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Daily Arsenal - S1 - E134: RICE RICE BABYYY!!!! Shocking the footballing world on the biggest stage!!!!
12 Plays8 days ago
Join us as we team up with the boys from the GSPN Daily EPL podcast as we discuss Arsenal's phenomenal performance in the Champions League Quarter Finals first leg winning 3-0 against REAL MADRID, we discuss our thoughts on the game as well as the Daily EPL looking back on our past results against Real Madrid with a quiz! Now if you want to get involved with any of our topics discussed please do get involved through our social media, which can be found in our show notes in the description.
Hosts: Louie Easton & Michał
Guest: Craig Matthews, Jamie Patterson & Esmonde Cole
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Transcript
Introduction to the Global Sports Podcast Network
00:00:03
Speaker
This podcast is part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, the only network bringing you exclusive daily news and views on your Premier League team, the Premier League, women's football and fantasy football. A unique listening experience that puts fans first, bringing you the very latest breaking news from your team.
00:00:25
Speaker
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and make us your first listen every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network. Every club, every day.
00:00:37
Speaker
Every club, every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network.
Arsenal's Victory Over Real Madrid: Joy and Surprise
00:00:44
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Daily English Premier League podcast and the Daily Arsenal podcast on the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Louis Easton and we have got a stacked lineup of ah podcasters on today. Mikhail Janiecki will be joining me as the co-host and we have got Jamie, Craig and Esmond joining us from the Daily Arsenal podcast today.
00:01:09
Speaker
What a match. We'll get straight into it. Arsenal 3, Real Madrid 0. nell You're all nodding your heads. You're all smiling. Esmond, I'll come to you first.
00:01:19
Speaker
How good does that i think um i think I think Jamie says it best, but I'll just i'll just say it. i won't sing it, but I think we got him half price. It's definitely right. mean, like what time what time to score.
00:01:32
Speaker
I think it's been like three years, Jamie and Craig, since we scored direct free kick. Yeah. and He goes and scores a Roberto Carlos and a David Beckham all in one match against one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
00:01:44
Speaker
Unbelievable. I mean, like I've got my ah different like group chat that I used to do a football podcast with back in the day at university and, uh, um Yeah, the you United fans aren't aren't too happy in that chat. ah they're They're quite... there some of them ah Some of them are stress eating.
00:01:59
Speaker
Some of them are gone and watched Netflix. Some of them, I think they're trying to take a stroll ah with with an imaginary pet that they don't have. So, like, it's all good, man. The narrative's good, man. The vibes in London are good.
00:02:11
Speaker
um And I'm sure that you you, Craig and Jamie, are feeling even better, even more ecstatic. Yeah.
00:02:19
Speaker
Oh my goodness. Jamie, would you like to reflect? I mean, yeah I'd be absolutely speechless. I mean, okay, I'll ask you this, Jamie.
Reflections on Arteta's Era Compared to Past Achievements
00:02:26
Speaker
ah in In the Arteta era, is this the best you've ever felt as an Arsenal fan?
00:02:33
Speaker
Yes. Hands down, yes. I mean, you know, don't get it twisted. Winning the FA Cup, brilliant. You know, if you want to throw the community shield in, you know, go ahead and throw the community shield in.
00:02:45
Speaker
Doesn't compare to this though, does it? had Oh my gosh. Just under the lights at the Emirates, North London forever playing the Champions League anthem, full house.
00:02:56
Speaker
And I'm just sat here just rewatching that Declan Rice free kick. Oh my God. Just beautiful. Which one? exactly Well, they've just shown the first one, but I need to see the second one again because that second free kick was just... Like I said at the start of the recording, boys, if you had to look up ah in the Oxford dictionary, top bins, I'm very sure you would find that as next edition of top bins.
00:03:28
Speaker
You're not wrong. I think they also call it the croissant, if my memory serves me correctly. quite solv because it and like like The the bull had this knife, nice to swerve into it. Oh, okay.
Declan Rice's Historic Performance Against Real Madrid
00:03:40
Speaker
Yeah, and and actually, Louis, of course, with with your confirmation there, I would like to ask you guys, how do you feel with the fact that Declan Rice managed to pull that off ah while Mbappé was just watching how it should be done.
00:03:57
Speaker
Because it's been, I think somebody made actually like a like an X account with how many days have passed since Mbappé had actually scored directly from a free kick. We're talking about, I think, at least hundreds of days already. I mean, he scored he scored that one recently that was like laid off, but it was nowhere near as good as Rice.
00:04:15
Speaker
And I mean, it's the fact that these are the only two free kicks Declan Rice has ever scored. what What a time to do it. Craig, I mean, did you see that coming when he stepped up for either of them? yeah He had won against Everton last week. um if If he put it in the same corner tonight, he would have scored.
00:04:31
Speaker
He put it right onto the hands of Pickford. He put it either corner. He scored. So tonight when he did it, was like, wow. The first one was amazing. The second one even better. on the top ah the of the net.
00:04:42
Speaker
No keeper saved him up. So, yeah. it it just it doesn't It doesn't get better. i mean, it's both goal and occasion for him to do it. After a goalless first half and he does that, those two, what, in the space of less than 15 minutes?
00:05:01
Speaker
um Esmond, I'll come back to you.
Pre-Match Confidence and Tactical Analysis of Arsenal
00:05:04
Speaker
What were you thinking at halftime when it was 0-0? How did you see the first half? To be honest, I had a really good feeling throughout the whole match. like So so ah just a disclaimer, obviously the the Arsenal guys know. no um I've been away for like three months in America um doing a show.
00:05:20
Speaker
And like I bumped into this guy in Boston who happened to be British. And we were watching the Atletico game. And we were going, oh man, like. He was asking me, who would you prefer? Like Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid? This is before the penalty fiasco.
00:05:34
Speaker
And I was like, you know what? I prefer Real Madrid. And he was like, what? was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I prefer Real Madrid because Atletico Madrid are going to park the bus. But whereas Real Madrid, they're going to be open.
00:05:45
Speaker
they're to be open and direct with us. so that's going to give us some chances. And and we've seen like in the Premier League, we don't deal too well with low blocks. So I was feeling quite good in the first half because we we were playing quite well.
00:05:57
Speaker
Martinelli was looking dangerous. Saka obviously looking dangerous. Odegaard looked back to his best. I felt good. and And I felt like we weren't we weren't facing a team that was defending like a low block.
00:06:09
Speaker
um And I felt like that you know with those chances, it was giving the crowd some confidence. Well, mostly in the first 10 minutes and then the last 10 minutes. A bit haphazard in the middle because you could see like the game plan from Real Madrid, they were going to counter attack us and they were dangerous. They could have scored a couple of goals, but I felt good. I felt i felt like we could definitely nick it.
00:06:27
Speaker
um I was feeling like we could probably score in the second half for sure. And we did that three times. I'll tell you what, with me as a Liverpool fan, if you ask me who i would want out of Real Madrid and Atletico, I would never say Real Madrid. I've learned that the hard way many times.
00:06:42
Speaker
Come on! we look We lost two finals to them! It was hard! And Paul Togart in goal. Oh, that 2018 one. It's been what? When Sergio Ramos absolutely cluttered Salah, I even felt sorry for you guys. was like, come on. And Karius, by the way.
00:06:59
Speaker
And Karius. Seven years on, I'm still not over that, even though we've won the Champions League. That was horrible. And then the 2022 one, we completely outplayed them, but they had Courtois in goal. Yeah.
00:07:09
Speaker
And then you beat him, what, three times? That's a bit. I think it was even harsher. I think it was even harsher that the second time around because the first time, sorry, like Karius cooked you there. You were just done like a well-done steak.
00:07:20
Speaker
He had a concussion. I'm sorry. He had... Can we not... I am trying to prove your point. Yes, I know, but he had... No, he was much worse done by the first time because of Karius literally being elbowed in the head and nothing being done about it.
00:07:35
Speaker
And by the way, the year before Ramos did that dive against Quadrado for Juventus. So i' I promise you, as much as I can't stand noise pollution from Arsenal fans, I really didn't want Real Madrid to win another Champions League.
00:07:47
Speaker
And I would love them to just be humbled by an English club. And I'm so glad that... um it's finally been done yeah ah well there's still the second leg to go well let's let's not get too ahead of ourselves i know it's a very healthy three-nil lead but the return leg is at the bernabeo um i don't know if it's one week or two weeks time i don't follow the champions league it's a stupid competition anyway next week next week wednesday somebody's super salty after the termination against psg huh Yeah, well, i to be honest, I actually want PSG to win it just because they haven't won it before and they haven't got any chance catching up to us in the near future.
Does Arsenal Need a Striker? The Debate Continues
00:08:25
Speaker
This is about Arsenal versus Real Madrid, not about you.
00:08:29
Speaker
This is about Arsenal versus Real Madrid. Let's get back on topic, bro. ah all right, we'll we'll get back to Arsenal versus Real Madrid. um Okay, Jamie, I'll come to you now.
00:08:41
Speaker
um Obviously, the talk this season has all been about Arsenal not getting enough goals, not needing a striker. Well, not having a striker, but needing a striker, maybe. Does this match sort of disprove that ah allegation against Arsenal for you?
00:08:57
Speaker
I mean, first half, I said it to one of my mates earlier in the first half, there were two chances where Saka just it escaped his man, crossed the ball in.
00:09:09
Speaker
And again, just all we need was a finisher, you know, and I still think we we do need that striker. It's pretty clear and obvious. And yes, we've lost Jesus and, you know, we've lost Haberts, but it is evident that Arsenal do need to go out and get a striker. I mean, I'm sorry, but if we do not go out in the summer and really splash the cash on a striker, then there there would be serious questions asked of Arteta and the board, let alone. Yeah. Mikael, do you want to follow up from that one? Sorry.
00:09:41
Speaker
ah No, I was actually mostly agreeing there. And um I know that I do not want to ask any other questions about like any like, but you know, personalities, because we want to do that in the second part.
Analyzing Arsenal's Defense Against Mbappé and Vinicius Jr.
00:09:52
Speaker
I'm just really curious about your basically defensive formation and whether you had any a big worries coming into that game. Because like, yeah, you you said it at the beginning that you wanted to basically perhaps park the bus and hope for the best because the Real Madrid would open up.
00:10:08
Speaker
But still, without Gabriel there, this could really this could have gone sideways.
00:10:15
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, i think the the big talk tonight was obviously Kivior coming up against Mbappe. And I think um ah think Clive Tilsley mentioned it in commentary tonight, which was the fact that he knew you know, Mbappe knew that, oh, well, facing up against Saliba, he kind of knew what to expect. But with coming up against Kivior, he didn't really know what to expect. Thought, oh, actually, well, you know, Kivior really hasn't had many minutes. I think he's only played six competitive games for Arsenal this season.
00:10:53
Speaker
So, you know, thought, oh, well, this should be easy pickings. But look, you know, Kivior really kind of, You know, shaky start from Kivior, but as the game went on, he really settled into the game, um you know, gutting that Gabriel, we've obviously lost Gabriel for the season.
00:11:11
Speaker
But I mean, if we can give Kivior some consistent minutes, I mean, I don't see why why he couldn't be a ah ah potential so solid starter for in future games.
00:11:24
Speaker
I mean, I do. I appreciate the optimism. But yes, I yeah oh i would just like to I would like to make ah the point we have ah subtly mentioned before, not sure if it's too much that Michal is Polish. So um I'm sure he'd appreciate that praise very much. of his compatriot.
00:11:44
Speaker
ah But i'd I'd like to also ask about Uri and Timber, especially in the last sort of 20, 25 minutes. I thought he had a great game, Craig. What did you make of Uri and Timber's um match ah earlier tonight?
00:11:59
Speaker
He kept Vinicius Jr. very quiet today. ah themmar Every time he got the ball, it was so tight on him. couldn't He couldn't turn and do it. In the first half, he had a few chances. The second half was more solid on him. Couldn't get past him.
00:12:11
Speaker
He just kept his kept been playing well all season, and been very improved this season, done very well. So was very proud of his performance. He kept it solid. He helped Sakura as well going forward as well, made some good runs. So have to say he had a great performance.
00:12:27
Speaker
And a final question of this part, just before we move on to ah the player ratings, Esmond, I'll come back to you because you've been very vocal. ah i yeah A little bit, a little bit, but ah obviously the get it's not done.
00:12:41
Speaker
It's only half time in this leg. ah You're in a very healthy three nil lead. What are your thoughts ah going into next week's ah return leg at the Bernabeu in Madrid?
00:12:53
Speaker
Well, I'm confident because like history is on our side. i think it's only i think out of the 12 teams, only one team has light lost from this position, I think, um from looking at the stats.
00:13:03
Speaker
But like obviously, we're going to park the bus. We are unbeaten at the Bernabeu as well. i mean like We've got pretty much an aggregate score now, 4-0 against Real Madrid. in the Champions League. So I'm confident, man.
00:13:16
Speaker
And you you know you know we can park the bus. I know we can park the bus. Jamie knows. Craig knows we can park the bus. um We'll probably sneak one. We'll probably get another 1-0 to the Arsenal, get ourselves out of there and get ourselves to the next round. So I'm i'm confident.
00:13:29
Speaker
um I think you have to be, especially with that performance. um And especially because, like, obviously, like you alluded to before, our season's pretty much over. We can't catch the team that shall not be named on this podcast.
00:13:40
Speaker
um We can't... I can name them. It's fine. I can't name them. I can't name them. You never know. Some Death Eaters might appear. um So, yeah, at like our season is pretty much, that you know, pretty dependent on this. So, yeah, i think I think it's going to be ah andnna be a good game.
00:13:57
Speaker
Still, second place isn't too bad in the Premier League, really. I mean, I'm a Man United fan. I would die for a second place in the Premier League.
00:14:05
Speaker
and just it's but It's just so frustrating when you finish second for the last three seasons in a row now. It's like, when are we ever going to catch a break? You know what? That's Bic coming from a team which previously was remembered by finishing fourth. So you know what? Give me a break. Okay? Give me a break.
00:14:24
Speaker
I actually predicted Arsenal to win the league this season and I predicted us to be third or fourth. So, um I mean, I'll i'll take it. I would have taken second before the season started. But now I'm not taking second anymore.
00:14:38
Speaker
You can take if you want, man. You can take it if you want. No, no, no, It's all right. You're all right. So, Louis, shall we go to the second part? or Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it for the first part.
00:14:50
Speaker
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00:15:02
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:15:29
Speaker
By Unique, don't settle for off-the-shelf solutions made for just anybody. Get what's right for you right now. All right, so um time to go into the second part. um Obviously, some very excited Arsenal fans wanting to talk about Declan Wright. We'll get on to him, I'm sure. But first, we'll work our way through the team and ah get our individual ratings for each player.
00:15:53
Speaker
um OK, so we can go around in a circle. Esmond, then Jamie, then Craig. David Ryer, let's start with him. Yeah, man. I mean, like, ah a clean sheet against Real Madrid.
00:16:07
Speaker
He was pretty quiet tonight. I mean, like, but you know... ah you know, it's defense as well doing their work, but like, you know, he's he was kept, you know, he wasn't that active tonight, not too active. um And when he did have to be called upon, he was there. So I'd say, I'd say 8.5 out of 10. Are we doing like decimal points or is it round? You can do that no decimal points. you're You're allowed. I'm allowed. 8.5 for a while, please. right, Jamie.
00:16:35
Speaker
um Yeah, again, just going on what Esmond said, I mean, you know, the defence kind of done their job tonight. You know, when he was called upon, saves he made were relatively quite simple and straightforward.
00:16:47
Speaker
And yeah, I think for me, I'd probably have to give him a solid nine because, you know, the fact that you've kept a clean sheet against Real Madrid, you know, bearing in mind you've kept, you know, Mbappe, the usual suspects, quiet. Again, thanks to the defence, for me, solid nine.
00:17:04
Speaker
Thanks. I don't know why, but saying thanks is so funny. I don't know why. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Parallel of laughter today in the daily English Premier League and daily Arsenal podcast that you're listening to, ladies and gentlemen. All right. Okay. Great. Meet myself. I thought it was very solid today. Did a great job.
00:17:28
Speaker
Saved a lot of corners and from set pieces and regular distribution. So I'll give him a nine and a half out of ten. Wow. Okay. So, um, an 8.5, a nine and a nine and a half. That works out to an average of
Player Performance Ratings: Ryer, Uri, and Timber
00:17:42
Speaker
nine out of 10. So, uh, Urien Timber, uh, obviously came off right at the end. Um, but as I mentioned before, I thought he was terrific today. Esmond, I'm sure you agree.
00:17:52
Speaker
Yeah, man, I agree with you. And, uh, think it's a definite nine out of 10 because I, this guy's so press resistant, man. And also he, he breaks up play. He, he starts attacks. He does everything, man. And he's, he's playing in defense. He's a,
00:18:05
Speaker
As soon as I saw him play for us for the first time against them Man City, I was like, this this is a player. We've got a player here. And then obviously got injured. But I'm glad he's back now. glad he's got a run in the team as well. But yeah, definitely a nine for me.
00:18:18
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, well worth the wait, I think, ah when you see performances like that. so Wasn't his first match that he got injured in? Like, his very first match. manatory just play all yeah no cool That is a... Well, we've seen the redemption arc now. ah Jamie, same question.
00:18:37
Speaker
Yeah, i mean, another another really good thing with Timber is the fact that he's he's been so good, but he's stepped, he's coming at a right time, especially when Ben White got injured.
00:18:48
Speaker
You know, it's great to see him really kind of stamp his authority. I mean, you can ask Esmond and Craig. I've been a little bit critical of um of Timber.
00:18:59
Speaker
Blast me.
00:19:02
Speaker
i because I've always seen him kind of track forward, but never really, and and leave that right side quite exposed. But, you know, now I'm starting to see a different side of Timber. And, you know, tonight it just showed. And obviously when I first saw him in in the and the community shield, I thought, wow, what a player we've got on our hands here. So um me, I'd give him a solid nine.
00:19:25
Speaker
Okay, and nine from Jamie. Craig, finally your verdict on ah you're in timber, please. Nine out of ten. Quality performance tonight. Kept Vinicius very quiet, so he deserves his... He played very well, so I'll give him nine out ten.
00:19:43
Speaker
Short but sweet. Very nice. OK, we'll move on to the centre-backs now. um Some would say that this is the best Arsenal player. um It's definitely worth an argument.
00:19:55
Speaker
Saliba, William Saliba, the man that Arsenal fans have started comparing to Virgil van Dijk very wrongly, I will add. Yeah! I wanted to get that in there because I haven't done any podcasts with Arsenal before. But um performance moment tonight.
00:20:13
Speaker
oh That was basically the main incentive for Arsenal fans appearing today. Just as a disclaimer, Twitter isn't a real place. So in case you've been seeing those... I mean, they they shouldn't be saying that. They should be saying that he's better at than Ben Knight. But anyway, yeah yeah a good one I digress.
00:20:31
Speaker
um He's not the same, he's better. ah Yeah, man, integral. He didn't put it foot wrong from what I can remember in the match. ah Yeah, nine out of ten. Simple. Bish, bash, bosh.
00:20:42
Speaker
Okay, ah Jamie? Yeah, I'm probably going to say nine as well. You know, simple, you know, solid performer. Doesn't really put a foot wrong. So, yeah, solid nine.
00:20:55
Speaker
Is it one of those nights for him where because he wasn't involved that much that it just seemed like everything was going well?
00:21:05
Speaker
To be fair, I mean, yeah, pretty much. I mean, the defence kind of just had everything controlled. But I really liked the transition from suddenly when we were attacking, the fact that we just got a flood of players all just swarming like the Real Madrid's midfielder and attack was just really good to see.
00:21:23
Speaker
OK, and finally, Craig, your verdict on Saliba. Mr. Rolls-Royce off a defender. 10 out 10 performance. He played very well. Him and Kiv's a lead at the back, Nassiz Gabriel's injured, so he has to lead and help Kivio get through matches, so he's done a solid job for 10 out of 10 for me.
00:21:41
Speaker
That's our first 10 of the review. That's our first 10 for Saliba. I wonder what he's going to give Rice. Right. um So, we've already discussed Kivio, but just quickly skim over.
Myles Lewis Skelly and Thomas Partey's Contributions
00:21:56
Speaker
ah Score out of 10, Esmond.
00:21:59
Speaker
As you've got a fellow ah poll in the chat, I'm going have to say 10. to Just to get it just give my boy the rub. I'm going to have to give him a 10. Thank you, Ezra. No worries, It's all for you, bro. no but you the earth Cheers. But, you know, i really we really need Kivio on top form for Polish national team games, especially in June 1. We're going to be facing Netherlands. So at the the more Kivio plays somewhere, the the like the better for us. so Everyone wins.
00:22:30
Speaker
Cheers. Thank you. ah Okay, ah someone who has received some criticism in his ah debut rookie season, whatever you want to call it, Myles Lewis Skelly.
00:22:42
Speaker
He's had a big sort of last month or so, starting for England for the first time. And this has been probably the biggest match of his career so far against Real Madrid at the Emirates.
00:22:54
Speaker
ah Getting an assist so as well. Esmond, starting with you, how would you rate Myles Lewis Skelly's performance? We just got another starboard on our hands. We've got two more starboards on our hands. He has to be a 10 out of 10.
00:23:09
Speaker
To do that, like you just mentioned, like this is his debut slash rookie season in the first team against Real Madrid. you know with With the season that he's had so far, i to just an assist, creating goal, and also just be utterly immense when it comes to you know dribbling out of the back.
00:23:25
Speaker
It's got to be a 10 out of 10. you think he's handling the pressure ah very well at this point? I think it his his ah he has a personality type that I think he thrives off of that.
00:23:36
Speaker
He's quite resilient. um And those type of players... can say that about a lot of the young English talent now, can't you? Yeah, which is a good thing because obviously back in the day, like not to say they weren't resilient, but like they were at each other's throats.
00:23:48
Speaker
So when it comes to... like and they But they also had the problem with the press being maybe a bit angry towards them, maybe a bit like, ah why is he so this? Why is he so that? So he's definitely got that ah backbone, and but also like I think it helps that... you know and even you know he had betting him set him up for a goal a few games ago and yeah it's an international break now he's beating him at the Emirates so it's ah it's good to see him it's a good arrogance isn't it yeah yeah yeah okay right so Jamie your verdict please yeah I mean again Myles Lewis Skelly great player you know
00:24:25
Speaker
the The fact that, like you said, it's his rookie season, it's his debut season. And, you know, you'd think for someone of 18 years old, you'd think the pressure would really get to him. But, I mean, wow, just put him in any situation and he and he just he doesn't know what pressure is.
00:24:42
Speaker
he just He just doesn't know what pressure is. And, you know... I think we've got a really good player on our hands if we can keep him fit. And I think with the way he plays for Arsenal, if he can go and do the same for England, we we really do have a gem of a player on our hands here. and So for me, I'd have to go solid 10.
00:25:02
Speaker
No pressure at all, Lewis Skelly. Get that Alan Shearer audio up right now. great Craig, finally to you, ah rating out of 10 for Mars Lewis Skelly.
00:25:16
Speaker
I have to say 10 out of 10. He's played in England, scored in his debut, Champions League, played in so many big games this season, scored against Man City in the league. but he know Nobody didn't know who was at the start of the season for the Premier League teams.
00:25:30
Speaker
And he's stepped up a lot this season and done very well. ah And tonight he played against arguably one the best teams in European football history. They had won him the best and he played well. So got to give him a 10 out of 10 for his performance and his temperament as well, staying calm in the game.
00:25:45
Speaker
yeah All right, on to the midfield. Right, we'll start with Thomas Partey. Say what you want about him, but what a player he has been for Arsenal this season.
00:25:56
Speaker
Esmond, picking ah the only player on the Arsenal side to pick up a yellow card today. ah Is that an indication of the sort of player he is or the sort of match that he's had? What do you make of his performance? And obviously a rating out of 10 at the end of your verdict as well, please.
00:26:12
Speaker
i think I think the yellow was a bit harsh. I mean, like he did body check Kamibinga, but i think it was a bit harsh. I mean, the referee was a bit, he was a bit Michael Oliver-ish today. He was just a bit weird. um He seemed a bit rattled by Ramajazora and was just refusing to give any free kicks.
00:26:28
Speaker
But um yeah, like you mentioned, like say what you want. um but But in terms of, if we're talking his performance, this season especially, he's been pretty much injury-free, which is crazy. But yeah, I'd give him a solid 8 out of 10. I mean, he it was solid. him the The whole team defended well, but obviously it's a massive part, an integral part of the team is the defensive midfield and I think Partey broke up play well.
00:26:51
Speaker
um So yeah, man, I'll give him an 8 out of 10. Jamie? um Do you know what? I think for me, you know, done what he needed to do tonight, apart from the yellow card.
00:27:02
Speaker
um Yeah, I'll probably go with Esmond. Also agree. Eight out ten. And finally, Craig as well.
Celebrating Declan Rice's Free Kicks
00:27:09
Speaker
It was solid a solid eight out ten to me. It was very solid. He's like in the army shield. He gets that the ball, makes them, then passes the other players. Don't see him. Just gets the game ticking. So eight out ten to me as well. it Very solid to me as well.
00:27:22
Speaker
All right, now on to the main man ah for Arsenal, ah Declan Rice. Okay, um Esmond, is this the best European performance you've ever seen from an Arsenal player?
00:27:37
Speaker
Oh, ah and don't I don't know about best, but it's definitely probably up there, like top three, top five performances in the Champions League for sure. But boy, oh boy. if i Can I not give him like a 20 out of 10? Can we not do that?
00:27:51
Speaker
Like... If you want to break from mathematical law, you're more than welcome. For the purposes of football. For the purposes of football, I think we should. um But yeah, man, it's an obvious 10 out of 10.
00:28:03
Speaker
10.5, 11, 12, 15. Give him all of the ratings. Man of the match performance. ah He's... Man, like... Even in his first season, he was, you know, breaking his own records by, like, you know, scoring more goals than he normally does. and And, you know, he's adding facets to his game. Like, the set pieces and now the direct free kicks.
00:28:21
Speaker
Ten out of ten. Ten out of ten. ah Obviously, the most ah expensive Arsenal player ever, I so i still believe, obviously. 105 million or something like that from West Ham United.
00:28:35
Speaker
Jamie, is that paying off now? Are we seeing the price tag um make it ah whatever whatever English phrase you want to use? To thats what to be honest with you, as the chant says, and as I said to the boys in the group chat, you know, we we got him half price. We honestly did get this guy for half the price. And, you know, he's just proved to be every penny spent well.
00:29:01
Speaker
And for me, yeah. Do you know what? Esmond, I know you said like 20 and 11 out of 10. I'm giving infinity out of 10. You can't top that. Yeah, exactly. You can't top that.
00:29:14
Speaker
Guys, okay just before we move on to the next assessment of Declan Rice, I just want to throw one stat right there.
00:29:25
Speaker
Declan Rice is the first player to score two direct free kick goals in a knockout stage match in the Champions League. Wow. no And those are his only two free kicks he's ever scored as well.
00:29:38
Speaker
That's actually insane. What a stat. Can you imagine the next international... Oh, go on. I would love to to to to throw one more in there. There are five players that have previously scored two direct free kicks in the same Champions League match.
00:29:54
Speaker
Declan Rice, obviously, 20-25 against Real Madrid. But there are four more. So, Hakim Ziyech against Man United. Neymar against Sven-Azvezda. ah yeah Cristiano Ronaldo against Zurich in 2009 and Rivaldo against Milan in 2000. What a great company. Unstoppable. thought you going to least say Messi there. Wow.
00:30:17
Speaker
Messi would have been up there. or Yeah, wow. yeah Just wanted to throw that the little snippet up there. Messi still scored the greatest free kick ever against us, didn't he? Unfortunately. I forgot one more stat.
00:30:29
Speaker
Wow. Freaking goals. Declan Rice today, two. Kylian Mbappé, if 516 career matches, zero. Zero. No, he did score that other one, though. He did.
00:30:42
Speaker
it was a layoff, though. Do we count layoffs? That's not direct, I suppose. It's not direct. It's not direct. No, no. Okay, well... Well, that means Declan Rice is twice the man Kylian Mbappe could ever dream to be.
00:30:55
Speaker
just I mean, imagine the next international break that England get now. It's like, right, well, right, you know what's going happen now. Declan, you're going be on free-taking duties now. Yes, Rhys James, I know what you done against Latvia was amazing.
00:31:08
Speaker
But yeah, Declan Rice, we're just going to give you the ball now. You know what you need to do. brand Rhys James, i' he's the best English right back, isn't he? yeah
00:31:21
Speaker
I'm so glad ah Trent's going to go to this Real Madrid team and lose hopefully to hopefully by this margin. every like He could get bodied by Martinelli again. i don't care.
00:31:31
Speaker
As long as it's in Real Madrid. All right, ah Craig, well we won't forget about your ah verdict on Declan Rice. After hearing all of that, surely it's it can't be anything lower than a 9.9.
00:31:47
Speaker
10 million, 10 billion. now was great It's still low. It's still low. It has to be higher, man. Trillion. but but That was a great, yeah absolutely great performance. Yeah, he deserves deserves his credit. The credit is due. So, yeah, big performance.
00:32:04
Speaker
All right, we did brush a a little bit over Odegaard's playing well once again in an Arsenal shirt in the big occasion today. um Edmund, how how did he fare for you in this ah tricky environment against a team that he knows very well?
Odegaard's Stellar Play Against His Former Club
00:32:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. course I even forgot about that because it's, you know, he was so young when he was there and he barely played for them. But you're right, yeah. Playing in an environment, he's now captaining ah you know primarily top Premier League side against his old club, a club that is one of the best in the world.
00:32:39
Speaker
And he he turned up. He's probably the best performance this season and he's because he's not had a great season, to be honest. So yeah, I think definitely his best performance this season. going give him a nine. I'm going to give him nine. Okay, Jamie?
00:32:50
Speaker
kind of give him a nine and okay ah jamie Yeah, I will definitely say that it's been one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt because normally he does tend to, you know, the last couple of games he's played, he hasn't, you know, we haven't seen the best of Odegaard that we've seen in previous seasons. But tonight, we I feel like that we've just seen that Odegaard that we we've been missing for the last few games in our Premier League season. So ah for me, I'd give him an eight.
00:33:19
Speaker
Okay, so Esmond with a 9, Jamie with an 8, Craig 8.5? Yeah, 8.5, yeah. yeah eight pun five yeah yeah
00:33:31
Speaker
Care to elaborate? It was the okayest performance. I thought that like as captain, he needs to do more. As a captain, he needs to lead. That can rise. If he was captain, you'd say, yeah.
00:33:46
Speaker
I think Odegaard did very well today, but I'm going get my 8.5 out of turn. ah said Okay, all right. ah Finally, into the front three. I'll start with Mikel Marino, the other goal scorer that we haven't really mentioned that much.
00:33:59
Speaker
um But that was a very difficult finish. um Filling in as a striker, something that none of us really expected. um But what what a finish and really put a mark on the game, didn't it, Esmond?
00:34:14
Speaker
I mean, like, ah not to, you know, lean into hyperbole here, but that was, and I hate this guy, ah Van Persie-esque with that left foot, man. Like, the technique, like, he was, you know, tracking back and he just smashed it, bottom corner.
00:34:28
Speaker
um He's done brilliantly, man, since coming into the role. Like, he's scored a lot of goals. He's scored a lot of goals for us. He has done well. He's scored a lot of goals. And it just goes to show, it's interesting, like, yes, so obviously we do need a striker, but clearly, like, Arteta's set up the team in a way that you know, goals can flow from anywhere.
00:34:46
Speaker
And Moreno, man, I'm going to have to give him, ah do I give him a 10? Yeah, I'm going to give him a 10. I'm going to give him a 10. He was brilliant. We're generous tonight. We're generous tonight. We're generous. Yeah.
00:34:57
Speaker
I'm surprised you haven't just given everyone a 10.
Mikel Marino's Unexpected Success as a Striker
00:35:02
Speaker
Jamie, just but piggybacking off that point, filling in in that number nine role against a team ah that has been champion in his country countless times.
00:35:14
Speaker
ah So the pressure really was on him ah tonight, but he performed well and got got the goal over the 90 minutes. How did he do for you? Yeah, I think...
00:35:25
Speaker
With Mourinho, I'm starting to see, i can see him really fitting in well. Like he's he's got used to a role that he's not really used to playing in. And the one thing that, you know, Arteta is going to really appreciate and quite quite really admir admire about him is the fact that he can play two different positions. Because I've noticed with Arteta,
00:35:48
Speaker
He likes players that can play in two positions. And Mourinho there kind of is just proving week in, week out that, yes, OK, you know, he can have some good performances. And there are times where, you know, if, say, we bring on trossard, he can then drop into that midfield and still continue playing great in that midfield.
00:36:08
Speaker
For me, I mean, the finish was something else. i have to give him a nine for the finish because, I mean, Miles Lewis-Skelly with that ball through and just for Mourinho to find the bottom corner was something else. So yeah, solid nine.
00:36:22
Speaker
Solid nine. And Craig, finally from you, ah what a goal, what a performance it seems as well, ah judging by what Esmond and Jamie have said about him. ah Where are you placing? Are you going for a 9.5? I'm going to give him a 9 out of turn.
00:36:39
Speaker
Okay. ah nine out of ten for Marino. Very few words, Craig. mary's like i I don't know how to react.
00:36:53
Speaker
Okay. Man of few words. Man of few words. Yeah, I honestly thought he was going to say something else. i didn't know whether to jump in or not. Okay. but But that's kind of pundit confidence, you know. Like, if you're a good pundit, you do not need to, you know, throw, like, an essay of 3,000 words as to why you think this way. you Just throw two words in but Okay. ah final use okay Setting a new trend, it seems. ah So finally, the last two starting players of this side, Bakayo Saka, who obviously ah had his match cut short.
Saka's Impactful Comeback
00:37:28
Speaker
He came off in the seventy fourth minute. He's still coming back ah from that injury. That set him out ah for an awful amount of Arsenal's season.
00:37:37
Speaker
ah making a his first start back in an Arsenal show, I believe. ah Edmund, what did you think of his ah first match back in the starting XI?
00:37:49
Speaker
ah testament to like you know himself and also like the team around him. like to To come back and just be an instant threat. um he was He was our main threat in that first half, for sure, before ah the goals start flowing.
00:38:01
Speaker
um So, like, our star boy is our star boy for a reason. i mean, to come back from, you know, what, nearly over three months off and to put in, I would say, what, a 9.5 performance.
00:38:12
Speaker
Sensational. Sensational. Okay, Jamie? Yeah, I mean, look, Saka coming back, it's been huge, you know, he's been so, you can tell we've really missed him down our wings.
00:38:26
Speaker
Um... can't really say nothing much. And apart from, I'd say a solid 9.5. the The only thing I would have said would maybe, and I've said it to Craig in a previous pod as well, was maybe just to, you could have maybe played Saka for maybe 60 minutes, brought him off and then brought on someone like Ethan Waniere, just to kind of, you know, depending on the scoreline again. But, you know, if if it was 1-0 Arsenal, I would have maybe thrown Ethan Waniere just to kind of let him run at the the Madrid defenders. But look, at the end of the day, um great performance from Saka and a 9.5 from me.
00:39:00
Speaker
Okay, Craig, I've saved this question for you just to make you actually speak. um okay Obviously, i mean, everyone's been talking about Salah this season being the best right winger in the world. Where does Saka rank at the moment for you?
00:39:15
Speaker
Right behind him. Right behind him. So numbers but better than Dembele, in your opinion. Of course, Mato. Listen, bro, I've got my own personal trauma.
00:39:29
Speaker
I feel like with Dembele, he's only been consistent off second half of the season. He wasn't consistent at start the season. He wasn't doing anything. was not even in the squad at times. He even played against us in the Champions League. So I would say Saka's been consistent for the last couple of seasons now. And he's been top last. So I'll say that. Asantala, Saka, Dembele, whoever saw the name after that. So...
00:39:50
Speaker
I'll definitely say that fact was better than them. They live. Jamie talked to me, man. What's going on? Oh, just Esmond. I can't stop laughing at Esmond. That's right. To all of the listeners who have no idea what we're talking about, check out our YouTube channel to find out what Esmond was doing there while Craig was giving his opinion.
00:40:10
Speaker
That is should be the most highlighted moment of my podcast today. We let the man speak and he was only speaking facts.
00:40:20
Speaker
And people wonder where Arsenal fans get their reputation from. It's sounding a lot like Twitter right now, Esmond. What, saying that Saka's better than Dembele? I think that's a logical, sober opinion.
00:40:33
Speaker
Wow. Let's let him integrate back into the team first and then we can maybe continue that. He's covered the second most assists in the Premier League whilst being three months out. That's Saka for you. That for you.
00:40:46
Speaker
The standards have dropped. ah and
00:40:54
Speaker
I'm just amazed you haven't put him over Salah at this point. ah that we We had someone, with the art our resident Arsenal fan here on Daily English, Nick Bird. He actually came out ah earlier this season when Saka was flying. like I think it was after the West Ham game where he was like doing beautiful corners.
00:41:13
Speaker
He said Saka is the best player in the entire Premier League after that. So it just runs in the fan base is all I'm going to say. Bird does not speak for us. His views and opinions do not reflect ESPN and the Arsenal podcast.
00:41:28
Speaker
I just want to say that. um Nick, if you want to jump on the podcast, feel free. But, ah yeah. Like, Thierry Henry would take so much insult because of that opinion. My God. No, no. He meant at the time that. At the time. Yeah, at the Not time.
00:41:46
Speaker
oh Oh, my word. If he said all time, he we would kick him off GSBM for good. My bad. Oh, my word. And, you know, okay ahha sorry. Sorry. I sorry i was just going to continue. Make your point quickly. Sorry. Hmm? No, no, no. It was just another joke about how Man United is absolutely poor and how... Oh, well, we're welcoming that. Absolutely. Oh, yeah. life by means so Absolutely. Oh, wonderful.
00:42:07
Speaker
Diogo Dalot, anyone? Does anybody want to, like, teach him how to play good football? Anyone? Please? ah Please? We're struggling. Martinez is injured. I'm going to leave Maguire up front again for the rest of the season, just for the vibes.
00:42:20
Speaker
I would love it if he scored a goal. Love it. Love it. love it Something that was said against Man United. Anyway, back to Arsenal, just for the but the final player of the starting 11. We won't do the subs, otherwise we'll be here all night.
Martinelli's Resurgence and Game Impact
00:42:34
Speaker
But Gabriel Martinelli, um I thought he was a big threat at times for Arsenal after such an up-and-down season for him.
00:42:43
Speaker
ah It seems like things are finally starting to clip for him click for him again, Esmond. Is that fair to say? Yeah, you're exactly right, bro. You're exactly right. he He was going through a phase where he was just like running into a cul-de-sac or he was just so obvious in what he was going to do. But now he looks dangerous. Now he's getting past players.
00:43:00
Speaker
um So yeah, and for me, it's got to be an 8.5 for tonight's performance. Okay, Jamie? Yeah, again, going on to what Esmond was saying, you know, I was at the game against Fulham last week and, you know, me, my mate was telling me, look, the only problem that Martin Eddy has is he he doesn't take on players. He doesn't, you know, try and run past players and saw hints of it last week, saw it again tonight. And let's, you know, it's good to see the mo that Martin Eddy's now starting to find his feet again, because again, as Esmond was saying, there were periods where, you know, he would blow hot and cold. So,
00:43:36
Speaker
ah For me, I'd probably also go 8.5 as well. 8.5. Craig, are you going to make it a hat-trick? Yeah.
00:43:47
Speaker
I feel like Marta is playing for his future. He knows that the new and the rest are looking at players. So he needs to play well to stay in his team. Simple as that. He needs to be more consistent or he might be sitting on the bench a lot next season. and So, yeah.
00:44:03
Speaker
Okay, so that completes ah the starting 11. And we've got a bit of a surprise for you in the third part. um So back to you, Michal, for introducing the next advert.
00:44:17
Speaker
And the next advert is the Zencaster, the platform which we use for producing podcasts brought to you by Global Sports Podcast Network.
Zencastr: The Podcast Platform
00:44:26
Speaker
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00:44:36
Speaker
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00:44:58
Speaker
Okay, here we have a little bit of a game ah that will test all three of your ball knowledge ah just for this final
Arsenal's 2006 Starting XI Challenge
00:45:07
Speaker
part. Obviously, as you alluded to earlier, ah Esmond, the last time you went to the Santiago Bernabeu back in 2006, won 1-0.
00:45:19
Speaker
you won one nil Jamie, there is a player that was mentioned before the starting recording that you are not allowed to mention. But other than that, you're welcome to help these guys out.
00:45:29
Speaker
I want you three to work together to name the starting 11 for Arsenal back at that match in 2006. So you can all work together. I want to see if you can get all Straight off the bat, I look straight at Craig and I'm like, yeah, Craig probably knows this like the back of his hand. He's like our Arsenal encyclopedia here. And already he's nodding because he knows. So... Shall we just let Craig do this on his own? Shall we let cra cook alright Craig Craig, you know what? This has turned into just you now.
00:46:08
Speaker
So the pressure is all on you. All right. okay Starting from the goalkeeper. Yes, Lehmann. Jens Lehmann is correct. Four.
00:46:30
Speaker
and Henry up front. He's done it. He's done it. He's only gone and done it. That's our guy! See? And that's why he's our Arsenal Encyclopedia. There you go.
00:46:42
Speaker
There you go. You know what guys? Maybe it was just too easy for you. So maybe now you should give us the Stade Line of Real Madrid from that game. Yes! Okay. Okay. Let's turn it up and ask then. Craig, do you want to do this your own or do you want to invite the other two back in?
00:46:59
Speaker
Get the other two back in. I can try and... I'll see if I remember it. Okay. Casillas and goal. Casillas and goal. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Just go one by one. Casillas and goal. Um... Roberta Carlos left back.
00:47:13
Speaker
Yep. Oh, you took the words out of my mouth. was just about to say that. Okay, two centre-backs. One of them's obvious.
00:47:23
Speaker
oh
00:47:27
Speaker
One of them is very obvious. Jonathan Woodgate? Jonathan Woodgate is one of them. That was the less obvious one. Oh my days. What a pull. What a pull.
00:47:38
Speaker
Right back was... um Right back... Was it... oh You're forgetting a very, very big name in ah defense at the moment. Sergio Ramos.
00:47:50
Speaker
Correct. There we go. Sergio Ramos was the other one. Okay, right back. I'll be very surprised if any of you get him because I have never heard of this player before. I'll give you a clue. He's Brazilian.
00:48:03
Speaker
Sessinho. Oh my gosh. No! No way! He's pulled Cecilio out the bag. Unbelievable. Cecilio, McField with Graveson, David Beckham yeah.
00:48:21
Speaker
but beckcon was on the right yeah thought on the right. Center it was all Gucci. Gucci is correct. Um, left wing was... Left wing was... Who was left wing at the time? think it was Robinho.
00:48:38
Speaker
Robinho is correct. You're missing one in midfield and one up front. Zidane or Ronaldo. Ronaldo is one of them. Raul? Not Raul. Raul.
00:48:51
Speaker
Midfield.
00:48:54
Speaker
ah yeah I was thinking Zidane but then... Zidane is correct. you have all named both... I mean... I barely did anything.
00:49:06
Speaker
how how the How did he get Cecilio? Cecilio! I know! And Thomas Graveson. Oh my gosh, that is bull knowledge right Even the Woodgate one, bro. Woodgate was impressive. I always forget he plays with them, bro.
00:49:24
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it was an interesting time. and It was a weird timeline. Raul did come off the bench in that game um its I mean you've absolutely smashed it um so that's two ah that's almost as impressive as the Declan Rice performance earlier tonight absolutely two squats two direct free kicks there you go there we go so ah I think that should just about wrap up the podcast I mean it's been a triumphant triumphant night for Arsenal Esmond thank you very much
00:50:00
Speaker
Jamie, pleasure having you. Thank very much for having us on. And Craig, unbelievable ball knowledge tonight. Well done you. Thank you, man. Thank you. ah Okay, stay tuned. Obviously, there is a huge match tomorrow in the form of Aston Villa. It will be up against PSG.
00:50:20
Speaker
And then on Thursday, we'll have a very special episode where we'll have a member of the Polish Broadcasting Corporation Canal Plus joining us to preview the Legia Warsaw match against Chelsea. Take care.
00:50:33
Speaker
Thank you for listening.
00:50:36
Speaker
Every Club.
00:50:40
Speaker
The Global Sports Podcast Network.