TRENT AND JULIAN ALVAREZ BACK TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

Summary

The Rest Is Football

Episode: "Trent and Julian Alvarez Back to the Premier League?"

Date: January 27, 2026
Hosts: Gary Lineker, Alex Aljo

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Overview

This episode of The Rest Is Football dives deep into the latest stories from La Liga and European football, including match analysis, player transfers, rumors, and insider perspectives. Gary Lineker and Alex Aljo discuss Real Madrid's resurgence, Barcelona's return to winning ways, the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Julian Alvarez, and more. The episode is filled with expert opinions, player anecdotes, and off-the-pitch insights, reflecting the hosts' chemistry and footballing background.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Real Madrid’s Win Over Villarreal

• Context: Real Madrid, under interim coach Arbeloa, continued improving with a significant win against Villarreal.

• Match Highlights:

  • Kylian Mbappé scored twice, including a cheeky Panenka penalty.
  • Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde also stood out with goals and assists.
  • Villarreal struggled, unable to capitalize on key chances from Gerard Moreno.

• Management Style Debate:

  • The hosts compare Arbeloa's public praise of players (especially Mbappé and Vinicius) with previous coach Xabi Alonso’s quieter approach.
  • Quote:
    • "That building of confidence publicly... there’s almost a narcissistic tendency amongst them, possibly speaking from experience." — Gary Lineker (07:14)

• Mbappé’s Legacy at Real Madrid:

  • The need for Mbappé to add La Liga or Champions League titles to validate his record, despite his personal stats already being stellar.
  • Quote:
    • "It seems mad that a player that good, that prolific, needs to prove himself to football fans, but such is the nature of our sport." — Gary Lineker (09:24)

• Mbappé’s Panenka Penalty:

  • Discussed as both playful banter toward Brahim Diaz’s AFCON miss and evidence of Mbappé’s confidence.
  • Timestamps:
    • "It was an interesting one from Mbappé, I mean, I think it was done with all the best intentions..." (10:10)

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2. Trent Alexander-Arnold's Uncertain Future

• Rumors in Spain:

  • Reports suggest Trent is not in Arbeloa’s plans and might be on the way out of Real Madrid.
  • Both hosts are skeptical—injuries, not performance, are cited as the main factor for his limited role.
  • Quote:
    • "The power at Real Madrid is never with the coaches. So I don’t see a coach, particularly an interim coach... telling [Trent] to get a move." — Gary Lineker (13:16)

• Adaptation Issues:

  • Alex explains how life in Madrid can be isolating for foreign players, possibly affecting Trent’s adaptation off the pitch.
  • Quote:
    • "You can’t enjoy Madrid as a normal person would... I think it's lonely, you’re isolated." — Alex Aljo (16:14)

• Competition for Places:

  • Even when fit, Trent faces tough competition from Dani Carvajal and Fede Valverde.

• England Prospects:

  • Potential impact of club form on international chances for the upcoming summer.
  • Timestamps:
    • Discussion of injuries, adaptation, and England chances (14:00–18:30)

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3. Barcelona vs Real Oviedo — Weather and Performance

• Match Recap:

  • Barcelona bounced back from a previous defeat, overcoming a determined Oviedo side amid torrential rain and a partially roofless stadium.
  • Lamina Yamal scored a "filthy" scissor kick goal; Daniel Olmo also impressed.

• Pitch & Fan Experience:

  • The rain-soaked conditions affected atmosphere and play, but modern pitches coped better than in “Gary’s day.”
  • Memorable Moment/Quote:
    • "The ball just catches in the water and [the winger] does the breaststroke... It was quite amusing." — Gary Lineker (21:37)

• Squad Notes:

  • No Pedri—a big loss for Barca.
  • Lewandowski played 90 minutes; Rashford was benched, raising questions about rotation with important matches ahead.
  • Timestamps:
    • Weather & fan experience (21:08–22:55)
    • Lamina Yamal’s goal described as “filthy" (24:41–25:10)
    • Generational language banter: "That’s sick—that’s filth." (25:06–26:00)

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4. Atletico Madrid — On Pitch and In the Dressing Room

• Current Form:
  • Fans are “disgruntled”—tired of consistent top-four finishes without trophies.
  • Club’s hierarchy and transfer strategy causing tension: Simeone wants signings, Sporting Director pushes youth.
• Squad Culture:
  • Discussion of Marcus Llorente and colleagues promoting “blue light blocking” glasses, indicative of modern athlete wellness trends.
  • Quote:
    • "He uses yellow special glasses during the day... outside of its natural context, the day, blue light is toxic." — Alex Aljo (31:14)
  • Light-hearted jokes about sponsorships and influencer culture.
• Thiago Almada’s Goal:
  • Highlighted as the best of the game—a powerful strike after cutting inside.
• Timestamps:
  • Atletico’s club tensions (28:56–30:32)
  • Dressing room culture & “wellness” glasses (31:03–33:09)

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5. Julian Alvarez Transfer Saga

• Unrest at Atletico:
  • Julian Alvarez, linked with Arsenal, is reportedly unsettled.
  • The consensus: if Arsenal land him, it could be a decisive, title-clinching signing.
  • Manager’s Vote of Confidence:
    • "You always have to have the calm confidence knowing he is a difference-making player—if we want to get anywhere, we need him at 100%." — Diego Simeone, via Alex Aljo (36:04)
• Comparison with Saka:
  • Discussion around Saka’s scoreless run, mental resilience, and how streaks can turn quickly.
• Timestamps:
  • Alvarez/Arsenal links (34:10–34:43)
  • Simeone’s statement (36:04)

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6. Other La Liga Results

• Summary of Results:
  • Valencia’s late penalty win, Real Betis’s missed chance, Sevilla winning to escape the drop, Sociedad’s consecutive victories, Levante’s dramatic first home win, and Osasuna’s late goals.
  • Timestamps:
    • Alex Aljo's roundup (36:33–38:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Building Player Confidence:

  • “There’s almost a narcissistic tendency amongst them, possibly speaking from experience. So you need to feel confident, you need to know that the coach trusts you.” — Gary Lineker (07:14)

• On Modern Football Lingo:

  • “[The goal was] filthy… That’s sick… Now filth is horrible, you know? But he’s done something brilliant!” — Gary Lineker (25:10)

• On Real Madrid's Power Dynamics:

  • “The power at Real Madrid is never with the coaches.” — Gary Lineker (13:16)

• On Player Adaptation to Madrid:

  • “You can’t enjoy Madrid as a normal person would… I think it’s lonely, you’re isolated. I don’t think it’s easy adapting.” — Alex Aljo (16:14)

• On Wellness Trends:

  • “He uses yellow special glasses during the day… because blue light, outside of its natural context, is toxic.” — Alex Aljo (31:14)

• On Managerial Support:

  • “You always have to have the calm confidence… if we want to get anywhere… we need him at 100% because he’s one of the best players in the squad.” — Diego Simeone, via Alex Aljo (36:04)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Real Madrid vs Villarreal analysis: 02:33–13:15
• Trent Alexander-Arnold’s situation: 13:15–18:32
• Barcelona v Oviedo, Yamal’s ‘filthy’ goal & weather: 19:14–26:00
• Atletico Madrid, wellness glasses & squad culture: 28:56–33:09
• Julian Alvarez transfer rumors: 34:10–36:17
• Comprehensive La Liga round-up: 36:33–38:05

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Conclusion

The episode offers compelling insights into on-pitch performances, managerial mind games, transfer speculation, and the less visible human side of elite football. The hosts’ playful yet authoritative banter brings La Liga’s drama to life for listeners, making this a rich, must-listen episode for football fans.

Transcript

[Alex Aljo]

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[Alex Aljo]

And for delivery, so far, so good under Arboloa. There's definitely a strong connection there with the players. You can see it. What about the penalty, though? What did you make of that?

[Gary Lineker]

It was an interesting one from Mbappe. I mean, I think it was done with all the best intentions, but for me on the sideline, I thought, oh, thanks for bringing that up.

[Alex Aljo]

Sort of like a tutorial, isn't it? Look, this is how it's done. This is what you could have done. Had you done this, then you wouldn't have lost the AFCON final.

[Gary Lineker]

So are these rumors strong in Spain?

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. This season has not gone how he would have wanted it to go, let's put it that way.

[Gary Lineker]

Did you see the weather?

[Alex Aljo]

Oh, it was horrific. I think there's a goal that we need to talk about. Harry's word on the group chat was filthy.

[Gary Lineker]

Filthy. Yeah. Hello and welcome to the rest is football. La Liga with Alex Alger and me, Gary Lineker. Where have you been? You're always somewhere, Alex.

[Alex Aljo]

I'm never at home. I'm home today.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, you're home today because I can see the dartboard.

[Alex Aljo]

Exactly. Exactly. No, I was in Milan for Inter. Arsenal.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah.

[Alex Aljo]

That was on Tuesday night. Yeah. Good game. Good game. And then I was at that 32 win for Manchester United yesterday. I was at the Emirates. So that was. I was about to say, good, not good for Arsenal. But it was a great game to watch. Some brilliant goals in that, but some brilliant goals in La Liga as well, which we're going to be talking about.

[Gary Lineker]

I think we should probably start with what was obviously the biggest game of the weekend. Two teams in the top four. Villarreal hosted Real Madrid, who've obviously changed coaches, got an interim till the end of the season. Well, little by little, poco a poco, they seem to be finding their feet under Arbolo. And let's have a look at how they beat Villarreal.

[Match Commentator]

Well, Real Madrid have been in deep water at times so far this season. Tonight they face the yellow submarine. Villarreal performing beyond expectation so far. Gula Valverde gets it back and is looking to just dance through a couple of challenges and is denied at the near Post by Louis Jr. It was a superb slaloming run from the Turk.

[Gary Lineker]

This is Junior.

[Match Commentator]

Pap Gay tried to clear, but not very far. And Killian Mbappe scores again. Will Pap Gay, the hero of the Africa cup of nations fight final, couldn't get enough on that block. And Mbappe was there to tap in for Moreno. And Viar's captain really should have hit the target there. This is Junior from left to right and to Killian Mbappe to try and have a run at Alfonso Pedraza, who brings him down. It was just too good from Mbappe. Pedrata lunged in chance to score an 11th penalty of the season. Oh, that's how you Perenka with Brahim Diaz watching on a cheeky second from Kylian Mbappe.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, Alex, there wasn't much going on in the first half, but that man struck again.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, yeah. So good. He scored twice as well, didn't he, against Monaco's former club in the Champions League midweek, which was, I think the start of a positive shift for Real Madrid. That was a massive win, 6:1. And the players that had been booed in the previous match really showed up was Vini Jr. Scored twice an assist, Fedi Valverde to two assists. So I think they went into this game against Villarreal feeling good and I think the mood had changed totally.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. Before we actually talk about that particular game, we talked about it, didn't we, last week on the pod? Jude Bellingham, the fact that he, you know, they're starting to talk about his reputation going out too much and he kind of rubbished it. And then did the little celebration drink.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, I quite like that because it sort of just shows. Look, I'm not taking this too seriously. I'm hearing what you guys are saying about me, but it's not true. And I think he was asked about it post match and he was like, look, I could get lawyers involved. I could, you know, I could kick off and say it's not true. I could just humor you a bit. I'm just saying, look, it's not true. And I'm going to prove that I'm not in the nightclubs every night drinking gallons because I'm going to show up and score goals for Real Madrid and play well. And he answered them with his goal, didn't he? So I think it's a bit of fun, to be honest. I quite liked it. I liked the celebration. And then obviously went away to Villareal and it wasn't a great performance. Villarreal didn't show up. I think it was the Champions League. Villarreal playing against Real Madrid at the weekend, already been eliminated from the Champions League. Birrell had a terrible, terrible time in the Champions League this season, but, yeah, not great from Real Madrid, but job done. They played before Barcelona, so they temporarily went top of the league. But, yeah, job done. And Arboloas came out after the game speaking about Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. And he said they're the two best players in the world, two footballers who change football matches. And I think so far so good under Arboloa. There's definitely a strong connection there with the players. You can see it.

[Gary Lineker]

It's interesting you should say that, that he'll go publicly and praise his players now. I didn't really ever see Xavi Alonso talking up individuals. I do. I don't know whether that's fair, but I didn't ever hear him say something like, I've got Mbappe, he's the best player in the world. And Vinicius juniors. That building of confidence publicly, I mean, I didn't hear him slag them off either, as you would expect, because that's unacceptable. But I. I wonder whether man management side of things that I think players with big ego sometimes need a little bit of that. There's almost a narcissistic tendency amongst them, possibly speaking from experience. So, you know, you need. You need to feel confident. You need to know that the coach trusts you.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, I totally agree with that. And these are players, as you say, that probably do want to hear that. And you're right, I don't think we heard Xavi Alonso come out once and say anything like that. He was sort of very calm and didn't make bold statements, to be honest. It's not even A bold statement. It's just the truth, isn't it? They are two of the best players in the world. And maybe Xabi Alonso feels like, well, felt like he didn't need to say it, but, you know, I think you do with characters like that, personalities like that. They want to hear it, they want to feel value, they want to feel their worth and what they mean to the team. Even though they should know it.

[Gary Lineker]

Right.

[Alex Aljo]

Without their manager coming out and saying it.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Mbappe got his goal, not the penalty, the first goal, which was obviously vitally important in that game. And it was kind of poachers finish that one. And not his customary goals, but he also, his movement's very good in the box as well. He gets into good positions. I mean, he's such an excellent player. I think for him he really needs to win something big with Real Madrid this season. Yeah, I know it sounds bonkers because he's scoring more goals than anybody in world football pretty much at the moment. Him, Harry Kane, isn't it?

[Alex Aljo]

34 goals in 28 appearances as well.

[Gary Lineker]

But it's incredible until, I mean, it's ridiculous really, because he's, he's won a World Cup. Nearly, nearly won single handedly the last World cup, but for Argentina's, that incredible finish to that match. So I think it's unfair criticism. Yeah, but he's won leagues obviously with psg, but he, he needs, you know, he needs La Liga, he certainly needs at some point the Champions League because that's obviously the thing that's massively missing from his, his trophy cabinet. I mean, it seems mad that a player that good, that prolific, needs to prove himself to football fans, but such is the nature of our sport.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, but trophies will come, won't they? He's playing at Real Madrid 100. There's one point in it. They could win La Liga this season. Well, yeah, definitely. And the Champions League, they also, they could win the Champions League as well. So I think, I think he will win trophies as a Real Madrid player. That's almost certain, isn't it? Wouldn't you say? And what about the penalty though? What about his penalty? What did you make of that? I know we need to talk about this.

[Gary Lineker]

We really do. It goes, takes us back to afcon, obviously, and Bream Diaz and he's his mess. And there's still people, conspiracy theory people saying he did that on purpose. It was an interesting one from Mbappe, obviously. I mean, I don't think if I seem to take it really well and they Were chatting on the side, wasn't he? With. With Bellingham.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

At the end, because he'd gone off and it was obvious that they said, I told you he was going to do that. This is going to do a dink in your honor. I mean, if he scored the winner in the Afcon with that penalty, then I would have understood it a bit more. But to do that, I mean, I think it was done with all the best intentions, but for me on the sideline, I thought, oh, thanks for bringing that up again.

[Alex Aljo]

It's sort of like a tutor tutorial, isn't it? Look, this is how it's done. This is what you could have done. Had you done this, then you wouldn't have lost the Afcon.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. To be honest, if Mbappe had hit that penalty in the AFCON final, the keeper would have saved it. Because he did.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

So, yeah, because you need to keep his dive out the way, as he did in this particular game.

[Alex Aljo]

But that's true. That's true.

[Gary Lineker]

I get it. Seem to be taken in the right spirit, and it's. Sometimes it's best to poke a bit of fun at one of your teammates when they. But it's a big. It was quite close to the bone, I thought.

[Alex Aljo]

Or maybe he wasn't thinking at all about the AFCON final. He just chose to do it. And as soon as he did it and it went in, he was thinking, oh, God, I've just done that. And Brahim Diaz is watching. What can I do to make this better? Oh, that's for you. That's for you. I did that. I don't know. I'm just making. I don't know.

[Gary Lineker]

It's quite amusing. I think it probably takes. It's best to kind of have a bit of fun at these things. But if I stay, as I'd have been thinking, oh, just as people have stopped talking about it.

[Alex Aljo]

Or had he done the Panenka and missed it, he could have been like, look, that was for you. We all make mistakes. But he happened just to score, to score it.

[Gary Lineker]

And, yeah, can I say I don't make things even worse for him. But people are still talking about my. My embarrassing Panenka 35 years on. So it's never.

[Alex Aljo]

It's never going to go anyway. It's not going away. It's not going away.

[Gary Lineker]

And his was significantly more important in the game than mine was.

[Alex Aljo]

Not great. Not great. He's going to have nightmares, isn't he, for the next 35 years.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. Gerard Moreno had a great chance to actually make life very difficult for Real Madrid.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, he had two really good chances to level it for Villarreal. One was in the 56th minute, one was in the 62nd.

[Gary Lineker]

And he's normally a very good finisher.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. The second he was left completely alone, wasn't he, in the penalty area and should have scored it. He's having a really good season. But he didn't. But he didn't. Villarreal didn't show up. They've really struggled, Villarreal this season against the. The big three. They haven't been able to beat any of the big three this season, but overall have had a great season.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, they've been a sort of a flat track, bullies, dare I say, to use a cricketing term, they've been very good against teams below them, not so good against teams above them. And in the Champions League, strange old season. Shall we talk about Trent Alexander Arnold or Trent, obviously, as he's now Trent.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, Rebranded.

[Gary Lineker]

I mean, there's a lot of rumors, aren't there, and speculation and here we go again a little bit with social media and you have to be very cautious with that. But it's sort of saying that he's not in Arbolo's plans, that he's told him to. To get himself a move. Now, I find it hard to believe because a. Why would he say that to someone before he's even played a game for him? Because obviously he's been injured mostly this season, so there's not been much to go at. Secondly, we've talked about the power at Real Madrid is with the players and the power at Real Madrid is with the president. The power at Real Madrid is never with the coaches. So I don't see a coach, particularly an interim coach, that he is at the moment, and if he carries on and performs brilliantly, he'll probably get the job. But I just don't. It just doesn't ring true. What do you think?

[Alex Aljo]

Someone at Liverpool's desperate to get him back. They're calling Arbolo, of course. Arbolo used to play there. Can you imagine, please, like, we need him back.

[Gary Lineker]

And he's been linked with Manchester City as well. I mean, so, I mean, there won't be any shortage of clubs that want Trent, that's for sure, because he's so brilliant.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, he had a really tough start, I think at Real Madrid all went wrong when he played Padel with me, after he played paddle with me, because that's when he picked up his injury. But I'm sure It wasn't Luke, you.

[Gary Lineker]

Should make that clear.

[Alex Aljo]

Not on the paddle court. But he did his hamstring injury straight after that, which was a massive blow for him. That was after the. What was it? The September. So we did really long.

[Gary Lineker]

He was your partner in the paddle game, wasn't he?

[Alex Aljo]

He was my partner.

[Gary Lineker]

Did he have to do too much running? I think so.

[Alex Aljo]

I think that was the issue. Probably shouldn't start this as a rumor. Obviously, it was nothing to do with paddle. Nothing to do with paddle.

[Gary Lineker]

So are these. Are these rumors strong in Spain or is it someone winding things up, maybe at Barcelona or. I don't know.

[Alex Aljo]

No, I think. I generally think Trent hasn't. What's the right. How's the word. Way to phrase it? It's just. Yeah, it's sort of just like the Madridistas didn't buy into the signing at all. And it's almost like people didn't really know about him. Really capable of. Yeah, 100%. 100%.

[Gary Lineker]

I mean, I find that hard to believe.

[Alex Aljo]

They weren't speaking about him like a big name player. It's like they weren't aware of how good he was and everything he'd achieved and what he was capable of doing for Real Madrid. It was. It was strange when I went out there because I went to that interview and speaking to Madrid fans, they sort of like, didn't really. They weren't sort of bothered by it or like who he was or. And to be fair, he hadn't played really at all at that point. But then he came back from his injury and did play really well for a few games. And then I think he maybe had a tough time settling out there as well. And. And I think it is hard for those players because they don't live in the city center. They can't go in and. And, you know, enjoy Madrid as. As.

[Gary Lineker]

Why don't they live in the city center?

[Alex Aljo]

Because they have these nice big houses out on the outskirts, are on a golf course and they all sort of live in the same gated communities. There's two different communities that they would live in, but it's sort of 20 minutes out in the city center. You can't enjoy Madrid as a normal person would enjoy Madrid. And I think it's lonely as well because you're sort of isolated, you can't go out. And so I think his brother has gone to live with him to help. I guess his younger brother lives out with him now. But I don't think it's easy. I don't Think it's easy adapting.

[Gary Lineker]

I find that hard to believe.

[Alex Aljo]

What? It's not easy.

[Gary Lineker]

I mean, it's a beautiful city. Madrid not quite as nice as Barcelona. I'm biased, but. Hasn't got a sea.

[Alex Aljo]

There's no sea, is there? There's no sea, there's no sea. But yeah, I don't know. We'll see. I think obviously you think your move to Real Madrid is a dream come true. And it was all that the Liverpool fans weren't happy with him. And I think this season has not gone how he would have wanted it.

[Gary Lineker]

No. And that's been that way. That's purely down to injury though. I mean, he's been. He's had two, you know, couple of injuries. He's had a lot of bad luck in that.

[Alex Aljo]

But if Danny Carvajal's fit, he's not. He's not starting.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah.

[Alex Aljo]

And Fede Valverde at right back is pretty decent as well. So I think he's not the first name on the team sheet and he's.

[Gary Lineker]

Not of truth in this.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, yeah, I do, I do, I do. I really do. I do.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, we want to see him playing, that's for sure. Because he's so unbelievably talented.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. And obviously no England for him as well this summer.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, not necessarily.

[Alex Aljo]

Well, not necessarily. But it's honestly very unlikely, isn't it?

[Gary Lineker]

Football can turn so quickly. If he comes back in a couple of weeks, gets a chance, plays brilliantly and then all of a sudden he's loved by realm. I know this, you know, this is obviously the dream scenario for him. It's highly possible that he comes back in and people do realize how good he is in, in Madrid and. And then it. Trent at the top of his game has to be in the England squad, that's for sure. Because he give so different. He's. He's one of the greatest passes of the football in the game. So we'll see. We'll see.

[Alex Aljo]

Do you think he's. Do you think he's played that well for England over the years?

[Gary Lineker]

I don't think it's really had the confidence of coaches sometimes. But you know, what he's done, what he did at Liverpool for years and years and years. He was just one of my fav. Very favorite players. But football can turn. I wouldn't. I think at the moment the odds are against him. But if he comes back and plays, then that can change very, very quickly. I would not give up on Trent just yet. Let's turn our attention to Barcelona. We always thought it might be a quite a comfortable victory. Took them a while to get going, but it all came good in the end. Let's have a look.

[Match Commentator]

It is top against bottom in La Liga. Barcelona hosts Real Oviedo looking to respond to last Sunday's defeat to Sociedads. Cuomo is just a little bit slow to get rid of that ball there. This is your Mal and Danielmo. Danny Olmo's red hot streak in front of goal continues. But Rael Oviedo, the architects of their own downfall there. Costas goes back but he's sold his goalkeeper Aaron Escandel short and Rafinha will make him pay. And in the space of five minutes, Real Oviedo have completely imploded. Costas going back to his goalkeeper Escandel. Once again Oviedo have given the ball away there. This is Danny Olmo. It's a little dink for your Mao. Sensational. The boy wonder does it again for Barcelona. Once again Real Oviedo gave it away. But there was still so much work for Lamina Mal to do there. Frankie Leong wins it back for Barcelona. He's got Yamal arriving on the overlap. Costas cuts it out. As Fermin Lopez is there to be one final flourish in amongst the downpour. It's Robert Lewandowski. He's denied. And that is that. And Barcelona, beneath the deluge, return to winning ways.

[Gary Lineker]

Blimey. Let's start with the. Did you see the weather?

[Alex Aljo]

That was horrific.

[Gary Lineker]

I've seen the pictures of the stadium. The floods in the ground and the fans were completely drenched because obviously there's no roof on yet. Not that there was ever a roof on the camp now other than a little bit above where the directors sit, it's crazy. One stand before Madge weather.

[Alex Aljo]

Absolutely mad. How does that. Playing in conditions like that, how does that affect your game? Is it. Is it pretty impossible to play?

[Gary Lineker]

Well, pitches in my day would have been flooded by that. Yeah, they can cope with it a bit more. I played one game and. And it's. I've seen it once or twice. It was because it was on Match of the Day that week and it did get abandoned. We played about half an hour or so. It was Leicester versus Southampton and honestly it's quite comical. You can find it, you know, just Google, Google like football floods and Leicester City, B, Southampton, whatever you do. And it's. It was completely bonkers. I remember Steve Lynex was a winger, it was quite a character. And the one he tries to kick the ball and it Just catches in the water and he kind of slips and goes forward and he's. And he's doing the breaststroke. It was quite amusing.

[Alex Aljo]

It was.

[Gary Lineker]

It was funny. And that game did get abandoned, that. That. You don't really see that now. I don't. These surfaces seem to be able to cope with all sorts of conditions and. But it was a bit bonkers. But the stands, that were more the problem. Poor fans. I mean, there weren't that many of them allowed in there yet anyway, but. And that's commitment. The atmosphere was pretty. Felt pretty flat from. From what I saw.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. Yeah. I thought Real Oviedo did really well in the first half. Actually. It's been a bit of a struggle for them this season, but they took it to them in the first half, didn't they? And then Barcelona played a lot better in the second half. No Pedri for Barcelona.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah.

[Alex Aljo]

And I think that's a big blow, isn't it? And I hope it's not for too long. I think it's a month or so, because they do miss him. Top, top player. And Rashford wasn't used, which I was surprised.

[Gary Lineker]

He's not had many starts lately, has he? But, I mean, I know that Raf is fit again and Levandowski's playing and I mean, that is.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, he played 90 minutes, Levandowski, which is also surprising. And then Rashford was a sub in the Champions League against Slavia Prague midweek, so I would have expected him to start.

[Gary Lineker]

I wonder if he'll play him this week on Wednesday, because it's a big game for Bar. They've got a chance to get into that top eight, which is very important for. For all sides, I think.

[Alex Aljo]

Yes, yes. Avoid those playoffs. But yeah, surprising. Surprising. I don't know. I expected him to at least get some minutes.

[Gary Lineker]

There's always a bit of added pressure on there. If Real Madrid have won the day before, the gap is still only now. You know, obviously Real Madrid temporarily led.

[Alex Aljo]

The table, but the hunters or the hunted, that.

[Gary Lineker]

I mean, the way this season's gone as well, you know, we're ahead for a while, then Barcelona have taken over and so on and so forth. But I think that this weekend, if. If there had been a twist this weekend, it would have been highly unlikely to. To have happen. If it had. If it had, that would have been very damaging for probably Barcelona, because Real Madrid had the toughest game.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure. They needed to beat Real Oviedo and I think there's a goal that we.

[Gary Lineker]

Need to Talk about what a beauty. I mean, that was like scissor kick. Yeah. I don't think we call it overhead kick. I think we can call it a scissor kick. But the ball was behind him. And to have the wherewithal to do what he did.

[Alex Aljo]

Harry's word on the group chat was filthy.

[Gary Lineker]

Filthy.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, it was filthy. But I think it's good because Lamina Mao is often not. I wasn't gonna say criticized.

[Gary Lineker]

What's happened with your generation in terms.

[Alex Aljo]

Of words we use?

[Gary Lineker]

You know, I mean, I know it's been around a while now, but that's sick. You know, things that are really bad are now really good. I mean, it's. Yeah, sick.

[Alex Aljo]

It was a sick goal.

[Gary Lineker]

It was filth. Now filth is horrible, you know? But he's done something brilliant.

[Alex Aljo]

That is true.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. It's being twisted.

[Alex Aljo]

Peak. And have you heard tea? Have you heard spill the tea?

[Gary Lineker]

No, what's that?

[Alex Aljo]

Spill the tea.

[Gary Lineker]

I'll spill my tea occasionally.

[Alex Aljo]

But I've actually.

[Gary Lineker]

Does that mean you've got to say what you think or you've.

[Alex Aljo]

Now give me the goss. Spill the tea.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. Say what? Or give. Spill the tea.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. But also, if someone has a nice body, you can say, oh, that's that body's tea. I've learned this recently.

[Gary Lineker]

I will not go down that route because that'll get me in trouble, get me canceled. Alex.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, don't say that. Don't say that.

[Gary Lineker]

People tuning into La Liga. This episode on La Liga this week will be going. What are you on about? We have spilled the tea a little bit today on Trent on Jews. We've been spilling tea all over the place.

[Alex Aljo]

Oh, my God.

[Gary Lineker]

Do you know what?

[Alex Aljo]

Right, where were we?

[Gary Lineker]

I think we should take a tea break and come back in a minute. This episode is brought to you by Octa. You hear a lot about AI agents now. They're everywhere. Quietly running things, making decisions, speeding work up across organizations. And that's all well and good until you stop and think who's actually in charge. Because if you don't know who an agent is, what it's connected to, or what it's allowed to do, you can't really trust it to act in your interests. It's like letting someone loose with the keys but not knowing what doors they can open or which ones they shouldn't. That's the bit Octa focuses on. They secure the identity of AI agents themselves, so there's one clear layer of control and one consistent standard of trust across the whole system. Which means every agent has a clear identity, clear permissions, and a clear line of accountability. Developers can move faster. IT and security teams stay in control and risk becomes something you actually manage not guess at. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI this episode is brought to you by whoop. January is full of noise about doing more. But in football, you learn quickly that more effort isn't always the answer. Especially after a match. You think you're fine, then you hit the stairs the next morning and your knees start negotiating early retirement.

[Alex Aljo]

Or you've traveled late, slept badly, and you're still telling yourself you're good to go.

[Gary Lineker]

Your body's got a different opinion. Whoop is a wearable device that gives WHOOP members personalized insights into sleep, recovery and strain, so you can see what your body's dealing with rather than guessing. It's why elite athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil van dijk, can, Rory McIlroy use it. But it's not just for athletes. The insights are just as useful if you want to feel good today and still be moving well years from now. And I definitely do. If you want to build healthier habits that actually last, you can try Whoop free for 30 days. Just head to join.whoop.com triff to get started. Welcome back to the Rest Is Football La Liga episode with Alex Aljo and me, Gary Lineker. Is it time? Is it time for. Is it time? Is it time for. It's Atletico o'. Clock.

[Alex Aljo]

Well, Eric has actually said, I know I sound spoiled because it was a 30 win, but Espanyol and Villarreal both lost, so I'm still disgruntled. We're boring to watch, he said, but we win and we will be in the Champions League next season. And he said most of the fun now comes from watching Simeone and the sporting director Matteo Alemanni, throw each other under the bus when asked about new signings because Simeone is saying he wants to sign players, but the sporting director is going against him and saying we don't need to. We've got a youth system like, you know, bringing players through. We've got a good squad so that they're sort of throwing each other under the bus in public.

[Gary Lineker]

So I sense here that Erik might might finally be siding with Diego Simeone because Eric's always on about they need you players.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, yeah. True, true. Although he says that the fan, he said the atmosphere in the stadium is really bad. He said they're just. Overall, the fan base is, I think, What? He used the word disgruntled. They're just. They're. They're fed up of not winning anything and just settling with third and fourth every season and. And that's what Simeone will do.

[Gary Lineker]

Should support Leicester.

[Alex Aljo]

They want. But they want to win trophies. They want to win trophies. So, yeah, Eric isn't happy. Yeah. He even had his own opinion on the Trent situation as well. He said he's not. Sean didn't settle in quickly. Few opportunities.

[Gary Lineker]

He's been injured.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. Anyway. But, yeah. So Eric isn't. Isn't happy, but he isn't often.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah. Good win, though. Nevertheless, you've sent me a picture, Alex, you sent me a pic, well into our group chat here, of players semi naked in the dressing room. I mean, I trust you didn't take this picture.

[Alex Aljo]

I did not. I mean, I did not take that photo or search that photo.

[Gary Lineker]

There are three players semi naked.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. In the dressing room after the win.

[Gary Lineker]

And they look in, well, excellent shape, particularly, I would say, who's got one hell of a six pack.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

So what body is. Explain this picture.

[Alex Aljo]

So he wears his glasses. I think he was one of the first people to wear.

[Gary Lineker]

It's about the specs that they're wearing. Yeah.

[Alex Aljo]

So they're like yellow and red tinted glasses and essentially what they do is they. I've got it here. So they. He uses yellow special glasses during the day when he's indoors and at night, if I go out or I'm exposed to fireworks.

[Gary Lineker]

Does that happen a lot when you go out? Oh, fireworks again.

[Alex Aljo]

Not again. I wear glasses.

[Gary Lineker]

He wears glasses. Out, out at night, just in case he sees fireworks or something, I think is at night.

[Alex Aljo]

And if he's. Yeah. Anyway, he said because blue light, outside of its natural context, in brackets, the day is toxic.

[Gary Lineker]

Is that scientifically backed up?

[Alex Aljo]

Well, I'm sure it is. No.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, I don't know. I've not heard this. So.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, so he says it's a necessity if you live trapped in modern environments, far from the sun, surrounded by screens and LED lights. So basically, I think he's trying to promote the use of these glasses because he believes in it. He believes in these glasses or so much.

[Gary Lineker]

Is he involved in the business of maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe Sponsored?

[Alex Aljo]

Possibly, maybe, maybe. So it's Llorentes.

[Gary Lineker]

He's the guy that's influencing them here, is he?

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, Well, I think he was one of the first people to wear these glasses, but now lots of the players wear them, even over here. I've seen some of the Premier League players with them, you're always in front of the screen. What, you do four pods a week. You need some.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, maybe I do, but I don't think I could handle the stick from Mike Richardson. Alan Shearer, weird colored glasses all the time.

[Alex Aljo]

They need them as well. Anyway, so Marcus Llorente put this photo up and he said today and tomorrow you've got a discount of 20% with the code.

[Gary Lineker]

He is involved. He is involved. It's a business thing.

[Alex Aljo]

I'm sure he is because he's tagged the. He's tagged the company.

[Gary Lineker]

Oh, well, don't mention the company name because they don't sponsor this podcast.

[Alex Aljo]

But this is true.

[Gary Lineker]

But if they wish to.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, we wish to.

[Gary Lineker]

We'll take a look at it through our specs, obviously.

[Alex Aljo]

So then he said. But then he. The. The discount code that he's given, and this is the joke Obviously, is, is Mallorca 20 because they beat me. Which is. Yeah, just rubbing it in, isn't it? Not very classy that, is it?

[Gary Lineker]

You told me a little while ago that your entities is basically into his health.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, he's obsessed. Yeah, he's obsessed, like, puts nothing bad in his body. He's got these restaurants in Madrid called Naked and Sated and they're really. Naked and Sated, that's the name of them. And they're just like health food shops, basically. And yeah, I think he's. He's slightly obsessive with his. With his. Naked and Sated. Yeah, all gluten free. But back to the game. The best goal of the game was Thiago Almada, the third goal of the game.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, I loved it, the way he cut inside and banged it. Cracking finish.

[Alex Aljo]

You know, I was going to say, Julian Alvarez is having a bit of a tough time at the moment, isn't he?

[Gary Lineker]

This is another one of the rumours and I tend not to take too much notice of him. In fact, I take so little notice of them I am actually going to bring it up now. So he was linked with Arsenal in another one of these things I see on. On social media. And I do recall you saying this is not entirely happy there at the moment. So is that possible that he'll leave in this window?

[Alex Aljo]

I mean, it'll be a great signing for Arsenal, wouldn't it?

[Gary Lineker]

I think it'd be a title clinching.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah, I was going to say that could be. It could be a decisive signing for Arsenal, but, yeah, it is tricky for these players. I actually interviewed Picayo Saka after the game yesterday and He's a player, he's on his longest run now without a goal for Arsenal. And it's one of these things that, you know, you don't really want to. He knows, you know. But I had to bring it up with him.

[Gary Lineker]

How was he?

[Alex Aljo]

And I think it's just all about how you phrase it. And if I was speaking to Julian Alvarez, I'd have probably phrased the question in a similar way, said, look, you know, you are on your longest run now without a goal for Arsenal. How does that affect. I just said to him, how does that affect you mentally?

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah.

[Alex Aljo]

Out there on the pitch. And he said, look, they'll come. You know, you just got to believe that the goals will come and go out and give your best every game and know that, you know, they will come. He will score.

[Gary Lineker]

They are doubling up on him.

[Alex Aljo]

Julian Alvarez will score again. Yeah, exactly.

[Gary Lineker]

We talked about in the main podcast that the playing a little bit deep in wide areas and Saka's, by the time he gets the ball, he's got two. He's up against two defenders each time and obviously plays wide. But I mean, even in that game he was still, he was still probably their best player. The way he glides past people and he's right, it will come and Alvarez, it'll be the same. It's just whether it's at Atletica.

[Alex Aljo]

Yeah. Simeone came out after the game and he said, all players go through spells, but you always have to have the calm confidence of knowing he is a difference making player. If we want to get anywhere this season, we need him at 100% because he's one of the best players in the squad.

[Gary Lineker]

There you go. That's a vote of confidence for your manager that is always welcome to any player and makes things better. Do you want to round up things for us, Alex?

[Alex Aljo]

Yes. I'll spill the tea.

[Gary Lineker]

Spill the tea.

[Alex Aljo]

Okay. Here's the roundup of the other results from this weekend. It was back to back wins for Valencia as they picked up a massive three points at home to Espanyol in a five goal thriller. A 94th minute penalty from Lazi Ramazani sealed the 32 victory for Los Che Real. Betis missed the chance to leapfrog Espanyol as they lost 2:1 away to relegation candidates Alaves. A 95th minute strike from Betis Abda ez Alzulli proved too little too late with the win, taking Alaves at least temporarily out of the drop zone ahead of Getafe's game. With Girona On Monday night, Sevilla put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone with a 21 win over Athletic Club. Akor Adams netted the winner from the spot with his third goal in two games since his return from afcon. Two wins on the spin for Real Sociedad as they followed up last week's triumph over Barca with a more routine 31 victory over Celta Vigo. A brace from Mikel ollard and a 96th minute Brice Mendes penalty secured the points. Second bottom. Levante clinched a vital three points in dramatic fashion against Elche on Friday night, their first home win of the season. Elche made it two all in the 91st minute, but Levante's Alan Mat rose highest from a 96 minute corner to net the winner. Two stoppage time goals saw Osasuna run out three one winners at Raio Vallecano, a win which saw them move up to ninth, but still looking over their shoulder at the relegation battle rather than harbouring hopes of the European places.

[Gary Lineker]

That was filth, Alex. Pure filth. Where are you on Wednesday tomorrow for the Champions League? You're not.

[Alex Aljo]

I'm not. Because obviously all the games are on Wednesday.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alex Aljo]

So prime only have the Tuesday game.

[Gary Lineker]

Of course they do.

[Alex Aljo]

So we have a week off. So I'm going to the Devil Wears Prada musical with my mother. Why not tomorrow night? Tomorrow night, because. No. I did my interview with Mark Cucurea in the Devil Wears Prada theater recently and they've given me tickets.

[Gary Lineker]

Oh, really? Ah. How was Kukureya? Yours strikes me as a really good friend.

[Alex Aljo]

I'm actually about to interview him again. I interview him all the time. I'm going now to Chelsea's training ground. He's amazing. He's great. He's so, so, so funny. So funny.

[Gary Lineker]

We'd love to get him on the pod as a guest one week because I think he's a real character.

[Alex Aljo]

Should I ask him to put word in? Yeah, I will.

[Gary Lineker]

On our behalf. That would be great. I will see what he says.

[Alex Aljo]

I will for sure.

[Gary Lineker]

That's all we've got time for on this episode. Don't forget to catch our Premier League greats. The moments that on Wednesday this week, it's Sergio Aguero. He's had one or two decent moments in Premier League history, so please join us for that one. But for now, goodbye from me.

[Alex Aljo]

Goodbye from me.