The Game

Gregor Robertson, Jonny Northcroft and Martin Samuel join Tom Clarke for a debrief of this weeks Champions league matches. A good week for Arsenal and City, an ok week for Newcastle but another forgettable week for Manchester United.

Can you really sub a goalkeeper for tactical reasons?

Given the strength in depth and the money in the Premier league, is it now almost a super league in its own right?

And Gregor has a new celebrity mate…i

Timeline:

Man Utd

1’ Another bad night for Man Utd. The score was 4-3 but the game was nothing like that. Another defeat, another

6’ Onana Gregor analysis the start to Onana’s Old Trafford career. “Another new player is wobbling.”  

10’ Martin recalls the different approaches from various managers he has dealt with towards goalkeepers. He goes on to give an interesting take on pessimists and optimists on the football field. Mourinho didn’t want optimists as defenders.

13’ Is Onana a good enough footballer, is his defence in front of him good enough. Jonny Northcroft, thinks it could be a mix of the two. Wider concern is the recruitment policy.

15’ Gregor thinks it isn’t the players but players in a dysfunctional set up look worse than they are.

19’ Winter of discontent. Man Utd have a generous run of fixtures in the next few weeks if they want to get back on track. But Marti Samuel has written about how this team may still struggle.

22’ where to start to fix it. Jonny thinks the midfield is the place to begin. He thinks they lack legs, creativity and strength. There is too much pressure on Casimero but he is too old to cover the space in the midfield. Dito Eriksen.

23’ Players get better when they’re not in the team, says Martin. Mason Mount didn’t start well but is now touted as the answer. Could Amrabat be the answer, he’ll need time to adjust.

Arsenal

25’ Arsenal returned to the Champions league as if they had never been away. Gregor thinks it shows the gulf between the Premier league and the rest of Europe. PSV sold their best player this summer…to Nottingham Forest. The development in the Premier League is such that an English team are automatically going to compete well in the Champions league.

27’ Arsenal are no longer a prospect, they are ‘there.’ Jonny is beguiled by the ‘vibe’ from Arsenal, the interplay of players like Odegaard, Trossard, Saka and Jesus was a joy to watch.

29’ Raya retained his place in goal for Arsenal. Is this going to be the new approach to goalkeepers

33’ North London derby. Ange revolution v Arsenal on a high.

Newcastle

38’ Do Newcastle need to evolve, will they be able to? What does the result say about the premier league. Newcastle were average but they got a result, in the San Siro.

44’ Premier League strength, demonstrated by the players brought to the league and also players sold to other major European clubs.

48’ IS the premier league a de-facto super league?

Man City

50’ Jeremy Doku gives Man City a new dimension. Beating men, creating space, staying wide. Are they already favourites.

55’ Favourite Champions League moments from the week.

58’ Gregor is star struck after interviewing Norman Cook - Fat Boy slim