Football Foes and Fandom Woes
A podcast for the fans made by the fans. It's a football podcast for the people about the beautiful game, from the Premier League to the World Cup and everything in-between.
Football Foes and Fandom Woes
England v Croatia's Big Selection Dilemmas, Who Starts?
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For this podcast, we discuss and give our opinions on everything we've seen in the World Cup so far, but wth the main emphasis being on England's massive first game against Croatia. We look at team selections, the big talking points, Rashford or Gordon, Bellingham or Rogers, Stones, Konsa and Guehi as the central defensive pairing, who we think Tuchel's starting eleven be, our starting eleven and how far England can go.
Welcome to the first ever football foes and fandom worlds podcast, where myself, Austin Barkley, and my fellow co-host Phil Norman would talk all things football, starting with what we've seen so far in the World Cup and the upcoming England Croatia game.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Ayu Buadi, the young 18-year-old Moroccan. He looks a real fine from Lil, centre mid, looks like he can play do a job at right back, just legs and dominated, you know, on paper of an incredibly strong Brazil squad in homeland, pretty much.
SPEAKER_02Do you think that is a strong Brazil squad though? Looking at them yesterday, the midfield three, I mean, obviously Guimarais is a brilliant player. Casemiro and his tie has been a brilliant player. Keta is a very good player, but I don't know, they looked really leggy, didn't they? They looked like they were struggling to get around a pitch, especially first half. And they were getting totally outplayed in the middle. And I felt the fullbacks for Brazil as well, both of them, I mean, they took Casemiro Casemiro off obviously at half time, and then the right fullback, he wasn't great, was he?
SPEAKER_01No, no. And and you know, when you look at uh I know that Rean at Bournemouth as he he plays he's a bit more of an attacking, you know, right wing back, maybe. But yeah, when I looked at that yesterday, yeah, they they I mean they were just relying on Vinny Jr., weren't they? I I put him down as after a after a bit of uh a strange season for Real Madrid, it's been quite turbulent for the for the club, and obviously he's probably not you know performed as as well as he probably has done previously, and I'm sure we'll come on to Bellingham at some point uh during the pod. But yeah, I thought without Vinesius Jr. yesterday, they just looked a bit Fredbear. Um lack of quality.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, it was. I mean, the first half, I don't think I've ever seen a first half where Brazil in the World Cup, where Brazil couldn't even pass a ball to each other five, ten yards. I mean, it regardless of how well Morocco were playing when they received the ball, uh the passing was absolutely abysmal. Like it's just it was quite um I think from Brazil perspective and their fans, I think that would have been quite a worrying perspective, and for Angelotti, watching that. Um Angelotti.
SPEAKER_01Well, I mean we'll I'm sure we'll speak about him, but how good to see him on the sideline of a World Cup after all he's achieved in the game.
SPEAKER_02Brilliant. Um so the games caught attention. Obviously, Guitar managing to get a draw against Switzerland, fantastic. Um Australia.
SPEAKER_01Pretentious VAR though?
SPEAKER_02Well, for the Switzerland goal. Yeah, was it a bit of a phantom offside? What are we going for? Yeah, they reckon uh there was a bit of a setback of the technology, didn't they?
SPEAKER_01Never, not with VAR, but it's amazing, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Um no matter how much you might be out of a game, and obviously Switzerland thought they had the game one, and then Guitar, last 10 minutes, you could see you could see them pushing. Um, and you felt that potentially, you know what, they could nick a goal here. And Switzerland were kind of going through the motions, thinking the game's one, and then all of a sudden, this is football, isn't it? The beauty of football. Great header as well.
SPEAKER_01Great header, and it's one all. They really wanted it, didn't they? Yeah, really wanted it.
SPEAKER_02We've lost, we should have had three points easily there. But they didn't really take the chances that they had, and they just gradually allowed to sort of build out that confidence and come back in the game. Like I said, that was really good to see. And obviously, US of A, um unbelievable, weren't they? But I don't know Paraguay, how strong they're gonna be, but what a performance by the US of A. A little bit shocked.
SPEAKER_01But I've always I've always got a bit of a soft spot for Paraguay, the old uh Jose Luis Chilave back in the day, the f the famous goal scoring goalkeeper. So, yeah, to see them get uh I mean they they got pumped, didn't they? 4-1.
SPEAKER_02They did. Could have been more, could have been more, and then Australia being Turkey this morning. Wow, 2-0. I never saw that result coming.
SPEAKER_01Nah. Which is funny, isn't it? Because obviously in their um in their nation, you know, obviously with the teams that they play in the Oceania bit or the Pacifics or you know, whatever it is out there, they're they're you know, they're the the big nation, aren't they? Really, you know, and there's been a couple of others recently that have come in. Um but you know, they are the you know, they're the they're the big the big fish, isn't it, aren't they? Well they have been in that area uh for a long time. So, you know, it's um yeah, some result like I said, Turkey, I'd have had that as a three-pointer banker. I mean, it just goes to show, like you said earlier, you can't bank on anything in a World Cup because you're playing for your country, you know, these are and and it's a massive stage for these players to get a big transfer as we've seen before.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, amazing. Um, so really uh it's good to talk about the World Cup for a little bit, but our main focus today, obviously, with the England game coming up on Wednesday. Um, our main part will be about the obviously the England game. Um got my England show on here. Um I haven't apologized during some of these podcasts. Um, so loads of talking points regarding England as always. Um won't talk too much about the squadron who's up there because I think that's been covered, and we've had discussions about that. So I think like we just support the team that are out there. Well dad. With two call, I mean whether you love him or you loathe him, you are never gonna know what he's gonna do, I think. And one thing I think that you cannot sort of levy at him with criticism at all, is the way he talks to the media and his honesty, and I think he comes across so well, even if I don't always agree with his decisions, but the way that he kind of explains it and he talks it through, I think that's one of his like his strongest other than probably his tactical element, obviously, but it's a really strong point for him. What do you think about?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I watched um I think there was a clip, weren't there, early in the week, of uh one of his chats with uh with the players, and you know, the the way the players were just fixated, you know, their eyes were they didn't leave that screen, you know, and he's he's set the foundation for what you know we as a nation want. We want to be seeing that that trophy lifted, you know, at the end of this World Cup. But I watched that clip and I just thought, you know, it was goose, it was goose pimple it. You know, as I said, the hairs on the on your arms standing up. It was uh yeah, it was a real, you know, you want to you want to play for that guy. And and there's this there's always going to be that irony, you know, German manager in this national team, and you know, there'll always be people that want to poke that. But oh, like like you said, his his ability to um put over what he what he wants and how he sees football, how he sees his team. As you said, you know, there there will be a thousand and one different justifications for all the squads. And I'm sure at some point during the tournament we'll go, oh, you know, if only he had a cobalt palm or if only had a foden uh a Wart and you know, whoever it may be, but you can't help but go, listen, I'll back you. Like that that's what that's what you want, and I'm with you. I'm on board. Like, let's let's go and smash it out of the park.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I agree. Um, with that, before we talk about the game Wednesday against Croatia, um how far do you think England can go realistically?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think we're gonna have a strong group. You know, I mean the the three teams we've got in our group, uh, you know, there's two obviously very tough ones, and one that's a bit of a banana skid. Um, you know, Croatia, which we'll come on to in a bit, is you know, we've played them enough times, haven't we, in uh in all the different competitions. Um, you know, Ghana, they're going to be, you know, physically fit, strong. Uh, they'll get about the pitch. Um, and then obviously Panama, you know, who knows? Yeah. Um, but I look, I'm going quarter finals. Um, I think we have to be realistic. Um but saying that, I didn't expect Brazil to draw Morocco, and that's no disrespect to Morocco after the back of what they achieved in the African Cup of Nations, which again, um, maybe a slightly political debate, but we're not gonna we're gonna leave politics out of this podcast. Um, we'll we'll leave that to the people. But it's um, yeah, I didn't expect Brazil to draw Morocco. Like you said earlier, I didn't expect Turkey to lose to Australia. So there's already been a few results thrown up that um makes you think if you can kind of, you know, there was good science against Costa Rica. Now people will say it's Costa Rica, you know, you you should be beating them, but we should have been beating New Zealand probably more comfortably after watching what Haiti did to them a few nights before, but it didn't happen. So look, as look, you don't as long as we don't peak too early, which I think before maybe previous competitions we've done that, um, or in a couple, maybe we never even peaked at all. Um, but that's the joys of being an England fan, right? So I'm going quarter finals, that's where I'm going.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Um I don't know, I don't know. Part of me thinks genuinely we can go quite deep into the tournament. Um another part of me says that potentially we might not. Um I think it depends where we finish in the group. Like winning, if we win the group, we're expected looking at Norway potentially as the last 32 game. Then they're looking at I think it might be Senegal, which is not that's gonna be a tough game. Then you're looking at potentially Brazil, um, and then the semi-final could be Portugal, Argentina. So it's uh obviously Ronaldo Messi's Swanzanger.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02With um it's obviously gonna be very difficult, and as it should be with the World Cup. I mean, every game should be really, really hard. We have got the players definitely to be able to progress. Um, and you're hoping, I'm hoping with Tuchel that he's gonna make the right decisions in the big moments that's gonna if we are struggling at times to get us over that line. Um I think you're probably right realistically, quarter finals, but uh there is a part of me that thinks we can go further.
SPEAKER_01Um, so I'm with you. I love that I love that. I was thinking to quarterfinals, but listen, I'll happily be proven wrong. Happily, right.
SPEAKER_02Obviously, we have a connection with one player in the inland school, which is amazing. Um young Jed Spence, who we both taught um our great kid, yeah, unbelievable. Um, so just a little bit on the end, what a phenomenal achievement. Um, what a career he's having so far. Playing for the greatest team uh in the world for Tottenham. Yeah, playing for England at a World Cup, that is impressive, isn't it? Do you think that boy that we taught is now there and he's potentially gonna play in the biggest stage of all time for football.
SPEAKER_01Just lived and breathed it, didn't they? Lived and breathed football as a Fulham scholar, came over to a school that was um, you know, that was a palace program. Um yeah, incredible family support as well, which I think is always massive. Um, yeah, just just it's it's nice when you know someone's worked and so focused on where he wants to be and where he wants to get. And he, you know, he's it's he's not had it easy. You know, I'm not I can't sit here as an Arsenal fan and say I'm happy where his current destination is. But you know, but in terms of his journey, you know, from as I say, you know, uh from a as a Fulham scholar, you know, Tottenham, out in Lones, Leeds, Forest, oh sorry, Forest, Leeds, uh, Forest, you know, he was flying. Leeds, it didn't quite work out as as well as he wanted. When abroad, you know, um, but uh look, when when people are focused, they work hard, they keep their head. Um, he's a great character. Um, yeah, just it's it's beautiful to see. Um meant I'm on, as we all are, you know, really, really proud to see uh where he's currently at. And you know, I I think he can go from strength to strength. So, you know, um yeah, I I hope he gets some minutes out there. And uh, as I said, I thought he was excellent against New Zealand, you know, with a with the assist with Harry Kane. But yeah, all the best to Jed and his family, and yeah, I hope they're doing well. And yeah, I'm certainly, yeah, as as his head of year when he was at school and you as his head of uh PE, phenomenal, phenomenal.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely brilliant. So yeah, really proud of him, and like you said, his family must be absolutely buzzing. Um we're buzzing for him, so can't imagine what they're feeling. Um Jed, hopefully you're I'm sure you will get some like a lot of game time in the World Cup, and we'll be obviously cheering you on. Um, so one of the rumours that has come about, which has really surprised me actually, um, and just sort of seeing that this might be something that happens in the team. Um there is a rumour that Mark Gahey might not be starting, which for me would be criminal. Incredible, yeah. Um criminal. So they are saying it might be Stones and Umza. So I don't I mean, they did start in uh the last game against Costa Rica. I don't think I don't think anyone thought anything other than um it was gonna be Mark Gahey to start with one of them two. But there are rumblings, uh, it's gonna be Conza and Stones. Now, if that is the case, what what are your feelings on that? Them two being a defensive pairing.
SPEAKER_01Um look, I've I think they're three uh they are three excellent centre backs, you know. As much as maybe we probably both have our um ideal or favourite centre back partnership, or one that we think um, you know, made maybe because of the the city factor, um, maybe, you know, with John Stone's experience wise. Um you know, Consa has gone about his football, played pretty much every game for Villa. Incredible, incredible uh run in the in the Europa League, and and obviously they went on to win it. You know, an Unay Emory special, or is it sixth time? He's won it fifth time, is remarkable. Um so yeah, it's a good evening to uh Unai. Um but unreal. Um but like I said, you know, I I mean I would I would have gay and I would go gay and stones personally. Um but it's a big risk, the the the limited game time John Stones has had all season going into a tournament, but then is he fresh?
SPEAKER_03That that would be my justification around it.
SPEAKER_02I mean, Stones is a phenomenal footballer, without a doubt, and he's never ever let England down. He's he's like a Rolls-Royce when he's fit and he's purring.
SPEAKER_01Obviously I mean whoever gets it, whoever gets him on a free transfer, by the way, that's a steal.
SPEAKER_02It is, it is. The only thing that obviously is is lack of gain summer. I think he's played something like 118 minutes of football since Christmas. Um it's next to nothing. Like you're playing you're playing in the biggest tournament of all on the biggest stage under a lot of pressure.
SPEAKER_01He don't strike me as someone that pressure doesn't seem to bother him too much. You know, I mean you look uh you know, you look at City's dominance. I know they've you know they've had some incredible players over the last, you know, 10, 12 years, whatever it may be now. But I mean he's he's been so central to a lot of that. And I don't he just doesn't strike me as someone that, you know, pressure matters.
SPEAKER_02No, I mean he's always comes across incredibly calm, doesn't he? I just worried a little bit about that sharpness, maybe.
SPEAKER_01But then does he need the group stages? Does he need the group stages almost to get his uh to get his minutes up? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Um but they're playing against I mean Croatia, Croatia are even though they're an Asian Croatian team, they're warriors, aren't they? They just love playing for their country, love playing in the like these big tourments, love playing for their manager as well, always perform, got amazing footballers, moderates, like one of the greatest midfielders of this gen of his generation. Just um still going strong, still playing at the highest level. And I don't know. I mean, normally if Stones was fit, it wouldn't be an even we wouldn't even be debating it, he'd be playing. And on the ball, he's phenomenal. Like when he's passing through the lines, fantastic with him not having played, and obviously we've got Reese James, who's had his injury issues.
SPEAKER_01Um I thought he looked really fit though the other night. I thought it was as it was as complete as I've seen him in physical condition for a long time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, quick. He's another one. I mean, if we're talking about world-class players in the England squad, if he's playing regularly and he's injury-free, he's got the potential to be world-class, isn't he? I don't think there are many right backs in the world who would get in front of him. Yeah, arguably Hakeem, maybe of Morocco.
SPEAKER_01Um, but and he's a leader, and Tushel loves him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's some Gene Paul as well, by the way. Him and Lauren James, that's some Gene Paul.
SPEAKER_02Incredible, isn't it? Incredible. Um, so yeah, so Mark Gahey though, he's been phenomenal for England, hasn't he? So for him not to start, that would be a shock for a lot of people, wouldn't it?
SPEAKER_01I I think so. I think like look, I I go on the the experience against uh, you know, in my opinion, the best centre back on current, which is which would be Mark Gay, and I'd go with Stones. But in reality, as you alluded to, in terms of minutes and minutes in the legs, um, you know, Concer and Gay probably makes sense. But then to go the other way, but then I'm hearing it's uh it's with eyes on obviously set plays. You know, I I know set plays have become a big thing, um, more so recently. I mean, I'll know because we score a lot of goals from it as a as an Arsenal team. Um, but yeah, I I'd if Gay's not playing, I'd I don't think a lot of people would have thought that would be the case if he doesn't start in that first game.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't think anyone would have called that. If that happened, I don't think anyone would have called that. Um personally, I would have gone gay he with Stones. Uh I really like Conza, a brilliant player. But when you think of that back four, if Stones isn't playing, there's not a lot of experience there of tournament football. You've got Mark Gaye played in the Euros, he'd done brilliantly. Um, but Riley looking at left back, this is his first tournament. Reese James, he's had all those injuries. I think pretty much his first tournament, isn't it? If he was involved, I don't think he was, was he? He's always been injured.
SPEAKER_00No, I don't believe so.
SPEAKER_02So I would definitely, I think I would have Steines because of that experience that about he's played there, he's seen it, he's done it. And to be fair, I I'm thinking about his sharpness now, but he has got a lot of pace around him with Reese James, Riley, Gaehee. So yeah, but if Gaehy's not, I mean, I'll be really, really surprised. Um obviously Anderson's definite, isn't he, all day long?
SPEAKER_01Wow. I mean to to think he was playing what? He was he was a Newcastle bit part squad player 2022.
SPEAKER_02Do you know what?
SPEAKER_012026.
SPEAKER_02When I used to see him and I always thought he was gonna be a player, and I c I can't believe. I know why they did, but do you know what? I think I would have taken the point seduction. It was like three points, wasn't it? They were gonna be deducted. Minimal, yeah. And they've lost probably their best player. No, if you looked at it. And millions. Yeah. I mean, he's taken to international football like a duck to water, isn't he? Scary. It's the first thing he's come in and the qualifiers, he's been like that missing part that England have been lacking, haven't they? The number six, you can play, you can also play as a number eight by playing as that number six for us, winning that ball, like the way he does, he's strong, and he's passing in between lines. He plays in like fires those passes in, like Buskesh used to do, and Rodri does for Spike. Like, and it just turns out like from being under pressure to all of a sudden a quick counterattack. You're opening up your position like with just that five, six yard pass. So for me, um, I've heard a couple of people say, I won't play him, I play mainly, but for me, Mayno's not even a like a six, he's a he's an eight. So I I I'm not really sure I understand that, but I think he's been phenomenal. And I think you and me were talking the other day about potentially at the end of this tournament, they might be knocking, he might be knocking on the door, someone who might be considered world-class. What are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_01W without a shadow. I do I just think you know, England are very blessed with um, you know, obviously a plethora of talent in in all positions. Um, you know, like you said, you you talk about Nico O'Reilly, you know, and and his emergence in the last year. But we're it was only two years ago we're talking about Rico Lewis, and you know, he's a player that's that's barely had any minutes. Um, because O'Reilly's come in and and wherever we thought Lewis was, he's at next level currently. Um you know, there was the chats obviously about Lewis Skelly, that was the same, and then all of a sudden he's gone back to what what he was like as a youth player. But uh, you know, you look at levels. Look, I think Lewis Skelly's been remarkable in the little snippet run he had. But going back to Anderson and Rice, you've got two players that turn over the ball. Uh they just seem to, wherever the ball is, their foot seems to be there. They uh they read the game so well, they turn that ball over from defence into attack, as you said in one pass. It's and it's just they dictate the pace, they their engine is remarkable. Um, you know, it's two juggernauts in the middle, and and it really feels like again, you know, the the one thing I say that it feels like they're built on the kind of Southgate era even more is that they all seem to really want to play for the patch. And you know, I think having those characters in the midfield really kind of, you know, that's really obvious, that's really clear. Um, but yeah, look, I think I think by the end of this World Cup, you know, we we could be sitting there saying, it looks like obviously he's gonna be off to City, but you know, don't be surprised if Jose Mourinho's watching this and you know, Hansi Flick and company at Bayern and plays like places like that going, you know, or even Arteta at Arsenal, you know, you if you're talking about building on a season, you're you're only talking 5%, 1% for the likes of Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern, exactly. I mean, I didn't even say Paris Saint-Germain, you know, you think what he'd do in there with Neves and Vertini. I mean, that's scary. The technical quality. And, you know, again, maybe in the past we haven't all spoken about England players as technicians, uh, you know, in all areas, but this they're also technically the level of the game's just evolved so much. And as I said, having two players and their fitness, their physicality, the way they read the game. Um, you know, I say quarterfinals, when we're talking about these two players, it's hard to, it's hard to justify them not being in the finals, you know, based on what we saw. That those two alone, forget about whether it's Bellingham or Rogers in front of them, they hadn't even got to that yeah. That would have torn that Brazil midfield apart. Yeah, you know, they wouldn't have they wouldn't have got a sniff the other night. And you know, you're right, Brazil on paper.
SPEAKER_02Definitely it's um obviously again. I hear a lot like pundits sort of saying, Oh, Harry Kane's the only world class player we got. I'm like, are you sure? Like for me at the moment, Kane, obviously world class, because I think any club in the world would want him. The figures, the figures, the same. But come on to him in a minute, but you can't tell me he's not world-class. You can't tell me that there, if he would come up for like for say Or Madrid, that everyone would be after him. And same with Rice. You can't tell me that like if Rice became available, that there wouldn't be like all the top classes wouldn't be in for him. Someone for me is world-class is someone that could walk in, not walk in, but could get into any team in the whole of the world. And I think those three players could get into pretty much all the top teams, like, like when you're looking at obviously Harry Kane's at Barn Munich, Duke Belang's at Real Madrid, and being unreal, he's had a season where he's been injured, but I mean, come on. And then Rice has just been phenomenal for like you guys, and he for us, and for England. So when I hear that we got one world, like always winds me up. We always like, I think, really downplay our players. Reese Jones is a potential world-class player if he's fit and playing regularly and playing to the best of his ability. Um, Anderson, I think, could get there, definitely. And I think we'll see the end of this World Cup. Like, we've got on a lot of.
SPEAKER_01I don't think we're long away from saying O'Reilly. I think O'Reilly, if he carries on in the trajectory he's demonstrated this year, this season, sorry, we could be talking about him in that um in that kind of category in the next year or two.
SPEAKER_02And then obviously, we're now looking at the number seven position, Rogers and Bellingham. Rogers, brilliant player, had a great season, um, love him to bits. However, um, if it was me, it'd be Bellingham all day long. I think I've just said that for me, he's one of our world-class players. Gone to Real Madrid at the age that he went to, smashed in his first season, um, went in and apparently was telling the players that have been there for years, like what to do and all things. He's got the ego, isn't he? The personality. And again, people in this country, they look down on that as though I was too arrogant. But yeah, all the best players of that, like he's just got that belief in himself that he's gonna make the difference.
SPEAKER_01But it's the all sports, isn't it? You know, and let's be brutally honest, we're pretty like that as teachers sometimes. You know, we get a kid that's got a bit of swagger about him, a bit of a bit of self-belief, and you know, the the typical, atypical English attitude towards it is oh, we've got to we've got to bring him down a peg, we've got to bring him down a peg. No, just go let him go, let him be free, let him play with no baggage at all, and just go and do you go and exert yourself on the biggest stage. I mean, like you said, Bellingham is listen, like you said, Roger's incredible talent, and you know, I hope he'll be with Arsenal, you know, uh come the start of the season. Um, but Bellingham, you know, Birmingham have have, you know, retired his shirt number. That's mental. You know, but listen, Birmingham then we're not talking Real Madrid's the five minutes in the world, but and a 16-year-old kid had his shirt retired because of what he brought Birmingham as a club, as a city, what he's still doing. You know, I know he's just invested in um in the local cricket team. So, you know, he's a massive part of Birmingham as a community, which is incredible. You know, he goes out to Dortmund, takes his, takes the level to uh, you know, to a whole new stratosphere. Then goes to Real Madrid, like you said, as a as a mere 20-odd-year-old. Real Madrid, biggest stage of the year, the pressures from the media, you know, from from the Madrid fans, from the you know, the history of the club, the players around him. And he just goes there and goes, yeah, cool. You know, meet and drink, like we're playing park football. And he's dominant, like you said, and he plays with that confidence, which, as I said, as a country, sadly, we seem to knock that out of people. You know, you see, you know, we we almost um mimic and and and take the mick out of other countries for it. But actually, you go, any time that we've had these type of plays, you know, I think of Kevin Peterson for um, you know, in cricket, I think of um Danny Cipriani and rugby, you know, these kind of like real special, unique personalities, as well as talent, like precocious talents. And we straight away go, nah, they're too cocky, they're too arrogant. Focus on the skill. You know, you can look at Haaland. You're not telling me that guy's not got the self-confidence oozing out of his body, but you can play, you know, you can play with that. You're not telling me Vinicius Jr. Um isn't playing with swagger and and confidence, you know, from the streets of Brazil, the Vivelas into, you know, Real Madrid and bringing it to the big stage. That's what it's all about. What do you pay your money for? You know, you don't pay your money to watch sideways passing and backwards passing. You watch you watch players that go out there and wear the you know the bad root pride, but also put their best foot forward and and bring you entertainment. It's an entertainment industry. Uh yeah, I'll Bellingham all day, big stage, big player, that's what you need. End of.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So I mean, Rogers, like we said, brilliant player, great player to bring off the bench, but Bellingham has to start. That's the start. Um, wide area. Hopefully, Saka's gonna be fit, because if Saka's fit, then surely he starts. Kane up top, I mean, that's obviously a no-brainer. And then obviously we've got the other position. Um, I guess a dilemma, trying to pick who's gonna play there, whether it's Gordon or something. Not a bad dilemma, is it? Yeah, I know, I know, I know. One player's been at Barcelona all season, done really well for him, and then they didn't come in for him, and then they went and brought Gordon um to take his place, I guess. But yeah, both brilliant players. Probably a few people might have been shocked that Gordon um is going to Barcelona. I guess for me, he's someone sometimes I see him, I think he's brilliant. Like when he's on it and he's getting a play, especially when he takes him on the outside and he gets to the line, um, he looks amazing. There are other times though, he even in the game where I think he gets a bit I don't know, like he's a bit inconsistent in the game. Not saying that the other day, because I thought he's excellent against Costa Rica, but throughout watching him throughout the season, there's sometimes like sometimes he looks unplayable. And within that same game, he can look like not quite average, you know what I mean? It's just if he can get that consist for me, looking at it from the outside, if he can get that consistency throughout the whole game, then it'd be absolutely incredible, like it'd be so difficult to play against because he can go inside, outside, and he does go outside quite a bit more, I think, maybe than Rashford does. I think Rashford can do that, but likes to come more inside on his right foot. Rashford, incredible player. Um, I think he would have been most people's player to start on the left in front of Gordon. I think Tucal looks at Gordon and looks at what he does off the ball as well in terms of his pressing. His pressing's unreal, isn't it, at times?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, very good.
SPEAKER_02I always thought that he should have started in the Euros against Spain because he was someone when they played out from the bat, he could have gone and pressed. Obviously, that was a whole nother thing, but a lot like Barcelona, the way that they play, they want to play hide and they want to uh play with intense, they want to press high. Um, they leave a lot of space in behind, like they push up to the halfway line, they try and win the ball back in the in the defensive or their opponent's defensive third, and then try and obviously score from there. And I think he's brilliant for that off the ball. Whether when he gets the ball, like he's always as consistent as maybe we would like. Maybe in this World Cup, we show it. But anyway, um, I think Tuchel is gonna start with Gordon. To be honest, I think I will start with um Gordon in the first game because Croatia, quite an Asian team. He's someone who's dynamic and he's gonna get after players. I think Tuchel wants to play with a high intense, even though the weather's gonna make it difficult. So I think he's someone who can definitely do that. Saka will always do that. I think Jude, what we saw in this Costa Rica game, he was pressing straight from the start. So I think he's gonna start with Gordon maybe on that, and the fact that I think he goes just makes more runs on the outside of defenders and tries to get to the byline line a bit more rational.
SPEAKER_03But what do you think?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I mean Gordon has um he's really impressed me of late. Um, more if I'm honest, more so off the pitch. We were talking the other day, weren't we? Um, you know, his first, obviously, he's he's again when we were talking about personalities and we're talking about that self-belief. You know, he came out and said, I always envisioned and dreamed I will be playing for Barcelona one day. Um, you know, there's there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, but I just put that down to what similarly to what we said about Jed earlier and you know, obviously what we said about Bellingham, there was that self-belief that that is going to be my goal and I will achieve it. Um and he put the yards in, you know, to be to be so bilingual and um and speak so eloquently in his, you know, in not his mother tongue is a real kind of it showed a real different side to him. Um and maybe that inconsistency that that I certainly questioned and what you alluded to in, you know, not just in-game, but in his whole game over a season, you almost you almost feel inclined to park that a little bit and maybe not be as harsh with your um with your judgments because this is someone that is embracing the culture of of wherever he's at. I look at him as you know, I listen to some of his interviews as a Newcastle player post-games, and he always speaks very, very well. He he's he seems to be a real um a real student of the game, um, always striving to improve. And you know, when you've got that attitude and that that kind of grounding, like you said, sometimes performances you can park a little bit and you can work, you can almost be with them a little bit longer, you can give them more of a kind of longer string as such. Um, but no, I look, I but probably on experience, old school mentality, you probably go Rashford. Um, I think what Gordon's done in the 21 setup, I think what Gordon's, especially the Champions League this year. I mean, based on the interviews recently, Barcelona have kind of gone in for him based on his Champions League performances, because European football is very different to Premier League, uh, as we know. You know, there it is more open and it's what you do in the small spaces, um, and it's equally what you do in the ability to you know breaking down those kind of deep line defences. Um and he's he's a great exponent of that. And he does have an eye for goal. And and the, as we know, you know, when you go into a Barcelona, you'd have a lot more of the ball, you can have a lot more opportunities um to you know to to score. And he's equally very unenglish, isn't he? In the sense of he can score a penny, which is great. Um, because you'd now have put that one away well, didn't he, the other night against Costa Rica?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, he seems to have like a lot of, like you said, unbelievable self-belief in him and confidence. He, I mean, that was so impressive when he went over and he started talking in Spanish, wasn't it? I mean, that was just Unreal. No one expected that, did they? And also even the Spanish fans are gonna like be totally endeared to him for doing that, aren't they?
SPEAKER_01I mean, and and it's gonna make his it's gonna make his transition that a lot smoother, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. So incredible that he had that sort of dream and he's been focusing on that dream um and learning that language. So full credit to him for that.
SPEAKER_01So I think and a and a great lesson, and we were saying great lesson to all young, aspiring footballers. You know, uh MFL in schools gets a bit of a bad rep, but if you're someone that um, you know, has aspirations as a footballer, or even, you know, even in the working world, take your studies seriously, you know, whether you're doing your German, your French, your Spanish, Italian, whatever it may be, you just never know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. So you'll you think Rashford's gonna start you?
SPEAKER_01I think I think historically, my head says Rashford, I think I think it will be Gordon. Um, and equally, I could see Madoueko starting over Saka. I think it will be. Because if Saka isn't coming up, you know, he still looks like he's carrying a bit of a nigga. Look, you have Saka all day long, right? That there's not that's not even a debate. Um, he's another one in his prime, he's in the world-class category. Like, that there's very few uh like him, but again, is he is he ready? Is he carrying a little knock still that he hasn't quite got over? So, and and two short likes Madoueka, you know, him and Gordon, him and Rashford is chaos, isn't it? You don't know what you're gonna get. I mean, Madoueka the other night takes around a goalkeeper, absolutely brilliant, then takes her on his right foot. And you're like, what are you doing? Yeah, well, sorry, he took it on his left foot, didn't he? And in the post. And um, so you just don't know. And these this is why these players excite you and frustrate you. But that's wingers these days, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he should have uh he should have done, he should have scored that. He's got to score that really. Um if you're on a quarter final or knockout game, and that could be the chance between going through or or not going through. So he did all the hard work, he did it brilliantly. He's got to put that away with his right foot. He does no, but you're right, if I think Madweki will start if Saka's not completely fit. Um I think Tuca will have no issues with doing that. I personally I think I will still start Saka if he was even 80%, because I I love Saka, even being a Harvard fan, I love him. I think he's brilliant, he's been brilliant for England, and I know he's not quite maybe at the level he wants to be, but I still think he's an amazing footballer. He's he's brilliant off the ball, um, he's got a football brain, he can go inside, he can go outside, rarely gives the ball away. He's composed, he's a great finisher. Um I I I would start in personally agreed. Right, so with that in mind, who if you give your starting 11, then I say mine, and then we'll go with what we team Tuchel's gonna do. I know we've spoken about it, but bring it to a close.
SPEAKER_01So I've got I've got Pickford in goal. Yeah, well, I don't I don't think that on paper, I don't think that's as clear-cut as as everyone makes it. At the end of the day for is our number one, end of. But he he did scare me a little bit the other night against Costa Rica with ball at his feet. I think he gets a bit bored, you know. Um I think he's an atypical goalkeeper, isn't he? When there's when there's not a lot of pressure on it, or you know, that there's um yeah, he's not seen a lot of ball, they start to do some funny things. Um, so that's my only worry with Pickford. But he's been Mr. Reliable, isn't he, for England? He's been phenomenal. Um, you know, a lot of all goalkeepers have a mistake in them, but it's a high pressure position, isn't it? You know, you make a mistake as a goalkeeper, it's a goal nine times out of ten. Yeah, you make a mistake as a striker or a midfielder, you've got a couple of people to back you up. Um, I would go centre back, I would have Gaian Stones, like I said. Um I'll go Reese James, right back, O'Reilly, left back. Um absolute boss of a midfield in Anderson Rice Bellingham. I mean, yeah, there's not much better than that on paper, is there? I think there is in that.
SPEAKER_02Is it a better three than that in the world at the moment? If they've I'm gonna say no. I'm trying to think, like, I'm looking at France. I don't think France, like, for all their attacking quality and they got that in abundance, you can't tell me they're two centimetre fielders with Bellingham. Like, if they got running circuit, we might not even start for France with their two centimetriers. That's not better than England's.
SPEAKER_01I'd probably say the nearest, the nearest is Portugal, but in a completely different way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Sorry, yeah, Portugal with Atina, uh Neves, Bruno Fanny.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that I mean that is in a completely different, but that's three polar opposite players to our our three are absolute like colossal, you know. Sick, yes, yeah, six foot plus, you know, like you said, big energy, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But those three for um then Portugal, I mean Spain's three probably are as well, aren't they? I'm trying to think. Yeah, I mean Rodery, I guess. You can't Pedry, maybe. Well, we won't know until we see, but yeah, Spain's with the.
SPEAKER_01I mean, they've got they've got options, haven't they? I mean, it's it's it's scary. I mean, and to be fair, Germany today, I know it was against um, you know, a mine the nation in regards to the World Cup, but you know, it's a statement 7-1, you still got to score, right? Still got to get the result. Yeah, so um, yeah, good on them. And then I would have um I'm gonna put my neck on the line, I'm gonna say Rashford on the left, I'm gonna say Saka on the right, and Kane up top.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I think I would start the same, um, but I think I would for this game go with Gordon instead of Rashford just purely because maybe of the pressing side of it, an Asian team. Um and I think he can get on the outside a little bit more than Rashford and get to the byline a bit more. Um, but having said that, if Rashford starts, then obviously I would have no issues whatsoever with that.
SPEAKER_01But what depth we've got. I mean, the players are on the bench, brilliant, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02So let's look at what we think Tuchel's gonna do. So that's our selections. I think obviously Pickford in goal, Riley left back, I think it might be Conservan Stones, Rich James Riley. Right back. Anderson, uh Bellingham and Rice.
SPEAKER_03I think if Saka's not fit, it's gonna be Madweke Kane and I think Gordon on the left. Which I think is a team that he started at Costa Rica, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02I believe so, yeah. Yeah, that is a team that started again at Costa Rica. So I think that's I think he's picked a team and I've kind of seen it coming.
SPEAKER_03No, I agree. I agree.
SPEAKER_01And and you know the I mean what like I said, what depth? You know, to to look at the players again that are on the bench, to look at the players you've left at home, you know, we we are blessed as a nation. I think we do forget that sometimes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think, yeah, we're so as English, aren't we? We're so we all sort of the um the negative side of it, aren't we? We think, oh but yeah, when you look at that, like if we look at Brazil yesterday, they're obviously weighing on Neymar, whether he's gonna be up to speed or not. He's had a season a couple of seasons in Brazil. Um I mean the the guy um Thiago started would never start for me um if I was Brazilian manager um over the Man United boy. Like it would never start in front of I I'm ba I was baffled by that. And also I would have taken um the lad from Chelsea in front of Tiago as well, who didn't get in the squad even, which again couldn't quite believe.
SPEAKER_03Um no no, the centre forward um what's I can't remember his name we'll come back to that one, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But he won him, oh my god, him like he was brilliant. He played completely much for Chelsea, didn't he?
SPEAKER_00Like, oh Gia Pedro, sorry, yeah, having that. Yeah, sorry, yes.
SPEAKER_02So amazing that he's he wasn't given in a squad. But I don't know, have they got that strength in depth? France obviously.
SPEAKER_01If you got if you got given, if you got given that squad on paper as a manager at elite level, you go, yeah, that can win a World Cup. End off. Like there's there's not there's not even a debate you can throw it anywhere. You know, yes, I would argue if you had to say, where is our probably area that you'd love to improve a little bit, it would be in the defensive areas, especially centrally. Yeah. Um, but there's still three great centre backs. You know, you've still got people like um, you know, you've still got people in that squad that could go and do a job in there as well. So look, I mean, it's a world-class squad. Uh, you know, it on as a package, you're happy with that every day of the week.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I agree. So we still go in quarter finals. We could win it, couldn't we?
SPEAKER_01We could. We could win it. Uh we we could. And and again, I don't there's some great squads out there, you know, that there's, as you said, the Spains, the Portugals, the Argentinas, the Brazils. You're also dealing with uh, you know, the emotion of the Jota element for Portugal. You're dealing with the Ronaldo against the Messi against the Neymar, potential big farewells and swan songs. Um, you know, Morocco after what they've done, they didn't want to make a statement before the next World Cup where they're hosting with Spain and Portugal. Do you know what I mean? You want to go into that World Cup for the lack of a good one. Um as we were saying, as I said earlier, you know, the amount of players that this this is uh you know, this is a playground to show what you're about, to get that big sign, to get that um, you know, that big transfer. Um I mean you know, with Japan as as an outsider, they they destroyed England at Wembley. They were phenomenal.
SPEAKER_02Definitely, and even uh Senegal, Senegal are not to be uh sniffed at, they're gonna be strong.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, I mean again, African Cup of Nations, yeah again, we're we're not gonna get in the politics of it, but you know, they were superb.
SPEAKER_02Right, okay, mate. I think we've come to the end of it, really. Um so yeah, thanks for doing this. First amendment.
SPEAKER_01What are you going for with a Croatia gun? What's your score?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, actually, what are we gonna go for?
SPEAKER_01Um I'm gonna go 2-0. Yeah, I was gonna say 2-0. Cards on the table, 2-0, you know. I mean, Croatia, again, I don't think you can underestimate Croatia. Like, they've been a bit of an Achilles hill for us, and they're a bit of a banana skin. Um, always, like you said earlier, always reliable. I was looking at some stats earlier about Croatia. In the qualifications, went unbeaten, scored 26, let in four, 2018 finalists, 2022 semi-finalists. Yeah, you know, I think it, like you said earlier, this is their swan song. A lot of these players, you know, like you said, Luka Modric, I mean, the gift that keeps on giving, like a fine wine, you know, Peresic, the same. You've got Krammerich that's come away from, he had a bit of a tour retirement at Leicester, gone to Hoffenheim, you know, has has done really well. You got your young lad, we didn't even speak about Vuskovic. He looks like a talent. I mean, he looks like he's a bit of a tug and war with Brighton and Tottenham at the moment with a Van Hecker um scenario. And it looks like Bright and Tony Bloom's playing another good little poker game, um, which he's obviously made a hell of a lot of money from. Um, but Vuskovich, I mean, he's he's he's done brilliantly out of the Bundesliga. Yeah, yeah. Um and when you look at your season, um, you know, I know we're not this podcast ain't about the the Tottenham, but we'll get onto that nearer the season. But you know, you look at him and think, you could have done with a player like that. I mean, he is he's a great fine, 19 years old, you know, the heartbeat of the Croatian defence. Um, so yeah, look, like you said earlier. Oh, Radi R. Yeah. Again, uh, injury, Kovacic, you know, hit them to, isn't it? Yeah, coming back from their injuries, it depends how their bodies hold up. But on but again, in terms of quality, the Kovacic is one, isn't he? He just goes under the radar, just does his job. Brilliant player, brilliant player, underright, just seven out of ten, a minimum seven out of ten every game, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02He's such a great technician as well. They all are, I know. Such great technique, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, 2-0 I'm going for. 2-0. Come on, England, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Come on, England, yeah, absolutely, mate.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Alright, mate. Well, it's been amazing.
SPEAKER_01I know, mate. It's been it's been good. It's like the uh, as I said, the old days uh in the department, sitting in the office just gassing away about the greatest sport in the world. What what can we say?
SPEAKER_02Can't be it in the best uh competition in the world, the World Cup. Absolutely. Oh heaven. So I think we'll round it up and then uh we'll meet up for the next one.
SPEAKER_03Top man, look forward to it. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, mate.