A look at the latest from the week as we delve down to League One leaders Birmingham City all the way to the top of the tree, as Arne Slot’s Liverpool lead in the Premier League. Also a wider look at thoughts on Thomas Tuchel as the next England manager.
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00:00On to Birmingham City, obviously suffering a loss to Charlton in their last League One
00:06game. I mean, it's just sort of exaggerated that League One isn't quite a walkover that
00:11it might look after their unbelievable start to the season. How are fans reacting after
00:16that? Obviously, you know, it's no time for panic stations, but it certainly is a little
00:20reminder that it can prove quite a tough division to escape. And if you get a bit complacent
00:27like the likes of Sunderland did in the past, you know, it can sort of get you.
00:31We've seen teams with a lead of 10, 12, 13, 14 points in League One, and that gets heavily
00:37reduced at the end of the season. We saw in the Championship last year of Leicester City,
00:41they started to get a bit complacent and then a bit squeaky bum time towards the end of
00:44the season. These teams, either they do act up and then they manage to see it on through
00:49and get promoted, or they can fall away and lose it completely. Obviously, so early doors
00:53for Birmingham to see if they're going to be falling away or not. But that Charlton
00:58game is a reminder. As Chris Davies, the manager, has been saying this whole time, you can't
01:03take any League One game for granted, any win for granted. Charlton, they're not exactly
01:07the best team in the world, and they lost their best player, Alfie May, to Birmingham
01:11in the summer. But Blues didn't even have a shot on target at the Valley. Charlton did
01:15set up quite defensively after they got their goal, as you would do against the best team
01:20in the league, and they worked hard to get that three points. I think the main reaction
01:24from the Blues fans is, oh, OK, right. Maybe Davies is right. This isn't going to be so
01:28easy. I think they're a little bit disappointed that unbeaten record is gone. But realistically,
01:33you're never going to get an unbeaten record in 46 matches. It would have to be one of
01:37the most perfect seasons we've ever seen.
01:39Obviously, we've mentioned the massive summer, the amount of signings. There's been some
01:45contract situations being updated. What quite appeals to me is the length of these contracts
01:51as well. There's 2028 and three or four years' time. What's the latest you can tell us on
01:57the contract situation and how pleased should Blues be to secure these names for a few more years?
02:04Yes, the main two recently have been Heik Seng Ho, the midfielder, and Ethan Laird,
02:10the right back. Both, I believe, until 2028, which is a long-term commitment for both players.
02:16Heik Seng Ho, in particular, is showing his quality. He's definitely a division above,
02:21if not higher. If they go up to the championship, they should be pretty comfortable starting those
02:25two players every single week. Ethan Laird maybe leaves a little bit to be desired defensively
02:30with his positioning and his tracking back. But going forward, he's got so much energy,
02:34so much charisma. His delivery may be a little bit inconsistent at times, but he's definitely
02:39got the potential to be a top-quality player for Blues. Obviously, formerly of Manchester United as
02:43well, he's had that good upbringing and training at Old Trafford. So, yes, to tie those two players
02:48down is very important. I think it assures Blues that they're not just spending money for the here
02:53and now. They're looking to several years ahead. These crazy sums that we're seeing,
02:57it is a long-term plan. It's not just for this season.
03:02So, Will, as Liverpool have entered this new era under Arnie Schlatt, obviously,
03:06he himself has admitted that they've not really faced a massive test so far. The fixtures now are
03:13coming in thick and fast. They've got Champions League to look at. Then they've got some really
03:17tough games in the league. They've passed their first test against Chelsea. But how excited are
03:24they for this real test? And they can really stamp their authority in the division if they
03:28do come out with some real positive results. Yes, I don't know if Liverpool fans are getting
03:34carried away yet. Because, A, they know it takes an awful lot to beat Manchester City to the title.
03:42And B, we've seen last season that Liverpool had a good start, but they ultimately tailed off at
03:45the end. But, you know, so far, so good under Arnie Schlatt, 10 wins from 11. And the Chelsea
03:54game was a little bit different because it was probably the first game where they didn't actually
03:57dominate possession. I think Chelsea had more of the ball. But Liverpool, for the most part,
04:03were resolute and they'd seen the game out fairly comfortably. You know, they showed their attack
04:09and prowess. They could have had a second penalty, potentially. They had other chances in the first
04:13half. And I can't really remember the Liverpool goalkeeper, Green Kelly, making a save throughout
04:19the game. He came off his line, maybe. But by Nicholas Jackson's goal, Liverpool were fairly
04:25comfortable in the end. And when you're able to quell a real potent attack and line-up with Chelsea,
04:31Cole Palmer was limited to a couple of blocked shots and, obviously, Jackson had his chance. But
04:37Matauehi was threatened at times, but he didn't really do anything of substantial note. And
04:46Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto both struggled on the opposite flank. So, you have to take the
04:52positives from that. It wasn't a fantastic Liverpool performance, but I think they showed
04:57the different sides. And those qualities are what you need to win a title when you've got to dig in
05:03deep. And when you've got players like, you know, Arsenal said it after Mo Salah tracking back and
05:09putting in a shift and then going up the other end and trying to create chances, that's what you need
05:15from your talisman. You could almost give him a little bit of leeway and say, oh, he doesn't need
05:21to track back as much because of what he does in the final third. But when you've got players with
05:26that attitude, then it really all goes well. So, yeah, big win. But, you know, the Arsenal game is
05:32another real barometer. If Liverpool can go there and get a result and then they've got Aston Villa
05:38in the league as well before the next international break, if Liverpool pick up results against those,
05:43then you're looking at the table and think, well, where are they going to start dropping points?
05:47Because they're not dropping them against the lesser teams and they're picking up points against
05:51the teams that will be challenging at the top end of the table. So, why can't they go all the way?
05:57Will, obviously, the FA had a bit of controversy announcing the first ever German manager to take
06:07charge of the national team. I mean, third ever foreign manager. It looks like they've
06:12gone back down, obviously, the foreign route. It's possibly the best decision
06:18in terms of a tournament manager who's available on the market at this time.
06:23What's your thoughts on it? Because, you know, it is quite controversial, as I say.
06:27Well, yeah, as you say, you mentioned Eddie Howe and Eddie Howe has come out and said that he
06:33wasn't even one of the 10 that was approached by England. So, if anyone called on Eddie Howe,
06:41if England didn't think he could go, A, they didn't think he could get him or B,
06:46they didn't want to pay the compensation for him, you know, it's a report of £5 million.
06:51And they didn't want to pay that. So, who else are you going to get if you want an English
06:55manager? Are you going to get Graeme Potter or struggle to Chelsea, did well enough for Brighton,
07:01but, you know, has he had the coaching created to now manage England? And otherwise, who else
07:11are you going to get in terms of English managers? And we've heard a lot about the investment that
07:17got into, you know, like the EPPP, et cetera, and St George's, but are England producing enough
07:27coaches? Now, back to Thomas Tuchel, for me, I have to agree, if you look at the managers who,
07:34A, are out there and be able to want the job, because some might not want the job.
07:39He was probably the best of the bunch. Yeah, I can understand the divided opinion.
07:44Some people think that international football, you should stick to your own and have an English
07:50manager. So many other countries have done it. They've never appointed a foreign manager. But
07:54personally, England have got one of the greatest squads we've ever seen, arguably the greatest,
07:59and you've got to have a manager who's capable of winning tournaments. Thomas Tuchel is one of the
08:04very best in the business when it comes to knockout football. He's won the Champions League
08:08with a Chelsea team that was far from convincing in the years after he left, at the time after he
08:13left. And you've also got the midfield, I think, is so important to unlock with the likes of Jude
08:20Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden. He's so good, Thomas Tuchel, at working with number 10s,
08:25and I think he's the perfect fit. So German, English, I don't care what his passport is.
08:29I don't think England have got enough talent in coaching at the moment, and Thomas Tuchel should
08:33be the man to take them forward. And in terms of Tuchel as a manager, I think he is a fantastic
08:37manager in terms of his CV speaks for itself. So top clubs, he's won the Champions League,
08:42managed in two Champions League finals. That would be the one thought with Tuchel,
08:46that just he's coming in, he's suddenly being parachuted in, expect to do a job straight away.
08:51Maybe certain aspects of the culture he perhaps is not totally up to speed with. But look,
08:55we'll see. And to reiterate, I think he is a top quality manager, Thomas Tuchel.
09:01So, well, Everton obviously coming on the back of another Premier League win. It's starting to look
09:06slightly better for them. It's an away win as well, which is, you know, you probably have to
09:10go quite far back to remember the last time they won away in the Premier League. How confident are
09:17Everton feeling that they are getting these wins over the line? And as you mentioned,
09:21their fixtures are still looking at quite a, you know, more winnable run coming up.
09:27Yeah, it does feel like a little bit of a corner has been turned. I think Sean Dyche has always
09:33felt the performance has been good, but individual mistakes have been the downfall. But you're
09:38starting to see those qualities of a Sean Dyche team, you know, aside that it's difficult to
09:43break down and one that does threaten, especially from set pieces. And that's where Michael Keane's
09:49goal come from at the weekend. And, you know, the Ipswich, they haven't had a bad start,
09:55obviously, since they come up and they make it difficult for teams. But Everton ultimately did
09:59a job on Ipswich, to be honest with you. You know, they got the two goals and a good finish,
10:06capitalised on the mistake, and then finished from Michael Keane in the second half.
10:12You know, it was Everton who probably had the better of a play for the most part. Ipswich
10:17ended the game on top, but you expect that and Jordan Pickford's maybe made one save from
10:23distance. I can't really remember him making another. It was Everton who were banged on the
10:29door. And, yeah, it's four games unbeaten now. And things are looking up for them, definitely.
10:37If Everton get nine points, they'll have to go up to 17 points, I think, something like that. And
10:43that's a good return for them, considering that they're open fixtures and what the aim is for
10:49this campaign. Yeah, obviously, star man Jared Brantway has only played one Premier League game
10:55this season. When he sort of does make his way back into the side, does Michael Keane keep his
11:00place? You know, he's starting to pick up a bit of form and, you know, it becomes difficult when
11:05you do start to chop and change, especially when the side's picking up some good results.
11:10Yeah, it's a nice dilemma, if you say, for Sean's eyes to have. Because Michael Keane, look,
11:19he has us detractors, he's coming for flat, but he remains a consummate professional and
11:26he's got us rewards in the past couple of games. He was excellent against Newcastle in the 0-0 draw
11:31and again against Ipswich. And he's probably one of the best finishers of the club for being a
11:37centre-half. What a finish it was at Portman Rolls. But you can keep a player like Jared Brantway
11:43off the team just because of how good he is. You know, this lad is going to go right to the very
11:48top. And yes, Everton have kept a clean sheet in the past two games and maybe they are getting a
11:55little bit of stability. But you want to play your best players at the end of the day.