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The Game Football Podcast
Champions League and jeez, referees!
Martin Samuel, James Gheerbrant and Jonathan Northcroft join Gregor Robertson for the Thursday edition of The Game.
Manchester United once again take centre stage. Free scoring, but also conceding freely too and dropping a two goal lead twice in Türkiye. Arsenal in contrast are less expansive than last year but more defensively solid, they’re also top of their group and top of the Premier League…can they possibly be under the radar?
Newcastle suffered at the hands of VAR and the team finish by discussing the attempts being made to attract more ex-players into helping VAR officiating.
A bonus section includes Martin Samuel giving his fascinating memories of Terry Venables
Timeline
Man Utd
2’ Scoring freely away from home, but conceding just as easily.
6’ Bruno Fernandes and Onana
8’ A poorly set up team, too stretched. Everton game was a warning sign. Everton had tons of shots.
10’ United have gone backwards this season, if you look at performance not result. Emotionally unstable as a team.
14’ players have to manage games, less flash and volatility. More steel sense and game management.
Newcastle
21’ ludicrous decision. But Eddie Howe’s reaction has been fantastic.
23’ Group still wide open, anything could happen.
24’ Eddie Howe has done a remarkable job
25’ the differing interpretation of the handball law between UEFA and all domestic league. Not a sustainable position.
28’ how can there be ‘a version’ of the rules…?
Arsenal
31’ what happened to boring boring Arsenal?
33’ are Arsenal under the radar. Top of the league and through as top of their Champions league group. Very effective.
35’ Rice outstanding, allows others to play. Used to be very exciting, second most goals per game last season. This season much further down, but seemingly more managed, secure.
38’ Declan Rice is rhythm guitar, and he is essential and really good.
41’ Arsenal have bounced back two season running after disappoint/frustrating ends to the previous season.
Refereeing
44’ How to overcome the accusation of bias if you’re seeking ex pros to be referees.
47’ more trust required. Ex pros have a lot to offer.
53’ something needs to change and probably will. It is now to regular.
55’ economically not viable to be a referee, takes a long time to qualify and doesn’t pay a lot. For ex players that will be problematic.
59’ can we ever foresee a top player officiating and not being called biased.
1hr it works in cricket.
Terry Venables
Why did he leave England…
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EFL Extra: The EFL is mad!
31:00|Cliché alert: A week is a long time in football. Nothing stays the same for long in the championship, Leagues One and Two Leeds were sinking, now they are top. Wycombe had fallen away now they're back and Walsall were top for 119 days, they've now lost ten in a row but are still third - just.As for the bottom, where do we even start!?Tim Clarke and Gregor Robertson round up all the latest from a gripping round of EFL fixtures and dare to ask - what happens next?Who is worse Man Utd or Spurs?
51:26|Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are on course for their worst ever Premier League seasons. Do both now need massive re builds on and off the pitch? Or are they just a small change away from challenging at the top again?Both have eyes on winning a European trophy but will that make any difference to clubs sitting fourteenth and fifteenth in the table? Meanwhile, Forest and Chelsea are showing signs of nerves in their pursuit of the Champions League places whereas Arsenal are only focused on Europe. Will Arsenal and Villa do it?Have you ever seen a better free kick than Declan Rice’s?
56:39|Was Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid their best performance under Mikel Arteta? At its heart was a dominant display from Declan Rice, topped off by two outstanding free kicks. Have you ever seen better? And where did Rice’s overall performance leave his England position? A six, an eight, a ten?How do Arsenal approach the second leg, sit back and defend or go for more goals? Could that be their biggest challenge?Bukayo Saka showed his calibre as he terrorised a star studded Real team and Miles Lewis Skelly once again showed confidence beyond his years.For Villa it was a tough night albeit against an exceptional PSG side. Did Emi Martinez’s antics help or hinder his team? Is the tie over or could it be a famous night at Villa Park in a weeks’ time?"There is jeopardy everywhere you look!”
32:39|‘Crunch time’, ‘the pressure is on’, ‘squeaky bum time’… call it what you like now is when it matters. The EFL is an edge of the seat ride. Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson cover all the latest from the EFL.In the Championship Leeds started the week on top, dropped to second and now sit in third - are they about to live up to their tag of blowing it?. Burnley started third and now sit on top. It is all change in the play off places too, with West Brom and Coventry dropping out for Middlesborough and Bristol City. All have tough run ins to come. So, who will finish in the box seats?In League One Wrexham have finally opened a small gap on Wycombe, but with a squad which can bench two first choice strikers in Mullin and Palmer is it really a surprise?Walsall in League Two have dropped like a stone in recent weeks and now find themselves clinging on to third place. In the play off’s teams as far down as ninth are still involved, and they all have to play each other. What a league!Is this a great season or an awful season?
58:11|Is there something ‘off’ this season? Run away leaders Liverpool lost, but Arsenal had already dropped points, and relegation was sorted out weeks ago. Yet Villa could win the Champions League, Newcastle won a trophy for the first time in seventy years, and Forest could be back in Europe. So, a great season or just a poor one? Gregor thinks the regular fate of promoted sides going straight back down is becoming a problem for English football.The team discuss all that a woeful Manchester derby, Liverpool contract talks and a look ahead to a huge week for Arsenal and Villa in the Champions League.Jose Mourinho – a great or a clown? And VAR … again
58:55|If ever a game highlighted the problems of VAR it was the Merseyside derby. There is universal agreement that James Tarkowski’s tackle on Alexis Mac Allister was a red card and Liverpool’s winning goal had what ‘appeared’ to be a clear offside. So, what went wrong? Gregor Robertson – fresh from a referee’s course – tries to shed some light.Jose Mourinho is grabbing headlines again… but for all the wrong reasons.On the pitch, Forest are not faltering, far from it, they have their eye on Arsenal in second. Ipswich get a rare win, and is Marcus Rashford back to his best?Best ever full backs and Premier League predictions
01:00:12|With Forest, Villa and Palace all through it’s a varied FA Cup semi final line up…but does the presence of Manchester City have an inevitable fell to it? Alyson Rudd thinks not. Had Bournemouth been more bold they may well have beaten City and Palace and Forest both have the swagger to do so.Can you name a cool right back that has played in the Premier League? Apart from Trent Alexander Arnold the team are struggling. But there are plenty cool left backs.And finally, it’s prediction time, who will finish from 2nd to 7th in the Premier League?EFL prediction time: Who's going up and who's going down?
37:03|All the very latest from an enthralling EFL with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson.With eight games to go the EFL is far from over. In the Championship the top twelve teams still have an eye on the play offs. At the very top which of the top three will falter? At the bottom will Derby’s renaissance last?In League One Wrexham are grindingly resilient, but Wycombe and Richard Kone are going nowhere. The play off’s look sewn up bar one spot, but with four or five teams fighting for it. League Two Walsall who have been strong all season have stalled badly. At the bottom…Carlisle are in dire straits…How do Liverpool replace Trent Alexander Arnold?
50:58|It looks like Trent Alexander Arnold is off to Real Madrid. Where does that leave Liverpool? Does it mean Salah and Van Dijk might now stay? Alexander Arnold’s numbers from right back are unique, can he be replaced and what is his best position? England will have two players playing at the Bernabeu, surely that is a good thing?Speaking of England…Martin Samuel thinks Thomas Tuchel may not have a competitive game until July 9th 2026! What can he learn in the meantime?And it’s FA cup weekend, who do the panel want to win it and who do they think will win it?