Copa Independent

In an impromptu episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere and Miguel Delaney react to the news that Manchester City are to be found guilty of almost all Premier League charges stemming from the 2018 football leaks revelations.With the process ongoing and city reiterating their innocence, the pair examine what will come next: a lengthy commission report, a separate sanctions hearing, immediate penalties such as heavy fines and a points deduction that could mean relegation or even expulsion from the competition altogether, and the likelihood of a City appeal.

Permacrisis: a long period of great difficulty, confusion or suffering that seems to have no end.Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly assess Manchester United’s bleak start to the season after a 1-1 draw at Fulham, leaving them on five points from five games. Is Michael Carrick is better at one-off game plans than building a coherent long-term attacking structure? Despite some positive underlying stats, they discuss United’s heavy reliance on Bruno Fernandes, slow substitutions, and several atrocious performances. They also discuss the recruitment under INEOS, expensive signings such as Ugarte, Zirkzee and Andrey Santos, an aging squad and the lack of a consistent club ideology.

After Erling Haaland’s controversial winner in the Manchester derby and the inevitable fallout, Kieran Jackson is joined by Miguel Delaney and Jack Rathborn to dissect, eight years on from its rollout at the top level, whether VAR is actually effective in the Premier League. Have ‘refereeing standards’ actually dropped – or just changed? What have we taken from Spain and Italy? And how has the media discussion surrounding officials, with more shows, experts and social media clips than ever before, evolved in recent years? All this and more on this week’s episode of Copa Independent – leave a comment and let us know what you think!

As the Champions League begins once again, Lawrence Ostlere is joined by Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly on the latest episode of Copa Independent to debate the reduced jeopardy in the league phase, the value of finishing in the top eight, and how the format can benefit smaller clubs while packing the calendar. They discuss quirks of the draw and standout fixtures including Manchester City vs PSG, Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United, and José Mourinho facing former clubs, plus interest in Cesc Fàbregas’ Como. The panel then explores why Premier League spending hasn’t translated into European dominance, citing domestic competitiveness, fatigue, turnover and coaching context.

So, be honest: could you keep up to speed with all the ins and outs in the end? Kieran Jackson is joined by Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly this week to unpick the frenetic final few hours of the transfer window, as Premier League clubs spent a record £3.48billion over the course of the summer. Manchester City finally got their man in Enzo Fernandez – but is he really worth it? Will Chelsea and Everton regret failing to get signings over the line at the eleventh hour? And, with more money and players exchanging hands than ever before, is the Premier League transfer window at breaking point? All this and more on the latest episode of Copa Independent!

The transfer window has been more frenzied than ever this summer, with wild £100m sums being exchanged between Premier League clubs. Who distorted the market, and are clubs over-paying for new recruits?Aston Villa and Newcastle have sold several key players this summer – are the Premier League’s new squad cost ratio (SCR) rules to blame? And with only a few days to go until the deadline, which deals will get done before the window closes?Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly join Lawrence Ostlere to discuss all this and more in this week’s edition of Copa Independent, the Independent’s weekly football podcast.