Episode 44 - CL Semifinals

In todays episode we discuss:

One the most epic games in futbol history between PSG and Bayern Munich 

Atletico and Arsenal tie with all to play for at the Emirates

La Liga title race scenarios and El Clasico implications  

Relegation battle in La Liga and Premier League are heating up

Tune in!

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:28

And what's going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the Friendly Foes here with you, friendly foes, recapping everything that's happened this week in the world of football. So much has gone down. We just finished up the Champions League games for the week. We got Europa League and Conference League starting next week. The Premier League is going down to the wire. Every league is coming down to the end. Barcelona could potentially become champions this weekend of La Liga. Man, exciting stuff. And lurking in the background, we got the World Cup coming up ahead in the summer. And man, we got so much going on. But to start it off, man, we gotta talk about these Champions League games because we probably had the game of the century yesterday between PSG and Bayern Munich.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

Dude, what a game. That was peak football.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

That was football at its peak. I mean, I don't remember seeing a game like that. I've seen some really exciting games for sure. I mean, Real Madrid being part of them. Just this last game against Bayern Munich. Of course, we've had some exciting series against Manchester City. But wow, this was a spectacle. 5-4? I don't think I've ever seen a score like this. This was a hockey score. I mean, the intensity of this game was something we've never seen before. It was just back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Attack, attack, attack, attack. You saw PSG had the momentum for a little bit when they were up 5-2, and then Bayern Munich pulled back. They had the momentum. Wow. That was a joy to watch. As a neutral fan, that's what you asked for. That type of I was gonna say it was what you want.

SPEAKER_04 2:26

It was amazing to watch as a neutral fan. We didn't have any skin in the game. We could just sit back and relax, even though obviously we wanted to be playing in this round in the semifinals. But man, what a treat. Everybody knew that this was gonna be a spectacle of a game, but nobody knew exactly what how great it was gonna be. Nobody, man. Going into the halftime at 3-2, then PSG come rocking again. They go up 5-2, barring me to get close to 5-4. I mean, they could have easily ended like 7-7.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Well, yeah. Luis Enrique had a really cool quote after the game. He was like, We deserve to win, we deserve to draw, and we deserve to lose. It was the most exciting game he's been part of as a manager, he said. And I mean, yeah, I think it was the most exciting game we've seen as football fans. So I can't imagine how he felt being in the bench and Vincent and company being up in the stands. I mean, that was just a thriller all the way around. I can't imagine their nerves. I was nervous, and I was I like you said we didn't have any skin in the game. I can't imagine them. Yeah, that was intense, man.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

I was I was excited just watching it. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what what they were gonna hit me with next.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

No, we all knew it was gonna we all knew it was gonna be good. We were thinking maybe like a 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, something like that. But 5-4, that wasn't in anybody's bingo card, I don't think. But my goodness, what a came up with a thriller. What a thriller. Thank God for football. The best sport in the world. This is why football is the best sport in the world. This is why.

SPEAKER_04 4:10

This is whoever missed this game, missing.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

I'm I feel sorry for you, man. You really missed out.

SPEAKER_04 4:16

Yeah, if you missed this game, man, I'm so sorry. Like, I I genuinely feel bad for it.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

We'll have a moment of silence, man.

SPEAKER_04 4:23

Yeah, moment of silence for all those people, man, because what a spectacle. Yeah, this is the type of game that converts people to become football fans. For sure. I think the the only other game that I can think of that was this exciting. I mean, there's been a lot, right? But the World Cup final in 22. Yeah, that was pretty memory where it was a lot of back and forth. A lot of people talked about online Barcelona Inter Milan last year was pretty back and forth. 3-3 in the first leg, four to three in the second leg. That was also high scoring, high intensity, a lot of back and forth as well. But this one, man, 5-4 in the first half. And it's because these two are the first game.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

These two are genuinely the best teams in the world right now. They play the best attacking football. And they're just duking it out right in front of our eyes. So it's it's beautiful to see. It's a beautiful sight. 5-4, 9 goals in a semifinal. This should have been the final, man. This should have been the final.

SPEAKER_04 5:29

They should just cancel the other the other side of the bracket, the Atletico Arsenal. They're gonna get dog walked.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

They're gonna get absolutely dog walked. Yeah. It's so stupid, man. I mean, Waifa did it just for Barcelona, so you guys can get the easy side of the bracket, but you guys can even beat Atletico. So now we get this boring Atletico Arsenal game. And now one of those two teams aren't even deserving of going to the final, but they're gonna get dog walked by either PSG or Bayern Munich. They don't have a chance. Neither of them. They just don't stand the chance. This really should have been the final.

SPEAKER_04 6:02

Nobody stands a chance. This 100% should have been the final. It was uh yeah, like we keep saying, man, that was a it was great to see, and especially in an era where a lot of people are saying that football's starting to be a little bit boring, that we're starting to lose that intensity, that excitement, that we're starting to lose the young people, that young people aren't as uh attracted to it because it takes 90 minutes and it takes so long. We have a short attention span and all these different things, and they need more score and more attack, and then this is it. This is exactly what Luis Enrique and Vincent Company drew up for us. They're lovers of the game, they're lovers of attacking football, that total football style that Johan Kruy continued on through his legacy, starting with IX and O2 Barcelona, and and these are some of his disciples, man, that have continued on that beautiful game and that beautiful tradition. And it's funny you brought up the hockey score thing, because I don't know if you saw these quotes going around, but Johan Croyff said I'd rather win a game five to four than win one nil. And then there was another quote by Mourinho that said five four is a hockey score.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Yeah, I saw that. That's why I brought it up.

SPEAKER_04 7:10

Yeah. It's completely the complete opposite. And there's a lot of people, obviously, there's a lot of discourse online right now of was it really exciting? Obviously, it was exciting, but then people are like, oh, well, ask the goalkeepers if they like that game, or ask the defenders, or some some people are saying, like, I saw Wade Rooney and Clarence Sedorf talking about this on the UK broadcast. Oh, like, there's no way as a player you're going down in the dressing room and being happy with that performance if you conceded four or five goals. What are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 7:44

See that. So, I mean, let me just think about that for a second. I mean, I think if I was part of that game, I think I would I would go back to that locker room with my adrenaline so like it would be skyrocket, bro. It would be so spiked. I mean, I I I think I would just try to process what the hell just happened. Because, like I said, we've never seen a game like this before. Nine goals in one game in a semifinal, so back and forth, so even. I mean, I I don't know. I mean, maybe as a I don't think Manuel Noyer enjoyed it for sure. Definitely not. He couldn't make one single save, but I mean, I think watching it from where he was, I'm I'm sure he enjoyed it. I'm sure he enjoyed watching his team play because his team had a lot of good plays. I'm sure he enjoyed watching that Lucho Diaz goal. Oof, oof, que go. Que go bolaso. Sure, he enjoyed watching that, but yeah, I don't know. I feel like I would my my adrenaline would be really, really like shot up to the roof, and I honestly wouldn't even know how to feel when I get back to the dressing room. But I don't know. I I feel like I wouldn't be pissed off. I'd be like, fuck it, dude, it's 1-0. Like we're we're only 1-0 down, or we're 1-0 up, whatever. And yeah, just gotta confront the next game with the same intensity. It is what it is.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Yeah, that's what that's what that's what I that was my thought as well. You know, Luis Enrique and Vincent Company both said that they were very excited. Like you said, Luis Enrique said this is the most exciting game he's ever coached. Company was saying that this is what football is about, that yeah, the players need to continue to be attacking, be free. And I think this whole notion of oh, it was too high scoring, of like that's not a football game. No, dude, it's more of a hockey score. What all the fans wanted things.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

You saw Company and Luis Enrique, they dapped each other up afterwards, too. There, they were they knew yeah, they they knew what match they just coached, you know? They knew they were part of history.

SPEAKER_04 9:57

Man, what they just produced for the fans. Yeah, literally a part of history. This what this was this has been this was amazing, and I can't wait to see the the second leg, what it's gonna be like. It's probably gonna be something similar to the effect, and it's gonna be it's gonna be fireworks, it's gonna be like the 4th of July over at the Alliance Arena next week. But man, yeah, I think people who who are saying, oh, like there's no defense, Arsenal wouldn't let that happen, Atletica wouldn't let that happen. Let me let me give you a little something here, okay? Because Inter Milan last season had eight clean sheets before going into the semifinal, only had five goals scored against them. They had the best defensive record in the Champions League prior to going to the semifinals. They went to the semifinals, they conceded six against Barcelona, and then they got five scored on them in the final, didn't score a single goal. I'm telling you this right now if Arsenal or Atlético come forward against a real attacking team with 11 players on the field, they're not coming out of that a lot. No, they're not. They're definitely not. They're not coming, they're not coming out out of life. So uh it was exciting. I loved it. I love to see more attacking football than than defensive style, even though some people like that defensive style is structure, whatever. Everybody has their own taste. But you can't sit here and tell me that that was not entertaining, that that's not what the people want to watch. This is what, like you said, this is what turns people into football fans. Yeah, this is the type of game that turns people that that you need that adrenaline rush, and people are like, I need more of this. Let me watch the next game. And then you turn on the game today, and it was 1-1, two goals from a PK. The difference in two sides of the coin there.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

The difference, yeah. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, there were some points of the game in Atletico against Arsenal where it did get kind of exciting, a little back and forth, but yeah, compared to what it wasn't as bad as people were. Exactly. I mean, it's just because compared to the game that we had yesterday, and then we got Arsenal Atletico today, and they're two of the biggest teams that get made fun of on the internet. So it's it's it was just set open a platter to make fun of them.

SPEAKER_04 12:17

But exactly.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Honestly, like it wasn't a terrible game, even though both both goals were were penalties, but it wasn't terrible, it wasn't a terrible watch. But compared to yesterday, no, they're they no, yesterday wasn't neither team has a chance in the final. They are gonna get destroyed. I feel like if any of the two teams have a better chance, it would probably be Atletico because they play against Barcelona all the time, so they know that high press, constant attacking, they're kind of used to that. So they they could have a better game plan than Arsenal, I feel like, but I still don't think it will be enough.

SPEAKER_04 12:57

No, I don't think so either. And it's funny to me that everybody is so high on this game that just happened. Nobody's talking about no high lines, nobody's talking about anything like that. They only talk about that with Huntsy Flick. That's frustrating. I see that all the time. All these analysts on ESPN and CVS and everywhere else are like, oh, Huntsy Flick's highline. They're never gonna win.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

It's because you guys let in like four goals against Inter, bro. Ever since then, everybody started talking about it.

SPEAKER_04 13:28

Look what just happened now. Look what just happened now. Nobody's talking about PSG's Highline or Bayern Munich's highline. They each let in five and four goals. It was nine goals in one game. I just think because it was so exciting. That's the excitement of it. That's the excitement that LC Flip is trying to produce. I think the Highline from Barcelona plays PSG, it's not that different. That's the but people don't understand it. It's really not that different. The difference is the level of physicality in players. We don't have a William Pacho, we don't have a Marquinhos, we don't have a Jonathan Tal, we don't have a Upa Micano. These are the type of players that we need if we want to play the high line to be athletic and mentally and physically disciplined in order to get back. That's what we're missing. Because if you look at it yet, Barton Munich got a high line, but Upamekano tracked back Uzman Dembele a couple of times, where Usman Dembele should have had a couple minutes. That was a good battle. They're good friends, too. Yeah. Exactly. But I just thought that was ironic. Everybody always talked about Hansen Flick Highline. Nobody's talking about their high line.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Well, I guess because you said you said it yourself. I'm not salty about it. They have better defenders. PSG and Byron both have better defenders. So they can get away with it. And they don't do it as consistently as Barcelona does. Yeah, it's just easy, dude. It's easy to pick on you guys for that because that's how you guys lend in most of your goals. Literally, 90% of your goals, it's easy guys lend in because of the high line.

SPEAKER_04 14:47

You know what's funny about that? You know who has the best defensive record in La Liga right now?

SPEAKER_03 14:51

You guys. Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 14:55

Exactly. So go talk about that high line somewhere else. And you know who has the most clean sheets in the Liga right now?

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah, but then you know, people talk about the Champions League. That's where the big boys come out to play. And you guys can't keep that high line under control in the Champions League. That's the thing.

SPEAKER_04 15:11

This is the thing. People always devalue other. This is the thing, man. Obviously, the Champions League is the most important tournament. It's the it's like you said, where the big boys come out, all these things. It's it's the biggest tournament in the world, bar from the World Cup. I think it's a it's a massive tournament. Everybody wants to win it. I don't know when really it got to a point where the Champions League, it's either Champions League or bust. I don't know when that exactly happened because growing up, like, yeah, the Champions League was super important, but now I feel like recently, in like the last decade or so, it's either Champions League or bust. You either win the Champions League or you're a complete bust. And now we're devaluing league league titles or other things that people do during the league, but what happens during the Champions League, it's almost valued X, which I understand it to an extent. But for example, people are talking about Usman Dembele being the number one favorite to win the Ballon d'Or again. Usman Dembele has started nine league games in the entire season. That's true. I'll give you that.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

But it's because in the Champions League, that's where all the eyes are at. That's when everybody's watching you. Like, look at that Michael Elise. How much people have been talking about Michael Elise ever since he played in the Bernabéo. And he's been having a great season. All year long, he's been doing great. But as soon as he stepped into the Santiago Ernabeo and showed everybody what he's made of, everybody started talking like, well, this guy's something else. It's him and Yamal, best in the position. He can win the ball on the oro easily. It's just because.

SPEAKER_04 17:00

But that to me is more of people should be paying more attention throughout the season. Right? Like I understand where everybody's eyes are on the Champions League. But if you're paying attention throughout the entire season, you'd know that this is what Michael Elisa has been doing.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Right, but there's a difference between doing it against Warter Bremen or Mines or even Borisha Dortman compared to doing it in the quarterfinals in the Santiago Arnobeo against Real Madrid.

SPEAKER_04 17:27

Right, right, right, right. But it shouldn't come as a surprise if you've been watching throughout the course of the season that, like, okay, this guy's the real deal.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

It's just doing it in the Champions League solidifies you. If you can do it in the Champions League, that's when people get interested in you because it's the biggest stage.

SPEAKER_04 17:47

Yeah. And I get that. I get that to an extent, but again, it's to the point to me where everything else has become devalued. It's it's Champions League robust. And I don't know if I fully agree with that. Like lately, the Ballon d'Or winner, people say you have to win the Champions League in order to win the Ballon d'Or. And I don't know if that should be the case. Like if we look back even during the Messi and Ronaldo era, they were winning it and they weren't winning Champions League titles.

SPEAKER_03 18:18

Yeah, well, that's because it was Messi and Ronaldo.

SPEAKER_04 18:22

Right. But at the same time, even prior to that, in two in uh let's look at prior to that. Okay, so in 06, Canavado won. Well, he won the World Cup. 05 Ronaldinho won. He didn't win the Champions League that year. 2004, who won that? Right?

SPEAKER_02 18:41

I think so.

SPEAKER_04 18:42

I don't think I think one in 03. 2004. Oh exactly. So they didn't win the he didn't win the Champions League. Oh three, it was Pavel Nedvet. Should have been Thierry Henry, but it was Pavel Nedvet. Did he win the Champions League?

SPEAKER_03 19:01

We made it to the final.

SPEAKER_04 19:04

Yeah, but he didn't win. Right? The point is that we we've now put it to such a pedestal to where you gotta win the Champions League in order to win the Ballon d'Or. It's to the point where in 2021 they were saying Jorginho should have won the Ballond d'Or because he won the Champions League in the uh Euro. Yeah, no, that's you guys nuts.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

That's crazy. That's ludicrous. Yeah, he definitely didn't deserve the Ballondoro. But yeah, I mean if you win both like an international competition and the Champions League, people are gonna say you deserve the Ballondoro. People were saying the same thing about Varon in 2018 when he won the World Cup and the Champions League. Now Baran should have won the Ball in Doro. Yeah, that was and he shouldn't have.

SPEAKER_04 19:43

That was that was uh that was that was an exaggeration. But anyway, that was a little bit of a rant uh that I had, but I understand what you're saying to the Champions League. Champions League is Champions League, my friend. No, and I and I get that, but again, to me it's almost come a little bit too much of Champions League or bust. I don't think it has to be that to to to that extent, in my opinion, because it it never used to really be this way, and it's just up until recently, the last decade or so, people are uh are saying it's either Champions League or bust.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Well, Vinny won the Champions League in 2024 and he didn't win the ball in the order.

SPEAKER_04 20:28

Yeah, well, yeah, that was uh that was a big disappointment as well. That was a big disappointment. We didn't have the we didn't have the podcast up and running to talk about that, but uh but he didn't win the championship.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Or he did win the champions league, but didn't win the button deordo. Tough, tough so same with Holland in 23.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

With Vinny, so but anyway. Going back to the to the Champions League games is that what I wanted to talk about because it was again to to uh cap off this PSG Byron game that was absolutely phenomenal. There was really not many controversies uh besides the penalty, I guess. Uh the the Alfonso Davies penalty that hit his hand. Some people were saying it wasn't a handball. Um, I didn't really think that should have been called a handball, but me neither.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

It hit his leg first, and then it just ricocheted to his hand.

SPEAKER_03 21:27

I thought that was a little unfair.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

I get that the hand was out, but yeah, nobody's going to be able to get it.

SPEAKER_04 21:33

Yeah, it hit his again. I don't know what a handball is anymore. I have no idea. But uh man, it was crazy seeing PSG go up five to two. At a point, I wasn't really paying attention to the game because I had to actually do some work. And then I looked back and it was five to two, and I was like, What the fuck just happened? Yeah. And I was like, what's going on? Yeah, it was literally out of nowhere. They started the second half, boom, boom, boom.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

Well, yeah, they got the That PK at the end of the first half, and then like the first five or ten minutes, they scored those two goals. Which scaley? Yeah, that goal kind of scaley. That was was that like planned? Was that a you think that was planned in the training ground? Because the way those two PSG players kind of like ran into each other seemed like it was on purpose. Did you see that? It honestly did. It honestly did.

SPEAKER_04 22:23

Yeah, it's it looked like they were they were letting it go. I feel like that's straight from the training ground. It's almost like they had to do it because it was a little bit strange, and Kavanascelli was back there perfectly just to put it away.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Yeah, and that threw that the center backs off completely. They were like, what the hell? Like, yeah, I don't know if that was coordinated or not, but it did seem like it was. I'm not gonna lie, and I feel like Luis Enrique is that type of dude to think of shit like that.

SPEAKER_04 22:51

Percent. I think he definitely did. I think it could have been it could have been planned up, it could have been drawn up before.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

I think he drew that up, dude. Like a basketball play. Yeah, I'm telling you, dude.

SPEAKER_04 23:01

Yeah, I felt like he drew that up. I think he for sure. And then uh that Lucho goal. Oh my god. Yeah, we talked about earlier, but what a goal last everything starting from the pass.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

A goal Harry Kane's pass was ridiculous. Look at a quarterback. Ridiculous. He's a striker making those passes, and then Lucho, he has the awareness to stay on side with that beautiful touch and that little shimmy, and then Colaso Papá. He sent Marquinhos back to Brazil right after that, man. It doesn't get much better than that. Yeah, and he provoked the penalty too with William Pacho.

SPEAKER_04 23:47

Yeah, he's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

He did. Lucho had a great game. He had a phenomenal game. I really enjoyed the way that he played. I'm glad that goal did not get called offside. It was very tight. I didn't see the lines. I didn't see the city.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yeah, the way he stayed on side, too.

SPEAKER_04 24:05

Yeah. That was great awareness from him. No way they called that off, man. That was so nasty, everything that happened. And then uh it did stand, and wow, what a goal that was. Probably the goal of the game for this particular match. I would say so, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

I mean, there was nine of them, so yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_04 24:27

Like take your pick, right? Two of them were penalties. I mean, this game had everything, man. It had a lot of back and forth. It had to add penalties, it had a little bit of controversial decisions. Yeah, they were up 5'2, they brought it back 5'4. Now it's basically one nail PSG's up in the aggregate scoreline, and they're going to the Alliance Arena where there's gonna be 75,000 screaming fans, and it's gonna be epic again. Absolutely epic. Who's gonna win? I think Byron wins. I think Byron at home takes this home. I think it's gonna go, it might go even all the way to penalties. It might, but I don't think that it could Luis Enrique and Company will let that happen just because of how attack-minded they are, but it's gonna be another very high-scoring game. It might be uh, you know, another a 3-2, a 4-3, a 4-2, something like that. That's what I was thinking.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

I'm thinking, I'm thinking it's gonna be 3-2 Bayern, and then they'll get a fourth one an extra time, and then win four.

SPEAKER_04 25:28

Yeah. They they just might, man. I think them playing at home at Alliance Arena is going to be a huge benefit to them. Yeah. They they do really well at home.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

I mean, both both teams have both teams have an advantage. Bayern Munich has the advantage of playing at home, and PSG has that one goal advantage, so it's gonna be interesting to see who comes out on top, man. And Luis and Risk Rica was asked how many goals he needs to score to actually win, and he said that the feeling between him and his staff is that they need to score at least three goals. And I agree. I agree. I think this game is gonna be way too high intensity to not be able to score at least three goals to go through.

SPEAKER_04 26:12

Man, man. Well, what a game that these two served up for us. We loved it, it was very exciting. We went down to the game today. We talked about a little bit earlier. Not as exciting, obviously, but also not as boring as a lot of people may have encountered. First half, I think, was a little bit a little bit slow. We had two penalties the entire game. One uh Victor Yokur has scored right at the end of the first half, then Juan Albert scored into the into the second half. Ends 1-1, one all at the Metropolitan. I think this benefits Arsenal in the end because now they go to the Emirates.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

I think they could have had another penalty, too.

SPEAKER_04 26:54

They could have, yeah. You're right. They could have had another penalty.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

That was 50-50.

SPEAKER_04 26:59

So that that one against uh Giocores, that was very similar to that push in the back to Danny Almo, and the Gyokores gets called, and Daniel doesn't get called. Man, I'm not salty about it though. I'm not salty about it, though.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

Always gotta bring up the refs, dude. Always gotta bring up the refs. You don't say shit when they favor you, but as soon as they make a wrong call, you're on it like a hog.

SPEAKER_04 27:26

That's how that's how sports works, man. That's how sports fandom works. Also, you know what else I'm not salty about? Atleti against Barcelona scored every opportunity that they got, every single opportunity they got. They had like five shots on target, and they scored four against us, however many it was. I don't even remember. This game, Lukman, Lukman could have had two or three goals, shot it straight at David Raya. Griezmann, Griezmann could have had at least a goal himself. One uh hit it against Gabriel Mahalaiz, the other one he hit it off the crossbar. I'm like, where was this against Barcelona? Why come Luke would have shot why that drunk a sea?

SPEAKER_01 28:07

I'm telling you, Atletico's only purpose in life is to try and beat Real Madrid and now Barcelona too. That's all they try to do. They just try to beat the big dogs in Spain to try to keep up. Other than that, they don't care.

SPEAKER_04 28:21

They don't, man. Man, I was so annoyed about it. Every time Lukeman would miss, I was like, what are you doing, bro? Where was this a couple of weeks ago? Why couldn't you shoot it straight at your seat?

SPEAKER_01 28:33

He scored the winner. He scored the winner against the.

SPEAKER_04 28:36

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Why couldn't you whatever, man? It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

He's been a great signing for Atletico, by the way. For my thoughts. He's been great. He has been really good.

SPEAKER_04 28:46

He really added exactly what Atletico needed towards this second half of the season. They they don't get to this stage in the Champions League without him. They don't get to the Copa del Rey final without him. So that was a good signing. That was a good signing for them. Grism Griezmann's last game at the Metropolitana at the Champions League. He was soaking it all in.

unknown 29:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:08

He was soaking it all in. All he needed was a goal to send that off. I was surprised he gave the penalty to Julian Álvarez, honestly. I thought he was going to take it. I think Julian Alvarez is just on fire right now. Yeah, well he missed. He missed in the uh Copa del Rey final. That's why I was a little bit. Yeah, yeah, he did. He did, he did, he did. He was one of the guys that missed in the in the penalty shootout. It was a well-taken penalty, though.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

It was. David Ray didn't even move. I was like, what is he doing? Yeah, yeah. Well, I saw him talking to the goalkeeper coach before, so I don't know if the goalkeeper coach told him, hey, don't move. And that was the wrong thing. That's what he wants to say.

SPEAKER_04 29:47

I think that's what you know. That is funny. Now that you mention it, I do remember that. That whatever the hell the goalkeeper coach told him, it was the wrong thing. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

I'm pretty sure he told him to just stay still, stay in the middle because he's gonna shoot it down the middle. No, that's not what happened.

SPEAKER_04 30:04

He probably thought he was gonna do the paneka or something. And Daddy Brown didn't, he just like okay. Just pick a side, bro.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Just dive to a side. Yeah, just dive. Just dive to a side. Whatever. But I gotta say, it's probably nothing more embarrassing than letting in a paneka from the penalty spot. That is that's got that's gotta be pretty embarrassing. That's gotta be a good thing. You know what's funny?

SPEAKER_04 30:25

I I obviously this is very rich for me coming from somebody who's watching from the couch. But every time I sometimes I see those some of those paneka shots, and I'm like, I feel like I would have gotten up and tried to save that again. You know what I'm saying? I feel like I feel like sometimes I see the goalkeeper.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Yeah, it's so slow, and sometimes it's like they die, but then they they still see it, but they see it coming, and you're like, oh man, if only I can just get back up, get it. Right. It's like it's like they got too much momentum.

SPEAKER_04 30:54

So I kind of want to see what that's like. Obviously, I've never been a goalkeeper. Like I said, I'm just watching from my couch, but sometimes I see it's like so slow, and then the goalkeeper, I feel like he he's got time to get back up and just try to do something, but it must be just the momentum going against him too much.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

But talking about goalkeepers, were you surprised that O Black started today over Musso?

SPEAKER_04 31:16

Yes. I was I was because Muso has been playing phenomenal out of this world. I feel like, I mean, even though Yokor is really, really knew how to nail that penalty, it went right through Oblak's hands. I feel like Muso would have said that. OBLAC can't save penalties. No, he can't, he's never been able to save penalties. That's the only reason you guys won the Champions League in 2016 because Oblak don't know how to save penalties.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

We literally shot it in every single, like in the same side, every single penalty in the same side. And he went to the office one time.

SPEAKER_03 31:51

He had the same goalkeeper coach as David Ryan at that time. God damn it, man.

SPEAKER_04 31:59

I remember watching that game at a at like a bar. I think I had just gotten off work, and I was like, I gotta go watch the end of this game. And I s I it went down to penalties, and I see John Albluck dive to the wrong side every time. I was like, this at first I thought, oh, John Oblock, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He's gonna save at least one. This guy might as well just put a dead raccoon in it.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

It's like, can't you just save one penalty?

SPEAKER_05 32:26

You can't even guess the right side. Come on now.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny. It almost seems like, damn, anybody could have been keeper there. Maybe I could have done a better job. Maybe you could have done a better job. That's what I mean, man.

SPEAKER_04 32:42

Put me in there. I would have at least guessed the right side, man. Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

Oh man. Man. But you're like five foot six, so you definitely wouldn't have reached any of it.

SPEAKER_04 32:52

Why are you taking inches off of me? That's kind of crazy. That's kind of crazy, man. I'm not taking inches off of you, bro.

SPEAKER_02 33:01

No, that's what your doctor said.

SPEAKER_04 33:03

My license says five foot eight and three quarters, okay?

SPEAKER_01 33:07

My license says it, alright? I think it says five foot seven. I was being a little bit of a dick by taking an inch off, but I think you're five's seven, bro. If I if I mean five eight is a little tall for you, bro.

SPEAKER_04 33:20

If I got the right shoes on and the right posture, I got you're five eight and three-quarters.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

And you're still smaller than our little sister. Our little sister is 15 years old. She's still got like a little like a head over you.

SPEAKER_04 33:35

Anyway, we don't have to talk about this right now. That's kind of messed up. I wasn't I wasn't expecting to be bombarded about this. She she's gonna grow up to be in the WNBA, alright? Chill out. Anyway. That's true. The next Caitlin Clark. We go 1-1, and Arsenal has the advantage in this game going into the Emirates next week. Who do you think takes it from this one? Because we had said Atletico. Are you still feeling that way?

SPEAKER_01 33:58

Yeah, I still feel like Atletico will. I think Arsenal will screw it up somehow. I think it might go to penalties, actually. I I wouldn't be surprised if it's 0-0 the whole 120 minutes.

SPEAKER_04 34:12

Yeah, seriously. I wouldn't be surprised, but the only thing is that Atletico's gotten some injuries. Right? So Julian Alvarez got hurt today. He did. He did.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

I wonder how bad that is. That's a big loss. I mean, they have Sorlock that they can plug right in. Yeah, but he's not going to be able to do that. He's not Julian Alvarez. It's not the same yet, but he can still score goals. He can hold the center backs.

SPEAKER_04 34:36

That that's for damn. They can find them in the air. And he can he can definitely be a threat physically to both Gabriel and Saliba, but they also have a couple of more injuries. Let me check. Hold on a second. Because they had who got injured? Nico Gonzalez got injured a couple of days ago. I'm pretty sure he's done for the next couple of weeks. That's a big one. And they still have, well, Chema Jimenez hasn't really been playing all season. And Pablo Arrios, he's typically, you know, a sub, so not that big. But Nico Gonzalez and uh and Julian Alvarez are a big, big injuries still.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Yeah, Julian Alvarez would definitely be a big loss.

SPEAKER_04 35:14

That's a huge loss. So we'll see. It'll definitely be 0-0 if Julian Alvarez isn't there. You know what I just saw? Scrolling Twitter, Hakimi is out for the next game. Against uh against Myron. For what? Injury or did he get a yellow card? No, no, no. Injury. Did you remember when he was going up against um what's the name of that left back? Hold on a second. What's that guy's name, dude? He was it was towards Fonsey? No, no, no, it wasn't Fonsey. Lamer? Limer? Lamer, that guy. That guy. It was on Byron's half. Hakimi was pressuring him. Limer was trying to get him off. And while Hakimi was pressuring, he kind of felt a little bit discomfort on his hamstring and he fell down immediately. And he got taken off. And apparently he he's gonna miss some time and he's not gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

Damn, that's crazy. And especially because now, right now at this point of the season, players don't want to risk anything because they're going to the World Cup, even if it is such a high state game like this one. Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 36:22

But that sucks. That sucks for uh PSG. I just saw that today. But anyway, that's the Champions League. Who is their backup? That's a good question. Who is their backup? Who played whenever he was out for some time? I think it's um let me check. Who is that backup?

SPEAKER_03 36:41

That's a big loss because he's easily the best right back in the world right now. Big big loss.

SPEAKER_04 36:48

Let's see, who did they play after? Zire Emery has played there a few times as uh as a right back, it looks like that was looks like that was their main guy after.

SPEAKER_01 37:03

Wait, Hakimi came off from the game yesterday? No, he didn't.

SPEAKER_04 37:06

I guess he did come off, but that's where he got injured, because I I saw a tweet earlier saying that he's he's gotta he's got a hammy. He might not be able to play next game. But he I guess he didn't come off. I guess he I guess he toughed it out, but I Yeah, I don't even know who the hell his backup is. Well, I'm looking at it now. Zaire Embry, who typically plays in the midfield, was playing right back whenever he was yeah, whenever he was uh whenever Hakimi was injured earlier in the season. Okay, well that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

Then you plug in Fabian Ruiz in the midfield.

SPEAKER_04 37:38

Back in the midfield, yeah. So that's what they'll do. He lost a spa after his injury. Yeah. Well, anyway, that wraps it up for the Champions League. Um this past couple games, man. That was a lot of fun. We're coming down to the wire. Then second leg next week and then the final in Budapest on May 30th. It's coming up quick, man. We're already done with it. May's coming. 2026 is flying by. And that's it. Next thing you know, World Cup's gonna be started, and we're moving on to La Liga because we're moving on to La Liga because we we haven't got a chance to talk about it. But this past weekend, Barcelona beat Getaf at 2-0 at the Coliseum. Wasn't really expecting that without Lamin, without Rafinha, but man, the Barcel boys, they came through. They came through and they got a big win, shutout win Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford. Both get on the score sheet, and we are that much closer to the title because Real Madrid dropped points again against Real Betis after drawing 1-1. And here are the stakes, man, because this coming weekend, Barcelona is going to Pamplona to play Osasuna, and Real Madrid is playing Espanol. You guys are going to um Espanol over at uh where the hell wherever the hell they play. Over at the over at Cornell in Barcelona. Yep. So you guys are going there, and here are the stakes. If Barcelona win against Osasuna and Madrid lose to Espanol, Barcelona become champions of La Liga. If Barça and Madrid both win this weekend. If Barça and Madrid both win this weekend, boy, so hold on, let me back up. So Barça beetos asuna, Madrid loses to Espanol. You know what that means? Guard of honor at the El Clasico. None of that. El Pasillo. None of that. El Pasillo. Or here's scenario number two. Barça beatos asuna, Real Madrid beats Espanol, El Clasico May 10th. If Barça beat Real Madrid at the Camp No, which as of today, Barcelona has not lost a game at the Camp No this season. Not only not lost, they haven't lost or drawn a game. They're 17 for 17 so far at the Camp No this season. Barcelona wins El Classico. Barcelona. Not against Atletico Madrid in Champions League.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

I just have to clarify that you guys lost against Atletico in the Champions League.

SPEAKER_04 40:08

I just you know what you're about to clarify? You go you're gonna clarify that we're about to win La Liga on your head at the Camp No, May 10th. That's that's what that's what you're about to clarify. Because Barcelona could win La Liga if Madrid win against Espanol this weekend, because who knows? You guys drop points, you guys are dropping like flies at this point. Nobody cares at Real Madrid anymore. So what would you rather have as a Real Madrid fan? What would you rather do? Would you rather do a Pasillo at El Clasico or would you rather see Barcelona lifting La Liga trophy after beating you guys at El Clasico?

SPEAKER_01 40:36

I don't I don't think either is gonna happen. I think we'll just win this next game because we definitely don't want to do a pasillo. And then I think I don't know, we might tie you guys, we might win. I don't know. But you guys, you guys definitely aren't beating us and winning the league that game. No way. We're not letting that happen. No, we're not letting that happen.

SPEAKER_04 41:00

We can't we can't let that happen. Even without La Mignima, we got Rafinha coming back, apparently, that game. He's back in training, he he might get some minutes that game. I would I would rather see us beat Real Madrid and win La Liga on Madrid's head at the Camino and lift La Liga trophy while they're clapping. Or you guys are clapping in the background.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Well, you guys won't even get La La Liga trophy until I think the end. Because La Liga just doesn't work like that. Yeah, you're right. It doesn't work like that. But you guys will just celebrate, but you we're going straight to the tunnel. We're going straight to the tunnel. No congratulations, no nothing.

SPEAKER_04 41:38

You guys are going straight home. And Bappe, man, he can go hope crying again. He can go watch PSG beat Barn Munich again and pretend like he's back on that team. Just leave him on the box. Watch him play so well without him. This is this weekend to me is gonna be amazing because I hate Real Madrid. I hate Espanol. Either way, whoever loses, it's it's great for me. Because if if Madrid loses, then we become champions. But if Espanol loses, it gets them that much closer to relegation zone. So if we if if if we can Man, I don't even know. This is I'm like salivating at the mouth. It's crazy. Because I can't lose. I can't lose. It's gonna be so nice. Whatever happens, whether Espanol wins or Real Madrid wins, I'm gonna be I'm gonna be happy either way.

SPEAKER_01 42:28

Well, good for you.

SPEAKER_04 42:29

Good for you.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

I'll give you your certificate and your your cookie later for winning the league.

SPEAKER_04 42:34

No certificate, no certificate. It's gonna be the trophy and the medal for our 29th league title, man.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

It's gonna be You still got seven to go to catch up to us. You still got seven to go. Seven to go. All this dominating in La Liga this past decade or whatever, and you still got seven league titles to go, baby. To catch up to the big dogs.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

But you wanna hear you wanna hear a fun stat? Here's a cool stat. So here's how much Johan Cruyff changed Barcelona and the way Barcelona has approached not only La Liga but Champions League, right? Prior to Johan Cruyff joining as a manager, he joined as a manager in 88, 89. Whenever he joined, Barcelona had only won 10 league titles at that point. Real Madrid had 23. So you guys were 13 ahead of us. After Cruyff, Madrid has won 13 titles, Barcel has won 18, about to go on 19. So we have shrunk that deficit from being 13 league titles down to now almost seven. That's pretty significant to me. And that's where that domination comes in. It's the Johan Cruyff effect. And then obviously we talked about the Guardiola effect and everything before. It'll go back up.

SPEAKER_01 43:53

It'll go back up. You guys ain't catching up. Maybe it'll go back up. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

No, not if you guys keep our Beloa and if you if you keep Emba penaltis. Mba Penaltis.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

Wow, okay. So first it was Penaldo, but now it's Mba Penaltis. That's cute. I just made it. That's cute. Penaldo and Mbapenaltis.

SPEAKER_03 44:16

That's the only way they score. You freaking hater. No, no, no, but.

SPEAKER_04 44:23

You hater. No, it's it's a it's a big impact that Kroiv has had at Barcelona. To see where we were before he arrived and to where we're at now. Obviously, Real Madrid has been very dominant in La Liga ever since La Liga started, but to shrink it down from being 13 away to now seven, cutting that in half, that's that's huge. That's the Jung Koriv effect right there, baby. And we'll keep we're gonna keep going at it. We're gonna keep chipping away at it, man. So uh and that's gonna be a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 44:51

Enjoy your last league title for a while. Enjoy your last league title for a while.

SPEAKER_04 44:55

That's what they said after Messi left. That's what I thought that's what was gonna happen after Messi left. I thought that was it. And here we are winning three out of the last four leagues, three out of the last four league times. I don't know how that's possible. Belong to Barcelona.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

Crazy. Too many slip-ups, man. Too many slip-ups for Madrid. Too many unnecessary slip-ups. Weekend, weekend. Yelpinch Mbappe, bro.

SPEAKER_04 45:23

Dude. Anyway, that's what's gonna be happening in La Liga this weekend. Tuning in. It's gonna be exciting to see if we record next week and Barcelona are champions, or if we get to celebrate it against you guys May 10th.

SPEAKER_01 45:35

If we don't record, it's because Barcelona won. I don't want to hear it.

SPEAKER_04 45:40

I'll be here. I'll be here. You better show your face. You'll be talking to yourself. You better show your face too. Oh man. But um one thing I wanted to talk about too at La Liga is uh speaking of the relegation, the relegation battle in La Liga is pretty tight. I think between eight and Sevilla recently. Sevilla might get relegated. That's pretty crazy. That's exactly what I wanted to talk about because Sevilla is in 18th place right now. With let me pull up the table. Hold on, because it's it's get it's real tight. Relegation battle is real tight. So Sevilla's in 18th place with 17 points. Oh my no, no, no, I'm looking at this wrong. Where are the points? Right here. 34 points. Sorry. So if Sevilla's in 18th with 34 points, and then you got Rayo Vallecana, who's in 11th place with 39 points. So there's five points separating 18th place and 11th place. That's the same thing. So so much can still happen in this relegation zone. That's why Espanol could still go down, Valencia could potentially still go down, Elche, Girona, Alavez, Mallorca, but Sevilla. Sevilla, who has been so triumphant since the start of the 2000 year, I believe. So they haven't they haven't been relegated. No, this is wrong. I apologize. Sevilla haven't been relegated since 1999 and 2000. That's the last time that Sevilla got relegated. And now they're about to be relegated again. After dominating the Europa League, after winning a Copa de Rey, I think it was in 2006, 2007, with Freddy Canote, Luis Fabiano. Oh what a team.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

And 2010, too. They weren't in 2001. Yeah, Danny Alves was in that team when they won in 2006, 2007. Yeah, bro, and they were competing with Real Madrid and Barcelona to win the league till the very last match. I remember that.

SPEAKER_05 47:39

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04 47:40

They were they were a phenomenal team. They were a powerhouse. Forced to be reckoned with for sure.

SPEAKER_01 47:49

And our boy Cataly Bobaca played over there. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 47:54

It was a monster, bro. He was a monster everywhere. Underrated player. But yeah, they could go down potentially. And it's not, it's not looking good. They just lost this weekend to Osasuna, and they have a very tough schedule ahead of them because their last few games are against Real Sociedad, Espanol, who's also battling relegation, Villarreal, who's in third place, you guys, Real Madrid, so they could potentially win that one. And then Celta de Vigo. So that's a tough schedule for Sevilla. They might go down. That's gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 48:27

I honestly don't want them. Yeah, I don't want them to go down. I think it's good for La Liga to keep them. They barely stayed afloat last season. I know they're a huge team. I would say they're a massive team in La Liga. Things are going wrong for them, though, unfortunately. Yeah. I don't know where, but yeah, it's it's I mean they have Alexis Sanchez there, dude. Still playing. Yeah, he's he's like they need to go for younger and better, you know? Yeah, just out of Speed Coeta.

SPEAKER_04 49:00

Whenever that um because Sergi Ramos is trying to buy the team, he's trying to take over as uh as a part owner. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think whenever whenever that happens and he brings in uh good investors and brings good brings in good sponsors, he's able to bring in attracting better talent and bring in somebody. I like the likes of Munchie. I think Munchie left, and their recruitment strategy has not been the same since. I think what part of the big reason why Sevilla was so successful in the early 2000s and even as early as like 2020 something, whenever they won the last Europa League, uh is because of Munchie. Munchie was such a great sporting director for them that he made great pieces of business. He was able to recruit all these phenomenal talent and then have them uh sell them to Real Madrid, the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, these bigger teams, and make a really good profit off of them. And now they haven't been able to do that since. I think the last big sale that they made was uh Cundé to Barcelona, and ever since then they haven't really made a big impact on bringing in a good player or selling a big player like that again. So about rough times for Sevilla, unfortunately. Yeah, and rough times for another big one. Powerhouse for Spain and another powerhouse for Spain, Real Zaragoza, Real Zaragoza. Did you see this? What happened this past weekend with the keeper? The keeper that punched uh the other player, yeah. Yep, the Saragoza goalkeeper in the Saragosca match. Yeah, the Derby Zaragoza Huesca. The goalkeeper loses his mind after he gets a second yellow and gets ejected from the game. And this is what we were talking about last week a little bit about the Gabriel versus Erling Holland. This uh Andrade pushes the Huesca player, just pushes him, and the guy falls down to the ground. Guess what happens? Second yellow, expulsion, you're ejected, you're out of here. So this guy loses his ever-loving mind and goes after the player and punches him, wails him straight in the face. A whole fight breaks out. The Weska goalkeeper also gets a red card because he punched the Saragosa goalkeeper in the face as well. Now the Saragosa goalkeeper, Andrade, has a 13-match ban from La Liga, and Saragoza is facing relegation to go down to the third division. So is Huesca. Both of them are so Weska, both of them are. So fall from Grace.

SPEAKER_01 51:41

That was insane.

SPEAKER_04 51:42

That was what an intense. That was intensive.

SPEAKER_01 51:44

I used to like playing against Saragoza and La Liga. I miss having them in La Liga. They were a fun team to watch. You remember when the Melitos were there? Guy Milito and Diego Milito?

SPEAKER_04 51:54

Dude, they had so many great.

SPEAKER_01 51:56

They have a cool stadium too. I like their stadium. Their stadium was pretty fire.

SPEAKER_04 52:01

And they've had players come together.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

Pablo Aymar played there too.

SPEAKER_04 52:05

Yeah, I remember uh freaking Dalessandro played there, the Argentinian guy.

SPEAKER_01 52:10

Gerard Piquet played there for a little bit. Jesus Ballejo played there, I think.

unknown 52:14

Who else?

SPEAKER_01 52:15

David Villa. David Villa came out of there. No, no, no. David Villa came out of uh Guijon, but he played at Saragoza.

SPEAKER_04 52:24

Did he? Okay. Yeah, yeah, for sure. He played a Saragoza. Who else? Who else? So many players.

SPEAKER_01 52:30

Yeah, we're we're missing other players too, but they're a legendary club. I miss having them.

SPEAKER_04 52:36

They are a legendary club, and now they're about to get relegated to the third division, man. And you know who the owner of this team is? Who? The intermiami owner. Jorge Maz. Really?

SPEAKER_03 52:49

Yep. I had no idea.

SPEAKER_04 52:52

They hate him over there. Absolutely hate him because he he just has it as part of his investment portfolio and doesn't do anything to help the team. All he cares is about inner Miami, and they cannot stand it. Man, I was going, I went through their comments after one of their games recently, and all they were talking about get Jor Jamas out, Jorge Mas out, get him out, get him out. You're a nobody, you don't do this. Wow, I had no idea. So this guy has been ruining Saragoza, one of the biggest clubs in Spain, but only cares about Inter Miami. He's bringing spending all his money.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Why they do that? Why do you want to own two different teams? That's too much on your plate. It's just, it's it's it's just a part of an investment strategy.

SPEAKER_04 53:39

It's just billionaires.

SPEAKER_01 53:40

I get to get greedy. I understand all that, yeah. I really do. But at the same time, like you got a team that needs you and wants to win, and if you're not there for them, then fucking sell it, dude. Sell your share and just get money that way. Yeah, that's what I say as well. But it's they're they're hard-headed.

SPEAKER_04 53:59

I wish this guy would get rid of that and give it to somebody who actually cares about the club and bring them back to the first division over in Spain.

SPEAKER_01 54:06

But yeah, dude, Messi actually scored one of my favorite goals that I've seen from him against Zaragoza. Do you remember that goal? You know which one I'm talking about? Like 15 years ago when he just got the ball. Like he's like a little shit, dude, just like yeah, in the middle of the field, like just out dueling on a 50-50, getting the ball, and then just dribbling all the way, and then faking out the defender, going one way, going the other, and then he chipped the keeper. I was like, damn, that's crazy. Well, I don't remember if he chipped it or if he just shot it across the goal. I can't remember now, but I thought that was disgusting.

SPEAKER_04 54:42

I think he shot it across the goal. He he had a similar one against Sevilla. That's the one that he chipped. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 54:50

I just thought it was really how he just how he got the ball, like how he really wanted it. Because he was only like 21 years old there, too. You know, he was just a little jit just trying to get the ball however he could. He got it and just took it all the way from like almost half field to the other end. That's one of my favorite goals from Messi.

SPEAKER_04 55:13

That that one is too. And the crazy thing is he's had he's got like a hand. Well, he's got a whole collection.

SPEAKER_01 55:19

I know he's got a whole collection.

SPEAKER_04 55:20

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 55:23

What stuck out to me from that one is how he recovered the ball.

SPEAKER_04 55:27

I think that was what stuck out to me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that and he would he didn't go down. Like most players would have gone down right there, and he's he was just like give me that.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

He was he was gonna he was gonna take it however he could, and that's what I liked about that.

SPEAKER_04 55:43

I think Messi is a people people don't realize how athletic Messi actually is because a lot of players would have gone down immediately and how strong Messi is to stay up and body the both of those defenders off that ball and then just continue that run at full sprint.

SPEAKER_01 56:00

That was that was a pretty sweet goal, man. And there was somebody in Barcelona that said he does defend pretty well in an interview. I don't remember who it was, but they were asked how Messi defends in training, and they actually said that he defends very good. Well, I don't know if that's exactly what they asked him, but somehow that conversation got brought up, and they said, Yeah, Messi defends very well, actually. He's a hard player to go against. I I believe it, man.

SPEAKER_04 56:27

And you know what's crazy is that a lot of times I hear a lot of these players that trained with Messi, and they're like, sometimes he would do things in training that were even more impressive than the games. That to me is like, man, I wish I would have seen that. I wish they recorded that. I mean, you see clips, but you don't see the whole thing. You don't you really don't see the whole thing. Like him, like him going up against like somebody like Piquet or Pujol or Masherano or uh Cuti Romero or you know what I'm saying? Sergio Ramos, PSG. That's those those the things that I want to see, man.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

Yeah, yeah. That would have been pretty cool. I know there was another interview too when they were asking Thierry Henry about him in training, and they said it would uh and Henri was saying that there was a foul that didn't get called, and then Messi was like, Oh, you don't want to call that a foul? Okay, give me the ball, give me the ball, and he just dribbled through everybody and scored a goal. And then Henri was like, Listen, I do that against kids that don't know how to play soccer in the playground, you do that against kids that didn't know how to play soccer in the playground. This is professional grown men that do this for a living, and he was doing that to us when he was getting pissed off. So that's how we knew this guy was different.

SPEAKER_04 57:46

Yeah, that's insane, man. That's the type of stuff that I want to see. That's the type of stuff that I want to see. I wish there was some behind-the-scenes footage that we could see of him at training because there's so many players that have come out and said the same thing. It's like, man, you thought he was good during the games. Like, you should have seen this guy at training. And I love to hear that, man, because sometimes people say that Messi is not that competitive or he's too humble. And he is humble, like he's he's very humble, but you see that that all out of him competitiveness, especially recently, ever since he won, I would say, his first Cope America, like five years ago.

SPEAKER_01 58:24

He's got that Argentinian bad blood.

SPEAKER_04 58:27

His confidence came out a little bit more. 100%. I think he he we he used to be pretty shy out in the field. Now he now he's got now he's got a lot more confidence.

SPEAKER_01 58:36

And he also feels more comfortable with the Argentina national team. There was a point where he didn't feel comfortable there for like years, bro. Probably his whole career. He really didn't start feeling comfortable there until he won that Copa Medica. That's the first time I think that he actually felt comfortable with Argentina.

SPEAKER_04 58:52

I was listening to an interview lately, and they they were talking about that. I forget what interview it was, man, but they they talked about that specifically. And what changed was in 2019, after Escaloni took over and the players that started coming in, all these people just idolized Messi. Just completely idolized. All of them and every it it almost got to a point where they couldn't even they felt like they couldn't even come near Messi. And the poll, this is why the poll has become so close with Messi. The poll was the one that made like made that connection, that built that bridge together between Messi and that and the and the younger guys coming into the national team and linked linked everything together for them to make sure that they had good uh good connection on and off the pitch. And if that's why the poll has been so important to the Argentinian national team. And ever since then, man, like like you said, they he he got a lot more confidence, he got more involved in the things that are going on off the field. He's he's doing all these no and even doing like the Twitch streets with Kunaguero and all these things, and yeah, yeah, yeah. During the World Cup, so it it he he he he got his shyness taken away from him, not taken away, but he he put his shyness aside and this led let himself come out a little bit, let his personality shine. Uh it's good to see that. It's cool, it's been cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, you know, not to continue going on that tangent for a long time, but we gotta move on here because we got other things that are happening this weekend, just to wrap it up here. Uh the PL is coming down to the wire, Premier League. Arsenal get a win finally against Newcastle. So they go up ahead again. Man City still have a game in hand. They played Southampton for the FA Cup, beat them down to the wire as well, two to one. They're on to the FA Cup final. Man City could do a domestic trouble with the league, the Catabout Cup, the FA Cup, and the Premier League. And Man City are a game in hand again. I think they play Everton this Monday. Arsenal is playing. Who the hell do they play? I think they play Fulham. Newcastle. No, they just played.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:18

But this week, I think I think I think they play Fulham, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:23

Yep, they play Fulham this weekend. Fulham is uh fighting for Europe. That European, those European spots in the Premier League are looking pretty tight. We got Brighton and Hovalvion at 50 on sixth place, and we got Sunderland in 12th place with 46 points. So just four points separating those teams between sixth and twelfth place. So so much can happen in the last few games. A lot of chaos coming up. Same thing with the uh relegation. Tottenham, they they got the win against Wolves, but it wasn't good enough because West Ham got a last-minute winner against Everton last weekend, and they go again. West Ham is still staying afloat, not him forced to staying afloat. Tottenham might go down, man. Tottenham has a very, very tough schedule ahead of him. You think you think Tottenham is the one who ends up going down? I think so, man. I think West Ham has more fight in them. I think Tottenham has almost gave up at this point. I don't think anybody they can save Tottenham. That is embarrassing. I think that game between Arsenal and West Ham, that's gonna be a good one because Arsenal is trying to win the league and West Ham is trying to stay afloat. That's gonna be a game where Arsenal could potentially draw points. So watch out for that one on May 10th. So not this coming weekend, but the weekend after. Arsenal have to go to West Ham. And uh man, I'm forever blowing bubbles, baby. Let's go. Let's see if West Ham can do it. Let's see if West Ham can do it. And Man City, like we said, got a game in hand. I still think that Man City's gonna put that pressure on Arsenal, and Man City's gonna come through. I think Man City might come through and win a seventh Premier League title for Pep.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:00

I think so. Especially if they got the tiebreaker right now. I mean they both have a game out. Yeah. Yeah, but assuming they'll win it, they got the tiebreaker. So if they both win out, which is very likely, man said he will probably still end up winning.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:25

Man said he could end up winning. That game against Everton on Monday is gonna be very tough for them. Because Everton has been doing pretty well this season, and they're also battling for a European spot. They're trying to get back into Europe after many, many years of missing out. Yeah, man. That's what's happening. That's what's happening, man. So much going on. Oh, and speaking of Everton, I almost forgot about this. Did you see Jack Grealish? No. What happened when they didn't see you see them you didn't see the pics of him?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:54

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:56

I missed it. He got he got spotted at a bar, passed out, completely drunk at the dawn of the morning. Just completely passed out. Really? Yep. I haven't even kept up with him this season. How has he been doing? Well, he's injured right now. He's missing the World Cup, I'm pretty sure. Well, I don't even think he would get called up, to be honest with you. He might have the P He was doing pretty well at the start of the season for Everton. And then uh he just completely fell out.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:31

20 matches, two goals, six assists. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:36

He was doing pretty decent at the at the beginning. Then he got an injury and now he's he's injured for a while. I think he had to get surgery and everything. So yeah, it looks like he won't be back till June. Yeah, he's out for two. Well, that's why he's getting away. There's a lot of players. There's a lot of players that are missing the World Cup potentially. But yeah, no, he got he got completely. I mean, he has an alcoholism problem, I'm pretty sure. He's always partying, he's always drinking a little bit too much alcohol. But I I I mean, I think it's embarrassing to be caught like that, man. I think it's embarrassing to get caught like that. Yeah, the wee hours of the morning. Especially if he was that drunk complain.

unknown 1:05:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:13

Well, yeah, that's why he's getting that messed up. Because he's not even playing.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:18

You should focus on his rehab healthy. And two, his rehab, yeah. Freaking his alcoholism problems.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

I think that's how he gets healthy. I think that's how he solves his problems. Give him some liquor. Give that boy some liquor. I don't think that's solved any of his problems.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:39

But anyway, that's why Pep got rid of him. That's one of the reasons. That's one of the reasons. That is why Pep got rid of him. Pep get Pep gets rid of players. If he doesn't see that they got a name anymore, he is not afraid of getting rid of them. He he will get rid of you quick. I saw recently the the treble winning team in 2020. twenty three, there's only three players that are gonna be remaining next season.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:05

Who Holland, Diaz, and Enrodi, which he might not even remain, but that's crazy because that was only three years ago, dude.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:15

Mm-hmm. That was only three years ago.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:16

But he's always gotta make changes.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:18

Always, man. Always making changes. If he doesn't see that you got the hunger in you anymore, he's like, You're out of here, bro. Go have fun, go party at Everton, go get out of here, go go do something else. But you ain't gonna stay here.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:32

Groelish did do good his first two seasons at City, though. The trouble winning season and then the season before. He did good. Yeah, he was even though a lot of people say that he didn't really help City do anything. Anybody playing in that position would have won a trouble as well, which is fair enough.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:48

But I think he's still hating when people say that. I think it's a little ridiculous. People who say that don't really know. They're just haters and don't really watch the game.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:59

You think so? I mean, honestly, I don't think because of Greerish, they won the trouble. I still think they would have won the trouble with or without Grealish, but he did have a good season with them when they didn't have a few.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:10

Could they have won it without him? I mean, I don't know, man. Hindsight is 2020, right? But he had a big impact. I mean, I I think to say you could have put anybody there and they still win, like, I don't know about all that. But he had a big impact in what they did. I think bringing in Erling Holland is what really changed everything for Matthew. That was his boy, man. That year. Yeah, that was his boy. That was his boy. Anyway, man, that's been a lot of talk. A lot of talk, a lot happening this week. We're gonna have to catch up again next week after the Champions League games again. We'll see who goes through. We'll see gets who gets to the final over at Budapest. We'll see what happens in La Liga, we'll see what happens in Serie A as well. Because if Inter win this weekend, they they claim champions over at over at Serie A. First one for Christian Kibo as uh as a manager for Inter Milan. That's gonna be huge for them. Yeah. Primer league's coming down to the wire. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:10

Inter got a little nervous there for a second when they lost to Milan, but Milan kept dropping points after that. So Milan Milan can't keep it. Inter will definitely get the set, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:23

They got it in the bag. But we'll we'll recap it again next week. We'll recap it again for you all next week. In the meantime, guys, we appreciate you all tuning in and listening to the another episode of the Friendly Foes. Be sure to follow us on social media at FriendlyFoes FC on all platforms. Be sure to subscribe, rate, review wherever you'll listen to your podcast. Be sure to tell your friends, your neighbors, it helps us grow. We appreciate all the love and support from everybody listening. And we'll see you all again next week.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:58

Peace.