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Football Weekly
Liverpool win at Inter while Mo Salah lifts weights alone – Football Weekly
00:48:46
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Lars Sivertsen as a Salah-less Liverpool win in Inter, Chelsea lose to Atalanta and Spurs beat Slavia Prague.
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- [00:00]
Max Rushden
This is the Guardian.
- [00:10]
Barry Glendenning
Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a.
- [00:12]
Max Rushden
Very happy half off holiday because right.
- [00:15]
Barry Glendenning
Now Mint Mobile is offering you the.
- [00:17]
Nicky Bandini
Gift of 50% off unlimited.
- [00:19]
Barry Glendenning
To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day.
- [00:30]
Robert Mays
Yeah, Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch upfront payment of?
- [00:34]
Nicky Bandini
45 for three month plan equivalent to 15 per month. Required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow. 135 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mint mobile.com.
- [00:48]
Max Rushden
Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. Liverpool win in Milan against Inter. They needed a result, any result, and they got it thanks to Alessandro Bastoni pulling Florian Vertz's shirt for no reason. Strong Szobozlight rattled home the penalty and everyone was happy, apart from perhaps from Mo Salah sitting alone in fitness first. Is it worth it for a gazillion pounds a week from Al Alli or whoever Chelsea lose in Bergamo. Since we asked if anyone should start taking them seriously, they've given us a categoric response. A second comfortable home win for spurs in a few days. Sounds odd to say it. It was only Slavia Prague, but again Javi Simons ran the show elsewhere. Wins for Bayern, Barca and Athletic, but none of them totally straightforward. There's Manchester United's 41 win at Wolves to discuss from Monday. An EFL round up and a non league player up a ladder trying to fix the floodlights. All that plus your questions. And that's today's Guardian Football Weekly.
- [01:36]
On the panel today, Barry Glendenning. Hello.
- [01:38]
Lars Ividson
Hi, Max.
- [01:39]
Max Rushden
Welcome. Nicky Bandini.
- [01:40]
Nicky Bandini
Morning.
- [01:41]
Max Rushden
Good morning. Lars Ividson.
- [01:42]
Barry Glendenning
Good morning everyone.
- [01:43]
Max Rushden
Let's start at San siro. Inter nil Liverpool 1. Dominic Svozlai's 88th minute penalty. Inter's first home defeat in the Champions League since September 2022. But as I said in the intro, Baz, Liverpool just needed a win to go in off their backside and. And that's kind, I mean they played okay, but that's kind of what happened. Yeah.
- [02:03]
Lars Ividson
After the events of the weekend, Liverpool in general and Arus slot I think in particular needed at least to not lose this game. And winning it sent out a bit of a statement, particularly as Mor Salah had been left at home, as he kind of had to be really. And it wasn't a particularly good game to watch. Not that pleasant of the eye but. But it was a very good win for Liverpool. There's talk over Whether the penalty was soft or not. Bastoni he. He tugged Florian Vertz's shirt. It's a foul. Some refs give it, some don't. This one did and I don't think they can have any complaints. Dominic Svozlai stepped up, put the penalty away. It was I suppose slightly ironic that he was playing in Mo Salah's position on the night. But I wasn't particularly impressed with Inter. I'd be interested to hear what Nik has to say about them. I thought they struggled to deal with Liverpool's forward line. They didn't show much imagination going forward and didn't really try to create much and probably deserve to lose in the end.
- [03:17]
Max Rushden
You're interested to hear what Nikki has to say about Inter. So am I. So is everybody. Nikki.
- [03:21]
Nicky Bandini
It was not a great game of football. There was a point in the evening where Lars was messaging the group and said something about the goals show on TNT and I thought I'm here stuck here watching the no goals show. You know it was. Was fairly, fairly dismal. But. But Inter have got for sure a problem that's ongoing with just a total inability to show up in their. Their games against big clubs. The weekend they smashed four past Coleman which all right doesn't sound amazing. Col Play some good football this season under under Fabregas. They. They're playing well. They've got one of the the best players in C right now, Nico Paz and and an made really light work of them. But whenever they play a big team lately they seem to not show up. And they got 12 points in their first four games in this Champions League. Then they lost to Atletico. Now they've lost to Liverpool. Didn't deserve any more from this game Atletico game. Maybe they deserved a draw. They've lost to Juventus back when they were still under Igotuda. Not particularly good team in Serie A. They lost to Napoli. They've lost to Milan. In fact if you go back over the last two seasons and take their results against Napoli, Juventus, Roma and Milan, they've won only two of those and they've lost six of them. So they, they've been bad in big games over and over again. Certainly domestically. Obviously last season they did have some big international results because they got to the final of the Champions League and they did knock out Bayern and Barcelona. But since then Simone Andzaghi's gone and I think the team hasn't really worked out who it is under Christian Kivu and they're better than they were last night. They're Certainly capable of more. I was watching it and thinking this feels. This feels like a team that just has no confidence in itself to try to take on this occasion a team that's lost its belief that it can play toe to toe with a team like this because they have got the talent. But they also had some. Some circumstantial stuff that you could. You could throw in there. They had to use two of their three substitutions.
- [05:06]
Max Rushden
Sure.
- [05:07]
Nicky Bandini
Windows as it is really early in the game for. For players before halftime and with a chalanoglu going off they had. They had some things go against them. The penalty decision I'm with Baz A lot of the time that won't get given but it is grabbing someone's shirt in the area and you can't really complain about it. Inter fans certainly were pretty annoyed about a. A handball by Van Dijk right after the goal gets just allowed for Liverpool. Van DJK does block a shot into the area from Bisek with his hand. Again, I'd put it in the category of seen them given. So perhaps on another day if they hadn't justice allowed Liverpool's goal the referee might have reviewed that one. But overall I think Inter have no complaints. And they were. They were second best to Liverpool and Liverpool weren't amazing but they were better. And so I think they deserve to win.
- [05:52]
Max Rushden
Yeah certainly in the category of I don't want to see them given and we'll get to that. That. That. That other var. God, that agonizing var. That's just painstaking watching this ball roll up and down someone's arm for 25 minutes. But I suppose the point is Lars, Liverpool were a team with not much confidence. Came up against the team with less confidence. That worked for them. Did we see signs of a sort of post Salah Liverpool there a midfield diamond. Is that too far to look from this one game?
- [06:17]
Barry Glendenning
Maybe. But I do think it's maybe a little bit significant that they kept a clean sheet because that has kind of been Arneslott's justification for dropping Salah which is very reasonable. Which is what he said straight out loud which is that you need playing Szobosla gives them more solidity. I think with Salah without opening that kind of worms. Again the trade off has been certainly in the last year and for a little while before that. Is that okay? He doesn't have to do any defensive work but. But he will score nearly a goal a game like he was doing last year and the second he isn't scoring or producing that much Then suddenly the fact that you're carrying a passenger becomes a problem. And so having basically 10 outfield players who work off the ball is an advantage. And we saw in this game that it is an advantage. So I think the clean sheet is kind of notable. I also thought on the penalty, I read that slot had to field question from irate local reporters who suggested that Wirtz had gone down like a fish. And I have to say I don't agree with that because his shirt was pulled. And fish, of course, don't wear shirts.
- [07:22]
Max Rushden
They don't.
- [07:23]
Barry Glendenning
And even trying to pull like, because the skin is quite slippery and slimy with the fish, so you can't really do the tug of the skin either.
- [07:31]
Nicky Bandini
Sure.
- [07:31]
Barry Glendenning
So I would not agree with the analysis that he fell down like a fish. I think that's not what happened.
- [07:37]
Max Rushden
No, I mean, although I suppose a wriggling fish that you're trying to put back in is sort of the move that Verts made because he, his shirt is pulled and he falls the wrong way, actually. But I, I suspect also not something.
- [07:48]
Barry Glendenning
That happens with a fish if you pull.
- [07:50]
Max Rushden
Well, I, I try to pull the thumb. I'm sad I even gave you the opportunity to carry on with this slot afterwards. Actually. Said Baz, look, in the Premier League, that penalty is probably not given, but the goal is probably given. And you know, it was just another moment where Var was just interminable that wait for that disallowed goal. And you're sort of watching it going, does. Does anybody want this?
- [08:12]
Lars Ividson
Yeah, I think it took four minutes or more. We, we constantly talk about these handballs. It's not going to go away. So I'm bored talking about them.
- [08:23]
Nicky Bandini
Yeah, that's fair to get into it briefly without getting into it in a big way. But like that. To me, my first reaction watching it is in said, yeah, that's a handball all day long. And then, you know, I did the, the thorough thing of going and, and double checking the rules. And yes, you know, IFAB has got a line in their opinion on handballs saying if it is sent on to you by a teammate, basically in that. Exactly that situation, it shouldn't be given as a handball. So a bit of a, a shrug from me. I certainly understand why all the inter defenders were immediately on it because I do think in Italy that that gets given and I think that it doesn't get given in the Premier League. And that's exactly why you have, where you have all of, I suppose the English commentary team on UK broadcasts saying that that's definitely not a handball, but I think a lot of Italy goes, yeah, that's a handball to me. I don't know, like, instinctively it's a goal that doesn't get scored without the hand going in. So it feels like maybe it should be. But I think like you, in the end, at a certain point, like, I just. I just don't want to be sat here stopping the game for however long it is. Duh. And that's the bit which I think most football fans relate to. Although of course also all football fans, almost universally, if it's their team that can benefit from the decision, would rather it waits five minutes and goes their way.
- [09:37]
Max Rushden
I mean, I did wonder, I did posit on Twitter that maybe we could have VAR goal check of the month, you know, play the lightning seeds and then just have, you know, just have the ref running over to the screen and just see which one our favorite was. Should we talk about Mo Salah then? Because he posted Lars a sort of moderately pathetic picture of him all by himself in the gym with no comment. I don't know, it's interesting. Like, I actually was far too sympathetic to him, I think, when it first happened. And so the days of gone on, I just thought this is. It's just sort of. It's ridiculous to, you know, and. And I'm. I'm sort of. I'm Team Carrick. I mean, it's been great for Jamie Carragher's career, if nothing else. Like, you know, everyone is hanging on car. I like Cara, but I've never hung on his every word. And now you're just waiting to see what Jamie Carragher says on Monday Night Football. Oh, he's on CBS next. What's going to happen? Slot sort of said, I guess he could be in for the Brighton game. I imagine he would need to apologize. That doesn't seem like it's going to happen, but it's all just a bit sort of pathetic, I think.
- [10:34]
Barry Glendenning
Yeah. I tend to think it has made me see how I can connect these two things. Watching the World cup draw and this thing kind of made me think about how being the center of attention for too many years, being the focal point of everything, being in a position where people are like, praising you and being nice to you constantly, maybe warps your ego and your perception of the world around you a little bit. Because I do think it is slightly wild that benching a guy for two and a half games, which is what's happened. Like, he's been dropped for two, three games. But he came on at halftime for one of them. He's been benched for two and a half games, and that has led him to go public saying, someone's trying to get me out of the club. And I'm being. I mean, it is a completely disproportionate reaction from him to what's actually happened. If he'd been out for 10 games and the club was like actively briefing against him or something, then sure, but. But that isn't what's happened. What's happened is that a guy in his 30s who wasn't playing particularly well during a period where the team was really struggling has been sat down for the coach to try something else and for him to push the nuclear button off the bones of that is wild. And there's the thing about. He mentioned that he's not getting support from the club. If I was part of the upstairs guys who were debating whether or not to hand him a massive new contract or not in the spring, and you had to probably go to the owners and say, hey, this guy is old, but he's been really good for us and he's a club icon, so we're gonna push the boat out and hand out a much bigger contract than we're actually comfortable with because we think that's the right thing to do. For him to turn around a few months later and say they're not supporting him. I was like, hang on, excuse me. Have you checked your bank account recently? So, like, the whole situation is very unedifying. I secretly, privately think once you kind of talk yourself into handing him that massive contract and he starts this season not playing very well or not playing as well, then I think you immediately think, oh, okay, we've got 18 more months of this. And I wonder if he's almost solved that problem for them. I don't think we're quite in sort of Ronaldo United territory when he sort of actively made the team worse.
- [12:39]
Max Rushden
Imagine that as a team. Ronaldo United. It's not a team I'd necessarily want.
- [12:44]
Barry Glendenning
But I. I don't think we're at a point where he's that big a problem. But I do think, yeah, one of the things we've talked about in the. And this is going on a bit in the Great Liverpool Forum collapse discussion is that it seems like they've tried to replace Mo Salah when Mo Salah is already there and the team seems unbalanced. And maybe him moving on to Saudi Arabia in January is the thing that makes sense for everyone, including him, by the way because then he can play the afcon and then he can just kind of muck about and play football at a quite low intensity going into the World cup. And he'll be like, super ready physically and mentally for that, maybe. So maybe that's a good outcome for everyone.
- [13:17]
Nicky Bandini
I think it feels like it's maybe the. The right way out for everyone. I sort of enjoyed, actually, I was. Another Norwegian, Lars Janage on. On espn, was slightly lampooning this idea of Salaz, that he's earned the right to be in the team all the time. He said, does that mean Kenny Dalglish can just get himself in the team whenever he feels like? Yeah. And yeah, you know, it's the reality can be the best player ever, but when you're no longer producing at that level, there comes the point where you don't get to be in the team every week. And it feels like. It feels like the. The beginning of the end, doesn't it? But you never know in football. Sometimes these stories you come back around.
- [13:56]
Lars Ividson
I. I think it is the end. There was quite an interesting exchange on Amazon Prime's coverage last night. After the game, Arne Slot came out to talk to the. The pundits, one of whom was Clarence Seedorf, and he didn't particularly. He knows he has to talk about Salah and he knows that's anyone wants to talk about, but he was very much trying to keep the focus on the players who were in Milan and who had won the game and performed well. And Seedorf was like a dog with a bone, wouldn't let him go. And Slot said, you know, so you're a journalist now, Clarence. And. But Cedar said, look, as the leader, is it not up to you to give the option or extend the olive branch? Slot very much sort of said, well, should the initiative come from me or from him? Does he admit he made a mistake? So I think Slot is not interested in any kind of reconciliation with Sala and if there is to be forgiveness, then Salah will have to come to him and grovel. And I can't see that happening.
- [15:05]
Nicky Bandini
You asked me about Inter and I just wanted to say on the Liverpool side, I thought Curtis Jones was really good last night and we haven't spoken much about some of the things, the things that were good in their team because. Because it wasn't like an exceptional performance as a team. They did what they needed to. I think they were very solid. But I did think Curtis Jones was standout player of the game. Didn't seem to put a pass wrong. All night was taking on his man was. Was getting to some quite adventurous positions and also giving space to teammates. I thought he was. He was really, really good. So just wanted to say that.
- [15:33]
Max Rushden
No, and you. I'm glad you did because I'd written that down in my notes, but I'd moved on. And also Conor Bradley when he came on worth mentioning, I thought he made a bit of a difference. And in that slightly narrower diamond you fullbacks to attack. So that might be good for Frimpong when he's back as well. Anyway, to Bergamo. Atalanta 2, Chelsea 1 and has not been a good week for Chelsea last. Since we started talking about them, you know, in earnest as winning everything. After the Barca win and then the Arsenal draw, they've lost at Leeds, drawn at Bournemouth, which I guess there's no discretion there and now lost to Atalanta. So Chelsea go back to. I don't know how to work this team out, Lars.
- [16:10]
Barry Glendenning
No, but that. That feels like it has been the. The main constant with Chelsea this season, hasn't it? Like I don't know how Chelsea has become one of those conversations we've had too many times. They didn't rotate that much for this game. You had the sort of Enzo Caicedo, Reece James midfield triumvirate in action. You had Joe Pedro front, Neto started. So I definitely think like they dropped points against Leeds. A lot of that was to do with the squad rotation. And at Bournemouth I thought that was just kind of a slightly. Oof. Sort of underwhelming performance overall to say, oh they're too young, they don't have a lot of death. But also they spent like a gazillion pounds in the last couple. In the last sort of three or four years. I feel like that shouldn't be the case.
- [16:55]
Max Rushden
I suppose you can still be young and expensive.
- [16:57]
Barry Glendenning
That's true. You can be young and expensive, as I'm sure many listeners are aware. But no, I think it's a case of Mareska keeps saying this. We don't have enough experience. We're not title challengers and I guess that's fine. But it's what, four defeats in the last five away from home in the Champions League or something like that now, I mean that. That seems to be an area that's. That's just troubling them. And I'm just expecting a little bit more from. From this.
- [17:21]
Max Rushden
This group. I mean I. 1 nil. Rhys James has a half decent chance. Maybe that changes the game. But as a. As part of the Nikki, the two pronged Charles de Quitalera fan club with Philippe. It was nice to see him heavily involved in both goals.
- [17:38]
Nicky Bandini
Yeah, yeah, it was definitely with, I suppose, a helping hand from Chelsea. The first one that the cross for Skamacca's goal. Lovely, lovely cross. Really, really stood that ball up well for Skamacca. His goal that he scored. You could see Cucurella's backing off him and it's because Cucurella can see Zappa Costas coming outside and he's desperately trying to get Batya Schiele to come across and give him some support. And Diketalera even talked about that after the game. Basically he wasn't really planning to shoot, but because Kukarad just kept backing off me, like at some point I'm not going to give this ball, I'm going to take it on. But I really, really enjoy watching Decathlora. I think he's a very, I don't know, unique is the wrong word because there have been others like him, if you look broadly enough. But he is. He's a rare kind of footballer. He's got this lanky, slightly, slightly different way of dribbling, but works so well in tight spaces and has a surprising physicality to him as well. But yeah, I really enjoy him when he's on song and he was on song last night. He was best pair on the pitch.
- [18:39]
Barry Glendenning
I thought so. Niki, this seems very typical for what Atalanta do very well in that you have Ketaler and Skamaka scoring. They seem to have a knack for like looking at guys who showed promise, had a big move, big move, doesn't really work out and then they pick them up again as a sort of. As a fixer upper type of situation. Because there's a lot of guys like that has gone through Atalanta in the last few years.
- [19:00]
Nicky Bandini
I suppose exactly who Atalanta is, are now is. Is somewhat in. In flux because Gasparini has moved on. He's gone to Roma and you have this unhappy little chapter under Ivan Jurich and now Palladino's come in as manager and this was only, I think his fifth game in charge. Lost the first one against Napoli, but then got a couple of wins, then lost to Verona again at the weekend. And so you're sort of not sure exactly where they're. Where they are in their progress. But. But Paladinho is a manager who. Who absolutely deserved this chance. You know, I think has. Has potential to. To go on and be one of the Rising names in. In Ital.
- [19:35]
With this not fantastic start they've made to the season. They are doing well in the Champions League. I think they're on 13 points now and so they have got the results there. And, and I think Paladinho perhaps is, is going to be more able to continue that trend of what you've been saying, Lars, which I, I think it has been Atalanta's identity. Absolutely. They bring in these players and, and polish them up and, and get them back to their best. But of course the biggest part of that is they had a manager, Gas Fellini, who was very, very good at doing it. And, and in Ducutilara's case, absolutely. You can listen huge amount of credit to Casperini for that resurgence.
- [20:10]
Barry Glendenning
It's like the homes under the hammer approach to football. You got sort of Dion Dublin running around Europe looking at, oh, this player's got stairs going all the way up to the bedroom. You know, we got to bring him to Bergamo straight away.
- [20:21]
Max Rushden
That's from a Chelsea point of view. Look, they are 11th in the table at the moment. They've got Paphos home, Napoli away. So, you know, that looks like one win and one. Don't know. And that one more win wouldn't be enough to get them into the top eight, I guess.
- [20:35]
Lars Ividson
No, probably not. I wouldn't say Paphos will be as straightforward as you're suggesting. They're this tournament's surprise package and they. There's a very good chance they'll be fighting for their lives to stay in or to make it through to the knockout stages.
- [20:52]
Max Rushden
And of course, David Luis coming back to the bridge. Right.
- [20:54]
Lars Ividson
Well, I was about to say that. A reunion with. With David Louise. So it looks like it'll be difficult for them to, to finish in the top eight. And realistically, at least.
- [21:08]
Four of the five premier leagues, they should all be finishing top eight, I think, but it's not going to happen.
- [21:15]
Barry Glendenning
I actually watched Paphos Monaco in its entirety last week, which is one of those moments when I realized that my recent efforts at having a better work life balance may not have gone as well as I thought. But I watched it almost entirely because I was thinking, David Louis is roaming around in Cyprus. I mean, that's something I'll spend 90 minutes watching. And he did not disappoint. He's got a great straight header off a corner. So, you know, demands. He still got it something.
- [21:39]
Max Rushden
All right, that'll do for part one. Part two, we'll begin at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- [21:46]
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- [22:44]
Max Rushden
Welcome to Part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. Barry not this Barry on X writes Are spurs better than 1970 Brazil? Here we go. Tottenham 3, Slavia Prague nil. Another home win for Thomas Frank Barry it was only Slavia Prague, whose record in the Champions League is pretty rotten, but it's sort of cut and paste from Monday. Spurs were good. Xavi Simmons is good.
- [23:05]
Lars Ividson
Yeah, absolutely. Kyungmin's son had his official farewell last night. He was invited to the game and got a good reception from the crowd. It was a very straightforward win for them, I think, and they probably should have won by a lot more. An own goal was it and two penalties. Xavi Simmons impressed, as you say. He almost spat the dummy when it looked like he won. The second penalty to make that they went three nil ahead from Almost didn't get to take it, but Christian Romero allowed him to and all was well in the world again. Slavia Prague are very poor and they're really down the bottom of the table. 31st, I think, going into this game, but as I say, you can only beat what's in front of their goalkeeper played very well. Stanek. He he kept the score down. But another good home win for spurs against very limited opposition and there was an awful lot of empty seats at the stadium. I think 15,000 was mentioned in the report and I could totally understand why fans might not bother to go and see this game. You know, Slavia Prague aren't a big draw. Spurs have Brussels Dortmund at home now and Eintracht Frankfurt away in their last game. They're ninth on 11 points. They should be aiming for top eight.
- [24:28]
Max Rushden
I guess they'd probably have to win both to be guaranteed. I think about Simmons, Lars, I think is he feels like watching Wirtz as well. They move in a similar way, him and Wirtz and there have been the same criticisms about sort of physicality. He has that ability to take the ball so on the half term and take another touch before the opposition player has noticed that he's done it. So if he can get to the gym as much as Salah then you know, he really could be huge for Tottenham.
- [24:52]
Barry Glendenning
Xavi Siemens has gotten a lot of criticism from.
- [24:57]
Being part of spurs poor run for not providing the sort of creativity and the chance creation they were hoping he would do having been brought in for a big transfer fee. Yada yada yada in the games I've seen it looks a lot to me like he's not getting the ball in good positions a lot of the time. Like he often starts drifting out wide. I think a lot of what's been going wrong with spurs this season is related to the fact that their central midfielders don't pass the ball forwards. A loss. There's a lot of. There's a lot of sideways and backwards with the midfielders and the ball going out to the fullback. And Simon seems to be drifting out wide often and just isn't getting the ball in those sort of half spaces as they call them in between midfield and attack in those areas where he can do damage. But it is also a factor that he has been knocked off the ball a little bit too often as well. So a combination I think of maybe toughening up a little bit, being a little quicker, getting it out of his feet, but also really his teammates finding him in better areas more often. I think.
- [25:56]
Max Rushden
I think selecting Archie Gray and we said that on Monday is is is quite big for a defensive midfielder who can pass the ball forwards.
- [26:02]
Barry Glendenning
No, I just completely agree. I think that's why. Why that's happening. I think the. Both the Polynha and the bentanker in the midfield at the same time is. Is an issue because the ball will just never move forwards in the middle of the pitch. And that. That is not good.
- [26:15]
Max Rushden
John says if you invite guests over but they'll. They warn you they'll fly into a violent rage if they see a rainbow at your place. Should you invite them over in the first place? Yeah. So Tottenham are forced to move the proud Lily White's pride flag at the request of Slavia Prague. It's usually displayed in the northeast corner of the stadium which is close to the away fans. It was moved to the southwest Corner proud Lily White said Slavi Prague have raised concerns that some of their supporters may damage the flag and cause disorder if it remains in its usual location. Once an away club raises a potential safety issue, UEFA and the home club is required to assess the risk and act accordingly. The outcome for tonight is the flag will be relocated. Let's be honest about what this means. The risk here isn't the flag. It's the reaction of a small number of opposition supporters that's disappointing. And it's another reminder of the hostility LGBTQI plus fans still face across European football. We want to be clear the clubs handled this appropriately. They've been transparent with us throughout, pushed back where they could and made sure this sits firmly as a request from the visiting club rather than a decision rooted in spurs own values. For tonight, the flag will still fly. It will still be seen. Our message remains the same. This is our home. Our community belongs here. No visiting team gets to change that, that. Tonight, let's get behind the team and show the opposition that at our stadium we play with pride. Sort of pretty depressing, Barry, isn't it? Yeah.
- [27:31]
Lars Ividson
I think Slavi Prague said they wanted the flag moved because it had the Tottenham crest on it and not because it was a rainbow flag. I suspect that is not entirely the case. Lara said all fair that they should have just replaced the flag with a rainbow that didn't have the spurs crest on it. See what would have happened. But, yeah, it's. It's depressing that this happens. If they hadn't moved the flag, something worse might have happened, some act of violence, or it might have been torn down or something. So I don't really know what else to say. If, you know, Slavia Prague fans don't have a great reputation when playing in Europe and the fact that they're being pandered to in this way is quite irritating.
- [28:20]
Barry Glendenning
I think it's that. I think. I don't love this idea of, like, if it hadn't been removed, something bad might have happened. We were just like, all right, if they can't behave themselves, let those choices and those decisions be on them and let them face the consequences for that. I think the minimum requirement of going away to a football match is being able to stand next to a flag and not behave like a lunatic.
- [28:38]
Nicky Bandini
I don't know if you were planning to bring this in later. Obviously there's been this conversation about the Pride match at the World cup and Egypt saying that they're not happy now about. About that happening. And, I mean, this really feels like the reverse side of the coin. If you can say that when everyone goes to Qatar for the World cup that they have to respect the culture, then then why the hell don't clubs coming to Tottenham Stadium have to respect the culture? Why don't clubs going to the World cup in America have to respect the culture of having a pride event in Seattle? And it feels like a very uneven discourse that is being allowed to play out.
- [29:14]
Max Rushden
You're right. And as Lars said, if you're incapable of looking at a flag that has a rainbow on it and not losing your mind, then you need to really question your life choices, don't you? Anyway, elsewhere, Barca beat Frankfurt 2 1. Back at the Nou Camp, Barca 2 for Jules Kunde. He hadn't scored in five years in the Champions League. You watched. You watched this one.
- [29:35]
Barry Glendenning
I did. It was another. I mean, they are entertaining at the moment watching Barca, because they are still playing with this sort of high line which very occasionally goes completely wrong. So that's how Frankfurt took the lead through an Scak Knauf. And they nearly doubled that lead ahead of halftime with another counter attack from Knauf, who ended up leaving it for a teammate who couldn't quite find the finish. But it was this case of the first half. Barcelona were dominating but not able to open Frankfurt up. And they were such a. There were wide open spaces. So when they were able to break, which weren't that many times, but when they were, there was immediate danger in the second half, the big difference was that Barcelona found the goals. And I have to credit Marcus Rashford there, who's, you know, came on at halftime and his cross for the first goal is a brilliant cross. Like, it's really, really good. And it's the occasional reminder of why, you know, all the, all the issues with Rashford, there's still reasons to persist with him. There's still reasons to. For coaches why coaches at a very, very high level really want to work with them, because when you can get him right, he does have this sort of game breaking capacities to unlock things. And I think that cross to Kunde for the first goal was a really good example of that. Second Kounde goal was more Lamin scowing across, sending it into orbit and Kounde somehow winning it when it came back down. Again, not amazing defending by Frankfurt, which Frankfurt enjoyers will be familiar with. Not amazing defensively. What really caught my eye though was with Barcelona 2 on up at home, you would expect them to settle down a little bit with this high line and Maybe just try to control the game, but they were still just pushing everyone forward and towards the end, again, they were almost caught on the break a couple of times. And you're just watching this going, why are you behaving like this? You're 2:1 up in extra time at home. And they were still just taking massive risks and it was really odd to watch, but they got away with it, so I guess it's fine.
- [31:31]
Nicky Bandini
Is two goals disappointing for Barcelona against a team who shipped six at the weekend and who have conceded 29 in 13 league games? I don't know. Maybe.
- [31:39]
Max Rushden
Yeah. And routinely let in five in the Champions League?
- [31:41]
Barry Glendenning
Don't they also? I was just going to interject as well. Don't love the new goal music at the camp now. I mean, maybe this is part of the Spotify team up that they now have big speakers and have to, like, be slightly even more flamboyant with the music. But the goal music kind of makes you sound like you're in a slightly naff Swedish nightclub or something. Like it's not the vibe anyone going for, I don't think. Not a fan of it.
- [32:03]
Max Rushden
Please tell me boss are using.
- [32:07]
Like every EFL League 1 team. That would really go down well there, I think. Biob sporting 3 1. I guess the chat Nikki is mainly about. Or the interesting thing is this German vonderkind or maybe they say wonderkid in Germany to Leonard Carl, who scored another brilliant goal. He looks great, doesn't he?
- [32:25]
Nicky Bandini
Yeah. I mean, I have to go to the. The gold music if we're going to talk about Bayern Munich, because they always have their like.
- [32:31]
Which I. Yeah, I feel like in this sort of game where, like where you were losing and then you get in top like as the opponent must really get under your skin. Like you've not just let the lead slip, but now they're doing this.
- [32:42]
Barry Glendenning
It's so ingrained, isn't it? But it's also if they're scoring goal number seven against Darmstadt at home or something, you just go, come on, is this really necessary?
- [32:51]
Max Rushden
It's a good point, but yes.
- [32:52]
Nicky Bandini
I mean, Karl looks pretty special, doesn't he? Looks like the next big teenage thing was very much more than just his goal last night as well. From. From what I've seen, obviously didn't see the full 90 minutes of it, but he's. He's come into that team and is immediately looking like he has changed the dynamic a bit behind the attack and really, really exciting talent for them and. And perhaps again already for. For the national team this summer.
- [33:19]
Lars Ividson
Yeah, he had a goal ruled out for a fractional offside. He was denied by a. A brilliant save from Rui Silva, the Sporting keeper, and then scored and became the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive games. I think we, we mentioned him how good he was when Bayern were beaten by Arsenal, but he's something else on the evidence last night. Anyway, I don't know if he's played for Germany yet. I do know there's a clamor for him to go to the World Cup.
- [33:52]
Max Rushden
That's exactly. I messaged Archie saying is there a clamor? To which he said in Munich there is always clamor. He didn't get called up to the last. He didn't get called up to the last squad and someone called Saeed El Mala from Col did. He said Carl will probably get a call up, but got a long way to go. Decent player, said Archie in an understated manner. Atleti 132 at PSV Good win for Athletic this last.
- [34:16]
Barry Glendenning
It was a good game for, for my compatriot Alexander Solot, the Viking King with one assist and one goal. It wasn't. It was an unathlety performance, if you can say that, because they did sort of let PSV back into the game a little bit and they don't. They're not as defensively rugged as you'd expect in Diego Simeone team, but that Julian Alvarez, Alex Serlot link up up front is a really kind of balanced strike partnership that I think will be unpleasant to defend against for many, many teams.
- [34:43]
Nicky Bandini
What has he done to become the Viking king? Or is that just a hereditary position?
- [34:47]
Barry Glendenning
I think that's something in my. I think that was an honorary position bestowed upon him by the Trabzon sport fans back in the day. I think they also. That was mid sort of of when the, the, the. The Game of Thrones hype was at its peak. So I think there were a lot of online graphics of him sort of made to look like Jon Snow or something. And he was the king in the north as well, like. But he does look like, I would argue more than Erling Holland. He looks like, like an extra from, from a Viking show. Alex Otto, right?
- [35:15]
Max Rushden
Yes.
- [35:15]
Lars Ividson
And.
- [35:15]
Max Rushden
And Erling is Norse God, I guess. You know, if you are a Norwegian player who, who plays somewhere else in the world and you, you get neither Norse God or Viking king, then you are doing something wrong, aren't you? You know, unless you're very slow moving center back and they call you the.
- [35:31]
Lars Ividson
Longboat, I think PSV were very unlucky not to get something from this game. They missed two absolute sitters, One right at the end, a fella called Armando Obispo, who will have had a long, sleepless night, I suspect.
- [35:48]
Max Rushden
Barry, any strong thoughts from Uniosan was 2, Marseille 3, Monaco 1. Galates Ranil or Kairat nil. Olympiacos One.
- [35:56]
Lars Ividson
Kairat nil. OlympiacOS One was terrific. It was sensational game of football. Despite the scoreline suggesting probably otherwise, I would say Olympiacos missed enough chances in this game to win the Champions League five times over. Tiberian, Anner Beckov, who I do remember being, I think was him, was in goal for their playoff win against Celtic and was really good. Young, young keeper. He pulled off some absolutely sensational saves. Olympiacus, he finally let one in. Gelson Martins snuck one past him at his newer post and this was not, I think, maybe about 20 minutes to go. Then Olympiacos hit the woodwork twice. Mediterranean missed an open goal from about four yards out. Then El Cabbie missed an open goal. Then he hit the foot of the post and then there was another astonishing Anna Beckoff save. So Olympiacos should have won this game, 15 nil. But they scraped through by one. But it was. It was hugely entertaining. It was on very early. It was on it even before the early kickoffs.
- [37:09]
Max Rushden
Really?
- [37:10]
Barry Glendenning
Yeah.
- [37:11]
Max Rushden
Wow. An appetizer because.
- [37:13]
Barry Glendenning
Because Almaty is really far east, right? So time difference wise, you really need to get going.
- [37:18]
Lars Ividson
Then. Union.
- [37:21]
Narrowly beaten by Marseille. Mason Greenwood was the start turn for. For Marseille in that one. And Union will be disappointed not to have taken a point because Promised David had a header right at the end that was brilliantly saved by Geronimo Rouly.
- [37:42]
Barry Glendenning
And they also, I mean, they also had two goals ruled out. Union, Saint Le Gilloise when they were chasing it. And Roberto de Zerbi, not the calmest of characters under normal circumstances, was even more like close to spontaneous combustion on the bench. You know, I was one of those. I also just. You'll like this, Max, you know, he came on for Saint Giloise. Sophie on Buffalo.
- [38:03]
Max Rushden
Yes, yes.
- [38:03]
Barry Glendenning
And I just thought, all right, he must be about a hundred years old, but he's actually just 32. He's been drinking from the fountain of youth, this guy.
- [38:10]
Max Rushden
Yeah. Oh, what a guy. Anyway, that'll do for part two. Part three will begin with Manchester United's 41 win at Wolves on Monday night.
- [38:20]
Robert Mays
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- [39:03]
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- [39:32]
Max Rushden
Welcome to Part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. So on Monday, Manchester United went to Molineux. They won 4 1. The first goal. Bruno Fernandes goal is Barry, one of the greatest goals in Premier League history. I watched it again and again and again and again. I think by the time I'd stopped rewinding it and playing it again, it was half time. I was was just. I just. So many parts of it made me so happy.
- [39:58]
Lars Ividson
Yeah, I remember saying earlier in the season that I thought wolves had far too much about them to get relegated and that they were playing well and results were just going against them. But this match certainly disabused me of that notion. And this goal in particular was just.
- [40:17]
Comical. Casemiro kind of half heartedly presses Andrew halfway inside. The Wolves half sticks out a toe and prods the ball forward to Matthias Kuna. He passed to Bruno Fernandes, but the pass was terrible. It was too short and was slightly behind Bruno, so he fell over. He got back to his feet. I can't remember who the defender was, but he tried to dispossess Bruno. Then he fell over. Bruno get back to his feet and scuffs the ball past Sam Johnson who gets a big hand on it but still can't keep it out. It was like wolves had recruited just five or six drunks from the nearby weatherspoons and handed them shirts and said right, go out and play. And these guys have never actually seen anyone play football before. It Was so comical.
- [41:13]
Max Rushden
Oh, it was so great.
- [41:14]
Lars Ividson
Yeah. I felt for. Wolves fans had a protest, pre match protest. So they didn't take their seats for the 10 minutes. The first 10 minutes. And in an almost cruel act of irony, the ref didn't blow the final whistle until the clock had ticked over into 10 minutes of added time. So. So you're watching 90 minutes. Whether you like it or not.
- [41:40]
Max Rushden
They did score their first goal for 540 minutes. Belegarde 599. Oh, was it? Oh, my apologies. Yeah. Jean Rigner, Bellegarde getting that one. And Man United were quite good after that. Lars. I mean, nice to see Mason Mount scoring. I wonder how long we. We have to say nice to see Mason Mount scoring. It's sort of quite patronizing, you know. Man United are now sick. They're level on points with Chelsea. They are one point off fourth place. I daren't ask, have they turned a corner? I just.
- [42:07]
Lars Ividson
I don't.
- [42:07]
Max Rushden
I don't want to ask that question, but I. What. What are they?
- [42:10]
Barry Glendenning
That is almost an interesting subject in. On its own, though, Max. How there are some clubs because of their stature and because of all the drama and so around them, they can never just be okay. They're like, either they're back or it's doom and disaster everywhere. And I feel like United are one of those where, like, what they are this year is a team that might be good enough to qualify for the Champions League. Like, they've got a real shot at making fourth or fifth. And I think that's really good progress for them. And it doesn't have to be either Man United are back or everyone needs to get fired immediately. Like, the truth will be somewhere in between those. And the truth is that they're kind of ticking along all right. And. And it's not flukish. I've been very good so far this episode. I haven't done it a lot, but I am going to default to the XG and point out that they are fourth in the XG table now. Which kind of backs up the fact that actually they've been playing reasonably well. That's what it's looked like as well. I am a Mason Mount enjoyer. I do think him getting fit is helpful. I think we spend so much time talking about the players who don't fit into Amarim's system. I think he really does fit into Amarim system. Mason Mount. Even if he's not the most spectacular player in the world, it does seem like their opponents could have fielded a team of actual Wolves and had more organization defensively than they did on the day. So maybe we shouldn't read too much into this. But, you know, United kind of fine.
- [43:31]
Max Rushden
Wolves have two points still not enough points from 15 games and they go.
- [43:35]
Barry Glendenning
Get two more than actual Wolves would have had at this point.
- [43:38]
Max Rushden
Yeah, true. They go to the Emerald. I guess that gives us a chance. Niki, while you're here to ask your current Arsenal thoughts.
- [43:45]
Nicky Bandini
I don't know that I want to tempt fate because if something went wrong in this game against Wolves, not.
- [43:50]
Max Rushden
Not specifically the Wolves game, of course, but. So I'm thinking more holistically than that.
- [43:55]
Nicky Bandini
Yeah. I have to admit I didn't get to catch the video game at all because I was working on a hosting an event this weekend, so I was fully unable to follow it. So it was one of those results I saw and I was like, oh, that's not great. But I do feel like I said weeks ago, when everyone was going, oh, well, the title, there were literally articles saying, is the title race over? And we were 11 games into the season. I said, this is a bit silly because at some point you lose a game and suddenly that five point gap isn't actually as huge as everyone pretends it is. So.
- [44:25]
I think it's still a team having a great season that I'm not worried about. But obviously I didn't see the game against Villa. Maybe they were much worse than I imagined they were. I don't know. So I didn't see that game producer.
- [44:37]
Max Rushden
Joel saying there were podcasts saying that Arsenal won the League too. I don't know if you're pointing at us, Joel, but you know, we're allowed to flow.
- [44:43]
Barry Glendenning
I still think they will, for what.
- [44:45]
Max Rushden
It'S worth, but I agree.
- [44:47]
Barry Glendenning
I actually watched this game in a barn, as you do with some Arsenal fans, and I thought Villa were really good.
- [44:53]
Nicky Bandini
Just. Just to.
- [44:53]
Barry Glendenning
Just to put it out, I. I've been very anti Villa and I've not understood their run of results because I don't think their performances have been great. But Villa actually very good in a box in Norway.
- [45:03]
Max Rushden
In a barn in Norway. Norwegian barn. Okay, that sounds fun.
- [45:07]
Barry Glendenning
It was a little cold, but perfectly pleasant.
- [45:09]
Max Rushden
I can imagine there isn't a Norwegian footballer called the Barn that, you know, you know, that's an old clodding center back, isn't it? In the championship, Frank Lampard's Coventry drew one all at Preston. They lost three nil at the weekend, so a little bit of a blip. Still 10 points clear of Millwall. In third, who have a game in hand. Middlesbrough are five points behind. They beat Charlton 21 at the Valley. There were lots of tributes at the Valley to Norman Barker, 68 year old, who'd been going to Charlton since 1968, who was taken ill during the 13th minute of the game against Portsmouth on Saturday and passed away. Despite receiving medical treatment, he died in hospital later. He was known as Headphones Norm. He wore big over ear headphones to the games. He'd been named Charlton's Supporter of the Year by manager Nathan Jones in July. In a tribute posted online, the club said it was devastated by the loss of one of its most loyal and recognizable faces. We had an email from Sam who said I wanted to share the sad news of the passing of lifelong Charlton supporter Norman Barker. He was a season ticket holder for 35 years. A constant presence through every twist of the club's journey. From leaving the Valley to the emotional, emotional return home. From the heights of Premier League football to the tougher years in League one, Norman's loyalty never wavered. He represented the very best of what it meant. It means to be a football fan. Devotion, resilience and an unbreakable bond with his club. His loss will be deeply felt within the Charlton community. Thanks for taking a moment to acknowledge a supporter who truly lived and breathed the game. And I suppose, Nicky, it's gone beyond Charlton because we all sort of represents what so much of going to football is, that there's just some guy that's always there whenever you. The first time you go, he's there. And it's not sort of ageless because we're all aging, but like, like for sort of 25 years you could see the same person standing in the same place and he sort of represents that.
- [46:57]
Lars Ividson
I think.
- [46:57]
Nicky Bandini
Yeah, I think as soon as you said that nickname, the headphones Norm, that you just think, certainly when I was going to Arsenal every. Every week as a season to go older, which I don't get to do nowadays. But. But when you go every week, you do see people over and over again. And some of them you. You never speak to because maybe they're a few rows away. They're just people who you see going past you on the way to the rose. You recognize them in their seat and you do have these very. I don't know this. It feels like you know people who you don't know and you recognize people you don't know. And sometimes you even see someone, you give them a little nod, you give them a hello, even though you've Never shared words with them. And maybe once you'll end up in that scrum that happens after a goal, you'll end up hugging these people because you don't actually really even think about it when you're in those moments of joy at a football game, do you? So. So I think there is this, this very particular bond with football and football fans when you're all there for the same reason. You're all there to cheer the team together and you do you just recognize people and feel a connection to people even without actually knowing them. And I think those, the little details like the headphones become part of who that person is and how people relate not to them specifically, but to the experience of going to the ground and being at the game. And I think that all fans who go to the games every, every week like that become part of the tapestry. And yeah, it's, I suppose he's just become this embodiment for lots of people of, of what that feeling is of connection to, to people who support your club with you.
- [48:28]
Max Rushden
Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself. The bottom of the championship looks very sort of 90s early 2000s. Premier League Portsmouth 22nd, Norwich 23rd, Sheffield Wednesday obviously bottom minus nine points. I was complaining Onx about Cambridge letting in an equalizer at home to chesterfield in the 92nd minute after dominating the game and just in fury. And Matt replied saying worse, having not won in weeks, Wednesday conceded on 90/7 with 7 seconds left, having had possession of the ball with 14 seconds to go. It never rains but it pours. They drew one all with Watford and we'll finish with this from Rustal FC in step five, the Southern Counties East Football League in Kent. The they tweeted slight delay here to the restart due to a floodlight issue and they sent a photo. This was from the weekend but we didn't have time on Monday and there's, you know, a few people standing, you know, just on the grass, some advertising hoardings. There's a ladder going up to the sort of fuse box or whatever it is and at the top of the ladder is a guy wearing a number nine shirt in full kit and his boots on. It's clearly the center forward is a guy called Char Clover who did. Who tweeted later, I did my best. Apparently 14 out of the 16 lights on wasn't enough for the restock start. Shane being tuna luck, but oh well, we go again. Yeah, they were two up I think against Corinthians and he fixed most of the floodlights but not enough. He isn't is a qualified electrician. It is worth 14 out of 16.
- [49:54]
Nicky Bandini
Sounds pretty good.
- [49:55]
Max Rushden
That seems good enough to me, doesn't it? But you know, it's an apps. It's sort of like it epitomizes non league football, this picture in such a beautiful way.
- [50:05]
Barry Glendenning
I, I think if we had 14 out of 16 lights in the house working, we could still podcast.
- [50:10]
Max Rushden
So I'm saying there are different things, I guess, but yeah, we blame the ref.
- [50:14]
Nicky Bandini
I don't think I have 14 lights in my house.
- [50:19]
Max Rushden
There's a little part of me that wants everyone to count how many. You know, that's a. That's a different. That feels like a different podcast to me. Anyway, that'll do for today.
- [50:27]
Barry Glendenning
Thank you very much. International break, Max, let's do it next. International break. Everyone counts how many lights they have in their house.
- [50:33]
Max Rushden
I have on the radio made listeners count account all the plastic bags you have in that cupboard. And many have obliged and then questions a bit like you watching a full pathos game question what they're doing with their life. But you need people like this to help fill the content. Thank you, Barry.
- [50:48]
Lars Ividson
I didn't say it at the time because I wanted him to stop, but if Lars wants to see fish wearing clothes, I suggest he watch an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.
- [51:02]
Max Rushden
No time to react. Thank you, Lars.
- [51:04]
Barry Glendenning
Thank you, Max.
- [51:05]
Max Rushden
Thanks, Nikki.
- [51:06]
Nicky Bandini
Thanks.
- [51:06]
Max Rushden
Football Weekly is produced by Joel Grove and Jesse Howard. Our executive producer is Danielle Stevens. We'll be back tomorrow.
- [51:15]
This is the Guardian.
- [51:23]
Progressive Insurance Announcer
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it at progressive. Com, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.