Football Weekly: Liverpool Win at Inter While Mo Salah Lifts Weights Alone

The Guardian Football Weekly — December 10, 2025
Host: Max Rushden | Panel: Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini, Lars Ividson

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Liverpool’s tough but crucial 1-0 victory over Inter at the San Siro, dissecting the tactical choices and controversies, with a special spotlight on the Mo Salah saga and his probable exit. Max, Barry, Nicky, and Lars also unpack Chelsea’s slump at Atalanta, Tottenham’s comfortable win, key Champions League results for Bayern, Barcelona, Atlético, and Arsenal’s Premier League hopes. Lighter moments include playful banter about fish in shirts, non-league footballers fixing floodlights, and the meaning of football community.

Liverpool Edges Inter: Match Recap and Analysis

Liverpool’s 1-0 Victory (San Siro)

Key Moment:

• 88th min: Szoboszlai converts a penalty won after Bastoni pulled Florian Wirtz’s shirt—ending Inter's 2+ year unbeaten Champions League home run.

Panel Insights:

• Liverpool’s Mentality & Performance

  • "Liverpool just needed a win to go in off their backside... that’s kind of what happened." – Max Rushden [01:43]
  • “It wasn’t that pleasant of the eye but a very good win for Liverpool... not impressed by Inter, they didn’t show much imagination.” – Lars Ividson [02:02]

• Inter’s Troubles in Big Games

  • “There’s a problem with Inter... a total inability to show up in games against big clubs.” – Nicky Bandini [03:20]
  • “Domestically… they’ve been bad in big games over and over again.” – Nicky Bandini [04:24]
  • “Since then, Simone Inzaghi’s gone and I think the team hasn’t really worked out who it is under Cristian Chivu.” – Nicky Bandini [04:45]

• Penalty Controversy

  • "Some refs give it, some don’t. This one did and I don’t think they can have any complaints." – Lars Ividson [02:02]
  • "You can’t really complain—Inter fans were more annoyed by a van Dijk handball after the goal." – Nicky Bandini [05:06]
  • “VAR… just interminable, that wait for that disallowed goal. Does anybody want this?” – Max Rushden [07:49]

Notable Quotes:

• “He tugged Florian Wirtz’s shirt. It’s a foul.” – Lars Ividson [02:02]
• “Penalty… won’t get given [in Premier League] but it is grabbing someone’s shirt in the area.” – Nicky Bandini [05:06]
• “VAR goal check of the month… play the Lightning Seeds!” – Max Rushden [09:36]

Post-Salah Liverpool?

Tactical Observations:

• “Liverpool: a team with not much confidence came up against a team with less confidence. That worked for them...” – Max Rushden [05:51]
• “It is significant that they kept a clean sheet; that’s been Arne Slot’s justification for dropping Salah.” – Barry Glendenning [06:17]

Quote:

• “If you’re carrying a passenger, it becomes a problem… having 10 outfield players who work off the ball is an advantage.” – Barry Glendenning [06:29]

Mo Salah Lifts Alone: The Saga

Social & Media Fallout:

• “Salah posted a sort of moderately pathetic picture of him all by himself in the gym... all just a bit sort of pathetic, I think.” – Max Rushden [09:36]
• “Being the center of attention for too many years... warps your ego a little bit. Benching a guy for two and half games… that has led him to go public… is a completely disproportionate reaction.” – Barry Glendenning [10:33]
• “It feels like the beginning of the end, doesn’t it?” – Nicky Bandini [13:17]

Arne Slot’s Stance:

• “Slot was very much trying to keep the focus on the players who were in Milan... very much trying to keep the focus on the team.” – Lars Ividson [13:56]
• “If there’s to be forgiveness, Salah will have to come to him and grovel. I can’t see that happening.” – Lars Ividson [14:56]

Future for Salah:

• “Maybe him moving on to Saudi Arabia in January is the thing that makes sense for everyone.” – Barry Glendenning [13:01]

Notable Quotes:

• “Does that mean Kenny Dalglish can just get himself in the team whenever he feels like?” – Lars Janage (via Nicky Bandini) [13:17]

Champions League Round-Up

Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea: More Blues for the Blues

• “Chelsea have become one of those conversations we’ve had too many times—no idea how to work them out.” – Lars Ividson [16:09]
• “It was nice to see De Ketelaere heavily involved in both goals.” – Max [17:20]
• “He’s a rare kind of footballer… on song last night.” – Nicky Bandini [17:38]
• “Atalanta have a knack for fixing up players who had big moves that didn’t work out.” – Barry Glendenning [18:38]

Chelsea’s Struggles:

• “You can be young and expensive, as I’m sure many listeners are aware.” – Barry Glendenning [16:57]

Tottenham 3-0 Slavia Prague: Comfortable, But…

• “Spurs were good. Xavi Simons is good.” – Barry Glendenning [23:04]
• “Kyungmin Son had his official farewell last night... own goal and two penalties.” – Lars Ividson [23:04]
• “Slavia Prague… very poor… 15,000 in the crowd—I could understand why fans might not bother to go.” – Lars Ividson [23:57]

On Xavi Simons:

• “He’s not getting the ball in good positions… has been knocked off the ball a little too often as well.” – Barry Glendenning [24:52]
• “Selecting Archie Gray [in midfield] is big, because he can pass the ball forwards.” – Max Rushden [25:55]

Other Results & Talking Points

Barca 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

• “Barca are entertaining at the moment… still play with a high line, which occasionally goes completely wrong.” – Barry Glendenning [29:35]
• “Marcus Rashford’s cross for the first goal was a brilliant cross... reasons to persist with him.” [30:32]

Bayern 3-1 Sporting (Spotlight on Leonard Karl)

• “Leonard Karl looks like the next big teenage thing.” – Nicky Bandini [32:24]
• “He’s the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive games.” – Lars Ividson [33:19]
• “In Munich, there is always clamor.” – Archie Rhind-Tutt (via Max) [33:52]

Atléti 3-2 PSV (“The Viking King”)

• “Alexander Sørloth—the Viking King—with one assist and one goal.” – Lars Ividson [34:15]
• “If you are a Norwegian player… and you get neither Norse God nor Viking King, then you’re doing something wrong.” – Max Rushden [35:15]

Notable Debates & Memorable Moments

Pride Flag Controversy at Spurs

• "Tottenham are forced to move the Proud Lilywhites Pride flag at the request of Slavia Prague... It’s another reminder of the hostility LGBTQI+ fans still face across European football." – Max Rushden [26:15]
• “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.” – Barry Glendenning [28:19]
• “If you can say that when everyone goes to Qatar… you have to respect the culture, then why the hell don’t clubs coming to Tottenham have to respect the culture?” – Nicky Bandini [28:38]

VAR & Fish in Shirts

• “Some local reporters suggested Wirtz went down like a fish… fish, of course, don’t wear shirts.” – Barry Glendenning [07:22]
• “If Lars wants to see fish wearing clothes, I suggest he watch an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.” – Barry Glendenning [50:48]

Premier League & EFL Highlights

Man United 4-1 Wolves

• “Bruno Fernandes’ goal is… one of the greatest goals in Premier League history. I watched it again and again.” – Max Rushden [39:31]
• "Wolves had recruited five or six drunks from the nearby Wetherspoons..." – Lars Ividson [40:16]
• “Man United are now sixth… level on points with Chelsea… one point off fourth place. I daren’t ask, have they turned a corner?” – Max Rushden [42:06]
• “Some clubs… can never just be okay. With United… it’s either doom or ‘they’re back.’” – Barry Glendenning [42:10]

Arsenal & the Title Race

• “When everyone was saying, 'is the title race over,' I said this is a bit silly… at some point you lose a game.” – Nicky Bandini [43:54]
• “I still think they [Arsenal] will [win the league], for what it’s worth.” – Barry Glendenning [44:43]

EFL & Non-League Community

The Passing of "Headphones Norm"

• “He represented the very best of what it means to be a football fan: devotion, resilience, and an unbreakable bond with his club.” – Listener email [46:56]
• “Football is this tapestry… There’s just some guy that’s always there. You see people you never speak to, but you recognize them, and one day you hug them after a goal.” – Nicky Bandini [47:31]

Non-League Floodlight Heroics

• Rustall FC’s #9 (Char Clover) climbs a ladder in full kit to fix the floodlights mid-match:
  • “14 out of 16 lights on wasn’t enough for the restart… but we go again.” – Char Clover (via Max) [49:54]
  • “If we had 14 out of 16 lights in the house, we could still podcast.” – Barry Glendenning [50:04]

Funniest and Most Memorable Quotes

• “Penalty… fish of course, don’t wear shirts.” – Barry Glendenning [07:22]
• “If you’re incapable of looking at a flag that has a rainbow on it and not losing your mind, you really need to question your life choices.” – Max Rushden [29:13]
• “Spurs have become one of those conversations we’ve had too many times—no idea how to work them out.” – Lars Ividson [16:09]
• “Watching Pafos-Monaco in its entirety… my work/life balance may not have gone as well as I thought.” – Barry Glendenning [21:14]
• “If Lars wants to see fish wearing clothes, I suggest he watch an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.” – Barry Glendenning [50:48]

Key Timestamps

• [01:43] Liverpool edge Inter — match analysis
• [03:20] Inter’s struggles in big matches
• [06:17] The Salah debate: clean sheets and coaching choices
• [09:36] The Salah power struggle and social fallout
• [16:09] Chelsea’s defeat at Atalanta dissected
• [23:04] Spurs cruise past Slavia Prague; Simmons’ star shines
• [26:15] Pride flag row and the wider cultural debate
• [39:31] Man United thump Wolves, outstanding Fernandes goal
• [46:56] “Headphones Norm”: football's community heartbeat
• [49:54] Non-league footballer up a ladder for floodlights

Closing Thoughts

This episode masterfully blends tactical football discussion and broader cultural debates with the pod’s trademark wit and warmth. From Liverpool’s gritty win, Salah’s ego saga, and VAR absurdities, to grassroots moments and calls for inclusion, the panel delivers lively, insightful football punditry with heart, humour, and humanity.