they're in big trouble and it will come straight back on Arteta if they do approach it like that OK we'll talk about what Arsenal did with Bournemouth very shortly Matt how much did Chelsea miss Enzo Fernandes I know there was a lovely comment was it where was your lovely comment oh it was in reply to the tweet for questions for tomorrow straight out Cobham the Chelsea podcast from The Athletic who said it was Jared who said Chelsea certainly missed Enzo today Maresca that is Controversially Right And I don't I'm not looking at the YouTube comments In any way I don't think that Enzo Fernandes Gets in Chelsea's best team If everybody's fit Okay And I think that Andre Santos annoyed me By losing his marker for that goal Because I thought the first half Was a good example Of somebody With positional discipline Helping their team And that's what Enzo Fernandes Lacks massively I think if Caicedo and Labia are both fit Which is a massive if Then that's your two Holding midfielders And Fernandes doesn't get ahead of Palmer as the number 10.

18:26So I think that's why this whole brouhaha might end up suiting player and club quite well if Chelsea can get a decent fee for him in the summer. Okay. It's curious, though, to I think a lot of people that for reasonably standard international break comments, he ended up getting suspended for two games, one of which was really, really important. What other players have made similar statements? It's similar, but I think Cucurez is much more measured than Enzo Fernandes. I think Enzo Fernandes was a bit naughty and it was an unsanctioned thing and it was more than once. And yeah, I sort of see why the club did it.

19:01If I'm totally honest, if that makes me sound like a toady for one of my clients, then fair enough. But yeah, as I say, I don't think he's a huge miss. Okay. Even though he obviously scored against City in the reverse fixture. But if everybody's fit and firing, I'm not sure he's a nailed on starter. Okay. Liam Rossegna, you mentioned, was saying post-game at Stamper Bridge. He was looking forward to welcoming him back into the side for next weekend's game. Not sure how happy that reunion will be. And is there any extent to which this has made Rossegna's relationship with the team even more complicated than it already was?

19:37I mean, potentially, but what we don't know is how much of that was Rossegna's call and how much of it came from above him. And we will never know that. So that would be a factor in that. But it could strengthen Resenia's hand in that it could show that there are consequences for actions. It could also motivate Enzo Fernandes to say, well, if I want to get out of here, I need to have a good end to the season. And that starts against Man Utd on Saturday night. And he strikes me as the type of character who will have taken this as an affront, but will use it as motivation to play well rather than sulk.

20:07So maybe it works out in the long run. Did Chelsea not lose against Manchester City with Enzo Fernandes in the side? Probably not anyway. so one team was much better than the other regardless of his presence in that game Fair enough, they need a result next weekend against United they are now four points off the Champions League places having lost three games in a row as you pointed out earlier without scoring that Chelsea fan with the Arsenal bottle were you able to see this? Yeah, was he a City fan? Yeah, he was a City fan with the Arsenal bottle and he absolutely maximised his minutes didn't he and then the fact the camera cut back to him and he already had his phone out looking at it on the belly.

20:46It was like an episode of Black Mirror,

20:47Matt Davies-Adams: the way you saw that Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame but played out live on Sky Sports. Where you sit in the press box, you've obviously got the little screens in front of you. And it was quite funny seeing him do the sort of barthol gesture with the camera, I mean, literally four feet in front of him. But then, yeah, him sort of showing to the whole stand him on social media was... You are what's wrong with modern football, sir. I had assumed he was one of the many Spurs and Chelsea fans who took some glimmer of solace, some quantum of solace from this weekend. Thanks to our friends, the Gunners.

21:18Excellent. All right. Tim, do you have any strong views on Man City before we hit the Gunners? I was just going to say, on Chelsea, it's interesting that after their 32nd game last year, as they are now, they were sixth in the table. But the mood just couldn't be any more different in terms of, you know, short, medium and long-term travel. and it's hard to see Rosinha lasting very long at all really. At least with Maresca this time last year, you could make an argument for him building something and trying to really implement a style of play. You just don't see that right now. You don't see the players playing for him, whether the Fernandes thing has changed or not.

21:57It's hard to tell. But if you watch the Everton performance and then you watch this performance, they're not playing for him. Is there any appetite for further regime change at Cobham? Certainly not that I've been told, but I mean, I would be amazed if it happened between now and the end of the season. And then I also think that if you don't qualify for the Champions League, it's obviously a far less attractive job. Now, Rossini himself has made allusions to the fact that there might be some more experienced players coming on board, whether that means that they would change tack in terms of getting a manager who's got a bit more experience under his belt, possibly.

22:32but it's difficult to see it ending any other way but in somebody else being in the dugout before too long given the way that things are going of late. There's still a world where they win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League and it's all brilliant but that looks quite a long way off. OK. Arsenal then and their defeat at home to Bournemouth next.

22:58This 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. And it goes to Evan Ilsen, laid off here to Scott. Scott's in and scores! And Bournemouth lead for the second time today. It's a wonderfully worked goal and it's a potential heartbreaker here for Arsenal. Spurs fan Alex Scott there, putting it past David Rea for a 2-1 victory on Saturday lunchtime. The blue, the title race, even further apart than it already was.

23:37Despite Arteta's stirring invitation for fans to bring their dinner, it was just desserts very much on the menu at the Emirates, Tim. Were you able to enjoy this game? Yeah, it was enjoyable, certainly from a Bournemouth point of view. And you could see it coming a mile off, really. It reminded me of the Man United game in January when Arsenal that was Arsenal's only other previous league defeat this season to Man United but it just had all the hallmarks of that in terms of one team being inhibited and full of pressure and so much weighing on their shoulders and either just being completely free and zero pressure and just able to exploit that at will really, I mean case in point, obviously this was no smash and grab but at one point when Bournemouth were 1-0 up they attacked Arsenal and had 7 players on the attack and when you've got Truffaut and Jimenez two of the best sort of fullbacks in the league right now and Alex Scott just pulling the strings from midfield they made it look easy to be honest and Arsenal are just in this sort of perfect storm of I don't know I don't know what football they're trying to play at the moment they look ponderous they're playing so many sideways passes the fans don't like it it's not like we've seen with sort of teams going for the title in the past where fans completely forgive all their mistakes and they're just rallying behind them.

24:57And then that in turn boosts the team. I'm not having a go at the fans here, but the atmosphere doesn't help. I think the team are feeding off that and one another. And it's just a sort of a perfect storm.

25:10Matt Davies-Adams: It was potentially the first Premier League title win where the asterisk is self-imposed by the supporters of the club that wins it. Because you're right, the mood feels bizarre than watching a team who created 0.19 XG from open play on Saturday, who are, they just, they look like they don't know what they're being told to do from open play with the ball other than work into a situation to win a set piece. And now also have this, what looks like, freezing of, you know, tension within them because the only thing that Arteta keeps saying is like, fire in the belly and poison in my tummy and we need to look ourselves in the mirror.

25:52Punch in the face.

25:53Matt Davies-Adams: Yeah, well, it doesn't help. It helps if that is your public line and it combines with, yeah, this is what I'm saying, but actually we need to shift things and change how we play within game because we've become a little bit one-dimensional and manages as good as Andoni Arreola. We'll work out what we're trying to do and we'll formulate a plan against it. It doesn't work if none of that other stuff seems to be happening. so basic but I just find his touchline antics they make me feel anxious and I don't support or play for Arsenal and I just think he can't just to clear that up yeah just in case anybody was wondering I watch a lot of academy football and you can hear everything the coaches say there obviously and some of them just talk throughout the game and I think this is not helpful for the development of players just to have somebody screaming in their ear and I think with Arteta if you're looking for calm on the pitch not even calm composure that tone is set partly from the stands and partly from the touchline and he's not even in his technical area is he?

26:51He's down by the corner flag and it's all frantic there's no, right this is what I want you to do it's just frantic hand gestures and shouting and screaming and I just think that that must transmit to the players to some extent and it can't be helping them and it was really noticeable the contrast like Iriola's not particularly reserved in his technical area He'll get involved if there's some injustice that he wants to fight. But he looked totally in control of what his team was doing. And Arteta looked like he was scrambling around, looking for somebody to listen to him, trying to find his keys as he escapes his house that's on fire kind of thing.

27:26And yeah, Bournemouth were brilliant and serene and Arsenal were stodgy and panicked. Defenestration One says Bournemouth had several weeks of rest. Arsenal looked done. Arteta's poor rotation and making everything a grind has shattered the players mentally and physically. A point that Colin Miller made actually on this show, way even before Christmas, was that teams who've had a long drought before they win the title carry a certain amount of emotional pressure and tension the closer they get to the line. And the teams that have actually successfully ended a long drought, like say Liverpool when they did it in what, 2020?

28:04Napoli, I think you can make a case for them a couple of seasons later. I think Colin said by Leverkusen, they were all a significant margin ahead by the time it got to the sticky end of the season. Whereas Arsenal, whenever they've been anywhere near it, they've not had that luxury. That's certainly not the case this time. Well, it's been the most fragile nine-point lead you can imagine.

28:27Matt Davies-Adams: I agree with that to an extent, but there have been times when Arsenal have had a nine-point lead. Now, I don't think, I think I'm right in saying, I don't think Leicester ever had a nine point lead at the top of the Premier League. I think eight was the most it got. So if you can't deal, if having a nine point lead and City at that point not really winning every week, that doesn't give you enough confidence to say. I think the problem is, is that their brand of football was so successful in the first half of the season that it provided very little impetus to shift from it. and now it's being slightly less successful and teams are slightly working it out.

29:07Matt Davies-Adams: They've played that style for so long that it's very hard to shift out of it, I think. It's a hard thing to completely... Because when you reinvent yourself tactically when you've already got a lead, you think, well, we might lose what we're really good at and everything might fall apart. Right. But, you know, they keep changing what's wrong and then another problem, you know, crops up. It was, oh, they weren't winners, so he sort of changed to winning football. Oh, the squad depth wasn't there. You know, they completely addressed that and the summer and now it's I don't know mental pressure and how they're playing in open play just combined together with all this noise from the fans it's just Pitch was dry though never helps does it in fairness to The pitch was dry they lost three of their first 49 matches this season but have now lost three of their last four games which does suggest there's a real change in something but is it just mentality and can it be turned around with sporting coming up on Wednesday and then the big game at the Etihad?

30:08Matt Davies-Adams: Yeah, I mean, I think the psychology at Etihad game is absolutely fascinating because this is the one game. The only way that that mood has been maintained recently is we have to win every single game. And actually, this is the first game where a draw is a good result. And yet, because of what's happened this weekend, you think that if they go with that mentality, as I say, and it doesn't work, then everything really does fall apart because then it's too late to change. You've already lost the one game you couldn't lose or you felt you couldn't lose. I don't know. I don't know. What they need is individual magic.

30:41Matt Davies-Adams: That's the way you get out of those sort of things. Ryan Shirky today produced a second half of wondrous quality. It was magician-like. He said, give me the ball and I'll do silly things with it. There aren't enough Arsenal players doing that at the moment. He tried to, didn't he? Yeah. And then it's like you get caught up in the system again and you don't feel that you've got the licence to kind of wander around. I mean, they will have some practice at managing a game they don't need to win on Wednesday. It'll be interesting to see what his team selection will be like for the sporting game because he doesn't rest and rotate, does he?

31:11But do you think, well, we've got a little bit of a lead in this tie, maybe do make a couple of changes with the Etihad in mind? I think it's dangerous. Sporting were pretty menacing in the week, especially on the counter-attack. like Pedro Gonsalves and Trincao and Luis Suarez and Catamo. They've got a really sort of potent front four who cause them a few problems. And I think the game can be set up that way for Arsenal to maybe start a bit slowly, a bit ponderously, slow in open play again. And for Sporting to hit them on the counter, you can kind of see them scoring through that avenue, maybe taking a 1-0 lead, and then it's a really nervous night.

31:51Tim, you were about to say who you think is going to win the title before. And I shut you down. You did. Brutal. Can I welcome you back in like Enzo Fernandes? I think this weekend is the first time you'd maybe rather be in Man City's shoes. You know, it certainly looks more fun in City's shoes right now. It looks like they're enjoying themselves. And I think, yeah, with all the circumstances, goal difference getting a bit tighter. Game in hand, although we don't know when that is yet against Palace. And Arsenal are home next week. I think I'd rather be in City's shoes now for the first time.

32:26Matt Davies-Adams: That's a very perfect way of putting it, because I've said Arsenal all the way along, and I still think they probably will win the league. What do you think, Daniel? I think the Bournemouth game, other than City, the Bournemouth game was their hardest fixture. The game they'll find the hardest, just because how Bournemouth play, with the freedom and with the counter-attacking threat and the pace, I think would probably be the hardest game they'll play. and if they draw next weekend, they are still massively in control of the title race and they've been pretty good in those big games because those big games do tend to be more cagey and tense so you can get away with playing like that.

33:06By the same token, they've struggled against some teams that you'd think that they would beat and those are the kind of teams that they've got coming up.

33:13Matt Davies-Adams: And they might have two extra games on Manchester City in the Champions League, which is a complication. Yeah, I mean, I can't change now because I've said all the way Arsenal, but I completely agree with Tim I'd rather be a Manchester City fan tonight and I'm sure Arsenal fans probably feel exactly the same Matt? Still Arsenal for me Newcastle, Fulham, Burnley at home Palace away on the last day they might be gearing up for the Conference League final they should be able to get enough points given the lead that they've got to just about get over the line but it's not going to be the procession that it probably ought to have been Crikey That's one story from North London next up we'll get on to another Spurs

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36:51You'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 seeing glorious Technicolor on YouTube at The Totally Show. Mukiele drifts away from Gallagher. Mukiele into a scoring position. Big deflection! And Sunderland have scored.

37:13Nordi Mukiele has a grid as wide as the Weir. He took a chance. Sunday's early games featured Spurs with their brand new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, heading to Sunderland for what was an absolute must-win game, which they didn't, losing 1-0 and dropping deeper into the relegation mire. Jack Pitt-Brooke was at the Stadium of Light for this game and joined us a short time ago.

37:44Jack, how was it? It was a pretty bad game, to be honest, James. It was pretty ugly and scrappy. There was a bit of football played in the first half, not a lot of football played in the second half. And things just didn't go Tottenham's way. You know, Sunderland were a bit better, a bit more clinical, a bit more effective. and it now leaves Spurs in an even worse position in the Premier League. Two points adrift. Winless in their last 14 Premier League matches. That's the worst run since 1935. Did you see any signs of something different under the new manager? I thought they were a bit better in the first half.

38:23They were a bit more positive. They got the ball forward. They had shots on goal from open play, which might sound like nothing, but it's actually been quite rare in Tottenham's recent form. But they weren't able to take any of those chances and they kind of lost a bit of steam in the second half. And then as always with Spurs, as soon as one thing went wrong, their heads dropped and they didn't really do anything after they conceded Mookie Ali's deflated goal. So I don't want to say there were green shoots, but in parts it was slightly better than we used to. But at this point, that's not enough.

38:56hmm among the things that didn't go Spurs way was captain Christian Romero leaving the pitch in tears yeah so De Zerbe wouldn't didn't really say anything about this afterwards he's just said he didn't know we'd have to find out in the next few days I have to say the fact that Romero would leave in tears is itself very ominous I think that you know you don't do that if you're confident of playing against Brighton Hove Albion on Saturday so that's a big worry for Spurs I mean you know Romero has his critics, but he's probably their best player. He's their captain. He's the kind of leading figure in the dressing room, on the training ground.

39:30So if he is not able to play in the next few games, that's obviously going to be a huge blow for them. All right. And the next game, as you say, against Brighton, who are top of the Premier League form table and have a bit of history with De Zerbe themselves. What about Sunderland, who move up into the top half of the league and then add just a point of seventh place? What did you make of them, Jack? I thought they were good. They knew what they were doing. They were really well organised. They were very effective. The most interesting bit of the game really was the physical battle between Brobby and Romero and Van der Fenn.

40:00I actually thought Brobby could have got booked at least three times over the course of the game, but he managed to stay on the pitch. He managed to make himself a nuisance and they worked hard and created chances. So I think they are just a really good sign of how the level of the smaller teams, the promoted teams in the Premier League this season has raised so much, which is a big part of why Tonner are in the mess that they're in. And one last question, Jack, before you disappear off. Why don't any Spurs managers fancy Xavi Simons? It's a great question. It's a really good question. I thought he might get a look in today, particularly in the context of the fact that Madison's been out all season, Kulishevsky's out all season, Odebeil's got an ACL, Kudus is injured again.

40:41You know, Xavi Simons is their one player who can create things. And, you know, Igor Tudor went off him and he didn't start today in De Zerbe's first game. So I do think that's quite strange. I struggle to see how Spurs can create anything without him. Well, they're going to need to create something. Jack, have a safe journey home and look forward to speaking to you again soon. Thank you so much.

41:09Jack Pickbrook. Lots of people commenting on the YouTube channel. El Gilbo, I don't see where Spurs get points. Get points, sorry. maybe Chelsea's a derby game that's fair Chelsea's penultimate game of the season for the Tottenham Hotspur otherwise it's looking bleak Lieutenant Merlin 86 has have Sunderland it's have Merlin have Sunderland been a huge problem club to the Premier League status quo it's true isn't it have

41:39Matt Davies-Adams: they I initially interpret that question as a sort of conspiracy theorist kind of oh they've they've done what they're not supposed to, not been a good little promoted club and tapped their head and see them go down. I mean, he's right. They have been a problem for the status quo because Tottenham are going to go down because if they do go down, Tottenham, West Ham or Forest, who have been in the league for a while, or Leeds, Matt, are going to go down because we're not going to get the three promoted clubs going down again. I get that. But that's good. That's good for the league. Yeah, bring it on.

42:12His Nico Buck, who's a West Ham fan, Nico Buck says, still no league win in 2026 for Spurs. As a West Ham fan, can I officially now stop worrying about Tottenham? Surely we're now safe.

42:26Matt Davies-Adams: I am deeply in awe of any supporter of a team in that relegation battle who is going, oh, it's all done now. It's absolutely fine. No wins. They need to win. They do, and today was massively disappointing, not because they played poorly at nil-nil, but because the reaction to the goal was pretty appalling. They either weren't able to get the ball up the pitch quick enough, or when Sunderland then sat back, the crossing into the box was absolutely appalling. There was one Pedro Porro one that sticks out because it was a recycled corner. And he just kind of, he just, it went 20 yards over the bar and into the crowd.

43:02And there's just no composure whatsoever.

43:05Matt Davies-Adams: There seems to be this weird combination of panicking. And yet when they are level, not seeming to understand the severity of the situation. Well, it is severe. Tim, you were at West Ham's game on Friday at home to Wolves. Yeah. Perhaps the reason why Nico Buck is feeling so quietly confident is that back on January the 6th, West Ham were fully 13 points behind Spurs and they're now two points above them and have just produced their biggest win since 2023 in the league. Yes. Yeah, they just lost 3-0 to Wolves at that time in January and then a very comfortable 4-0 win this time around. And yeah, I do think from a completely sort of neutral point, I think they're safe.

43:54And I thought that before this weekend, I have to say, because they've had this momentum for a little while. They're now eight unbeaten at home. And Nuno's just got them sorted out. I really, really like the look of their team, to be honest. It's very settled. It's very structured. But it's also got plenty of attacking flair. Mateus Fernandes has been a bit of a revelation, to be honest, in midfield. They brought Suchek back in, as every West Ham manager does. and Bowen and Somerville, either side of Pablo and Castellanos up front, it just works really well for them. And you have to say that they're January business.

44:27So, Alexander, why with that point? What a January window. It's completely changed the complexion of the team. Do you know how much input in that? Because West Ham don't generally make great transfers, do they? We're not far off Falkrug and Kilman and Guillaume. To go from that to this is quite a change. It's a really good question. If they belong to the guest-affirte agency, then he'll have had part of it. But yeah, they spent 50 million in January, basically. And it looks like that's going to keep them up. De Sassi's been a revelation at the back. Him and Mavropanos are really, you know, they've improved drastically out the back and up front.

45:00And that's where they've made their sort of additions. And a lovely moment at the end when De Sassi came up and hugged Nuno from behind. Yeah, it's a risky manoeuvre.

45:10Matt Davies-Adams: I was going to say, I wouldn't do that at training. But when Nuno turned around, a huge grin spreads across his face and the pair embrace. And De Sassi, who when he was at Chelsea, didn't even have a squad number, I think. No, he didn't. But his attitude was always praised as being exceptional. I think he's just a kind of meat and potatoes defender, isn't he? Which is what you want when you're in the relegation zone. But maybe Chelsea have higher aspirations for the way they want to play. But he often capped in Chelsea in the Conference League last season, De Sassi. And, you know, he played for the under-21s this season and was happy to do so.

45:42So I think all the reports about him personally are A+. And if you want him to head it, kick it, he's more than capable of doing that as well. Okay. Meantime, the other big rival, Tatekash, is Gianos. Is he there? Carlos Tevez, Tim. Oh, yeah. I've seen that mentioned. It's not original. Sorry. It might have been using both. Yeah, two really well-taken goals, sort of squeezed a couple of shots into the corner and has become a bit of a sort of talismanic figure. I mean they've had Tracking back as well Yeah well They all I mean you have Used to prerequisite And a new know You have to do that But they've had a few Figures like that I mean Somerville Had scored 7-11 I think Before his injury He came back for this game He's now back Didn't look quite as sharpest But then you know You've got Jared Bowen On the other flank Doing just as good It's ludicrous

46:31Matt Davies-Adams: When you see A team that has been Desperately poor Then playing well In the Premier League Because of the money Every club has You can't quite believe How it's the same club that was so bad earlier in the season. Because, you know, I know we talk about the players that are coming in, but Fernandes, Bowen and Somerville, three behind a striker, they're all season. And they are fairly elite. They wouldn't look out of place in the Europa League, that three behind a striker. Yeah, I agree. Absolutely. So they've got Palace next, then they've got Everton, then they've got Brentford. Not the worst fixtures.

47:04I don't want to put the kiss of death on them, but they could be close to sealing it by then, I think. Okay. Forrest, meanwhile, fully a point above West Ham. What are Forrest's fixtures like going into these final weeks? So-so, I think. It would be the best way to put it. I mean, obviously, they've got the big one on Thursday night. Daniel and I will be out against Porto, which I very much hope we see the first team for. and then Burnley at home on Sunday and it's an if because it's Forest and it's the Premier League and whatever but if they win that and they've then taken seven points from nine available against Spurs Villa in Burnley that's pretty good at this stage of the season they'll then go to Sunderland they go to Stamford Bridge something available there by the looks of things Newcastle at home in 3-4 got to go to Old Trafford don't want to leave it to the last day because that's Bournemouth and other than Walsall Bournemouth are Forest's bogey team so need to get it done by then So yeah, mixed bag, basically, I think.

48:01But beat Burnley and things look a lot, well, even rosier than they are after a pretty decent weekend. Yeah, and a pretty decent run of form. It's five games unbeaten now.

48:11Matt Davies-Adams: There are some slightly iffy performances in there. And they have maximised, certainly the Spurs game, the obvious example, they have maximised the good bits of their performance. The question is whether European football, if they go through against Porto, the question has been marrying that up. Vitor Pereira has chosen to effectively play a reserve team. So there was nine changes today from the team that played Thursday, even though Villa had picked the strongest team in Europe. That's the question because they can't afford to get stuck into a loop of players being knackered. They've suffered with injuries pretty much ever since they've come up to the Premier League.

48:49Matt Davies-Adams: The squad is actually in pretty good health at the moment. But yeah, next Sunday is huge. Forest haven't won at home since December, which is kind of odd because in the first two or three years in the Premier League, it was that big atmosphere at home that dragged them over the line, whether it was European football or staying up. They need to get back to that again. Forrest 1-1 the first leg at Porto, which is a very impressive result given how Porto have been doing under Fariuli this season. Villa winning 3-1 at Bologna. A 1-1 draw between Forrest and Villa this weekend and they could face each other in the Europa League semifinals, which is an exciting prospect.

49:25I mean, it is Forrest being in the Europa League semi-finals, but it's always a bit of a bummer when it's first as a team from your own country, isn't it? But hey, they're nice problems to have, physically if you're not skin Forrest. Indeed so. Indeed so. What remains to discuss from this Premier League weekend? Well, Tim's trip to Crystal Palace to see Newcastle get beat. Should we do that now, Tim? Is it up to me? Of course. Yeah, let's do it. So this looks like a really bad result for Newcastle, but a great one for Palace. Yeah, from nowhere, really. I mean, obviously, you know, they've got two eyes fixed on their Conference League match against Fiorentina on Thursday.

50:03I know they're 3-0 up, but still, you know, Glasner rested the front five, basically, for this one, which shows you, you know, where his priorities lie. And in a nothing, I mean, it was dreadful. The first half an hour was a combined 0.09 xG for both teams, which showed you how it started it didn't get much better and then yeah Palace it's probably I remember thinking it's probably the weakest purely in terms of physical strength it's the weakest front three I think I've ever seen Strand Larsson who just you know defenders can just push him all over the place Brendan Johnson who is going through a really bad time of it and just didn't look at the races at all today and then Jeremy Pino who's just not that type of player so Newcastle were bullying them the Palace front three won four of 13 ground-based duels.

50:52Four? Four of 13. And then it's, you know, call for the cavalry on 63 minutes, which was Wharton, Saar and Mateta. They hadn't been in the starting line-up because of Palace's own European commitments? Yeah, exactly, yeah. The two central fielders on the front three were all rested for that reason. But Mateta came on, and I don't remember seeing a player change an entire match just on his own. he started just throwing Newcastle's defenders around as you can imagine he was then whipping up the crowd because it was silent at this point they're all still thinking about Thursday night they had a great time against Fioran Tien he starts whipping up the crowd so he's changed the dynamics of the football he's changed the atmosphere in the stands and then he scores two goals to change the result and unbelievable and fantastic for him on a personal level he was really enjoying himself at the end and milking all of it because obviously three months ago So people were doubting if he'd ever play for the club again, let alone sort of have days like this when they spent God and a sandwich on Jürgen Strand-Larsen.

51:55So yeah, it seems like they've forgiven him. Crystal Palace put a tweet out full-time saying, I love Jean-Philippe Mateta. Good. It's a very personal, admin-based tweet. And yeah, all is forgiven, apparently. It looks likely he'll leave at the end of the season, but this was one of potentially quite a few send-offs between now and May. Palace go above Newcastle in the table, although they're both level on 42 points. But go on, Dan, say it. Yeah, well, this is, I think this is the day

52:25Matt Davies-Adams: where he really probably lost all of those Newcastle fans who still definitely thought he'd be there on the first day of next season. The away end, Tim was there, but the away end sounded pretty toxic. He'd already had that toxic reaction to the time we had Derby, where he tried to get up to the crowd and got given fairly short shrift. He said after the game, which he's normally really clever at playing the media, Eddie Howard, he said after the game, talking about sitting back and not being able to defend a lead, he said sometimes it happens. Well, Newcastle would be second in the Premier League if they had held on to leads this season.

53:01Matt Davies-Adams: They dropped 25 points from winning positions. It's just not good enough. And it happens all the time because I don't know whether it's him telling them to sit back. He says it's not. He says we don't want to defend, sit back and lead. we want to keep attacking. Well, that just tells me that the players aren't listening to him because every single time they don't do it. So, yeah, and when it's happened two games in a row, once against Sunderland and once against Crystal Palace, it's a really bad look. If you look at the bench today, there's Langer, there's Ramsey, there's Vultimada, there's Visser.

53:31Matt Davies-Adams: One of the more expensive benches in Premier League history, I would suggest. Well, those four are 200 million. Yeah. So it reflects badly both on the transfer activity of last summer in which Eddie Howe's nephew was in charge of and therefore we can probably gauge that Eddie Howe had some input in. And then it didn't work on the pitch either. The only thing that worked for him was starting Willis Sula over Visser and Volta Madder and obviously he scored the goal, which is nice, but it's not good enough, is it? Post-game analysis, which is exactly what you were doing from your seat. Nice. It's good.

54:05Okay. Did anyone hit the post in the game? And you were like, I feel that, yeah, yeah. They did, but I didn't even think about that. we'll see it very good there's other things that happened this weekend including Liverpool getting their first win ever against Fulham under Arnest Slott we'll talk about that and more next

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56:52This is the Totally Football Show with James Richardson, part of the Athletic FC Podcast Network. We've got a European edition of the Totally Football Show with you on Tuesday morning. We'll be looking ahead to those Champions League quarterfinal second legs. What did Paris Saint-Germain get up to ahead of their clash with Liverpool this weekend? Nothing. Had the weekend off. Barcelona, they played. They're behind, of course, after their first leg against Atletico. But this weekend, they took on Espanyol in the derby and absolutely thumped them. You probably saw Lamin-Nemal doing things. that third goal, I think it is, where he's celebrating before he even scores it, which is a little bit cheeky.

57:31But you kind of like that. Anyway, they're now nine points clear at the top of the league. Anyway, you can hear all of this and much more about how Union Berlin have just appointed the first female head coach in Bundesliga history in Tuesday's European edition of the Totally Football Show. Anyway. Oh, Matt, Coventry are... Almost there, yes. They transpired to not beat Sheffield Wednesday. on Saturday Sheffield Wednesday still on minus points so yeah barring a mathematical miracle they are there they can rubber stamp it at Blackburn Haywood Park on Friday Frank Lampard was at Chelsea today What was he?

58:10Yeah well I've got EFL wise James just I mentioned Jack Wilshere winning his first trophy in management today Very nice the Virtu trophy right Yeah it's had worse names that's for sure the Football League trophy Joint team paints Yeah yeah I won't dignify any of the other companies but some good ones in there if you want to look it up I actually used to make up a comp of best goals in the competition before Johnston's Paint and it was called The Ultimate Finish because painting enjoyed it but yeah What is Virtu then? It's a car dealership Oh it's a car thing? Yeah a car dealership bought one off them a while back the Westbrook branch Decent customer service

58:47Matt Davies-Adams: Don't you with the advertising? Yeah but yeah Jack Wilshere hadn't been universally welcomed at Luton had some sticky results there on the fringes of the playoffs so maybe this will help and he's got the better of a really experienced manager who's been at Wembley a lot in Dave Chaloner of Stockport so that's a notable win for him and also it was the Hatters beating the Hatters which has got really the only time that's happened in a final Hat on hat that's remarkable just to clear this up the Virtu Trophy Final stripped of its sponsorship is known as what? No it's called the English Football League Trophy Right and what is the criteria for entry?

59:27It's for League 1 and League 2 plus 16 invited academy sides from the Premier League who always pretty much go out in the group stage. It's been a thing for about 10 years. Chelsea got to the semis in 2016-17. I think it's been going longer than that. It has, yeah. The introduction of the academy side was around that time. And yeah, they haven't done brilliantly in it and it's further decimated interest in the competition until it gets to the final one. There's always a huge crowd at Wembley. That's basically what it's about yeah about 50 ,000 this weekend very nice Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0 sassy tea time we should talk about Rio's goal no and perhaps we should talk about what it means for this club after all the money they spent that now their thin hopes for surviving in the Champions League and indeed having a dignified finish of the season seem to be resting on this 17 year old's inclusion in the line-up another one he got away from Chelsea's academy as well Rio is he yeah Yeah, yeah.

1:00:25You mentioned about PSG having the weekend off. This felt like a really good thing for Liverpool to have this game and win it and score some goals and be convincing because they obviously weren't in Paris. Whatever you can take from beating Fulham, who are obviously not PSG and have been doing that Fulham thing of thinking, hey, maybe they could sneak into Europe and then win one of their last four games, don't score in three of them. And you're going, oh, OK, they're probably not going to then.

1:00:49Matt Davies-Adams: On Liverpool and Matt saying what they could do with it, They also started fast, which feels big. They had five shots in the first 20 minutes, which is their record best for this season in the Premier League, which is kind of odd because we're used to Liverpool sides last season and certainly under Jurgen Klopp of this kind of fast, furious start, which is what they're going to need against PSG. They're the joint lowest scorers in the first 20 minutes of matches in the Premier League this season. They've only scored four times in the first 20 minutes, which is remarkable for a club of Liverpool's attacking options.

1:01:20Matt Davies-Adams: and it's the only way they're going to beat PSG by the requisite scoreline is by going really hard, really early and unnerving PSG because that passive football just didn't work and it's obviously, it's one thing doing that when you're trying to draw a game it's quite another one, you need to win by two clear goals Does anyone see it happening? No sir I'm there but a no sir Yeah I don't think there's any evidence from this season to suggest Not from this season but Anfield Knights Tim That's the two goal factor, there you go The banners back on the Kop, I suppose. Yes, after the protests this weekend, which also involved a partial suspension on anybody doing any business inside the stadium, not a pound in the ground as a protest to the rise in season ticket prices.

1:02:08Matt Davies-Adams: I saw a really, I think it was a Manchester City fan account standing with Liverpool that put it really nicely that just said the owners can swallow the issues, the financial issues. they can swallow the hit supporters can't so don't make us which yeah absolutely spot on good on them such a small part of total revenue for a Premier League club anyway isn't it match day ticketing it's just come on be sensible about it but invariably they are not Tuesday at Anfield then Paris Saint-Germain will be visiting and that'll be one of the things that we will be previewing in Tuesday's show the other games from this weekend in the Premier League are two one was Burnley-Brighton because the Seagulls picked up a fifth win in six and Burnley didn't.

1:02:52Brentford, meanwhile, drawing against Everton. Now, seventh place is now certain to give you European football of some sort. Daniel, you're either nodding along with your frantic scrolling or you are enthusiastically responding to this notion of either Brentford or the Toffees or both reaching European competitions again. I'm doing none of that.

1:03:12Matt Davies-Adams: I'm trying to find a glorious quote from Scott Parker. Oh, yeah. Burnley had two goals ruled out for VAR offside. They were both offside. And Scott Parker went quasi-philosophical. He said, we're in a world of AI. We're in a world that if a computer technology or a robot says that they are us, we'll accept it and accept it for what it is, because that's what we've become accustomed to. The street song underneath it again, like when he got full and promoted. Sort of accusing VAR of telling everybody it's a human, and us just believing it. I don't think there's any wool being pulled over eyes there.

1:03:49Matt Davies-Adams: It should be said that Burnley are now 177 days without a home win, which is quite a lot, and still have more home points than Tottenham this season, which is quite interesting. I very much enjoyed the World Feed commentary of this game. It was Guy Havold, and he said at the end of it, it was V for victory day, which I thought was quite a nice line because obviously Mats V for had got the two goals. Why were you listening to the World Feed? This is boring. They put it up on the Sky two-minute YouTube highlights that are available on TV. Of course they did. Brentford Everton. That sounded quite accusatively.

1:04:26Why were you watching it? It's all legal. It's fine. It's four draws in a row, though, for Brentford. That I can offer you. Costly. If they'd taken another four points from those four matches, then they'd be on 51 points right now, one point behind Liverpool. and you don't want to be sort of churlish about Brentford's amazing season but they have sort of let it slip a little bit but you know it's really tight that race for Europe now they are on 47 points in 7th and Fulham who of course won't make Europe as Matt points out are on 44 in 12th That's a great result for all the other teams you want to get in Europe who aren't Brentford and Everton basically So that's 6 teams within 3 points of each other, Brentford, Everton Brighton, Sunderland Bournemouth and Asterisk Fulham.

1:05:14All the way down to Newcastle.

1:05:16Matt Davies-Adams: Five points off him. Everyone really has got something to play for. There are races everywhere you look. Is it the tightest, the most wide open Premier League campaign you can recall because of the way that European places and the relegation battle and the title race, everything is still alive going into the final month. And increasingly every club has enough money that if they are smart at recruitment they can buy a really, really good squad. You can come up as a promoted team at Sunderland and if you invest smartly, you can have a squad that might finish 9th or 10th in the Premier League. There's no reason not to anymore.

1:05:49Sadly, that's the key, isn't it? It's the money of the middle classes have got more money in their pocket and the positive benefit of that means it's bunched everything up. My only other note from this game was, and somebody who was bought for a reasonable amount of money, Kiernan Dewsbury Hall, low-key one of the signings of the season, scored 10 Premier League goals in his career, seven of them have been for Everton. Well, here's a kind of complementary stat to that. Thiago, who's also purchased for a sum of money, the amount which I'm really not sure, but it's not relevant. Anyway, Thiago is now on 21 Premier League goals this season.

1:06:23Five, almost a quarter, have come against the Toffees, all in one campaign. No player has ever scored five goals against Everton in a Premier League season before. He was definitely taking that second one off KO'd here, so wasn't he straight away? Mind that, yeah, that came off by D.

1:06:36Matt Davies-Adams: He's also only the seventh player since, I think, 2020 to score more than 20 goals in a Premier League season. Which, given he's playing for Brentford, you know, the others are, off the top of my head, Harland, Ease, Kane, Sun, Salah and A another. Tony? Didn't Tony do that? No, he only got 20. And he's on 21 with six. No, Vardy was more time ago than that. I can tell you, the other one was Cole Palmer. Come on, Matt, Chelsea. Which, who kind of ruins that stat because he's a midfielder. But yeah, I mean, phenomenal for him to be on 21 goals with six games left of the Premier League. He should be in the conversation for Player of the Year because he's only one goal behind Haaland.

1:07:13OK, let's finish off today's show with that conversation. Daniel?

1:07:18Matt Davies-Adams: I would give it right now. Yeah. If Arsenal win the league, I think Declan Rice will win it. And if Arsenal don't win the league, I think Antoine Semenu should win it. Do you think that Declan Rice should get Player of the Season? I think he's Arsenal's most important player so therefore if they win the league he'll end up being the defining player in the title race which is such a woolly answer that I'm not giving you I accept I rather thought you were talking about who's been the best player of the season I think Antoine Semenya has been the best player this season How do you put that thing that I mentioned before the fact that Bournemouth haven't lost a game since they sold the best player in the Premier League how does that work?

1:07:56Matt Davies-Adams: Because Andoni Iriola is a brilliant manager and there is an argument that when you take out the best player for a slightly non-elite club, this happened with Villa and Grealish, people had such an obvious plan of how to counteract what you do, which was just put two men on that guy. But when that then goes, people don't really know. For a small period of time of, let's say, 12 games in Bournemouth's case, people don't really know how they're going to attack you. Right, but Eddie Howe next weekend will. Yes. Right, OK, excellent. Who would you give it to, Matt? Well, the only other name that immediately sprang to mind was maybe Bruno Fernandes.

1:08:31very influential for his team. Feels like the kind of person who might get it as a lifetime achievement award as much as for what they've done this season. But he's clearly his team's most important player by a mile. And they have had quite a turnaround, haven't they, under Carrick. So he'd be in contention, but I wouldn't argue with Semeny or Igor, Igor, Thiago, or maybe even Raya if he's got to be an Arsenal player. Oh, okay. Tim, last word to you. But isn't it interesting that Haaland just, I mean, you mentioned him at the top, but then we're all like, well it probably isn't Harland but it's you know scored more goals than anyone else got seven assists most goal involvements if they win the league it's got to be Harland hasn't it?

1:09:07Well it's that are we not at that time when we go is this the football writers one where we have the tedious why do we vote for this now rather than at the end of the season so it's often about what you're doing Ryan Shirky is making a serious

1:09:17Matt Davies-Adams: play for this by the way because sticking in your mind in April is the very good way to get quickly up that list Ryan Okay well given that there's football still to be played let's park our conclusions there we will return on Tuesday morning with the Euro show and then on Wednesday morning reacting to Tuesday's quarter final second legs in the Champions League but now though it's many many thanks to Matt and to Dan good luck getting your trains can I just very quickly plug what I did on Saturday oh yeah for sure I went to Wigan Athletic and shadowed a registered blind supporter to understand his match experience and how football can get better.

1:09:58Matt Davies-Adams: But also as part of it, he brought in some glasses for me which exactly replicate his vision because he has macular degeneration, which means it's really dark in the middle and then you can see slight blurs on the outside. So I had the glasses on with the audio description and it is one of the most fascinating days I've spent in a football stadium. Who did the audio description? So in this case, it's in-house. It's more like a radio commentary because this is League One. And it should be said, the disgrace is that not every club even provides one in the NFL. Really? So Matt, the Wigan fan, who is brilliant, has sat in away ends behind a goal where he can barely pick anything up without any audio, which is embarrassing.

1:10:40Matt Davies-Adams: I mean, like Tim with his post. I mean, I'm joking inappropriately. I'm sorry. No, I look forward to it. That's in the eye. Yeah, that'll be out this week. Okay. Superb. Excellent. Thank you so much for being with us. and do join us again soon for now from all of us here. Peace, goodbye.

1:10:58You've been listening to The Totally Football Show, part of the Athletic FC podcast network. For other great podcasts just like this one, including The Athletic FC and our dedicated club podcasts, search for The Athletic in all the usual places. We're also at The Totally Show on Insta and at The Totally Show on YouTube. The Totally Football Show is an Athletic Media Company production.

1:11:24The Athletic FC.

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