A full midweek Premier League programme and a transfer deadline – what a feast for Natalie Sawyer, Gab Marcotti, Oli Kay, James Gheerbrant and George Caulkin.

Liverpool miss the chance to go 7 points clear but do extend their lead to 5 points at the top of the Premier League. Did the Reds show weakness and has it been coming? And are we being too harsh on Manchester City given the points total they are on course to reach?

Maurizio Sarri was shamed by his players once again as Chelsea were humiliated 4-0 at Bournemouth. Do Chelsea players lose interest? Or is Sarri playing too many of them too often?

Elsewhere we’ve got the low-down on Newcastle’s new boy and we close the curtain on the Fellaini era.

Paddy von Behr provides advice ahead of the fantasy football weekend. For free Fantasy Premier League tips from The Sweeper, visit thetimes.co.uk/fantasyfootball 

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Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Paul Joyce, Alan Smith and former Chelsea winger and award-winning author Paul Canoville after FA Cup 4th round weekend.

Millwall shock Everton but events off the pitch overshadow that achievement, with racist chants heard in the stands. What can be done to counteract this behaviour?

On the pitch, the pressure ramps up on Marco Silva with many questioning Everton’s character. And there’s further embarrassment for West Ham who are dumped out of the cup by League One AFC Wimbledon. There are scathing words for Pellegrini’s preparation and that amateur Arnautovic video.

Plus find out why it’s beyond idiotic to criticise Mauricio Pochettino. And there’s the story of when Gab Marcotti met Cactus Jack somewhere private.

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Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer host an author special this Thursday on The Game podcast.

Joshua Robinson, co-author of The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports, joins us alongside The Times chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler, to discuss the global juggernaut that is England’s top tier.

We delve into the knowledge of Joshua and his co-author Jonathan Clegg, who have spoken to executives and owners past and present about their emotional and financial investment. Hear about the last Chelsea team-talk pre-Abramovich and Randy Lerner’s tattoo. Plus branding, Brexit and Brentford.

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Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Matt Dickinson and Alan Smith after an impactful weekend in the Premier League.

Arsenal beat Chelsea emphatically at the Emirates, causing Blues boss Maurizio Sarri to publicly question his players’ motivation ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Spurs.

Is it a gamble worth taking? Has Sarri neglected other members of his squad for too long? Or is the system failing and are Kante and Hazard being misused?

Speaking of Spurs, they come from behind to win at Fulham, despite Dele Alli adding to a growing injury list. Is the lack of summer signings about to come back to haunt them? And are the Cottagers doomed to the drop?

And it’s another win for Manchester United and another goal for Marcus Rashford. Is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer right to predict he could become the best striker in the Premier League? 

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Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Henry Winter and Bill Edgar on a week that has everyone in the world of football talking.

Arsenal take on Chelsea in a pivotal clash in the Champions League chase but it’s been a turbulent week off the pitch for the Gunners. It appears Ivan Gazidis has left Arsenal in a huge mess, as head of recruitment Sven Mislintat looks set to be the next man out the door.

Did Arsenal gamble too much on Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil a year ago? And will we see Ozil in action this weekend? Does the World Cup winner respect Unai Emery’s credentials? Plus will Sarri get his way with the addition of Gonzalo Higuain at Stamford Bridge?

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admits that he has sent representatives undercover to watch every Championship team train this season. Is he to be admired or punished? And did the masses and the media get manipulated by Bielsa into discussing how meticulous he is instead of the morality of spying?

Charlie Scott and Paddy von Behr provide their advice ahead of the fantasy football weekend. For free Fantasy Premier League tips from The Sweeper, visit thetimes.co.uk/fantasyfootball 

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Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are back with Alyson Rudd and Paul Hirst in tow to talk the major issues of the weekend

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect start as Manchester United manager continues, with victory over Tottenham, as he becomes the first United manager to win his first 6 games in charge. Is Solskjaer more than a just a man who puts smiles on faces and did Wembley showcase his tactical acumen as a coach? From a Tottenham standpoint, with no Son and potentially no Kane, where does Mauricio Pochettino go from here?

With Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admitting to sending a staff member to the Derby training ground undercover, we ask if spying is an accepted part of elite sport.

Off the back of Warnock’s words on Brexit and Rio’s rant on Newcastle, what do the panel make of the amount of attention that these opinions attracted?

Also on a packed podcast, Martin O’Neill returns to Nottingham Forest, plus the hilarious and embarrassing position that Unai Emery finds himself in.

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Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by James Gheerbrant and Oli Kay ahead of a big Premier League weekend and following a footballing week that provided plenty of talking points on and off the pitch.

Tottenham host Manchester United on Sunday. With the Red Devils rampant under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the panel discuss how the Norwegian has built his team around Paul Pogba. And with a further delay on their new stadium, should Spurs be allowed to stay at Wembley for the rest of the season?

A couple of Welshmen are on the move – Nathan Jones has left Luton to become the new Stoke manager. Is he the real deal and are we seeing a trend in clubs steering clear of the tried and tested names?

Plus Aaron Ramsey moves closer to a summer move to Juventus, which the panel deem a gamble for the Old Lady. Are Arsenal counting the cost of their decision to spend big on Mesut Ozil’s new contract a year ago?

Also up for discussion, the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Did VAR get it right at Wembley and was Manchester City’s 9-0 win over Burton an act of disrespect?

Charlie Scott and Paddy von Behr provide their advice ahead of the fantasy football weekend. For free Fantasy Premier League tips from The Sweeper, visit thetimes.co.uk/fantasyfootball 

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Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are reunited in the studio and are joined by Matt Dickinson and James Gheerbrant after FA Cup 3rd round weekend.

Newport knock out Leicester in the most magical moment of the weekend but why do Premier League clubs, particularly those in mid-table, insist on resting star players when there’s a trophy up for grabs? Should we respect a coach’s right to manage their squad? Should these clubs be more honest with the supporters about what their ambitions actually are and whether league position is more important?

We look ahead to the Carabao Cup semi-finals as Tottenham take on Chelsea. How much longer will Callum Hudson-Odoi be a Blue? And there’s the curious case of Alvaro Morata. Scoring but seemingly unhappy.

Also on the agenda, Chesterfield’s crooked spire. And Roy Hodgson’s aversion to Netflix.

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Natalie Sawyer brings you The Game podcast slightly later than usual – to take in the biggest game of the season so far with Henry Winter, Alyson Rudd and Alan Smith.

Champions Manchester City inflict a first Premier League defeat of the season on league leaders Liverpool at the Etihad, closing the gap at the top to 4 points. Does Jurgen Klopp take encouragement from the level of performance it took from City to beat them?

Pep Guardiola’s men show their guts and intensity, a performance typified by the ‘dog of war’ Bernardo Silva. Will City’s experience prove crucial in this title race?

Speaking of Silva, Marco is struggling across Merseyside right now as Everton have won just 1 of their last 8. Does the Portuguese coach remain a mystery to us in English football?

And Maurizio Sarri has suggested he would like a new striker at Chelsea in January. Meanwhile Christian Pulisic has been signed from Borussia Dortmund, apparently without too much input from the Chelsea manager. Are there cynical reasons behind the signing?

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For the final podcast of 2018, Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer bring you a one-off special, as the great writers at The Times give us their ideas for changing the game of football forever.

What measures and rule changes would we bring in to improve the sport we love? Full-time buzzers? Physios in play? The ball never out of play? Hear from Henry Winter, Alyson Rudd, Oli Kay and many more.

Also on the agenda, VAR, the Super League…and mascots.

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