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Six-Point Swing at the Top image

Six-Point Swing at the Top

Daily Premier League
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Transcript

Introduction and Weekend Overview

00:00:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Daily Premier League podcast. It's the evening of Sunday, the 28th of September. My name is Nick Britton. His name is... My name's Ken Davis.
00:00:26
Nick Britten
That took you all of five seconds.
00:00:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
My name is Ken Davis. His name's Nick Britton. We're here to unpick what feels like a seismic weekend of Premier League football.
00:00:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Feels like there's been a big six-point swing, but there's been a loads of other stuff going on as well. So we've got absolutely packed agenda. Nick, how are you doing?
00:00:49
Nick Britten
um john I think I'm just trying to digest everything that's been going on this weekend. It's been an extraordinary weekend.
00:00:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow.
00:00:54
Nick Britten
Some great games, some great, amazing results.
00:00:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Great game.
00:00:58
Nick Britten
It's very rare that every game delivers. I know there's one tomorrow night, but every game this weekend so far has delivered. It's been a terrific, terrific weekend football.
00:01:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
And tomorrow's game has now got added spice to it.

West Ham's Managerial Change: Santo vs. Potter

00:01:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
By the way, we won't spend too much time on El Clasico, Wrexham one, Derby one, because it was anything but an El Clasico.
00:01:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it was, I think, on balance, on balance a fair result. What's shouldn't it, Nick?
00:01:23
Nick Britten
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I thought a draw was fair. I don't think either team was great. They look they they both look kind of bottom bombs of half teams at the moment, don't they really?
00:01:34
Nick Britten
And Wrexham had a period in the second half, about 15, 20 minutes, when when they really upped their game, got the goal. ah but Fair play, Derby came back into It scored a lovely goal, actually.
00:01:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
A little bit.
00:01:45
Nick Britten
Derby's goal was
00:01:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
You're welcome.
00:01:46
Nick Britten
ah Back to front and then a beautiful curler from Brereton Diaz. But yeah, I think 1-0 was about right. I mean, we were obviously playing against 12 men throughout the entire game because that was the worst refereeing performance I have seen, not just this season, but any other season I've been watching football.
00:02:02
Nick Britten
It was appalling. But yeah, it wasn't a great game and we move on. Everybody takes a point and moves on.
00:02:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
ye Yeah, yeah, I think we'll set off for that. Okay, so firstly, want to talk about, actually, the game, or a team involved here in the game tomorrow, West Ham, just after, it wasn't connected, but just after we'd finished the Daily Premier League podcast yesterday, it was an announced that Potter has left West Ham to replace by Nuno Esposito-Santo, who we...
00:02:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
rate very highly here on the podcast. ah What's your view on that one? do you think it's a good move to let Potter go? do you think it's a good move to bring in Nuno?
00:02:42
Nick Britten
Yes, I think it's the right thing to to let Graham Potter go because there was no sign really that he was up to the job. There was no sign that anything was happening at West Ham. The team looked dispirited. They looked a bit dysfunctional.
00:02:53
Nick Britten
They were down at the bottom of the table and that's really where they were likely to stay if this had been carried on. There's no sign that things are going to get any better from, well, from the moment Lopetegui was sacked back in January and Potter's come in and really nothing has improved. And I think The worry, if you're ah an owner or a supporter looking at it, is the players just don't really look up for it.
00:03:20
Nick Britten
They don't really look that bothered. They're in games generally when they are either drawing or winning. But the minute they go behind, you've got to ask yourself, where's the team spirit here?
00:03:31
Nick Britten
Whereas they just kind of fall apart a little bit. And it's not it's not just about Potter. I think there's a lack of talent generally across the West Ham team. I think you could probably argue that outside of Bowen and Pacitar and perhaps Somerville, there's not a lot of genuine Premier League class in there.
00:03:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, agree with that.
00:03:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank
00:03:52
Nick Britten
So they need to be better in the transfer market. But I can well understand it. I think the moment Nuno... was relieved of his duties at Nottingham Forest. And remember, he was relieved of his duties not because they were doing badly, but because he's just fallen out with the owner.
00:04:06
Nick Britten
It's very rare a manager loses his job when the team is doing well.
00:04:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:04:10
Nick Britten
ah It became somebody's so somebody's going to get a sack pretty quickly. And I know they've been after Nuno for a good couple of weeks and he was he was resistant at first.
00:04:21
Nick Britten
I think he had stuff to sort out with his Forest deal. Then um it was reported that they'd interviewed Gary O'Neill After West Ham lost to Palace the other day, they went back for Nuno and this time he's obviously agreed to take on the job.
00:04:37
Nick Britten
So no no surprise, no surprise that Potts has got the sack, no surprise that Nuno's because he's stocked high and he's available.
00:04:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:04:45
Nick Britten
And part of the decision might have been, well, look, if we don't get him, somebody else will because somebody else is going sack the manager soon. They'll take Nuno on and then then what have we got? so I mean, he's not that good a manager, but he has his stock is high because he's had a good time at Forest.
00:04:58
Nick Britten
I'm not convinced he's the right fit at all for West Ham. I'm not convinced at all that he's the right fit. But what he probably will do is get them up the table a little bit and stave off relegation.
00:05:10
Nick Britten
Or he'll have a better chance of doing it, should I say, than Graham Potter.
00:05:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I generally agree with that. I think Potter, like Potter, but it just seemed to me a square peg in a round hole, Potter and West Ham. ah Potter's obviously a very bright guy, bit of a theoretician about the game, innovative, but it was like, which by the way, works very well, I think. If you've got a team of the right mindset, you've got team of the right mental strength,
00:05:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
you've got a team of talent. And then what you're doing is trying to take him to the next level ah with this kind of PhD kind of dynasty building idea, which i think Potter brings with him.
00:05:52
Nick Britten
you know
00:05:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I don't... and and And I just didn't think that they those two things gelled together in any way, shape form.
00:05:55
Nick Britten
the
00:06:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
There was not enough emphasis on the basics and and team spirit and ethos and working hard and getting behind the ball and all those kind of things. It just can get didn't wasn't picking up at enough of that. It just wasn't is enough of a motivator, in my opinion.
00:06:15
Nick Britten
Well, you can't build a house on sand, unfortunately. And if you want to build a dynasty, and if you want to do all of that, you've got to have a very strong base and a platform on which which to build. And to be fair to Potter, he was put in front of the media the other day to talk about Monday's game. On Friday, was put in front of the media.
00:06:31
Nick Britten
He was sacked Saturday morning. But on Friday, he was put in front of the media to talk about tomorrow's night's game. and And he said, you have to look at where a club was at because then you can make an assessment of how long it needs to turn results around.
00:06:44
Nick Britten
What was the environment like? What's the culture like? What's the team like? And I think there's an element, there's an element of truth in that. The culture at West Ham doesn't seem to be very good. Nothing's happened since Moyes has left. Seems to be downhill all the way. There's big, there's there's a lot of um tension, should we say, between the owners and the supporters.
00:07:03
Nick Britten
The team isn't great. So I think he's got that in his defence. But as you say, the problem is you've got to get that bit right before you even think about long-term building.
00:07:14
Nick Britten
and he hasn't And he hasn't addressed that. He's allowed that culture to fester whilst trying to think you long-term. and It just doesn't work like that.
00:07:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, I agree with that.
00:07:24
Nick Britten
And it can't work like that.
00:07:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree with that. I think Nino's got a better chance, a far, far better chance. ah ah think he is ah he I think for the time, for the need, for the the issue and problem that they've got to solve at West Ham, I think he's ah's a far better option than Potter. very He's versatile, he's adjustable.
00:07:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think the they will become harder to beat, right? That's the key thing. And West Ham are too easy to beat now. And I think they they will become harder to beat.
00:07:55
Nick Britten
I think.
00:07:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah So I think it's a great appointment for West Ham. ah With this proviso, it's a low-risk, high-reward appointment. I think it's a low-risk because he's proven.
00:08:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think he'll do the job again at West Ham. Problem is, I think it papers over the cracks. I think Nuno might get him to seventh bottom. Hey, well done, Nuno. Brilliant.
00:08:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
But actually, the slide is you only being papered over. And I think West Ham, ultimately, ah you know, we're not going to be able to paper over those cracks indefinitely. And I think West Ham are going to learn that soon.
00:08:35
Nick Britten
Well, the first job is to get a bit of team spirit together. The first thing he's got to do is get the players to trust each other and bring a much, much better culture in the dressing room. You're absolutely right. He'll make them hard to beat. If he goes in and does what he did at Forest, he'll make them hard to beat. But the other part of that is the West Ham fans won't like the way he plays.
00:08:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:08:55
Nick Britten
and West fans are quite entitled in this way. They expect entertaining football, regardless of who's in charge and what team they've got.
00:09:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Yeah, they want Trevor Booking playing, don't they?
00:09:03
Nick Britten
They've got no rights.
00:09:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:09:05
Nick Britten
yeah They've got no right to expect that.
00:09:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Back in the 80s.
00:09:07
Nick Britten
But, you know, for all the brilliance that Nuno did at Forest, they weren't entertaining to watch.
00:09:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, they weren't.
00:09:13
Nick Britten
They were quite dull.
00:09:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
And Wolves weren't either.
00:09:13
Nick Britten
like No?
00:09:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
At the Premier League level. ah So, you know, but he delivers. And good luck, Nuno. I think you'll need it, but I think you'll do it.
00:09:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:09:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:09:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Check the show notes for more details.

Controversial VAR Decisions

00:10:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, part two. Part two today, I just want to talk through some of these VAR decisions. VAR was there. We're supposed to help and all this. and And at the moment, it seems to be anything but a help because it just causes controversy all the time.
00:10:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've just been having a conversation offline with Nick about Jokeres' penalty arsenal. When I first saw that, I thought that was absolutely nailed on. ah Nick, in his refereeing wisdom, because he is a qualified ref, has subsequently pointed out to me that actually because there was a very, very slight touch on the ball by the Newcastle keeper, it doesn't really matter if he if he then made contact with the leg.
00:10:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
but So fine, that's been explained. And if that's what VAR revealed, VAR has just done a really, really good job. But it wasn't always the case. And that wasn't the case on Saturday. So Nick, over it' to you, because I know you spotted a couple of couple of real shockers.
00:11:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I wouldn't mind just talking through them.
00:11:07
Nick Britten
Yeah, I can't ah can't quite work out some of the decisions from yesterday at all. There were there were three really weird ones, two involving VAR and one involving the referee and perhaps the fourth official.
00:11:20
Nick Britten
I'm not sure. It's not clear, but it's clear that something else was involved other than a refereeing decision on his own. The first one was at Brentford and Brentford are winning 2-1.
00:11:32
Nick Britten
The ball is at Manchester United are on the attack. The ball's crossed over and Cousins pulls back Mbuemo just as he's about to shoot.
00:11:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:40
Nick Britten
The penalty is given and a yellow card is issued.
00:11:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:44
Nick Britten
And you go, well, okay, that's not, that can't be a yellow card because he's essentially stopped Mbuemo getting a shot on a goal. He's right, you know, he's right in front of goal.
00:11:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And there's no no other player goal side, was there?
00:11:52
Nick Britten
He's about, he's No, no, no, no. He's got a clear shot at goal. he's yeah he's He's coming across his body. He's going to sweep it in and it either goes in or the keeper saves it or he misses. Well, it doesn't really matter.
00:12:03
Nick Britten
and But it's a clear and obvious goal scoring opportunity. It gets referred to VAR and you go, okay, fine.
00:12:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:12:10
Nick Britten
Yes, it's a penalty, but it or should be a should be a red card because there was no attempt to play the ball. And that's the kind of the only mitigating in the game. in ah deny in a dog's o, as we call it, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity if there's a penalty given.
00:12:24
Nick Britten
If there's a genuine attempt to play the ball, it's not a red card. But pulling somebody does not count as genuine attempt. And yet VAR inexplicably said, oh yeah, but the because Embuero wasn't in control of the ball,
00:12:37
Nick Britten
It wasn't a dog's toe. Well, the reason he's not in control of the ball is because he's been pulled back, just as he's about to shoot. So he can't possibly be in control of the ball. But if there's no... The ball is going straight onto his foot.
00:12:48
Nick Britten
So if there's no foul, he gets a shot away. I mean, it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. ah The second one was Chelsea versus Brighton, where VAR did get involved in the first instance for the Chalabar sending off and got that right. The referee, Simon Hooper, missed that one, but VAR picked it up and Chalabar was indeed the last man, ah didn't get any contact on the ball, took the man down.
00:13:12
Nick Britten
So yeah, no argument on that. But later on in the game, there's an extraordinary incident where where the ball's coming across the Chelsea area, ah Minte goes to head it and Gusto, who's on as a substitute for Chelsea, just kicks him in the face.
00:13:26
Nick Britten
mean, literally, he's got is as a high boot and he kicks him in the face in the penalty area. Nothing given. Not a foul, not VAR.
00:13:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Crazy.
00:13:38
Nick Britten
I mean, sometimes you can understand the referees on field miss these things because the pace of the game is so high, so much, and players, you know, lie around. They'll always try and pretend they've been kicked in the head, even if they haven't.
00:13:49
Nick Britten
ah But they are looking at this. And it's, I mean, we've seen the television replays. We've seen it slow down. We've seen what with the VAR has seen.
00:13:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Would it have been given anywhere else on the pitch, I think, if the ref had seen it?
00:14:03
Nick Britten
Yes.
00:14:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
As a foul?
00:14:04
Nick Britten
Yeah. You can't not see it. I don't understand. they've no They didn't explain why they felt kicking somebody in the face. And it's not, they might argue that Minter's stooped down a little bit, but he's still shoulder height.
00:14:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, you can't be doing that.
00:14:15
Nick Britten
ah like it It's not like he's on his hands and knees trying to dive ahead of it.
00:14:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a bookie, normally. Thank
00:14:20
Nick Britten
Well, it's ah it's ah it's a quite a clear penalty, quite clear yellow card, absolutely nothing given. And then the the the weirdest one of the day, I think, was at Forest versus Sunderland. don't know if you saw this.
00:14:32
Nick Britten
It led directly to the Sunderland goal, whereby Sunderland are in their attacking third and and therefore Forest are in their defensive third. And the ball's sort of bouncing around.
00:14:43
Nick Britten
And Dominguez, Forest and whom, for Sunderland, kind of, Well, they kind of went vaguely near each other. and There was no contact between either of them. The ball went away.
00:14:58
Nick Britten
And Dominguez sort of falls to the ground, clutching his leg, even though there was no contact from anybody. ah Or if there was, it was very, very slight in this sort of challenge with whom, but neither of them touched the ball.
00:15:09
Nick Britten
And the initially, Tony Harrington takes one or two steps away as if he's following the ball. Then he stops, appears to be saying something, blows the whistle, i.e. into his microphone, blows the whistle, gives a foul to Sunderland.
00:15:22
Nick Britten
And everybody just goes, what? What is that for? um No idea. It's either, ah can't imagine it's it's for any contact because there just was no contact.
00:15:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Very strange.
00:15:35
Nick Britten
So the only other thing it could be was simulation. Because if there's no contact and Dominguez is rolling around on the ground pretending that he's been shot in the leg, then stage did the referee think he's he's cheating and and simulating and trying to win a free kick?
00:15:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:15:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
But isn't that normally a yellow, though, when that happens?
00:15:50
Nick Britten
You don't really see it.
00:15:53
Nick Britten
He did get yellow. Yeah, he did get a yellow.
00:15:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or maybe that draw.
00:15:57
Nick Britten
He did get a yellow. So I think that's probably what is. I can't imagine that it will be for contact on Hume because it was Domingos who went down in supposedly injured and Hume just ran off.
00:16:08
Nick Britten
Didn't appeal for anything. and fact, was was was shaking his finger at the referee initially before the whistle was blown to say, I didn't fail the Forest player. Look at him.
00:16:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Interesting.
00:16:19
Nick Britten
But it appeared that somebody had had a word with Harrington because he kind of said something back. He stopped. it didn't give anything. Then he stops as if somebody said something to him then he gives it. And then, of course, from that free kick, Sunderland score and they win the game.
00:16:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:16:32
Nick Britten
So highly controversial, highly controversial moment on that. So look,
00:16:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
just Just one more. I know it's there. It'd be interesting your on this. And I'm sure, I mean, I saw it and I saw it in slow-mo as well. Palace... Liverpool, Palace's first goal.
00:16:48
Nick Britten
Yes.
00:16:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
and not Absolutely seemed certain to me that, that obviously, it was scored from from a corner.
00:16:49
Nick Britten
but
00:16:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
It seemed certain to me that the Palace the palace player knocked that over the line. It deflected off the Palace the palace player and was there for a goal kick rather than a corner. ah
00:17:03
Nick Britten
Oh, yeah, yes.
00:17:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Slotman's going crazy.
00:17:04
Nick Britten
Oh, sorry. Yes, it yes it was Tyrek Mitchell.
00:17:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:06
Nick Britten
Yeah, is it was Tyrek Mitchell.
00:17:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:08
Nick Britten
Yes, you're right. He was attacking down the left-hand side. Yeah, it should not be in a corner.
00:17:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. No way should that be an economy.
00:17:13
Nick Britten
but ah But, but, but, but, yeah, no, no.
00:17:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, can VAR... VAR just can't get involved in this stuff like that, does it?
00:17:17
Nick Britten
No, can't intervene in something like that. It's an on-field decision.
00:17:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's where VAR should be getting involved.

Impact of VAR on Fairness and Future Improvements

00:17:21
Nick Britten
Well, as of next year, I think they can.
00:17:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Good. That's a victory for content.
00:17:25
Nick Britten
Or no, they can't. Or can they?
00:17:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:17:27
Nick Britten
Can they not? they get involved with They're getting involved next year you with In-N-Out of Play. so I think I think they get involved with if if the ball goes out or in or doesn't go out, doesn't go in, ah and something happens and like and and there's controversy.
00:17:40
Nick Britten
They can get involved that. I'll need to revise it because, of course, I have a meeting later on this year to discuss some of these rules. We talked about it about four months ago on on one of the podcasts.
00:17:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, we do. I remember doing
00:17:48
Nick Britten
And, yeah, you're right. But, I mean, look, that's you see that quite a lot. You see that quite a lot.
00:17:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
that.
00:17:54
Nick Britten
The corners are given that are goal kicks and goal kicks are given at corners.
00:17:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Exactly.
00:17:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Exactly.
00:17:57
Nick Britten
I don't think that's...
00:17:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's exactly where VAR, see in American football, it's getting corrected all the time.
00:17:58
Nick Britten
and
00:18:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
That is where VAR should be being applied because it's something which is absolutely uncontroversial um and it's an easy fix. And at the end of the day, VAR should be there to make the game better.
00:18:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a good way of doing it. that they Liverpool can rightly feel very cheated about that.
00:18:15
Nick Britten
ye oh
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:18:18
Nick Britten
Well, they can feel cheated that they didn't defend the corner. and they And they certainly cannot feel cheated, by the way, that they didn't get anything out of the game because they were wretched yesterday.
00:18:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Well, I want to to ah want to talk about that in the third part of the podcast.
00:18:27
Nick Britten
They weren't wretched.
00:18:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:18:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:19:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
of your first all
00:19:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, final part of the podcast, want to reflect on what seems to have been magnificent set, a seismic set of Premier League games this weekend. I want to pick three main themes in this section.

Weekend Match Analysis and Key Themes

00:19:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Firstly, I want to talk about United, I want to talk about Amarim. want to talk about what's going on there. Why haven't they sacked him? All that stuff. I want to talk about Forrest a little bit.
00:19:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
i I honestly, just as we predicted, a bit of a wobble at Villa. I've got a feeling something's not going to work out very well, very quick at Forrest. want to talk about that.
00:19:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
And obviously, we want to talk about the Liverpool-Arsenal kind of axis. Yeah. We said yesterday could have been an eight-point gap when we finished the podcast yesterday. we were pretty much ready to write the rest of the season off, but suddenly it feels completely different.
00:20:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, first things first. Man United. What did you make of their performance? What you make of Amarim's performance? Where do we go from here now?
00:20:22
Nick Britten
Pathetic. Pathetic Manchester United. Well, yesterday we thought that perhaps after beating Chelsea the week before, that might be the springboard. They haven't won two games in a row for goodness knows how long.
00:20:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:20:35
Nick Britten
And they were wretched at about 2-0 down within 18 minutes. Can't defend. Can't defend. Don't really know what they're doing. There's no team spirit. Nobody's fighting for each other. everybody Everybody's walking around with their heads, looking at the ground.
00:20:48
Nick Britten
ah None more so than the manager, who seems to spend most of his time just sitting in his chair, staring at the ground, ah looking like he wants it to open up and eat him. It's absolutely wretched at Manchester United. Well done to Brentford. I thought they played ah really, really well.
00:21:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because we were writing Brentford off, weren't we?
00:21:02
Nick Britten
ah
00:21:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Start the season.
00:21:03
Nick Britten
We were right at Brentford.
00:21:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
you saying You're saying Brentford have lost too many. They've lost their manager, ah lost too many players. It's only going to go one way for Brentford. Actually, watching the game yesterday, you yeah you you would think there were it was sixth playing 16th yesterday.
00:21:18
Nick Britten
Yeah. but Yeah. Yeah. Well, they played, no, they did play very well. They made, I mean, Manchester United made it very easy for them. They made it terribly easy for them, but they did play, uh, very, very well.
00:21:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Do you think this is the worst Man United team in living memory?
00:21:28
Nick Britten
Uh,
00:21:32
Nick Britten
I can't remember a worse one. And I'm sick of talking about this system because Palace have shown you can play exactly the same system and make it work. They play the same system as Manchester United and look at what they're doing.
00:21:43
Nick Britten
They're doing amazing things with it. Manchester United just look all at sixes and sevens. And i don't think I don't think that it's just about the system anymore.
00:21:56
Nick Britten
Because when you look at the players, they are all out of sync with each other.
00:22:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:22:01
Nick Britten
And that's got to be on them. You can't blame the manager for that. When the ball is whacked over the top within the first three or four minutes of the Brentford game yesterday, and Maguire, instead of going with his man, tries to step up and play off offside as the last man. mean, that's just a stupid decision.
00:22:17
Nick Britten
And then Thiago's through on goal and scores.
00:22:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
um
00:22:20
Nick Britten
but You can't blame Amorin for that. That's just poor defending. When Fernandes misses a penalty, that's just poor play. Can't blame Amorin for that. yeah call i mean
00:22:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, but do you think...
00:22:30
Nick Britten
but so But generally, generally there was a there though though it was it's been highlighted that I just want to point out here.
00:22:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:22:36
Nick Britten
And this is where you can blame Amarin. He has the system, 3-4-2-1.
00:22:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:22:42
Nick Britten
Okay? He changes people, but never changes the system. So, Jorre, for example, came on and he played in three different positions yesterday, moved around the back line.
00:22:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:22:52
Nick Britten
Shaw moved around the back line. Maguire moved around. All these players just get moved around. They never actually stay. And it's all defensive. They never actually stay in their position. Okay?
00:23:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:23:02
Nick Britten
And he's obsessed with taking defenders off. And rather than just doing a like-for-like swap, he puts them somewhere else in the defence and moves that person to another position. Now, that makes it hard for players. that's that's i mean I know players should be first-time,
00:23:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well, this is the point I was going to make. yeah It's easy to say ah that you know Maguire should have made a different decision, and he probably should have made a different decision. But are those is that decision-making made more difficult when when there's a lot of complex things happening in terms of the system, make unfamiliarity with the system, things like that?
00:23:34
Nick Britten
like
00:23:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
i mean,
00:23:35
Nick Britten
I don't think you can say. there How can they be unfamiliar with the system? They've been playing it for a year.
00:23:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
but depends how good it depends how well they're being trained in it.
00:23:43
Nick Britten
Well, there is that. But it seems they're all that's all they're being trained in because they're not being trained in much else.
00:23:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
They look bereft, don't they?
00:23:50
Nick Britten
I don't understand how it's
00:23:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
They look bereft of confidence.
00:23:54
Nick Britten
They look bereft of confidence. And that, to me, comes from the manager. The manager seems to to spend his entire time moping around the penalty area, looking like a distressed child who's lost his parents. He never looks at it never watches a penalty.
00:24:07
Nick Britten
He sits there with his face and you the face looking like Wednesday in Stoke. What do you think, what signal does that send to the players?
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Terrible, terrible non-verbal cues from Amari.
00:24:19
Nick Britten
His body language is dreadful.
00:24:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
It is.
00:24:21
Nick Britten
and um And he's always asked about it and he always says the same thing, which is, I'll never change.
00:24:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:24:25
Nick Britten
I'll never change. The arrogance of the man is absolutely ridiculous.
00:24:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, obviously, amongst the supporters, he's becoming very, very unpopular, but he doesn't seem to be unpopular with Jim Radcliffe, who still seems to be in support of him, wanting to give him a put full season of this.
00:24:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah But, and Amorim himself says he's not worried about his future, but that's a bit of, that's Amorim talk in the sense of he's, that's just the way he is, you know, sap me if you want sap me, I'm fine.
00:24:53
Nick Britten
Well, also,
00:24:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
but But do you think that he will last the season?
00:24:58
Nick Britten
well also I was talking to Manchester United fan on Friday night, who I know is ah an Ameren fan, and I wanted to get his perspective because I wanted to hear something positive about Ameren and that whole sort of situation because it becomes boring even just constantly looking at it and constantly talking about it because nothing ever changes.
00:25:17
Nick Britten
And he said, well, look, problem the problem Man you might have got, they wanted ah completely fresh person. They wanted change. They wanted to bring somebody in who's going to revolutionise the style of play. And that's why they went for Amorin. They went for him early. Of course, he wasn't duew initially, ah ideally, due to come in in the summer, but he came in halfway through the season.
00:25:36
Nick Britten
And he said, you've got to give him time. You've got to give him time to get the players in that he needs and wants to play the system that he needs and wants. Well, he's had two transfer for windows so far and it's got worse.
00:25:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:25:48
Nick Britten
So look, it's going to be highly embarrassing for Radcliffe and co to sack him now. And I wonder if that's the only thing that's keeping him in a job because they just want to save face.
00:25:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
There is this talk about this big bundle of money that he has to receive if he gets sacked before 12 months is out.
00:26:08
Nick Britten
Well, is yeah, okay, fine, that may may be true, may not be. But if he's not sacked then by mid-October, which is after his first year, then then then yeah if he gets sacked in the second week of October, there might be some legitimacy.
00:26:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll know there might be something in it.
00:26:20
Nick Britten
If he wants to give him a full season, well, but if fight listen, by all means, give him a full season. They'll finish in 17th and 18th again, like they did last year.
00:26:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Could be even worse, to be honest. Right. So that's Amaran. Now, talking about coaching styles and not necessarily matching players' natural inclinations, Forrest.
00:26:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Now, when we did the predictions yesterday, i think I said I thought it might be a draw. I did. ah You thought it would be a home victory. ah Sunderland, to their great credit, ah won the game and won it quite convincingly.
00:26:54
Nick Britten
and we're going to do this.
00:26:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
um I mean, do we think this is, again, and another... We seem to be talking this about this kind of thing an awful lot at the moment. Is this a coach digging his heels and saying, this is the way we're going to play because this is the way I play?
00:27:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And you're going to have to follow that and not necessarily ah those players suiting that particular structure.
00:27:21
Nick Britten
No, I don't think there's anything like Manchester United because they just look wretched. Forrest look all right, to be fair.
00:27:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:26
Nick Britten
They look all right. i mean, yesterday they had 22 shots. They had 15 shots inside the box, six on target. There were some terrific saves from Robin Roos. And they got... They let in a really, really poor goal, despite the controversy over the goal, that which we've already talked about. It was a poor goal ah to to concede.
00:27:42
Nick Britten
um And Alderete just ran off the back of the defence from that so free kick.
00:27:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:45
Nick Britten
And it was an unmarked and easy header for him.
00:27:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:49
Nick Britten
ah thought for I think Forrest will be fine. I think they'll be fine. I mean, Chris Wood, who, of course, scored all those goals last season, started off the season well with a couple in the first game. But since then... and And yesterday, I don't know if you saw it, but yesterday i was I watched the game and he missed one of the easiest chances he'll ever get.
00:28:05
Nick Britten
just came across, header, you know, three yards out, totally unmarked and flashed wide.
00:28:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he did get past the most, yeah.
00:28:12
Nick Britten
Now, you can't you can't legislate for that kind of thing when you're a coach. I think for a lot of time,
00:28:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a bit a worry about Forrester because all the goals came from Wood.
00:28:18
Nick Britten
and
00:28:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if Wood reverts to his mean in terms of you know not scoring that many goals, where where are the goals going to come from?
00:28:26
Nick Britten
There is that. There is that because there's not a lot of backup there at the moment.
00:28:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
There is not.
00:28:30
Nick Britten
i mean mean, I guess you'd be putting your hopes on Igor Jesus, who scored twice in midweek in the Europa League for, sorry, for Forest, obviously, against Real Betis. I mean, and you may find that he feels more of an Ange-type player, if I'm honest with you, whereas Wood felt bit more like a Nuno, traditional sort of number nine.
00:28:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, old school.
00:28:51
Nick Britten
Yeah, you may just see Jesus getting a bit more game time.
00:28:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Interesting. I've just got a feeling things are going to get worse for Forrest before they get better. Okay, let's move on to this question.
00:29:02
Nick Britten
Thank you.
00:29:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Amazing games. Arsenal, who have just finished against Newcastle, and the Liverpool game against Palace, which gave this essentially a six-point swing.
00:29:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
God knows it was necessary to keep everybody interested in the Premier League. But wow, what a change. So first things, let's you talk about the Arsenal-Newcastle game earlier.
00:29:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Arsenal did Liverpool. they They kind of kept going. They threw everything forward and they got the got the winner in the 90 plus 26 minutes or whatever it was. But, you know, they they they pulled it off. That's what champions do. Amazing.
00:29:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
At Newcastle away, which is a hard place to go and make that happen.
00:29:47
Nick Britten
There's something fairly ironic, isn't there, about Liverpool losing in the 98th minute and seeing Arnie Slott, who I'm a great fan of, by the way. we're a really big fan of Slott. I think he's really, really good.
00:29:59
Nick Britten
But moaning about, well, there was only six minutes put up on the board. have you got the extra two minutes from? like Like Liverpool have never benefited from that.
00:30:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:30:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
but give me Don't give me that, Arnie.
00:30:08
Nick Britten
and then And then if that's not bad enough, only to see Gabriel pop up in the 97th minute ah for Arsenal to win the game against Newcastle.
00:30:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:30:19
Nick Britten
Extraordinary. Yeah, it was, look, Arsenal, the stats will tell you Arsenal had the dominated the game. And actually for long periods of the second half, it wasn't unlike last week, whereby it was defence versus attack. when our ah just Arsenal pushing forward, Newcastle just sitting deep, sitting deep, sitting deep and and and just trying to repel them that way. We didn't see anything from Newcastle really in the second half as an attacking force, as we did in the first. And they went ahead, yeah.
00:30:46
Nick Britten
against the run of play, but but but okay. And was good goal. Good see Volta Marder on the score sheet. You know, well I really like him. I like watching him play. I think he's very, yeah, really, really good player.
00:30:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it looks like we've player. What is he the Premier League?
00:30:56
Nick Britten
And they competed really well in that first half, I thought, Newcastle.
00:30:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:31:00
Nick Britten
um But Arsenal, know, they're a quality side and they they just kept on pushing them back and back and back. And Newcastle were happy to drop in. They were happy to sit deep. And I'm not sure...
00:31:11
Nick Britten
I don't know. I'm not sure that does them any favours. mean, they are they have got, going into the game, the best defence in the league. So you would think that they would be able to see this out. Equally, it's a long time against the quality of players Arsenal have got.
00:31:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah it is
00:31:26
Nick Britten
keep them out. um Nick Pope won't want to see that last goal again.
00:31:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
no he's flapping away from from the ball
00:31:32
Nick Britten
will. I mean, he's, well, for some reason, he's caught the ball about, you know, 30 seconds before. Rather than lie on the ground with it and try and see the game out, he's tried to rush it. He's miskicked it.
00:31:44
Nick Britten
Suddenly there's a corner and he's he's not dealt with the corner at all.
00:31:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nowhere near it.
00:31:49
Nick Britten
Gabriel's headed in from, you know, a couple of yards out. So not a great end to the game for Pope, who have played very well, made some good saves during the game. So, yeah, look, they needed this Arsenal.
00:32:00
Nick Britten
Because if they hadn't won today, we'd all be looking at them and go, well, they've had three big games this season, away at Liverpool, home to Man City and away at Newcastle. And they haven't won any they haven't won any of those three. And they're the big games that you've got to win if you've got aspirations of winning the title.
00:32:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
But now it looks very different. and and
00:32:15
Nick Britten
Well, two points, isn't it? Two points.
00:32:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Two points.
00:32:17
Nick Britten
That's it. Two points.
00:32:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we love it. And we love it. The other thing just to mention, and we talked about it yesterday when we were talking about the predictions for the Palace and Liverpool game. yeah We said, I think, when we discussing that game, Liverpool are vulnerable.
00:32:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we expect Palace to score one. I remember saying, probably two against Liverpool. Because you just, when teams go at them, They crumble. they They've they definitely got this central defence kind of weakness, Liverpool.
00:32:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's why they were so keen on Gehi. But again, they're very poor.
00:32:49
Nick Britten
Well, they weren't vulnerable yesterday, were they? They were just dreadful. I mean, they were awful from from back to front. I mean, Isaac had a miserable time up top. Canato went back to his early season form where he's like, bam, me on ice.
00:33:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Canati's not good.
00:33:03
Nick Britten
I mean, Kerkhez has got off to a very poor start in the Liverpool shirt.
00:33:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:33:09
Nick Britten
And they needed Alisson to bail them out. if If that had been 4-0 at halftime, nobody would have batted an eyelid.
00:33:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree.
00:33:16
Nick Britten
Alisson were absolutely brilliant.
00:33:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree.
00:33:17
Nick Britten
They ran them ragged in the first half.
00:33:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
They did. And um the energy. Glassner's doing a brilliant job. It can't be long, can it, before Radcliffe's on the phone too to him. and It can't be long.
00:33:28
Nick Britten
Well, easy he's by far and away the manager of the season this season in six games in. And he probably had a good shout for it ah last season in in in various ways.
00:33:39
Nick Britten
Yeah. you caught
00:33:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Do you reckon, by the way, if if Ratcliffe did pick the phone up tomorrow morning, say to Glasnep, come and join the party, do you reckon he would?
00:33:50
Nick Britten
I think he'd be absolutely mad to.
00:33:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Would you think he would?
00:33:54
Nick Britten
Probably, yeah.
00:33:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think you're right.
00:33:57
Nick Britten
Well, it's difficult, isn't it? Because, you know, for it's Man United at the end of the day and football management is a very, very, very opportunistic game.
00:33:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's Man United.
00:34:07
Nick Britten
You never know when you're going to get another opportunity and your stock is high one minute and it only takes something, you know, to lose a player or two what have you and suddenly you're down a bottom of the league and and and that opportunity will never, ever come again.
00:34:21
Nick Britten
So, i think you'd be mad to go Man U but I think you probably would because it's Manchester United.
00:34:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think you're right.

Upcoming Matches Preview

00:34:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, just looking ahead to next week, two very interesting games, by the way, in the context of what we've just been talking about. Arsenal at home against West Ham. Okay. Nuno is there, but I still think Arsenal are going to walk that.
00:34:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Chelsea v Liverpool. Chelsea, we haven't quite worked out. Well, we kind of thought we hadn't. They just don't they they didn't didn't look great yesterday. ah Chelsea beat Liverpool but Chelsea's going go and turn on um a different kind of Chelsea performance go and beat Liverpool because guess what Chelsea are going to score so so you know i could see that being a 2-2 or a two one so suddenly Arsenal could be top of the league this time next week
00:35:05
Nick Britten
Well, I think we know what to expect. Arsenal versus West Ham. I think we'll probably expect, to ah particularly with Nuno in charge, we'll probably expect West Ham to sit very, very deep, try and hit them on the counter, try and get what you can, but essentially put 11 men behind the ball and stop them from scoring.
00:35:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
hmm
00:35:20
Nick Britten
I think we can kind of work out what kind of game that is going to be.
00:35:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's
00:35:25
Nick Britten
Chelsea, Liverpool, who knows?
00:35:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
going to be an interesting game.
00:35:29
Nick Britten
Who knows? Because charm and Chelsea are all over the place. Yesterday again, A man sent off. Again, you know, they just looked chaos when they went down to 10. They were totally in control of the game 1-0.
00:35:40
Nick Britten
A man gets sent off, they go to pieces.
00:35:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Four, four.
00:35:44
Nick Britten
And Brighton, fair play to Brighton, they took full advantage, three goals, and won the game, in the end, won the game very, very

Conclusion and Listener Engagement

00:35:50
Nick Britten
convincingly. But Chelsea have got a very young team, ah very inexperienced team, and I think it's been shown in the last two games, they need some experience.
00:35:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, there's no leaders on the pitch.
00:36:00
Nick Britten
No leaders on the pitch.
00:36:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's for sure.
00:36:02
Nick Britten
We look at rolling back the years, Jordan Henderson at Brentford yesterday. yeah
00:36:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:36:06
Nick Britten
We've talked about Jordan Henderson in an England context, but in a Brentford context, that's what you need. You need that experience and that know-how in the middle of the pitch. And Chelsea just don't have that experience anywhere, really.
00:36:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well, welcome to Brighton. Obviously, Kema backed up a 2-0 victory over Everton in the EFL Cup as well. So things seem to be turning around for them. um So, brilliant.
00:36:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's brought everything to a nice conclusion. Thanks for that, Nick. So we talked about West Ham. We talked about VAR. We talked about the games. It's been a great weekend of Premier League football.
00:36:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
I hope everyone's enjoyed that. hope everybody's enjoyed the podcast as well. If you want to get in contact with us, feel free. It's at dailypremierleagepodcast at gmail.com. We'll be back tomorrow to bring you more ah thrills and spills from the English Premier League, which is the greatest competition of a national level in the world.
00:37:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thanks, Nick, for your company. It's been really good.
00:37:05
Nick Britten
It's been a great weekend of football. Thanks, Ken.
00:37:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Cheers.