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Daily Premier League in English: Episode 89 - Liverpool snatches victory away from PSG in Champions League, what's in store for Tottenham, Manchester United, and Chelsea?
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Join Michał Czarniecki, Louie Easton, and Victor Plevnes in reviewing the highlights from last night's unbelievable heist of the season as Liverpool stole a victory from Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Round of 16's 1st leg. Also, the knockout stages of Europa and Conference League begin for Premier League clubs. How long will their European campaign last? Tune in and enjoy!
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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.
00:00:41
Speaker
The Global Sports Podcast
Meet the Hosts: Michal and Louis
00:00:43
Speaker
Network. work Hello, hello and welcome to the latest edition of Daily English Premier League here by GSPN. My name is Michal Czarniecki. Welcome coming to you live from California. I'm joined by Louis Easton, of course, our member of the Daily English Premier League Liverpool fan. Very good to have you here.
00:01:02
Speaker
And it's very, very good to be here, by the way. Absolutely. And we're going to get to that in a second.
Episode Setup: Liverpool vs PSG Teaser
00:01:07
Speaker
Because, oh my, oh my, not everyone is happy but because of that result. And then we have, whitbridge which brings me to Victor.
00:01:13
Speaker
um the Chicago-based Man United fan. Two Man United fans versus one Liverpool fan. That be one heck of an episode today. I really can't wait. ah Not as good as Louis, but yeah.
00:01:26
Speaker
style no i I don't feel very outnumbered at the moment. This feels great. Honestly, ah talking about ah the Champions League with two Man United fans in 2025 is a wonderful thing to do.
00:01:39
Speaker
and And it will be my pleasure throughout the episode. Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. And and we don't really we do not really blame you. I mean, if you've got a successful team, then it's... I told you, don't invite him. oh Oh, well, but we need to have some insight because there's one reason... Okay, the one reason why I invited Louis to join our review for Daily English Premier League is not because I'm a masochist.
00:02:01
Speaker
It's because I really would like to understand what on earth happened at Park de Prince last night.
Liverpool's Defense and Alisson's Heroics
00:02:08
Speaker
Because I have never seen ah Liverpool in such... I wouldn't say disarray. Like, so defensive this season. this is That was something that i just I just couldn't believe my very own eyes.
00:02:21
Speaker
And the fact that you guys scored that winner... if out of one moment of brilliance, of course, kudos to Elliot, but I really think the final score should say PSG nil, Alisson Becker won.
00:02:35
Speaker
Yes, I mean, he he has been, um that he said after the game that it's the match of his life as well, and when you watch the game back, you will absolutely understand that, because he was a brick wall in that goal.
00:02:49
Speaker
ah He made so many important saves. I think they had 10 shots on goal, not counting block shots. I mean, 10 shots that he was tested and he didn't let anything pass.
00:03:01
Speaker
He, and not just his reflexes and his athleticism, but also the ability to think in milliseconds. There was one ah moment where the ball was fizzed across goal.
00:03:14
Speaker
It was going in and he also, he, scoops it away from two PSG shirts ah while on the ground whilst preventing it from going into the back of the net from a shot.
00:03:26
Speaker
I mean, that's how experienced he is, that's how well-trained he is, and that's how... unbelievable he is as a goalkeeper. I mean, people often talk about the best goalkeeper in the world being Emi Martinez.
00:03:39
Speaker
I mean, if Alisson wasn't injured so often and we're just talking about ah ability, not just all things included, ability in the back of the net,
00:03:50
Speaker
Alisson destroys Emi Martinez for me. And I think there's a bit of World Cup bias there as well. But I won't go into that debate too much because for me, it's just not a debate. And also, ah you talk about Elliott being the genius in that goal.
00:04:05
Speaker
Darwin Nunez made that goal. And, you know, in recent weeks, I myself have been very critical of Darwin Nunez saying that he needs to leave this summer. He probably does. But when he when he makes ah when he makes these moments happen um and when he changes the game, and he genuinely did when he came on for Jota, it kind of makes you have a little bit of doubt wanting to get rid of Darwin
Darwin Nunez's Impact and Future at Liverpool
00:04:34
Speaker
Nunez. I've seen Fabrizio Romano say that he is going to leave this summer. And, you know, when Fabrizio Romano says it's probably going to happen.
00:04:43
Speaker
um but he was such a pain in the neck for those ah PSG defenders because he was sprinting at them. And there wasn't a player on the pitch working harder than Darwin Nunez when he came on because he was back in the box to make blocks.
00:04:58
Speaker
And then when it was a counter-attack, he was straight onto to it. Alison Becker, Virgil van Dijk making those clearances up the pitch. He would be in Marquinhos' face for... every ball and it was him that got the assist and it was him that had the decision making um at a critical time to set up harvey elliott's goal and it was smash and grab it was our only shot on goal the entire game and it came in the 87th minute when harvey elliott had been on the pitch for 47 seconds his very first touch after salah came off after having a horrible game
00:05:34
Speaker
um but that's football that's the beauty of it that's what we as fans watch the game for these are the moments that us fans watch the game for it's something that will be uh remembered and also liverpool's first win in france in competitive football since 2008 crazy
00:05:55
Speaker
crazy And Solskjaer has won it. Anyway, sorry. Victor, I would like... Yeah, I was born. Never mind. Victor. So, but on on the back of what Louis just said there about how memorable this match will be for Liverpool fans because of the fact that after such a horrible display...
00:06:20
Speaker
throughout first 80, 85, 56 minutes, first 56, of course, overall, almost the entire game. ah Elliot to grab this winner. ah Unbelievable feeling. But I want to talk about the statistics with you, Victor, a little bit about that because 28 total attempts by PSG, nine on target, eight off target.
00:06:39
Speaker
um 84 attacks. i' nine I'm just, I'm just, yeah, nine. Did I say something? Yeah, nine attempts on target, eight off target, sorry. Then 84 attacks, three clear chances.
PSG's Dominance and Liverpool's Resilience
00:06:51
Speaker
I'm only talking about PSG stats. They were absolutely dominating the game. So how on earth Paris Saint-Germain did not get a goal that would actually count? I'm not talking about the goal by Clascaglia. Honestly, I think we had high expectations in Liverpool just because of how their season is going. But we forget one thing.
00:07:08
Speaker
and kind I mean, PSG has been undefeated for 22 games. They picked up their form in the second part of the season. So I'm not surprised that the game went this way, except for the win. I honestly expected that PSG is going to win this first game and then Liverpool is going to win the second one. It's going to be really good good game, obviously, in both cities.
00:07:27
Speaker
right But... There is something about Liverpool not playing today because I feel like they're used to playing twice a week. And this week that they had like a gap, it took him forever to get going. And they never really get going got going. It was just like ah that one goal that happened and that's it. And now they know where they stand. Like they have to pick up their game in the second game for sure.
00:07:50
Speaker
I think there are loads of different factors, but sorry to interrupt you, Victor. there There are loads of different factors to consider, but I also wasn't expecting this from PSG because they have been yet to play a proper powerhouse this season. I mean, they've had 22 games undefeated,
00:08:06
Speaker
but they haven't been properly tested and they showed class. They showed a lot of class, but we have to give credit to Liverpool's defense as well.
00:08:18
Speaker
I mean, we talk about Alisson, but Van Dijk didn't really put much of a foot wrong. I know he got himself booked, but that was for time wasting, which wasn't even time wasting. Um, And credit to Alexander Arnold. He's been under the magnifying glass a lot this season for his defending, but he was terrific in one-on-one situations.
00:08:39
Speaker
Louis, there is one thing about English teams. Every time they play against a top team from like Europe, they feel inferior. And every time they play away.
00:08:50
Speaker
and And I feel like that's the same that comes the same with the English national team. That's why England has only won the World Cup once. Also the managers, but yeah. Every time you you play a big team in Europe, either Bayern or Barcelona or Real Madrid,
00:09:04
Speaker
no matter how big of a form the English team is in, they'll struggle. And that proved again today. You know what? Sorry, Louis. I'm sorry. I just have to ask one question about what you said there about a solid performance by Liverpool defence.
00:09:19
Speaker
Just objectively speaking, like the second you said that, I recalled that one chance by PSG, which was created big only because of a bad covering on the left side of the page, very close to the penalty box, and ah with Alisson Becker making two terrific saves and with a third attempt going wide.
00:09:39
Speaker
that' I do not think that was display very defensive. That was... that That was crazy. You saw the one in the first half where there was Barcola. That was crazy. That was... I thought that came off the right hand side. No, that was... um But that's one of those moments where you can't really plan for it because it was genuinely just pinball.
00:09:59
Speaker
And I think it was... um I mean, Alisson took a gamble and came off his line and it was just completely um unplanned and it would be harsh to criticise the tactical.
00:10:13
Speaker
I meant tactically we were brilliant in defence, but in that situation, PSG were very unlucky not to score. There was also the disallowed goal that you alluded to earlier, um where Kovac Scalia...
00:10:26
Speaker
can't Kvarratskeli that got the ball or not. have been Dembele, but there was like a heel in it. And then there was that also that moment with Kanate doing the nudge in the box as well. So there were many um bits of fortune that went our way, but the parts where you can't really...
00:10:43
Speaker
um blame it on fortune where we were just organized and we were just covering and you know Diaz and Salah at times were playing in that sort of holding midfield role I think it was just us parking the bus and you know you can say what you want about ah certain moments in the match but at the end of the day we kept a clean sheet against one of the most threatening sides in Europe and you can't You can make the excuses that you want, but you have to give credit to Liverpool um in a lot of moments in the match. I mean, not to mention Alisson being insane. is wake-up call for Liverpool.
00:11:20
Speaker
the right time. think so as well. At the right time, because this is the end of the season where you have to show... Yeah, and also we have Southampton on the weekend. That could so easily be a banana skin because we just go from playing PSG and, I mean...
Previewing Liverpool vs Southampton and Competition Performances
00:11:35
Speaker
i suppose what you could say is we weren't running a lot because we were just jockeying majority of the game uh so we might have some fresh legs going into the southampton game especially since it is at home at anfield um but i just don't want us to underestimate them because they will be parking the bus as well they've got um i mean i just did um a recording with the southampton boys on daily liverpool which will be released on Friday on the Daily Liverpool podcast and also it will already be out on the Daily Southampton so just a little plug there but we did talk about the um the Southampton defence where they just do this strange man marking and you know they'll leave one centre-back back and you know if that's Salah versus someone like Joe Eribo who played at centre-back against Chelsea
00:12:21
Speaker
And that could be dangerous. So I just don't want us to underestimate Southampton on the weekend. But this is getting it's getting into the crucial stages of all competitions at the moment.
00:12:33
Speaker
We've also got a League final to look forward to as well. So there's a lot going on at Liverpool at the moment. And it's a good thing that we got that break. I think Slott's going to mix up things for Southampton.
00:12:45
Speaker
I'm calling it at least five changes from today's team against Southampton. He doesn't often do that many changes. Salah will play, I think, but there will be changes, I think. we will He's like an anti-pep.
00:12:56
Speaker
right We will talk about the the future, though. But before that, let's get into of break. And after that, I really would love to hear your predictions about the second leg at Enfield. But for now, okay let's hear about the...
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bionique don't settle for off-the-shelf solutions made for just anybody get what's right for you right now thank you bionic for sponsoring our podcast you're listening to daily english premier league provided to you by global sports podcast network um yes so just like i promised before the break we will discuss your predictions for the second leg but just before that Let's just have a brief mention of what happened with the other English teams um in the knockout phase in the round of 16 of Champions League.
English Teams in the Champions League
00:14:16
Speaker
In the first game, Aston Villa traveling to Belgium, taking on Club Bruges and defeating them with three goals to one. Solid performance by um by the boys of Unai Emery.
00:14:28
Speaker
Also in the Netherlands, Arsenal travel to PSV, to Eindhoven and Arsenal. with a staggering seven goals to one. Boys, how do you like the chances of English teams faring so far, like faring in Champions League so far?
00:14:42
Speaker
The thing is with Arsenal, if they, um once they advance, I think we can say once now, because the return fixture is at home, and they're six goals to the good against ah PSV, who...
00:14:55
Speaker
looked so inferior to arsenal let's just say that um so but the thing is once they go through they've got to face the winner of atletico madrid and real madrid and i would not fancy either of those teams especially without bukayo saka at the moment uh for arsenal so i fear for them uh they've had a weird run of form recently in the premier league I think they want to focus on the Champions League, but it would take a miracle to beat Real Madrid, especially with the little Champions League experience they've had in recent years.
00:15:28
Speaker
um I can't think of a time where Arsenal have really shocked the world in ah Europe. uh in recent years so you know i i but you know credit to them for the 7-1 and um also credit to aston villa for picking up the the win in belgium because they had a weird trip there last time out when they went to belgium that weird sort of uh penalty given away where there was the handball over the confusion of the goal kick they recovered from that um i think that was a pretty low bar however
00:16:00
Speaker
Absolutely. And Victor, um what could happen is that if Club Bruges fails to make a miraculous comeback and in the like during that second leg hosted by Villa...
00:16:15
Speaker
And if Liverpool manages to go past a PSG after that second leg at Enfield, we will be set for an English quarter-finals. So um in the worst-case scenario, we're looking at just one English team surviving through the two um the semifinals.
00:16:34
Speaker
How is that looking for you, Victor? i think, Oliver, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, they'll go to the quarter-finals. And I can just see Oli Watkins celebrating at Enfield.
00:16:46
Speaker
Is that delusion speaking as a Man United fan with your rivalry? I'm sorry, Louis, but you have to you have to admit that Marcus Rashford has been absolutely phenomenal ever since he joined the Aston Villa. He has been.
00:17:00
Speaker
He has been, absolutely. Oh, come on, Victor. Oh, come on. No, he has been good, Victor. i mean, when he played against us, I know he didn't get any gold contributions, but...
00:17:11
Speaker
I was worried because he loves that left-hand side and he hasn't, over the years recent years at Manchester United, he hasn't been, he's been played in different positions by different managers, but he's never really found ah form in a long time and now that he's getting this new chance at Unai Emery away from what seems like a bit of a toxic atmosphere at Carrington and Old Trafford at the moment it's it's rejuvenating and it's really refreshing to see him ah performing and you know it's not just him it's Asensio as well and they' oh their link up this is phenomenal It's brilliant. And, you know, we really struggled against Aston Villa um when we went sir to Villa Park recently. And they they they they are they will definitely be a challenge for Liverpool. But, you know, Champions League nights at Anfield are really special. And we hear all of the ah managers ah talk about it, all the greatest managers ever.
00:18:11
Speaker
However, the return leg would be at Villa Park. That is an advantage to Villa. And I can imagine their fans would be well up for that, especially in this stage of the competition.
00:18:22
Speaker
And we saw what happened to Bayern Munich when they went to Villa Park in the first match back in the Champions League for Aston Villa. They folded. um But, you know, anything can happen in the Champions League.
00:18:34
Speaker
I don't like making predictions, but it's fair to say Liverpool look to be the favourites out of the Champions League teams. yeah I can see Liverpool going to semi-final for sure. ah so Talking about the predictions, second leg at Anfield, Liverpool taking on PSG.
00:18:52
Speaker
To be honest, for me personally, i think that if somebody wants to already underestimate the power of PSG and their attacking prowess because of the twelfth um ah because of the 12th player being present, which would be the Anfield Wolves,
00:19:07
Speaker
I think it's absolutely delusional because they will be attacking, especially now that they are behind. So the question to you, Louis, is how do you stop this French machine? from punishing you it's a good question and it would and it's really difficult to say because we went completely defensive and played on the counter-attack and it shouldn't have worked we scraped a one nil win but i just think at anfield on a european night when the fans are up for it there is nothing to be done about the tactics they go out the window
00:19:42
Speaker
And Liverpool just pile players forward. And it's so overwhelming for the opposition. i mean, we saw what happened to Barcelona. ah That was the last time since this season. Other than this season, that was the last time that they were really feared.
00:19:58
Speaker
You know, they had Suarez, Messi, Coutinho when he was good playing. ah And they completely crumbled after going 3-0 up at the Camp Nou. PSG are already down on aggregate and this is a Liverpool team that are back in the Champions League this season dreaming of going for all three that they have left.
00:20:19
Speaker
They have already got almost feeling like an unassailable lead in the Premier League. And now they're just now that it feels like this is the last thing for them to conquer. And i think it will not be a matter of tactics.
00:20:34
Speaker
It will just be a matter of how PSG can weather the atmosphere because it is ah cauldron. And we saw what happened to Real Madrid this season and Bayer Leverkusen this season under Arnaz Slott as well.
00:20:46
Speaker
I think ah this is quite an inexperienced PSG squad by their standards of recent years as well. Because, i you know, Zaya Emery and Barcola coming through, they haven't gone toe-to-toe with the European giants yet.
00:21:02
Speaker
And this will be a massive test for them. And this feels like a new Osman Dembele as well, because... The luck he was having and Gvera Scalio were having in this game were amazing.
00:21:14
Speaker
And this is a PSG team that should be feared, regardless of the atmosphere, regardless of the of the situation, like you mentioned, Michal. The PSG side will take on, on the same day that Liverpool takes on ah Southampton, they will face Stadrène in Ligue 1, the side which is currently 11th with 29 points.
00:21:34
Speaker
With, out would of, like, in the last five games, they had one defeat. ah But then again, like, the the difference of class between Stadrène and PSG is pretty remarkable. So that will be...
00:21:46
Speaker
Oh, and we're, of course, speaking about like the PSG team who who they who are yet to lose, point um yeah to actually suffer defeat at Ligao. So that could be a good preparation, and of course, for as far as their attacking form is concerned, ahead of their trip to Anfield.
00:22:03
Speaker
So that would cover the... That would actually cover the Champions League. Let's move on to a far more important European League, Louis, which is the Europa League.
Europa League Matchup: Real Sociedad vs Manchester United
00:22:14
Speaker
the best The best competition in the world. And something you won't even be getting next season. Unless you Yeah, unless we win it. Yeah, we had a, you know, it's kind of like ah Blue Pill is you go for f FA Cup and you have a better chance of Europe europe there.
00:22:30
Speaker
or the red pill Europa League with far more difficult ah opponents. you've gone for the red pill. Of course, Matrix all the way. So with that being said, let's move on to previewing Real Sociedad taking on Manchester United in the first leg of round of 16 of Europa League.
00:22:47
Speaker
ah which is just just looking at the potential squad that Man United could could start with um today. ah We have still, like for some reason, Ugarte is still being predicted as just starting with Patrick Dogu and Diogo Dalot. I mean...
00:23:05
Speaker
Oh, goodness. I mean, like that is just going to be a do or die, really. like You either give everything you have right now or you just take a bow and leave. Leave as soon as possible. This is a brilliant Spanish side as well. I mean, Sociedad... We all know about Zubimendi because we were linked with him in the summer and we didn't manage to get him because he was loyal to this team.
00:23:26
Speaker
um And Oya Zaba was well up front. You just look all over this ah this team and you just find... Great system player, great system player, and they just work well as a team. They know each other. And ah the I mean, the only thing you could say for them is they're missing Odrio Zola as well, who's a fantastic right back.
00:23:47
Speaker
um And I'm looking at this Manchester United injury list at the moment, and I'm worried because, I mean, Harry Maguire probably won't play, and he has been one of Manchester United's better players this season.
00:24:01
Speaker
Colby Maynou as well, as as we mentioned, that midfield is struggling, and you kind of want more in your midfield than Ericsson and Casemiro, who both seem to be hitting their twilight years now.
00:24:12
Speaker
um It's a worry for Manchester United, but... You know, when you have nothing else to give ah in the other competitions, you put it all on this. And that's your only chance of getting into Europe next season.
00:24:25
Speaker
If you go out against Real Sociedad, I think this will be the biggest failure in Manchester United's recent history. I agree 100% and with that being said ah i think okay is is that enough you know trashing Man United because you really want to move on to Tottenham I don't mind going for more I'm more than happy you take the executive decision miow i mean you've probably spoken about Manchester United more than any other team on GSPN so I can i can imagine you wanting to move on
00:24:59
Speaker
Absolutely. So thank you so much for understanding, Louis. Let's move on to Ezzet Alkmaar taking on Tottenham round of 16 of Europa League here. um Well, the chances are looking like much more better much more much much better for Tottenham Hotspur because they, ah in the league phase, Ezzet Alkmaar met Tottenham Hotspur in the league phase of of Europa League and Spurs won one goal to nil.
00:25:23
Speaker
ah With that being said, some of the time has passed since that victory. So question to you, Louis, is Tottenham really in the same position as Man United or is it slightly better?
00:25:37
Speaker
No, i said i I think so. um Obviously, there's less focus on Tottenham Hotspur just purely because of Manchester United's history in the Premier League. and in Europe being far greater than Spurs is. um And, you know, it kind of takes the focus off them. But Spurs, with the team they have, they should be doing a lot better. And, um you know, Spurs fans will definitely want to forget this season if they don't get anything out of the Europa League. Because...
00:26:06
Speaker
This is a team they should be beating, AZ Alkmaar. I mean, we saw what happened when their North London rivals went to Holland recently, destroyed a Team 7-1. I'm not saying Spurs need to be doing that, but they need to be getting a result because um this is meant to be the harder of the two legs, going to unfamiliar territory. And, you know, I don't know the last time AZ Alkmaar played against an English team just because it's not a team I often think about and it's not a team I can name a single player from.
00:26:34
Speaker
ah But, you know, their recruitment looks to be reinforced for the rest of the season, assuming there are no more injuries. I mean, Matthijs Tell, I really want to see a lot more from him because he was terrific for Bayern last season.
00:26:49
Speaker
ah James Madison actually going under the radar, getting nine goals and five assists this season. and ah And I still want to see a bit more from Danzo before I make my judgment on him.
00:27:01
Speaker
ah Their defense has been incredibly leaky, but it's understandable when you look at their injury list for this season. Archie Grove playing an entire season out of position at the age of 18 or whatever he is.
00:27:14
Speaker
ah Still missing Solanke, Van de Ven, Dragosan, Kuleshevsky, Richarlison, Romero, Davies. ah ah it can only get better from Alkmaar. And I will take it back.
00:27:27
Speaker
There are actually three players I know looking at this Alkmaar team. Courtminers, Classy, and former Spurs Academy product, Troy Parrott, will be playing.
00:27:39
Speaker
So that's that's quite that's quite an interesting one. I'm glad I looked this up now. Semp Vesterveld. I'm wondering if that's related to Sander Vesterveld, formerly of Liverpool, because he plays in the same position.
00:27:52
Speaker
i'm gonna I need to look this up. Hold on. Okay, so once we are on that, let me just take a look at the ah at the stats of Troy Parrott of with his average mark being 7.19.
00:28:04
Speaker
And the last match with Eredivisie away against Herenven, he did not have the best of performance at 6.0 out of 10 with Arlisset Alkma losing three goals to one. But other than that, he's been pretty...
00:28:19
Speaker
Other than that one exception, he has been pretty ah solid with, you know, 7.0, 7.6 and 7.2. So I think that could be a one big threat for Tottenham defence. Sorry, I can confirm. Sem Westerveld is the son of Sander Westerveld, formerly of Liverpool Football Club.
00:28:38
Speaker
There we go. See, we shouldn't underestimate these teams now. No. That's made this game so much more interesting. And he won't even play because he's on the bench all the season.
00:28:51
Speaker
Oh well. doesn' a matter i like this and kick Sorry, can I just say, yeah have you seen their manager's name? Martin Martens. Uncreative parenting.
00:29:02
Speaker
Let's move on. It just, it just, uh, for some reason I recall that, uh, story from like one, uh, like certain TV show. I think it was the, the band of brothers. I think at the TV series when the guy was called major, major, and then he was promoted to major. So he was major, major, major. And apparently that was a real story.
00:29:21
Speaker
It wasn't even made up. but That is amazing. That is absolutely amazing. Exactly so. And with that being said, let's move on to something which is perhaps not as amazing for as far as the attractiveness of football.
00:29:36
Speaker
But still, it is European Cup whatsoever. Nevertheless, rather.
Conference League Significance for Polish Teams
00:29:41
Speaker
and We're talking about Conference League, round of 16 tie between FC Copenhagen and Chelsea.
00:29:47
Speaker
Chelsea, the team which has won all of their six league-phase games. Of course, you wouldn't expect anything else because like for many of Chelsea fans, Conference League seems like a purgatory more than an opportunity to win some big money and and and and and and a big results.
00:30:04
Speaker
And yeah, and big accolades. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not biased here because the Conference League is the only European competition in which we have two Polish sides still in contest. in a contest Jagiellonia, Białystok and Legia Warsaw. They are still on the race to Wrocław.
00:30:23
Speaker
Polish City staging the 2025 Conference League final. Louis, question to you, because I hyped it enough before we started recording, but it's super important for me, and I think you will understand why.
00:30:36
Speaker
Once Chelsea goes through Copenhagen and Legia Warsaw goes through Molde, we will have ourselves the biggest treat that the GSPN could actually think of. It's going to be Legia Warsaw taking on Chelsea. Yes.
00:30:50
Speaker
Biggest treat for you. beautiful treat. it's ah it's ah It's a wonderful treat for you. Yes. i Listen, i but polish Polish people everywhere will rejoice, I'm sure, if ah if they get to play a giant like Chelsea. However, do not underestimate Copenhagen.
00:31:07
Speaker
You as Manchester United fans should know that better than anyone else because let's not forget what happened in the Champions League a couple of seasons ago. A certain Rooney Bargy, someone who I think will go on to great things. 19 years old, ah scoring against, I mean, it was a massive story at the time just because his name is Rooney. But he's someone that I've known about for a while because he's one of these sort of tricky right wingers with a left foot.
00:31:35
Speaker
Perfect ah aesthetic. um Born in Kuwait, representing Sweden at under 21 level. ah But he had a serious knee injury ah last year, ah which sidelined him for a long time. So I'm not sure about his injury situation going into this match.
00:31:55
Speaker
right um Maybe that's a blessing for Chelsea if he doesn't play well. ah But it's it will be a treat. And I'm looking at this ah Copenhagen side. There are a few players that you may know.
00:32:08
Speaker
ah One of them being Thomas Delaney, who has been playing for Denmark for years. And Mohamed El-Yanousi, who used to play for Southampton and Celtic.
00:32:19
Speaker
ah He will be expected to play as well. So, I mean... There's plenty that could prevent you from getting your dream match, is what I'm saying. I don't want to be a downer, but let's not get carried away.
00:32:33
Speaker
Exactly. i'm I'm super excited because just on on the on a separate note, I know this is Premier League. We have purely focused on English teams. Absolutely understand that. With that being said, I'm kind of stalling as Victor has has gone offline, unfortunately, for some reason. I hope he'll be back.
00:32:49
Speaker
But I will just say this. In the Polish football club history, there has never been a situation in which we would have two Polish teams competing in the quarterfinals. This is what's at stake right now, because in the 21st century, the best result of a Polish club was Lech Poznań going on to the quarterfinal and being super close to ah basically turning the tie upside down against Fiorentina.
00:33:14
Speaker
in the Conference League in the quarterfinal, but they just came up this much short, very little. And then Fiorentina went on to the final, which they lost to West Ham. ah So that's going to be huge. And, you know, a lot of Polish experts said that um the fact that Chelsea did not come to Warsaw or to Białystok was a big shame.
00:33:34
Speaker
Because um that would be the biggest draw for all of the fans, for advertisers, for for the experts, for her commentators. Everyone would come to Poland or, for example, to London with Polish club ah being involved there. That would be a great treat. But there is still a chance. And yeah, so...
00:33:55
Speaker
big times This is what the Conference League is about. you know um We talk about the Champions League all the time, but we don't mention ah the great prospects that these teams with ah but from countries whose leagues don't make as much money um getting to...
00:34:14
Speaker
getting to have a proper go at these bigger sides and I'm glad you brought this up because there are so many people who were criticizing the conference league before ah this all started you know ah people people were mocking West Ham fans for celebrating the conference league but if you think about it when else are they going to get a chance at a major trophy let alone a major European trophy and that match against Fiorentina in the final was terrific as well um So, you know, when when you get these teams getting an opportunity, it may not seem a lot to us elitist fans, you know, the ones that watch Champions League and Premier League, but to these teams that don't get too many opportunities, it's a proper competition and one where they, this is their Champions League, essentially.
Conference League's Impact on Smaller Nations
00:35:05
Speaker
exactly so Exactly so. And and besides, if if among those fans who criticize who who used to criticize Conference League, there are any Tottenham fans in the house? I don't know how to put this delicately.
00:35:18
Speaker
Or Arsenal fans. Or Arsenal fans. Victor, could you please help me put it delicately? I feel like this is better for smaller countries. If you have a country like Macedonia, if they have a team in this competition, that's huge.
00:35:31
Speaker
Not just for the country, but but but for the for the whole region. So, yeah, but Chelsea... making me wish I had a little bit more ah little a little bit more of a ah ah ground to stand and talk about Eastern Europe because i do my mum's from Scotland.
00:35:50
Speaker
that I mean, that's something for, I guess, Aberdeen. Oh, God. yeah Yeah, and I totally get what you're saying, that that is a brilliant opportunity for Poland, for Czech Republic. Okay, maybe not for Czech Republic, because they tend to ah put at least one representative to the Champions League. Victoria, usually. Exactly, yeah.
00:36:08
Speaker
ah Slavia, Sparta, Prague, they are basically... they get in into some form of European competition every single season. So that's not that big for them. But for Polish football, my God.
00:36:20
Speaker
Here's one more thing to wrap it up. Right now, Poland is one of the best ah countries as far as the coefficient ranking goes, as far as the growth goes. Right now, Poland, if if somebody were to start counting the points to the coefficient only from the 2022-23 season, that season with Lech Poznan going through to the quarterfinals of the Conference League and on, ah Poland would be eighth.
00:36:47
Speaker
In the UEFA coefficient. Wow. Which would give us, I think, three teams in Champions League, right? or Or am I am i wrong? I don't know. I know know nothing about that. they' Victor, help us. you'll play They'll play qualifiers eventually. Yeah, but but they would start much, much later than they're starting now.
00:37:05
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Because if you get into top 15 in the coefficient ranking of UEFA in the league coefficient, then you have two teams in Champions League qualifiers instead of just one.
00:37:16
Speaker
So that would be huge. Absolutely huge. And I think fifth team, like the higher you go. For the highest, yeah. one Exactly. yeah so i What I wanted to mention to you, Mikal, there's a Macedonian guy playing for Jagiellonia, so I'm rooting for the Polish teams too.
00:37:33
Speaker
ah yeah and going back to the smaller things that I was mentioning I'm looking at who's left in the conference league you have Borac Banyaluka the Bosnian team I don't remember when was the last time a Bosnian team was anywhere in Europe then you have you have Pafos okay Rapid we haven't been there before but yeah Molde again yeah you have you have teams that are like these are big things for their countries as well not just for their teams Absolutely, 100%. And just to just to say, let's bring it for Selko to Copenhagen Chelsea again, because the Macedonian player that Viktor has just talked about is Darko Churlinov, the same guy who scored a winner at Parkin against Copenhagen in the very first matchday of Conference League League phase.
00:38:24
Speaker
How on earth have we made it to this link, by the way? I've lost track of what we're talking about. Copenhagen, Chelsea. played louis louis He played under Vincent Kompany at Burnley, but he he got injured.
00:38:37
Speaker
He was a starter the first few games, and then he got injured, and after that... I've heard of him. didn I've heard of him. Kompany didn't trust him after that. i don't know what happened there, but yeah, he just... It's hard to get into companies' good books once he's done with you, I think, as well, isn't it Okay.
Premier League Match Predictions
00:38:52
Speaker
Guys, with that being said, I think that we are running slightly out of time. but We still have to we thank one particular sponsor, and though that's the one which helps us create this podcast, and which is Zencaster, best platform ever for creating such podcasts.
00:39:07
Speaker
um But I do not think I'm qualified enough to talk about this. So here's Louis talking about that slightly more. And please don't be alarmed. This is just Luis' special skills that he can talk without even opening his mouth. Unless he does some lip dub.
00:39:21
Speaker
Let's go. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform. Zencastr came out as the clear winner.
00:39:32
Speaker
With 4K video recording from your phone, AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the description to learn more about Zencastr.
00:39:51
Speaker
Louis, I would love to have that like second voice coming from my stomach, really. Speaking of second voice, there's a second coming. Glad I made it through without stuttering on that occasion as well.
00:40:04
Speaker
Amazing. Amazing. i would love to have as as many talents as Louis Godlick just speaking from his stomach. Yeah. I think there's a special word for that, but I i totally forgot because second language.
00:40:15
Speaker
ah That's my first language and I don't know either. Nah, it has like a special, like like like a magician would come like with a with a doll. Oh, you mean um ventriloquism. Ventriloquism, yes.
00:40:28
Speaker
For some reason, I wanted to call it tranquilism, but that's a completely different thing. That's else, yeah. That's something completely different. You want to tranquilize your co-worker. The office, everyone. With Dwight Schrute. Never mind, sorry. So, just to wrap it all up, how do you guys...
00:40:44
Speaker
My goodness. You were doing well. You were doing well. Keep going. I know. I know. We're all over the place. we We're going going from Copenhagen to Polish clubs. From Polish clubs to Daco Cholino. From Daco Cholino to Twerin Kualizes and Dwight Schrute of The Office. My God.
00:40:58
Speaker
If this is... the Are you not entertained? Oh, another movie reference. So, guys, what do you expect from the upcoming week? ah we we um With what in particular? Sorry, it's a bit of an open question.
00:41:10
Speaker
Everything. Everything in particular. Everything. What do I think about everything in football? The upcoming week. Upcoming week. Liverpool, Arsenal, ah Aston Villa, Tottenham, Man United, Chelsea, all together.
00:41:24
Speaker
Well, I mean, it will be um ah nice refresher for the teams without Europe to go into these games. I i seriously think there's little hope for Southampton at this point.
00:41:37
Speaker
um You know, still on track to be the worst Premier League team in history by two points. um And I speak to the Southampton team earlier, they mentioned the fact that they can't imagine getting anything from these last 11 games, I think now it is. So um it will be a difficult one for them.
00:41:57
Speaker
And as for the other teams, I haven't had a look. yet so um we're going to have to remind uh our listeners of what the matches are this weekend the pick of the bunch for me nottingham forest against manchester city a real battle for third there it's at nottingham forest it's the 12 30 kickoff so anything could happen and um it will be it It will be the pick of the bunch for me, definitely.
00:42:22
Speaker
Absolutely. Are you going to dismiss us like this, Man United-Arsenal on Sunday? Yeah, yeah actually. What are you going to do about it? Nothing. There's one correct score that's stuck in my head. i don't know why. it just I have a feeling Tottenham-Borne was going to be 0-1 full-time.
00:42:41
Speaker
Do you want to put money on it? Put your money where your mouth is? You know what, Louis? I have to tell you about our predictions and Bournemouth is concerned. When we did the forecast Friday ah with with Tom, I think it was with Daily Western, we predicted the score almost perfectly because we predicted that this game, the FA Cup tie between Bournemouth and Wolverhampton would go into penalties.
00:43:03
Speaker
And of course, we didn't say who would win those penalty shootouts, but we predicted it well. So GSPN is on a very good streak of predicting nice results. So I wouldn't underestimate Victor's prediction there.
00:43:14
Speaker
That's all I'm saying. All right. Okay. I did a prediction of my own on the Liverpool one. I'll bring it in into onto air ah for this one. I think it's going to be 2-0 to Liverpool, and it's going to be a match where we should have scored much more.
00:43:27
Speaker
and made harder work of it than should have than it should have been. That's my prediction for Liverpool-Southampton. 2-0. Mo Salah redemption tour? question mark I think so. I mean, do we really have to call it a redemption? Because he he still is the best player in the world. He was due ah a tough match at some point.
00:43:46
Speaker
um And, you know, is three games ah two two games in a row without a goal really something that we need to be concerned about? Especially when it's Mo Salah and he can score at any game at any moment.
00:43:58
Speaker
So... yeah I don't think he's going to play than 60 minutes. He's not going to play more than 60 minutes. He was. my other Because it's Ramadan for him. That's one thing. And then it's also in between the Champions League games.
00:44:11
Speaker
And it's a game they can afford to to play with. And apparently he's not breaking his fast for these matches, which I think is crazy. But yeah I mean, at what level am I allowed to i i to talk about that as an atheist? So, you know, it's his decision.
00:44:26
Speaker
But then again, Muslims hate him for celebrating Christmas as well. Let's not get into that. Let's save that. Louie, luckily I've got no ammunition here to to to to to dish out. So I am out.
00:44:39
Speaker
I'm out of ammo. So I will just leave it at that.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:44:42
Speaker
With that being said, we have concluded our and daily English Premier League episode reviewing the Champions League action. Louie, thank you so much for but not putting too much salt into Man United wounds. Oh, no, it's fine.
00:44:54
Speaker
It's fine. you You're the most self-deprecating fan base at the moment, so I think times are bleak, but I am enjoying this Manchester United downfall every single opportunity I get. Don't worry about that.
00:45:06
Speaker
And we are supposed to be the most annoying fan base. Oh my god, Victor, thank you so much for being super cheerful bloke as always. Thank you. See you next time.
00:45:17
Speaker
I'd argue you Arsenal, but yeah. Exactly. Thank you so much for joining us again. Please do not forget to subscribe. Do not forget to bring some more more fan base to us because the more you are there, the more excited we are to make those episodes. Thank you so much. Michal Janinski.
00:45:33
Speaker
See you and hear you in the next one.