Man City demolish Chelsea, Arsenal are world champions (sort of), and the transfer window closes!

0:28Welcome to Up Front, I'm Chloe Morgan. the world no stop it they beat corinthians in the pouring north london raid rage was there and got absolutely soaked but also had a lot of fun we're gonna hear all about that okay yeah of course you did it's the first tournament of his kind what's wrong with you and the transfer window shuts tonight we take a closer look at the biggest deals and reports from the past week

0:52god it's been a very dramatic weekend which i absolutely love for various different reasons different tournaments taking place pretty much at the same time. I was thinking this and I was like, when I was looking back over and I was like, there was so much drama, but only in like one game. Like Man City Chelsea just took all of the drama and we're like, we're going to have it and just keep it in our game. And everyone else can just play out a kind of normal expected result. And then Arsenal and Corinthians happened and it was the battle of the century. We'll talk about that in the second part of the show because we do have to dive into what happened to Chelsea.

1:25I can only describe it as lovely moments of the weekend Rach this is hard because there was quite a few like performances goals that really impressed me and we did Freya Godfrey last week but like my god she scores only bangers apparently I also went to Bristol on Saturday want to give a shout out to them I had a lovely I got to go in a box Chloe I know it's normally you that's crazy I didn't get that invite or maybe I missed it no I just I didn't see you there's so many sometimes some of them go to junk I just deleted you out of the chain but I'm wearing one of their shirts I think it's one of the away kits with the new Guinness branding on the front which I really enjoy and it feels very GAA because never mind, not the Guinness sponsored GAA but Irish but also O 'Neill's are like a big GAA sponsor when I was growing up all those kind of famous gas shorts you know like your Paul Meskell wearing the really short shorts, O 'Neill shorts even I could get on board with Paul Meskell in those shorts to be fair it just feels very Irish yeah this must be for you so I'm going to give my little night of Bristol my moment of the weekend also in shorts this weekend Justin Bieber random I actually listened to some of his music on the way in here yeah it was crazy really crazy turns out those shorts really are effective and make you listen to their music also very very confusing and socks I will say that should we consider that shorts and socks for a record and nothing else I'd wear a top no I'd wear a top probably that's can't your intent on getting cancelled this season and I don't know why what else have I done The things you said about Sazie Beaks' coat.

2:53That was fair, yeah. Saying to people that we should be doing this show half naked. In shorts, that's all I said. I think the problem is your interpretation. And that's the difference. You interpret things weird. And that's a sign of where your brain goes. You sound like a problem. I think you hear a problem. And that's the difference. Toxic from you. Thanks for asking my moments of the weekend again. Couldn't get a word in. So mine is Basil. because despite everything going absolutely sideways for Chelsea this weekend, it was onslaught after onslaught. Yeah, it wasn't good. There was a very depressed atmosphere at the Etihad, which you should understand.

3:30No, there wasn't. From the Chelsea fans. I think the whole stadium was raging. From the Chelsea fans. In the corner, fine. But the one person who never let his spirits get deflated was Basil. He was there. He was waving his flags. He was, weirdly enough, still in a t-shirt. Thoughts and prayers, Baz. It was freezing. But I just love the spirit that he showed. He is the only man on the planet now, the only person on the planet, who truly thinks that Chelsea still have a chance at the title. Or is positive about Chelsea. Yeah. And nice about them. And I think that was really, really lovely to see that.

4:03And there was loads of fans interacting with him all the time. Always getting selfies. Yeah, I just thought that was a really, really lovely moment. Yeah, send in love, Baz, because it's been a tough season for you, my friend. Listen, you're still in three other competitions. He knows that. He knows the positives. He looks at things and he'll see the silver lining. Yeah, well. We should get him on the pod and get him to have a word with the Chelsea fans. It would be absolutely sick. I don't think you'd need a microphone because he has got a pair of lungs on him. You can hear him. It doesn't matter how big the stadium is, how busy it is, how loud it is.

4:30You will hear Basel. Much like the beloved Arsenal, Maria. You could always hear Maria, no matter the size of the stadium. She's immortalised now at Arsenal. But I love that kind of fan where it doesn't matter. and you'll have people who maybe don't watch that many games be like who is that that I can hear and you're just like the commentators that'll be Basel Basman right we've got to discuss this Man City 5 Chelsea 1 I mean be honest did you see that coming? that level that level I saw the win coming I didn't saw the manner of the win the capitulation it was a I thought Chelsea would have more heart about them they knew the importance of this game Sonia had talked up the importance of this game and to lose this game 5-1 that to me just is so it's such a departure from the Chelsea that we know I was expecting this to be kind of a 2-1 a 2-2 even you know just something with a bit more spice edge yeah so you were watching this from your couch of course yeah wine or tea no tea this time I'm trying to do damp Jan this was Feb mate what are you doing not cracking up no no no you know you've got to carry on you know just Jan hardcore anyway point is were you kind of like much like me watching this in kind of disbelief.

5:42Yeah, 100%. I mean, okay, let's get stuck into this game probably because it feels like, let's just set the scene for this. So Man City have now bolstered their title winning credentials in an absolutely brutal fashion. 11 points clear at the top. Everyone obviously saying the league is over for Chelsea. Like let's get rid of this kind of, any sense, any kind of like crack in the door, anything that you want to call it, it's gone. Well, Sophie wouldn't let me do that. She kept saying, look, anything can happen in football, blah, blah, blah. wouldn't let me say that like you know they've got both hands in the trophy so what i said was they've basically got like nine fingers on the trophy right they're almost there they've almost got absolutely every single 10 toes in their entire head and they're teeth yeah yeah um no but like come on i was i was trying to work this out on the on the train in like if they continue to win and they keep this points difference is when can they win when can they wrap it up mathematically and I think it's game week 18 maybe I think if Man City win all of their games from now I think look I'm not mathematically minded Chloe I think there's 22 games but like 18 or 19 Sophie's worse at maths than me sorry I'm not giving her that but I think 18 or 19 end of March early April they could potentially actually mathematically have it wrapped up wrapping up the league at the end of March is not really a good look but it's a credit to Man City and what they've done and the consistency that they've had.

7:05Man City fans. Yeah, 100%. They can relax for the rest of the sake and be like, this is lovely. Talk about their performance because it was absolutely beautiful. The game plan was executed beautifully. I think they held their head. They knew the importance of this game. They knew what was at stake and it was assured. It was confident. It was lovely. It was lovely to see. I asked Andre Jeglertz ahead of this about his team talks, right? Because we know Manchester City, they kind of after games will put out clips the talks he does it maybe half time or before the match i love it really like it and i asked him like are these team talks does he kind of plan them in advance is it you know does the magnitude of the occasion impact how he talks to the team or is it something where he looks at the team and just kind of knows what they need and he was like a little bit of column a little bit of column b right like he does prepare them but sometimes he knows something that someone might need and i really enjoyed his one before was basically like there's only two things I need to say to you.

8:02Like we're going to go out here. We want to go out here and win every ball. And what he always says in a lot of these talks is about hunting and packs. It's a real like level of intensity that he drills into them. This fight for each other. This like every ball, every moment. If you miss a ball, you get back and you continue doing your job. And he kind of really instills that in a really calm way. And he said afterwards, like he had no words, which was quite funny. He was like, even he was... impressed shocked awed by the the level of intensity and confidence even before the first whistle they all look so calm and confident on the on the halfway line like impressively so there was a relaxedness about them there was a happiness there as well wasn't there um it just felt like there was like positivity like oozing from the team and there was a couple of times they were even flashing the camera to the the bench and even the bench looked very relaxed they were calm they were talking to each other they looked sort of happy and obviously just really excited about what was going on on the pitch and that was something else he said to them pretty much he was like always positive always you know high fives communicate with each other pats on the back compliment each other for a tackle you know we want to be positive we want to be talking to each other and look that's easy when things are going well right like and you'll see a lot of that and it's easier to be happy and joyous and everything when things are going well it's when you can be collectively together and really fighting for each other when things aren't going well but irrespective of that that is definitely something in this city side there is a a real calmness about them this season there's games that they've won where maybe they haven't been at their best and that would be a game maybe a previous season they would let slip away they would end up with a draw they wouldn't maybe get that winning goal at the end and there's a different mentality about them this season a champions mentality about them and we saw that the London City game where they came back and got that win at the end at the death 86 minutes but bloody hell they massively backed it up with this like insane level of ruthlessness and the way they hunted Chelsea in packs on the pitch zero time on the ball like pounced on every error it seemed like every time they went forward I thought they were going to get a goal and when that third goal went in I thought you know game's done and dusted and then I went fuck but there's like a good chunk of the game left how many more are they going to get?

10:18100 % and I think like just from what you were saying there there was a consistency with how they celebrated the first goal to how they celebrated Viv's last goal and it was elation every single time. It wasn't like when you get to like, I don't know, some of the biggest scores, you're like, all right, cool, right, let's go again then. Oh man, the photographer must have been having a dream with every single celebration. Well, we've got to talk about Carolyn and the impacts that she had. Obviously she kicked things off in the 13th minute with her goal. But like you said, it felt like, obviously the goal came from a corner, the corner gets whipped in, it gets cleared out and a bit of a scrappy one from Chelsea.

10:47They don't do well to clear their lines properly. And then it falls to Carolyn. It looks like it's going to be quite an awkward one for her to strike. And then it just sort of like bounces in a really awkward way just before the goal line. Hannah Hampton doesn't see it. It was one of those where she saw it as it came around them and she's almost like too late. Because it was in her sphere of being able to save it. Someone was in front of her and she couldn't get that hand to it. But this is what you were saying about they didn't get the first one. The second phase, you've got someone there who's willing to follow it up and like Carolyn, you can see how much that meant to her.

11:14And then going on to get that hat trick as well. I mean, she doubled her season tally this game. She's now got six goals having only played in seven games this season in the WS. That's crazy, isn't it? Nine goal involvements. She's assisted three. But how impressive was she in this game? Because it felt like every opportunity she had to get the ball, she was just driving at Chelsea, just taking the game to them. There was a fearlessness that she had. I mean, how impressive did you think she was? She was, yeah, she was outstanding. Ten out of ten. No notes. I thought, obviously Manchester City have a lot of talent and a lot of times in games like this, there will be someone who can take it by the scruff of the neck, who can stand out, who can kind of recognise that their influence is going to be important in this particular game.

11:56And that was absolutely Carolyn. She realised that she had the running at this back line, that there was a nervous... And look, you have to address, Chelsea are dealing with injuries at the moment. I know we talk a lot about their depth. They do have depth, but they also have a lot of injuries in key areas up front and at the back. And this was a back four that weren't necessarily used to playing together. Berman had to come in, Lucy Bronze was out, you know um Natalie Bjorn is out of course as well they'd gone from a back three to a back four you know apparently I mean sometimes it was hard to tell because sometimes I was watching it going oh no it's a back three no no it's a back four it's a back three so I think there was definitely a bit of struggle at the back there and I feel like Carolyn just saw that it was like she smelt blood and was like I actually have I'm the one that's going to cause all of the problems today and as a back line it felt like they feared every time she got in the ball as in like they didn't know how to handle her she was so quick and you were seeing uncharacteristic mistakes from Chelsea players at the back Germa you know did not have a great game Ellie Carpenter time wasn't brilliant Millie Bright like there was a struggle across the back line to kind of handle the intensity of that city front line Carolyn particularly 100 % but it also felt like and you I just sort of say saying briefly on the Chelsea errors they were pushing bodies so far up so early on in the game that it felt like as soon as the the ball was coming out to Carolyn and the pace on her, she was just in sort of one-on-one situations all the time or two-on-two situations.

13:18It was crazy. But I've got to give a massive shout out to her second goal. Absolutely, 100 % out of all the goals. Pick of the bunch. Off the back of her in the Chelsea corner, she then carries the ball the length of the pitch from 20 yards inside her own half and then like dinks it over Hannah Hampton and then goes on, obviously, to complete a hat-trick six minutes later. It was a wonderful goal, but you watched that happen in slow motion. You knew when that ball came out from the corner, and I understand Chelsea are losing, they're gambling, they need to get a goal. But putting all 10 of your outfield players in the other teams, not even half, in the other teams, third.

13:58And there was just lapses in judgment and like decisions being made, obviously under pressure, feeling the pressure that they had to win this game, finding themselves behind. Not a situation Chelsea are dealing with regularly. And you have to factor that in. and Chelsea fans are looking for answers. I think there's a multitude of reasons of why it's kind of capitulated the way it did. But there was a moment where Ellie Carpenter, who I think normally sits back, you normally at least have one person back covering for a corner, had stepped up and rather than kind of taking the ball down, she tried to take it first time.

14:30Millie Bright was ahead of her, missed the first time effort, as in Carolyn closed her down. And I was watching and going, where is everybody? Everyone had totally gambled and come so high and it was just little things like that where you're like that decision those decisions where you're like I understand the need to risk and get a goal but putting all 10 of you up there was so damn risky against a team like Manchester City and Jesus it paid off and it showed you right there you could see it as soon as Kieran picked up the ball you were like that's the goal but that for me that feels like a really basic error that cannot be something that Sonia Bonpasta has communicated to the team to do that is just like almost like ball watching that they've gone okay cool like this isn't going to plan it's like letting a ball bounce do you know what I mean and just think that that is the way it's not the 87th minute but that's what that's what i'm saying i think that was what the 54th minute 50th minute or so um but yeah and then obviously you've got her third goal as well hemp gotta give a shout out to her she was absolutely incredible she always is and i feel like she's always like you know what you're gonna get with her she's always gonna drive she's always gonna get down that wing she's always gonna do that that cheeky little cutback and she did carolyn's first touch and then i felt a little bit sorry for hannah hampton just about got a foot to it and then kind of dribbled into the bottom corner again but i think it was just like and i think from that moment i seeing hannah hampton's face and what was happening in this game like the deflation from her was just like what what what the hell has happened what is what is going on there and the commentator was quite funny she said how horrible the bus was going to be for her going going home and like whether she might actually take another bus by herself because she was let down she was 100 let down because it just defensively it wasn't talk us through that mindset right you're a goalkeeper your team's having a bad day and you're watching people who are normally more reliable in those situations not doing the basics well that you just kind of lose the confidence you almost know before it happens you're like you know and everyone's calling for that um shawl goal saying there was a foul on gurma for me that was soft for me gurma tries to step across shawl no that's just using physicality yes your body and positioning for me I'm like you're running back fuck whoever's behind you get a piece of your body on that ball clear the ball forget trying to influence the player behind you and that felt like that was the decision where Germa was like I'm going to try and stop Shaw rather than saying I need to get a foot on this ball and just get it out of the danger zone and it was those little moments where you as Hannah Hampton must have gone fuck literally like how do you because a lot of those goals arguably aren't Hampton's fault right and but then you're also going to you're losing a little bit of confidence in the people ahead of you that must impact your confidence and you're like, Jesus, how many am I going to ship today?

17:06I think it only impacts your confidence if you come away from those games because as a goalkeeper, there's only so much you can impact in the game. I think when you come away from a game like that and you look at your own individual performance, what did Hannah Hampton get wrong? And I don't think she actually got a lot wrong. I thought her positioning was good. I think she tried to do her best with that, that Carolyn tapping, the ball that bounced in front of her. Again, she had bodies there and Carolyn not being marked on the edge of the box, no one going out to go and meet that threat is crazy.

17:31In that situation, I'd be thinking, okay well like you have to show your leadership as a goalkeeper doesn't matter how young you are whether you're you know the the senior player or the younger player you have to show leadership because that comes from the back like you can't let your confidence dip because that impacts the players in front of you and especially at a time where arguably the team has lost a little bit of confidence they've kind of lost their way a little bit so yeah for Hannah I think you've got to step up in those moments I think instead of like the deflation and the kind of like for fuck's sake and like I get the frustration but in those moments like those are things that you talk about off the pitch like you in that moment you go again you rally behind people you say yes it's a fuck up and like that but it's hard to do it's hard to do because the emotion is there like you're in it and you feel let down yeah and you're not used to this at all but but also you're also an international keeper who's played on global stages who's won a major international tournament last year like you have to have that that maturity like but it takes time and emotions god yeah they get at the very few.

18:25I think, you know, Chelsea fans understandably frustrated and very much want to pin the issue on one thing. And I think that's quite difficult. And I do think Sonia Bonpastro got tactics wrong, agreed. You know, the back three didn't work against Arsenal. The back four didn't look comfortable because honestly, I saw people saying they were playing a back three and people saying they were playing a back four because it wasn't that evident. and I don't know whether that was Ellie Carpenter being so front-footed that she'd go up and Berman was obviously more defensive-minded so more often than not you felt like there was a three back there rather than a four sometimes.

19:04You know, they just felt like they were trying to do a game plan that they've done against City in the past but without the right people to do that and City weren't playing maybe the way they expected them. You know, they were so passive in the press. There was no press. There was Alyssa Thompson buzzing around like a fly on her own. She's getting the goal back at the 68th minute. No, but in terms of, you know, putting pressure on that City back line, she was the only one doing it. Everyone was dropped off. No one was supporting her. And, you know, I know in the past we're used to Manchester City just passing the ball around the back in defence.

19:35And Chelsea in the past have been happy to let them do that because they're preventing any of those passes coming out because they're so well drilled and everything else. But City aren't doing that as much anymore. They're willing to send a long ball. The lines for Chelsea were so close that one or two passes and City were through them. and they didn't react to that quick enough which I thought was a disappointment tactically that's something that should have been addressed but this idea that like I know Chelsea fans are used to winning there is an element of rose tinted glasses I think in this idea that Emma Hayes's Chelsea was infallible and never did any wrong and never got out done tactically and you know had such a clear perfect style you know I thought actually what made Emma Hayes so good was that she was willing to sacrifice style for a win it didn't matter how they got the win they would adapt if they needed to but there were games that Chelsea got out done you know they lost 3-0 in that Subway League Cup and it was tactically a much better game plan from Arsenal sometimes they won through luck like they weren't the better team right and I think that's a mentality that's lacking a bit in Chelsea this season is and I don't know again that's another thing to add to it right so tactically things are going to get go wrong tactically other teams are going to be better that's another element that people fail to kind of consider and it reminds me a bit of the Lionesses mentality that England won a Euros got to a World Cup of a final and they'd get beat and people would be like what the fuck I think it's that teams are shape shifting they are getting better players are better they're getting new players in they're doing different formations like you have to every single year you've got to shift and adapt to those different things this idea that you can sustain that level is naive so that's another element that you add to it the mentality shift for me is quite a big one because that was something we were so used to seeing from Chelsea and realising they're not infallible how do players deal with that you're missing some key, key players.

21:19Mayra Ramirez is a huge miss for them. Kat Macario is, you know, I think injured. I'm not sure she's going to be around for Chelsea that much longer. ABJ has been in and out of form, had an injury, picked up another knock in that game, didn't look great for them. You know, those kind of players are massive in terms of converting. And that's an area that Chelsea are struggling with this season is converting. And then you look at the injuries they have at the back as well. And that's causing problems. So it just feels like It's a multitude of different things not going right. And to be as infallible if Chelsea have been for the last six seasons needs a multitude of things to go right.

21:56And maybe you don't recognize that until they start to go wrong. You don't realize how many things need to go right for you to be unbeaten in that last season. That's insane. And Sonia Bonpasta was at the helm for that. But people are willing to say, she's not a good coach, that was a good team. But when things go wrong, it's because she's a bad coach, it's not about the team. and you can't deny that she had a very, very, very good first season. I think that's the thing that I'm now seeing is this kind of mentality shift in fans from being like heroing Sonia Bompasto and what she achieved with Chelsea so early on in her managership of them.

22:27And then as soon as they hit this bad spell and by bad spell, it's not an awful season. Like they're still in and around the top of the table. Two losses in a row, excuse me. I think it's just because it's so uncharacteristic for Chelsea. But in terms of the actual season, if you kind of take away whatever everyone's ridiculously high levels of expectations they're still in and around the top like it's not they're not going to win the WSL but they're still in and around like the next three the next two teams I don't think Chelsea fans factored that they might have to fight for Champions League which is lovely in a way for the rest of the league to kind of have this like jeopardy and this kind of like drama at the top which really hasn't been there but let's talk about Sonia Bonfair because obviously she's under the microscope a little bit at the moment like you said people are looking for reasons why Chelsea other managers must be looking at this going fucking hell I thought I had a bad well I'm done but also that there was negativity kind of that is creeping in around sort of certain players I know there was a bit of controversy over you know some of the comments that um Millie Bright had made over Hannah Hampton's performance which people are looking I think it's that I think when there is you know like when things aren't going well though you look for more negativity and you end up in a negativity spiral so you know Millie Bright made a couple of comments about you know well um you know Man City's like keeper just saved more than than our keeper and I think people took that as being like a bit of a slight on Hannah Hampton.

23:41I didn't. Obviously not. I didn't hear that in the same way. I heard that as just, you know, a simple fact that, you know. We created more. We created a lot. We were put in the game to Man City. And that's why she's frustrated. And there was some incredible saves from Yamashita. So, you know, fair enough. They both made five saves. But I think at the same time, people are looking for like any kind of like negativities creep in. And again, I was a little bit, and we've obviously like looked to the Sonia Bonpasta comments a little bit more detail now. but the big headline points from her post-match conference were well if people don't want me at the club then I'm happy to go that was kind of the overarching summary of it but actually taking into account all of the comments that she made in that press it was pretty much you know I'm dedicated to this team I want to do the best of this team this team can do amazing things I'm really proud of them and I'll obviously fight until the end but ultimately if the club don't want me here for whatever reason then I then I will go because I first saw that comment and I I was like, whoa, like, don't, don't.

24:36Throw in the towel. Yeah, because I was like, you're still an incredible person and an incredible leader. You clearly are, you know, very well respected within the camp. There's no murmurings in the camp that Sonia does this or Sonia doesn't do that. Like, she's, you know, she's prolific in her own right, like her playing career and her credentials. But yeah, I feel like Chelsea, this was a long time coming for me. This always felt like at some point, Chelsea were going to hit a bump in the road. It doesn't matter how great your past five or six, seven years are, you're always going to get to a point where there's a season that does not go to plan for you for whatever reason.

25:06Sometimes that's just things don't work and you can't put your finger on it and you go again next season and you carry on with your prolific, you know, title winning ways. Or actually it's just part of a wider set of circumstances where you do have a few injuries and the standard of the teams in WSL is stepping up. And you're not getting the signings you want, maybe. 100%. Like I think it's just one of those, because I think everyone needs to like take a step back. It is not that dramatic. Chelsea are still performing well, not well enough to previous standards, previous seasons, but they're still absolutely fine.

25:35It's just now everything's under the microscope. And, you know, I do think Sonia at times has struggled tactically. I think trying to work out the team she has to play in the way she wants. You know, they've switched from back three to back four. So is that a lack of consistency? You know, sometimes playing players that maybe aren't in form, and there are players that perhaps aren't in form, the likes of Micah Hamano being sent out on loan. And sometimes you look at that and think, okay that's a player who actually probably could have been a bit of a game changer someone who can break up play and stop the ball coming through the midfield he was technical to be able to do that you know Nuskin not getting much game time I think she's an absolute Rolls Royce of a player who can do a lot in a lot of different positions and you can always point to something and say well I think you should have done this but at the end of the day the managers the technical staff are the ones seeing players week in week out at training and are putting together the best plan that they think will work i think what the struggle is is nailing that down and i think people maybe would have felt by now there'd be a clearer idea of what she wants um and maybe perhaps that's the frustration because there was an element of not tinkering with something that was working i suppose and like emma hayes's last season they won what one trophy yeah so to imply didn't go well no that did not go well to imply that sonja just stepped in and carried on perfection but yeah is a bit unfair to her because actually arguably she improved Chelsea's season by winning three trophies and going unbeaten but that tinkering you know you know people are asking about like the right getting the right players in in the right positions sometimes you're overloaded in some areas you're underloaded like not loaded but like you're underserved in terms of depth in certain areas and over served in others it's juggling that and I think as you say there will be bumps in the road I just think Chelsea fans are used to that and it's difficult dynasties come to an end and and it is something you have to ride through but I can understand the frustrations I would just say that I feel like there are there's not one thing that there's a multitude of things that all need to be addressed and also like the season isn't over like we don't know what is going to happen or how this loss will serve Chelsea this could be a kick up the bomb that they needed.

27:49This could be a learning curve. And if we end the season with Chelsea winning other trophies, people won't look at this as like a really bad season for Chelsea. They just say you didn't win the title, but you won X, Y and Z instead. Although it does put a lot more pressure on those competitions. A little, but I think the pressure's always been there for the Champions League. I mean, it's still eluded them. Coming up after this, Arsenal are world champions.

28:29I was going to do We Are The Champions then I was going to sing it Because you're trying to decide Which team you support this week Yeah well it was tough Wasn't it? Because I supported Arsenal And then I supported the Corinthians And then I supported Arsenal again And then I supported the Corinthians And then obviously Arsenal won So You support Arsenal We are the champions Can we turn our mic down? We are the champions! I've actually had a lot of feedback over the last couple of weeks that the majority of our listeners listened to this episode in the car. So, yeah, also actors, radio singer, podcaster.

29:03Welcome to Upfront Radio. Coming up today, we're going to be speaking about Arsenal vs. Corinthians right after this. But first, a break from our sponsors, the Little Yellow Storage. Guinness. Nice, good from us. Arsenal beat Corinthians in extra time to win the inaugural Women's Champions Cup and become champions of the bloody world stop it Rach you were there you were soaked I was on the sofa putting down my Christmas tree I know it's late but last year I did the same thing and it was super super lucky that's so bad is it though yeah because last year I really enjoyed last year that's not because of the tree my friend that's because of you take credit for it I love that thank you it's a really heartfelt moment and take the tree down lots of videos of the Corinthians fans And having a very, very great time.

29:46I love the bouncing around thing. We had that in the semi-final with school kids as well, which is like quite a moment. Can you imagine going on a school trip and being like, oh my God, I'm in the middle of this. I don't think you have a choice. You have to go when that happens. And do you know what it reminds me of? Can I just tell you? I went to an Avril Lavigne concert when I was in my teens. So obviously my mum came with me because I was in my teens. Me and my friend. Rock on! Yeah, and I turned around and my mum was like jumping up and down. I was like, oh my God, yeah, she's really getting into this.

30:14she was like no the fella in front of me has a bag so that she was stuck between two people and I feel like the Corinthians thing is a bit like that if you're in those stands you're going whether you like it or not like you're being dragged well they kept padding over to it the commentators were right like you looked at it and it was like one of those you know the magic eye books that you can get and you're like can you see it can you not it was just like zoning in and out of like focus I was losing my mind a bit um obviously it was fucking soaking um how are you I did think about you um whilst I was in the warm with my cup of cocoa it's it's hard man those games are very difficult um it was clearly destined to be as long as possible um value for money though i think i i actually braved going outside about half an hour before kickoff to get my my equipment set up and stuff so bear in mind that's about 5 30 yeah uh game kicks off goes to extra time then there's the injury to borbeth thankfully she's okay 12 seconds when it left and you're like oh yeah now and then there's the trophy lift which was the longest trophy lift in my life we'll get to that so i think i left the pitch at about 10 past nine and it never stopped raining thoughts and prayers for the actual players who had to play all that additional time the pitch was like getting super super heavy every time the tackle coming like yeah you could see like the shirts getting just heavier the hair getting heavier and you're just like oh god you just you just want it to end the best thing is for arsenal what a title to have like global champions of the world and I think this is the thing with Arsenal last year arguably they didn't perform great in the first half of the season then Rene came and it was fine renaissance yeah the renaissance happened this year again everyone's a little bit like you know there's a little bit of inconsistency there they're kind of we're into the next period after the renaissance I don't know what that was called yeah they're not not performing but they're not doing as well as people want them to do again so that's kind of two seasons on the trot that despite having not the ace star of WSL runs, that they've still walked away with a Champions League title and champions of the world.

32:14Do you not think that's wild? It is wild, but I will say that, oh, sorry, the Baroque period, that is what we're in right now, in case you're wondering. I'm sure we can work out how to factor that into some pun, but we're no longer in the renaissance for Arsenal. They're now in their Baroque period. I will say winning this one was probably less stressful for Arsenal fans given they had to play a sum total of two games. So that is slightly different. But that's why we need to talk about the trophy situation. But I can wait until after the game for that. All right, good. Well, let's get stuck into the game then, shall we?

32:45Arsenal obviously playing at home at the Emirates. Super, super hot out of the gate. Had more than 75 % of the possession. Took 12 shots in the first half, but went into halftime during 1-1. Of who else? Livvy Smith. Opening the score in the 15th minute to get her sixth goal of her debut season for Arsenal. Emerit's goal as well. Yeah, a really, really lovely little set up for her. Yeah, coming off the Blacksinius kind of shot straight at the keeper. She's got a couple of those Blacksinius. Yeah, I think it's that. Like, I understand, like, the power on it, but it's the placement for me. When you're so far away from the keeper, they've got so little time to react.

33:19I think anywhere outside of, like, directly at them, and you've got such a good chance of scoring. But, alas, did it matter? Olivia Smough then, Smough? Olivia Smith then following up. But it's like a cheeky little half folly that she took super, super well. really unfortunately sort of went through the defender's legs. It looked like she was just about to clear it. It was going to be like a gorgeous goal line clearance, but then obviously not. And then you have six minutes later, Corinthians bundling the ball over the line for the equaliser. They're so good though on the counter. And this is the thing, like you're coming up against a team who know how to score goals.

33:55Like they know how to do that. They've been champions for a long time. So the confidence when they are going at goal, It's not like when Arsenal maybe play a team who might sit back a bit in the WSL and struggle a little bit in front of goal. I think what Corinthians had was confidence. So despite not having that much of the possession, their actual shots, they created 15 shots with 28 % possession and six of those on target, which is a better return, I think, than Arsenal's shots created to shots on target. So that was a real danger for Arsenal was that if they did get forward, there was a high chance of at least going to get a shot on target, which I thought made the game really exciting.

34:35Because even if you are watching Arsenal with a lot of the possession, creating a lot of chances, lots of touches in the box, bloody hell, you cannot like take your foot off the gas with Corinthians because they were down there super fast and they are efficient and quality in front of goal. And the one thing they did have, which is wild to see at the Emirates, is the away crowd, the energy that they brought, like the sound, even from the TV, you could hear the relentless sound of the Corinthians fans the entire time. And it was just like this gorgeous wall of like black and white. But they were just given the energy that, you know, that was like getting the correct getting behind the Corinthians.

35:10Like it really felt like there was that mentality there. And that's a hard thing to do at the Emirates. But yeah, I rated the energy that they brought because there was a way that Corinthians came out that made me feel like, actually, they could win this thing. They could easily win this thing and take it from Arsenal. Especially in the first half of Extra Time. I actually thought, you know what, I think they're going to go on and win this because they came out with such energy. I feel like they said in their little huddle, right, let's go and win this in the first kind of five, ten minutes. And Arsenal had to weather a bit of a storm.

35:39Definitely. Yeah, made for a super exciting game. Well, let's talk about the loss of Uwe Mui. header out of everyone who scores in arsenal like she doesn't do it that often but when she does it just feels extra special because it's not her yeah because she's so bloody lovely about it um it's gorgeous towering header from just past the penalty spot to put the gunners ahead placement 58th minute and it was it was she was very far out from where the goal was to try and turn that in and generating so much power into the corner into the court into the very corner that the keeper had absolutely no chance um but then obviously i think it just felt like there was you know I also I've got to give a credit to Borb as well I thought she was absolutely amazing both goalkeepers both goalkeepers unbelievable particularly Corinthians goalkeeper 100 % but yeah it did feel like yes Arsenal had all this possession but at the same time Corinthians were going to give everyone a game that really just felt kind of it felt loaded it felt intense it felt like everything you wanted from this competition and I think because like they delivered such an upset against the Gotham game you're thinking thinking, okay, well, this, you just don't know which way this tournament is going to go.

36:47But I don't know. I still can't get over the Champions of the World thing. I just... You keep saying it. Feels weird to say. Sorry. I just keep saying they won the Champions Cup. Champions Cup. I just say that. But Arsenal fans will say Champions of the World, which I can understand. Yeah, fine. You'd take it, wouldn't you? If someone said to me, what was the biggest highlight of your career? And I'd be like, well, yeah, there was a year that we were just Champions of the World. We were the best club in the whole wide world. The whole world. Out of all the clubs on the planet. That was us. It just reminds me a bit when Americans play a sport and call it world champions, like the World Series.

37:18And you're like, lads, you're the only fucking country playing it. What are you doing? Well, obviously, it looked like Arsenal were going to win the game in normal time. And then, like you said, obviously, the Corinthians rewarded this penalty in the 91st minute for a foul by Katie McCabe. What were your thoughts on this penalty? Because for me, I thought it was a penalty. I think Katie McCabe has gone through her, like to get the ball and I know there was a couple of replays and obviously that was a really tense moment while the ref went over to go and have a look at the screen but for me it was just I understand I think Katie might have just about got a touch on the ball she did get a touch on the ball but at the same time it was the manner in which she went through the back of her leg to try and to get that so for me I agree with the referee decision I don't think it was that controversial but I could understand if it wasn't given equally because you may have felt that she got the ball first so I didn't think it was that controversial and I saw comments being like oh reckless McCabe typical McCabe and I'm like any defender could have made that challenge if anybody else made that challenge you'd have gone unfortunate like timing whatever so it was in my opinion a fair challenge that you would go for that wasn't reckless and I and she did get a foot in the ball it was just probably a bit too heavy I can understand why it could be given but equally I could also see that not given but for sure I think it was it was slightly it was a dangerous tackle to have made to go through her the back of her in that manner.

38:40But I don't think there was any malice. I don't think there was any bad intent, anything like that. I think it was just like the heat at the moment and you do what you can to try and get the ball because it's in a danger area. It took five minutes from the time of the foul for the penalty to be taken. And obviously it was already shitting down with rain and Rachel's ready to go home. So that's really inconsiderate. Yeah, I didn't like that. Vic Albuquerque then scored to force extra time. It was a very cool penalty. The pressure on her head was crazy because it was at the Arsenal end as well. the Gunners fans have got their flags out and their scarves and they're waving them around and I think at one point I even heard a North London Forum and it was just like they were doing anything they could to possibly put her off but straight down the middle as well not even a side obviously sending Borg the wrong word I think she went to the left hand side but you've got to have whatever a steal to do that in that moment but I also think like a lot of these Corinthians players you just felt like they had that definitely They absolutely back themselves.

39:40100%. And I think English teams need a little bit more of that. A little oomph. That hype, that belief. Come on, let's have it. I mean, you just had to watch their goalkeeper to see the level of hype they had. And I think they need a little bit more of that. Yeah, definitely. And obviously that then took it into extra time. And then you've got Caitlin Ford. Who else? Bagging the winner in the 104th minute. Her first goal since September. I've got to give a little bit of a criticism here to the Corinthians goalkeeper just for this particular. She had an absolutely outstanding world game. They wouldn't have even got to extra time had it not been for the save that she had made.

40:17So I will caveat it with that. I think it was a bit of a soft goal to concede. Caitlin Ford on the kind of left-hand side of the goal and then she fires off a shot. It hits the, it goes in at the near post and the goalkeeper kind of has it covered. But I think she's kind of expecting that Caitlin Ford's going to cut it back. That's what I was going to ask you. So she's anticipating almost kind of like, she's kind of like set like this looking at her but almost her body is so open that she's anticipating having to like cross over and then go to kind of you know deal with the second phase so as a goalkeeper can you not understand like that difficult decision of she could go but i also need to be aware of my other side as well yes but i think the criticism is always going to be levied at you for not dealing with the first threat yeah you can't you can't not deal with the first threat to you have to no one's going to criticize you if you don't get the cut back because you're dealing with the first threat so yeah i think in that situation that and you could see it was when she watched it like she was on the floor and then she kind of watched it trickle into the back and i just thought you don't deserve that you don't deserve to feel that way because you've put in an absolutely heroic performance um on the other hand caitlin ford obviously absolutely it was a lovely goal it's static yeah it was it was a really good goal um 100 um salmon like leap in front of the the gunners fans you could see i got that so much did you i did oh mate um yeah it was just like a really beautiful moment all the Arsenal players going over and kind of giving her a massive hug you could tell how much this meant to her and also what it meant for them in the tournament as well would you like a live viewing of said photo?

41:46yeah I would love that I love this live viewing section that I now did that is glorious there was a moment though where she jumped out of my camera and I didn't switch lenses quick enough so she disappeared a little bit out of there no I quite like that though delight, delight oh that's a gorgeous shot sell those for millions mate I wish sell them to Caitlin Ford she would love those um and then just towards the the very final seconds of the game um obviously a lot of concern a lot of fear uh around Bob's head injury uh in extra time she collided with a lot of Uben Moy had to be stretched off it looked really awful what I loved after this was that when a lot of Uben Moy was being interviewed the interviewer introduced her and then said but I know you want to talk about your goalkeeper Borbe and that was the first thing she wanted to talk about she was like we wouldn't have won that without that kind of brave goalkeeping and because of her you know she came out she smothered that we very well could have ended up going to penalties if it wasn't for and i just i loved that and then daphne van damselaar got her 90 seconds of fame and this in this game made sure she got that medal around her neck but also loved the fact that she wore bobe's shirt yeah during the trophy lift as well which was really nice really really lovely moment there and um yeah wishing her obviously a very speedy recovery she's out of hospital now as well she's i was just gonna say it's like i said after full time out of precautions she's going to the hospitals get checked and hopefully we'll know soon but as of uh this uh yesterday morning uh she's resting after undergoing precautionary tests uh and she is discharged so yeah sending sending thoughts and congratulations on her an incredible performance because some of the stops that she pulled out um you know they they wouldn't have won the tournament either so yeah um well she did get goalkeeper of the tournament i mean it's a weird one because you kind of got 25 chance no matter how you play so yeah you then have to wait around for another four hours to watch every single person in the stand received their medals for participation everyone got one yeah um yeah how how was that experience you get a medal you get a medal you know what i actually felt bad that as far as far was not brought up and put on the on the stage like everybody else appeared to be um what like a wooden spoon award honestly they may as well have given everyone else was brought up there wasn't a peace prize though was there sadly not no this one um so borbeck got goalkeeper the tournament for the two games she played in.

43:58Molnum got player of the tournament for the game and a half she played in. Although to be fair she did also have to do extra time in that last game. There was a really awkward kind of trophy presentation with her and Arsene Wenger who's, I felt like he's never done that before because he really didn't know what to do. At one point Molnum had left the, there were two stages, right? Let me just set the scene. There was like the presentation stage which nobody told us as photographers. We all lined up ready to shoot and they were like, oh by the way that's actually not where the trophy's going to be lifted.

44:24So it was that. And then there was the actual trophy bit where everyone did their yays and at one point monom was like between these two stages without the trophy because arsene wenger was still up there holding it and then he came down and they both awkwardly stood together and we were like can someone put them up on the fucking presentation stage can wenger go away and we can get a shot of monom like it normally happens but no no he was in there too and eventually he left then we had the third place team individually receiving their medals and their fancy outfits got them addressed for the occasion but weren't wearing raincoats and then they all went onto the stage and had a little moment and we were sitting there going do we need to shoot the third place team getting their then Corinthians got their medals as they often do did they then walk past the stage?

45:08no they all went on the stage as well they had a moment on the stage and I was just like this is the longest trophy ceremony of my bloody life can we just get the people who won the trophy onto the stage to lift it trophy I say trophy plate, discus whatever it was frisbee and they did their moment and what was really annoying was the fireworks didn't go off on the initial trophy lift. So you just, you get the trophy lift and then you go like, and then they took it down and then they did it again and then the trophy, then the fireworks went and we were like, brilliant. Do you know what was missing?

45:34Champers. Champagne. I don't know if maybe FIFA had spent all the budget or they thought you're mid-season, you probably shouldn't be. Don't know what. The price of gold is through the fucking roof right now. I will say that if they sell that gold plate, that's at least another 5 million added to the account. Do you know what? It looked rose gold or bronze. I'm not sure it actually was. Anyway, the point is, champagne really makes a difference to a trophy lift like photos anything fizzy sparkling wine if you like we've got some lovely english stuff um it really kind of it was a bit of a like once they'd done the yay it was a bit like okay let's go say hi to the fans it was just a bit like um so yeah for all that bloody long build-up the actual trophy ceremony bit was quite quick a lot of good feedback points there for fifa for the next time around if you're doing a little um wash up you know there's some things probably don't need a goalkeeper award probably don't need a player of the season player the tournament award i think is probably cut that probably don't need the third place team well someone who will be doing a bit of a roundup of what this tournament means will definitely be renee slaggers who has added 1.7 million pounds to the arsenal coffers for winning uh the tournament which is absolutely unreal um and obviously at quite a pivotal moment in arsenal season as they kind of ending the transfer window which we'll talk about in a second um but also looking at sort of what recruitment they're going to be making in summer um how much do we think this win could mean for Arsenal's season and their confidence?

46:52I think confidence-wise, yeah, beneficial. For sure. I think... Goldenware added to the trophy cabinet. I think minutes-wise, probably the last thing they wanted was those two extra games plus the added time. I think that would be a difficult thing to manage in terms of minutes, in terms of rotation, in terms of the fact that this tournament fell between Chelsea and Manchester City. so yeah it'll be a confidence booster for them they've beaten Chelsea they've come in they've won this title they now have to face the behemoth that is Manchester City who've just come off the back of a 5-1 win and so they'll really need to cling on to this confidence boosting win I think ahead of that game that is absolutely crazy but hey there's no midweek game yeah that's nice that's really nice enjoy your day off guys

47:46Well, the transfer window has definitely been... It's been spicy. It's been quite nice. Not the spiciest that I've ever seen. We've had a starter. Where's the main course, man? An amuse-bouche, if you will. We've moved straight to dessert, and so far, it's an empty plate. Yeah, and we're basically ending it today. West Ham have been especially busy in the last week. On the 28th of January, they signed Norway international Tuva Hansen from Bayern Munich Women. Good signing that. Really good signing. 28 year old defender yeah I mean she's obviously quite experienced I think that's what West Ham needs to be honest a level head you know someone who's won titles has kind of played in really you know advanced tournaments been in the Champions League 60 international cups represented their country at the World Cup and Euros like this is the kind of calibre of player that West Ham need to be looking at I mean yeah I'm really excited about that and then obviously you've got two days later announcing the signing Yulin Teneba from top Syrian side Valarenga.

48:49Their fifth signing this window. Teneba said, it's a really special moment for me and my family as my grandfather, who sadly passed away in 2008, was a big West Ham fan. And I wish you could have been here to see this. That's super, super. That's so cute. There's something so lovely about players playing for their childhood club. Tinka Tanberg is another one. Like her family, her and her dad, massive Spurs fans, used to come over and watch Spurs. and I was there when she kind of got to walk out at the stadium and they were doing some media at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. So I love that when players get to play for the childhood club.

49:21That's pretty cool. That's really, really sweet. Yeah, it's obviously going to mean quite a lot to her playing for the club. She has signed a two and a half year contract and will wear the number 15 shirt. Yeah, I think, again, it's kind of one of those signings that they need. They 100 % need experience. They need depth as well. At the back. Yeah. How many times have we talked about West Ham making silly defensive errors, be it lacking confidence at the back, not knowing what's going on. They need structure, they need clarity, and they need someone who will come in and shore that up for them.

49:50And they've been missing their captain Zdorski to injury as well at the back, which hasn't helped. So having that quality and depth and that experience, as you say, will be important for them if they want to, I want to say stay up, if they want to avoid this kind of bottom of the table bonanza. 100%. And then also you've got West Ham fighting off interest for their striker, Shakira Martinez. Yeah, which I think, my God, you do not want to let that kid go. Like, she's been one of the most promising people in West Ham that I've seen in, like, a long time. Yeah, and they've lost the likes of Ambertisiak.

50:20You know, Anouk Denton has just gone for a club record fee. Like, they're losing some key players there, so you cannot afford to lose another one. That's the hard thing, right? Never mind bringing people in. You have to, like, fight people off for your players. Get back. Fuck off. Stay back, demons. No, take out those hammers. Actual hammers. Hammers, you know. Oh, they could get their mascot. That's quite an interesting-looking mascot. Have you seen it? No. You haven't seen the Hammer mascot? What is it? It's a hammer. An actual hammer? Yeah, and he wears very, like, they look almost like NFL trousers.

50:48You know, those kind of, like, really tight. It's a weird combo. Give me the shivers. Yeah. A lot of movement also coming from the Arsenal camp. Katie McCabe. Not Katie McCabe. Lives, eats, breathes Arsenal. Looking to be leaving at the end of the season. The Republic of Ireland captain has made nearly 300 appearances for the club. there's a really good question here from GeorgieCrodon88 on Instagram saying where do you think Katie McCabe is going? Rumour has it NWSL but I think there will be plenty of interest in her so she'll probably have her pick. Wants to play high level football. Whether she still wants to be in the Champions League I don't know she has already won it.

51:30I'm sure she'd love to be in it but at the same time she probably wants to challenge herself in another environment and anywhere in the NWSL would probably be quite nice. I can't call it. I really can't call it. And then you've got London City Lionesses. They're always my wildcard for transfers at the moment. If in doubt. It's probably there. You just never know. Also, it's looking increasingly likely that Georgia Stanway is on her way to the Emirates. 27-year-old has obviously won two European championships with the Lionesses. She is allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club this month.

52:06And it looks like Arsenal are the frontrunners in this. Her and Ona Badge. Welly, well, well. This is also a very exciting transfer rumour. If you fumble the ball on either of these two now, I swear to God, your fans are going to lose their minds. Because the amount of times they've been linked to big players and then they're like, actually, they've gone somewhere else. They've gone to Chelsea. the pressure on Rene if you brought in Stanners and on a Badge next year is going to be absolutely fucking huge like if you're not winning more trophies especially in contention for the WSL with those two back on your books I I yeah I'm concerned yeah I'm always concerned with like that don't preempt right people been calling out for Arsenal to do a bit of business to get some quality in you know that's what's needed if you want quality to get back to winning ways so pressure's on already pressure's always on arsenal so add some spice and quality and there you are like on a badge it'd be great to have her back in um the wsl and i think would be a huge coup for arsenal definitely really really quality fullback um especially if they're going to lose the likes of of mccabe i think um she'd be great 100 especially with leah williamson kind of in and out with various bits of injuries and stuff like that it kind of feels like it's quite a nice i mean you know what you're going to get with on a bad jay you know you're going to get that coverage you know you're going to get her ability to read the game like she's a very sure head and i and for arsenal who are a team that like their fullbacks to get off the pitch um she will absolutely bring that quality i keep forgetting that she was at man united you know i know she doesn't feel like the right fit for man united it's like yeah it's one of those weird ones um another very interesting rumour slash story at the moment.

53:52Kelly Gargo. Will Kelly stay or will she gargo? Give me that. Grow up. Okay, that was quite good. She's requested to leave Everton, but nobody has met the£500 ,000 release clause in her contract. Fair enough. I mean, she is a really, really important player for Everton. They understandably have a big release clause for her. And if she wants to go, people have to pay her out of the contract. That's kind of how these contracts work. And I know it's difficult if a player doesn't want to be there, but Everton A. can't afford to lose her on the pitch and B. financially can't afford to lose her for not much so I can understand that you know they've got Katja Snoyce injured Tony Payne has picked up a knock Kelly Gago doesn't appear to be wanting to play at the moment for them like they really really need a good striker I just can't see them just letting her go when she's in contract and vital to them so it's a difficult situation but gotta pay the fee you know you're worth hon erase it Chelsea have still not signed anyone they have got minutes left to do it yeah it's interesting because Sonia Bonpastor certainly alluded to the fact that she wasn't particularly happy with their transfers or lack of at the moment so I'd say watch this space they might try and get some deals done they've had some outs Michael Hamano gone on loan Jean-Francois obviously gone to Villa you know they've got a couple of youngsters out on loan.

55:18So they will probably... Capricario, apparently. Well, apparently... Getting some interest from NWSL. On the way out. So, new skin, there's been some interest for her, but I think they really need to hang on to her. She'll want to do some business. She's made that clear, that's for sure. Well, well, well. Watch this space for Chelsea. Thank you for listening to Upfront. Join us on Thursday where we're going to be joined by Claire Rafferty. Claire has the inside scoop on this transfer window in her position at Transfer Room. So we're going to be taking a closer look at the patterns and trends we've seen this Jan.

55:45in the meantime you can find us on instagram and x slash twitter i'm at morgy underscore 89 rach is at girls in the ball and we are at upfront underscore pod you can also find us on youtube at upfront pod see you on thursday

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