Football Weekly – "Wolves Ditch Vítor Pereira and Are Liverpool Back on Track?"

The Guardian, Nov 3, 2025
Hosted by Max Rushden, with Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson, Philippe Auclair

Episode Overview

This episode digs deep into a dramatic week in the Premier League and beyond, with expert panelists dissecting the immediate sacking of Vítor Pereira by Wolves, Liverpool's unconvincing win over Villa, tactical shakeups at Manchester City, West Ham's surprise victory, Tottenham's ongoing woes, Arsenal's march at the top, and more. True to Football Weekly’s trademark style, you get sharp analysis, gallows humour, irreverence, and well-informed takes on management, clubs, transfers, and even football benches.

Key Discussions and Insights

1. Wolves Sack Vítor Pereira: Justified or Scapegoat?

[01:27–08:22]

• Barry Glendenning: Shocked by how badly Wolves performed against a struggling Fulham, noting “They were absolutely walloped. It was an embarrassing defeat not helped by Agbadoo’s red card.”
• Ownership and Deeper Issues: Wolves' fans’ anger goes beyond Pereira: “Their transfer policy seems to be an absolute mess. They keep selling their best players, and it's catching up.”
• Jonathan Wilson: Suggests Wolves (among others) complacently relied on always being better than promoted clubs: “You can't keep cutting costs…” Also sees the ‘Nuno effect’ – past connections dragging teams down.
• Philippe Auclair: Points out the real problem isn’t so much sales, it’s failure to buy adequate replacements; additionally, “George Mendes’s influence has definitely diminished … when he used to bring in managers and players, they used to be good.”
• Managerial Replacements:
  • Shortlist Uninspiring – Gary O’Neill, Rob Edwards, Brendan Rodgers, Michael Carrick.
  • Barry: “I’d look at it with a giant shoulder shrug and meh… I imagine Wolves fans do too.”
  • Max Rushden: “We just don’t know how ‘thick’ the Wolves dressing room is, do we?” (on Carrick's punditry skills vs. coaching ability)

2. West Ham’s Revival, Newcastle’s Energy Crisis

[08:22–13:23]

• Jonathan Wilson: West Ham rallied from early disappointment, overcoming VAR drama and an early goal: “Everything looked set up for a miserable afternoon… then they spoiled it by playing really well.”
• Newcastle Issues: “They just look knackered—five games in 15 days. …Eddie Howe’s way relies so much on energy, and once that drops...”
• Barry: Singles out Anthony Gordon as “diabolical” in this game; Newcastle “so bad, difficult to remember a worse performance under Howe.”
• Philippe: Puts more blame on Newcastle’s dysfunction than West Ham’s brilliance — issues run deeper, “never really got going all season.”
• Freddie Potts Praise (Barry, [12:09]): “He made a massive difference, brilliant… gave West Ham much-needed steel and speed in midfield.”

3. Manchester City 3–1 Bournemouth: Haaland, Turki, and New Tactics

[14:31–21:48]

• Wilson: Notes City still dominate but warns about susceptibility on the flanks – “They probably conceded more chances than Guardiola would like.”
• Turki/Rayan (sometimes referenced as 'Cherki' or 'Turkey') gets huge praise, especially for tactical variety and assists for Haaland.
  • Philippe ([17:14]): “Absolutely magnificent player… skill, superb vision… perhaps now finally in the right environment to become the player we all know he can be.”
• Max: Touch of humour on the names: “Whenever I hear Turkey’s name, I think of Christmas dinner at the Carragher household.”
• Arsenal as City’s Real Rivals: Emerging consensus that only City can chase down Arsenal, but even then, Arsenal look very strong.

4. Liverpool’s Flat Win: Are They ‘Back’?

[22:38–28:15]

• Philippe: Cautious take—Liverpool’s victory over Villa shouldn’t be overhyped: “I don’t think Liverpool were particularly good, but Villa were particularly bad. … It’s a win, but it doesn’t say much about Liverpool’s progress.”
• Wilson: Points to “the most expensive bench in the world.” Still looks like the same old Liverpool, with little integration of the summer’s big signings: “At some point you have to fit in Wirtz and the two fullbacks and Isac.”
• Philippe: “Liverpool’s problems aren’t just individual adaptation, but collective – the system isn’t functioning.”
• Max Rushden: Side-diversion into the world’s most expensive (furniture) benches.

5. Tottenham 0–1 Chelsea: Dour Dawdle in North London

[28:15–33:36]

• Chelsea’s Dominance, Tottenham’s Timid Effort:
  • Barry: “Spurs were awful… an XG of 0.05!” Chelsea press lauded, but focus on how Spurs can never beat Chelsea at home.
• Manager Thomas Frank Not in Crisis but Spurs’ Recruitment Questioned: New signings not making a difference despite big spend.
  • Philippe: “One of the main problems—with huge spending, can you see a difference? Not really. …I’m puzzled how mediocre they’ve been.”
• Wilson (on injuries): “Kulusevski, Maddison, Solanke all injured…it just seems none of the new signings are ready or quite right.”
• Barbs about Xavi Simmons’ ‘massive entourage and documentary crew’—is he focused?
• Barry’s Dad’s Memorial Bench ([34:00]): “Did not cost anywhere near as much as either Florian Wirtz or Xavi Simons.”

6. Arsenal’s Relentless Run

[34:38–37:39]

• Philippe: “Actually, I’d be very disappointed if there were no parade.” On Gabriel: “He butts it some 40 yards, absolutely extraordinary.” Declan Rice gets big praise—“pretty much the perfect game.”
• Injuries are the only caveat: “Muscular injuries keep on happening…at some point even their deep resources will be stretched too far.”
• Barry: Taunts for hubristic Arsenal fans; Max—Arsenal just “good.”

7. Forest 2–2 Man United and the Never-Ending VAR Debate

[38:01–42:29]

• Mad corner decision hands United a goal:
  • Philippe: “We have goal-line technology for goals—why not the whole goal line? It drives me nuts!”
  • Wilson: Pushes back: “It’s about cost, logistics, and frequency. Sometimes referees make mistakes—just defend the corner.”
  • VAR scope, ‘clear and obvious’, and frustration with mission creep.
• Ahmad’s goal: “Struck beautifully,” “brilliant block on the line from Murillo.”

8. Palace, Brighton, and the Rest

[43:30–47:11]

• Palace 2–0 Brentford:
  • Mateta’s header admired for power and conviction ([43:54])
• Brighton 3–0 Leeds:
  • Yakubi Minto lauded; Danny Welbeck gets the “should he be on the England plane?” treatment
  • Wilson: “Who’s better than him at the minute, after Kane and Watkins? He’s intelligent, likeable…Tuchel has no remit to look to the future.”
  • Philippe: “Welbeck increases the likability factor of England by at least 12.3%!”

9. EFL, Lower Leagues & Miscellanea

[49:29–52:05]

• Will Still sacked by Southampton (“bubble burst rather quickly”); debate about his future
  -FA Cup shockers: Gateshead boss Alan Armstrong, big upsets in the cup; Raegan Lilly’s hattrick for Carlisle gets a shoutout as a “game of the round.”
• Bench Watch: On the Hudson River, a 20-year bench dedication is $100,000; more banter.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Wolves and Transfer Policy:
  “They keep selling their best players summer after summer…and it's finally catching up with them.”
  —Barry Glendenning, [02:03]
• On Vítor Pereira’s Fate:
  “The key is don’t employ him for more than a year. Well—they haven’t, to be fair.”
  —Jonathan Wilson, [05:07]
• On Newcastle’s Burnout:
  “They just look knackered...Eddie Howe’s way of playing is so based on energy that if the energy declines, the drop-off is sharp.”
  —Jonathan Wilson, [09:20]
• On City’s midfield setup:
  “The five in midfield, four under 1 meter 80, three under 1 meter 75…Guardiola has changed, but not that much.”
  —Jonathan Wilson, [15:10]
• On Liverpool:
  “It’s the kind of win which I’m sure is more than welcome, but it doesn’t say much about Liverpool…they just found an opponent who basically gifted them the game.”
  —Philippe Auclair, [25:00]
• On Tottenham’s limp loss:
  “Tottenham were awful. It was as comfortable a 1-0 as you’ll ever see.”
  —Barry Glendenning, [28:48]
• On Arsenal’s Title Hopes:
  “Actually, I would be very disappointed if there were no parade.”
  —Philippe Auclair, [35:12]

Memorable Humour

• On players adapting:
  “Are the Wolves dressing room as thick as you, Barry? We just don’t know.”
  —Max Rushden, [08:22]
• Furniture Tangent:
  “The badminton chest at $36.7 million is the most expensive piece of furniture. But you know, I don’t know if producer Joel could get to it…”
  —Max Rushden, [26:44]
• On Barry’s Dad’s Memorial Bench:
  “It did not cost anywhere near as much as either Florian Wirtz or Xavi Simons.”
  —Barry Glendenning, [34:00]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Wolves sack Pereira: [01:27–08:22]
• West Ham-Newcastle analysis: [08:22–13:23]
• Man City-Bournemouth & City tactics: [14:31–21:48]
• Liverpool-Villa & ‘back on track?’: [22:38–28:15]
• Tottenham-Chelsea & Spurs signings: [28:15–33:36]
• Arsenal’s control at the top: [34:38–37:39]
• Forest-Man Utd & goal-line VAR: [38:01–42:29]
• Palace/Brentford & Brighton/Leeds: [43:30–47:11]
• Lower leagues, FA Cup, benches: [47:12–52:05]

Summary

This Football Weekly episode offers a wry, unflinching look at a chaotic Premier League weekend. Wolves’ trauma is seen as deeper than just a coach’s failure, while City’s technical evolution and Liverpool’s muddled present get smart analysis. Tottenham’s problems, Arsenal’s relentless parade towards the title, and Newcastle’s slide are each explored with expertise and sharp humour. Lower-league action and weird football benches round out another classic panel show—light on cheerleadery narrative, heavy on nuance and wit.