All Roads Lead to Home for Italy

sports fans the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place the ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events 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 dot com to learn how to access your account or sign up then start streaming in the ESPN app all the ESPN all in one place sign up or activate now welcome into the latest edition of ESPNFC I'm Dan Thomas Sean by Craig Burley and Stevie Nickel for the third World Cup in a row Italy will not be there they were taking on Boston and Herzegovina it went to penalties it was a dramatic game really Italy would take the lead then it'll be a red card and then Italy could have considered a penalty late on Stevie did you think it was a penalty I thought it was a penalty I mean he almost pulled the shirt off his opponent it wasn't given though so we went to extra time and then Italy felt that Bosnia Herzegovina should have a play of centre of Craig yeah I think Bosnia were a little luckier on that occasion but in the end it would go to spot kits Italy only converting one of them Bosnia Herzegovina with all four so they are through Italy are out Gab you have the floor look the headline figure is eight nations have won World Cups sometimes they've missed one sometimes they've missed and qualifying on two consecutive World Cups Italy have made history tonight by making it three straight World Cups it's made worse by the fact that the World Cup is obviously expanded to 48 nations you know you can go back and dissect this game and talk about how big the Bustoni red card was and it was no doubt the correct decision and say one individual mistake cost them the reality of course is they should have never been in this position credit to Bosnia let's not forget they played 120 really tough minutes plus penalties away from home against against Wales they went into this game and when they got that little bit of good fortune they seized it everybody's gonna come out now and have opinions and then Bruton Branch reviews and inquests and stuff like that it's really not that deep it's not that deep the players are there other than Dilo Reigns so I can't imagine anybody who would have been a starter in this game and he would have been touch and go who was missing you know there there's no alibis there's no excuses there's a really bad decision which cost Italy dearly they still had the chance to turn it around you don't take that chance that the moist can chance and that's it you get what you deserve you'll be watching this World Cup on television personally gap how gutted are you like I mean I'm gutted because the game was there to be won because I thought that there was a game plan I thought you know obviously got a bit lucky with the first goal but the idea was to to outlast them and it was difficult conditions you guys all saw the pitch on television blah blah blah but but they had it in hand but in the end you know Bosnia I think showed a ton of heart they have players of individual quality and you got to put your hand up but this is not where they lost it they they they lost it by finishing second to Norway in the group and putting themselves in this position got those of course bears responsibility but as does Bustodia as do the players who missed chances and whatnot but this goes back to Spalletti I think and and the Norway game and that massive miscalculation and you pay a heavy price for that you you know you can't you can't just assume because you're top seed because your number whatever they were the time number nine in the world now they're number 13 in the world and still they don't qualify to World Cup that 48 Dations go to you can tell I'm not better at all here you know you can't assume that you're going to get through this is how qualification works and once you go in the playoffs upsets can and will happen Jules did it be deserved to go through I don't think so I think it's embarrassing I think it's not a surprise in a way I mean I agree with Gab when he says that they've got decent players they've got good players but I don't know what pure supposito takes the first penalty this is this is a disgrace for the leaders and the senior players in that squad including Tonali who should have taken that first penalty Gattuso was never good enough to manage these quads and take them to the to the World Cup the last euros was not good I mean even the last two World Cups they played were very poor anyway the league is not great we saw in Europe in the Champions League that it's from Inter Milan to Napoli it was a bad campaign for Italian clubs as well and I just think this is also not a surprise and not a coincidence in a way because I don't think Italian football has been that great in the last few years gap I mean the national team is up and great but I'm saying is you don't have the alibi this time around of saying these players aren't good enough look where they play don't know what place your Manchester City California place or Arsenal don't add he's in you know place in Newcastle and he certainly wasn't the problem I don't think it's a lack of players I don't think it's necessary lack of of pipeline if you look at it all these results at under 17 under 20 players I think it's a lot I think it's a coaching issue in the sense that once these guys get together as a team they're not greater than the sum of their parts I think that is part of the damage and they make stupid mistakes that hurt them I mean if I look at if there's any consolation you know the last three and I take Jules's point by the way about Esposito taking the first penalty I thought that was a little odd he wanted to ride the hot hand or you know Ken and Ritegui were penalty takers but obviously they're not on the pitch but I think we with Jules there but I think fundamentally the way these three World Cup qualifications went awry in the playoffs they're all very different we Italy in 2018 were simply not good at all in 2022 they're already looking forward to the playoff final against Portugal and after battering North Macedonia but not scoring I'm thinking maybe about extra time they gave up a stupid goal this time around they made a rod for their own back and it's a huge ask in March at this stage of the season to play a whole half plus extra time down a man when you already you know have these issues and I also think we need to really credit Bosnia Moorimovich I thought he should have been sent off in extra time but whatever but before that he was an absolute lion out there a monster Ali Begovic with all the tricks the impudence of youth and Gekko 40 years young out there till the very end you just have to hold your hands up in this game and and learn from these mistakes is got to do the answer going forward no I'm not going to blame him solely I just don't think he has the qualities to be national team manager and and hopefully they'll find somebody else why was why was Donna Rimmer the angry man seemingly all the way through this game gab what what was it ref rain decisions or was it something the Bosnian players were doing to sort of wind them up because he seemed on edge all through this game even till the very end so I mean he definitely got way wound up over the Moorimovich decision in extra time but agree with you maybe it was his way to fire up the opportunity to fire up his team you know I think a lot of times when it comes to especially when it comes to crunch time I'm not a big believer in body language but I think this really played a part here you know you take on the qualities of of your coach and I think back to two other famous Italy shootout sorry to bring the subjoules but 2006 World Cup final and also the Euro the Euro 2000 Euro 2020 final against England Italy that totally relaxed there's Kid Liddy laughing and joking around this time around they were angry they were they were really angry and again maybe that's a reflection of gattuso on the bench trying to wind you up but and it's fine to play angry you have to play angry but you have to be able to channel it in the right way so that you make the right decisions and not stupid decisions like the stupid decision Bustoni made in the 41st minute of the first half getting himself sent off you see the difference over you know and I know it was a friendly but the difference in the countries and where they're at you you were at the game Brazil France obviously as I say a friendly game but certainly Brazil much more stout opposition not the best Brazil side but more stout than than Bosnia Herzegovina and France get get a man sent off and you wouldn't have known they were still the more dangerous side they were still composed where that this Italy side or not we're not even composed with 11 men it's not a surprise and that's the that's that's the issue for them that none of us sitting here before this game before these qualifiers for all these playoffs sat here and said oh Italy whatever happens they'll be there yeah this was always going to be the big banana skin the big head to roll was always possibly going to be Italy here and for the third time it's happened and look at the size of going out against North Macedonia Bosnia Herzegovina a slightly better side but they're not there no world beaters they've got a lot of spirit and a lot of fight but they're not they're not great players and we're on paper Italy have much better players no regardless of the state of what you think he certain teams are what they have better players so you have to ask why why does this in recent history keep happening to them are they unable to take on the responsibility of what this means they do or die situation and what it means back in Italy and the pressure is it is it that or are they just simply unable to do on on the big moments I think I think it'd be too easy to look at the Bascino red card and think it changed the game the truth is Bosnia we're all over them you know we're sitting watching it gone it seems like a matter of time before they get a goal and then when they eventually get it yes they got it late but it was only what they deserved I mean 31 shots you're living on target I mean you've gotten beating up it's only got beat up supposedly one of the giants and one of the biggest games against an average international side Bosnia average yes they're at home but they're average and you actually got well you got outplayed and the fact that you end up losing the game you can't look at any decisions really that the change this game other than the fact you got outplayed and is heavenly lost in the end Craig mentioned the fact that there isn't a kind of element of surprise maybe that we've seen in the past gab yeah like there's a look in the past I mean I let you know a little secret back in the days when Italy were very comfortable defending stoutly and playing cat an actual they had people like like taught you like Roberto Baggio like I did the Piero up front they had absolute top shelf world-class strikers this Italy side has let the use fine if you given service and they have moist Ken who's who's way up and down so if you don't have that level of players up front you have to come up with a different game plan and I think Italy is a very good midfield and they have a very good defense and you can and then they have ball playing defenders and and I think Stevie's right rather than approaching this game and in fact frankly the Northern Ireland game as well as like oh let's be smart let's be clever let's paint the edges how about we just take the ball we have better players and we go out and we out football them I think that was a fundamental mistake now I've got those over here he'd say wow you didn't have the time to put the guys together you know you don't do that in a playoff at some point you have to and where Italy's had success internationally hasn't been that much but you know you look at Euro 2012 Euro 2016 Euro 2020 it's actually been by playing football by by saying and I take the point right there and they're not France in terms of talent or Spain or whatever but they're a darn sight better than all but four or five countries in Europe in terms of in terms of talented players and to do that you have to get your talented players to go and play football and not turn this into the sort of game that Bosnia wanted and again all credit all credit to Bosnia because if you don't go out with a football mindset we're going to take the game to the opposition when something goes wrong with your game plan like Bastoni getting sent off in the 41st minute at that point all you're doing the rest of the game is hanging on for dear life and at that point your talent doesn't really make a difference and this what Gattuso had to say after the elimination as Gam said of course he was he was brought in in theory to try and save things these lads didn't deserve this for the effort the love the determination I was surprised to by the sheer heart and determination they show today it's unfair but that's football I personally apologize for not having made it but these lads gave absolutely everything did they gap I think they did I think they had a heart and determination I think Bosnia had just as much if not more I don't you know well again we can fault Bastoni for his bad decision and that's fine and then you can fall others are making mistakes but I did not see a lack of effort out there I saw a lack of good finishing I saw a lack of cohesion of a team that took the game to the opposition but I think they were following frankly coach's orders on that and at that point when they were a goal up and a man down they said all right it's time to hunker down and see if we can get some scraps on the break and and essentially that was it the rest of the way they executed that game plan which I thought was the wrong game plan they executed it to the best of their ability with lots of heart lots of determination nobody I think should fault these guys for effort it's just that to win to qualify for World Cups you don't just need effort you need talent you need intelligence and you need a game plan that works and the last two things were frankly missing in my view not just in this game but in the Northern Ireland game too we we've been too nice to Italy Joe's yeah massively and to Gattuso as well this quote is ridiculous well since when when you have heart and determination you deserve to qualify for World Cup it's just this is this is BS I mean for him coming back and I don't think it's surprising he's out of his depth completely he's been since he took since day one and since he took over the job he was never good enough for this team for this qualifier for this project or this mission that he had and in the way I'm saying it's not surprising that him of all people comes up with where we deserve to qualify because we should heart love determination peace hey this is this is nonsense you were just not good enough Bosnia agree with Stevie Bosnia are not even a good team they're not a good team and yet they batted you they're not good even at 11 v 11 they were much better than you so heart determination level sure sure 10 v 11 for you know a long time yeah okay you fought hard but by the way as soon as you went 1-1 you started playing a little bit more and then suddenly you were a bit more threatening because you stop playing as soon as you came down you went down to 10 men you stop playing and you just waited for those crosses because all Bosnia did is crossing the ball they had no creativity no combination nothing Jekyll hardly touched the ball and yet you still managed to lose this game I think it was between the 90 minutes finishing or the full game finishing and the extra time starting there was a camera shot of went to the close-up of the Italian technical area and he had a bunch of his staff around them get us so that is and he looked as if he hadn't got he was listening to everybody and he hadn't got a clue what he was going to do that he had no clear path of what substitutes or changes he was going to make and everybody was sort of it seemed everybody was telling him and he looked as if he was sort of confused and and not they're saying not in charge of the situation at that time the only issue I have got with with qualification like this and I'm not been nice to Italy because Italy are out they should and quite frankly they've been they've been poor and it's an embarrassment but the whole way of you able to qualify and get to World Cups it's just a bit of a shambles to me I mean take Sweden for example I think they won two games in the whole qualification finished bottom of the group but somehow through this Nations League get into the play of it we're absolutely dire in qualification that's the name of it qualification and yet somehow they managed to get their way there and actually who were pouring this game tonight but one terrible to my knowledge in the group stage Norway were exceptional Norway were exceptional in the group stage and by the way could to some on about that but from that point of view where the way teams are able to get the parachute to qualify I just I just don't think it's right the reason it's called qualification is for a reason and I got a real problem a real issue with that that's one down let's just remind you what that means then for Bosnia and their World Cup group Canada Qatar Switzerland I think you're more than happy with those three other oppositions Turkey beat Kosovo they will be in Group D that was confirmed today alongside Australia Paraguay in the US meanwhile Sweden defeated Poland by three goals to two great game that was nice group for them Japan Tunisia and the Netherlands meanwhile Czechia against Denmark they would qualify Czechia through penalties they have been drawn with South Korea South Africa and Mexico Jules of those three other games what's the big headline I think Czechia to beat Denmark like that and I agree with Craig Denmark through it away not even just against Colin but the game before that against Belarus where they just needed a win there to make sure that they were going to the World Cup and instead it's been a disaster ever since for Czechia first World Cup in 20 years in a quite decent team to be fair not great and you don't expect them to be dark horses at the competition during the tournament itself but you know good for them to to go there more than Sweden and your carats I think before Turkey as well since 2002 of course they haven't played in any World Cup so 24 years for them 20 years for Czechia I think they had a good story of the night for you gap the big story well other than yes other than the obvious if somebody else a chance you know honestly I think Turkey last time they were in this of course they reached the semi-final they have an Italian manager so I can oh you're on little Montella the little airplane exactly I think Denmark though as Jules said will have so much regret for kind of the way everything crumbled and slip through their hands and and Czechia too by the way showing a lot of resilience you know given what happened in in the playoff semi-final as well so Turkey I'm sure will be a subject of conversation on the next edition of football americas as always you can check that out on ESPN plus also they've been looking back at the USA against a Portugal 11 p.m. Eastern late night for everyone what a line up both a layoff clinsman his slot Casey Keller Hercules Gomez and Alexis conducting the door what a book what a budget from 30 for 30 podcasts Brian powder senior defensive lineman from Miami gunned down the key to this case it's right an hour before he died he was on the phone already want to buy this might be a hit you want the truth they just want a conviction in place in the rest 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 Meanwhile it was confirmed today that a message is that he will be in charge of spurs between now in the end of the season and then what four and a half years beyond that five-year contract he has been given I suppose the simple question the easy question is Craig will he keep them up well I don't have the answer to that because I think it's less about tactics and more about fighting grit and determination and I'm a sort of waiver that taught them have enough of that he has his he generally has teams playing some really good football but this is a this is a this is a bunfight in seven games it's not it's not about pretty football for talking about it's not about shape it's about defending it's about it's all all the sort of basics of the game so look it's good a chance which side you are on yes or no I don't know it's hard to come up with a reason why they stay up regardless of the Zerbe because if the Zerbe's this guy that's going to make them play football suppose they're the side that when they open up and play give goals away for fun so you don't get out of relegation doing that you get out of relegation by battling being organised and being solid so unless the Zerbe decides that's the way to go this spot side the makeup of it has shown that if they try and play football at times they can look as though they're getting somewhere but then from nowhere because they can't defend they end up turning three goals down from being in a good spot so so you say no I don't see how I don't see it everybody else around them that's that's trying to stay up you can see how they're trying to go about it they've got a good shape they're strong they get behind the ball and and they're trying to grind it out I can't see spurs don't have the players to do that now if you said to me this is the summer and they stayed up and he took the job and would there be better next year I would say yeah yeah over a season absolutely he would improve these players I think he does improve players I mean he's a hothead and I can see this been very interesting going forward for one of a lack of a better word with maybe him perceiving not getting the support he needs from the Tottenham board and he won't be the first manager that's had that beef but in terms of getting teams playing over a season I've not I've not got a problem with that the big question for me is is can he change this mentality in such a short space of time because they are mentally fragile these players didn't think they were going to be in this situation three or four months ago but they are and they've plummeted into this situation and they've got people that make bad decisions on the field including experienced players so when you put all those things together he's got a heck of a job because even West Ham have got a bit of fighting organization about them now which they didn't have they were losing goals for fun no no Spirit of Santos at least improved that they're still in the bottom three but he's improved it Forest have got a bit of fight Leeds have got a lot of fight and Tottenham have very little fight so the question is can he change enough facets of the rest of the game to make sure they're getting enough results and by the way they're running I know no run-ins going to be easy but they're running I had a look at it and I don't know if it's tougher than the rest of them but it's certainly you look at it and go where are they going to get the points because they're going to have to go away from home and grit out some results I mean you go to Sunderland that's a fight you know they're not going to outplay Brighton all right Wolves are you know Wolves you know they're better but that's there's a chance for three at Villa Leeds are Leeds are gritty and determined and organized and then Chelsea and everywhere's the points coming from will you keep them up gab? You know what I was pretty confident that he would because they have good players they've got guys coming back from injury and there's going to be you know a dead-cap bounce and other it's while the teams around them have been doing better it's hard for you know you figure one of them is going to go and screw the pooch but then I looked at the run-in like Craig just said and these are exactly the types of teams that you don't want to play Brighton and Sunderland rolling the dice for a place in Europe and their tough places to go that Wolves game that could relegate Wolves so obviously they're going to be fighting for their lives Villa fighting to hang on to stay in the Champions League spots Leeds is an absolute relegation six-pointer likely at the end of the season Chelsea away Chelsea they taught them and I think the feeling is very much mutual they would love to contribute to setting them down and of course Chelsea presumably also fighting for a Champions League spot or at least a Europa League spot and maybe even Everton the end of the season at home you figure that's going to be points oh no because guess what Spurs are terrible at home and Everton at that point might still have an outside shot at Europe as well so these are exactly the types of teams you do not want to be playing during the run-in so yeah I need to revise my prediction I think I said five percent chance to go down on the Gavin Jorshaw Monday I'm bumping this up to 20-25 percent the dad was very good but the other reasons is he's not a grind it out type coach we haven't seen that side of him even when he was at Sa Swall even when he was fighting to avoid relegation in the past he's a guy who needs time he doesn't have it. Jules last word on STU? I just think that very good coaches improve any team and I think he will improve that team I think he will keep them up I agree with the boys on he's how dogmatic he is and right now you can't try to implement his usual tactics so he will have to be pragmatic can he can he do it we're not sure that thing there's a question mark around that but I still think that he's way better than Tudor way better than Frank so this team will get better especially with the players coming back from injury it's a tough schedule sure I think I think they will they will stay up but it's a it's a bit of a mission for him and he'd be very very interesting to see how he does but I think the mentality will change because he's got that kind of intensity in him that kind of fight I think he can transmit that to the players so I'm not I'm not too worried. Gab you get to speak about Italy yet again on the Gab and Jules show on Thursday when it drops that'd be exciting for you. I am so looking forward to that. Just a reminder of how to do a deep dive like a car servo but short. Every every way you can listen to the Gab and Jules show the latest edition we'll drop then on Thursday. At EDF we don't just encourage you to use less electricity we actually reward you for it that's why when you use less during peak times on weekdays we give you free electricity on Sundays how you use it is up to you. EDF change is in our power. Hasn't been the best couple of games has it for Thomas Tuchels England they drew obviously against Uruguay a few days ago and now a one nil's defeat against Japan. Obviously all our tensions were kind of on World Cup qualifier not sure if anyone's going to say about this Gab or Jules. The only issue I have on this is that pretty much for the teams who had two friendly games in this international break at least one of them had the strongest 11 you know you looked at the France game against Brazil where both teams had for example we saw that we spain in the first game so at least all those head coaches had wanted an A team for one of the games and then probably a lot of changes sometimes even 11 changes with Tuchels because he because he messed it up himself by calling up 35 players when 11 of them didn't didn't show up for the first week but we're only going to come up for the second week and the second game but then some of them were injured so they went home and then you ended up with two mishmash of teams really and I love Thomas Tuchel and I really think that it could be good for England but that made no sense whatsoever why did in this international break and the problem is this was your last one and you wasted it you wasted it massively and now well now you have to make your squad you will announce it in May then you'll have two friendlies you're going to go to the US and Florida having the two friendlies and that's it and I think that was a massive miss opportunity for him. He said some after the game Stevie and I were scratching our head. Gabriel Clark from ITV asked him a question about the Fox 9 because I think it was forwarding because as you say we weren't really watching the game he asked him about how the Fox 9 worked and he and Tuchel said it was only a Fox 9 when the ball was on one side and not a Fox 9 when the ball was on the other and I just think he's over you know there just seems an over complication of everything these days I mean I Joel said this 30 or 35 man squad I mean what the hell and the other thing is is he's kind of semi-pictified with Jude Bellingham in a sense who wasn't there but the more they struggle and maybe if some people less lose some form you know Bellingham the other talk was is it going to be Bellingham starting at the World Cup depending on how he's formed as we re-amored and he's got to be Morgan Rogers all these things and he's got in this bit of a tit for tat with Bellingham and we know Bellingham's got a bit of attitude and I've always said it you know it's a dangerous game to play when you may have to go back to your player and say listen I really need you now because actually what I've got in this position isn't quite what I thought and so the last couple of camps for Mr Tuchel haven't exactly been smooth and I don't think he's gone about things thus far the right way in terms of you know some of the words and rhetoric he's used and the performances as well they haven't been great either. Meanwhile domestic football of course returns this weekend we'll have the FA Cup covered for you live here on ESPN plus four games of course as we've reached the quarter final stages and we start with the big boys Manchester City against Liverpool in early seven. Oh I'll have to get them up. Oh gosh. Good luck. 730 Eastern Chelsea Court Vail Salampton Arsenal and West Ham Leeds make up the other games. There we are that happened we've just seen Shaka he's here for Brazil against Croatia coverage start 730 Eastern on ESPN. And then as I mentioned domestic football back and what a day we have for you on Saturday as well it's the FA Cup matches. Majorca take on Real Madrid and then at the Metropolitan it's Atletico Madrid against Barcelona. That's it that brings us to the end of today's show. We've got a little bit of people often friendlies we're not going to talk about that. No Stephen we're not going to talk about that. I do believe you we are talking about it while the rest of the show was good. Well it's fine. Gavardjoul's back with us for extra time stay tuned. Welcome into the next edition of extra time as you can imagine the lion's share of today's questions are directed towards our Italian contingent. Gav what do Italians drink in times of sadness? Ah it all depends. I'm thinking which part of the country you're from. I think in Calabria you might go for if you've got special Amari decurs where I come from we'll be doing some grappa. I do some what sorry Gav? Grappa. Grappa. What's that? Grappa. Yes well what is it? It's a Craig will you educate him on grappa please? I cannot believe how uncool he looks. It's a fine, clean, decrypted. I'm not even going to waste much on it. Oh my goodness. What was it Craig? Two days ago you talked about pineapple and a pizza. Sorry. No I'm not even going to waste my breath with you. It's a liqueur. It's grappa yeah. Is it sweet? Grappa's a liqueur. Right okay what's so how would you compare it to something else? I thought that I'm just about to punch you in the face. Gav should Italy focus on baseball? What were they semi-finals in the World Series? Italy. Would we beat the United States in baseball in fact as you well know? Yes World Baseball Classic because of course all those all those guys there some of them had somewhat tenuous links to Italy but it's all fine it's all good. Look there's a number of sports where Italy do do very well in actually just right now it's it's not this one. Don't worry Gav you get to the rugby World Cup. There you go. I'm going to do exactly they're doing a lot better. We beat England. That's something. At Jules what is France dancing 2006? French through the rugby away Jules. No one cares what rugby are. Who is France? What has France done since 2006 that set them in such a diverging path from Italy? That's a good question that's a really good question and we probably don't have enough enough time as we all know football also works in in cycles in terms of the generation of players that you produce and that you have for your country in your leagues in your club etc etc and as we've been saying I think one of the weaknesses of Italian football currently is that the promising young players that they have that we see through the Italy under 19 under 17 etc under 21s don't really have a chance then when they get to to Saria level and the very difference with the the French league for example Ligue 1 as a Fide League which Saria isn't also not as much is that we give far more opportunities and chances to young players and then they become better and better they go to bigger clubs to better leagues they improve and then you get to the kind of generations that we had in 18 in 22 and then even the current one now and I think there's a point where this is also one of the main reasons why Italy probably is not as good by now that other European nations that have that kind of conveyor belt of young talents coming through. How big of a loss TV is Italy's defeat to the World Cup as a whole because Italy have a huge connection to the States it feels like a loss. Maybe tears in the Bonetti Murray household. I think so yeah no it is a loss in terms of the atmosphere and the support and all the other things out with the field it is a big loss it's not a big loss on the field because they're not good. Do you agree out with the field? That it's disappointing for the World Cup as a spectacle not to have the Italian support. It's a spectacle no. It's a spectacle no not really. To have the fans. Oh yeah I mean there's a lot of probably still a lot of Italian. Yeah. In the US but yeah. Cavalicio and have anyone both are in you asking you for tickets. No I'm in fact I'm extremely accustomed to that now thanks to the last two World Cups. I wanted to piggyback on something Joel said about I thought that was a great question maybe one that we can we can tackle on the Gabbard Joel show on Thursday about the divergent fortune since the 2006 final but one other big thing for France was I think also the success that they've had was also because they broke the duck in 1998 so and won the World Cup. So there was a culture I think of success and in the leadership that was already there that this whole notion that you know winning your first World Cup is really really difficult and the fact that they had that kind of in the same time horizon I think no doubt helped France become you know one of the if not the dominant footballing nation at least in terms of producing footballers right now. Gabb people in small footballing nations often root for one of the bigger teams in the World Cup or even a dark horse. Who will you be rooting for. Again I'm accustomed to this question like I've had so much practice here so I will tell you ordinarily Italy apart I would always root for Japan where I used to live Nigeria where I have a lot of friends Scotland where we're part of my better half or where my better half family's from and I guess my group for the United States once everybody else gets knocked out since they're you know the goal is making a semi-final so by that stage everybody will be out so yes that is who I will have a rooting interest in maybe a bit of Turkey because of Montella plus of course whoever is playing against Germany. Who would you hate more to win France, England or Germany. Germany it's not a question. And then France or England. I don't even need to think about it. Between France and England. I think I would prefer that France win it than England because I think France have better players that are more deserving and I do the Gavrajou show with a guy who's French. I also live in England and when they win something which isn't very often they keep going on and on about it whether it was the Rugby World Cup years ago or that stupid track cycling they do with the Olympics or the velodrome and then you team Sky and all this nonsense and then you find out that it's all rather dubious. So yes I to answer your question Germany is obviously my absolute the one team I do not want to win not because I dislike them but because if Germany win they move past Italy. Right now I can say that only one country in the history of the universe has won more World Cups than Italy and that Brazil and I'm okay with that. I don't think you got to worry about Germany Gav. No to be honest. Famous last words you can never count the Germans out. Yeah well we have recently. Jules if the World Cup was tomorrow who'd be your starting front three. Oh that's easy. I think for France I mean we know we kind of know it I think already but it would be a front four by the way we will have them belly on the right or Lise central and Bapé as the center forward and then on the left it should be Barcola it could be a Kitike it could be Douay as well I think he probably Barcola slightly ahead of the other two right now although a Kitike did really well in this national break. The only thing that I find quite fascinating about that front four because I think if I was a head coach and I would I would love to have Steve's opinion on this. Michael Lise is obviously right now with with La Minhia Mal the best winger in the world and yet Deschan is moving in from that right hand side to play more central as a number 10 and and you see Luis de La Fuente would never do that with La Minhia Mal I think there's other managers or head coaches who would never do that. Deschan is doing it which is fine if Olysses and France do well but I find it really strange that you've got a guy who's maybe the best in the world in his position at club level and yet you're going to move him and change him to a different position or be where he's still very good for France but still not clearly not the best because that's not where he plays so well with his club. For competition like the World Cup I'm struggling a little bit to understand exactly what Deschan wants to do there. Steve Nicol? Well it's your chemistry. If you're moving them hey if you're moving them then you must really want to have them on the field for a start but then when you have so many good players for only so they probably go what six world-class players will go up four spots so you figure out what's the bit what's the chemistry like the best four the best chemistry that's the four you play. Does that have a detrimental effect on the rest of the side? We can talk about that. I wanted to know what Joe's is front for for Scotland was going to be. There you go. Gav final question do you think FIFA should create an NIT style tournament for all of the smaller nations that didn't make the World Cup? Oh see you. Not just the smaller nations but yes we could have Italy we could have Nigeria. Venezuela. We could have our friends the Danes Venezuela yes give me some more more. There you go. I think it's a phenomenal you know I want to say this about FIFA have you noticed that Italy stopped qualifying for World Cups when we got a FIFA president who is of Italian ancestry has an Italian passport as well as a Swiss 11 Lebanese one a Qatari one and however many else he has I I think it's funny like having Johnny Fantino's FIFA president has just coincided with Italy in FIFA competitions absolutely nose diving I wonder if that's correlation or or causing. We'll leave that to the Gav and Jules show they can sue you lot that is it it's bit NFC then returns tomorrow we'll be reflecting on the US of course taking on that port to go but we're just got in front for beer. Have we got four? I can't name four.