Transcript
DailySaintsPod: hello and welcome back to the Daily Saints pod, episode number 505, Zach. How you doing, mate?
Zak: I'm doing well mate, it's just weird to be back. So.
DailySaintsPod: You did it.
Zak: Nice thing. Look forward to when the actual football starts.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: That's going to be nice.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, well, look. It's been an international break and... Whilst I've made my opinions on international football and international breaks very clear.
DailySaintsPod: to to show how much I care. about our listeners and about our players. I've gone out of my way to research and work out, mate, all of the Saints players who have been playing whilst away on international duty.
DailySaintsPod: and how they've got on.
Zak: how How very kind of you, mate. I'm glad that we can we can look at all of the injuries that have been caused by this international break.
DailySaintsPod: Peace.
Zak: okay
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Yeah, injuries or just doing well enough to potentially be selected to go and play in a big tournament and also miss out on Saints games. All of those things.
DailySaintsPod: So, I mean, I don't know. I've not really got this in any particular order apart from the order in which... the first game they played in took place so i guess i'm sticking with that
Zak: Go for gold, mate.
DailySaintsPod: so
Zak: It's better than us trying to explain how we do championship roundups every week. uh
DailySaintsPod: Oh, well you mean my favourite reverse chronological alphabetical descending?
Zak: The way the BBC Sport page outlines it.
DailySaintsPod: Uh... So look, let's start with Matsky. who... played in a 3 -1 win against Uruguay and scored.
DailySaintsPod: on his debut in the 11th minute. a brilliant goal I'm sure that you've seen it.
Zak: Very good to go. Yeah, I have.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: i was like you know uh It was always like... Said that he had a bigger ceiling to reach, right?
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: And I remember... when we did our our coverage of him. We did a player profile way back when. And one of the things that was really nice is that there, there was a guy who covers quite a lot of like Japanese internationals, but he also does like full scouting reports of them as well. I'll see if I can find his Twitter handle. because it is it's really interesting stuff But I remember him sort of saying a lot of the things that...
Zak: have a bit at this point prophetic with the way that Matzki plays and and how he can slot into a team. But it's kind of weird that he was port playing like... Right wing back, right? which is almost the position that...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: Sugawara would be taking if
DailySaintsPod: Mmm.
Zak: He was playing. It's just very odd because also...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Fascinating. anything
Zak: One of the reasons he left was apparently he had to be in the top five leagues. Now I don't know if... Japan have gone for a change of management at that period of time. I'd be lying if I said I paid that much attention. But I did find it slightly interesting that, you know...
Zak: He ends up coming on and scoring almost instantaneously.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: in a Bit of an unfamiliar position, but not, I guess, as unfamiliar. due to the way that we play.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Yeah, I mean... Right wing, right wing back. I mean, some right wing backs don't defend anyway. It depends on how you set up, right?
Zak: DEH -
DailySaintsPod: I mean...
Zak: Are you talking about Trent Alexander -Arnold?
DailySaintsPod: Yep.
Zak: Is that who you're decide you're alluding to there, Greg?
DailySaintsPod: Well, I didn't have anyone particular in mind. i just remember for a period of time that we played tom fellows at right wing back like it's just
Zak: No, I think it's that's more of a discussion about... Modern.
Zak: football philosophy but yeah i agree with you it's
DailySaintsPod: that I actually just think that... Maybe that's something that comes with... trying to force names into a formation that you can write down on paper rather than like how games are actually played and how positions are actually kind of worked out. but that is That is a whole can of worms, look.
DailySaintsPod: We should not open today. But yeah, he got an 8 .0 FopMob rating. which is the the rating I've referred to across as many of these games as I can because it was in National Football and I didn't watch it.
DailySaintsPod: So. So it's one point of reference.
Zak: No.
DailySaintsPod: that He...
Zak: You not watch international football.
DailySaintsPod: crazy I know he came off as a substitute in the 64th minute And yeah, pretty solid performance. Good stuff.
DailySaintsPod: Then there have been three other Japan games within this international break. He was not in the squad. for their 2 -1 win over Venezuela, although it was only like a couple of days after, so I think there was quite a lot of rotation. And then they played in the Kirin Cup semi -final.
DailySaintsPod: which Japan won on penalties after a 0 -0 draw, where he also wasn't in the squad. They then went on to beat New Zealand 2 -1 in the final, where he was an unused sub. So...
DailySaintsPod: uh Good start. And sort of... Gang. Footway into that Japan national squad, but we're not doing enough. it seems to get into those other games.
Zak: I think it's just... it If they're playing him right wing back, it kind of feels like they don't really know where to fit him in, to be honest. But, you know, if if he comes on and scores...
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: Bye. that can't be a bad thing for his international career. It might hurt his Saints career, and by that I mean he might nu not be here.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: But that's always the thing with other...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: i always I always found it was like African Cup of Nations is always one, right? Where you could you you see that effect in the Premier League and also other leagues now where all of a sudden, you know, a bunch of the best players just completely disappear.
Zak: And obviously you have that with any international tournament that takes place over regular season timings. but i think the jay league and i think a couple of
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: a couple of Asian leagues and also... I'd be lying if I said I knew how most of the African leagues worked, but I think it's like during their period of like winter break and stuff is when it usually takes place because a lot of their seasons never used to run. like ours do like where it's like august to august or sorry august to like may theirs usually runs from like february right 30.
DailySaintsPod: Mm.
Zak: and then have some big breaks in between. but I guess we'll just have to see how it pans out. But it's it's a really good thing and it shows that we've got a decent player in him.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. I mean, it's it until the squads come out, right, it's purely speculation. He might not even make it in, like I say, after that quite impressive performance at the start.
Zak: Yeah, for sure.
DailySaintsPod: Three games where... you know other options were preferred which is just fine right new player coming in he's been seen as an option and uh you know there's still players in that position who are going to be above him in the choice rank but we'll we'll see how that plays out but But good, impressive debut for him. I'm sure that he'll come back very happy with that.
DailySaintsPod: Right, next on the list, the combined grouping of Ryan Manning and Finnazaz. of course playing for the Republic of Ireland.
DailySaintsPod: First match they played was against Kosovo, where they lost 1 -0. Azaz played the full 90 minutes, and Manning came on for... two minutes at the end of the game.
DailySaintsPod: Azaz got a 7 .2. rating on foot mob That's all I've got. Yeah. I mean, I don't know, you kind of feel like...
DailySaintsPod: Maybe you'd expect... as as to to be doing better in a game against kosovo but I guess it's hard, right?
DailySaintsPod: International football is a different kettle of fish.
Zak: I was reading a really a really interesting article today about why Archer's doing really, really well over in France, right? Like he's had three appearances and three goals.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: And obviously it's just like the completely different league. And I feel like international football can sometimes be like that, where some players internationally play amazing and then you you actually put them into... you know, regular football and it doesn't work and and vice versa.
Zak: but like I saw, former Saints midfielder who we really wish had stayed, Shea Charles, doing pretty well for Northern Ireland as well. So yeah, I don't really... I kind of take any international.
Zak: results as with a pinch of salt right my big thing is like please don't pick up an injury which unfortunately seems to have been the case with for quite a few of our team members
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: What? Wait, wait. Get to that. But yeah. Then next up, a game that was surrounded by a whole load of noise and controversy that we are just absolutely not getting into on a football podcast. Israel versus Republic of Ireland. where the proper world won 3 -0.
DailySaintsPod: Manning got a full 90 minutes in this game and Azaz was an unused sub. Manning got a 7 .0 thought mob rating. Pretty good stuff. uh Decent win.
DailySaintsPod: Then... Republic of Ireland versus Austria was a two -all draw where both Manning and Azaz got a full 90 minutes. Manning managed to pick up a booking in the 88th minute.
DailySaintsPod: Azaz got a low 6 .9 rating in this game. A Manning upped it to a 7 .4.
DailySaintsPod: But like you say, it's it's international football. What what what else is there to be said?
Zak: i think this is the other problem as well it's like We're not going to... Just being honest, we're not going to be able to go through and like watch every single international game during the break. and wouldn't want to because it would drive us all insane.
Zak: So we kind of have to go off of like ratings, but it's it's hard to to know because it could have been like the whole team were having an off night or it was...
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: played in a country where the humidity was 98%. There's just things that... we're not going to really quite know.
DailySaintsPod: I think they were at home for that one, mate, and i think I know that it's been hot. in Ireland this year, but I don't think it's quite that. so
Zak: I don't know, mate. It's still like 20 degrees around here and it's still my head in.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, you're right.
Zak: It's October. Come on.
DailySaintsPod: And then in their final game at the window, a rematch of Republic of Ireland versus Israel, which was a one -all draw.
DailySaintsPod: Both goals came from penalties. Manning got 86 minutes and picked up a 6 .9 football rating for that game, as ours was once again an unused club.
Zak: I think he won the penalty for that game as well, to be fair. I don't i don't know if that that showed up. I think he won the penalty that they you know got the draw from, which again, kind of like fits into the MO of him.
Zak: going in and and picking up sort of free kicks for us, etc.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: uh people just like to take him out
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Absolutely. But yeah, so look. reasonably good. set of minutes for for both of those guys.
Zak: minutes, no injuries.
Zak: thus
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, always good.
Zak: It's the win, right?
DailySaintsPod: Some... Rumours swirling that that might be Finnazaz's last time playing for the Republic of Ireland. I don't know. I haven't read anything into that because it was an article about international football, so I didn't care.
DailySaintsPod: Right, next up on the list, Daniel Peretz. who got a full 90 minutes in Israel's 3 -1 loss to Austria.
DailySaintsPod: and managed to pick up a yellow card in the 90th minute, but did muster a 7 .7 FOTMOD rating despite shipping three goals. Which is...
DailySaintsPod: Crazy.
Zak: i kind of It kind of feels like the the sort of rating that we'd give Ramsdale during the year.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: We just kept getting absolutely peppered.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: and And it's like, perhaps that was a really...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, we lost 5 -0. If it wasn't for Ramsdale, it'd have been 9.
Zak: 5 -0 would have been 7. We would have broken the you know we'd have lost probably more games if it hadn't been for the fact that we had Rambo and the Sticks.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: and you know Some of those 5 -0 games would have been probably easily... getting close to the 9 -0. you know marka but
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: Alas.
DailySaintsPod: He then also played 90 minutes in that 3 -0 loss to the Republic of Ireland. Picking up a 5 .4 for that. But... as we then learned was probably carrying an injury through at least most of that game.
DailySaintsPod: He then wasn't in the squad in their game against Kosovo. And then between that game and their rematch against Republic of Ireland, returned to Staplewood with what's described as a minor strain of the glute, which...
DailySaintsPod: I would be remiss not to refer to as a giant pain in the ass.
Zak: It's just it's just frustrating uh because again it's like In a time we're supposed to be building. and gain confidence. Ship six goals, pick up an injury.
DailySaintsPod: Mmm.
Zak: deal deal with a lot of controversy around your fixture which is obviously gonna gonna change the way that people are thinking and completely just upset what was quite a harmonious environment other than the whole I don't want to mention it. Like I want to go a whole episode about saying the word, but without the other controversy in our club that continues to rumble on like a...
Zak: like an oncoming behemoth marching across the land
DailySaintsPod: Mmm.
Zak: Yeah, like it's it's just it's just annoying. It feels like the break came at a time, and I i think I remember but be you saying, like has it come at a good time time though? Because you know we're we're doing we're starting to kick on. We're doing pretty well.
Zak: And it it seems like what what we've actually done is just like send all our players away. to to pick up injuries or alternatively put in okay to slash.
Zak: Bad. performances. and then come back to one of, if not you know the biggest game of the season.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: It's just, I don't know what what you can do about it, though, right?
DailySaintsPod: Crazy. Horrible.
Zak: Like, I guess all you can do is hope that, that you know...
DailySaintsPod: That's it.
Zak: None of them have got below a five so far.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Yeah. What you could do about it, mate, is bin off international football completely and I will continue to beat that drum. Uh,
Zak: been off the nation's league the thing that like i i don't know who won the last one and i don't think anyone could tell me to be honest so
DailySaintsPod: for the remainder. Yeah.
Zak: Salve.
DailySaintsPod: Exactly. Right next on the list. Romeo Akachukwu, who of course has been... in and around the first team, right? Got a couple of appearances.
DailySaintsPod: He is part of the Republic of Ireland under -21 set -up.
DailySaintsPod: who has uh been away with them this international window. They played the Slovakia under -21s and got a 2 -0 win in which he came on in the 75th minute. And they also played the Kazakhstan under -21s where they won 4 -3 and he came on in the 70th minute. As is the issue with youth football.
DailySaintsPod: That's all of the details I've got. I couldn't even find video. I looked. I couldn't find match reports. But minutes in and around. A couple of wins in a youth set -up. They've also got another game which kicks off. in a couple of hours time.
DailySaintsPod: at time of recording. But. You know, I won't be able to find any information on that either, so...
Zak: i'll try i gotta try transfer markets somehow they have some of the best international stats that I've ever come across in comparison to...
DailySaintsPod: No. Yeah. Yeah.
Zak: All right. You'd think somewhere it would be really easy to find that, but hey -ho.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. Crazy. I mean, the Japan games, I couldn't even find. reference. on the BBC or on Sky Sports or anywhere, I had to have to hunt out results for the Kirin Cup. so That was fun. But yeah, Akachukwu. Good to be involved in an international setup with a couple of wins. Get some... in youth international minutes under of the belt.
DailySaintsPod: Always good stuff, right? No... No reported injuries. involved in the team. Great. This is what the only positives were after from an international break, right?
DailySaintsPod: Uh...
Zak: Yeah, exactly that. Up.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: I'd be lying if I said they, like... When you talk about the Kirin Cup. It's because it's like specifically a... it's it's It's like if we had the equivalent of the...
Zak: Oh, go on, Greg. Name a British beer that you like.
Zak: Oh, that's hard. yeah yeah yeah
DailySaintsPod: I like Doom Bar.
Zak: Right. Imagine we had the Doombar Cup, right? And it involved England and then just three teams we decided to randomly pick out of a bag. That is what the Kirin Cup is, right?
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: it's a It's a Japanese brewery company that they set up like an invitational tournament, which I guess is because they don't have a Nations League to participate in.
DailySaintsPod: Amazing.
Zak: So hey -ho, it's probably not going to be something that is hugely popularised in...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: like outside of the region
DailySaintsPod: It was not. It was not. Right, moving on down the list, Divine Mubama, who is involved in the England Under -21s set -up.
DailySaintsPod: They... played the Kazakhstan under -21s, and they won 4 -2, a game in which he started and came off in the 70th minute for Will Lanarkshire, who then went on to score off the bench.
Zak: That's always fun. That's one of those like weird things now that's apparently become a rivalry where obviously Middlesbrough picked him up quite cheap and he's been on fire.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: And they're like, oh, you picked the wrong player. It's like... Okay. like what
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. uh
Zak: yeah i'm I'm glad. you know.
DailySaintsPod: minutes.
Zak: He got some minutes under his belt. That's all he needed at the end of the day.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, minutes of a decent win. Perfect. They also played the Slovakia under -21s in a 0 -0 draw. in which he came on off the bench in the 71st minute.
DailySaintsPod: And the only other interesting detail I found from this match that also involved was Sam Amomeo in the starting lineup, who was replaced in the 62nd minute by Tyler Diblin.
DailySaintsPod: So... just Lots of Saints connections in that England under -21s.
Zak: There always are in the youth set up specifically, but it is one of those things where like, again, as much as some people think that Dibbling is like a, you know, like we we really missed out.
DailySaintsPod: Bye now.
Zak: I just think of the amount of players we... replaced him with.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: I think I'd still do that again. At least he's still getting the minutes.
DailySaintsPod: yeah I think
Zak: Bless him.
DailySaintsPod: Think the... The value that we turned his transfer fee into is insane. just hugely hugely positive overall, I think.
DailySaintsPod: Right, last but not least, Kyle Lahren, who, of course... joined the Canada set -up for the international break, stopping off in his hometown to be presented the... key to his city.
DailySaintsPod: which is great. Good stuff. Loads of fun stuff around that online. They played Chile and 1 -1 -0. where he got an assist. and the booking.
DailySaintsPod: and subbed off in 76 minutes. He got a 7 .5 rating on Fuck Mob. Other interesting note about that game, Chile had two players sent off, which is...
DailySaintsPod: Nuts.
Zak: Was one of them Ben Beres and Diaz?
DailySaintsPod: No it was not. but
Zak: Okay, so it's so's nice to check in on...
DailySaintsPod: yeah
Zak: the
DailySaintsPod: but
Zak: For the players.
DailySaintsPod: I don't think he was on the team sheet.
Zak: i know he's still I know he's still knocking around their international squad because I know for a while he was kind of like exiled, but he seems to have broken back in.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: But again, it's not really like he's our player anymore.
DailySaintsPod: I don't know. I've got to be honest, I didn't look out for him on the team sheet and he didn't jump off the page at me either.
Zak: Be honest, you forgot he even existed after he left.
DailySaintsPod: say ha what And then he wasn't available for their game against Peru due to a back strain in the weight room and of course has since returned to Staplewood.
DailySaintsPod: for assessment meaning he won't be involved in their upcoming fixture against the USA So yeah, I mean, I don't know. I mean...
Zak: Wait, wait World Cup.
DailySaintsPod: It isn't. Uh oh. There's a world, Zach, where... Oh no, I lifted too much weight. I need to get an early flight back to be back in time for the South Coast Derby. And I'm there for it, right?
DailySaintsPod: Like...
Zak: Yeah, but also considering he's just been handed the keys to the city of his hometown. He just played in a World Cup for Canada. The entirety of the point of him coming back was to get into said World Cup.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: I think that you know international duty is important to him, clearly. so i don't really think that he would but for me it's it's more of a frustration of
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: No, I don't either
Zak: clearly you know without any break much after the world cup you know you've had a bit of an extended time off but There's just no respite for any of these players. And it's coming home to roost now, right?
Zak: Like you've had two two players that we bought in January that have played as many minutes as they possibly could for us.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm.
Zak: both picking up injuries in the international break. It's annoying uh more than anything else it's frustrating especially where both of those areas are the areas where we went wow i really hope nothing happens to goalkeeper or striker like you've had we'll have this conversation in the the build up to the Portsmouth game. But you've already discussed like, well, at least we have Ramsdale when it's like. Maybe. If we play Ramsdale.
Zak: But that isn't like. That wasn't meant to be an outcome, right, that we had.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Zak: That wasn't meant to be something that they planned for. so theoretically the two big injury worries that we had of striker and goalkeeper Have. come home.
Zak: And now we have to deal with that problem. And hopefully that there's nothing serious about it. But this is what we were also we were also told. that Caspianda wasn't anything serious and we haven't seen him.
Zak: this year. really at all. So I don't know. Hopefully the assessment is that, you know. the the physios for international teams are.
Zak: paid probably less than club teams and thus. have not done as... good as a club can.
DailySaintsPod: I don't know
Zak: and I know
DailySaintsPod: It's...
Zak: that's probably really disrespectful i don't want to you know i'm just going from you know
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. I mean who who knows, right?
Zak: make any assumption
DailySaintsPod: And they could have also had these injuries had they stayed home and just trained with us, right? There's no way of knowing. but it is definitely unfortunate. But look, that's it. That's a look at all of our Saints who have been out on international duty.
DailySaintsPod: Generally positive. At least they're both seemingly minor injuries which make them question marks Pompey and not. long -term injuries that rule them out for severe periods of time. right Could be a lot worse.
DailySaintsPod: But... Fingers crossed on all fronts. But look, that's it. That's all we've got time for today. So thank you everyone for joining us and listening. Let us know your thoughts on the international break and all the international football that has happened.
DailySaintsPod: In the comments, in the descriptions, on the socials. We are Daily Saints Pod absolutely everywhere. X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook. TikTok, YouTube, ever everywhere. Hit us up. And we love hearing from you.
DailySaintsPod: We'll be back tomorrow with some more footballing goodness. But until then, everyone, have a wonderful day. and We will see you then.
