What’s Going On?

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:36 - Business end of the season

02:31 - Man City knock Bayern out of the UCL

03:03 - Guardiola, the tiki-taka master, is embracing physicality

07:42 - Bayern need a striker

10:12 - Chelsea chaos

14:47 - Real Madrid’s tactical themes vs Chelsea

15:45 - Rodrygo’s UCL numbers are outrageous

17:09 - AC Milan, inspired by Leão and Maignan, knock out Napoli

20:26 - Is Mike Maignan the best GK in the world?

23:58 - Inter beat Benfica to set up a Derby della Madonnina UCL semi-final

24:29 - Champions League predictions

25:23 - Arsenal bottle another 2-0 lead v West Ham

27:07 - Man Utd beat Nottingham Forest and look favourites for top 4

27:44 - Liverpool win their first game since 7-0 vs Man Utd

28:50 - AIK beat Hammary 2-0 in Stockholm Derby, and appoint new sporting director, Thomas Berntsen

31:54 - ‘Club of the Regime’ - Real Madrid & FC Barcelona beef

35:35 - Outro 

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Borja Tobar is Head of Global Expansion at the LaLiga side Real Betis Balompié. Before taking up that role, he worked at LaLiga, where he was responsible for the LaLiga business development delocalized team in North America and Latin America.

We discuss what steps Real Betis are taking to expand their fan base, the importance of foreign players, LaLiga vs the Premier League, and challenges facing Real Betis in today’s rapidly changing global football landscape.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome Borja Tobar - Head of Global Expansion at Real Betis Balompié

01:39 - Borja’s journey so far

06:25 - Borja’s role as Head of Global Expansion at Real Betis

13:08 - How Real Betis is expanding its global presence

21:48 - The importance of foreign players in expanding a fan base

25:54 - Is a player’s nationality a factor in deciding to sign them?

28:47 - Borja’s time at La Liga and his biggest challenges

34:38 - Premier League v La Liga

41:33 - Broadcast revenue distribution

47:06 - Economic controls in Spanish football

51:39 - Real Betis’ biggest challenges

58:47 - Tips on getting into the business side of football

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:54 - Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal - PL game of the season?

03:03 - Sensational ending - Ramsdale saves, Martinelli counter

04:47 - Key moment was Xhaka getting Anfield fired up

06:02 - Anfield is special

07:47 - Trent Alexander-Arnold is a defensive liability

08:57 - Firmino still has it

10:15 - Van Dijk has fallen off

11:51 - Linesman Constantine Hatzidakis elbows Robertson

14:23 - Premier League title race is heating up 

14:53 - Man City 3-0 Bayern Munich

16:04 - Rodri is underrated

16:58 - Haaland scores his 45th goal of a season in all competitions, a PL record

18:25 - Bayern’s (and Upamecano’s) lack of defensive sharpness cost them

20:09 - Bayern missed Choupo-Moting

21:44 - John Stones’ new hybrid role

23:05 - Ruben Dias is a colossus

25:53 - Guardiola did not overthink this time

27:53 - Nagelsmann is smiling

28:36 - Coaching Carousel - Nagelsmann, Tuchel, Potter, Lampard, Conte, Rodgers, Hodgson, Smith

38:42 - Manchester United picking up form again

41:36 - Newcastle United on fire

45:25 - Wrexham AFC on the brink of promotion to League 2 after Ben Foster’s last-minute penalty save

50:54 - AIK 0-3 Norrköping - horror show in Allsvenskan home opener

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This is a Swedish episode, where we preview the Allsvenskan 2023 season. We're joined by fans from the three big Stockholm clubs - Hugo Sundquist (Djurgården), David Linder (AIK), and Jesper Savborg (Hammarby), as they share their insights for the upcoming season.

Timestamps:

00:00 - English intro

01:03 - Välkommen Hugo, David, och Jesper

01:46 - Djurgården - föregående säsong

03:04 - Djurgården - känslan inför denna säsong

05:06 - Djurgården - tappen av spelare 

09:22 - Djurgården - oro inför säsongen

10:04 - Djurgården - genombrott

10:28 - Djurgården - årets flopp

11:19 - Djurgården - tränarstaben

11:57 - Djurgården - tabellen 2023

12:55 - Djurgården - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör

14:34 - AIK - föregående säsong

16:27 - AIK - känslan inför denna säsongen

20:23 - AIK - tappen av spelare

22:08 - AIK - nyförvärven

24:21 - AIK - försäsongen

27:10 - AIK - oro inför säsongen

28:40 - AIK - genombrott

30:03 - AIK - årets flopp

31:05 - AIK - tränarstaben

32:28 - AIK - tabellen 2023

34:00 - AIK - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör

34:51 - Hammarby - föregående säsong

36:54 - Hammarby - känslan inför denna säsongen

38:11 - Hammarby - tappen av spelare

40:53 - Hammarby - försäsongen och Svenska Cuppen

42:26 - Hammarby - oro inför säsongen

43:59 - Hammarby - genombrott

45:21 - Hammarby - årets flopp

47:00 - Hammarby - tränarstaben

49:46 - VAR, 51% reglen, farmarlag

57:40 - Hammarby - tabellen 2023

58:46 - Hammarby - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör

1:00:34 - Hammarby TFF och farmarlag

1:04:42 - Cwa snippet, och Jacobs serievinnare

1:07:53 - Outro

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Matt Slater joins us to discuss the rise of the Premier League. Matt is a senior football news reporter for The Athletic UK. Before that, he spent 16 years with the BBC and then three years as chief sports reporter for the UK/Ireland's main news agency, PA.

Follow Matt on ⁠Twitter⁠ to keep up to date with top-tier reporting, and check out his latest articles for The Athletic.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome Matt Slater!

00:20 - Insights from the FIFA Congress in Rwanda

08:25 - Matt’s role at The Athletic

10:08 - Why was the Premier League founded in 1992?

15:51 - The English football pyramid - and should more money flow down to the EFL?

19:22 - The need for an independent regulator in English football, and the ‘Owners’ and Directors’ Test’

24:56 - How did the Premier League become the most lucrative league in the world?

30:41 - Distribution of broadcasting revenues in European football

38:21 - Expansion of the Champions League, Super League, cross-border leagues, and creating an OTT streaming service 

39:56 - The pandemic hurt all leagues, but hurt the Premier League the least

41:03 - How Brexit has driven up prices for Premier League prices

41:53 - Premier League clubs are putting their foot on the accelerator

43:19 - International fans have easier and cheaper access to televised Premier League games than UK fans

46:28 - Challenges for the Premier League

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:53 - El Clásico: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid

03:05 - Barca charged with ‘continued corruption in business’ for paying former VP of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, Enriquez Negreira, €7.3m between 2001-2018

08:29 - Barca’s major financial problems

12:33 - Barca’s youth academy, La Masia, Is producing top talents again

13:39 - Gavi’s contract conflict

18:14 - Antonio Conte’s Tottenham rant

24:20 - Fulham self-sabotage in 3-1 loss to Man Utd in FA Cup QF

29:14 - Arsenal keep on winning, and Trossard shoutout

30:18 - Patrick Viera sacked by Crystal Palace, as Palace are dragged into the tightest relegation battle ever

32:35 - 8 goals in 2 games for Erling Haaland

34:03 - 41-year-old Zlatan returns from almost a year out injured, and becomes the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history. Special mention to Kazuyoshi Miura

35:34 - Napoli on fire, and have a decent chance at winning the CL

36:47 - Inter 0-1 Juventus

37:51 - Lazio 1-0 Roma

39:30 - Outro

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome Lee Fletcher!

01:44 - Lee on growing up in Oldham and how he fell in love with Oldham Athletic

07:20 - How Lee went from a salesman & personal banker to a football coach

08:16 - You don’t have to be in the professional changing rooms to understand football, and you can find very good footballers at semi-pro level

11:23 - Lee moves to Madrid and starts at FC Britanico de Madrid

13:26 - The differences between coaching and playing football. When you play, it’s in 2D, when you coach, it’s in 3D

16:39 - Clubs in the Greater Manchester area

18:02 - Lee on his experience working at Manchester United and Manchester City Soccer Schools in 2015 and 2016. “Don’t be the first one to go to bed”, and the difference between United and City.

22:25 - The diet of coaching

25:02 - How Lee and his friend Graeme spotted a gap in the market in Madrid and started Albion Football Language Academy, and how that led to working at Real Madrid

25:37 - Real Madrid’s academy set-up

27:26 - Coaching the Real Madrid youngsters in English

30:47 - Lee’s thoughts on the differences between Spanish and English football

34:40 - Coaching at IE University in Madrid

38:55 - Lee’s spell at Alcobendas, and periodisation in coaching

44:17 - Lee on his role as Head of Content at The Coaching Manual

49:01 - Lee’s on his role at Manchester United as an Academy Emerging Talent Coach

54:00 - The pyramid of football - the foundations, the principles, and the technical framework

56:45 - Strategy - philosophy, game model, methodology

1:01:23 - What’s next for Lee?

1:08:31 - Outro

Follow Lee Fletcher on Twitter @LeeFleckCoach

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:07 - Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd

02:08 - Scoreline flattered Liverpool, with 2.91xG and 8 shots on target

02:50 - Was fatigue a factor for Man Utd?

04:02 - Bruno’s body language

05:55 - Casemiro wasn’t at his best - no Casemiro, no party

06:44 - Man Utd’s away struggles - one win in seven away games against the top 11 teams in the Premier League

07:11 - Anfield is a fortress: Man Utd have not won at Anfield since January 2016, and have scored one goal at Anfield since

08:12 - Arteta had the most difficult game of his career at Anfield - he couldn’t cope physically or emotionally

08:47 - How Jacob won two all-inclusive tickets for us to watch Liverpool v Man Utd at Anfield in January 2016

10:01 - Salah was back to his best and Gakpo had his “I’ve arrived” performance

10:55 - Where do Man Utd go from here?

11:47 - Man Utd ownership update: two main bidders - Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are said to be entering serious negotiations

12:25 - Man Utd’s market value fell by $1.2bn after rumours that the Glazers may be reluctant to sell the club

12:44 - Cwa’s thoughts on who he wants as owners

13:59 - Carnage if Glazers don’t sell

15:42 - ManUtd had a negative net spend in the period they won 3 PL titles in a row and reached 3 CL finals in 4 seasons (2006-2011), and replaced Ronaldo with Obertan

16:34 - Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth

18:13 - Arsenal’s late winners are becoming a trend

18:50 - Arsenal have the second youngest first team in the league after Southampton

19:25 - It’s the first time for a generation of Arsenal players and fans to experience a title race

20:21 - Arsenal’s biggest threat to their title hopes is emotional fatigue

21:11 - Bukayo Saka - the joy bringer

21:54 - Arsenal NEED to win the league this year

22:35 - Spurs and Newcastle drop points and don’t look like they want top 4

22:59 - Chelsea finally hit some form after beating Leeds and Dortmund, and Graham Potter buys himself some time

25:06 - AC Milan's poor form continues

25:19 - Roma 1-0 Juventus

25:44 - Napoli 0-1 Lazio

26:09 - Outro

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Timestamp

00:00 - Intro

01:22 - Rest in peace to those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria

02:15 - Champions League is back, Valentine's Day, AIK's birthday

04:01 - PSG 0-1 Bayern Munich

04:46 - PSG are one-dimensional without Mbappé, and there’s so much focus on star players, and not on the technical and psychological makeup of the squad

05:32 - is Galtier the right guy to lead PSG?

05:54 - Bayern outran PSG by 8km

06:34 - PSG have lost more games already in 2023 (5) than in all of 2022 (4)

06:50 - The PSG project currently less credible and convincing that at any other time

07:27 - How PSG is just one of the numerous soft-power acquisitions that have strengthened Qatar’s diplomatic position in Europe.

08:57 - AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

09:46 - Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea

11:09 - Club Brugge 0-2 Benfica

12:12 - Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid

12:34 - This is Real Madrid’s competition - “the moment when you think you’re closest to beating Real Madrid is the moment you’re closest to losing to them”

13:45 - Real Madrid are clinical

14:22 - Liverpool’s tactical naivety

15:17 - Benzema and Vinicius are the players with the most goals against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history. Kryptonite.

16:21 - Liverpool’s defensive issues

21:47 - Real Madrid’s recruitment

24:06 - Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Napoli

24:29 - Inter Milan 1-0 Porto

25:28 - RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City

26:02 - Barcelona 2-2 Man Utd

27:40 - Erik Ten Hag’s flexibility, playing players in different positions, and not having favourites

29:32 - Man Utd’s transitions

30:45 - Erik Ten Hag’s honesty and confidence

32:05 - Man Utd’s direct attacks

33:06 - Arsenal 1-3 Man City

33:56 - Arsenal stuck to their principles of playing out the back, and it cost them

34:18 -  City played more direct than usual. 8.7% of their passes were long, compared to their previous high this season of 4.4%

35:56 - Jakub Jankto comes out as gay

36:41 - Are Man City better or worse with Erling Haaland?

40:15 - Arsene Wenger’s advice to Thierry Henry

41:15 - Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal

42:39 - Chelsea 0-1 Southampton

44:18 - Nottingham Forest 1-1 Man City

45:11 - Newcastle 0-2 Liverpool

46:53 - Man Utd 3-0 Leicester

47:53 - Outro

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Timestamps

0:00 - Intro

00:58 - Joel Rydstrand’s game: Recreativo de Huelva v San Roque de Lepe

01:58 - Arsenal 3-2 Man United

03:24 - Arsenal played like champions

03:46 - The Arsenal board deserves credit for giving Arteta time and trusting the process

04:57 - Is it a failure if Arsenal don’t win the league?

05:49 - Candidates for Premier League player of the season so far?

07:19 - Eddie Nketiah has grabbed his chance

08:39 - Weghorst impressive

09:56 - Casemiro

13:02 - Man City 1-0 Arsenal

14:47 - Trossard and Mudryk signings, Financial Fair Play at Chelsea?

17:02 - Man United 3-1 Reading

18:38 - Erik Ten Hag’s focus on character in his recruitment

20:14 - Brighton 2-1 Liverpool, how well run Brighton are, and Kaoru Mitoma is special

22:49 - AC Milan’s poor form and 2-5 loss to Sassuolo

24:53 - Juventus 0-2 Monza

25:42 - Why Juventus were deducted 15 points on January 20th

27:19 - What does Juve’s point deduction mean for Italian football, a league that’s already scrambling to make up the ever-increasing revenue gap and difference in competitiveness with the Premier League

28:16 - The Melandri Law limited the sale of Serie A international TV rights to short-term deals, meaning Serie A jumped from channel to channel in foreign markets, losing visibility

28:34 - Business incentive to invest in Italian football? And the importance of due diligence when buying Italian clubs

30:01 - No Italian Champions League winner since 2010

30:24 - Comparing the Serie A, La Liga, and Premier League TV deals

32:30 - Comparing January transfer window spending across the big 5 European Leagues

33:40 - More punishment to come for Juve, and ex-directors and players?

35:44 - Napoli 2-1 Roma

37:37 - Zaniolo’s situation at Roma

40:29 - Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham AFC Hollywood story, and on the brink of an FA Cup upset

42:18 - Importance of relegation and promotion for competitiveness

43: 52 - Iñaki Williams’ incredible streak of playing 251 consecutive games (over 7 years) for Athletic Bilbao comes to an end

45:03 - Big January transfers and rumours (João Cancelo, Moises Caicedo, Anthony Gordon)

49:33 - Outro

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