Chelsea's Club Model a bit Cucu?

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They are sixth in the Premier League as it stands right now. Still in the FA Cup, in the FL Cup they were eliminated by Arsenal and they just came out of the Champions League before the international break to PSG. Well Michael Greer has been talking to the Athletic this week. This is what he's had to say about Chelsea's transfer policy. He says signing young players only might complicate fighting for major trophies. Against PSG we lacked players that had gone through situations like that. I understand this is part of the club's policy looking to the future but for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged. It's obviously to do with the model and specifically concerning the centering around youth when it comes to Chelsea. What do you think when you see that Shaka? I think Cochlear has a point. Now the ownership group with Clare Lake or Bluco, whoever it is, they have their approach and they've said they're still out. Cochlear talks about it, young players coming in. So from a business perspective maybe they can't be as criticised as you would from a footballing perspective. Signing young players with a knife for the future and the Ceylon putting them on relatively low wages but long contracts, a guy from a business perspective makes sense. From a footballing perspective it does not. Footballers want to win things now. Fans want to see their club win things now. You can sell them a project a year or two in advance, you cannot sell fans seven or eight years time, we'll be alright. And that's the balancing act and the big clubs get that just right. This new ownership group again has not, maybe following in the footsteps of Abramovich and how he did things and how quickly things changed but they certainly have not found that balance. So I fully understand the frustration of Cochlear and as I say I think it's a frustration felt that far wider than just a dressing room. Don, are you surprised that a player has actually said this out aloud like my Cochlear has? Yeah, I don't think it's a good look. I think it's been a theme of Chelsea's players this season and Enzo Fernandez comes into that conversation as well where they feel as though maybe Chelsea are a stepping stone to try and go elsewhere which shows the standards of Chelsea Football Club over the last five years or so. Kukareya when he was signed was a young player. So he's only saying things that Ospundits and Osnamedia have known for a long time that you can get by and you can have the project of signing young players and young players will take you so far but young players will be inconsistent. That's what happens when you're young. You need to mature into being top players. If they keep signing young players they're going to stay at a certain level but I do feel as though he's a little bit out of order speaking about board and the priorities in the ownership when he's getting paid an awful lot of money to play for Chelsea. Does this give us a little idea as to what's been said inside the dressing room if this is being said to the public? 100%. 100%. It's amazing isn't it? Football might be the only industry where the worker can complain about the bossy's and not get the bullet. I mean it really is isn't it? You know we had the ends of Fernandez a couple of weeks ago saying similar things now we've got Kukareya saying the same things and what the owners are doing are not helping the players on the field to succeed. I would be interested to know if the owners, yes we know about this policy and when they came in they decided that they were going the youth side. Are they going to hold on to the ends of Fernandez and the Kaisados and five or six other guys when they really hit the maturity and keep them and then you build around that with the youth so that it is a six or seven year plan. That's the real question now because clearly they just emptied the decks and all these young guys and so eventually they're going to mature and be the experienced players that a team needs to succeed whether it's Premier League or Champions League because I'm assuming that's what they want. They don't want to win the conference league. So that would be my question to the owners. I understand the policy to begin with but now you've had a point where okay are you wanting to take the next step and if you do want to take the next step that's what it is. What do you think of it Luis what your fellow Spaniard has had to say here about Chelsea? We all understand the frustration. I kind of don't get on these days why all the players have something to say about the club designing because in the end you have to perform on the field and apart from that try to understand what they are doing. If you don't understand you should keep it in house. That's the way that I was grown up. That's the way that I understood football. That's the way that I think that things should be done. If you are not happy by the way the things are doing just make a meeting with the rest of the team, with the board and put it on the table. Going outside and putting these kind of things to the rest of the public just generates a lot more confusion. I understand that when you are not getting closer to trophies you are frustrated, you look around but what that means is that you have got young players that they maybe are not ready to fight for the trophies. That they don't have enough quality that they are not there to fight for all the trophies. I think that Chelsea history has shown that there was a period, a short period that they managed to get trophies but in a long range of the past 20, 50 years we know what is the history of Chelsea. It's not a team that has been winning trophies every single weekend. What is success for Chelsea on these days? Getting closer to Champions League right now they have the option to get into the Champions League position. I understand the frustration but if you want to build a strong team and you are believing in the youth, I think the first thing is not pointing against the youth. It's about pointing about why the plan is not starting from having a manager for a long period, having an understanding of what you want, the vision that you want to have for the future and keeping on that. In the moment after six months you change it, it doesn't matter how many players, it doesn't matter if you bring Lionel Messi, Mbappe and Neymar that Paris Saint-Germain had because the success is not going to be there. If you believe in the youth and you believe in your vision and what is your target in the long range, it's not about the players that you bring, it's about what are you doing with those players. That's a perfect segue into a little more on what Marc Coucret had to say. This is what he was talking about when we heard he had some comments on Muresca. He said when a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you die for him. The moment Muresca left it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. The instability around the club comes from this in a nutshell. That leads on to what you were saying. This is Enzo Fernandez who had also said something along the lines of knowing what the whole plan was under Muresca and now having to deal with a new manager again. I think what he says is absolutely 100% correct. But it goes back to what we've all been saying. Keep your mouth shut. If you've got a problem go and ask somebody. Keep it in the building. There's nothing wrong with having a problem with something that's going on at your club. But there's a way to go about either changing it or you move on yourself if you don't like it that much. So yeah what he's saying is correct. But he shouldn't be saying this in public. All it does is all the things that we've been saying is all the things that Enzo Fernandez and now Kukare has been saying. So actually we're not too far off the mark. Why are we hearing it from so many players though? There's got to be something more to this. Part of the issue is the more things change the more they stay the same. Back in our day you knew you'd gone international break. Somebody was going to go back to their home country do an interview and a week or two later that interview would filter through and it'd be criticising whether there's a club or as teammates whatever it is. The clock forward was 30, 40 years and nothing's changed really. Despite social media and the immediacy of it. Let's go international duty and do interviews in their native languages with reporters maybe they're comfortable with and these things come out. But again to Steve's point I do not disagree with a single thing Kukarela says. I really don't and it's true. The other aspect to this is while we can sit here and say well listen as a player you really shouldn't be talking about this publicly and which is right. If you are a little bit frustrated and you're thinking I can engineer a move here you say what you want because to Steve's point players are on contracts you move him on. That's what he's looking for. They're ways again that players kind of go about their business in terms of pushing for a move. These are the kind of things you do almost every single time. Yeah we're taking names now Don because speaking to Alexis Nunes we had Malo Gusto also talking about Muresca now we've just heard the latest from Mark Kukarela there we've got Enzo Fernandez. So this is a number of players speaking to a number of reporters on this international break about the same topic. Yeah they weren't exactly moaning when they signed their seven year contract so were they. Listen I think it would carry more weight if it was a John Terry or Ashley Cole you know with all due respect to Mark Kukarela he's not in that bracket he's not an elite left back in my opinion so him and Gusto and Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Fernandez is probably the one where he's talking about maybe he's living in Madrid. He might have got sidetracked by a question I agree with Shaka. I've sat there in the Scottish press many many years ago and they you have a cup of coffee and they ask you a few questions and everything's a little bit nice and all of a sudden they'll hit you with a which which teams you like to watch. So they're like arrangers you drop the ranges in and all of a sudden the next morning Hutchison wants to have arrangers so you can sort of get sucked in to the conversation but it can't be it can't be just like when three players are coming out having the same conversation about the board you know we're all experienced people we know the game and when all of us are saying the same thing about what Kukarela and Enzo Fernandez and Gusto are saying is essentially right that would lead me to the job that the sporting directors are doing because if we can sit here and say well Chelsea are signing young players and it's not going to work why the sporting directors given Moresca and given Racinha young players to work with they need experienced players you'd question the job that they're doing. Yeah absolutely but gets to the point Luis when you wonder if they do they have a point you know we keep hearing it it feels like we're going to keep hearing it. Yeah exactly and it's something that has been around in the dressing room for sure when the three players are coming out and talking about the same the same topic is because that's been a talking point inside the dressing room because they felt good playing for under Moresca because right now maybe they are not in the right spot because they are not feeling the same way because think about it the guys are talking right now about Enzo Moresca they are not there how good they were feeling why it was sucked and this kind of situation what that says about Liam about the new manager I think that's something that he should think also about you got a new manager you normally would you say no we are trying to do the best we are trying to improve Liam is bringing something different blah blah blah blah blah that's what you're trying to do in the moment that you start talking about a manager that is not even into the club it's because there was a shocking moment there was something important for them and maybe that didn't help on the way of this Chelsea how this Chelsea was moving forward so right now is again starting from scratch and that's something that for a Premier League team for a team that is trying to achieve trophies is going to help them at all you know you think about I was thinking about you know Chelsea in the past winning champions leagues winning Premier Leagues they were getting rid of managers left right and centre so it just shows you that all again all the things we've been talking about how this side doesn't have the experience at the highest level to take that next step that's the problem because they've got as many new managers as the old Chelsea did that was winning Champions League but the players aren't they aren't experienced enough they don't they don't have that knowledge on the field where where they're always looking to the sideline and so when you've got younger players who are looking to the sideline and every time they look at the sideline there's a different face with a different hymn sheet so there's no surprise that they're just struggling to get in the Champions League forget winning the Premier League forget winning the Champions League this team is kind of rudderless right now and it's not just because they keep changing managers it's because the players don't have they don't they're not mature enough and have there's not enough of them have that experience in order to pass the knowledge on or to take the next step in terms of going for titles but what about winning the FA Cup Stevie they are taking on-pot veil and you will be able to see that game on ESPN plus on Saturday we have these games Man City against Liverpool kicking things off also Southampton against Arsenal later that day and on Sunday it's West Ham taking on leads from 30 for 30 podcasts Brian Padda senior defensive lineman from Miami gunned down an hour before he died he was on the phone this might be a hit you want the truth they just want a conviction being placed into arrest we had a killer amongst us murder at the U listen now 9-1-1 where's the emergency it's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge a search gets underway for the missing driver 19 year old Sarah Stern is it a missing person is it a suicide at this point nobody knows old friendships buried cash and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life I'm juju chang from 2020 and ABC audio listen now to bridge of lies wherever you get your podcasts so Italy are still reeling from failing to qualify for the world cup for the third time in a row and maybe you saw our podcast title this week which said all roads lead to home for Italy they were from our team there pretty much what all the top papers are saying in Italy as well let's talk more about this then Don Hutchison an adopted Italian it has to be said still with us Luis Garcia with us as well all right Don let's get your reaction first and foremost because we see that you've been pretty vocal and pretty active on X following this elimination well obviously it's embarrassing you know I think the conversation would last two or three hours if you're having a serious debate on what's happening with the national side but when you look on the face of it it feels like they've lost their DNA when you close your eyes you think about the strongest Italian teams you think about Italian defenders that are rugged not like Bastogno or Calla Fiori where and I'm not singling them out because they're good footballers but the Italian defenders were Italian defenders and they've lost the ability to find the number 10s they've lost the ability to find badgeos find del pieros find Gianfranco Zola's these guys that were mavericks now what I would guarantee is that these kids are out there in the schools these badgeos and these del pieros are out there in the schools so the Italian FA and the teachers and the coaches at the young level have to make sure when they when they identify these young kids that are ultra talented it's not to knock that out of them and turn them into athletes because when you look at the Italian national side now it feels like they're caught between trying to play like in a Premier League type football where it's a little bit long ball it's a little bit athletes it's a little bit runners because you know if you look at Fratasi for example he's probably the best number 10 that the azure of God he's a runner who runs in the box he's not badgio he's not del piero he's not Gianfranco Zola he's not an elite maverick number 10 that's ultra skillful or totty if you like so I think the Italian side when you look at the graphic there which three World Cups in a row is just an all-time low I think when you look on the face of it these kids have to be out there you know I don't buy that the talent's not there it might have to come for a completely new generation but the important thing now for the Italian coaches is when they find this group of kids who might be 10 11 12 13 14 whatever age they are make them into and let them be the players they want to be and don't knock it out of them and don't say well you're not going to make it into Serie A if you can run if you can fight if you're six foot find these players you know embrace that these kids are going to be cultured and you know being fantastic young footballers and let them express themselves it's it's a couple of hour conversation but that on the face of when you think Italian defenders are not rugged enough anymore they're turning into Premier League players where they want to fight and win duels and they're not bringing through number 9s and number 10s you know you know what Don's on about there you can look at you can look across the planet certainly in Europe particularly and that's what's happening this in my opinion that that invention and that that every every great player has something unique about themselves and it seems all the things done there is basically saying they're getting they're getting all that coached at them just too many too many young kids too many players today are getting so overcoached in my opinion and that's that's particularly one of the biggest reasons why the Italians are struggling because you don't have any of those players but they're not alone you look around Europe there's not that many how many players can we sit real and talk about being world class in terms of the final third in terms of scale in terms of being as good as all those players that Don spoke about there's not there's none because they're all getting overcoached and it's happening across particularly Europe I can't speak for the for the African nations but in terms of Europe you just watch European football there's none of those players around and you feel though that in Spain Luis we're definitely still seeing these technical players coming through is it happening in Spain are you seeing anything like that yes okay it's happening of course we are a country where we've been working so many times so many years for on on the development of on tactical players on technical players and we don't have that strength of that speed that all the countries had so we have to adapt to those kind of situation but we can see it on the on our academies on the formation of the players that in the moment that a kid is a little bit taller and stronger is going to be ahead of the one is weaker smaller maybe a little bit more technically gifted but but it's going to be put it on the side because what you want when you are a kid and what the the man is one is to get the result and we are losing a little bit that creativity if we go back 20 years 30 years you could find five six seven players with so much talent quality and technique in every single team not three four five teams in every single team of the league and we can find that because that's the way the football is is driving we are moving to a more a faster and and stronger and we won't play as who if you have a look the managers won the players that now get a 35 36 kilometers in the spring how many times they are praying how much time they can be on the field because they are going to play many games so in the end we are looking for that and we are forgetting that football is about what you do with the ball and how quick you can think we continue developing a lot of talented players and I think the Italy should start moving on that direction of course they got a different different academies they got a different infrastructure something that they need to look at I'm not saying that they have to copy Spain because that's no word you have to work with what you got and the style of football you have but I think that even Spain has developed how to adapt to to defeat new football that's why the result are are rapid once again I think that no longer go we saw exactly the same with Germany they needed to make a quick transition a re-adaptation to what football is demanding right now and that start from that because if not this side is really sad and disappointed to see Italy that is being one of the most iconic national teams in World Cups and in Euros don't be involved in a competition like the World Cup in this year. What even with all of this Shakka this this record I mean it's the only team it's the only defending champion that's not qualified for three straight World Cups and why are we refining for all with Italy over the last over the that period three World Cups like some have mentioned when it Euros and between all that as well so it speaks to I guess talent at one level but but are failing on another in terms of in terms of qualifying now from from an Italian perspective I always feel you know we could talk about the overcoaching but then you see the natural talent shine through with the Spanish national team with the French national team I understand Don's point about athletes and well with the English team and how it relates to the Premier League now Italian football again is not enjoying its its its Haiti that's I'll put that as as nicely as as I possibly can and you just wonder how that affects the identity of this of this national team because well okay fair enough in 2024 they come up against once in a generational Norway team who were just absolutely outstanding they finished second but then they go and blow it to Bosnia Herzegovina four years ago they finished second to Switzerland and then they go and blow it to I guess North Macedonia on Italian soil now that in games that they dominated Norway apart the those games that I mentioned Italy absolutely dominated and I just wonder if it's kind of gone away from the Italian stereotype of how they play very good defensively very well organized but then also to Don's point without the finishers that we know Italian football have have produced team after team generation after after generation it seems I think I'm right in saying that in the game against North Macedonia they odd shot North Macedonia 32 to four something ridiculous like that and that speaks to a lack of finishing you can't give a badge or Del Piero 30 shots and not concede six and and I guess that is where the the falling comes down you do not have those finishers and you do not have an identity to fall back on you know what you can't argue with the previous two what you said there but this game against Bosnia was embarrassing they got battled they got battered Bosnia had 31 shots they had 31 shots so the first two you would if you you would think that after the first one it would be hold on a second you would definitely think after the second time you don't qualify we need to clear the boat here and start again but nor they didn't and now the third one you can't say you were unlucky you can't say you don't have a finisher you you can't say we defended well you can't see any of that you just got battered and outplayed by Bosnia hercega vina who are a bang avicide so yeah I agree we were foster but this one no it's just down to just bad bad football players that's what it's down to Francesco Totti's been talking about it Don and he says that you know there's been no distractions in his day there was no obsession with image no need to live on social media just football just pride just responsibility to the badge he even goes on to talk about distraction by fame by tattoos by the celebrity lifestyle but it's not as if like we're seeing that across the board in all of the countries we're seeing that all of these players know the celebrity lifestyle now and social media and tattoos or whatever it may be that he's saying here isn't it just coming down to the simple fact that they're just not as good as the Totti's and all those players that we grew up watching not correct I think I think he makes it makes a point from obviously the culture that he grew up in but times have moved on times have changed young players are free now to express themselves on social media and they do it and it's their sort of it's their break away from the pressure so I get what he's saying because he's an old school you know footballer like we are so you can sort of lend yourself to that conversation but when you when you know the game's moved on and all players are doing it you're right K when you look at the group of players that you know played you the day I mean my biggest take when I saw the lineup come in was Retege starting for the second game in a row over Espositor that was the that was the the no-no for me when Retege come off in the game before and Espositor oh come on who's a bright young player and it goes against a little bit the grain that was saying you know he's physical he's a big number nine but he's informed and he's confident so however Retege kept his place over Espositor I'll never know but going back to the Calafiores and the Bastonis these are not Bernucci's these are not Chiellinis these are not guys that are willing to die for that shirt and I mean that metaphorically where you know they would they would go down to nine men if they needed to but stopping the opposition scoring was the most important thing and making sure you get the job done times I've moved on now and players are different and they're built different but it has to be a routine branch thing I'll go back to the youth it has to be better but you're fast forward or all that you go to the conversation while they haven't qualified you look at the players and I still think they're good enough I just think the pressure was too much for them as soon as I saw that it went to pens I thought that shirt is a heavy shirt when you haven't qualified for two World Cups in a row and you've gone to penalties I never fancied it to go through just because of the pressure and how much it really means to the Italian fans and the players and the manager and Gattuso and his backroom staff it was just too much and it's something they've just got to get over and it's a hurdle that they've got to cross and they've got to get over it otherwise it's going to be four or otherwise there's going to be another euros so something has to happen and something has to change yeah make sure to check out the Gavin Jules podcast a lot more talk about Italy and their failures over there check it out wherever you get your podcasts over on the website rhino hanlon has been ranking the 2026 World Cup teams these are his rankings and we wanted to cast your eyes over number 22 which is where he puts the United States right now obviously the usual suspects are among the top they're the ones that are among the favorites when it comes to the odds makers as well but i'm wondering what you guys think starting with you shak about United States at 22 not not overly surprising if we had this conversation earlier in the year coming off the back of the families of 2024 where the United States beat Uruguay so so convincingly maybe you see them higher up but it has been a very disappointing window this time around in those two games against against Portugal and Belgium where i think portraitino gave us a whole lot more questions than answers in the last window before before the World Cup added to that with with Turkey kind of looking forward to the World Cup with Turkey qualifying which i mean they were favorite too into this group i'll say the same thing as i did when when they made the draw in that group that includes Australia Paraguay and Turkey all four teams fancy themselves to go through if not if not top the group so even as a host as we sit right now i'm not overly confident i won't i won't put my neck on a chopping block the US are going to qualify out of this group is that too high or too low though number 22 given what we've seen over the last week that is right where they should be do you know that third group from 21 down from sweden down you could just throw them up in the air and the way they landed would be probably right because they're all they're all pretty much they're all in the same position you don't know when they step on the field what you're going to get you don't there's not one of them from sweden all the way down do you know what you're going to get from one to 20 i think you've got an idea but those that last group i couldn't tell you you know what you're getting from number 26 though not a lot you know you're getting nothing is that fair for scotland number 26 just while we are here what they could be 21 or they could be 30 because all of those teams you don't you got not as good as what you're getting too high or too low for you louise for the us no i'm with the guys i think that is right there honestly um well i'm surprised because uh just in the last world cup when we saw this young generation with all those police eeks and and a generation where we could feel tylon adams that they were going to do it they were going to be strong they were going to make a big statement in the in the world cup i was i was really encouraging and i was really excited about what they could bring and but there's been so many changes there been so many things happening in the last four years well two years that i'm really surprised that at this stage really close just a few months to to the world cup we are no more excited about this national team i don't know what is it i don't know what is them the real fact why we cannot see at the united state closer to being favorite i understand that they are a lot bigger and national teams that they're going to be um of course favorite but i was expecting maybe what we see we can see the ecuador we can see japan we can see uh colombia even ahead of of the united state and i was expecting maybe into to the 15th um some closer to that the united state to be maybe in that situation but right now and i agree with shaka we've it's been a little bit disappointed to see in the last result but again things can change very quickly when you play at home when you play with your crowd it's going to be something different a world cup is a world cup and so hopefully we can see a better better face of this of this team and because the quality is there so hopefully we can see a better what is that what's your take on it don too high too low um i think it's about right i think what luis is saying is right i think in an ideal world we're better form they should be looking to be in that middle bracket but when you look at the team that's just above them sweden i mean they've got yocca reyes they've got antia langa they've got alexander isak so you look at what the national side of america have got to to play with um with all due respect um i think that's it it is where they are but i think you know with it with a distant world cup behind them and we're form and home fans as luis said they can try and break into that middle bracket but i've got i've got no confidence in them not that i've seen a million usa games but i've seen a lot of the other sides that are in the first bracket second bracket and scotland being a few places away from them i think and didn't pochettino said semi finals you have a day did i read that yeah yeah you did you did you did you did that we believe that we could get the semis here he believes that they can win okay well as we know that's ryan oh handlens rankings anyway but when it comes to rankings there's only one man who we should be focusing on and let's check a hislock with his power rankings take it away check as a tool all this week i think france going to win it spain spain and argentina second and third best teams in the world england fourth no question portugal i was impressed with us so with them this window so they're up to five as i was with the with the nevelands senegal i think no way no way again once in a generational team i think they surprised us summer brazil and germany properly rankings and number ten right i've got just one question for your shot sure did you see england recently i thought that what you saw england in this window had nothing looked nothing like what you remember that last list we saw paraguay were actually behind scotland paraguay with 27th they do one one we england i'm yeah and then oh wait a minute japan japan who were in 20th in that last ranking beat england but when was it one hill so england one win one draw and if it's a power rankings how would it how would even in the top thing there's something fishy there's something fishy that is nothing to do with the england team i think you'll see i think i think tucco was trying something out um well it shouldn't be called the power rankings because that's that's your power rankings are all about what's just i i maintain i still think those top four are the best four teams in in world football i think those four are the four semi finalists so i i i put england even if they want to put out a c or d team this window um maybe come up with all this part well up two down three up four sliding in you he's new he's giving it all that that so i did that once i did not say that once here he did so you went you went up two or something and that means that's that's recent performance which is why i brought england into the who is up to the last international windows november i never said nobody anybody moved up listen bottom line is they shouldn't even be the top ten recent recent no they're there the fourth best team in world football right now oh how's that they just drew they just drew me parry guai i and they got beat by japan if you play your d team so you already judge england d team phil foden's in the d squad is he did he play this weekend yeah he's not gonna start any work up yeah i'm just answering your question yeah i know i was answering that yes anybody who played this weekend will not be starting any work or this week will not be starting to work up 11 cool Palmer started is he not going all right yeah he's gonna make all your difference he's a one player stevie gore it's it's because nobody's denying to commit not i'll no Palmer nobody's nobody's denying that took a made whole sale changes and what you saw this week you will not reflect any slightest what you see come come he started to work up can you believe that he saw against england you were so last week's was fantastic last week's was spot on this week yeah i'm surprised you've not squeezed you got complacent you're right you got complacent well i think louise gas is quite happy with what he sees i i just don't get why france has to be on the first spot i don't know having spain after the win work up i'm calling it now i'm calling it now france a win all right all right all right okay that's i mean it's a it's a way of seeing i think the fran this guy i mean he's totally um it's your opinion i think that i see totally fine because france is very strong i agree that england is gonna be it has something to say i i don't know why the guys are i complain so much i think that england has got something today he's got so much talent and we've seen in the euro maybe the football is not as dazzling that we could expect but there's so much talent there but spain has to be spain has to be at the top right now because of the result because of the football that he's been at the below beam in the last few years it has to be at the top maybe we we don't win it anymore or we don't win it this year this year but definitely at least we have to be at the top of the of that that group yeah done steve he's been comparing it to top of the pops back in the day places moving up places moving down places sticking there who moved from last week who moved from last week go ahead tell me you said i'm not sure what it's called so is it called power rankings or future rankings oh because future rankings is is shaka looking ahead to what's gotten in the world cup but the power rankings are what's happening now so england just come off the feet what's happening now dunce nominating himself is going to be what's going on come off the draw on the feet friendlies friendlies happening now is that what we're going on well it's power ranking jeff so we're going on friendlies so if you make all changes for friendly you're gonna be judged on that what's power rankings no i'm just asking so you make all changes for friendlies well you either win or you lose or you draw so let's see so if you if you play us back at stan and win 12-0 you should be top you get credit for winning again yep right so it should be top if you beat us back at stan 12-0 you should be top so there's two teams and one wins 12-0 and the other wins five no but the opponent's harder then they go ahead of the team that beat us back at stan but you won't be judge and what you're doing now apparently you can only be judged by what you're doing now well that's what the power rankings is what you're doing now so if you beat us back at stan you're going to top of the rankings right i don't understand what your argument is here not sure you know or the future i mean i mean i get what i do so if you beat us back at stan now is the power rankings for now or the future the power rankings i am judging that's the top teams and going into the workup those are the top ten teams going into the workup we're gonna keep going in circles here and not a popular power ranking from shaka this week it is safe to say is this a popular decision the premier leagues key match incidents panel has come out with their say on the no penalty for amad diallo and by a three to two decision they say the referee got it right not to award manchester united the penalty they also rolled five to zero that vr should not have got involved on foul for me i mean it's a penalty for me i mean when you when you see it again and amad's just chopped inside on his left foot just about to pull the trigger or pick a pass and he gets his arm pulled and his shoulder pulled and anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul i mean i think that's a penalty steve and shaka both say penalty what about you louise it can be called as a penalty yes on these days um not everything is maybe a soft piggy but it's totally true that he's pushed when he's going to get the the shot so yeah we can call a penalty but again it's it's it's not a big penalty like alemoreno is saying it's a penalti it's a little penalty a soft one i'd love to see i'd love to see these panels i'd love to be a fly on the wall because you know all you know all these are right i tell you what we'll do we'll make it three two we'll give it a close call and then it'll look better because there's five of us i'm assuming you think it's a penalty i'm not getting involved i'm not getting involved why are you so aggressive to me well there's four there's four of us right let's let's take care there's four of us do you think it's a penalty every one of us has said it's a penalty kick and nobody's really got an argument yeah not being a penalty really even louise is trying his best to say no but he can't because it's just a penalty it's a penalty the the the aspect i i don't quite understand is the you know five to the unanimous ruling that veer shouldn't shouldn't intervene i i i don't get that if it's if it's if it's three to two right even if we take it as three to two so it's it's kind of down the middle i said whether it should be a penalty or not is not enough doubt to at least send the referee to the screen to have a look and and pass a judgment you you you admit on one hand that there is nearly 50 of doubt but then zero percent that veer shouldn't intervene i don't i don't understand that i know what you're gonna say that there's two people who say it should have been a penalty but five say veer shouldn't have gone involved yeah that's what i'm saying yeah so it's nearly 50 say well yeah it could have been given penalty towards us ali and louis would say but then nobody says well it's a penalty but you know let's not send them to to to review that that that don't make any kind of sense i won't going to say that i was going to say how can check be so sensible about this topic but yeah that last one he's all over the shop that's what i was going to say two different why are you so aggressive today why are you so aggressive aggressive stevie returns on today's extra time you can check it out on our youtube channel i've put on before extra time yeah shacka sadly has to sit to it too has to sit on incident from yesterday when katie mcay brought down elissa thompson by her hair but no red card was given there's been upset about this particularly from chelsea coach sonia bonpastor who was not happy after the game as we just take a look back at that incident and get the chelsea coach's reaction to what we saw on the pitch and the decision that was made i said i brought the phone with me i don't know if you can see that and that's probably not usual but if you look at this video and i don't know if you can see but for me it's clearly a red card for the arsenal player she's pulling ali sas hair so i think for me if the vr again is not able to check that situation i don't know why we have the vr yes davie same panel that's why the same panel from the other one yes a red card i don't i don't i don't how can varno doing a bit that makes no sense chelsea i fully agree i i that's what it's there for baffles that's that's what the technology is there for you know i don't think there's any doubt to that um so how that isn't reviewed is is again i it's clear for everybody to see done yeah these are the ones that frustrate you the most when um everyone knows it's a hair pull and it's a red card um and whoever's sitting in the v ar room have got multiple views they can look at it three or four times you don't it should only take one you should be that clever enough and that observant enough to spot one hair pull and go that's a red card if you want another look at it you can you can take your time you can spend a minute if you want but you have to come to the conclusion that has to be a red card so these are the ones where where it's in the premier league or women's football champions league whatever the level these are the ones where you you scratch your head and think have they not saw that that's the worry have they not seen that because everyone else can yeah that was not a hair pull teeto make sure to stay up to date on everything that's going on women's football podcast will be available tonight lexus newness and ali kriger are joined by special guest lianne sanderson make sure to catch it on espn plus and the best under 21 women's soccer players an article right now by yash the core on espnfc.com go check that out to see the talent that are coming up in women's football and we have a weekend for you to marvel at it's athletico taking on basalona saturday 3 p.m. eastern in la liga we've seen some decent jewels between these two teams this season and ahead of it we heard from antoine greezman in the latest bicycle diaries with his future already decided today we're bringing a legend of athletico to help us through a culinary experience understand the transformation that led antoine greezman to become a key player just before the decisive stage of the season's title race wow you're going to make a cheese fondue look oh you like it I loved it I was rolling a lot how do you see the consistency you have done it is a team work but yes yes you know why which are the best cheeses those who have more parking more life experience yes I talk a little about the story of the antoine today well it can be much more experience more tranquility now in the difficult moments that always cross one in the season but I would be a mythical with a not a cheese with tea for example it is that you can be blue and you can be a little bit like that and you know what sticks to you in the paradise always we gave him a roast it was what he was playing never fails to count I would have found I like that no now I have a train look at another french that knows a lot it happens do not want a fondue like mine what gives you the experience and what is the challenge I think before he was very focused on myself and now I am more open to it I understand more to my partner what you have to fight at age or the years that pass is the comments that there are that it is over or that you can no longer play as it was the talk with the cholo a talk to talk about the new role we were talking about the season of the past season I told him that it had happened very badly in March when they eliminated us I did not know to turn that around mentally and that is why my last season because I could not help the team to the maximum it is not difficult to understand that I will play at least but then when I touched it is to show that I am here what I see in you a collective look that is to say you call Julian says 20 you do not see one that can remove you from the position you see that the team is going to do better if in the end I am a big fan of American sports in the baseball and so and Tombra D is what he has done to get the seven years I think it is not my case but it has given him almost his salary to attract the players Mahomes is what he is doing with his team that I want to win and I want the best players with me and if they play in the same position then I will play for him I will play for both of us but I want to win you have lived many spectators that this has a lot of talent I think this team is above those that I lived yes it is the most talented yes at the level of brutal talent with ballons and so on and players here have spent a lot of money on the club to bring them we give it to the last one or leave the cello that does not see you just pass so I can see many levels many levels this I want this to be this is even better thank you very much interview is the top this is the bicycle diaries see you on the next journey here is Antoine Griezmann and a look at his career with Athlete a total legend at this club 211 goals making him the club's all-time leading scorer he's a leader himself he's brought so much in the spans that he's had with Athlete in his career it's interesting Luis to hear what he had to say about the current locker room isn't it yeah definitely because it's really true that them is a very talented team but I wouldn't say that he's been the best team that he's been involved totally true that they got quality they got talent that maybe Simone is been trying to look at something different of course he wants to praise the players that he's been surrounded right now but I think there has been other teams that they could have brought something different right now I see are very strong and a lot of depth into the into the squad something that I think is very important for this Athlete de Coimbra Madrid he's been involved in many many competitions and having that depth into the squad is what allowed Athlete de Coimbra Madrid to to keep on on the rest of them but right now what they got in hand of course is in the vision of being in that champs league final once again yeah absolutely there will be a lot more on Athlete Vasa and from Luis tomorrow as we look ahead to that game thanks so much for being with us Luis we'll let you go and get some rest now big weekend ahead we've got Mallorca taking on Real Madrid on Saturday morning and then it is Athlete against Barcelona don't forget Athlete not Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey this season but Barcelona also beat them in the reverse fixture in La Liga so we can't wait to see what happens in their latest encounter that's all we've got time for on the latest edition of VS Piena Fc though Checa and Stevie are sticking around to answer your questions aggressive Stevie that is Don Hutchison will be back with us as well sticking around extra times on the way next welcome into the latest edition of extra time Stevie's got an extra little bite in him today wasn't happy with the power rankings so angry at this point he was so good last week as well that's what happens you know you can't you can't praise him too highly because this can happen the following week just got a wee bit complacent yeah I've never been Englanded again yeah don't Don Hutchison joining us too didn't have as much of a problem as Stevie did but anyway that's that okay what was the mood like after Italy's loss oh boy not good oh she didn't know she stayed here she gave the work the only thing I say is my sister's in town at the moment my husband was on air from our little basement studio and we could hear the ranting through the walls upstairs that made us chuckle but yes she's not the happiest bunny oh my it's safe to say which goes on to say Don which is our resident Italian here how sad were you watching Italy fail to make it to the World Cup it was pretty sad it was sad because the pressure was on and it was like it was unthinkable it's like they surely this team and surely this nation are too good or shouldn't have got themselves in this situation the group phase was terrible as it was but going into the playoffs you're thinking right they got the right side of the draw because Wales lost because that would have been a harder place to go going to Wales and trying to beat them but against Bosnia going out to 10 men I thought they were very unlucky with it I thought one of the Bosnian defenders should have a red card as well but that's by the buy it was just sad and then it was watching the the reaction coming in on social media and everyone like you know like Matteo was fuming and watching all the clips coming in and how sort of angry everyone was and how desperate and sad how everyone was it was it was quite tragic next question's also for you Don it says what do you want to do with Bastoni on Sunday at the San Siro I mean he's been linked with a move to Liverpool but he's one of these players Bastoni that when he wears an inter-sher he's really good he's not a great season to go don't get me wrong but previous seasons he's been brilliant in an inter-sher but for some reason he's one of these guys that as soon as he puts the Italian national shirt on he just goes to bits he goes to pieces whether it's whether he doesn't like not having the freedom of wandering in midfield which he's good at or he feels the pressure or he can't handle the pressure everyone's hammered him for the red card which it's inevitable it's going to happen but these things do happen when you get a red card I think you've just got to play him if you if you're into you've got to play him in the form and would you play him Steve you know he's just had a red card for Italy that's a game absolutely the worst thing you can do is not play him 100% okay yeah guys what is going on with Phil Foden Premier League player of the year two years ago and now maybe not going to the World Cup and called him a D-Team player for England tonight yeah a bit harsh what's going on what's going on Don have a business to be honest okay I don't think anyone knows because we've been looking at this same Phil Foden now for 12 months and everyone that knows the game knows he's an unbelievable player I mean one of the best number 10s when he takes the ball on the back foot in the Premier League but for 12 months he's been quiet whether it's I don't know I don't want to speculate in terms of anything to do with his personal life or whether he's just burnt out or he's just absolutely shattered I think including Pep everyone's trying to put a finger on why he can't get at his best level because his best level is better than most we spent the first part of the show talking about like the Italian number 9s and Griezmann would be in that conversation one of legendary player he'll be and has been when when he retires everyone look back and think Griezmann brilliant player same with Phil Foden but he's got to start finding the key there's only so many times we can try and second guess what's going on whether it's something personal or you know burnt out or lack of form or he's confidence crisis but at some point as a player you've got to snap out of it it would seem that Pep's lost trust in him I don't I don't recall Foden playing three or four games on the truck this season last year was seemed like an anomaly it was like how did that happen but you could understand that because of how bad city we're obviously guys and the final third they're generally when the team struggle and they're the ones that see less of the ball all the other stuff but it would seem to me that Pep's lost trust in him which has to affect a player you know when you go from you know you're playing to I'm even gonna get off the bench today so you can't expect somebody to all of a sudden stick a different coloured jersey on and be be their best plus you look at England and now he's got Cole Palmer and Bellion on my head of him I mean you only take three players that play in that position so yeah it's tough to beat your finger on it but I don't I don't think Pep's helped him too much but at the same time Charlie Pep has seen him on the training ground and knows what form he's in or not as the case may be you know it's a difficult call to see this point Pep doesn't have to play Foden because Foden was really good a couple seasons ago you know Foden has to show up every single day in training and prove that he's worthy of that selection. I'm not a big fan of that you know I've played with guys who during the week in training were buying RVs every day but they would be the first guy you'd want standing next here I'm not just sure I go you know we don't we don't we don't get we don't get confidence to play and well in training honestly we get confidence when we step on the field and we play on the field in my opinion but but at that point right okay so let's say if I give you a mistake I sure don't know Foden is one of those that's not great in training but then and it's not at all Foden's fault but City are playing well Foden comes on he's maybe doesn't have that confidence he's not playing well Pep has to change something and Foden if he's if he's not playing well on Saturday not trading well he's probably going to be the one or one of those sacrificed. Alright next question for you Don what are your thoughts about Lukaku and Napoli and obviously if you've not seen these reports there's been the news that he failed to report for training after the international break. Boy yeah don't know why don't know what the story is in terms of how deep you go with the story was there something personal going on was there a fallout between him and Conte or or the hierarchy at Napoli but to not show up is a strange one that's probably happened in the past many many many years ago 80s 90s I can't recall for a modern day pro that's that's not turned up for training and made headlines and then we're still waiting on answers to why that is so that that's one where I think it'll it'll play out and we'll find out in coming days I would imagine. Yeah we're seeing that the report stating that on his social media he stated he would never turn his back on Napoli but emphasised his need to be 100% clinically fit after a mentally and physically taxing season so we'll keep our eye on this one and what's happened in the weekend ahead. Ready this is all. Let aggressive Steve again. This is about to be turned off. Oh boy. Ready. It's such a taxing and meant exhausting season. Ready ready for your next one because I know you're annoyed about this. I mean what's up. Stevie is centre back really the easiest position to play like Mbappe says. See what? What is Mbappe 27? What an ignoramus. What a completely and utter ignoramus to come out and see somewhere. He wouldn't he wouldn't know the first thing about defending the guy who doesn't want to defend the guy who knows nothing about it so if you know nothing about something how can you have such an opinion on it. Yeah my land was so bad because Berese was so bad as well weren't he. Berese was crap. Right. You try to tell me Berese. Seriously. There's not any Italian breathing. The woodwind Berese playing for that Italian side. The easiest position to play. What's a lot of garbage. I mean it really isn't. He didn't say he was bad maybe Berese was amazing because it's so easy to play at centre back. That's a really ignorant thing to say. If Mbappe listen if Berese came out and said you know what I think centre back's the easiest position to play then you can't really argue. You can't really argue can you. He did it got a t-shirt. If he says it's easy then you know what I'll I'll give him a I'll say it's easy but not not somebody who could wouldn't know. In fact you know when he goes past the half railing he gets a nose bleed. Seriously. It's really annoying that. What do you do I write the question. Let me get this right. Are you saying it's not the easiest position. I'll say what. If I turn around and said you know the easiest position is goalkeeping. What would you say. What would you say if I said you know what goalkeeping. Goalkeeping's easy. All you do is stand there half the time. In fact if you're playing a good team you don't even need to ball a turn they're not half the time. So what is the easiest position Stevie. No such thing. There's no such thing as an easy position. Half the centre back. There's no such thing as an easy position. The thing is coming from him it's not really a surprise is it. I'm filming because it's me me me he's only interested in him get me the ball. Yeah but if they could just do their easy job better then all he'd have to do is. You know who I blame for this me. Yeah if I left England on the power rack it would have just been moving on smoothly. And Bappy's favourite line is yeah do what you can do for me not what I can do for you that's his that's his motto. Why are you looking so serious? I know yeah. Why are you laughing? Yeah she's teased you up there Stevie. She's teased you up there Stevie. I'm so annoying. I'm so annoying when people come out with things like that. It's honestly not often off air he talks football but tonight he brought this one up before we went on so I couldn't wait when I saw it in the list because he'd seen it. Yeah but I don't even know what night. And Bappy had said it. Wonderful stuff. All right now that you've finished talking about Easy Street of being a centre back who are the guys Dark Horse is for this year's World Cup and we're going to classify Dark Horse as a team that's never won the World Cup. No way. Yeah no way. I agree with you there. Yep. They could beat anybody. No way ahead of Portugal. Everybody there's won the World Cup. No way ahead of Portugal Don. No way ahead of who Kai? Portugal. I mean can you call Portugal a Dark Horse? No they've never won the World Cup. That's what we're using in the course. I'm going with Noe. I'm going to Noe over Portugal. Done. Good show. Yeah. Wow. Well that's exactly why Shack is involved in those silly power rankings of Ethings Norway are a better side than Portugal. Portugal's not a Dark Horse. If Portugal be a Dark Horse. If we're using the criteria that it's a team that's never won the World Cup. I'm still putting Noe above Portugal. Don't put Dark Horse in it then. Just put a team that's not won the World Cup. There we go. We'll simplify it. I want you to think of Portugal centre backs. All right obligatory percentage question for Don. Spurs his chances to avoid relegation. My ribs are hurting me. Well now they've got a proper manager in that they stand about a chance. It's just how much work can the Jorbey do on the training ground. I think it's one of three. I think it's between a third. I think it's them, Forrest and Oogilon. West Ham. Couldn't call it. Yeah couldn't call it. Okay. Would you rather give up your phone or TV for a year? TV. Easy. I don't watch a whole lot of TV anyway. Everything you get in TV you get on your phone. Yeah. I don't watch a whole lot of TV. So that's an easy decision for me. Easy. Keep the TV you can't even phone him. What about YouTube? Give up your phone or YouTube. What about you? Well you can't walk around the street with a TV on your shoulder right. No. Come on man. You know the TV's dirty. Look at that size. Take two of you. Done. Biff my phone off. Biff it off. Oh yeah? Yeah I'm coming off X and all that rubbish. Spent too much time on it. So, Biff the phone. Watch loads of TV. Watch Seinfeld. Watch Only Fools and Orses. Watch all the classics. Biff off the phone. How are we going to get in touch with you to come on the show and talk about Italy and Sunderland and Newcastle and all those things? Keep the phone. Keep the phone. Keep the phone. Been a TV. The easy decision for the guys here. Easy like playing centre back. Just like them. But they said, that's all we've got time for on the later part of the time. Send it back. Yeah. Is that it? You kicked off yet? Oh, thank you so much for sending in some wonderful questions tonight guys. You took a YouTube video. That was so good. Oh boy.