The Bodega Babies Podcast

Last week it was Lisandro Martínez, and this week it is Bruno Fernandes. After Manchester United's 4-1 defeat at Como in the Champions League, the captain questioned the decision not to press man-to-man, and we ask whether a captain publicly questioning the tactics is fair comment or a line that should not be crossed. We then link it to Erik ten Hag's interview with The Athletic, in which he talked about broken promises at the club, Bruno's captaincy and why sacking Michael Carrick is not the answer. From there we look at Tottenham's win at Stamford Bridge, their first there since 2018, featuring a Mike Penders own goal, a red card for Cole Palmer and a late goal from Mathys Tel. We finish by asking how the refereeing has actually been so far this season, and whether the numbers match what we see on the screen.https://linktr.ee/BodegaBabies

We start with Lisandro Martínez's criticism of Manchester United's hierarchy after the defeat at Atlético Madrid, and ask whether he was right on the substance, wrong on the method, or both. From there we look at a Champions League matchday that broke the record for goals in a single day, and at Chelsea's first clean sheet of the season, which ended a 22-game run without one. We then turn to Arsenal, who keep winning without looking fully convincing, and finish by making the case that Manchester United are currently the worst team in the league.

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We open with the weekend's football: Arsenal against Leeds, Chelsea against Bournemouth, and a brief look at United and Spurs. From there we turn to the story dominating the week, with Manchester City found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges against them. We cover the government's reaction, the FA's statement on the integrity of the game, and the bigger question underneath it all: does reaching the top of modern football require bending or breaking the rules? We close with what is happening between Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, after Ronaldo left the national team's camp amid reports of a rift with the coach.

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This episode opens with the Bodega Babies monthly awards — Player, Manager, Breakout, Goal, Save, Flop and Team of the Month, along with Young Player of the Month, a category that feels particularly relevant given how many teenagers are breaking into first teams right now. That leads into a wider conversation about why clubs are trusting 16 and 17-year-olds with first-team football earlier than ever, and whether that's good for the game. From there we ask whether money has fundamentally changed football, look at Manchester City's reported 115 charges verdict and what it could mean for the club going forward, question who actually holds power in football between FIFA, UEFA, leagues and clubs, and close by asking whether the modern calendar has simply become too crowded.

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It's been a rough week in the league. Chelsea and Arsenal both lost 3-0 in their respective games, and we break down what went wrong for each. Manchester United are out of the Carabao Cup again, continuing a frustrating pattern, and on top of that, JJ Gabriel is reportedly in Barcelona for talks about a possible exit. With results like this across the board, we figured the only sensible move was to talk about Spurs — because at this point, it's getting bad everywhere.

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Champions League Gameweek 1 is done, and we're breaking down what stood out. From there we debate a classic football claim — does defence really win you leagues, or is that outdated thinking? We also run through our Ballon d'Or picks for this season and ask the big question hanging over Old Trafford: can Michael Carrick actually deliver trophies at Manchester United now that he's in permanent charge?

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We open with a quick round of Who's On Your Head — a player's name goes on a piece of paper, gets stuck to the other host's forehead, and it's yes-or-no questions only until someone figures out who they are. From there we run through the weekend's biggest results and talk about what they actually revealed about the state of the league. The main conversation this week centers on Ismaila Sarr's failed move to Liverpool — his agent, Diomansy Kamara, said African players "deserve respect" and are too often treated as a "commodity." We get into whether he was wrong to bring race into the discussion, or whether that's exactly the conversation football needs to have.

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This week's episode kicks off with our favourite game: Who's On Your Head. We each secretly write down a player's name, stick it to the other host's forehead without them seeing it, and then take turns asking yes-or-no questions to figure out who we are — no direct guesses allowed until you've actually earned it through the questions. From there we get into the football: Chelsea have finally landed a front of shirt sponsor after a long wait, and we break down the deal. We round up the transfer window as a whole, make the case for why Arsenal still need one more superstar signing, and preview a tricky Monday night clash — can Aston Villa actually beat Arsenal?

This week we're deep in the docs — the new Jose Mourinho Netflix documentary and the Pep Guardiola Prime documentary both get broken down, and we can't help but put the two side by side. From there we shift to the pitch: is Arsenal's defence genuinely the best in Europe right now, or is it still early days? We also get into the Chelsea ownership situation and what it could mean going forward, plus a look at Manchester United's midfield rebuild and whether the new pieces actually fix last season's problems. We close it out with a full round-up of the weekend's fixtures and our early reads on the table.

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