Libero

There has been no bigger change to football in the 21st century than VAR. On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja want to do more than just complain about it, and the harm that it has done to the modern game. They also want to explore how we got into this position, from Gianni Infantino replacing Sepp Blatter through to its introduction at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

We are now about to head into our third men’s World Cup with VAR, and it does feel like a permanent part of the game. So is there any reason for optimism? The team discuss potential tweaks to VAR to improve it. And then whether we can ever be optimistic about bottom-up change, fans standing up together against VAR, and changing football for good.

P1: (5:28)

P2: (31:31)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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In Libero’s lifetime, the panelists have regularly lamented the spectacle served up by the Premier League, but after a bumper weekend, Rory Smith, James Horncastle and John Brewin dwell on whether we’re actually a bit spoilt and if viewers standards have risen with the quality of the football on offer. Drowned out by the often negative online noise, Libero remembers to enjoy itself in this episode, focusing on what’s still great about ‘our league’.

P1: (03:43)

P2: (27:36)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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"In the middle area of the pitch, those 24 metres, we feel the game has become stuck, particularly in the Premier League. Everybody has so much information now.” These were the words of Anthony Barry, Thomas Tuchel's number two, back in November, when discussing the what England players face week-to-week in the Premier League. On this episode, John Brewin, Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith discuss to what lengths that is true, why the game has developed in this way and what is being left behind as physicality becomes football's default setting.

P1: (04:28)

P2: (32:02)

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Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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Wednesday sees the climax of the Champions League's 144-game 'league phase', a TV bonanza featuring 18 fixtures, after which we will know who made the top eight, who faces the punishment round and who goes home. It's thrilling stuff, we're told.

On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja discuss the second season of the new format and wonder whether the pay-off is worth the long slog. With six English teams vying for a spot in the top eight, it feels like the most Premier League dominated Champions League season yet. So why don’t English teams win the competition more often? And is this imbalance actually more of a problem than the format itself?

P1: (09:40)

P2: (31:01)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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Thomas Frank may have delayed his departure with that surprisingly comfortable win over Borussia Dortmund, but that is only the tip of Tottenham’s problems. What is the club’s strategy? What do they want to be? Do they no longer have a sense of quest? To answer all of that are Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith.

P1: (05:14)

P2: (29:21)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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It was supposed to be the smoothest running Africa Cup of Nations in tournament history, all the edges levelled off. Then came Sunday’s final and unbelievable scenes in Rabat: dodgy penalties, an even dodgier Panenka, Brahim Diaz’s tears, riot police and Senegal denying what had looked a triumph custom-designed for the Moroccan hosts.

That Jonathan Wilson was there to see it - his 12th AfCon final, no less - grants Libero an eyewitness account of the drama, while John Brewin, also a visitor to the tournament, shares his thoughts and experiences of ground-hopping in Morocco. Tariq Panja joins them to consider the political implications of AfCon’s change to every four years, and the influence of Gianni Infantino on a decision few appear comfortable with or understand.

P1: (00:49)

P2: (28:52)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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He might have been a playing legend but that ended up counting for nothing as Xabi Alonso became the latest Real Madrid manager to be crushed between the weight of galacticos and the biggest Madrileno of them all, Florentino Perez. Was it doomed from the start?

Good luck then, Alvaro Arbeloa, with taming the beast. Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith join John Brewin to discuss football’s most preposterous and haughty club. Has Xabi’s reputation as one of the best coaches in world football suffered? Does the white storm still possess the power of old? Are the galacticos as good as they think they are?

P1: (02:24)

P2: (28:24)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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Rory Smith enjoyed going viral for his rant against Chelsea's egregious exploitation of Ligue 1 'sister club' Strasbourg so much that he wanted to make a whole podcast about it. Luckily, James Horncastle was keen to provide operatic hosting duties and Miguel Delaney has an opinion on the issue, so we did. Covered is the morality of the multi-club groups, the shades of grey offered by different approaches and, if any, the logic behind the concept.

P1: (01:05)

P2: (34:09)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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That’s been quite a week, hasn’t it? On today’s Libero, Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith and James Horncastle explore how the sackings of Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim shed light on where power lies at Manchester United, Chelsea and in the modern Premier League. Is it with the manager? Or is it with the faceless technocrats in the front office?

P1: (02:38)

P2: (34:34)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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Libero is not a coach. It is a manager. It has always wanted to be Ruben Amorim. Even on the day he was sacked by Manchester United. Rory Smith, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja unite to discuss the downfall of the radically honest Amorim, what his defenestration means for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s project and whether United can ever be saved.

P1: (01:25)

P2: (34:09)

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions

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