The Carabao Cup semis and more upheaval at Real Madrid: Football Weekly Extra

Summary

Guardian Football Weekly – “The Carabao Cup semis and more upheaval at Real Madrid: Football Weekly Extra” (Jan 15, 2026)
Podcast Summary

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, with lively panel debate on Chelsea vs Arsenal and Newcastle vs Manchester City, and analysis of the key VAR controversy at St. James’ Park. The team reflects humorously on a dismal AFCON semi-finals night, reviews the state of play at Real Madrid after Xabi Alonso’s departure, and previews the upcoming Premier League weekend—including a focus on the Manchester derby and Tottenham’s woes. True to the Football Weekly style, the show is witty, informal, and full of sharp, informed insight and memorable one-liners.

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Carabao Cup Semi-finals

Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal at Stamford Bridge

[02:01]–[12:30]

• Arsenal’s Strength on Display:

  • Philippe Auclair and Barry Glendenning note that Arsenal fielded an uncharacteristically strong team for a cup semi, suggesting Arteta is determined to avoid more semi-final losses.
  • Chelsea, managed by Liam Rossini for his first game at the Bridge, was severely depleted but showed spirit to keep the tie alive.

• Key Performances and Moments:

  • Arsenal’s xG was 2.7 to Chelsea’s 0.6, underlining Arsenal’s dominance, though missed chances prevented a bigger margin.
  • Chelsea’s young players “didn’t buckle,” notably rallying to score through a tenacious Garnacho goal.
  • “You could almost forgive that [playing from the back], but for the second goal, that’s absolute basics. ... That’s two mistakes on the goalkeeper and you’re two-nil down in a cup semi-final.” – Max Rushden on Robert Sánchez [07:00].

• Goalkeeper Critique:

  • Robert Sánchez’s mistakes were again costly: “I’m continually amazed he’s still Chelsea’s goalkeeper.” – Max Rushden [06:53].
  • The panel questions Chelsea’s decision to persist with Sánchez given repeated errors over the years.

• Arsenal’s Jokerz Dilemma:

  • Striker “Jokerz” (Jokæres) scored but didn’t celebrate convincingly, leading Philippe to call him “a work in progress.”
  • “He’s about a yard slower than he normally should be, and his celebration was actually really muted. ... He’s a work in progress and I hope they stick with him.” – Philippe Auclair [09:28].

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Newcastle 0–2 Manchester City at St. James’ Park

[12:30]–[18:10]

• The VAR Farce:

  • The panel spends less time than the notorious six-minute VAR check on City’s second goal—a farcical delay due to offside confusion and technical glitches in the semi-automated offsides system.
  • “The law in question is an ass... Six minutes is completely ridiculous.” – Barry Glendenning [13:00].
  • Newcastle fans left in the dark as the check dragged on; ultimately, City benefited, tucking a second goal in lengthy stoppage time.

• Match Analysis:

  • City fielded a weakened defence but got the job done; Newcastle failed to take advantage.
  • Lewis Hall praised as “outstanding” and “definitely the man of the match,” despite the loss [14:19].
  • Antoine Semenyo’s good form continues for City.

• Offside Law Discussion:

  • Philippe and the panel ridicule the proposed “daylight” offside rule and instead endorse “a little bit of leniency.”
  • “It’s a stupid idea. ... We should be looking for impartiality, not objectivity.” – Philippe Auclair [18:03].

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AFCON Semi-finals (Africa Cup of Nations)

[24:59]–[31:27]

• Dismal Football, Defensive Tactics:

  • Both semi-finals were described as “terrible”—particularly Egypt’s game, which disappointed Barry Glendenning.
  • Egypt’s approach: “It was disgraceful... they made no effort to try and score.” – Barry Glendenning [25:23].

• North African Caution:

  • Noted as a repeated trait; “Egypt actually have a history of playing some of the most anti-football of all time.” – Dan Bardell [26:44].
  • Nigeria-Morocco offered marginally more action but suffered from high expectations on players/managers and immense pressure (Morocco, unbeaten at home for 16 years).

• Individual Standouts & Rule Frustrations:

  • Calvin Bassey’s “phenomenal” performance for Nigeria lauded as best individual AFCON display—unfortunately, yellow card suspension rules would have seen him miss the final.
  • “It’s nuts. ... You want the best four teams in the final.” – Barry Glendenning [30:03].
  • The panel is baffled AFCON still suspends players for two bookings—a rule dropped by most competitions.

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Premier League Preview

[31:27]–[39:20]

• Manchester Derby (Man United at City):

  • Michael Carrick’s return to United as interim manager offers hope: “Man United have a chance to surprise. ... They'll be running harder.” – Max Rushden [32:03].
  • United are only 3 points off fourth, facing an inconsistent City defense; pundits note City’s attack (Doku, Haaland, Semenyo) is “scary” but not unbeatable.
  • Haaland’s six games without a goal in open play—“Now it feels like he’ll definitely score a hat trick this weekend.” – Dan Bardell [34:41].

• Tottenham vs West Ham:

  • Panel jokes about looming sadness: “The saddest game in football this weekend.” – Producer Joel via Dan Bardell.
  • “Wouldn’t be a surprise if Tottenham lost, and if they do, that has to be it for Thomas Frank, doesn’t it?” – Barry Glendenning [35:08].
  • Conor Gallagher’s move to Spurs is seen as a good deal; some skepticism remains about whether he solves Tottenham’s actual squad needs.

• Other Notables:

  • Villa’s home form and the expected reaction to Jack Grealish’s return.
  • “As long as we’re in touch, we’re in the race.” – Max Rushden on Villa’s top-four pursuit [38:43].
  • Liverpool v Barnsley’s Szoboszlai backheel labeled “not disrespectful, just stupid” after failed execution [37:51].

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Off-the-Pitch & Notable Segments

• Newcastle’s Supporters Trust & Saudi Sponsorship:
  Objected to for “actively promoting the regime that owns them,” with many Newcastle fans expressing distaste for the support trust’s involvement in a promotional ad [21:29].

• Use and Misuse of AI in Football Decisions:

  • Discussion of West Midlands Police’s embarrassing error using Microsoft Copilot, which fabricated a match to justify banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a fixture—“AI is not to be trusted... needs to be checked,” says Barry Glendenning [40:29].

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Real Madrid Upheaval – The Xabi Alonso Era and Its End

[42:27]–[55:46]

• Albacete’s Shock Win:
  • First ever win over Real Madrid; winning goal a “gorgeous” finish by a player who left football to become an electrician [43:19].
• Xabi Alonso’s Sacking:
  • The panel (especially Sid Lowe) explains the finger of blame pointed at the players, not the manager.
  • “Alonso accused of doing what he was asked to do.” – Jorge Valdano (summarizing Real’s culture) [49:40].
  • Discussion of the structural, not just coaching, rot within the club; club culture resists a “structure or systems” manager.
  • Notable image of Vinicius walking off the pitch after being subbed; public challenge to Alonso’s authority which was left unaddressed [50:34].
  • Panel notes Florentino Pérez’s skepticism of managers and preference for trusting the players.
  • Despite poor football, fans never clamored for Alonso’s dismissal; players, especially Vinicius, have faced more criticism than the coach.
  • “Any attempt to reinforce [authority] ... you need some higher authority saying, well, tough shit. But no one did.” – Sid Lowe [51:49].
  • Bellingham’s fit with Alonso called “quite a difficult piece to fit in,” and the panel teases the performative social media “goodbye” messages players issue after sackings [54:08].

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Fun Features and Listener Mail

[57:25]–[59:51]

• Comedy Dinner Parties:
  • Fun, odd choices for footballers’ ideal dinner guests (Freddie Potts—Donald Trump, Elon Musk, etc.; Damien Delaney—dictators + Keith Richards).
• Wedding Congratulations:
  • Listener’s Arsenal-supporting friend gets well-wishes from Barry. Banter about insufferable Gooner friends if Arsenal win the league, and neutrals rooting for Villa.

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Memorable Quotes

• “Football unites the world—well, at least in hating Gary Neville.” – Philippe Auclair [05:01]
• “The law in question is an ass and I can’t disagree with that.” – Barry Glendenning on VAR [13:00]
• “This is what it’s come to—as I suppose we thought it would.” – Barry Glendenning on Newcastle Trust’s Saudi ad [22:04]
• “If he’d scored with that backheel, no one would have said it was disrespectful … it was just very stupid.” – Philippe Auclair on Szoboszlai [37:51]
• “Alonso accused of doing what he was asked to do.” – Jorge Valdano via Sid Lowe [49:40]
• “Any attempt to reinforce that authority ... you need some higher authority to say ‘tough shit.’ But no one did.” – Sid Lowe [51:49]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal - Analysis: 02:01–12:30
• Newcastle–Man City, VAR/Offside Law: 12:30–18:10
• AFCON Semis: 24:59–31:27
• Manchester Derby Preview: 31:27–34:26
• Tottenham–West Ham / Gallagher Transfer: 34:26–36:39
• Liverpool–Barnsley & Villa Preview: 37:19–39:20
• AI Football Gaffe: 39:20–41:10
• Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso Era: 42:27–55:46
• Listener Q&A, closing banter: 57:25–end

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Overall Tone:
Light-hearted, sharply humorous, informed, often self-deprecating, and unafraid of digression. Panelists mix serious football insight with offbeat asides and listener-level accessibility.

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Perfect for listeners who want:

• Quick catch-ups on the key English and European football stories of the week
• Witty and critical takes on VAR, club management, and football culture
• Analysis of the big games and club crises, with a few laughs and football history references along the way

Transcript

[Max Rushden]

This is the Guardian.

[Raj Samani]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah. And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah Smith]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Raj Samani]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Noah Smith]

We'll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right. So the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Raj Samani]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah Smith]

And for the first time ever, we're gonna have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're gonna be right here to help you do them better.

[Philippe Auclair]

Love y'.

[Barry Glendenning]

All.

[Dan Bardell]

Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. The Carabao cup semi finals. Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge, but the tire's still alive after two second half goals from Alessandro Garnacho. Not a great night for Robert Sanchez. We've said that before. The real fun was at St. James's park the night before as we all stared at the legs of Pope Haaland and Chow for five and a half minutes. There was a football match either side of that var decision and Turkey's injury time goal gives Man City a big advantage and then to afcon. Let's hope the final between Senegal and host Morocco is marginally better than last night's semi finals. Meanwhile, Sid joins us to talk about Xabi Alonso's demise at the Bernabeu. His successor didn't have a great start last night, losing to second tier Albacete and the Copa del Rey. The best scenes anywhere. Last night there's a Premier League preview, the Manchester Derby. A nice start for Michael Carrick. We'll do all that plus your questions. And that's today's Guardian Football Weekly. On the panel today, Barry Glendennick. Welcome.

[Barry Glendenning]

Hi, Max.

[Dan Bardell]

Hello. Dan Bardell.

[Max Rushden]

Hello, Max.

[Dan Bardell]

Bonjour.

[Philippe Auclair]

Sava.

[Dan Bardell]

Philippe Auclair.

[Philippe Auclair]

Maxdin. Bonjour.

[Dan Bardell]

Bonjour. To Stamford bridge, then Chelsea 2, Arsenal 3. Liam Rossini's first game in charge at the Bridge. And I guess Philippe, given how depleted Chelsea were and how surprisingly strong Arsenal starting 11 was, it was quite a good close game. I mean, Arsenal had chances to go 4:1. That could be very different, but. But it's nice that it's in the balance.

[Philippe Auclair]

It is. It was actually. It was a very good game. So the contrasting semifinals between the AFCON and the Carabao Cup, I must say it was not quite exactly the same kind of sport that was. We'll talk about that or we won't. And I think that the difference in squad strength was demonstrated when you look at the bench that Arsenal had for this game, which was just completely crazy. David Royal, Jesus Eze Martinelli, Norgaard, Madwaque Havertz, Luis Kelly and Michael Merino. That's the bench. So obviously, yes, they were up until a very. Against a very serious Arsenal team. I think the one thing that. I'm a bit surprised though, that when I read the reaction on various social networks or even in some reports, it's almost as if Chelsea had won and they haven't. Let's make that clear. They could have lost by a much greater. The margin of defeat could have been much greater. If you looked at the XG, actually it was 2.7 for Arsenal and 0.6 for Chelsea, which shows a bit how what we all felt during the game that Arsenal had many chances that they could have done much better with. But I think there will be loads of reasons for dissatisfaction, both camps. I mean, what I was impressed with is the way that this young Chelsea team reacted when they found themselves in pretty bad situation where you thought this could really get away from them completely. Arsenal look slick, they look good, they look well organized, everything as threatening on set pieces as ever, but they didn't buckle. And in fact, I mean, one thing that really struck me was the first Garnache goal. If you look at what actually leads to it, three Arsenal players lose 50 50s in the middle of the park, which is Chelsea. By that time they're two nil down. And the Chelsea players are actually hounding the Arsenal players, thinking, yeah, we can do this. And they scored this goal and now it's three, two. And I wouldn't say it's in the balance because there's obviously one side of the balance will be perhaps a little bit lower than the other side, but cracking game. I mean, I have to say, a very, very fine atmosphere. And salute, by the way, to the magnificent moment of communion between Arsenal and Chelsea fans who celebrated Gary Neville in a song that I will not together in a song that I will not repeat. It was so loud that SK couldn't actually drown it, as they usually do when there is a bad word being Sung. They couldn't do that. So everybody in the world could hear, well, this comment about Gary Neville's habits.

[Dan Bardell]

Well, he's bringing people together.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yes, indeed. Football unites the world, as Jenny says.

[Barry Glendenning]

He got in trouble the last time he tried to do that.

[Dan Bardell]

Well, that is true, I suppose, Barry. It's interesting. There's a lot of goodwill, I think, for Liam Rossini and it was quite interesting to. It's. It's a small sample size, but he made some changes and they made a difference. Garnacho especially.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah, he made some changes and he was unlucky that this being his first home game, he was missing so many key players. Rhys James out cold. Palmer Leemed a lap.

[Sid Lowe]

I wasn't surprised.

[Barry Glendenning]

Arson played such a strong team, actually, because apart from winning the FA cup, they've lost quite a few semi finals, I think. So I don't think Michael Arteta wanted to take any chances on this one. I mean, while Chelsea lost this game, I think they kind of got away with it insofar as they could have lost by a lot more and the game looked more likely to. To end 4:1 towards the end than 3:2. So that goal keeps them right in the tie. I don't think any Chelsea fans would be particularly annoyed by this result. They may well be annoyed by the fact that the first goal they conceded was a corner after seven minutes. You should probably be ready for that. And they will be annoyed by Sanchez's performance. He was the subject of a lot of criticism last season and there hasn't been much about him in recent months. He seemed, you know, he seemed to have got his act together and stopped making silly mistakes. But he. He made a couple last night.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah, he did. And maybe that's because he's sort of been in the spotlight before Dan for making mistakes he did make. He got sent off, didn't he, at Old Trafford. I think it was Old Trafford for a sort of dumb challenge. But he doesn't see, you know, that. I suppose the familiar thing you hear is if Chelsea want to win a title, he is not a good enough goalkeeper.

[Max Rushden]

No, I'm continually amazed that he's still Chelsea's goalkeeper. I think he's been their goalkeeper now since 2022. And I tweeted that after he made his mistake last night and was surprised by the response, actually, because a few people came back at me and said, oh, he's having a really good season. He's been really good this season. But over the course of that Chelsea journey, 3,3ish years, there he's been there. Now, every time I watch Chelsea, he doesn't fill me with confidence. He's in the team because apparently he's good with the ball at his feet. But to me, he looks at a bag of nerves every time the ball's at his feet. His defenders look a bag of nerves every time the ball's at his feet as well. And you can almost forgive that. If a team has to play a certain way, they're asked to play a certain way. It's the second goal that's worse. For me, that's absolute basics. I mean, they always say when you're a striker, you need something to go in off your bum. I mean, that's like the equivalent for Yokerez. Like, he couldn't have been presented with an easier opportunity. And that's two mistakes on the goalkeeper and you're two nil down in a cup semi final. And I know he was good in the World Club cup final, but I just think in the biggest games, in the biggest moments, that Chelsea team cannot be full of confidence in their goalkeeper. And when you've spent the money that they have spent, I think they haven't got it right at the kind of back end of the pitching goal. And they haven't got it right at the top end of the pitch either.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah. And, you know, if nothing else, if they brought someone else in, you would have some time where you weren't continually amazed and you could probably get on with your life slightly. You know, it's quite hard to do things while you're just continually amazed, isn't it?

[Max Rushden]

I mean, they tried to, didn't they? In the summer they tried with Manual. They wanted a new goalkeeper, and then that didn't go through and they didn't try anything else. But that probably tells you that they're not fully confident in him.

[Sid Lowe]

Yeah.

[Dan Bardell]

On Jokerz Philippe, he sort of did okay. I mean, he scored his goal and everyone seemed very happy for him. And he. It's interesting now, I guess, with Havertz being fit and Jesus being fit, and I sort of think it'll come good. But I. You know, I've said this before about Timo Werner, amongst others, so that might be the last thing he wants to hear.

[Philippe Auclair]

Well, Timo Werner might come good in the. In the mls. You know, it's true.

[Sid Lowe]

What's the.

[Dan Bardell]

What's the Arsenal vibe on Jokers divided?

[Philippe Auclair]

I think there's a school of fans who will say, we've got to give him chance, you know, Remember when Thierry Henry arrived from Juve it took him six months to find his marks and start scoring regularly. And there's another which says, well, we now have the strikers we need at our disposal and we at least have got to try either Havertz coming back or Jesus from the start, as they both look very sharp indeed. As to me, I'm more of the first school, I think I'm actually very interested in comparing what's happening with Chesko at Manchester United, because in a way they're two similar players who come with a big reputation, having scored back full of goals in leagues. Well, Chesko, okay, Bundesliga, but back full of goals in leagues which are not quite up to the standard of the Premier League, let's put it that way. Young, perfectible, technically, not necessarily the most, the silkiest of players. I do think he can do something very important for Arsenal and obviously Mikel Arteta thinks exactly the same. And at the moment, I think the problem is one of obviously complete lack of confidence. He's about a yard slower than he normally should be and would be if he actually felt like he can get that ball. He doesn't. And his celebration was actually really muted. The celebration of his teammates was in many ways more extrovert than he is. He did this silly thing with his. I don't know what it's supposed to mean at a mosque or whatever it is, but it was a bit almost sheepish, apologetic, almost. It's like, yeah, I've scored. That's great. I'm sorry I didn't score a bit earlier. He's a work in progress and I do hope they stick with him because one thing that had really struck me with Jokehaires when he was in Portugal was that he was a player. He's not a player who is going to put away 90% of the chances that he's offered. He won't do that. But when he missed with Sporting Lisbon, it had absolutely no impact whatsoever in his involvement in the game. He would try and try and try again until it worked out. Remember what happened against Manchester City, where I think he missed two sitters before that game. That revealed him, I think, to many in European football. So he's got to go back in that mental zone. And once in that mental zone, then he will be able to. To make Arsenal profit from. From, you know, what is excellent qualities in front of goal. Even if he's, you know, he's not the silkiest player. We know that.

[Dan Bardell]

That's interesting because if Havertz is the guy you're competing with, you know, he is A graceful guy, isn't he? This big clumbering battering ram. But you know, they, you know, it takes all sorts. Just another one. Philippe Sebriciese. Because since that hat trick against Tottenham which he felt like kind of, he has arrived. He is like a real Arsenal player. He's not really figured.

[Philippe Auclair]

No. And I have to say I don't have an answer because I'm asking myself the same question. And sometimes like you felt, oh, Madwick is. Come on. Or Madwick is playing, maybe EZ should be playing, oh, Trossard is playing and you think, okay, I suppose the team is working well and maybe he's not at 100% physically speaking. I wouldn't have any answers to give to that because very often we, I think we go a bit, we go a bit too far because we are not fully aware of what is happening in training and the physical state of the players. So sometimes the decisions are only taken for these reasons.

[Dan Bardell]

Right. You've mentioned lots of other good players. You know you can't pick all of them. John says should the time for VAR to come to a decision be extended just to be sure. Newcastle nil, Manchester City 2. Baz, you set the challenge to spend less time talking about the decision than it took. I will put five and a half minutes on the clock. Let's go we begin. Barry, with you. What did you make of this sort of farcical staring at the legs of lots of tall people in a crowded box at St. James's Park.

[Barry Glendenning]

Right. Well, I'm determined not to get bogged down in it. So I'm going to presume everyone knows who's interested, knows what's happened, what happened. By now the post match consensus appears to have been that by our old friend, the letter of the law, the decision was correct, which is fair enough. But the law in question is an ass and I can't disagree with that. I think the fact that it took nearly six minutes for the officials to arrive at the decision is completely ridiculous. Whether it was right or wrong. I think some of the delay is down to the fact that the semi automated offside machinery wasn't working. Factor in that the crowd are sitting through this and have literally no idea what is going on or why this delay is being heard. Ultimately they didn't care because they got the decision they wanted. Yeah, it was tedious in the extreme. I was doing the minute by minute report on this game. The first half was pretty garbage. Johan Whistler missed a very good chance to give Newcastle an early lead. Apart from that Nothing happened. And the second half things perked up considerably. It was very good. Second half City scored. City went ahead. Not before whistled. Forced a very very good save out of James Trafford. And Bruno had hit the post. Antoine Semenya scored his second goal in two games for Man City. And then in at the near the death of the added time added on four. That lengthy var delay. Shirky double City's lead. So it's difficult to see Newcastle getting back into this tie. But they could have lost by more. One thing I would say Lewis hall was outstanding in this game for Newcastle. Just all over the pitch putting in tackles, getting the ball forward. Made a couple of goal saving blocks. I was so impressed with his performance. Definitely the best player on the pitch. He didn't get man of the match obviously because he wasn't on the winning side. But he was definitely the man of the match.

[Dan Bardell]

Well this is interesting Barry, because you only really did a minute. We've got four and a half minutes left on the var chat. If you want to pipe up Dan on this sort of. You glossed over this huge story because. Because it's tedious. Of course it is. But it's also. You wonder if there'll ever be a var check that makes everyone go okay, we don't need any of this. Like is this if. If this a Carabao cup semi finals? Maybe not a big enough game. But it's just like God save us all. This is what nobody wants.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yeah.

[Max Rushden]

And the semi automated offsides. Got one job to work on a work on a match day and it's. It's not working. Which is a. Which is a pretty big problem ultimately as Barry said, you know, for man from Man City's point of view the. The var check won them the game and got them that second goal. Because there wouldn't have been as much stoppage time if it hadn't have been for the bar check. So they'll see it as being justice done. Because obviously when you're on the wrong end of such a tight decision, it's. It's very, very galling, isn't it? It's the correct decision. It's just frustrating when it literally is millimeters, I think. I think Newcastle needed the ties to be the. The other way around. They needed the second leg to be at St. James's Park. I think losing two nil at home makes it a tough ask in the second leg. And for Newcastle they've been a brilliant team in the Carabao cup now for. For two, three years. Not lost many League cup ties at all in that time obviously been to, been to two finals, winning one and, and losing one. So they'll be really disappointed. Season's been quite bitty so far. They haven't had the consistency that they've had in, in Howes really, really good years and they've got this affinity with the Carabao cup now. They'll have, they'll be really disappointed with how that first leg's gone especially because as well they were up against a. It was a shadow Manchester City defense, wasn't it? There were so many players missing at the back. Nobody's going to feel sorry for Manchester City with the money they've spent and the, and the riches at their disposal. But that is, that is a really, really weak Manchester City backline and unfortunately for Newcastle and the first half was awful that they haven't trou all really in the game.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah, the, the second goal was brilliant. Like it was a really, really lovely move, wasn't it? Just on that offside thing. Sorry to. It's my fault now but like it was a subjective offside. So like people going well you, you're either offside or you're not. So it wasn't clear and obvious. So they couldn't, they didn't have to refer it. So anyway, yeah, all very tiring. Look, Semeno's started very well as perhaps we expected he would for Man City. But they don't always. He's a wonderful player and you know, that is very good news for Manchester City, isn't it? Do you have any strong thoughts, Philippe? Actually I do have a question for you because your old friend Arsene Wenger on these offside decision is this. You know they're going to talk about this idea of daylight on Tuesday, an IFAB meeting which is so such a brain dead. I mean it's such a terrible idea. It's to bring in daylight as a manager offside.

[Philippe Auclair]

It's absolutely.

[Dan Bardell]

Because it would make every defense defend deep because you could make, you could play the perfect offside trap and just have a, you know, a heel and a toe.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yeah.

[Dan Bardell]

And so every defense, it would ruin the game.

[Philippe Auclair]

It's appalling. It's absolutely appalling. And it's only somebody who we spent an absolute fortune for doing focal for FIFA could come up with such an idea. And that's arson Angler today. And he. Before we go to that. Yes, before we go to that, I just want to add one thing. Putting it there. Pep Guardiola is doing a great job for the French national team at the moment because he's going to force Didier Deschamps to have Rayan Shirky in the starting 11. And France will have somebody with a little bit more creativity than a stick in midfield or in attack because we've got loads of wonderful wingers, strikers, everything creators in midfield. We got zero at the moment, but he can play that role. To come back to Arsene and the thing, it's also, I think one of the very first time that one would be happy to have IFAB where the four unions are represented. So four votes for basically the United Kingdom and four votes for FIFA. And all decisions must be taken to a majority of 6. 6 votes. And in this case, the Brits have decided not to play ball. And to say that's a stupid ide. Absolutely right. Probably wrong for the wrong reasons, because I can't imagine they would be right for the right reasons, but they are right and they are in favor of what they call the torso rule, which I think we can more or less all understand, is that when there is a marginal, perhaps offside position in movement, blah, blah, blah, show a little bit of leniency. The idea that it daylight, I was looking even yesterday, if you looked at the Chelsea Arsenal game, there would have been, I think, one penalty given and one goal scored probably. If this Jesus would have been a penalty, for example, you know, when he was clearly offside and was stopped in the box, that with the Arsene Law would have been a penalty. It would have been absurd because he had gained a huge advantage obviously on the Chelsea defender. The thing that I don't understand is that we are looking for objectivity here, when what we should be looking is impartiality, which is not the same thing at all. We all have an idea of what is right and what is not right. All everybody who's ever played football, refereed football, knows when somebody has an impact on the game, that's fine. That's the law. Like yesterday, did Haaland really have an impact on the SE menu goal? No, it did not. There's no way that the keeper would have saved that. That, that flick.

[Barry Glendenning]

He was not penalized for blocking the keeper. He was penalized for blocking Malik Thor's attempt. Any attempt Malik Theor might have made to reach the ball. And I think that's fair.

[Philippe Auclair]

That is fair. But I think that we all feel that it's not quite right because this type of situation happens on literally every single goal. But anyway, that's not the point. The idea that you have daylight and Between a defender, as you say. We would go back to the, you know, the old laws before the 1920s, which was changed. The offside law was changed because, well, simply teams were defending so far back that there was actually very little football played. Because you can't run that Swiss. It's a stupid idea. It's absolutely stupid.

[Dan Bardell]

Anyway, before we end part one, by the way, you. I put this in the group, actually we saw the new Cost United Supporters Trust have been in an advert, Barry.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

Well, Saudi Airlines have made this advert to promote obviously their own airline and to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia where by showing how many great sporting events they show, you know, using boxing and wrestling and that. Those electric cars, Formula E, I think it's called. Newcastle Supporters Trust.

[Dan Bardell]

Who.

[Barry Glendenning]

When? I mean, when Saudi Arabia took over Newcastle and cynical people like us and others accused them of sports washing, Newcastle fans took grave exception to this and said it was nothing of the kind. And now the Newcastle Supporters Trust, who at the time said they would be critical friends of the Saudis and have since not uttered a single word of criticism about them. They were tasked with recruiting extras to star in this ad which features Yasser Al Rumian marching along to St. James's park surrounded by Newcastle fans. And it just seems a bit off that these Newcastle fans are actively promoting the regime that. That owns them now. This is what it's come to, as I suppose we thought it would. The only sort of heartwarming thing about it is that a lot of Newcastle fans have responded to the Newcastle Support United Supporters Trust tweet about this advert. A unique opportunity available to members. They describe this as and a filming project rather than a sports watching project. But a lot of Newcastle fans have. Have reacted with distaste to the manner in which these Newcastle fans are being used or volunteered for this exercise in propaganda.

[Philippe Auclair]

The timing is also particularly distasteful when we've just learned that at least 356 people had been executed by the Saudi authorities, establishing a un grim record in 2025. So, yes, so good for the Newcastle United supporters who can see through this obfuscation. It's shocking obfuscation.

[Dan Bardell]

Okay, that'll do for part one. Part two. We'll begin with the AFCON semi finals.

[Raj Samani]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah. And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah Smith]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Raj Samani]

But who isn't that's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Noah Smith]

We'll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right, so the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Raj Samani]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah Smith]

And for the first time ever, we're going to have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, you, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.

[Raj Samani]

Love you.

[Dan Bardell]

Welcome to Part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. So, to Afcon, then. Blimey. These games were not good, I think it's fair to say. It's a semi final, right. It might be cagey if you're being generous. Senegal won, Egypt nil and Nigeria nil. Morocco nil. Morocco winning 4, 2 on penalties. Egypt didn't manage a shot on target until the last minute of injury time in their defeat to. To Senegal. You watched all of that, Barry. How, how, how much fun did you have?

[Barry Glendenning]

It was. It was terrible. It was one of the worst games of football I've ever seen. And to be honest, most of this AFCON has kind of passed me by. Not because I'm not interested in it, I just don't. There's so much football on that we cover. I don't really have the time to watch a lot of afcon. I've dipped in and out of it and watched it when I could. But as I watched both semi finalists, this was dreadful and there's no point in wasting much time on it. Senegal won. They just about deserved to win. They were the only team that tried to win and Egypt's approach to the game was baffling. It was disgraceful. They made no effort to, to, to try and score and they've, you know, they've got Mo Salah and what's his face up for Omar up front. You know, you got these guys, give them the ball, they might do something with it. But no, they just sat back, defended hourly and got exactly what they deserved from the game, which was knocked out of the tournament. And you would imagine the coach will lose his job if he doesn't. I mean, he should lose his job because that. It's a great opportunity for them to get to the final and they just, the Report stank to high heaven.

[Dan Bardell]

It was not the first time. I mean, I know Assassu and Wilson and lots of people we've handled who've been to AFCON have said, you know, Egypt actually have a history of playing, you know, some of the, the most anti football of all time. Yes.

[Barry Glendenning]

I saw a clip Wilson did on social media about he was at this game and, and he said it's not specifically an Egyptian thing, it's a North African thing.

[Dan Bardell]

Okay, interesting. Well, Nigeria, Morocco. I mean, I, I don't know. You can't. I mean, Morocco, North African as well, but I don't know if they're totally to blame for this game not being great, Philippe. It just wasn't great. Was.

[Philippe Auclair]

Was better. I mean, on, on the.

[Dan Bardell]

It was better. Yeah.

[Philippe Auclair]

On, on, on, on. On the sheet of meter. The Senegal Egypt game was at 11. And I think we could. We turned the, the button down to about six because they actually did try to score goals. I've actually really enjoyed watching Nigeria, if I can say so, throughout the competition because at least they've tried with a team that is a bit of this and a bit of the other side. There are some very, very good players, some players who are not quite as good and some players who are struggling a little bit. And Morocco as well. I have to say, the amount of pressure that they're under, those players and this manager is unbelievable. It's just unbelievable because you've got the World cup coming in 2030. You've got another AFCON probably coming in 2028. First African team to reach a World cup semifinal. They're world champions at under 20. You could carry on like that. Their clubs are doing well. There's been huge investment in football. A little bit like what's happening in Hungary with Orban, by the way, in Morocco, in terms, you've seen the stadiums which are absolute, absolutely magnificent, blah, blah, blah, blah. There's an awful lot. And then they're expected to win because I heard that and I thought this must be wrong. They haven't lost at home for 16 years.

[Dan Bardell]

November 2009, last time they lost a home game.

[Philippe Auclair]

Exactly 30 now, now 39 games unbeaten on home soil. So I would imagine that they can feel a little bit perhaps nervous when, you know, that's like somebody who's only be singing at the open mic at the pub who suddenly gets to play Carnegie Hall. And there's a lot of pressure there. So I can understand and I have some sympathy for both teams. I thought the second semifinal with KG was not what we were expecting, but at least they tried. And in the end, I think about the right result was reached for many reasons. Morocco did have more shots on target. They did try to create more. But I have to say there was one reason why this game actually will. I didn't mind watching it, is that we had one of the great performances, the greatest individual performance of this afcon, which was. Calvin Basset, was absolutely phenomenal, Absolutely phenomenal. I don't know if he plays like that for Fulham. I don't quite think so, but he was absolutely incredible. And even. Even though he would have missed the final if Nigeria had qualified, and that in itself, that was. He. He was the man of the match and he was on the losing side.

[Barry Glendenning]

Yeah, that. That. Those yellow cards are crazy. Yeah, it's nuts. So Calvin Bassey, if Nigeria had gone through, Calvin Bassey would have missed the final because he got two yellow cards in the knockout stages. Senegal have gone through. Habib Diara from Sunderland. He will miss the final because he got two yellow cards in the knockout stages. And Khalidu Koulibaly is also suspended for the final because he got two yellow cards in the knockout stages. I think he also got sent off in the group stage, but it's for the two yellows that he's missing the final. I think he's probably going to be injured anyway, but they need to sort that out. It's. It's. You want the best of have four teams in the final.

[Max Rushden]

That rule's been taken out of pretty much every major competition as far as I know. So I can't understand why AFCON wouldn't make it uniform and do it as well, because that rule's been atrocious since I've been watching football, but it's gone from. It's gone from the Champions League, World Cup, Euro. He's gone from everything else. So the fact that it's still at AFCON is amazing, really.

[Barry Glendenning]

And the fact that Calvin Bassey played so well, knowing he was. Would miss the final. There's shades of Roy Keane in 1999, that semi final against Juventus there. Because, you know, it. It must be very upsetting.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah.

[Barry Glendenning]

And the yellow card he got yesterday was thoroughly undeserved. Like, thoroughly undeserved. It wasn't even a foul.

[Dan Bardell]

I actually think I saw an interview with Roy Keane from years ago where, you know, Fergie was praising him for this, and Roy Keane was typically Roy Keane going, well, what do you want me to do? It's my job, isn't it? Just like you know, it's just like a postman don't praise a postman for posting letters. Don't ask me that. I'm insulted you asked me that question. You know, it's just a classic keynote. Anyway. Two, Manchester United. They go to Manchester City. The game of the weekend, Dan. It's a baptism of fire for Michael Carrick, who has managed Manchester United before in 2021. I think I knew this. He won two and drew one of his three games in charge. So what do you make of the appointments?

[Max Rushden]

He had some tough games in that spell as well. I think he drew away at Chelsea and beat Arsenal in that little spell that he had. So decent track record. I've got a feeling that Manchester United might turn up for this one. They've got a track record of every now and again in a big game. They take you completely by surprise. I've got a feeling that they'll be running harder, they'll be working harder, something might come together. And City have been a little bit stodgy in. In the league recently, drawing a few games. I've got a feeling that the crowd will be up for this one. And Manchester United have got the chance to do something here.

[Dan Bardell]

And listen, they are. They're on 32 points, which is 1 point off fifth, 3 points off fourth. So sort of, you know, from. From sort of the crisis. So the ever ongoing crisis. Philippe, they could finish in the top four this season.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yes. And would be. Would we be extremely surprised if that were the case? I don't think so. Because we've got two teams which are clearly ahead. One which is doing its best to hold on to their coattails. And then behind that, like, good luck, guys. Good luck, guys. So they might well be in the Champions League next season. And when we look back, we think, well, actually the reason why they're in such a position is because of this run of three wins on the trot with Ruben Amarim and, you know, whatever. We don't know. It's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous. As to the Manchester Derby, I was looking. Actually, the results have often come against. I was going to say, not the run of play, but what you would have expected in recent years, even when Manchester City have been flying, they always found this like, it's a very strange one. It's a very strange one. So there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to do that. They will also have Brian and Bumu back.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah. And he's good. He's good at football.

[Philippe Auclair]

Yes, sir.

[Dan Bardell]

Oh, yeah.

[Philippe Auclair]

And Amad back. They're very good at football.

[Dan Bardell]

They are.

[Philippe Auclair]

So I don't know. I'm looking forward to this one and especially against this Man City defense. That could be fun. I mean, even though I have to say we didn't say that. But honestly, Man City having a front three of Doku Haaland Semenu, that's absolutely scary. Absolutely scary. So it could be great fun. Loads of goals.

[Barry Glendenning]

Are we concerned for City insofar as Erling Haaland has now not scored from open play in six games when it felt like he was absolutely running away with the golden boot?

[Dan Bardell]

Well, it now feels like he'll definitely score a hat trick this weekend. I mean, you say lots of fun and lots of goals. What won't be fun is Tottenham v West Ham. As producer Joel says, the saddest game in football this weekend. Just how good is Dr. Tottenham? They'd need to be like house to resuscitate West Ham. But Barry, you can just. You can feel it, can't you? You could just. You can feel an early West Ham goal and then just. Oh, just it ebbs away into nothing.

[Barry Glendenning]

It would not be a surprise if Tottenham lost this game. Oh, if they do. I mean, that has to be it for Thomas Frank, really, doesn't it? Obviously they've signed Conor Gallagher. He may well play if. If fit. And I think he's a great signing for Tottenham. On the face of it, it could all go horribly pear shaped, but they've got him for a bargain price. I think by today's standards he's a good player. I'm a big fan of his as a player and let's see what happens when he's thrown into the meat grinder is Conor Gallagher.

[Max Rushden]

I'm going to sound like a salty, bitter Villa fan here because we obviously wanted to sign him and he's gone to Tottenham. I promise you that's not what I'm doing here. Tottenham, for me, they've got people that will work hard in midfield. To me, they need a ball playing midfielder. Is Gallagher going to come in instantly and solve Tottenham's problems?

[Dan Bardell]

Max, do you remember when England Gallagher played wrinkling? Everyone was furious because. Because he's not that kind of player. I think he's a better version of. And he's not a defensive midfielder, he's an. He's a sort of 8. Sid's coming on in a bit so we can ask him and sort of how he's been for Athletic. But you know, he does get in the box, he does score goals. But you're right, they still don't have anyone who can pass the ball. So that is, you know, that's definitely on the list. We should mention Freddie Potts in the West Ham program. Five people he wants to have dinner with, and he picked Donald Trump, Cristiano Ronaldo, Elon Musk, Ricky Gervais and Ed Sheeran.

[Max Rushden]

He's not read the room there, has I?

[Dan Bardell]

Well, I mean, you know, he's read his own room, I guess Cristiano Ronaldo and Elon Musk would be quite cool to speak to. I listen to a lot of his podcasts. He seems quite cool. He says about Elon does remind me of Damien Delaney's fantasy dinner party when at palace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Chairman Mao, Genghis Khan, Joseph Stalin and Keith Richards. So Keith's got his work cut out, hasn't he, for that one.

[Barry Glendenning]

Is it bad that the two people on Freddie Potter's guest list that I find most objectionable are Ed Sheeran and Ricky Gervais?

[Dan Bardell]

I think it probably is.

[Sid Lowe]

Liverpool.

[Dan Bardell]

Burnley.

[Philippe Auclair]

Liverpool.

[Dan Bardell]

Barnsley 41 On Monday night, the Dominik Szabozlai back heel was the main talking point here. Philippe Huge, a wild overreaction. Conor Horan, the Barsley manager, called it disrespectful. Arnold Slot called it weird. Yeah, I mean, it was sort of, you know, he was clearly playing with great confidence. You know, he'd scored a brilliant goal and he was running sort of past, you know, he was just running sort of the other way. I thought he'd flick it back to the keeper and he just was made to look stupid. But I think it's a bit odd to say it was disrespectful, don't you?

[Philippe Auclair]

Yeah, No, I think it's. It's absurd. First of all, if he. If it. If it had worked, which he should have, would anybody have said it was disrespectful? Nobody would have batted an eyelid. It's a football skill. It's just like back healing the ball. Well, not back healing, it's just passing it back with your studs. We've all done that, tried to. Very often with the same result as Dominik Szoboszlai in this particular game. That's true. There was nothing disrespectful about that. It was very stupid.

[Dan Bardell]

It was stupid. Who got annoyed when someone tried a Panenka and it. And they missed. It wasn't the Lefeb Panenko, was it? Welbeck? And then the opposition got really annoyed with him, as if it was disrespectful. Why are you bothered? He's just Mr. Penalty. Villa play Everton. Dan, you're. You're an obligatory Villa minute. Philippe described you as just clinging on to the top two. Is that how you see it?

[Max Rushden]

I thought it was very disrespectful from. From Philip. I was thinking at the time, Villa at home, Look, I just expect Villa to win their home games because usually that's what they do. Everton are no great shakes. But at the moment, I think Jack Grealish is back from suspension, so that's always an interesting story when he comes back to Villa Park. I wonder, when he's not playing for Manchester City, whether he'll get a slightly better reception than he did the last time he played against the club. But I would expect us to win that game and for as long as we're in touch, I guess essentially we're in the race.

[Sid Lowe]

Yeah.

[Dan Bardell]

While we're on Villa. The chief of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, has apologized to MPS for giving them incorrect evidence about the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, saying it had been produced by artificial intelligence. He told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Monday the inclusion of a fictitious match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham in police intelligence arose as a result of the use of Microsoft Copilot. In an email to the Home Affairs Select Committee published on Wednesday, Gilford said he'd like to offer his profound apology for the error. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared she's lost confidence in him. The report by Sarandi Cook, the Chief Inspector of constabulary, found several errors in how the West Midlands force gathered intelligence on the risks of Maccabee fans coming to Birmingham. The threat was greatly exaggerated, leaving a safety committee that relied on police intelligence with little or no option but to ban them. It said the force made misleading statements through confirmation bias and carelessness rather than any deliberate distortion, and not through anti Semitism. Nor it was alleged to be bowing to political pressure from those in Birmingham angered by Israel's alleged genocide in. In Gaza. I think finding a fictitious football, I mean, I know nothing about AI, but like coming up with a game that hasn't happened, it's sort of extraordinary, isn't it?

[Barry Glendenning]

I'll tell you, Max, it's not uncommon. AI is. Does not know much about football because I occasionally put things in or ask questions and the amount of stuff it gets wrong is incredible. So unless you have a fairly good knowledge of football, if you're relying on AI for information, there's a very good chance it will be Incorrect. Whether it's injury news, players. You know, there was one thing I looked up recently. They still had Brici as a Palace player. All. Yeah, just all sorts of things. It's not to be trusted. You need to check.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah. Insert your own joke about it would fit right in on this panel, etc. Etc. Rest of the games we'll cover on Monday. Chelsea, Brentford, Sunderland, Palace, Leeds, Fulham, Forest, Arsenal, Wolves, Newcastle and Brighton versus Bournemouth. That's on Monday night, but Sid Lowe joins us in just a second. And we will talk about the demise of Xabi Alonso.

[Raj Samani]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah. And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah Smith]

Because we're still doing a lot of.

[Raj Samani]

Stuff wrong, but who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Noah Smith]

We'll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right. So the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Raj Samani]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah Smith]

And for the first time ever, we're going to have full video episodes on YouTube, because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.

[Raj Samani]

Love you.

[Dan Bardell]

Welcome to Part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. Let's go to Madrid. Sid Lowe's here.

[Sid Lowe]

Hey, Sid. Good morning, Max.

[Dan Bardell]

You were in Albacete last night where they beat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. You sent some great pictures. I mean, before we get on to the Real Madrid story, what a night for them.

[Sid Lowe]

Yeah, and I'm glad you've done that because of course everyone's talking about Real Madrid and everyone always talks about Real Madrid and defeats like this, but it's quite nice to.

[Philippe Auclair]

To.

[Sid Lowe]

To talk about the other team for a while. This is the first time Albuquerque have ever beaten Real Madrid. This is a team that's 17th in the second division, one point off relegation, that's really struggling. That was playing with their subs. And then everyone's looked at the Real Madrid team and gone, well, you know, it was full of subs. Well, so was their team. The guy who. Who scored two of the goals as well as love his story, I. I admit that I've done this at pace, but kind of going through the list like that, he's. I think he's playing for his 22nd club in five.

[Dan Bardell]

Some finish. The winning goal is great.

[Sid Lowe]

It's gorgeous, isn't it? He runs through. Admittedly, if Looning comes out, that the move doesn't even happen, but Looning sort of doubts. So he runs through, he gets the first shot, he rebounds back to him, comes back to him, you think the chance is gone. He just does this really gentle little kind of clip into the corner. He's from the Canary Islands. Eight or nine years ago, he gave up football because he said his head wasn't in it. He wasn't in the right, right place. He wasn't mentally feeling good about it, didn't want to continue being a footballer because those 22 clubs in five countries, they're mostly lower level, you know, Greece, Cyprus, Romania. He's been Austria in Spain. I don't think he's played in the top flight, or at least not since the very, very start as he was coming through and he gave up and he became an electrician for a while, all right, and he put round his lights out.

[Dan Bardell]

How much do you think Xabi Alonso would have enjoyed watching that game last night? Or is he too nice to have been like, ah, I was one of.

[Sid Lowe]

The many, many, many recipients, I'm sure of a photograph of Xavier Alonso as he just turns back to the bench and a little smile crosses his face. And that was two in the rounds last night. There's been a lot of discussion about this, and I think it, it helps Alonso in the short term at least, because a lot of discussion has been along the lines of this shows that it's not about the manager. Now, in truth, I don't think many people really thought it was in that. Now, look, they did in that Alonso wasn't able to impose his ideas, he wasn't able to get through to the players. And of course, that is partly his responsibility. But I think in terms of, if you like, a kind of a. A public perception of who to blame for Ramada's problems, the finger was very definitely pointing at the players, not at him. Anyway, this has helped, if you like, to make the debate a bit. A bit broader, to make the debate a bit more structural. But admittedly, obviously, it's. It's only one game, and Arbalar in his first game, I mean, you know, talking about the jokes about electricians and so on, but for 20 minutes last night, the fog Came down and you couldn't see anything. And they were without doubt the best 20 minutes we saw from Real Madrid.

[Dan Bardell]

Look, so much whenever, you know, the discussion turns around Madrid, it's about, look, you can't have a manager that has a structure. It's just vibes. They just need a vibes, man, you've got all these egos. There was some footage of which actually you can explain after the super cup of Mbappe and sort of waving at Xabi Alonso and so dismissively what was happening there.

[Sid Lowe]

I must admit, when I first saw this and the explanation of this, I found it so hard to believe in terms of that can't seriously have just happened, that there was a bit me thinking, please, you know, there's got to be another explanation now. Another explanation has been offered up, but it kind of. It's come a bit late and it feels a little bit like an excuse. So let me explain the scene for you. Barcelona's players are going up to get their medals or about to go up to get their medals, and it looks very much like Alonso is waving the players over to say, we give them a guard of honor. Mbappe is, I don't know, 15, maybe 20 meters away from him saying, no, sod that, and. And waving the players off saying, we're not doing that. Come over here, come over here instead. Come over here instead. And what happens is this is sort of a pause as people kind of look around and then they go with Mbappe. Alonso sort of shrugs and gives up and goes in Amber pays direction as well. And as a court of a portrait of, wow, who really is in charge here? It's very powerful. Now, the alternative suggestion has been that this was about a. A kind of a phalanx of photographers and cameramen and so on, trying to get the bar center image, and that Real Madrid was standing their way. So it wasn't quite as direct as saying, well, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing what you say as, no, no, this is the place to stand, which obviously is far less dramatic, but as a portrait, as an image, it's very powerful. And of course, because so much of the discussion in all of this has been about manager authority, players doing what they want, not so much about tactics and so on, although obviously that plays into this, but about culture and. And about kind of dynamics and. And people, basically.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah. And so what, what, what's the answer then? I mean, is Arboloa the answer?

[Sid Lowe]

Right. Well, no, Arbolo is not the answer, which isn't to say that Things might not go, okay, I. Below is not the answer because the question is, is broader than that. It's not just who's on the bench, but you. The way you phrased it a minute ago was, was it they just need someone who gives them vibes, who lets them play. And here in a heart, I suppose, is the question is, is that just what they need? And if they did that, would that be enough? Or has football moved in a direction where even if you've got really, really good players and you let someone who says, okay, keep them happy, keep them relatively fit and let them play, is.

[Dan Bardell]

That Harry Red Dap?

[Sid Lowe]

Yeah, get out there and kick the ball about a bit. No wonder, in the bloody reserves. But, but, you know, is that enough? And so this, this is part of the, the debate here. Now, you look at that Real Madrid squad and it's nowhere near as good as a squad that won those Champions leagues equally. There, there's been a shift in the way and football's much more about press and high temper and so on. Now, now, that's not to say you can't maybe be countercultural and, and still win. It's only a couple of years since Real Madrid won the Champions League. You look at Real Madrid's history and it's full of these kind of cycles. The manager comes, wants a structure, it doesn't quite work. He goes, someone turns up and goes, hey, here we go, winning again. Now you look at, you look at the, you know, let's not forget Zidane came in as an emergency coach the first time round. Del Bosca came in as an emergency coach the first time and Shoti didn't come as an emergency coach, but he did come at a time in which things weren't working. And, you know, this is story, I've told this before, but I think it's worth reminding people because we sometimes forget it. Ancelotti, his second spell at the club comes because he gets phoned up by Real. No, sorry. He phones Real Madrid's chief executive while he's at Everton to talk about potential signings. You know, have you basically, have you got any off cut cuts that we could, that we could have? And there's a bit of a conversation and he asked, oh, how's it going, by the way, your search for a manager? And they said, oh, not very well, we can't really get anyone. He said, well, have you forgotten about the guy who won you the 10th European Cup? What? And Ancelotti plants this idea and they come back to him and go, oh, yeah. All right then.

[Dan Bardell]

Does that work for all? Does that work for all Everton managers? Could David Moyes do it?

[Sid Lowe]

I like the idea of David Moyes phoning up Barcelona. Just, you know, let's just give it a go, just in case.

[Dan Bardell]

Just a more sensible question, I guess then.

[Barry Glendenning]

Is.

[Dan Bardell]

It's not. Is Arbolo the answer? Or is. Is a Vibes man enough? Is it the. Do the squad have too much power? Are the egos in the squad too powerful to.

[Sid Lowe]

Yes, of course they do.

[Dan Bardell]

A. A structure, tactics guy. In which case, you know, surely they are as brilliant footballers at some point would realize we need somebody who could make us be better than this. Or would it take not winning stuff for two years to work that out?

[Sid Lowe]

Well, I mean, this is the thing, okay? And so much of this, on the face of it, can be really clear cut, but then, of course, you get all of these nuances and, and as you've just said, do they need two years of failure for people to go, okay, let's do this right. Now, this is part of the issue here when, when Alonso takes over. In theory, it's at the best possible time because Madrid were disastrous last year. Now, if ever there's a moment in which people look at it and think, actually, you know, what we could do with some of this. And of course, part of the point is that Alonso. There's a. There was a column from Valdano, Jorge Valdano, back in. Back in October or November time, I think, and the headline, you don't really need to read the rest of it, or the rest of it, as it's Valdano and always is, is really, really good. But the headline sort of sums it up really nicely, and it says, chavy Alonso accused of doing what he was asked to do. And that's essentially the kind of position. So you bring someone in because you want this structure in theory, because you think, you see or you recognize some need for it, but then you don't either have the culture or the people or the authority to follow it through. Now, in all of this, again, it's a bit simplistic to take it to one image, but the image that really sums it up, of course, is Vinicius in the classico. Now, for those who don't, and this is a classico that Real Madrid won. This is Alonso's best moment, which turns out to be his worst moment. Moment. He takes off Vinicius with, I think, about 15 minutes ago, Vinicius comes off in a half, goes straight down the tunnel, says, right, that's it. I'll leave the team then. Oh, you don't want me, right? I might as well just leave, shall I? I'll just. I'll just get out of here, will I? And he walks off. Now, this is in front of 80, 000 people. And however many millions of people are watching at home in front of Alonso, no attempt to hide it. A direct challenge. Now, the challenge itself is a problem, obviously, but what's the problem really, is what happens next. And what happens next is nothing. No reasserting of the manager's authority. No attempt to deal with the, if you like, the behavior of the player. There's a public apology from Vinicius in which he names everyone, but very pointedly doesn't name the manager. And so at that point, the manager's authority is gone. And so any attempt to reinforce that is, you know, any. If you've got a manager who's trying to do things that players don't like, at some point you need some higher authority saying, well, tough shit. But no one did.

[Dan Bardell]

So it's Florentino Perez's fault.

[Sid Lowe]

Well, I mean, in the end, the culture comes down to that. Now, obviously, all of this is nuanced again, because with this structure, with this system, with these ideas, with him as president, they've had phenomenal years, but in this kind of environment. Yes. And also there's another thing here, which is, of course, that Florentino was not particularly enamored with the idea of shabby Alonso in the first place. There are other people at the club who wanted to bring him in. And, and, and actually this is a recurring theme as well, is that for the most part, Fiorentino tends not to believe in manage because he is a player's man in terms of what he thinks the driving force of football is. And so you get, again, it comes back to that thing we're saying. On the face of it, it's clear cut, but it's nuanced, which is that in theory, this is what they wanted. But did they want it enough to follow it through with all its consequences, to reinforce it the way it probably needed to be reinforced? And the answer to that, I think, is no.

[Dan Bardell]

Another fans still just. They love the Galacticos. You know, it's. It's hard not to love Vinicius. Cinebape. Right.

[Sid Lowe]

Wow. Okay, well, so here's the thing, right? So, yes and no. Because of course, everybody loves a superstar player, but Vinicius has been booed and whistled a lot this year. Venetius, you know, the. The Fan's finger at the moment is pointing at the players. Nobody ever asked for Alonso to be sacked. Nobody ever whistled Alonso. They whistled the team. They whistled individual players and Vinicius in particular. But no one went for Alonso. So this isn't a decision that is backed by, if you like, a kind of a public, what would you call it, a public uprising and feeling against Alonso. This isn't a lot of people saying that, manager, get rid of him, bring someone else in. And so now that, I think, makes the club's position even more difficult because nobody was watching around Madrid this year. And I think it's worth saying this because it can sound a little bit, if we do this analysis, like we're saying Alonso is entirely blameless and what the hell did they do? No one can, can have watched Real Madrid this season and said they were any good. They really weren't. And of course, a manager carries some of the responsibility for that. But nor was anyone saying, right, there wasn't a, as I say, there wasn't this upsurge of opinion that wanted the manager sacked. There just wasn't.

[Barry Glendenning]

Sid. Jude Bellingham has taken to social media, as they say, to react with anger, righteous anger, to suggestions that he was part of the group of players who wanted Alonso out. Do you? No. Is he, is his fury justified?

[Sid Lowe]

Well, I think his fury is justified in, in terms of feeling like people are pointing at him individually rather than this being a kind of, if you like, a collective culture breakdown. From the way it was put, to me, the relationship between Alonso and Bellingham wasn't bad. But it is true that Alonso. But Bellingham's a quite a difficult piece to fit in and certainly to fit in with some of the others. And his position has changed and his frustration, I think, has been clear as well. You know, this is a guy that came in in the first season, wasn't expecting it, but was converted into sort of a sort of center forward, you know, a guy running from, from a high position midfield, scoring loads of goals. Suddenly Bellingham's got 20 goals. Oh, this is ace, isn't it? And then he gets moved and he gets moved a little bit to the left, a little bit behind the forward, a little bit as a central midfielder. And it's certainly true that his fit with Alonso hasn't quite happened. And it is also true. And you know, this is, this is, I, I, I've kind of enjoyed this game a little bit that a lot of get sacked and you've almost got like a countdown clock or sort of a list of players, right, who has said Goodbye and thanks, Mr. And you go, oh, tick, tick, tick. And we get into the second day and seven players haven't even said anything yet. And one of them is Bellingham, who eventually does. But of course, at that point, everyone's thinking, oh, I better say something. And I quite admire Vinicius, you know, I quite admire Vinicius saying, you know what? No, I'm not going to be such a hypocrite as to do the thing that says, oh, mister, Sorry it didn't work out. Thanks, I've learned so much from you. No, you know what? I didn't like him. I'm not saying.

[Dan Bardell]

Quick one on Conor Gallagher. Dave says Gallagher to Spurs for 35 million seems like a really sensible bit of business for the club. How are they going to screw it up? We've talked about it a bit already, Sid, but, like, how do you view it? How do you view. Because he was loved in his first season, wasn't he? Athletic.

[Sid Lowe]

Just a very. A very quick thing here which tells you something about the difference, I think, between the two leagues. 40 million euros, 35 million pounds seems like good business for spurs, which I assume from that statement means that's not very much money. Atletico Madrid are looking this and thinking, oh, that's a lot of money. Because, of course, the financial realities, yeah, of the two leagues, even at the big clubs, is. Is huge. Conor Gallagher started really, really well, really well, and was seen very much as a Simeone kind of player. Very intense, very aggressive, chasing people down, very enthusiastic. I think I remember reading one column talking about him as, you know, he's like a puppy. He's chasing everyone around and he's, you know, he's. He's really into this. Truth is, he hasn't had the opportunities that he would like. I feel that probably emotionally for him, it can't have been that easy. How often he was taken off early, not just taken off in games, but taken off at half time. This isn't working. We make a change. The first change is him. And I think it is essentially at heart, I'm going to strip it down to the most basic thing of all. I think if you want a midfielder to run the game for you, it from the middle of midfield. The truth is, the other midfielders at Atletico Madrid are better at that than him. Him, and I think he is as an extra midfielder, arriving in the penalty era, making things happen, being dynamic was very, very. Was very good for them. But it. And. And I think was quite popular as well by the way. I think everyone was really, you know, quite pleased with him, but there just were other options that in the end felt stronger. Juliano Simeone on one side, Nico Gonfalo on the other. If he was going to play wide in midfield and you know, that classic Simeone thing of playing a central midfielder wide to kind of bolster the middle, but if he's going to be in the middle and running the game, then Coque and Pablo Barrios are probably more suited to it. And that's even without Cardoso, who they signed this summer and has been injured and will eventually probably play that role.

[Dan Bardell]

Finally, Sam says Dear Max Barry in the Guardian Football Weekly Team Long time listener enjoy of the Pod here writing in for a request for my great mate Jack. Jack and I moved to London in 2017, have been listening to the Pod ever since while attending several live shows with the standout being Earth, where we met several guests and we're delighted to have Jonathan Wilson regal a story about his excellent figures from an Essex League cricket match the summer prior.

[Sid Lowe]

Why doesn't that surprise me?

[Dan Bardell]

2 for 24 if members never meet your heroes. Anyway, Jack is a massive Gooner is getting married in Barbados in mid January to his fiance Liv, who's a Spurs fan in the loosest possible sense I've noticed in the last couple of years.

[Sid Lowe]

What is the loose sense of being a Spurs fan? Is that like you're only depressed half the time or.

[Dan Bardell]

Yeah, probably. Probably my kind of spurs link, you know, you've got a real club, they're the ones that just make you even sadder at the weekend. I have noticed in the last couple of months that Jack has moved from quiet confidence about Arsenal's title charge to a mild sense of panic where he's telling anyone who will listen that Villa are outperforming their XG and City are over reliant on Haaland. With this in mind, I think it would be an absolute treat for him if Barry could one wish Jack and live all the best for the big day and two send Jackson words of comfort to allay his fears about the title race over the coming months. Thanks and keep up the excellent work. Sam. Hello to Sid's dog Rossa there. If that was your dog, I don't.

[Sid Lowe]

Think it was mine. I think it was Dan's.

[Max Rushden]

Me, I'm the. I'm the guilty one there.

[Dan Bardell]

Who's your dog?

[Max Rushden]

We welcome all that was Ruby. My Ruby's my wife's dog but and my dog's very quiet and blind and deaf so he doesn't make any noise. But that was. That was her dog, Ruby, so apologies for that. She heard about Villa's XJ being criticized and just wasn't happy about it.

[Dan Bardell]

Barry, over to you.

[Barry Glendenning]

Well, I'd like to wish Jack and live all the very best for their marriage. Getting married in Barbados must be doing well for themselves, unless they're going to the cheap part of the island. And as for words of comfort about Arsenal, I don't. I have quite a few Arsenal supporting friends who will be utterly insufferable when they win the title. And that's the only reason I really don't want Arsenal to win the title, because I'll have to find a new pub to drink in and I don't want.

[Sid Lowe]

Second, why don't you go to Barbados and find a pub? That's that. That resolves this.

[Dan Bardell]

I thought you're going to say, find a wife, Sid, who could love me either way? Go to Barbados, find a wife, find a pub. But I'm with you. Second to Emery's. Villa is the dream for the neutrals, isn't it? Sorry to say that, Philippe, but yes. Thank you, Sam. And good luck to Jack and Liv. And that'll do for today. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, Dan.

[Max Rushden]

Thank you very much.

[Dan Bardell]

Thank you, Sid.

[Sid Lowe]

Max. Max.

[Dan Bardell]

Cheers, Philippe.

[Philippe Auclair]

Thank you, Max.

[Dan Bardell]

And thank you, Barry. Thank you. Oh, the wedding was yesterday, by the way. Hope it went well. Sorry we're late.

[Sid Lowe]

She's on a flight back already? She ran out of the altar.

[Dan Bardell]

Football Weekly, produced by Joel Grobe. Our executive producer is Phil Maynard. God. This is the Guardian.

[Raj Samani]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah. And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah Smith]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Raj Samani]

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[Noah Smith]

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[Raj Samani]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah Smith]

And for the first time ever, we're going to have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.