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The Game Football Podcast
Guéhi, Bale and The King's Road Lakers
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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Tom Roddy and Tony Cascarino.
England won their first friendly of the international break - but what did we learn from the 2-1 win over Switzerland? (00:30)
Conor Gallagher looked good in midfield, but will he get a fair chance with the other players England have in the middle? (15:04)
Wales will have to wait until the summer to find out if they’ll play in the World Cup. Does this play into their hands and is Gareth Bale the best British export ever? (20:17)
The Times’ Matthew Syed has been causing a stir with the idea of a combined British football team. Could it ever happen? (36:12)
There are thought to be four preferred bidders on Chelsea’s shortlist for the sale of the group. The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Matt Lawton joins us with the latest state of affairs (44:25)
Roberto Mancini has failed to take Italy to the World Cup, so could he be a shock candidate to take over at Manchester United? (56:00)
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Are Arsenal favourites against PSG? And a new contract for Van Dijk
54:37|Was Arenal’s win in Madrid a coming-of-age performance for Mikel Arteta’s side? After beating the fifteen-time champions Real Madrid what chance do they have against in form Paris Saint Germain? Is it best defence against best attack? Declan Rice shone in both games against Real, is he now one of the best in Europe?Domestically, Virgil Van Dijk has followed Mo Salah in signing a new contract with Liverpool…could they cap the week by winning the league this weekend?And Newcastle are now third, could they be title contenders next season or do they need to strengthen?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…