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Beyond the Pitch Episode 63: Champions League, Spain and the Nations League, and Canada Soccer
8 Plays1 month ago
Join Catherine and Cate as they round up the week's Champions League exploits for Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal, discuss England drawing Spain yet again in the Nations League, and the recent report about Canada Soccer using drones at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Transcript
Introduction to Beyond the Pitch
00:00:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to Beyond the Pitch, a daily women's football podcast brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. Today it's brought to you by myself, Catherine, and I'm joined by Kate.
Champions League Victories: English Clubs Shine
00:00:20
Cate
Hello, hello, hello everybody.
00:00:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
today Today we'll discuss this week's Champions League action with all three English clubs registering wins. We'll discuss the Nations League draw and the new news coming out of Canada with the ah full report coming out about the drone scandal.
00:00:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
So Kate, ah let's just set the scene about the Champions League.
00:00:42
Cate
Yep.
00:00:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
So the group stages continued this week, all three English clubs in action.
00:00:47
Cate
Yep.
00:00:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Chelsea had quite a hard fought in the end, 2-1 win againsteltic asrs no you ventures away foril and mans city one twoil against So what did you make of these games?
00:00:52
Cate
Yeah.
00:01:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Did you see them?
00:01:03
Cate
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch any of the games because I was working all three days.
Arsenal's Transformation and Chelsea's Rotation
00:01:07
Cate
Sorry, all two evenings. I had three shifts in two days. so I was working last night as well, actually. um But I've seen the highlights. So obviously, yeah well done to Arsenal. I'm going to have to say that. Well done to Arsenal. um Great victory. Winning in Turin is not an easy thing.
00:01:31
Cate
So, I mean, well done to them for winning and winning like properly. Uh, again, very interesting to see how, as the old manager left, uh, it's like Arsenal became another team. It's like, wow, I don't know. I don't know. It feels like I don't, I don't want to say this in a nasty way. And please, if anyone is listening, don't misunderstand me in that way. You feel like, you know, when a woman comes out from a toxic relationship.
00:02:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:02:01
Cate
be more rich again and you know, she was always maybe sad and not looking that great and just kind of like that type of thing.
00:02:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:10
Cate
And then, you know, the relationship ends and then suddenly is like, okay, and you, I don't know, hair color and suddenly the makeup again and dressing in a certain way and feeling more confident and going out and doing all of the things.
00:02:24
Cate
That's exactly how it feels. It feels like we have seen a whole different arsenal. and And I mean, the results also speak ah for themselves, like it's scoring a lot, they're winning games.
00:02:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:36
Cate
So I'm a bit worried about the North London that they happening this weekend.
00:02:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:02:41
Cate
It's going to be a tough one for us. It's going to be a tough one for us. So sure.
00:02:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Let's talk about Chelsea a little bit. I mean, Chelsea, I i understand why Sonia Bonpastor rotated so heavily. I mean, Millie Bright was left at home, which I'm not a Chelsea fan, but I am an England fan.
00:02:53
Cate
um
00:02:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I was happy that she gets a bit of a break.
00:03:01
Cate
Yeah.
00:03:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's kind of the first time I was looking online. It's the first time really since she started that I actually saw Sonia get a bit of criticism online for choosing her name.
00:03:10
Cate
Okay.
00:03:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think, I mean, I don't, obviously I'm not a Chelsea fan. I, a lot of Chelsea fans kind of just, because you are so dominant, expecting like a dominant performance every week. Maybe.
00:03:28
Cate
i I don't think it's only Chelsea fans. I just think fans really get used to that very quickly, very, very, very quickly.
00:03:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:36
Cate
And they also, ah I don't, I have no idea. It's interesting. We were talking about this, I think in an event yesterday when we were saying how a sports in general, so it could be football, basketball, rugby anyway.
00:03:54
Cate
they get scrutinized every single game.
00:03:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:58
Cate
That's a lot. Whilst, for example, if you are the CEO or manager of a company, you kind of, unless you do something really, really bad, otherwise you kind of, I guess, scrutinize a little bit at the end of the year when you present, you know, the profit and loss and that type of things, et cetera.
00:04:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:13
Cate
So it puts a lot of pressure, but I also think it's part of the funds.
Perception of Managers in Women's Football
00:04:17
Cate
They're just used to it. You know, they love you one day. They hate you the other. Your team doesn't perform for one week.
00:04:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:24
Cate
It's like, I think it's time for you to go.
00:04:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're very reactive.
00:04:27
Cate
And it's like, yeah, and and what's going to happen if this person is gone?
00:04:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:30
Cate
So I also think that a lot of them were in a sort of way really big Emma Hayes fans.
00:04:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:40
Cate
So they were kind of like looking and just waiting for Sonya to do what we call like a four parks.
00:04:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
That is
00:04:48
Cate
um then
00:04:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
an interesting thought actually because I've always I have one of the things that I've noticed about the women's game fans in general is that we don't seem to think there's room at the top for more than one like best manager or best player and I've always seen this with My fear about, ah for example, England versus USA is that it will turn into an Emma Hayes versus Serena Rieben debate. And if the USA win, which I think they are favourites for the game, if they do win, oh all of a sudden, we're going to see lots of, oh, well, Emma Hayes should be our manager, blah, blah, blah. And I think, that yeah, I think you're right. It's the same thing with Sonia now.
00:05:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
that people seem to attach themselves to kind of and think that there's room for one. And I kind of want to say that there's room for lots of people. I think Emma Hayes, Serena Beaman, Sonia Bonpastor and Jonathan Giraldes, I think they're all equal kind of in being the best.
00:05:57
Cate
and
00:05:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Why do we have to say that one is much better than all the others? There is room for them all.
00:06:04
Cate
I also, as I said to you, I also think that and fans really like to kind of like express opinion in that sort of way.
00:06:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
um yeah oh Yeah.
00:06:13
Cate
To be honest, you also do it in the men's. So like, for now we have a new England coach. ah
00:06:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:21
Cate
If, you know, England is not going to perform in the next two games, people will be like, ah, Gareth is so much better. We should get Gareth back.
00:06:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
that Yeah.
00:06:30
Cate
And when he was there, they were battering him. It's a bit like that. It's a bit like that. For me, what's interesting and what is important, you know, I always say a win is a win.
00:06:41
Cate
i' doing sometimes you play very well and you're like wow super dominant and sometimes you know your players are also human for whatever reason it doesn't really matter ah what what what matters is that they got their points they won they took that harm against the side that is very
00:06:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, definitely.
00:07:01
Cate
I don't know. It's, you know, Celtic can be a bit like it's one of those sites that you go in and you think on paper. Yeah. I mean, of course we are going to win, but they are always full of surprises.
00:07:12
Cate
So I think actually it's a, it's a good win for Chelsea and they should win.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, we should talk about their manager as well because she is named in conversations about who should take over the Arsenal job.
00:07:18
Cate
Yeah.
00:07:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, she's an up and coming, she's very young. I think she's 35, 36, something like that.
00:07:34
Cate
I don't know how to remember.
00:07:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
um
00:07:36
Cate
I know she's really young, yeah.
00:07:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:37
Cate
Well, she's young, not really.
00:07:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. I'd say she's really young because she's probably about the same age as me. So yeah, she's really young.
00:07:45
Cate
Okay.
Red Card Drama and Player Potential
00:07:46
Cate
okay
00:07:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Let's talk about Aggie Beaver Jones in the final moments of the game received a second yellow um and then obviously a red card. I mean one of the things that I've been looking at a lot is gearing up towards the Euros next year quite a lot of England fans say or particularly Chelsea England fans say that Aggie should be kind of as starting ahead of Alessia Russo because she is scoring more goals and that we should be going purely on form.
00:08:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean what do you think about that? My thoughts are kind of that she is, Aggie is so young and I just think maybe at times like last night she was obviously quite frustrated because they had loads of chances, just didn't put them away.
00:08:38
Cate
Mm hmm.
00:08:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
and just those split decisions and I think that's where kind of the youth comes out and you see that a bit more. But I mean what do you think?
00:08:50
Cate
um I think that between here and the Euro, there is still a lot of months. and We don't know how Alicia is going to perform and that's how easy the fans are going to change their mind.
00:08:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:09:01
Cate
So if she's going to have a fantastic end of the season next year, maybe be a key player for Arsenal, I don't know, to qualify or to win, you know, one of the silverware or whatever, it doesn't really matter.
00:09:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm fine.
00:09:14
Cate
Then everybody suddenly would be back to the fact that Alicia, Alicia, oh my God, we need her and she needs to be there.
00:09:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:09:20
Cate
ah That's just how fans are. So I don't particularly care what they say.
00:09:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
You
00:09:25
Cate
No offense to any fan out there. Everybody no i think like everybody is of course entitled to their own opinion and what they want to say is fine.
00:09:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
know?
00:09:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:09:35
Cate
None of us is a you know ah ah coach to that level. So if if ah if if a coach to that level tells me, tells me this opinion, then I would be like, okay, that's fair point.
00:09:48
Cate
I'll um i'll think about it. I'll consider it. You might have your point. But if it's like, I don't know, Jane Doe or John Doe, I would be like, yeah, mate, like you you know you can say whatever you want to.
00:09:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:09:59
Cate
Ultimately, we don't know. um For sure, for sure that you feel the pressure. And so I also think like, is it fair that we put so much pressure on them?
00:10:13
Cate
Yeah, it is. I mean, they're there, they want to do that type of job.
00:10:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:17
Cate
If, you know, if tomorrow I get off a senior position and, you know, I have to perform, I will have pressure as well, because if it's not me, there's going to be other people that want to be there and they want to perform.
00:10:31
Cate
So yes, it's also the way someone gets forged and the character that gets forged in there. And as much as I understand that we need to, you know,
00:10:42
Cate
Be careful, not, not, not kind of like making it too harsh and, you know, mental health is very important and all of that, et cetera. It is also their choice if they want to play or not for the English call.
00:10:56
Cate
Let's not forget, for example, Leah Galton, um, you know, I'm not pronouncing it ah correctly.
00:10:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:03
Cate
You know, she's just like, nah, not me. Like probably she would get called, but she's like, I don't even want to be put in there.
00:11:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:10
Cate
Like, nah. na na I play for my club and then I want to chill. I don't want to have any extra, you know, pressure. I don't want to get any trash, any of that type of things.
00:11:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:21
Cate
I know what I'm also giving up, but I also know what I'm not going to get. And that's my decision. so
00:11:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
so
00:11:27
Cate
I think every time you decide to step up into something, although yes, we've been working for a long time to always having kind of leadership in everything.
00:11:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Cool.
00:11:36
Cate
You also need to take the responsibility of what you want to do and who you're representing. So yeah.
00:11:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Oh, no,
England's Nations League Draw: A Euro Perspective
00:11:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree. I just have one more thought on the Champions League, which is, can we just mention the fans and give a shout out to the fans? um The fans have been brilliant. um I was so amazed at Celtic, actually,
00:11:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
with not just the number of fans who were there and were very loud, but also the demographic. Quite a lot of the kind of ah male men's team ultras were there, and it was fantastic.
00:12:02
Cate
Yeah.
00:12:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Kamaby, of course, ah winning loads of plaudits for their fans, deservedly, because their fans, especially the travelling fans, were just fantastic. um So can we just give a shout out to all of the fans?
00:12:22
Cate
Absolutely. And, and well behaved.
00:12:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes, like yes, very much so.
00:12:26
Cate
you know They came, the Hamaby fans, they came over to Manchester, they took over Manchester, they were loud, they were nice and everything, no trouble whatsoever, very respectful, in and out, done.
00:12:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Shout out to Hammerby.
00:12:38
Cate
so Exactly. The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasts with dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football, and a daily Premier League wrap-up broadcasted in five different languages. This is your one-stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts.
00:13:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
OK, so our second topic for this evening is England's, well, not just England, but the Nations League draw. um So the Nations League will take place next year, February ah through to June, so and leading up to the Euros. And I'm not entirely sure what the point of it is, to be honest. I think it's something to do with seedlings, to do with qualification for the World Cup. But apart from that, I mean, I think they're pretty much glorified friendlies.
00:13:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
um But that it's just friendlies with a chance for trophy at the end, which is always nice. ah So England have been drawn. Guess who? Guess who we have in a draw?
00:13:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
We never get these people. Spain.
00:13:46
Cate
Never, never. We never, we never, ever, ever do them.
00:13:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:13:49
Cate
But, you know, they were pure coincidental.
00:13:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, never, ever get Spain.
00:13:53
Cate
Yeah.
00:13:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, we had Spain in the under 17s and we're just beaten by them. Of course, everyone remembers the World Cup final. where we were very narrowly beaten by Spain. Let me just say that um it was a very narrow loss.
00:14:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So yeah, ah we were drawn in a group for Spain, Belgium and also Portugal. And just for context, we have also played Belgium recently, we lost against them away last year in the Nations League. um So generally,
00:14:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, I think it's very nice that they'll get some sunny trips away. Nice for the fans as well. and Hopefully some better weather than we'll have here. I'm certainly going to be looking at tickets to Spain in February. I wanted to talk a little bit about, I wonder what you think about the psychology of revenge performances. I think Spain with the World Cup, this is a good chance to kind of get a little bit of revenge I was thinking about it when England played France and lost in Newcastle and then we fielded exactly the same team for the away leg and everyone was saying, oh, this is insane. What's going on? And I thought kind of hurt teams are dangerous. If you're wounded, it's like a wounded animal. They're unpredictable. You don't know what they're going to do. Hurt teams, I think, are dangerous.
00:15:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And is there something in that? Could we use that to our advantage against Spain? And yeah at the end of the day, it's also a very good chance to get some really good prep against strong opposition before the Euros.
00:15:37
Cate
Yeah, I mean, for sure. First of all, um I want to say something about the glorified friendlies. So as I did my course with the UEFA, they also explained the history of all this type of competitions, right?
00:15:52
Cate
Why did they come into it?
00:15:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:15:54
Cate
Why did we start to do something like that? So yeah, you're right. You're right. In a sort of way, they're kind of like glorified friendlies. But what they find out, and this is backed by data, is that friendly is at a certain point if not when like really great teams would meet
00:16:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:16:12
Cate
people wouldn't really follow them as much because they were like, ah, who cares? It's a friendly anyway. It doesn't really matter. So they were taking it a bit like that because also sometimes teams were playing a little bit like that. Well, oh yeah. Okay. We won't play like the top stars and things like that. So actually creating a reason to say, Hey, we won, you know, the, um,
00:16:38
Cate
We want the nation's league, we want this, so we want that, etc. It's something that they've noticed is bringing more funds into the games and it's bringing more commitment also from you know the the national league, etc. Now,
00:16:54
Cate
um don't worry about that. ah it's um but ah The revenge bit, I don't know. it's it can it It can be, what do you what do we say in England? Double-edged sword.
00:17:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:17:11
Cate
it can be something that you can use to fire up someone and to just go like wow yeah we definitely want to do that yeah of course let's go there you know let's go and we'll react in that sort of way etc or it can also be something that that you know they just go there and they're like so angry about it they they might not even concentrate tactically speaking practical you know they are faster
00:17:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:17:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or basically challenges and gets into
00:17:36
Cate
oh so I don't know, I don't know how much that revenge thing is going to, I think we just need to go there. Personally, I think we just need to go there and just think, okay, we need to perform at the best and we we we need to win.
00:17:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:49
Cate
It doesn't matter how we meet, you know, are we playing Portugal or are we playing in Spain? Are we playing, you know, Italy? It doesn't really matter who we're playing. We just need to make sure what we want to do is taking the score, like, you know, winning and and taking home the point.
00:18:04
Cate
And that's it. That's, that's all we need to care about.
00:18:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And in the Nations League, I think as well, using it as another opportunity to learn about the team ahead of the Euros.
00:18:07
Cate
Um,
00:18:17
Cate
ah for sure. For sure. Why not? But also again, teams change. Look at the difference in our teams in a few months, you know, it's just like very similar team, completely different performance.
00:18:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
um
00:18:31
Cate
It's not. Yes, it is a good it is a good, for me more than a good way to learn about teams in the Euro is more a good way to keep the practice up of like all the players playing together, don't drop out too much, you know, then you have to can yeah then you have to go back into the mindset of playing international and not just for your club.
00:18:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
oh And strong opposition as well.
00:18:58
Cate
That's something that is really useful, but, you know, the Spain that we might meet, you know, on the 21st of February, is that the 21st of February, I think the opening?
00:19:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think so, yeah.
00:19:07
Cate
Yeah. You know, no, actually on the 21st of February, we are meeting Portugal, but you know, they the the Spain that we are meeting, where are we meeting Spain? Let me see.
00:19:18
Cate
to to to I'm having a look at the date here. Anyway.
00:19:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
They haven't announced like the stadiums or cities yet. Yeah.
00:19:29
Cate
Okay. Well, anyway, so me that team that we are meeting either in February or March could be a complete, not a completely different team, but it could be a different team, different technique, different tactics, different everything that the one we are going to meet in July in Switzerland.
00:19:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Hmm.
00:19:48
Cate
We don't know. We don't know because they might be playing, you know, this tournament. So the nation's league and then go back and
UEFA's Investments in Women's Football
00:19:55
Cate
say, actually, nah, let's change it up. We are now going to do this.
00:19:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:19:58
Cate
We are going to do that. We're going to bring in this player. We are going to, you know, do that type of things. So it's not, it's not necessary.
00:20:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think what you can guarantee, which I'm very happy about, is that Spain will be a good team. um They will be hard to beat and I think that's ah really good because England need to face really strong opposition.
00:20:15
Cate
For sure.
00:20:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And I think it's really good because we get that ah Belgium and Portugal as well. They will not be easy to beat, which is really good.
00:20:31
Cate
I don't think anyone and then if we think about the type of investment that UEFA is doing to really, really, really push for the other nations.
00:20:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Yeah. Yeah.
00:20:41
Cate
also really come I mean this tournament is great for those type of nations that are coming up they really are because of course what is the point of for example I don't know Greece being in a tournament with England Netherlands and Germany it's unfair it's unfair now it's unfair in three or four years no it won't be or five years whatever it is but this is how you develop it as well they did the same with the men's league right
00:20:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:21:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
hu
00:21:11
Cate
So I think it's a fantastic way to do that as well.
00:21:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
home
00:21:13
Cate
And it's a fantastic way for, let's say, teams that normally won't perform to the same level, to actually have the opportunity to, you know, go up a little bit and perform to some of the team, but have the opportunity to win, not be trashed like, I don't know, or like Barcelona, you know, the Champions League Barcelona yesterday, what again, what, like 7-0?
00:21:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
the
00:21:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:21:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yeah. What we are Madrid this week, 7-0 against FC 20, which was really I watched that game.
00:21:36
Cate
me
00:21:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
That was really upsetting.
00:21:42
Cate
Yeah, it's just not nice. You know, it's just like, yeah, you have a great opportunity to play with a great team and then you come out like, nah, just no.
00:21:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:21:51
Cate
So I think it is exciting. And I actually think that the next edition of the Euro is going to be very, very exciting because that's going to be five years down the line.
00:21:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:03
Cate
And I've been saying that we need to watch Poland. You will see Poland is going to come up like, oof,
00:22:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's really exciting anyway because I was thinking about it and like this year, I honestly don't know who is my favourite to win the Euros. um England have a strong chance, of course they do. Germany, you can never rule out. Spain, I think the Netherlands, they have Jill Lord back, Metemar should be back by then. They haven't played with both of them back since before the World Cup. I think they're going to be a really strong contender.
00:22:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So yeah, it's exciting. It's an exciting time.
00:22:42
Cate
I agree. I agree.
00:22:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:22:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:23:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
OK, our last topic for the day is Canada's soccer drone scandal. So you may remember that ahead of Canada's first game at the Olympics this year, they were going to play New Zealand and they were caught spying on New Zealand using drones. um So the head coach is was Bev Priestman,
Canada's Spying Scandal at the Olympics
00:23:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
who's English.
00:23:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
and worked with the FA England women's teams, particularly with Phil Neville. I think she worked as an assistant to Phil Neville. um She's now been fired. She was previously just on suspension. And the full report has been published. They're looking into the men's team as well. um I mean, my question is, do you think, because we have a lot of talk at the moment about kind of bringing through good coaches as well as players in the pathways and so forth. Bev has been seen as kind of an exciting future for what an exciting prospect in that she already had a very high level job but also a very a younger kind of um looking to the future as well. Do you think she has a future now in football management?
00:24:21
Cate
People forget very quickly.
00:24:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:24:24
Cate
People forget very quickly. Would she be able to have a national team? debatable debatable that but you know There's just not as many women's coaches and I mean beside this, like it's not that she's bad as a coach, not at all.
00:24:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:24:43
Cate
I have no i didn't read the report here that came out or anything.
00:24:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:24:47
Cate
I have no idea exactly what has happened, what came into their mind. I read some article where some people were saying, this is quite a common practice that people have done it before. Sometimes it's not a drone, but they actually send people in real life. And, you know, they used to be able to film them and then they would go back and kind of like have a look at what they do. I don't want to say like a spying game, but a little bit like that.
00:25:12
Cate
Is she being quite unlucky, her and her team, as in like team of technical staff, uh, because they got caught probably, you know, for me, I remember I just, I was very, very sorry for the players.
00:25:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:24
Cate
I actually met some one of the players in, in an event I did.
00:25:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:29
Cate
and And when she told me, I was just like, Oh my God, I am so sorry for how what happened.
00:25:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:25:35
Cate
And she was also like, yeah, i thank you, I appreciate it. Because he was just like, I don't know, at a certain point, even, you know, in some of the articles, people were like, oh, Canada were caught.
00:25:46
Cate
He's like, not really.
00:25:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, the technical staff reports.
00:25:47
Cate
The girls use their training and do whatever they need. They have absolutely zero idea.
00:25:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:52
Cate
So let's, let's be very, you know, let's use very good words about it because it's really not about the players.
00:25:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
And this report has also said that they found no evidence that the players watched any or even knew about it, that it was a technical staff and that it was a historic thing that the head coach previous to Beth Friesman introduced
00:26:07
Cate
Exactly. What day you go then? What day you go then?
00:26:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then Bev kind of ran with.
00:26:20
Cate
Yeah, but also like, we don't really know what's behind closed doors. Could it be that someone who is there said to her, we've always done it. That's how we do it. So we are going to do it when like, okay, if that's what you guys do, like, sure.
00:26:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:36
Cate
You know, I, we don't know. I don't know enough to, to be able to do that. What I can say is that yes, I do think that she still has a future as a coach.
00:26:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:26:44
Cate
I need to take some but know time off, et cetera. But as I said to you, there are so many countries that will really invest a lot, considering and how much money the UEFA is investing, especially in the developing countries.
00:26:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay.
00:26:59
Cate
Developing is in women football developing, um not not just economically developing. And So there is definitely going to be a lot of scope for someone in, you know, maybe next year going like, do you know what, actually?
00:27:12
Cate
Yeah. May just come and help us. Let's just make sure, you know, that type of episode that do't doesn't happen again. And let's just move on with it. I mean, there's been different coaches that have been doing like really silly things.
00:27:25
Cate
And then it's like, yeah, great.
00:27:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:27:26
Cate
But you know, the person is such a great coach. So they did a mistake. Let's move on and you know, let's let's carry on.
00:27:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:32
Cate
So yeah, I don't, I don't think it's the end of it. I hope.
00:27:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
like
00:27:36
Cate
I hope not. And again, I haven't read the full, the full report, so I don't know it, but I wouldn't think it's just, you know, she woke up one morning and she just said like, guys, do you know what I know what we should do?
00:27:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Drones.
00:27:49
Cate
Let's just get a job. Exactly.
00:27:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:53
Cate
So it doesn't take away the quality, you know, the technical quality that she has as a coach. So I, I hope this is not going to be the end of her coaching career.
00:27:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, yeah, no, I agree. The other question I have is what do you think you actually learn from kind of sending a drone to watch practices? Is it kind of formation? Is it which partnerships, which players are kind of working with which players? What do you think they learn from it?
00:28:18
Cate
Again, i'm not I'm not a coach, so I i don't i don't think i am a i don't know technically enough, but i I've been to quite a few practices.
00:28:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah ah so
00:28:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:28:29
Cate
um I guess you can you can see like for for sure like they would practice some set pieces so like you know coolness and free kicks and maybe some sort of training than the goalkeeper does so if you see you know so if my coach is training me as a goalkeeper and someone is filming me they can straight away see what I'm weak straight away
00:28:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:28:55
Cate
straight away because they can see like I don't know my coach is kicking the ball very I used to be a volleyball player right so for me anything which is high jump you know straight through things are done very comfortable within but if you're kicking low and I have to maybe dive or go down I really struggle because I'm like nah I don't like that I don't like diving at all
00:29:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:18
Cate
So if you watch, you know, five minutes of that, you straight away think like, okay, we know exactly where we need to practice that.
00:29:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:27
Cate
And if they are doing some of the drills of, you know, like set pieces, yes, but also like some drills of like attacking.
00:29:35
Cate
It's just very quickly to say it's like, okay, so what they do is that, you know, they really like to come down on the left side, put the ball in and then, you know, this person come in this sort of way. So how can we counteract that defensively? This is what I think.
00:29:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
And last question, ah what do you think next is next for Canada Soccer? I think the next major tournament is the World Cup. ah I believe they have a bit of time, but who?
00:30:05
Cate
No, I think they have, I think they also have, don't they have that type of, uh, what is the America cup or something that they, they play with, I think, uh, in, in the Americas.
00:30:16
Cate
So like United States, Mexico, some of the and countries and Canada.
00:30:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe. Yeah, baby.
00:30:22
Cate
I don't remember what is it called. I don't remember what is it called.
00:30:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:30:25
Cate
I think an Indian man won it the last time, which was quite surprising.
00:30:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:30:30
Cate
Um, I think actually with the fact that next year, they ah um ah their professional women leagues is kicking.
00:30:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:30:43
Cate
Yeah, it starts in.
00:30:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:30:46
Cate
I think it could be very interesting. It could be very interesting. I think if they're able to, you know, kind of like put the behind themselves and just kind of like say, hey, it's got nothing to do with us really.
00:31:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:01
Cate
but Yeah, it was part of us. It was nothing to do with us. So let's shoot up and go. And I seem to understand, again, correct me if I'm wrong, that there are a bit more players that are actually going out to play.
00:31:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:31:17
Cate
um and they're not playing, um so they're playing abroad. And I'm not saying just in United States, which is where they were playing where the majority of them were playing before.
00:31:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:27
Cate
So that's quite good as well. ah But I don't know, i think I think it will be, it will still be an opponent that will have to watch, especially
00:31:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Well, they put very well at the Olympics despite their six point deduction. They still got through the group stages. No one expected them to.
00:31:45
Cate
Yeah, exactly.
00:31:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:47
Cate
I think that also was a bit fired by what happened. It was just like, okay, guys, this is not, it's not our fault and we want to prove that actually we know how to play football.
00:31:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:56
Cate
We don't need any spy or anything.
00:31:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely.
00:31:58
Cate
um Anyway, but i I think it's going to be, I see a bright future for them.
00:32:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, me too. Well, that's great. I think that's about all we have time for today. So thank you for joining us and we look forward to welcoming you to the next episode of Beyond the Pitch.
00:32:22
Cate
Ciao!