On our football roundup, a look at the Premier League title race, evaluating Aston Villa’s performance at Spurs, a look at league leaders Liverpool, Gary O’Neil’s situation at Wolves and an update on what star man Jarrad Branthwaite has to do to get back in Everton’s lineup.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Coming up on our football round-up, a look at the Premier League title race,
00:05evaluating Aston Villa's performance at Spurs,
00:08a look at the league leaders Liverpool, Gary O'Neill's situation at Wolves,
00:12and an update on what star man Jared Brantway has to do to get back in Everton's line-up.
00:21They're not going to lose many games at all this season, are they?
00:25Because after the next break, OK, they've got Manchester City up pretty quickly,
00:32but Liverpool could raffle up quite a few points from now between the festive periods.
00:37Once it's the halfway stage, I think if Liverpool are banging the mix,
00:42then I think you'd be disappointed if they don't go all the way
00:45and challenge for the title until the end of the season.
00:49One thing Arnie Slott's really shored up is the defence.
00:52Just quickly, on them and that fantastic defensive record,
00:56can that be the difference when it comes down to it in terms of winning the title?
01:02Yeah, it's a little bit more pragmatic, isn't it?
01:05Liverpool, I think it's not just the defence, I think it's the way Liverpool play.
01:08It's a bit more measures, a bit more control.
01:11We know Jadon Klopp, he likes his team to be maybe a little bit fiddled,
01:16a little bit chaotic, but it's different than Arnie Slott.
01:20But just the way Liverpool approach games, it's settled things down a little bit
01:24and not made it as frenetic at times.
01:28And that's definitely having a positive effect on the back four.
01:33But at the weekend, again, a lack of incision, a lack of creativity at times,
01:40and it is a concern.
01:41And ultimately, I don't think they've ever been the most offensive,
01:44attacking, creative team under Arteta, but they've been keeping clean sheets.
01:47So it doesn't matter when you only have to score one goal in to win a game
01:51if you're keeping clean sheets.
01:52They're not keeping clean sheets at the moment.
01:54They're defensively struggling.
01:56I mean, as a quick sidebar, I brought three Arsenal defenders
02:01in my fantasy team a few weeks ago because they had a nice run of games
02:04against Leicester, Stamford and Bournemouth.
02:06They didn't keep a clean sheet in any of them.
02:08And that probably sums up, I think, where they're at a little bit at the moment.
02:11So I think they'll improve.
02:12I think they'll get back to the levels we saw recently,
02:14but at the moment, just not quite playing as well as we knew they can.
02:19Liverpool being at the top of the standings,
02:21I wouldn't have expected that so quickly.
02:23Arna Slott settling in so well after Jürgen Klopp's departure.
02:27Thought it might take six months to a season,
02:29maybe for him to get to that kind of form, but proving everybody wrong.
02:32Had he not been for that Nottingham Forest defeat as well,
02:34they'd be right even further at the top of the standings.
02:37But I thought it'd be Man City and Arsenal running away with it again.
02:41Man City, of course, losing away to Bournemouth,
02:43a massive surprise there and definitely makes things a bit more interesting.
02:47And then Arsenal losing against Bournemouth and losing against Newcastle.
02:51They just haven't quite been at the races so far.
02:54I think the injuries for Odegaard, Saliba, Calafiore,
02:59Raheem Sterling as well has not been able to quite settle in
03:01as well as expected.
03:02Paquio Saka has not been at best fitness.
03:05That is going to hinder them.
03:06And of course now Edu leaving in the director's room,
03:09going away to Nottingham Forest.
03:10That might shake things up even further.
03:12Very disappointing start for Arsenal,
03:14actually to try and keep themselves level-headed
03:17and realise it's a long season ahead.
03:19Yeah, on to Aston Villa, obviously, you know,
03:22you were there at the Spurs ground.
03:24What was the sort of take from that game?
03:26Was there some sort of concern how they, you know,
03:29sort of capitulated completely?
03:31You know, Spurs do have that in them,
03:33obviously with some inconsistency at times,
03:35but they do have that in them to go and really hurt teams
03:38with their fierce attack
03:40and their relentless sort of high pressure
03:42and the way they sit high at the pitch.
03:44But was there sort of concerns
03:46and what was Emre's sort of reaction to that loss?
03:49I think there was a lot of concern from the fan base
03:51and rightfully so, to be honest,
03:53because they did capitulate in that second half.
03:56In the first half, it was very even, Stephens,
03:58not really many chances on either end
04:00and Morgan Rodgers scoring that opening goal
04:02from the only shot on target of the entire half.
04:04You go into the second half thinking,
04:06OK, we just need to hold on to this now.
04:08Sit deep, be patient, just as they were in the first half,
04:11but they looked completely different, Villa.
04:13They didn't have any real concentration.
04:15It only took four minutes for Brennan Johnson to equalise.
04:18And then there was an injury for Matty Cash,
04:20went off with a calf problem.
04:22Diego Carlos came on,
04:23Ezra Combs had moved over to right back
04:25and the whole shape of the back line just went completely.
04:28The offside trap was really effective before that point.
04:31Suddenly that went out the window.
04:33On the overlap with Richarlison coming on
04:35for Jungmin Son,
04:36Son having the first cross as well for the Brennan Johnson goal.
04:40Just so open in behind.
04:42I know Villa like to play a high line and it's risky at times,
04:45but it normally works with that offside trap.
04:47It just didn't in that second half at Spurs.
04:49Carlos out of position for the second and third Spurs goals
04:53and then for the fourth, James Maddison's free kick.
04:56He gave away that free kick in a very dangerous area.
04:59A pretty terrible performance off the bench from Carlos.
05:02He's been very inconsistent,
05:03sometimes brilliant, sometimes terrible.
05:05I think Villa will be a little bit concerned
05:07that someone like Matty Cash,
05:08he's not the best player at the club, is he?
05:10Him coming off, how can it have such an impact?
05:12Well, it did and it cost a defeat at Tottenham.
05:17Looking at Liverpool,
05:18obviously the key headline after almost 10 games
05:21in the Premier League season was that they hadn't really played anyone
05:25to get a real test of what Arnie Schlott's doing at the club.
05:29He said that himself and then a few games later
05:32they've had some real tests and they've been up to them as well.
05:35Are they sort of proving the doubters wrong?
05:38I mean, they're looking like the business.
05:41Obviously Manchester City lose their unbeaten streak as well.
05:45Arsenal are sort of suffering.
05:47Liverpool just seem to be.
05:48Yes, they lost against Nottingham Forest at Anfield,
05:51but other than that,
05:52they've been pretty flawless so far in this Premier League campaign.
05:55Well, that Nottingham Forest defeat isn't actually looking as bad
06:00as you might have thought it would at the time,
06:02because Nottingham Forest, as we speak,
06:03are at the third in the table flying and Arnie Schlott,
06:06I think, is still a little bit hurt by that.
06:08Given how dominant Liverpool were in that game against Forest,
06:13you have to take some positives from that, given what's happened.
06:16But as you say, after the season restarted,
06:20following the international break,
06:22this was a massive run of fixtures when you looked at it.
06:25Likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, RB Leipzig in the Champions League,
06:30and Liverpool haven't lost a game.
06:32They've only dropped points against Arsenal,
06:35which, OK, Liverpool weren't exactly great,
06:39but you're going away to a team that's finished runner-up
06:42in the past two seasons.
06:43It was always going to be difficult for Liverpool,
06:46and they showed the grit and resilience that is required.
06:50Chelsea, they were very good for the most part,
06:54bar the Jackson goal.
06:56I can't really remember Chelsea having an awful lot of chances.
07:00Brighton as well, we know that they're flying,
07:03and Liverpool were pretty poor in the first half,
07:05but you have to give a lot of compliments to Brighton.
07:07But again, Liverpool sorted themselves out at half-time,
07:10and it almost felt like that was the day
07:12it was announced as Liverpool manager.
07:14At the end, there were raucous scenes at Anfield,
07:17and it almost got those fans trying to build up the clock,
07:23fist-pumps, but Arnaus lost, partly declined that.
07:26When you're getting that sort of reaction,
07:31that's when you know that you've been welcomed in,
07:35and all the doubts have maybe been proved wrong.
07:38As we speak, they've got Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League,
07:41a massive game, these are German champions.
07:43Then Aspen Villa.
07:44If Liverpool don't lose those two games,
07:47then they're not going to lose many games at all this season, are they?
07:52Because after the next break, OK,
07:56they've got Manchester City up pretty quickly,
07:58but Liverpool could raffle quite a few points
08:01from now between the festive periods.
08:04Once it hits the halfway stage,
08:06I think if Liverpool are banging the mix,
08:08then I think you'd be disappointed if they don't go all the way
08:11and challenge for a title until the end of the season.
08:17Wolves are still winless in the Premier League
08:19after drawing against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
08:22It finished 2-2 at Molineux,
08:24with the home side dropping points once again
08:26from a winning position,
08:28having initially showed good character to come from one goal down
08:31to lead the game.
08:33Gary O'Neill was defiant after the game,
08:35but the Wolves manager now finds himself under big pressure.
08:39Quite possibly, he may now just have one game to save his job.
08:43Onus Fosun could sack him if Wolves don't beat Southampton.
08:48It's crucial that Onus listen to the fans,
08:51and it's clear at this point that many have now turned on O'Neill.
08:55There are some options out there at the moment.
08:57Some have called for the club to bring in David Moyes,
09:00a man with huge Premier League experience
09:02and someone who did a fantastic job at West Ham
09:05to turn their fortunes around.
09:07It's currently one win in 20 Premier League games
09:10and none since April.
09:14On to Everton.
09:17In terms of the line-up issues at the top,
09:21one week it's Beto, one week it's Calvert-Lewin at the moment.
09:25Beto then equalises against Fulham in a real lay
09:29at Goodison Park,
09:31and then he goes with Calvert-Lewin away at Southampton.
09:34What's the situation?
09:36What are the fans wanting?
09:38What's the reaction to this chopping and changing between the two?
09:42How do you get the best out of both of them?
09:44It's quite a bit of a headache at the moment for Sean Dycher, it seems.
09:48Yes, it's been Calvert-Lewin starting for the most part,
09:51but as you say, in the last two games,
09:53Beto has come on and made an impact.
09:56But when Beto started games in the past,
09:59has he made that same impact as when he's come off the bench
10:03and legs are tired?
10:05It's a bit of an enigma, to be honest with you, Beto.
10:10He causes problems, but he's not exactly polished,
10:14whereas Calvert-Lewin gives you that focal point up front.
10:20He's got a lot more now, obviously,
10:22he knows the Premier League,
10:24but he's not scoring goals in the minutes,
10:26he's not getting too many chances,
10:28he's missed a couple straight offsides against Fulham.
10:31But it comes back to Evan playing to his strengths as well.
10:35Obviously, when you think of Calvert-Lewin,
10:37you think of that season under Carlo Ancelotti.
10:40And Jarrod Brantway,
10:41obviously we mentioned him in the summer,
10:43a massive name for them.
10:45Looking at his stats last season, 41 games played,
10:49obviously only three so far, one start, 96 minutes.
10:54What does he have to do to get into this side?
10:57And is it as simple as just casting him straight back in
11:00because he has that quality?
11:02Yes, it's been a surprise that he hasn't come back in,
11:05if truth be told,
11:07because he's Evan's best player.
11:09Let's be frank, maybe bar Jordan Pickford,
11:13he's Evan's best player,
11:15and we've seen how good he was last season,
11:18broken to the England set-up,
11:19was targeted by Manchester United,
11:21obviously had his injury issues.
11:26I can understand to an extent why Sean's like that,
11:29and pulling back in,
11:30because the defensive partnership,
11:33we're doing quite well.
11:34But, A, Evan have been beaten now,
11:38so you maybe do change your team,
11:40and B, you should always,
11:42as an agent, you should always play your best team.
11:44And I know that Sean Dyche might have thought
11:47it may be harsh on Michael Keane to drop him,
11:49but Jarrod Brantway gives you a lot more.
11:53First of all, he's a left footer,
11:54so he gives you more balance on the ball.
11:56He's more comfortable on the ball than Michael Keane.