Welcome episode #230 of the Squeaky Bum Time podcast! Host Laurent Courtines is back to provide you with all the latest Premier League news and analysis.
In this episode, we’ll be covering a range of topics including the recent Champions League Round of 16 results and Manchester United’s thrilling comeback win over Barcelona. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect:
- Liverpool stunned by Real Madrid: We’ll be discussing Liverpool’s recent loss to Real Madrid at Anfield, where they conceded 5 goals. What went wrong for the Reds and what does this mean for their Champions League campaign?
- Real Madrid’s impressive performance: We’ll take a closer look at Real Madrid’s dominant display and highlight some of the key players who stood out.
- Man City held to draw at Leipzig: We’ll also be discussing Manchester City’s recent draw against RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Was this a missed opportunity for City and what does this mean for their European aspirations?
- Analysis of the match: We’ll break down the key moments from the match and highlight some of the standout players from both sides.
- Man United’s comeback win over Barcelona: One of the biggest talking points of the week was Manchester United’s stunning comeback win over Barcelona in the Europa League. We’ll be providing a detailed analysis of the match and discussing what this means for United’s season.
- Tactical analysis of the match: We’ll take a closer look at how United were able to come back from behind and highlight some of the key players who made a difference.
- Javi Gracia returns to the Premier League: In other news, we’ll be discussing the recent appointment of Javi Gracia as the new Leeds United head coach. What can we expect from Gracia and how will he fare in the Premier League?
- Gracia’s managerial history: We’ll take a closer look at Gracia’s previous managerial stints and discuss how this experience could benefit Leeds.
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TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro and rundown.
01:00 English teams in Europe having issues
06:15 UEFA Champions League Recap
07:00 Liverpool are gone. Real Madrid END THEM 2-5
13:50 The weight of Real Madrid lifts players
17:45 RB Leipzig 1-1 Manchester City 1-1
20:00 A City fan perspective
23:12 On the Penalty no-call v Leipzig
24:50 Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona
26:27 Old Trafford was alive. I love football
30:35 We whisper… its the Europa League.. But Fred and Casamio were ANIMALS
31:45 Europa League roundup
33:15 Premier League Preview
34:50 Javi Gracia takes over Leeds United
38:00 The League Cup Final preview Manchester United v Newcastle United
39:30 Premier League Table Run down
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Transcript
0:00
hello and welcome to the squeaky bum Time Podcast presented exclusively on
0:07
the chop Sports channel of the premiere streaming Network we are recording this on Thursday February 23rd I am your host
0:14
Laurent courteans in this episode Liverpool collapse
0:20
City our listless and United approve their medal in the Europa League but
0:25
first what is going on with English teams
0:32
in Europe very strange some housekeeping please like subscribe share join the show join
0:40
our WhatsApp group join the Facebook group just search for the squeaky bum Time Podcast anywhere you get your
0:45
favorite podcast And subscribe or on YouTube under Laurent corteens and please subscribe it means everything to
0:53
me please get involved I enjoy it share it with your friends share it with your family share it with your mother so
1:01
what's going on with English teams we have a weird situation here where the
1:06
English teams Chelsea in Europe Chelsea Manchester United Manchester City
1:12
Liverpool Spurs are having a hard time the
1:18
dominance that we've been so told uh is going on in Europe isn't showing up
1:25
and a lot of the arguments for oh the English Premier League is too strong or
1:32
oh the English Premier League has all the players are just
1:37
um there are great players and great teams all around Europe
1:43
there are great managers and just because The Narrative of money changes
1:49
and breaks everything is generally true
1:54
that does not translate on the pitch there's pressure there's Freedom there's
2:02
injury there's how much is this amazing League the Premier League actually
2:09
taxing does the pressure from being in the wealthiest league in the world affect you does it damage you are you
2:16
able to perform at your best when you are supposed to be the best league in the world
2:23
I think fundamentally these are these moments where institutions come in
2:30
um I think about teams and clubs and leagues and where they are in their
2:38
growth I don't think the Premier League thinks of itself or English football in
2:43
general thinks of itself confidently as though it belongs in Europe some clubs
2:48
do I think Liverpool as an institution I mean I'm not saying this or clop or
2:54
whatever Liverpool carries itself and we're going to talk about it running into the immovable object of the most
3:00
confident club uh carries itself as though it has a divine right to be part
3:05
of Europe um and Manchester United we saw today did play
3:12
as though they felt the moment Rising to the occasion and I got moved by that but
3:19
in general I don't really buy this narrative that money wins everything now you could say
3:26
oh Laurent you're just a Manchester City fan you have all the money in the world but actually my team is an example of
3:32
money not buying everything um it doesn't work you do have to have history you have to have cohesion you
3:41
have to have all the parts in place to win in Europe you need history you need
3:48
players you need coaching you need your ground you need your fans it's all of it
3:55
together and that's why we see so few teams breaking through it's the same
4:00
teams it's the teams with confidence it's the teams with sense of belonging
4:05
sense of levels you must be this way you must play this high that that survive
4:14
tough European games and tough European Knights because when you're empty inside and you're empty and you don't have a
4:21
gear you've got to start feeling the pressure you've got to be like that
4:28
Champions League music I'm at this club for this reason to win this game
4:34
everything about my season is for this right now and not every Club has that and I don't
4:41
think the premier league has it um if we look through the last few years
4:47
especially I think the Europa League is a good example Real Madrid is still winning champions
4:53
leagues the Europa League has been won by Spanish teams in general
4:59
um there's something about Europe that English teams have a hard time with and
5:05
even with all the money that is in place there's some thing
5:10
institutionally about English football that does not translate to European
5:16
success and I think we're seeing it again um you know it may be just a blip of
5:22
games but to see Chelsea stumbled one nil to Dortmund
5:27
against the yellow wall to see City go into a hostile environment in Leipzig
5:33
now Leipzig don't have History either but in Germany and find it hard to see Real Madrid come in to anfield
5:42
and really boss a game at a level that hasn't been seen in history is another
5:49
one and then we see even in even down the line Benfica the feeding Club Bruges away now is Club Bruges a great team no
5:56
but Benfica has history or inter at home pulling it out against Porto so these
6:02
these teams carry something there is a an expectation and a belief and a need to win these games
6:10
win these games and I'm going to bring it all back
6:15
together so let's recap let all this leg of the round of 16 in the Champions
6:21
League we have Bayern on a one goal lead uh beat PSG last week it
6:28
AC Milan B Tottenham Benfica beat Club Bruges Dortmund have a one goal lead
6:33
against Chelsea at home Real Madrid five Liverpool 2 Napoli to enter great
6:42
for nil city 1-1 as they go to Germany and Porto behind on inter one nil the second legs
6:50
will be next week but we should go to Liverpool
6:57
so what happened this is a Monumental event
7:04
um for the uninitiated Liverpool went up 2-0
7:09
uh for 20 minutes they looked like themselves they had come off
7:16
a 20 minutes where they look like themselves against Newcastle not so much in the second half
7:22
but the power and strength and know-how and now of
7:31
Real Madrid that they would keep playing that they had Modric that they had been
7:36
there before all the scars all the energy everything that they could possibly bring to bear
7:44
um they did and Real Madrid was able to that
7:50
goals get themselves back in the game relatively quickly so
7:55
um first goal was amazing from um from Darwin Nunez a flick from Salah
8:01
early on a beautiful goal then Sala got another one on a howler by
8:06
um by courtois playing out from the back he bangs off his chest then off his knee Solace there anfield is rocking you
8:13
cannot imagine how loud it was and and that institutional strength of this is
8:19
anfield this is Liverpool this is what we do even in our bad Seasons hearkening
8:25
back to some of the mid-2000s the the um the the Istanbul the Champions League finals in Istanbul klopp is like whoop
8:33
get the tickets will be there um but in this case
8:39
Liverpool just couldn't control how the events would have would unfold after
8:45
Salah got his goal then Vinnie Jr an amazing player comes down the wing
8:53
he scores an amazing tic tacky ball of course on Alexander Arnold's side that's
8:58
not important fires it in then and bizarre era from Allison who I had
9:06
already called the best goalkeeper of the league on 36 so this game goes in 2-2
9:12
beautifully tied I think Liverpool were shaken but still in this game at 2-2
9:18
everything seemed okay but then
9:24
for Liverpool I think the goal that killed them was the military goal so
9:30
there's a foul on the edge of the box and Liverpool are lining up it's a it's an odd place for a free kick Modric is
9:37
on the outside of the box but towards the byline and he and milital just have
9:42
a connection military Town runs across the front of the goal on the six yard
9:48
box and Modric just plays a really nice flat ball right to Miller towel's head
9:55
and he bangs it in no one picks him up no one goes with him all the
body shape of Liverpool is off they're not really looking at the ball they're not really prepared and that goal
completely deflates anfield to a place that I've not heard it that way it just went quiet it
went sad it went to a place I mean as a city fan I fear anfield because I don't have
anything like that I can't I can't go to any memories of City
pulling something out against uh against
uh Liverpool when you're at anfield you feel all of it and Real Madrid just
didn't they had calm they had cool they had Modric they had kamavinga
and they just played it very cool and and then
uh fedes Fernandez feder Fernandez oh I got his name wrong um let me just make sure I get his name
right because he was so so good yeah valve sorry Valverde Modric and camavinga just
bossed this game entirely I think Alaba going off and nacho coming on really
locked up um the joy that Liverpool were having and
after that third goal Liverpool died it was like a funeral and then
the the power of the mid of the Madrid Midfield just started picking things up and it just started going boom boom boom
boom boom uh and then late goals a goal by Benzema on 55 and 67 really good
goals really easy stuff and Liverpool were dead um just kind of
a sad State of Affairs for what we had I think there was there was hope that
Liverpool Liverpool's problems they've had defensively
with Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander Arnold would not translate into the
Champions League that the issues they've been having in the league and the power
the powerlessness of the Midfield would not translate to the Champions League that they could lift themselves up and
find this thing again that they could find fabinho again and find Jordan Henderson again and that energy in the
Midfield would come back and they would be able to press and do all the things that they've been able to do but
the same things um that have plagued Liverpool all year plagued them still they can't press from
the front and defend the Midfield can't get around the park to disrupt things in the flow
and they still play The High Line assuming that all the things they used to do would still get done
and so they just got cut to pieces and Benzema is the best finisher in the world and in his later years has been
shown to be one of the best players of all time he's up there he's in the group and it was a really good performance by
Real Madrid and I should talk about them a lot more but I'm not as familiar obviously because I don't watch them
every day I know that in the league they're just doing okay but for an institution like Real Madrid
the champions league is their season it is what they measure themselves against and as we saw last season when
they came back again and again and again against Chelsea against PSG against City
against Liverpool and cortos stood on his head in the final
they have an Institutional strength that is beyond
anfield they do not accept losing it is not allowed
when you put on that madrista shirt that white shirt of DeStefano
a Figo of Raul of Cristiano
of of Zidane of all the players who've come before of Roberto Sanchez of all of
them that have come before you feel the weight of every one of those trophies and if you can't match it
you're not on the squad that you just get bent you disappear but if you can you carry that strength with you and the
ghosts are with you as opposed to against you so the ghost of anfield versus the ghost of Real
Madrid clash and it was real Madrid that came out on top now none of this is
none of this is it's not it's not that it's not real it's just that these things are they come out in the wash and
whatever great you have to have talent you have to be there you have to be a great coach but I think at these levels of football where these teams are really
good you get exposed for your biggest weaknesses and basitic being 18 years
old and trying to be in the Midfield of the biggest game in the world going against Luca Modric he started he lost
control of the game a little bit Gomez lost control of the game a little bit and the moments just were bigger than
them in in this game and I think this is the end of Liverpool as
klopp's first wave these games happen on occasion uh I
think of I think of uh PSG getting killed by
Barcelona and that being the end when when Neymar was still good and they just got slaughtered uh the
I don't know it has it has a name um and then Barcelona getting killed by Liverpool on the comeback and that just
meant Messi's time was done they were done or or Bayern getting killed and and
pep being like I can't with this team so there are things that happen in Europe that your team has seminal moments that
they can't come back from and I think for Liverpool this is it this is the end of this group and I don't think anyone
can pretend that it's not uh it's not to say everything that Liverpool has done doesn't matter or that they're done or
clock needs to be fired but this group this version of Liverpool
with I'd say let's call it the Jordan Henderson version of Liverpool maybe even Van Dyke has to change as well is
over and um they have to look very hard in the mirror and see where they want to go
see if they can't compete and see if they can be a part of an of a rebuild uh
klopp has not done that before many managers have it this isn't a knock-on clop
um it's just it's really hard to go again and go to the studs and back up again
um City have done it sort of but it was already being done and they sort of
reloaded there's like the first half of peps group and now this is the back half and we're trying to redo it again so
that's where they are uh Liverpool just take it on the chin and have
the worst loss in Champions League at anfield ever
and that's just a fact like they gave up five goals and uh Madrid fans were doing Oles
that happened that's real and so they they're hurting this is one of those moments of do you need to suffer in this
case Liverpool have done their suffering in one this is now okay we can't around we're done we need to start again
so that's where Liverpool are um and it does sort of take me into my
themes around where English teams are because City
also Drew in a game against Leipzig and this was a little bit different I don't
think City are necessarily in trouble the way that um
City aren't in trouble the way that the way that Liverpool are but they're they state they're having the same problems
over and over again in this game City completely control the first half to the point that you're just like oh they're
bossing this game they've got it under control Riyad mahrez fire City ahead in the first half and it's it's an easy
game City doing that weird thing with Bernardo Silva as a fullback again but a
little bit different it's um it's Diaz okay akanji
yeah still no oh and Kyle Walker so Kyle it is a regular back four sorry I didn't
see how the formation was weirder so it's a regular back four and you know but no de bruyne uh de
bruyne had a tough game on the weekend Rod uh Bernardo was in the role of bossing this thing and running around
and he did everything he was supposed to this game's narrative was why don't City play in Ireland Holland it's another
referendum another moment of just like what are City doing why don't they ha
they have a it's like we have a nuke and we don't use it so all through the first
60 55 minutes of the game City we're in complete control of this
game I don't even think I'm just looking here um Leipzig did not take their first shot
on target until the end of the first half
and then all of the second half is really Leipzig
until they get their goal and then they shut it down again um the thing is you could see it again
what I talked same sort of thing that I talked about with the Nottingham Forest game
Leipzig bring on Fresh legs um it's of course is Guardiola on a
header on 70. they bring in on Cuckoo and Hendrix and you could see Leipzig
getting control of the game and all the city fans are just like pep do something play the ball to Holland do anything
that's not nothing and again City don't make any subs and the fresh legs of
Leipzig and the lift that they're getting from these new players on the pitch City just don't respond to it and
pep comes back with the same thing oh we played great we had control of the game yada yada the same thing
um from a city fan perspective we just see our team not reacting to energy
being lifted up uh not reacting to you know it's is it is Pep tinkering not
reacting to erling Holland it seems everyone on city is afraid to play the
ball to Holland it's as though there's two competing things inside the mind of
Manchester City one is we've got to control these games and we saw that first half City completely control this
game not even a kick for um for Leipzig
second half they lose a little bit of control but then don't react to that loss of
control by attacking they sort of keep trying to get control of the game again but
they're they've lost some legs and we don't see the ball into Holland so as a
city fan you're just like where is the attacking impetus it's not there where is it so all these players on the bench
we see we've got Calvin Phillips Julian Alvarez Phil
foden Cole Palmer Rico Lewis amazing players that just don't come on they can
change a game and they don't there's barely a ball played to Holland uh if I look at his
stats he does not he takes one shot and
only has 21 touches and it was a good shot he was the actually number one in
expected goals for City I know that's not true Riyad mahrez obviously he scored a goal so he gets that half a
half a point for a goal but City didn't even create anything they weren't really even trying for the my
proverbial favorite stat of uh shot creating actions they're very low they didn't really do much the number
all the passes were in the back it was slow um and as you go from front to back
there's less and less touches uh gundogan had opportunities to to play in
Holland he doesn't even pick his head up Roger I mean sorry Bernardo Silva doesn't even put a Paul forward and it's
unfortunate because you know City should have won this game and didn't and now there's a little bit of that
stagnation again a little bit of that doubt creeping into the team and peps
again having to list lift this team up um it seems that the only player who
defies pep is kdb but when he defies him too much or it doesn't work
um he gets benched like as though he's tired so he had a seven shot game none
of them on target didn't score a goal and then he gets benched in a Champions League he did look exhausted by the way
at the end of the Nottingham Forest game but he seems to be the only one who's got the guts enough
to play balls into Holland for fear that they may not work another thing here
and I hate VAR and I'm not really interested in what happened uh on it but
City had a on the goal by Garfield
he jumps on top of Ruben Diaz okay fine he uses him as a pogo stick okay fine I
don't want that penalty to be I don't want that goal to be chopped off and then on the 92nd minute a final cross
before the whistle's blown there's a clear handball um that's just not called
it just is uh the player bats the ball with his hands and it's just not called
they don't go to VAR so I don't want those calls so VAR you know I'm anti-var
it's just one of these things where you're just like oh if it's there
at least look at it at least tell me what the reason is but
city did not lose draw this game because of VAR they drew this game because there
is something about this team that can't Square the concept of control
and playing in Holland that just can't jibe that when he runs forward they
don't play the ball to him so they they'd rather keep the ball circulated play the fence with the ball then play
in Holland lose the ball and have counter attacks I can't explain it it's bizarre I hate it
uh I don't know how I don't have a better way to put it uh but you know and
then we should go to what was the game of the day
um I have to say that and and I don't want to admit it but
Manchester United played Barcelona at Old Trafford uh
first half was tough for United they had a hard time um ten hog went again with um
with um uh Vault Vegas up front uh that didn't quite work again
but city did get the get the win 2-1 on aggregate uh
down in the first half on a not dubious penalty if you watch it uh Bruno does pull uh the defender the player's arm uh
Robert Lewandowski looks completely nervous almost misses the penalty but then does end up getting it done then on
the second half after the changes uh off comes off comes Val Anthony comes on
changes how United play they just become much more attacking with impetus and
power and strength and energy and speed exploiting the weaknesses of Barcelona
and Fred and casemiro just stuff the
Midfield of Barcelona in their pockets they're full of running they're full of energy old trafford's lifted up on
Fred's amazing goal then on 73 Anthony scores one because he comes on for Vegas
from the wing and the place erupts I can talk about it and get goosebumps and I
know uh Christian I'm not supposed to get excited about other teams but I love football and I love to hear what what
what drives me and what makes me happy about football is the energy that the
fans give I feel that Humanity that in unison that Joy of 60
000 people all feeling it at the same time you can't help but get swept up in it uh it's a little bit like Nuremberg
to me you know when you're at Old Trafford you know they might be something fishy but you do get lifted up
and you do feel it and you do sense the moment and you do especially with at Old Trafford
especially with these Legacy clubs like Barcelona and and and and Liverpool and
Real Madrid and and Bayern Munich and and and AC Milan and Inter and these
clubs that that have history it does matter I'm not naive you can feel it and the momentum can go
against you and Barcelona did start to Will um but again like Real Madrid they did
pick themselves up they were able to get back into the fight and and there was a
moment right at the end where um
Lewandowski had a shot and it was saved off the line so I mean Varane was
immense um early in the game you know Barcelona created chances they're gonna
they're gonna Rue not winning this thing and they're going to talk about the chances they had that they didn't take
but for Barcelona you know they
they just don't they're not Dynamic enough and don't have the legs in these games
to lift themselves up to to win a game like this so
I'm trying to find the box score of this game oh here we go uh sorry about that it's just a little bit funky on the old
FB ref because I get that nerd on uh it says the XG was the same I don't
necessarily buy it but if I look at the first half there was some really big
opportunities uh that the hey has saved I'm just trying to find the right one
at least the one at the end doesn't even show up this is this might
not be the right game this might be the other game anyway United win it was amazing uh very good
very strong performance and again this is more about feelings this is more about two big clubs who lift themselves
up and and have a level of passion and and lift that other clubs
don't have uh I loved what ten Hogg did he went for it takes off wambasaka who
is defending for his life brings on garnacho takes off our horse on 45 brings on Anthony and all that young
legs and energy is what drives United forward because you know this is these
are the things that and and Dalo coming on for um for wambasaka and just sort of
changing things up um these are the things that lift up a team these are the things that make
things happen it's the youth this is what Alex Ferguson always talked about is you've if you have young players they
have a different thing they they elevate a crowd and I think um ten hog being from iax he knows that
intrinsically they've been a team that has lived on young players they mix it up but fundamentally
it's a side that um lives off its Youth and and that energy of its crowd so uh
just an amazing game a lot of energy a lot of positivity I know John uh John
Santana was living was on over the moon with this and just a great performance and just just another moment for United
to sort of feel good about where they are now
they're in the Europa League they're not in the big dance they're in
the little dance but they was two big boys in the little dance so uh this was an odd game and an odd heavyweight
matchup in the Lesser division so I do have to get my digs in this is the Europa League you're not uh you're not
so badass uh you're in your league but I want to call out two players casemiro and Fred just fantastic
just so good just kicking the out of people taking the ball off people Just Energy and moving the team forward
casemiro's got to be the signing of the season for any club just a great player and Varan as well just that Real Madrid
DNA in these players in the context of another strong Club they understand these moments and these nights they've
been playing for these games their whole lives so just an amazing performance and I probably said the same thing over and over again but just great energy just
what you love football for frankly two big teams on a European night with good
fans uh just really good stuff exciting and United move on
I should probably go through the rest of the Europa League scores just because it's a weird competition I talked about
the um the previous scores Europa League has way too many
games Salzburg one nilove Aroma Barcelona two two that was like IX they'll know Union Berlin that was the
previous thing oh we were all these were all second legs so PSV takes out
Sevier do they I can't even tell uh sporting go past michiland labor cusin
beat Monaco on penalties um uvae go past na uh Roma Pass red bees
Red Bull Salzburg and the Great and Powerful Union Berlin take out Mighty IX
shakhtar Don yes oh good for you but sad stodd renz loses on penalties on a last
minute shank shot by an 18 year old and United passed through um
against Barcelona so friends
we now leave Europe for now return to the friendly confines of the
Premier League and uh just want to go through the schedule just to get everybody back on
side because we had this exciting European nights but we have this league that we're all in that we have to get
back to Meanwhile in the Premier League um we have to pick up back where we were
and uh we have a game on Friday tomorrow Fulham V wolves you know Fulham
pushing for European places good stuff there very exciting and we move through
that game and then we're going to talk about a new friend a new old friend returning to the Premier League then we
have Newcastle versus Brighton that's a Saturday early game Leicester versus Arsenal away at the king power Everton
and the mighty fighting dices take on the wound licking Aston Villa after they
lose to um Arsenal West Ham Nottingham Forest I don't think that West Ham thought this
was a relegation six pointer Forest don't have to win this game West Ham do Forest not great on the road we'll see
what happens and the Great and Powerful Leeds United with their new manager Javi Gracia take
on Southampton born with play Manchester City this is a recipe for City
getting healthy and kicking the out of somebody please then Palace play Liverpool at home Palace secretly
terrible this is might be just what Liverpool need then Chelsea on Sunday played
play Tottenham at Tottenham Chelsea we talked about earlier in the last episode while do they need a win than City
host Brentford and we have more midweek makeup games but that will take us
through the week's matchups I'm gonna go on to Javi Gracia last scene as manager
of Watford there are many many many uh Watford managers
um he was good uh when he was the manager
of leads I actually liked him quite a lot of of um
Watford and I think that they made a mistake in letting him go uh he's a good coach I think he's
a 442 coach uh and he's gonna probably be a little bit more
structured you know these Spanish coaches they are very good that he's gonna bring he's more
he's more unai Emery than bielsa
a good coach a capable coach again the Premier League just is the
place that good coaches go and he will try and whip
he will try and whip um
leads into shape his previous job he was in Saudi Arabia at al-saad and he had
after Watford went to Valencia Valencia being a club that's really in bad shape he spent a season in Valencia
um you know a lot of draws didn't really do much he was doing really well in al-assad so
but he's a good good manager he was the manager of Watford when they were runner-ups
to city in the FA Cup and famously lost 6-0 uh and then they only gave him like
a handful of games to print the next season and farm right away uh right he
was sacked in September of that season so
and then he sort of was and Valencia had an okay season finished 14th and was
dismissed but he's a decent coach um not a guy who's won any trophies but
he's capable had been at many many clubs been coaching since 2007. so he's just
got a steady hand probably a bit of a firefighter we'll get uh we'll get leads defending and hopefully you know it's
got 430 matches 15-year career just gets coaching and he'll be fine for leads
it's not a sexy appointment He's like the eighth Choice appointment for leads but leads
just need a coach they need something to get themselves moving again there's plenty of time there's plenty of games
you know we know someone's gonna go down we just don't know who it is uh you know
I think about Southampton playing leads Southampton had that amazing win against Chelsea uh with uh James Ward price but
at Ellen Road this is about his must win a game for leads as they've had since
the last must win game last season but uh we'll see where that goes oh I do actually have to mention I made a
mistake here Brighton and Newcastle are not playing Newcastle is not sorry Newcastle is not
playing Brighton Manchester United are not playing Brentford they have the League Cup Final so we have the first
trophy of the domestic season Newcastle versus Man United on Sunday at Wembley
sorry about that folks just got a little bit uh ahead of my skis there uh I think
I like this as a Newcastle opportunity after United put so much effort on that
Thursday night Newcastle should be rested yes they're missing something but how's
how's United supposed to get up after this Thursday game so I think United
would have been favorites especially the way ten hog has been coaching especially the way the team has been going uh I did
see rashford pull up a little bit I don't think he was injured but you know they had been running hard those are
intense night games and we'll see what level this this Thursday game does
make it a more even match up for Newcastle and we know that jordy's will come out and force for The League Cup
Final so apologies there I did seem to miss that game so the League Cup Final coming in
for Newcastle versus Man United on Sunday um but that's really it I don't think
I've got too many other things that I need to hit on uh was feeling a little bit tired a little bit jaded for this
episode but yeah League Cup Final Sunday uh big games reset for Liverpool and
City needing to get back in action and get themselves back together let's just
make sure we're aware of what the standings are and where we are in the league right now
um Arsenal on top Five Points clear of Manchester city is
that no two points clear of Manchester City Arsenal have a game in hand United
three points behind city city will now have an extra game United will have to
make up that game then there's a gap of seven points to Tottenham in fourth then New Castle on 41 Fulham
on 38 in six three points behind them is Brighton on 35. Liverpool also on 35
exactly tied with Brighton so just to give you a sense Brighton and Liverpool
are in exactly the same space even on XG they're close together so uh XG
difference for Brighton is nine and a half XG difference for Liverpool is plus eight but Brighton don't have a nine nil
in that group so Brighton have actually been better than Liverpool then Brentford unbeaten in seventh on 35 three teams
tied on 35 Liverpool Brighton and Brentford then a little Gap Four Points
to Chelsea and 10th who are desperate for a win the poor Grand Potter experience is not going well then you
have 10 hog coming in just a few months before yes he had a preseason but doing so well uh Aston Villa
in 11th on 28th Crystal Palace on 26 how they're staying there I don't understand but uh Nottingham Forest in 13th safe
for now for six points above the red allegation Zone Leicester on 24 wolves on 23
Everton on 21 Bournemouth on 21 West Ham on 20 leads on 19 and Southampton on 18.
so the relegation battle is still really really close uh really really
close not anyone Cut Loose uh again I keep saying that West Ham shouldn't go
down and they are plus two in XG which is shocking
um but they are where they are because they have not scored the goals you would
expect them to amazing amazing stuff but that takes us into the weekend
that was the squeaky bum Time Podcast with your host Laurent cortines we are
the football wing of the chop Sports Network and presented exclusively by the premiere streaming Network we record on
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you and good night [Music]