Tuchel's England Chopping Block

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Phil Foden, Col Palmer, Morgan Gibbs White, Adam Wharton, Luke Shaw, All Stand Out, and Harry Maguire. For more on this, let's all come in, shall we? Frank LeBuff, Nadia Maneuver, and Julianne Naran joins us. Jules, it was supposed to be Friday, wasn't it? What's going on? That's right, Dan. Tomorrow morning, 9.45. As often with those lists, there's a lot of things that are leaking because Thomas Tuchel would have called some of the players on the list that we just showed who won't be going to the World Cup, for example, so they've known about it, and they can obviously express their feelings on social media, talk to agents who then talk to journalists, talk to family members who then talk to journalists. I think the FA itself and the England setup, like for us with Frank in France, we often know a few hours before who is very likely to be in, who is guaranteed to be in, who is not going to be in, things like that. I think this is very different for each country. Some don't say anything and don't leak anything, and everybody finds that at the same time. A bit like what we saw with Brazil and Colorado and Chalote. For others, more in Europe, it's a little bit more freestyling, let's say. Right, then. Nadia, you're the Englishman on the panel. You get to speak for us all. Let's start, shall we, with the absence of... Where should we start? Should we, like, cold palmers are surprise, isn't it? Is it no? Yes or no? I think cold palmers had a dis... No, I'm just going to go on Nadia. I'm just going to go on Nadia. I'm just going to go on Nadia. No, I'm going to agree with Shaka to be fair for the most part, because cold palmers probably had its most disappointing season so far since he's been at Chelsea, so I understand that one. You could make the same case for Phil Ford who's not a regular starter at Man City. Walking Gibb's White has actually had an excellent season for Nostrum Forest, so that one in itself is interesting. And Adam Water, and I think for many people, they see in terms of two of the most upcoming players, there's him and Ellie Anderson in that midfield. Butuco is somebody who is very principled and he knows what he likes, and he's not going to budge from that. I think another example is saying Louis Sol, I thought he was one of the best left-backs that England could have going into this World Cup, but again, Too Cool says no, absolutely not. So, I think in some ways it's crazy to think that in a 26-man squad, some of the talent that's there still doesn't make the cut. Butuco knows his objective is to win this World Cup, and he's not going to do it by making any decisions on people who is not so sure about an unfortunate for those players. That's exactly how he sees them. It's interesting, Jules, because obviously there's kind of a contradiction here, because you could say, well, if he's gone for players in form, why is he left out, Gibb's White? And if he's gone for experience, why is he left out, the likes of Phil Foden? Yeah, you're right. I think every case is different. And again, we see that with a lot of those national teams and those squads. We said it often enough on the show, and Deschamps says it all the time. It's not the 26 best players in your country, or the 26 most talented players in your country. It's the 26 that for eight weeks, we leave together 24-7 in a bubble with hardly any contact with the outside world. And you have to make sure that those 26 can actually go through all of that together in the best of ways. So there's not one that might be super talented, but it's going to mess the whole balance of your squad up, for example. And I think that's also part of the thinking for managers like Tucho, Deschamps or Ancelotti on how they build their squad. It's very different than what we would have done. I think, OK, he's in form, OK, he's great, he's super talented, he's very good, I want him. Sometimes he's far more difficult than that. So you can understand, even with all that depth, that unfortunately some of those super talented players are not going to make it. Is Ivan Tony a surprise for you, Nadem? Obviously, applying his trade now in Saudi Arabia. Yeah, he is a surprise for me, but not necessarily because he's in Saudi Arabia, because we have seen him play before for England, but it's more so the fact that it's, I don't know, it almost feels like it slid under radar a little bit, but Tucho was going to be turning to him for this well-got. I think, obviously, it's our, or my sort of living in a bubble or such, that I couldn't tell you how many goals he's got, I couldn't tell you the form that he's in, I couldn't tell you, say, his general style of play right now, but, you know, those stats there, they kind of speak for themselves. But it's the first time that I'm seeing him, it's the first time I've chased out myself. But is he going as a backup striker for Kane? How does, say, Tucho seem, does he see somebody that can work alongside Kane in the side? You know, these are the questions that, you know, Tucho's probably thought about and decided that, yes, Ivan Tony can work really well with Harry Kane. Maybe the play that they have, it complements each other, but, you know, I quite like an Oli Watkins as well, so it'd be interesting to see that Tucho, should the game become stretched or do you want to make a change? Which one of those four is going to turn to? But, yeah, the Ivan Tony one, it seems to have come out of left field, but, you know, congratulations to him for making that squad. Frank, I'm sure you've had sleepless nights about this squad. Do you have any thoughts? Yes, but I think Jules made a very important comment in a way that is not the best 26 players you have seen this season. I think Tucho is making sure that he has the first 11, then he's going to double every positioning, and therefore, you know, you're going to have disappointments, and I'm sure Gibbs White, maybe Colpano or Phil Forden, they don't do double, but they tribble the positioning, so it's why he didn't pick them. For sure, he's not the best 26 players. Everybody is a coach, he's a national team coach in England, like it is in France, and everybody has a different opinion. I'm not sure I would have been picked if I would have picked the 22 best players in France at the time that I was picked for France, but it is what it is. I'm kidding, of course, but really... I was number one. It's... Yeah, of course. Of course, I gave him a big check, you know, so he has to pick me. But really, I think you have to think through and listen to the idea of what Tuherl has about the team sheet that he wants to get, and maybe double positioning, or maybe triple one, especially the strikers, or maybe in the middle of the park, because he wants to be strong, and that's what Emi Jacquet did. And he had his name, his first team, his first 11, and then, again, doubles did. That's why some have been sacrificed because you have four fantastic players in the same position, and you have to make a choice. Jacquet, you lived in England for many a year, you've lived through many of these world cup and Euro's excitements, and you know the fuss that's made of these sort of announcements. Yeah, and fuss is made of tournaments in general, and then somehow it all ends in you upset, Dan. Why does that make you put a smile on your face? I don't know why that made me smile so much. I really don't know why that made me happy. Why are you enjoying that? Listen, I'm with the group here. I think the biggest kind of surprise in me is Gibbs White, who I thought had an outstanding season. I didn't think he could be excluded if we're going purely on form. And the inclusion of Ivan Tony is, as Nidam was alluding to, again, kind of surprised him. He kind of given some of the issues that many a team has had with strikers in that position. We've not seen any of them in Saudi Arabia, but if you were playing that well, you just felt that we would have heard of a link, even though he's 30 years old, with somebody back in England. Maybe that comes... He's got a whole game in Saudi Arabia, Shant. Yeah, that's the Saudi Arabia, Dan. Again, if you were showing that kind of form, I just felt you would have heard some kind of rumor, at least by now, about a return to England. I certainly haven't. So it surprises me to see him in there, and that at least Tukol regarded him and regards his form as highly as he does. That's what I didn't see coming. But we've seen it in the French squad, haven't we, called up from the Saudi League that worked out, Jules? Yeah, absolutely. The strange things in the Tony case, really, is that Tukol never called him, never played him. He played two minutes at the end of the game against Senegal that they lost a year ago, pretty much, and then nothing since, which is very unusual. I mean, I liked the Tony pick, and I think Tony offers something different to what Kitts and Kane, like Natham said. Also, I think for me, and with all the omissions of the other number 10s, so no for them, no Palmer, and no Gibbs White, that means that in Tukol's mind, Kane can play in that position with Bellingham and Rogers, who are gonna be the other two number 10s, really. And hence, if you count Kane as a nine and a 10, that gives you another option for another nine. So what, Kitts, and then Tony, when we all thought there would only be two number nines, because he's the only gonna play with one upfront. So I think it's interesting to see that, but, and that's the only thing I would say, is like Tukol had hardly seen Tony play for England, and yet he thought, let's bring him his experience, he's been at Euros before and World Cup, et cetera. And yeah, but you're right, we saw Angolo Conte going to Saudi Arabia and still coming back with the national team and be very efficient. We know how Jordan Henderson... Yeah, but I think... Go on, go on, Joe. I'm sorry, Joe, sorry. I really think that he picked Tony instead of maybe Gibbs White, because maybe he knows that Tony won't complain if he doesn't have any minutes during the tournament, that he has a choice with, of course, Kane and one other. I don't remember we are walking, of course. And if he doesn't use Tony, Tony won't complain. What would be the idea of being on the bench from Gibbs White? Maybe he doesn't know, or maybe he knows too much. Maybe the guy will complain, like Foden will have complained, maybe Palmer will have complained as well, so maybe he doesn't want that. And he wants to find the chemistry with the team, and that's very crucial, very important to find that. And Tony is so happy that he will be only happy to be there. And if he has a chance to play, he will take his chance, but if he doesn't, he won't create any problem, any issue to turn. Jules mentioned it, Nadum. Eight weeks, of course, in a bubble, you have to try and get on with everybody. Jordan Henderson's inclusion, how much does it fax a hen, how personal he is, and how much of a leader he is amongst these players? Yeah, I think Thomas Stuka must have seen something from him that suggests he's an important part of that group, and obviously I think it's fair to say that he won't be getting a ton of minutes at the tournament, but I think from when the manager will look down the bench to see people who could come on and say, have an influence and understand the state of the game, I think he's good for that, and Jordan having played in multiple of these tournaments, as is the case with few others like John Stones and others. That will make a difference, because I think it's fair to say, even from a human standpoint, you can go stir crazy when you're away for such a long period of time. Surrounded by people who wouldn't necessarily choose to be around anyway, adding the context and the heightened pressure of playing in those tournaments and offering them and others, the expectation is to win it so every performance you're critiqued on a deeper level, like we saw at the Euros two years ago. So I think Jordan Henderson being like a safe pair of hands in their 4-2 call to understand some of these younger players, to help pass on the messaging and so on, but then still drive the standards on a day-to-day basis. I think that is obviously important, and credit to Jordan, in my opinion, for still being fit and available to be able to do it. Meanwhile, in the first league, so we read this morning, it was Harry Maguire taking to social media, saying that he'd been left out, he was disappointed, but he of course wishes the team the standard, and wishes the team the best. You look at these centre-backs, and they don't exactly blow your socks off. What do you mean, are they supposed to? Are they supposed to blow my socks off? You're looking at, say, Mar-Gay-He that... Come on, don't do that, you're better than that. But anyway, I think Esri Kansa has done very, very well. I think he's been one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League for the last two seasons. He's the Europa League winner. He's someone that Unai and we trust week in, week out. Mark Gay, he's been brilliant for these last two years, especially his last six months for Man City. John Stones, we've seen him play, perform really well for England in the last few tournaments, where they've had the chance to be able to lift trophies, and obviously it's not worked out well. And then Kansa's had a good season, and Dan Burner's thing is proven to be reliable, but I think it's more or less going to be those bottom three centre-halves that are going to be looked at by two-quarters, trying to progress the team forward. Obviously, things could change, you could spin it, maybe put in a reach change in there, depending on what the game state is or such. But I think as far as it goes, whether it was John Stones, Mark Gay, he always reconsers starting it for England, if everything else around them works well, I think it gives them a good opportunity. So you agree with the exclusion of Harry Maguire? I think it's a tough one, to be honest. I think for the way the two-core appears to want to be, maybe wants a bit more mobility in and around there. And as good as Harry Maguire has been this season, as good as he's been in the past, I think he probably just sees a different type of game that he wants to play from his England perspective, and probably sees how the opposition might play against them as well. So I think it's hugely disappointing, given how successful he has been for England, relatively speaking, obviously, he's not lifted a trophy, but he's been a stalwart across these last six or eight years, how long it's been for them. So I kind of get it in some ways, because you could see that he's kind of turning to be on the periphery, and as is the case with potentially John Stones in years to come, people are going to start looking the other way and bringing in other types of player. But I think he only wanted one of those, and it was going to be Stones or Maguire. And I think he prefers the style of player, John Stones and the versatility that he can bring. But Harry Maguire, to be giving the credit, he's had a good season, as is Luke Shaw, for example. Frank, you were a defender. Yeah, it's sad for Maguire, but I can understand. I mean, nowadays, when you play, imagine you play Maguire plays against France, and you play against Mbappe, Holizzi, Dewey, and those players who are so fast, it's going to struggle. And having him on the bench might be a problem because of his character and the strong character that he has. And maybe Tural prefer Quensa, and Quensa knows that if he doesn't play, he won't create any problems. Now, I have no problem with the players that Tural should get. It's only sad because it's true that Harry Maguire has been very important for Manchester United, but it is what it is. And again, you have to make choices. And the choices that Tural is making are, for me, the best. Be sure to join us on the next edition of ESPN-SC, where we'll be reacting to Thomas Tuchel announcing his 26-matton squad for the World Cup. I wonder who's on it. Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN, the ESPN app is your home to thousands of live-advanced ESPN shows and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN, unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.espn.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. So all of ESPN, all in one place, sign up or activate now. Arsenal fans loving life, aren't they? After sealing the deal without having to kick a ball, Manchester City's draw against Bournemouth. That means that Mika Arteza side our champions. For the first time, we got to hear from the coach himself. It's one of the best feelings I ever had. I was supposed to be here at Colney watching the game with the boys and said something, because that's what they wanted. But I couldn't. I think 20 minutes later, before the game, I had to leave. I couldn't bring the energy that I wanted. And I don't think it was their moment as well, to watch it together, to be themselves and just see what the outcome would be. And I went home, I went outside to the garden, I started to build some fire and started to do some barbecue. I didn't watch any of it. I was just hearing some noises in the back room, in the living room and I was like, some noises in the back room, in the living room and suddenly the magic happened. My oldest son opened the garden door. He started to run towards me, he started to cry, he gave me a hug and said, we are champions, daddy. And then my other two boys and my wife came over and I was beautiful. Just to see that joy on them as well, that they are always with me. It was magical. And a minute later, Martin was with the video. Where are you? As he come over, he said, guys enjoy for a while and see you in a few hours somewhere in London. And yeah, it was beautiful. Jules, where were you with your Arsenal ways? No, I was in France because I did the New York media day before the Champions League Women's Finals. So I was watching it with my dad in Paris in the house. Jules, you've of course got a household full of Arsenal fans, who have suffered over the years. How much has it sunk in yet? How much did they enjoy that moment? Yeah, it was incredible really when you've been waiting for that long, 22 years. It was a long time for a top club. And I know football is cycles. We say often enough on the show, sometimes you have to wait a long time. Liverpool had to wait 30 years for another league title, for example. So it's not easy. This season was tense. It was a tough season. We said the quality wasn't there throughout the league. But even for some extent, to Arsenal's point of view as well, I still think they were the better team and they deserved to be champions. But it was tense. It was very nervy towards the end. CT are still a wonderful opponent. And yet this time they came up short. But for all those years before, where they just overtook everybody at the last hurdle, this time I think Arsenal kept that calm, maybe wrote their luck a little bit too. But yeah, for the children, for my wife, it was very special. And I think for the whole Arsenal family, you saw the scenes at the Emirates. You would see on Sunday at Palace when the trophies handed. And then the parade after the Champions League final, whether they win that final or not, it doesn't matter. It's important, sure. But the objective was to win the Premier League at the start of the season and they did what they had to do. Where did you watch the Bournemouth game, Naiden? From a bunker somewhere. If you're trying to mind my business. LAUGHTER No, but if I can be completely transparent, like obviously, Mick Alaseta gets a tonne of grief. Some people have had issues. My issue was they would never tell you who's fit and who's not fit for fantasy football. But I think looking them in there, talking about that Premier League title, and seeing the scenes and the tears and the emotion around it, there is something within me and lots of other people where you think, oh, that's such an amazing feeling. I think a club the size of Arsenal having to wait as long as they did to have that moment, that's why there's such an outpour of emotion. Everyone's known for decades how good they are as a football club and they should be achieving more. And now they've done it, they've really done it, and they're feeling the emotion, that journey that so many people have been on. Like, so many people, you know, they haven't seen Arsenal in a title in their lifetime, but we could talk about how great they were. You know, it's my lifetime, and they said the 90s and the early 2000s, the invincible season, 2003, 2004. And now that's all been put to the side because it's happened again. You know, that defensive record that they have, you know, it stands alone in the Premier League, one of the best defensive records in all of European football it looks like. And that's given them the opportunity to be able to lift that trophy. And they are deserving winners. They've hit the level of consistency needed to give themselves the opportunity. And they've done it. So many years of being so, so close and falling short and getting so much grief, endless grief, from people like yourself, Dan Thomas. Good. But now it's the case of, you know, drinking it and celebrating it. And, you know, now I'm looking forward to the next week as well. There's Julian LaRona, Darby, but where PSG play against Arsenal. That household is gonna be on warzone. Wowzers. Wowzers, yeah. Frank, it's interesting because obviously, we talked about them looking nervy in the last three months of this campaign. Will that change now going into next season? Are they better equipped now to go on and win the title or go on a run where they dominate this league? Hopefully it's gonna change his attitude because I think he had an affect to his player when he was on the touch line and he was too nervous. So now that he won the title and congratulations to the Gerners and to my Miquela Teta, even if I don't believe a word of what he said about his story, that he didn't watch the game, blah, blah, I'm sure he was watching the game. But whatever. But I think it's good for him. It's good for his experience and we love to settle down and to come down and to, you know, maybe step back a little bit to make sure that the players don't feel the pressure that he was giving to them. So yeah, it's gonna be useful, yeah. Frank is an actor. Let's remember Frank is an actor, so knows an actor when he sees one, Frank. So there we are. I disagree. I don't think Miquela Teta... I bought everything he said. But he is a big Arte Teta fan. Oh, well, there you are. You're so romantic. I believe Miquela Teta here. I don't think he watched the game. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have. If I were in his shoes, if I were in manager, and I know, because his focus is Arsenal and the last game of the season to come. If it means nothing, great. But as of, well, Tuesday night, City Bournemouth, I totally understand that feeling of I can't watch this. Let me just separate myself. Meanwhile, Nain, it's the first time you've been on since Pep Guardiola said that he was off. What was your reaction? Oh. Oh, did he say he was off or did people say he was off? I know it might be semantics. Yes. Friday. He's going to be on Friday. There you are. Frank says Friday. Oh, OK. When the English saw him in. Oh, sorry. It was another league. We're just going to be surprised. Yeah. Everything on Friday. Yeah. Yeah, so I'd heard the rumours about him potentially leaving and Enzo Moresco coming in. But until this sort of week had come in, where it was starting to feel a bit more official, you're just never too sure. And I think if he was to leave, it would be a huge blow for all City. And I think in some ways, it's very interesting the timing of it in sort of the history of the Premier League as well, because you've got him leaving. You've got, say, people like Irelia. You've got Arna Slott under pressure. You've got Chelsea bringing in the new manager. So it's a season of real significant change, where after a decade, you have that continuity in terms of knowing what to expect from a side and what you would expect more often than not. It's a side that would compete for basically every title throughout the season. We wouldn't necessarily win them all, but definitely would do that. So I think for him to leave is a big blow, but there's no way I thought he'd be at City for 10 years. The majority of his managerial career, and then in some ways be successful as he has been, because when he first went to England, all the talk was, Tiki Takah football's not gonna work here. His style of play is just not gonna be functional to be successful in the Premier League. But instead he walks away, well, potentially walks away, not just being successful for City, but in some ways changing the way that people within England see football as well. Does Mureska get you excited? Get me excited. You keep asking me some really weird questions then, but what I would say is... Oh, I think it's a fair question. Like, Mureska, are you dancing in the street? Are you excited that he's coming? To be honest, I think that Shaka gets it. I think, to be honest, the fact that whoever would be coming in after Pep Guardiola would be very, very tough to replace, because obviously no one expects it to be the same, but the standard's been raised so high that it'll be judged according to Guardiola's prior successes. And I think Mureska is somebody that has worked with Guardiola, so he has an understanding of what he was like on a day-to-day basis, because Mureska was an assistant when the City won the treble in 2023. Mureska has had the experience of going somewhere like Chelsea, where maybe the infrastructure isn't great and really good for coaches to be successful. So perhaps with the resources he has at City and the setup that he's seen before and knows well, maybe he can be successful. Maybe the Premier League's in a different position now to where you don't need to be getting 90-plus points to win a league title, as we've seen this year. And if that's to be the case, then Mureska, as far as all the managers in the league go right now, is probably as good as most of them, to be honest. So, yeah, I guess it's fine. Best of a bad bunch is what I'm hearing. Jules, does he have the gravitas to keep the big players in this squad? We're already hearing rumours of Rodri, maybe to Réal Madrid, if someone comes knocking for Harland. Is someone like Mureska going to be able to have the ear of these players to keep them? It'd be very interesting to see. He will have to step up in, you know, it's very different. It's the step up from Chelsea, sorry, even more from... He's experienced a Leicester, for example. So the key would be that first contact with the squad, with the players. I think Rodri, even if Pep had stayed, I think we kind of knew there was only one year left on his contract. If Réal Madrid comes calling, it's hard to say no for him as well. Harland is not going to go anywhere, Shekin either, Dokun either, Semino either. And if you look at the squad, that Guajola will leave Mureska. You know, the two of the over-30s are Bernardo Silva and John Stones. They're also going. It's a young, super-talented squad, maybe not fully complete yet, but you expect City to go and spend some money in this summer for Mureska. It's really good. If you're Mureska, you're very excited. And if you're the players, you are still going to be coached by a manager that for some of them, most of them, you know already, you've worked with, albeit as an assistant, who's done a good job at Chelsea. And I know in the end he was sited, and that was a mistake we know now. But before that, there was a lot of good things that he did, including the club walk-up, obviously. So I think it's quite an exciting time if you're a City fan. And you're as excited as Jules is, Frank. Well, the thing is, when you have prepared Guajola for 10 years, of course, going to be a disappointment. Any coach that you could get, because you are the best of the best. Even if the last two years, you can have a question mark about the tiki-taka and not working anymore. But overall, overall, you have the best coach in the world. So you can pick anybody else. It would have been a disappointment. So it's a good news that Mureska knows the house and that he's been good with Chelsea when he started and knows how Pep Guajola used to work with the players. So as Jules alluded, some players will be more than happy to have it. But some players came because Pep Guajola came to City because Pep Guajola was there. And they can say, well, Pep is not there anymore, so I'm going to leave. And I think about Erling Allen. That would be a real question mark for him, whether he's going to stay or not, according to some other players like Rodry, Benozo Silva, leaving, maybe he will try to do the same. One last thing, and I don't want to spend too much time on this. You spent a lot of time over the last few days talking about Arnav Slott and what Liverpool are doing, and most Salahs post and the players who liked his post. The reason we just want to mention it today, Jules, is that there are some suggestions that Liverpool are going to sack him at the end of the season we saw today. However, those have been quickly squashed. Is that right? Yeah, I was told tonight as well that that was not going to be the case and that they haven't changed their mind in the sense that they are happy to give him next season. And you know, I'm not a big fan. I would not have kept him. I think we saw enough mid-yorkity this season from him that he doesn't deserve to stay on. But I know he's got a credit from last season, also only the first half of last season. Okay, no problem. I've got that. But yeah, I don't think they will sack him after the last game of the season on Sunday. He will be there at the start of next season to continue that transition. For how long? Let's see if he can turn things around, because so far it's been so poor this season. Jules, are you on the Gammageal's podcast today? Yes, we did, yeah. Very good show. Very good show. Be sure to check that out. That is available to this year. Of course you will. Now. From working title, producers of Bridget Jones and Love Actually. I'm looking for this girl called Emily. Oh, help you find her. Comes the truly feel-good British rom-com that's being called a five-star instant classic. Tell me, you didn't have the school email. What message have you got for Emily? Hailed as hilarious and original. Hey, Emily. It's Notting Hill for a new generation. I don't think I was wrong, Numbi. Just didn't write number you, did you? Finding Emily. Only in Cinema's Friday. Book tickets now. Indeed presents. Hires you can't afford to get wrong. Like a warehouse operations manager. Uh, where are the fort lifts? I sold them. They were too expensive. I got a great deal on these scooters, though. You expect us to move a two-ton pallet on a scooter. It'll be fun. Just think of the core strength you'll build. This is a job for sponsored jobs. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. So the next time you need someone to get the job done right, get matched with quality candidates with an Indeed sponsored job. Visit Indeed.com slash Next hire and sponsor your job today. Checkers power rankings. Also won. Yeah, well, I mean, no real surprise that, you know, they leave from PhD just the week that they've had crowned champions. Aston Villa in for obvious reasons, we're in the Europa League. And then the usual suspects in Bayern, Basta, Inter. Porto crowned Portuguese champions. Heavy Portuguese influence today. Benfica, who gone this season undefeated, finished in the second. Sporting, who, no, Benfica finished third undefeated. Sporting finished second and into the cup final make-up. The top 10. I was tempted to put Minas Bra because nobody's had a better week in World Football than Minas Bra this week. But they come in at 11. So just nine and 10 just to explain those to me again. Who's nine, who's 10? Yeah, Sporting finished second. Sporting finished second, but I'm playing in the Portuguese cup final this week. Benfica finished third undefeated for the entire season. But surely finishing second is finishing better than undefeated. What were we getting at? So surely Sporting should be higher than Benfica, because second is better than third. Yeah, well, they've got the cup final. Come, come that. Just wait a minute. Still doesn't make any sense. Why does it make sense? Forget the cup final. Right, I give them, I give them some credit for going undefeated. Here you go. Benfica, yes. Right. But Sporting should be higher because they finished second, sure. No, no. No? No. Because they lost games this season down. Because they lost games. That's how it works. You're not following down. I'm following down. Clearly. Yeah, that's it. How did you accept it? How did you accept it, Dad? And you think Arsenal are going to win the Champions League? No, I didn't say that. Well, if Arsenal are higher than PSG in the power of the games, Arsenal have had a better week. They're crowned champions, and they're into the power. The ranking stays the best. It's not a forecast. It's this week, which is why I say, Mirzbrough is telling the people of Mirzbrough because they've had the best week. Not that they're going to win the Champions League final. Right. OK, Jules, would you like to add anything to this? These are right. Arsenal, of course. I mean, this has to be one of the worst power rankings of the season. I mean, three Portuguese team in there. Why? I mean, did you make the algorithm in Portugal or something? I thought I thought I was joking. Yeah, you know what? He didn't want to invest in Lance. He's too far away up north, so he's wiser. I think Lance, he's got some credit. Fighting against Paris Saint-Germain all year long. But forget about the Ligue 1, Mr Mitter Hyslop. They're four tonight, but they're last. They don't play in Portugal either. Exactly! They're finished second. Well done, Lance. Well, it's... Nadem, you have the last word on this. Congratulations. And now, I've got to say, it's probably the best part of the show, but I think it's probably time for Shaka to invest in a new data centre, because his supercomputer is dying of death here. You need to figure this out. Come on, Shaka. Just a reminder, we continue to answer your questions on extra time. I hope and we've got a very special video of Frank, if Mike's been able to sort it out. You really have to see it. Oh, bad. Oh, no. Oh, no. It is the women's Champions League final this weekend. Familiar foes facing off its Barcelona against Lyones. Let's get some thought show ahead of it, but Mati and Porteiros ahead of the game. Well, Lyonea always a very hard opponent. We've been playing them ever since we became professionals. To me, they are our toughest opponents. We've only beaten them once in that final in Belbao. Every deadly, they'll want revenge. They don't like losing, and they have a great squad. They have a manager that's with us, that knows us perfectly, knows how we play. It'll be a very physical final, but also enjoyable to watch and to play. These are the matches that make you a greater player. I don't think they're our bogey team. I think they're a great opponent. They have great players and a great manager that knows us well. But anything can happen in a final for either team. We've only depend on ourselves and try to do everything possible to win the match. It's 90 minutes from here on out. Anything can happen, and we'll try to control it. Looking ahead to the final. We've got a lot of things to do. We've got a lot of things to do. We've got a lot of things to do. Looking ahead to this, Jules. Barcelona, huge favourites. Do you think? I'm not sure. I wouldn't say huge favourites, no, because as we saw in the games that they played, and this is the best that the women's game has to offer. This is the classical of the women's Champions League. This is the two best teams, I guess, with Arsenal. But really, this season, they've been outstanding both domestically and in Europe. They're incredible. Like Aitana and Alexia said, the Lyon current manager, Jonathan Giraldez, won two Champions League with Barcelona, was there when they beat OL as well the last time. And he knows exactly how Barcelona are going to play, but the depth in that Lyon squad is impressive. The way they play, the physicality, how aggressive they can be, especially in that midfield, where the game will be decided. You've got great forwards in the two teams, really good defenders. But it's really in that midfield battle between the two sets of midfield three, if you want. That the game is going to get lost or won, really. Whoever controlled that best, whoever is on top of it, I think will get the win. It's going to be fascinating, really, on this neplus on Saturday evening. It is interesting what Jules said. This is kind of the best of the best on the show, Naidam. Yeah, absolutely. It is. I think the only way I could make a comparison to, say, men's football, for example, would be when PSG played against Bayern Munich, having been lucky enough to go and say, trail the women's Champions League this season. You see Barcelona, you see Lyon, and they feel so different to some of these other sides. That's why they were number one and number two in that league phase. And then you get into the knockouts and the goals that you're seeing, some of the talent that you're seeing. I think Barcelona have so many players already in their top scorers list for the competition. But Lyon themselves, they have a whole host of experience. And they are one of the most successful sides in the history of the competition, as we can see there. And what I love about both sides is that Naidam will be on the back foot. Both teams want to go for it in Barcelona. Strength is their ability to score goals and apply pressure. But then that's also at times their biggest weakness, and they can get hit in transition so quickly and so often, as we saw from Bayern Munich in the last round, in the second leg. And Lyon are more than capable of being able to do that as well. So it's a fantastic game of football. And as Jules said, these are the two best footballing sides in Europe, in my opinion. Jules has been in probably opinion of many people. So it's great that this has ended up being the final this year, because it might not necessarily feel like, say, last year when Barcelona played Arsenal, and Arsenal won more so in the rearguard. Obviously, they won't deserve to win it and so on. But these two teams here, as far as entertainment value goes, they are one and two, possibly one A and one B. It is six straight finals for Barcelona, Jules. But we have seen them. As Naidam mentioned against Arsenal last season, they have fallen a final hurdle in the past. Yeah, they have. Last season was, I think, the template that Lyon are looking at and thinking, OK, how did Arsenal do it? What did they do really well against this team that scores four or five against everybody that is the best footballing team that we've seen ever in the women's game? And yet they had that aggressive approach to it, especially in that midfield, with kind of a medium block. They had fast forwards. They took their chances really well. And you have to be a bit lucky when you play against this Barca team for sure. And this Barca team has even less depth in their squad than last season. They've got a lot of youngsters coming through, because they had to make cuts. They had to let some players go. Important players, too. So it's probably not even as a powerful squad as it used to be in previous years. Whereas if you look at the Lyon squad that Michel Kang has built and invested a lot in, it's the best in Europe, really. And they've got great players everywhere in all the positions, international players. Somebody like Dumont can dream of winning the Ballon d'Or if she wins this tournament. She wins the final tomorrow. So it's huge for Lyon and for Barcelona as well. Because as you said, two years running, two years in a row, sorry, if Barca get to the final and don't win it, for what was their competition, I think would be a really bad sign for the club. Yeah, like managed to sit you losing those two FA Cup finals that we discussed, Nadum, before just about getting past Chelsea last weekend. What's your prediction for this, Nadum? Just about getting past Chelsea. Interesting. I just remember them winning, but cheers, Dan. I think I'm going to go for... I'm going to go... Yeah, you were talking to me. That is a surprise. Yeah, I'm going to go for Barca just because, as Jules has said, for them to lose two finals in a row, it just doesn't seem likely. This is a side that doesn't lose many games at all. And I think they've probably learned from the lesson, learned the lessons from last year, losing to Arsenal. And I think with the amount of goal scorers that they have available on that pitch at any particular moment, you know, it's going to be very, very tough to score more than them. So I'm going Barca. And of course, we know who Jules will go for. Yes, that's right. I also have to go against my brother. So, you know, I'll go tight game. I'll go 1-1, then it goes two extra times, and then Lyon just nick it at the end and win 2-1, and we party. Chackey, you get the deciding vote. Barcelona 2-0. Thank you very much. Just a reminder, that game is live on ESPN Deportes. Be sure to check it out, Barca, against Lyon at 12pm Eastern. And for a full preview of that time, be sure to check out a special edition of Football W, which is available now on ESPN+. It is official. Jan's been chirping on about. You're not on Twitter, Shaak. You don't see it. The old I told you so is out from now. I'll get a few odds off. Manuel Neuer back in the German squad. Speaking of Neuer, Bayern Munich against Stuttgart. Live, the German Cup final, 2pm Eastern on Saturday. Our coverage starts at 1.30 Eastern. Adnews, coming out for the US mains national team back, Chris Richards. Here is Glasner. Chris will miss the Arsenal game as well, and it's now 50-50. For us, he can play the final at Leipzig. So he tore, I think, two ligaments in his ankle. Fortunately, we have, I think, four or something. So it's stable, but it's quite swollen, and now we have to deal with the swelling. And of course, he needs to get back on pitch to be available, and it will be really a race against time. They'll be discussing this at length on the next edition of Football Americas, which drops tonight. Alexis, Herc, and Shaka Hyslop with you. Join them at 8.30. That is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. I'm smiling because I know what is next on Extra Time. Be sure to stay tuned as Frank is back, and we have Frank's latest commercial. Yes, I am. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the latest edition of Extra Time. Shaka Hyslop is here. Yes, I am. He made them join us as well. Jules also with us, and the man himself, Frank LeBuff. Frank, do you want to say anything about this video before we show it? I don't know anything about that video. What is that? Could not show really, or what is that? Okay. I don't know anything. That's going to be a surprise. Right, here we go. Oh my God. This woman is very excited about her clean washing. What's even more exciting? For some reason, that's a bit... This man's on the phone. Now, this next bit, I don't quite understand either. So, Frank... Jules will explain... Maybe Jules will explain better. It's not a commercial. It's to tease a commercial about washing liquid. It will make you a little bit high. And in fact, when the lady gets high, she sees me. And I am in a commercial where I sell cars in France. And I always say, I am Frank LeBuff and that's becoming viral. So, I come into her craziness and I just say, Hi, it's Frank LeBuff. So, well, it is me and it is the lady and the commercial. So, the selling point of this washing up liquid stuff is that it gets you high. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's just somebody is a Cyprian. He has like 15 million people following him and he teases all commercials. And we... How do you say, Jules? We shot something to tease commercials. That's what... That's not a commercial. We don't sell anything. I see. So, it's a sketch about commercials. Exactly. Exactly. It's not a commercial. There we go. And I wasn't paid for that. That's why it's not a commercial. You were so good in it. Jules, where will Areola be managing next season? Is there any chance Paul Muth will convince him to stay, especially since they've qualified for European competition next season? No, I mean, it's a good idea. And I think a few of us, we were talking about it the other day on the show as well. It's a bit of a shame when you get to that point, because it's not guaranteed, obviously. But if they do make the Champions League, you would want to see him leading that team into the Champions League. Obviously, that would be very special. But no, there's no way back. He wants to step up in a bigger club. I think for a long time, he was hoping that maybe Liverpool would get rid of Areola's slot and that would be the perfect fit for him. That's not going to happen for now. So, you know, I don't rule out the fact that he might not have a club at the start of next season. And it would take a bit of time to make sure that the right offer comes, which might come at Liverpool if our slot doesn't last until November, for example. That's a really strong possibility. But no, I don't think he can stay at Bournemouth. And again, I think he would be very quite particular in where he goes next, because he wants something quite big and something where he feels that is the right project for him. Nadum, which Chelsea players should Muresca target? Only one allowed. Who are you having? Only one. No, only one. Good question, that. That's easy. Well, is it? Tell me. What's the answer? I mean, if Rodry leaves, Caecido is just perfect. Yeah. Do you know what? I'll... I think there are different types of players, but it's not Caecido. I think I'd like Enzo Fernandez. I actually do think he's a good player. And I think he would suit the way that City would play under Muresca. And I think as well, we spoke earlier on the show about whether Muresca would be good with the big-name players at City and so on. I think it's been interesting. A lot of the big-name players at Chelsea have been saying how they should never have let him go. So, yeah, I think bring over Enzo Fernandez, and I think that could potentially be a good sign in. How would you sell Enzo Fernandez Manchester over Madrid? Just say, what you have in Manchester is this thing called liquid sunshine, and it will always pour on you. So, with that in mind, do not worry. Yes, the grass will never go dry. Just come to Manchester. You will love it. Forget West London, forget Madrid. Come to Manchester. It's a fantastic place to live. There you are, Shaq. It's got to be Caecido, innit? Yeah. Especially with the expectation that Rodry's going home. It's got to be Caecido. Frank? Yeah, I totally agree. Caecido, first choice. For Bournemouth and Brighton, would it be better to make Europa League, where they'd have a great chance of winning at Shaq, or to make the Champions League, which most likely will result in an early exit? That's fine. I'd still take the Champions League. Yes. I don't see... I understand the point, but if you're getting an opportunity to play in the Champions League, against the best teams in Europe here and for the best players in the world, you take that all day long. Frank, you're going to be asked this a lot. I imagine... I'll be... Oh, I'm sorry, Frank. I'm sorry, but if it's to lose games, I don't know the interest of playing in the Champions League. So I'd rather play in a competition that can maybe win than knowing that I won't go far in the Champions League. Well, maybe we don't know that. Maybe they're going to go far, maybe they're going to surprise everybody. But I guess as a football player, I want to win games. And if I know that I'm not strong enough and I used to play for Strysbowl, for example, and we played against Milan and we knew that we could go through, I was disappointed. I wanted to play against a better, good team and go through. I don't care about losing games. So would you prefer to play in a top championship side as opposed to a Premier League side that's struggling? I prefer to play against a Premier League team struggling. So then therefore you're going to lose games, aren't you? No, I prefer to play against... No, I prefer to play against... No, I prefer to play, of course, playing for a big, big team. I want to win the title. But would you like to... I don't know, who should we pick? Who should we pick? West Ham? West Ham. Would you prefer to play for West Ham or would you like to play for Millwall? A whop. Well, neither. Can I go somewhere else? I have a very bad agent. Oh, man. Oh, my God. No surprise that Don Hutchinson's played for both of them. Frank, what's your ideal front three or four in the World Cup for France? Ah... Mbappe... Oh, my God, it's so complicated. Mbappe, Dembélé and Douay, because I put... Olysees as the number 10. Okay. Jules, do you agree? Yeah, I mean, Dembélé, Mbappe, Olysees, nailed down really, guaranteed. The fourth sport would have gone to a KTK on the left-hand side, unfortunately, as we know, he got injured. So it's either... Then you have three players and then you can reshuffle your front four, but it would be Barcola, Scherke or Douay for that fourth sport. Then, you know, then you depend what you want, maybe depending on your position and things like that. I am with Frank on Douay. I love Douay. If you want to be more paced and to run behind, Barcola is great. If you want Scherke, and that's, I think, the most interesting thing for me, I would leave Olysees where he's the best in the world on that right wing. I would not move him centrally like Deschamps is doing. I know he's great in that as a 10. He can play there, but personally, I would have Dembélé on the left, Olysees on the right, Scherke as a 10, and Mbappe as the 9. But Deschamps is not going to do that thing because he wants Olysees as a 10. I just think when you're so good at club level in that position, why moving him even to a more central role? I think Olysees is the best with La Minhia Mal on that right hand side. Just leave him there. He's had the season of his life. Don't move him central. You have got Scherke, that's the perfect number 10 for you. Him and Mbappe get on like house on fire. Dembélé on the left would be fine. And then Olysees on the right is exactly in the same environment as Bayern Munich. Do you think Sam Hansen being removed, Nadam, from the relegation playoffs, or from the playoffs, that should be, the right call, and should Borough be reinstated or whole city given the win and automatic promotion? So basically with this, the thing I've seen is that there's no right answer because whatever you suggest, people aren't happy with it. I think there's something about self-answer being punished, which I think is perfectly valid. But I'm not one of those people that are in the camp that say that Borough should still be progressed because it feels like a reward. I think I'd like to see more eyes on self-hunting in terms of their punishment and then build it from there. I think the time of it is obviously incredibly poor because how do you make the right decision and like how does it feel for example, if say, whole, sorry, if say Borough win and go to the Premier League, what happens if you're holding you should have been playing against maybe a different opponent or whatever. But I think the most important thing through all this anyways, making sure that self-hunting are suitably punished and as for the extra stuff, yeah, I'm not sold. I'm necessarily Borough going through has been the right answer to be honest. Jules, any tips for Fantasy Premier League the last game week and please tell us you're doing better than Dan. I mean, that's, you don't even need to ask. Come on. That's, that's obvious that I'm doing better than Dan. You know there will be a lot of rotation because it's the last game of the season and Arsenal will probably play a B team and CT probably as well. So go with your guarantee Bruno to try to break the, you know, a Premier League record of assists. We'll start, you know that look for teams who have something to play like Bournemouth, Brighton, we talked about them, even Spurs and West Ham to some extent. If you want to go with Tati or Borough and up front, Pedro Poro for Defcon especially for Spurs. So yeah, look at those teams that still have something to play because for the others, it'd be very hard to even predict who's going to play for them. I'm not sure how it is going to start for CT at home to Villa on Sunday, for example, or Saka or Giocares for Arsenal either. So yeah, that's, that's what we said. Just focus on teams that have something to play where you pretty much know the starting lineup already. Nadem, you can't play fantasy anymore because it gave you a nervous breakdown. He was too stressful for him, Dan. You know, he's still a baby. He was too stressful for him. He used to text me and say, I can't take this anymore. I think, yeah, I think you're right, Dan. Yeah, that's what happened. Yeah, I had a nervous breakdown. And basically I just got my life back. You know what I mean? Okay, can I breathe? Like all this stuff. Congratulations, Jules. You're a champion. Well done, Dan. You're playing. Listen, I just mind my business. I watch the games that I want and I relax. So go away, you sicky. But this is, I haven't just plucked this out of thin air. You did play, but it became too all-consuming for you. Is that right? Yeah, because with stuff like that, like I take it seriously. And I was, I was thinking, like, what am I doing here? Why have I spent an hour trying to pick a team? Every single day, I get a life. So I decided to do the right thing. After my nervous breakdown, I put the phone down and I have not gone back on the thing in the last two, three years. Yeah. Oh, I hate you all. I'm gonna have to. I'm gonna have to. And your fault. I didn't see anything. I didn't see anything. I know, I'm getting trouble for ranked commercial. I wasn't a commercial. Ha ha. Final question. Oh, this isn't going to help, are we? Shaka, when Stevie gets emotional, his Scottish accent comes out. But the only time we heard a hint of Trimbagan... Trimbagonian. Trimbagonian from you is when you called down a little chaff boy. That was a long taboo go. Still scarred. How do you contain it so well? And when are times that it does come out? Well, it comes out when I'm talking to my friends from Trinidad, which my kids think is hilarious. It doesn't come out. You said when you used to get angry and go, maybe it would come out a little bit there. Yeah, so yeah, that was kind of, I remember one time, real food nancy, and when you can't understand Shaka, you know you've messed up. That's when it's really angry. You can't understand what you're saying. So it used to come out a lot then. Have I ever had any reason to be angry on this show, Dad? Oh, no, not at all. Jules, when does your French come out? Yeah, when I get angry, I swear in French a lot. Yeah, yeah, football or basketball stuff and all. Frank is the same when he's got in technical problems. Before the show, because some camera's not working, and then he goes full-on French. And we heard it. Yeah, it's sad. Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Not. And what was your language like in this video, Frank? Let's take you through another one that we know. Oh, well, that was French. And I was thinking, aller les bleus, common blues, you know, for the French team. But it was so cool. It was minus, you can see at the back, minus 132 degrees Celsius. So it's a lot, well, yes, in Fahrenheit. It's for three minutes, you have to stay there. It's an anti-inflammatory. It's very nice, but it's held the last minute. You, it's like you are dying. I mean, that's crazy. But that's very helpful for the body. Nadine, did you do that in your playing days, recovery? Yeah, I did do it once, actually. And it is a crazy experience, but it does feel good afterwards. You just have to survive that first three minutes. That's the issue. Right. What? Any comments, Shank? No, I used to do it on ice baths, which wasn't minus 600 degrees like that. So cold? Yeah, it's cold. Not as bad as that. What was the benefit of those? Same thing, anti-inflammatory, and you're going after training after games, and supposed to kind of help your recovery. You get used to it. You do it enough and you can sit there and not be bothered. I'm not sure you can do that with this. At least you had your mittens on, Shank. And Frank, that is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. What a smorgasbord of subject. Lord was... To be disgusted. Tomorrow with Hector. He's laundry to general point. I think I missed the point. It's all right. Michael, let it out for us. Ah, boy. It just... Yes. There we go.