The Road to Nowhere European Football Podcast

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Dušan Vlahović and Denis Zakaria’s meteoric impact at Juventus, the integral role played by Dani Alves in Barcelona's frenzied 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid, Arkadiusz Milik's assertable status as one of Ligue 1's finest out-and-out centre-forwards, Borussia Mönchengladbach's mostly sagacious squad management and more. Despite their lack of a natural goal scorer, how well-placed are Athletic Club to qualify for Europe? Why might Max Eberl be considered one of the finest sporting directors in Europe over the last decade or so? In what sense would Marseille be the perfect forever home for Mattéo Guendouzi, and to what extent has the 22-year-old flourished under the tutelage of Jorge Sampaoli? Having prevailed in the most recent edition of the Derby della Madonnina, can AC Milan now sustain a genuine title challenge? 

To celebrate and mark the 50th episode of the podcast, Alasdair, Barlow and Michael are accompanied virtually by a revolving panel of esteemed guests to discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys are joined by Jonathan Fadugba (Guardian Football Weekly), Owen Brown (Pure Fitbaw), Joe Donnohue (Scouted Football) and Alan Feehely (Football España) to look at the multifarious history of Lyon's organic Ligue 1 rivalry with Saint-Étienne, Rúben Amorim's managerial trajectory, the impassioned sociocultural context within which the most recent edition of El Gran Derbi took place, the rather unexplored blossoming of Servette's 21-year-old midfielder Kastriot Imeri and more. 4:22 - Why was Pedri so deserving of his lofty ranking in the Guardian's list of the top 100 best male footballers in the world in 2021? / 25:46 - How should we assess Matthias Jaissle's progress as coach of Red Bull Salzburg, and to which German Bundesliga clubs might his style of management be well-suited? / 51:36 - What is 20-year-old Nico González's most favourable position at Xavi's Barcelona? / 1:12:04 - How are Athletic Club's identity and approach to recruitment perceived globally?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Gerard Moreno's multifaceted importance to Villarreal, the key takeaways from Monaco's decision to sack Niko Kovac, Salernitana's Serie A stay of execution, Bochum's Gerrit Holtmann-inspired euphoria and more. 2:41 - Despite Cadiz's seemingly prudent decision to part company with Álvaro Cervera, why will the 56-year-old be so fondly remembered by the fans at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla? / 22:17 - Which players might provide steely Arminia Bielefeld with the requisite quality to secure a third consecutive season in Germany's top flight? / 35:29 - How surprised or otherwise should we be by Monaco's decision to relieve Niko Kovac of his managerial duties? / 44:09 - Where was Roma's frantic game with Juventus won and lost, and what was the wider significance of the way the game unfolded? 

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Gonçalo Guedes' entrancing display in the Valencian Derby, Téji Savanier's emancipating role in Montpellier's 4-2-3-1, Salernitana's ominous ownership predicament, David Raum's emergence as one of the most promising left-sided defenders in Europe and more. 2:15 - Which issues should Napoli prioritise in order to arrest their recent slump in form? / 18:31 - How prudent or otherwise is Alaves' Watford-esque tendency to dismiss managers, and how will José Luis Mendilibar fare at Mendizorrotza? / 32:31 - Why might Téji Savanier be the perfect wildcard pick for Didier Deschamps and France at the 2022 World Cup? / 42:01 - Would it be fair to suggest that Hoffenheim are now finally getting over the departure of Juliann Nagelsmann in June 2019?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at a symbolic Madrid Derby, Stade Brestois' staggering six-game Ligue 1 winning streak, Bayern Munich's teething issues defensively under Julian Nagelsmann, Fiorentina's renaissance under Vincenzo Italiano and more. 2:28 - Why have Strasbourg been so enjoyable to watch under Julian Stephan? / 21:38 - How have Inter and Atalanta rallied themselves after complicated starts to their seasons? / 36:31 - What were the main takeaways from Bayern’s Matchday 14 win over Borussia Dortmund in the most recent edition of Der Klassiker? / 45:36 - What remarkable statistic highlights Manuel Pellegrini’s status as one of the finest managers in LaLiga’s modern history?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Juventus' ill-fitting 4-4-2 formation, Jonathan David's refined decision-making at Lille, Borussia Mönchengladbach's constrictive away form, Elche taking the path of most resistance and more. 2:51 - What was the wider significance of Levante's decision to part company with their coach (Javi Pereira) and their sporting director (Manolo Salvador)? / 17:37 - In what sense was Union Berlin's 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin psychologically important for Urs Fischer's side? / 30:12 - How can we perhaps look to explain Lille’s contrasting fortunes domestically and in Europe this season? / 39:29 - Why might Bologna's signing of Marko Arnautović be viewed as one of the shrewdest deals of the year across the top five European leagues?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Igor Tudor's free-scoring Hellas Verona, Jesse Marsch's rewarding switch to a back three at RB Leipzig, Lovro Majer's billing as the next Luka Modrić, the wider significance of Atlético de Madrid's late collapse in their 3-3 draw with Valencia and more. 2:33 - What should newly-appointed Genoa manager, Andriy Shevchenko's initial priorities be at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, and to what extent will he be backed financially by the club's wealthy owners? / 18:01 - Having also graduated from the famed Saint-Etienne youth academy, how well-equipped is Saïdou Sow to continue to follow in the footsteps of William Saliba and Wesley Fofana at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard? / 32:26 - Following his jubilant return to Camp Nou, what role can we expect Dani Alves to play on and off the pitch for Xavi's Barcelona? / 46:15 - How central will Christopher Nkunku be to RB Leipzig's seemingly resurrected hopes of securing Champions League football for a fourth consecutive season at the Red Bull Arena? 

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at the convenient emergence of Davide Frattesi as Manuel Locatelli's successor at Sassuolo, the factors justifying Wolfsburg's expeditious decision to part company with Mark van Bommel, Bordeaux's progress (or lack thereof) following wholesale summer changes at the Matmut Atlantique, Real Mallorca's debilitating tendency to concede late in games and more. 3:10 - Following Ronald Koeman's departure, what would success look like in the short and medium term for whoever replaces him permanently at Barcelona? / 21:16 - Which young players are underpinning Freiburg's unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season, and how is the mood generally at the club after they bade an emotional goodbye to the iconic Dreisamstadion? / 31:21 - Does Bordeaux's heroic 3-2 win against Stade de Reims last weekend represent a genuine turning point in their thus far dispiriting season, or will their late comeback merely paper over the proverbial cracks? / 40:19 - With most of their rivals spending lavishly over the last few years, how can an economical Atalanta side continue to compete at the top end of Serie A?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at Manuel Locatelli’s pivotal role in stabilising Juve’s season, Seko Fofana’s emblematic drive and energy at RC Lens, Florian Wirtz's awe-inspiring vision and split-second decision-making, Barcelona's pre-clásico forlornness and more. 3:59 - What did we learn tactically and holistically about Diego Simeone's ever-evolving Atlético Madrid in their recent 3-2 loss at home to Liverpool in the Champions League? / 20:08 - Having benefitted from François Pinault's extensive financial backing for over two decades, how well-equipped should Stade Rennais now be to routinely challenge for a place in the Champions League? / 39:20 - Which players have served as invaluable mentors to AC Milan's thriving Portuguese forward, Rafa Leão? / 53:54 - What are the fundamental differences between the oft-compared Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz, and which particular aspect of the latter’s game suggests that he could ultimately become world class?

Alasdair, Barlow and Michael discuss and analyse the latest European football news. The boys look at the fundamental differences between Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, Lucas Paquetá's audacity and belated brilliance at Lyon, Mainz's defensive resoluteness under the revolutionary coaching of Bo Svensson, Maurizio Sarri's ephemeral honeymoon at Lazio and more. 3:37 - What style of play has Steffen Baumgart implemented at the RheinEnergieStadion, and why might he be the perfect appointment to satisfy the inexorably passionate FC Köln support? / 19:44 - Which tactical tweaks did Siniša Mihajlović make prior to Bologna's impressive 3-0 win over Lazio, and to what extent did those changes benefit the former Hearts left-back, Aaron Hickey? / 34:15 - Following Levante's decision to sack Paco López, how will the 54-year-old's time in charge at Estadi Ciutat de València be remembered? / 46:36 - Why is Lucas Paquetá the worthy successor to Memphis Depay's Olympique Lyonnais throne?

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