Football Daily - Euro Leagues: El Clasico Drama & Spalletti to Juve

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Alistair Bruce-Ball is joined by Julien Laurens, Guillem Balague and James Horncastle to discuss the latest from the continent. Plenty of drama in El Clasico after Vinicius Jr was subbed off, and Lamine Yamal was involved in the post-match bust-up. They discuss the latest at Juventus after Luciano Spalletti became the latest man in the dugout - is he the answer? Plus, they discuss Claude Makelele's new role... part of the committee for Miss Universe 2025!Time Codes 02:00 - El Clasico 31:45- Luciano Spalletti at Juventus 41:10 - Jamie Vardy's first goal for Cremonese 44:40 - Champions League Preview next week

On the Football Daily podcast, the Euroleagues, with Alistair Bruce Ball. Hello and welcome to the Euroleagues on the Football Daily podcast. It's me, Alistair Bruce Ball presenting this week, so forget Rail Madrid's famous BBC, forget PSG's explosive MNM because here it is Euroleague's much vaunted BLH. We are joined by our regular panellists of Guillem Ballaget, Julian Lebrun and James Horncastle. And Jules, I know, having already listened to a certain podcast this week, hugely committed from you because you're away, aren't you, on family holiday.

So I think we've probably got to say a big thank you to the Laurent's family for allowing you to be with us. That's fine. Trust me, after a week in Spain with all the Laurentians. This is all my brothers and sisters, all their husband and wives, all the kids, the family. Oh, it's all of them? It's a welcome break to be with you guys and not with the rest of the family.

Yeah, it's 20 of us. It's far too many. Okay. Jules has already done four or five podcasts today. I've only heard one, but yeah, yeah, too many. But is there lots of football chat there then, Jules? Are there plenty of others in the family with football opinions? Yeah, massively.

There's FPL players and also the equivalent in France, Mont Petit Gazon. There's a lot of things. We play football a lot here on the beach, on the football pitch here. There's clients in the hotel who love their football and listen to some of our shows. So he has been football nonstop, really.

which is always good, always good. Okay, okay. We're recording this on a Thursday. Guillaume, how many shows, pods, broadcasts have you done so far this week? This week, it's been a quiet week, actually, after the classical. Actually, no, it hasn't. See, the problem is I've got no memory. So every day there's been something going on

because there's been loads going on after the classical, so we have to react to all of it. Well, I mean, we are going to get stuck into that on this Euroleagues. And there's so much to go at with Sunday's El Classico. So Rail Madrid ran out two-one winners against Barcelona. And Bapé and Bellingham with the goals for Los Blancos. They've gone five points clear of Barso at the top of La Liga.

But that really is the very least of it. And as you said, Gim, so many different aspects to go out here. Let's take them one by one. Let's start with Venetius Jr.'s angry reaction when he was taken off. So subbed for Rodrigo in the 71st. minute, something like words like, it's always me, I'm going to leave the team, it's better that I go, is what I've read in various articles. But I've also seen, Jim, you've written an article this week on the BBC Sport website, which particularly focuses on his relationship with

Jabby Alonso. So what is going on and how seriously should we take that strop from Venetius Jr.? The relationship breaks down a little bit in the summer. But there is so many branches to this story. Starting with the fact that there is, in the background, negotiations about the renewal of his contract that finishes in 2027. And even though they were close to announce it before the Club World Cup, he was Vinicius who stopped it because he felt his status deserve more money, basically. Then Chavi Alonso comes in and he actually, Vinicius, starts most of the games and he gets to the PSG game and the day before the game in the training session it looked like he was going to be on the bench and Mbapé was going

to start with Gonzalo Front. Eventually he did start but it did look like he didn't and there was a big bus stop between Chavi Alonso and Venetius. This is again you have to take this story a little bit out because obviously Chabby Alonso as we've been saying in this show represents the predominant model of our times in terms of a style the position of football one that gives players roles and responsibilities and one that determines in which part of the pitch they play and how they play. So those that want to criticize it are calling it now rigid,

a rigid style. Others would say it's where football is going and players have to adapt. I think Venetius hasn't fully adapted to that, number one, and number two hasn't fully enjoyed the fact that their Bapa gets the number 10 and it becomes the center focal point of the club. so clubball cup finishes

after a little break very very small break new season starts and he sees himself that is not untouchable that he has finished only three games this season and he's been on the bench Rodrigo has been used on the left-hand side

because Rodrigo wants to play in that side and even though quite clearly Vincius is preferred but still not like finishes every game like others in Papaya namely do. So that tension has been brewing a little bit and even though there's been conversations between the group and Vinicius and Chavez-Lonso and Vinicius, he got to the point in the classical where he gets replaced and he says all those things that you mentioned. Chavez Alonso goes like, come on Vinny. Ostea. Which I don't know how you translate that one, but it's like

come on, don't give me all that. And then by the point Vinicius comes off the pitch, Chabby's looking somewhere else, away in the distance. Now, how do you solve that? Well, there's a break of two days, so the players go away, Vinic's can't come down, and of course he can apologize after the training session yesterday. And in the apologies, he forgets to mention Chabby Alonso, which is everybody else, from the chairman to everybody else. So the tension remains for Vinny, the coach doesn't trust him enough,

and he wanted to leave that clear. now there's Augusti Mike about his future and obviously he's present. What's going to happen next? How Chabby Alonso deals with this? Well, Chabby Alonso is there with absolutely everything in 25 years and he doesn't care what Vinicius is doing.

He will use him in the way he thinks is appropriate. So that's a little bit of the story. I was just going to say, actually, James, kind of who needs who more. But with the team sitting five points clear at the top of La Liga, you know, Jabbi Alonso is in the stronger position as good as Venetius Juner has been for realm.

Madrid, I guess. Yeah, I mean, it's staggering this story, particularly when you go back just one year, and do you think of the palava that Real Madrid made about Vinicius Jr. Not winning the Ballandor and boycotting that competition, the show of support for him. And now, as Guillaume says, we're in that negotiating phase of his contract. Guillaum's laid out where Venetius Jr. is on this. But, you know, it is, you know, remarkable that his deal ends in 2027. and he's not necessarily guaranteed of being a Real Madrid player beyond that.

Of course, the big test for any Real Madrid manager is how you deal with big egos, the superstars. Guillaum, is this just limited to Vinicius Jr? Or are there other players at Real Madrid who have had similar issues with Chavi Alonso's use of them? you know clearly Mbapé is having a great season but yeah in terms of making sure everybody else's ego is massaged

and they feel happy is it just Venetious or are there other big personalities in that dressing room who are kind of you're a naughty man you're not a naughty man because of course it's not just Vinicious there is the

the feeling by certain players that yes Giave Alonso Stile is rigid. Those players are the ones that have not been playing that well or not playing at all. Hendrik being won. Balberde wasn't fully, he's not fully happy playing as a right back,

but we'll do anything for the team. And generally, they come from a, from a team culture in which almost everything was allowed. And by the way, in which they didn't win anything last season. Hence, Ramadiko,

going a different direction. And I think what we've seen is a little bit, the adaptation to that way of doing things. Those that know Chavi Alonso and, you know, we've had time in private, but also in public for many years, will tell you that Chavi is not the most warm of characters. It's not somebody that will just joke with you. There's a, I don't know if it's a coldness or awareness about people. he doesn't know when he's not in the right environment and perhaps that has happened that instead of the ancelotty you know you know arm around the shoulders he they're getting just

instructions and they're not getting the um the leeway that uh that basically ancelotty allowed these players but you're absolutely right jamesin what you're saying the club are saying whatever the coach decides and they want vinny to renew his contract so it's not a they're not going to use it as his behavior as an excuse to get rid of him or look for somebody to put an offer. And there was the, because Vinicius, every day is like a big drama. Just the last two, three days of the transfer market, he went to his representatives and said, look for a team for me. There was no offer for him, not even Saudi. And everybody had to come in down. He goes up and down in terms of emotions. But it's quite clear

that the direction the club has taken is whatever Chabby Alonso decides. There's nothing new in that. I mean, Chabby Alonzoa, Bia Levesant had that before, you know, Hoffman, Tabsoba were players that had issues and they know it's not the level of Vincius obviously, but by Elevacchon is not

the level of Rad Madrid either. The thing with Vinny, though, these are battles that he could not win regardless. Embapé was always going to be the boss of this team, regardless of if Vincius was playing well or not well, it was always going to be Killian's team. And with Chavi Alon's team,

Why would you try to start fighting? And by the way, what we saw the classical is not the first time that Vinie showed his discontent after one of Chabby's decision, whether he was him starting or not starting coming off early, not finishing the game, et cetera. So it's not even the first time that we kind of talk about it or look into this. You can't win that battle against Chabby Alonzo. So if you're Vinny, do you really want to be taking yourself out almost of this club, this team, this project now in year one of the Chabia Alonzo era? or do you want to be part of it? Because like Guillem just said,

I'm not sure where you go next, really. And certainly I'm not sure if you can go to a better project than the one that you are in right now. Okay, so why, I mean, in terms of his personality and what he's like, Guillem, why is he doing that? Why is he behaving like this? And why no offer for him then? That deserves another block in the BBC about who Vincius.

Oh, actually, yeah, I did publish it about a month ago because you do have to explain that he, from the moment, he's born, he gets born into a hostile world. And I think that's important. But obviously, we tend to look at the things very close up and his latest reaction or the reactions when he's been substituted or et cetera. But he feels that, that he is fighting a battle

to be accepted, to be respected. And as soon as it doesn't go his way, his reaction is, see, I know. They're not going to respect me because who I am, what I look like, where I come from. And it's very difficult to a young man to actually take that of his head when he's seen his family being disrespected or friends or people that he's still close to. So he comes out of his bedroom in the morning just thinking, okay, who do I have to fight today? And when he feels that he was the best player in the classical, arguably with Bellingham,

he doesn't see any football reasons for why he's got to be taken out of the pitch. So it goes back to that that he's got his essence, really, which is, I know, the world is going to be against me. And by the way, it's time not to be quiet about it. And the same way that he protests about behavior from the fans, it just perhaps mixes things up and protest about being replaced. It's a lack of respect for the team, for the manager, but in his eyes, in his mind, it's what his mind

and his body is asking him to do. By the way, I've never, ever seen anything like it. I mean, I've seen players kicking plastic bottles when they get into the bench and stuff like that and maybe a little bit of a face or whatever, but that kind of shouting, when do you know your voice is going to be picked as he was? I know that his entourage is now saying

No, no, no, he didn't say that he wanted to leave the team. He was actually saying, why am I leaving the pitch? No, he didn't say that. So there's all that context that I think is important, but only in shows like ours, we've got time to look into that. Generally, everybody else looks at Venetius and says, ah, that's wrong. He's got to be punished.

I think there's more to it than that. He was also one of those games at the end of the game, So there was a big bust up at the end of the game when Venetius Jr. and some of the other Rail Madrid players, particularly sort of went for Lamine Yamal, which I know you think was targeted, was deliberate. I mean, that came from the build-up to the game. Is that genuine, is that a bit of pantos in there?

Is that genuine antipathy between the players and the clubs? Not really. I don't think, you know, the likes of Carvajal and Lamina going to meet at some point with the national side. But it was a very public display of disgust from the Real Madrid players towards Lamine, who happens to be the best player of Barcelona? And the basis of the handbags is just Lamine

talking to Ivarianos, which is the biggest streamer in the Spanish language, about the Kings League in which they both have teams, and they were going to meet each other at the weekend, and there was a little bit of banter. that's the context really and then he said you know you're still

referring to Ibaillianos team you're still and you cheat you know like Real Madrid it should have been taken just like that perhaps you shouldn't say it on the week of the classical you have to say that but it was used

by the Madrid media and the players and that includes that includes Carvajal who went to him and did the gesture you with a hand, you shouldn't be talking. Vinicius is the same, Rodrigo, Kurtuart, I was surprised about that, and you think, what's going on here?

Everybody trying to push bully, really, La Miniamal, because he's Barcelona's best player. And then he kind of said, some identified it as, let's meet outside. Again, his entourage saying, no, no, let's meet in the return

like he was saying. But in any case, he was all he could say. it was all quite street-wise kind of behaviour, but really for me, the whole thing was completely orchestrated and then the young said, frankly the young said after the game something that

very clever and it puts us in context. Like, you know, if you really were upset about Lamine's words, just say it privately, you've got his number. Can't say, Lamine, don't do that. That's not good for, you know, for the tension of these classical and still what would happen was very much in front of the eyes

of the Santiago Barreira faithful and very much directed to one single person who's the biggest threat of Barcelona. I think there are two things here. Vinicius Junus Stropp, I'm leaving, I'm out of this club, but only after I have confronted

Laminia Mal at the end of this game. He's not so out that he doesn't want to be part of this fight. That was good. And then also, I suppose, with Lameen

Like, I completely agree with Guillem. This is almost recognition of the threat that the mean poses to Real Madrid, how good a player he is, and, you know, how pointed they were in going after him. I think you also need the context of last season where, Guillem, how many games was it that Madrid hadn't won in the classical? They hadn't won a single one. Four bad defeats were they conceded 16 goals. Yeah. So yes, that's the contest. So you could see how much that win and almost the desire maybe to rub it in in their house meant to those Madrid players.

And it happened just very briefly at a time where Lamin is not at his best and he would not be for a while. He's got a groin injury which is delicate and difficult to do. treat because rest doesn't work, operation doesn't work either, surgery doesn't work. So it's just a matter of keep playing through the pain. And it affects, especially players that like to dribble and change that action and improvise a little bit with his body. Like Nico Williams has been suffering of that. Messi had a couple of instances of growing injuries that went on for months.

So he couldn't really shoot. He did it once in the whole game. He couldn't really take on to fifth and sixth gear. So you've got that, Lamin, Jamal, who should be feeling sorry for really, but obviously not Ramadi fans or players. But, yeah, that's the Lamin that we're going to see in a while. He will play because he's got to, but he won't be at his best. And it's a shame to be fair, that he's not his best.

Like, it's a shame there was no Lewandowski or Raffinia and not a full barter team. Just to go back on Lamin, I've got no issue with the trash talking and everything that he said before the game. I think this brings even more spice to the biggest game in the world, really, in the classical. Okay, then you need to do it on the pitch and deliver because you can't open your mouth and then not do it.

But as Giam explained, he was not fully fit and his team was not 100% either. But for me, there's no problem. I think too many said the same after the game. He said, yes, it's all good for me. And, I mean, I trash talk people here on holidays. I mean, come on. So, like, I think, you know, there's nothing wrong with trust-talking people

before doing or after games. Yeah, but if it's, but if it's, It fires your opponent's up, Jules, in the old beach football. Do you know what I mean? If it's given Real Madrid something to pin up on the dressing room wall, then maybe it's not helped Barcelona. True, although I don't think Ra Madrid players at their level need to hear Lamin trash-talking them to be extra motivated for it.

You know, I think this is, if you need that, I think you're in the wrong sport, really. But to be fair, I've got no issue with it at all. I thought it was pretty fun. In the Premier Sports studios that we were doing the classical, I was standing up and going like, Vinny, Vinny, don't forget, go after this Barcelona player. And then he's, oh, look, Lamini is running away.

I was celebrating the fact that there was so much spice in that classical. Next to me was Gathca Mende. They were saying, well, this is not a good idea because things could go out of hand. And I said, no, no, let it, let it go, let it go. It was great. It was great to see that that is happening again. In terms of another item on the to be discussed list from El Classico,

Danny Carverhal, we've already talked about him a bit, but has obviously suffered a knee injury apparently out until the new year. Now it was Valverde who started it right back in the game and Trent Alexander Arnold didn't get off the bench. But in terms of an opportunity here for Trent Alexander Arnold to sort of really get his Real Madrid career going, you know, obviously you don't want a teammate to be injured,

but it does present an opportunity, doesn't it? It's an opportunity for him to actually fully get what Chavez-Alonso wants. We haven't seen that yet. We've seen glimpses of what he can do, but he's got to understand his role. He's got to understand that not everything has to be direct and not everything has to be

with things that he's been put into his DNA for years at Liverpool and the club style. And he's an intelligent guy, so he will certainly adapt. Balberde has shown his disgust of playing in that position, but he may still be preferred against Valencia, for instance, because Trent is just recovering. I think he's been out since, well, August it's two or three months anyway.

And now you've got a battle with Balberdi and him on the right back. But I think he will be won by Trent and it will allow him to get to the last three months of the season. Perhaps as the inequitical right back, while Carvajal tries to recover because he has been injured twice since he came back from his long injury. and okay he's got the personality and the ability to battle for his place but if Trent gets it right this could be already the year in which he becomes the number two of Ram Madrid

The thing with Trent is I mean there would be games where his skill set is probably suited more for some opponents than not Rad Madrid hosts Valencia this weekend I think you can play Trent for that no problem at all. Obviously the next game is Liverpool, Real Madrid in the Champions League if you Chabby Alonzo, is this a game where Trent has to play, whether he starts or comes on?

It's a game where you look at it and you think, is he really suited for this kind of game? Whoever he faces, Gakpo, you know, Vietz, Eki-K, whoever plays on that left-and-side against him. Emotionally, is he right for trying to go back and play in that game against Liverpool at own fields after not having been involved for five weeks in that game? And this is the whole thing. And again, I think there are games. where he'd be perfect for Ramirez and the way they play

and there might be other games where Tabi Alonzo looks at him and said I'm not sure just on the defensive side of things that he's right for this kind of opponent. How much of a blow is it to the ego, James, if Valverde is chosen, save for the Liverpool game? I mean, even just putting aside the fact that it's Trent Alexander Ronald's return to Liverpool

and whatever sort of welcome or, you know, hostile reception, he might get on his return. But actually just seeing Valverdi playing in that position ahead of him. Well, I think particularly as Guillem has laid out, knowing that Federico Valverde doesn't want to play there, if the guy who doesn't want to play there is still starting in front of you,

then, yeah, that is a concern. And I think it shows that regardless of where he is at in his fitness, he needs to convince Chabri Alonso that he can do the job that Chabby Alonso wants him to do. I was at the Club World Cup. He just joined Real Major. Richard, remember, paid Liverpool a fee in order for him to participate in that tournament. And it was almost a little bit too much too soon, I think, for Trent Alexander Arnold then.

So it would be catapulted from, you know, your final games with Liverpool. And let's not forget, it felt like every day for a few months towards the end of last season, we're just talking about Trent and Trent and Trent and Trent. And he goes from that and all the emotion to being part of that Real Madrid team in the Club World Cup. He struggled. I mean, I was at the Real Madrid-Al-Hilal game where Zhao Cancelo kind of kept getting in behind him.

But yeah, I think he would want to have been more involved, more along with his integration. And I don't know what you do if your Chabuolans are going into that Liverpool game. whether you think is it right for me to play him he knows his opponents he knows the atmosphere but that atmosphere might be targeted on him

depending what reception he gets or do I just leave him out for it in Italy I've seen lots of players who've been signed from one club in heated rivalries be left out of the first game where those players get back just leave that player out of the firing line

I'm not sure Trent would be in the firing line at the field but you know maybe it's still a little a little bit too soon. Just apart from the Trent Alexander Arnold issue, Gim, it is some game that to look forward to it. It's a good chance for me to plug the fact

that we've got commentary of it on 5 Live and BBC Sounds next Tuesday night four Champions League commentaries on the way on the network next week. I know it's also PSG against Bayern Jules. But what do you think on that front game in terms of, you know, Real Madrid coming to Liverpool

and what Jabbi Alonso might do there? So far, 12 wins in 13 games. So, and now they're able to having lost against Arsenal, Liverpool, PSG, Aletico Madrid, both in the Angeloti and Chavez-Alonso era, but not being able to match the big guns, all of a sudden they feel that they can. So it would be, yeah, very interesting,

the opportunity to see a team that is a different Real Madrid that we've seen in the last few years, one that wants to control matters on the pitch. To do that, it's been fascinating to see the evolution, of Bellingham, for instance, who has gone from being the guy that does everything to, at least in the last two, three games, more contrived Bellingham, who does a great job for the team. He was in the classical, the one that intervened the most, the shoot the most alongside Mbap.

He provoked a penalty, gave an assist, scored a goal. So you've got the best version of Bellingham who thrives with these games against Liverpool, for instance, it would be one of those that he looks forward to. And on that, it was interesting what Chavez Alonso said of Jude Bellingham, and this is something that I'm sure Tuchel has taken note or knows already. But he says that Jubellingham is all about feelings, about expression and connecting. And that's why he has good games in Saturday in the big matches generally, because he needs to have that fire in him.

So how do you mix for both Tuchel and Chavi Alonso? This is how to mix that fire with organizing football. We'll have to see, but certainly one thing that has helped is that Bellingham has felt looked after by Real Madrid. In the international break, they gave him a lot of homework and looked after him and gave him more information about how he had to play. So he's felt protected.

Not sure he feels the same about the national side right now, but if he is somebody that has to do with feelings, you better look after him, I think. The most fascinating thing about Bellingham being back, at this kind of level now is what Chabelo is going to do with his midfield three because now you saw the performance

that Camovina put against Barcelona which was very, very good. I think Chabby was quite close to say after the game that he was just a man of the match. So we've got Bellingham back near to his best really Camavinga finally looking like all that potential

all that talent is there to be expressed to how many has to play Gouler have been fantastic in the midfield three. Valverde once he doesn't play as right back where he doesn't want to play he's back in midfield where he wants to play and suddenly you've got three five players for three positions

and what you pick James was at the Ra Madrid Juventis game where really the Gula, Bellingham Tremany three didn't really work that well in terms of protecting the defense especially. It worked well with Trua many Kamavinga and Bellingam with Gula

playing a bit wider against Barcelona but who are the three of course you can rotate and you've got great depth and depending on your position you can go for what kind of strength you want in different profiles but still I don't I think it's still a quite interesting to see who Chabi Alonso will pick

especially for the Liverpool game, for example, where that midfield battle would be so, so important to win who is going to go for amongst those five players. Yeah, I think it was interesting what Guillaume was just saying there about bailing and feeling protected, being the clubs looking out for him, giving him lots of homework,

because what struck me going to that Juventus-Ro-Mudrid game was how much Chabio-Lonso seems Giam to love Arda Goula like seems to really really love

Arda Goula in terms of talking about this kid as being he reminds me of Florianverts and I came away thinking

yeah those other midfield players in that team it's just like the attack was at one stage where it's like

how do you fit you know sort of Venetius and Mbapé together. It's kind of like, well, now that Chabby seems to be besotted with Arde Goulaer, you know, which one of the midfield players sort of drops out. Am I wrong? Is my instinct off? No, no, no. When a manager talks very highly of a player, is he trying to look after him

and prepare him for whatever comes next, like being placed out of his number 10 position, Guller against Rathrana, for instance? Was he trying to do that? And seriously, he has been handed a team that hasn't got the kind of midfield even though there are all these top players that Jules was mentioning but not

I don't want to say a cross but somebody that can give the tempo to the side that can decide when he's short passing when he's long passing who can decide you know when to pressure high those kind of things

and Bellingham I don't think he sees him in that role he sees him closer to to Venetius and to Mbapé, perhaps even behind them in a kind of from three. So that will release one of the three, one of the positions in midfield, if you like. But Arda Gula is the one he wants to convert into that role of linking up the midfield. So he had to drop deep against Barcelona when he's actually a number 10, really. he did quite well

in wanting the ball in building the attack from the back but also was at fault for losing the ball that creates the danger for Barcelona for their goal so it's still not perfect but still wants into growing that role

so perhaps he's saying to him you know just give me more I know you're not in the place where you want to be but I need more of you Welcome to the team behind the team. A new podcast series in partnership with the Open University where we'll be showcasing the people, the tools and the techniques to help athletes and teams reach elite level.

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James, let's move it on to Seria A. So Igor Tudor was sacked as the Juventus head coach on Monday after a run of eight matches without a win. Juventus now eighth in Seria A, nine points off the leader's Napoli. And they've turned to the experienced Luciano Spalletti as the replace. So what sort of Juventus manager is Spoletti going to make, do you think, James? Well, one with a Napoli tattoo on his forearm after winning the league with Napoli a couple of years ago. I think that instantly gives him pedigree, regardless of tribalism and how this has gone down in Naples. I think Napoli fans are also acknowledging that their current coach is a former Juventus captain and Juventus coach.

so fine luchano you go and do you but eventus need experience at this moment you mentioned their league position you know until last night when the caretaker manager massimo brambilla oversaw a 3-1 win over udinez they were winless in eight games they'd lost their last three they hadn't scored in those three games either and so event's took drastic action the first team to change coach in the other season that hasn't happened in It feels like centuries. First time they've sacked a manager in October for 55 years.

And so, you know, I think maybe they would have given two-door more time if someone like Spilletti wasn't available. But I think because Speletti was available, the club has seized this opportunity. There's still 29 games to go. I think, you know, sort of minimum objective Champions League, which is only three points away. and then see where else they can go see what else they can push for

because the team has seen a lot of investment in the last two years but there's been very little bang for the buck either because the players that have been bought are not good enough or because the coaches have not been able to get the most out of them. Do you think he was,

I know with the handsite is easy but do you think it was a mistake to let him start the season and not made the change in the summer because he did well when he took cover Chagamota and that's, didn't work for different reasons, but he was never really going to be,

going to set the world on fire for UV, right? We agree on that. He's a good coach, and he did well at Marseille, did well at Verona before, no problem, but this is Juventus. This is like the top of the top, right? And do you think now it was a mistake with hindsight to have actually gave him this another season in

where you could have made that change in the summer? Look, I mean, when they signed or appointed Igor Tudor in March, much, you know, this is someone who played for the club, understood the values of the club, and I think they felt that that was important, having had Tiago Motta in charge for seven months. Tiago never played for Eventis, had a past with Inter. That made a lot of fans suspicious of him. And, you know, Eaglehood had been an assistant to Andrea Peelho as well, knew some of the players on the team. But to your point, you know, I mean, he delivers championship qualification, which is what he was hired to do, there was a condition of his contract where

if he realized that his contract would automatically renew, but they could get out of it by basically paying him off with a million euros. It's there where the new general manager Damien Camoli basically comes in. And, you know, there's been lots of reports about Camoli basically talking to Conte, talking to Gasparini, saying, you guys, you fancy the eventist job. And either they weren't convinced by Camoli or they, they weren't convinced by Juventus at that moment in time. And so with the club woke up

coming so quickly after the end of the season, they stuck with Tudor. I take your point, Jules, you know, in terms of like, does his face really fit as a Juventus coach to make them a competitive team again?

But, you know, they, I think they were also looking at it in terms of the money that they'd spent last summer, a hell of a lot of money, of money and the cost of sacking Tiago Mota as well, 16 million euro. At the moment there are three coaches on the Juventis payroll, Tiago Mota, Igor Tudor and La Luchana Spoletti. That's taken up a lot of money. They've got UEFA of open proceedings

against Juventus about potential financial fair play breach, which means they weren't able to do much last summer and they're not going to be able to do much in January either. So I think that's another reason why they were thinking, if Tudor can make this work, it'll work for us. It didn't work. So, simple question. What does Gasperini, Conte, Spalletti, Igor Tudor, and Diego Mota got in common? Well, the first three mentioned have all been at Juventus in the past. Yeah, do you know what I mean? It's like, what is the bigger picture here? What are they

aiming to do? What do they want to do? That defines how you design the squad and how you spend your money and how you project yourself into the world, really, but I just don't see much in common between them. No, I mean, look, the motto, EM at Juventis has always been, winning isn't important, it's the only thing that counts. It doesn't matter how you win. And, yeah, they have tried to change that. You know, back in the early 90s, they had a guy called Gigi Ma'Fraidy, who they thought was going to be the next Rigo Saki, because that was the trend. That was where football was going at that time, you know, towards the end of their unprecedented winning run of nine league titles in a row, they had Maurizio Sari because they thought Sari would get the team

playing higher up the pitch, be more ball dominant, create more chances for a team that had Cristiano Rinaldo in it. Sari is the last coach to win the title with Juventus, but he was sacked after a year. Because as Andrea Anielli said it on the Juventus all or nothing, Amazon. and documentary, he said that year was a in the brown stuff year if I'm translating

diplomatically, even though they won. Yeah, even with Tiago Motta, Guillem, they tried to go with the next up and coming coach in Sidiya, who was playing very avant-garde football was playing football that was completely

in step with the cutting edge at the moment. And, yeah, look, they gave up on that after seven months. I think all of this volatility also comes from a club that has obviously had a financial scandal which led to the resignation of Andrea Anjali. The club has been sort of searching around for identity at leadership level since then. They were banned from Europe for a year.

And they've tried to relaunch. They tried to reboot, particularly with Tiago Mota. And, you know, they lost three. 3-0 to Furentina, 4-0 to Atalanta in March and decided we can't afford not to be in the Champions League and they tore it up and threw it in the bin. Maybe if we didn't have these big cliff edges where Champions League qualification is so important, Tiago Motta gets another year. They're more patient with him. But because qualifying for Champions League was so big for the club, that's why they brought in Eagle Tudor. It's now why they brought in Luchana Spoletti.

And that was going to be my question, Jules, was how good a job is it for an incoming manager for Spoletti to get? Given everything that James is talking about there with the club and the turmoil and everything that's gone on in terms of Spoletti coming in the door, how good a job is it to get? I mean, it's still Uveh, right? And I think Uvay in itself is one of the biggest jobs, if not the biggest jobs in Italy, on Italian football. The squad is decent, right? We've talked a lot or enough about Igor Tudor, keeping changing his mind about the number. number nine, whether he was Jonathan David or Vlauovich or Panda and neither of them really firing and even when Valovic was scoring goals, he would still sit on the bench the next game

or things like that. But there's talent there. There's certainly more talent than being in that position in the league so far from the top when it's been a very competitive Syria season so far where there's not much really, if you look at it between the top five and yet UVR out of that when it's a season where they should really be in that mix. But there's enough talent and for Spalletti and, you know, for Spalletti and. I think such an iconic manager,

whether it was at Roma or especially at Napoli, to go and get that job. I think it's a good thing for Seria. It's a good thing for Juventus and for Spaletti, especially after what happened with the national team. But really, I think all of us are very curious to see how you turn this around. What do you do tactically?

What do you do in your management? Why are you doing the big games coming up, including the Champions League? So again, you go back to disappointment. Great. But there's games coming up every three days. Then there will be the international break, very soon now, where everybody pretty much from that squad

is going to go away with the national team, some really far away. Then they go back, they come back. Then you've got more games every three days and not much really to work on. So Spaletti will have to find the right formula pretty quickly without too much work on the training run. The weekend football in Syria on Saturday as well, James,

saw Jamie Vardy score his first goal for Cremonaisi, making him the oldest English player to ever score in Syria at. That immediately makes me wonder, I don't know the answer to this. be an unfair question to ask who that was before Vardy. I don't know. I'm going to go and look that up. Will James know? He knows everything.

Does he? Well, no, I don't actually know the answer to that. It can't have been like Greavesy because, you know, Greavesy when he was briefly at A.C. Milan was still in his late 20s. Yeah. I don't know. How old was Platt when he was in Italy?

Platt was in his late 20s. as well because he came back to Arsenal didn't he when he was still in his sort of early 30s yeah and even more recently we've only had this sort of trend of it's been a trend of young English players or young British players coming to Sidiya so even Danny Dicchio at Samp

I'm not sure he's got it yeah it's really recent Chames it was really it was in 2021 2021 Chris Morling Smaldini No, but not far similar kind of player profile

Okay, so I sent it back Well, defender kind of thing but like really not a big name Cowol

Oh I don't know, Jules Who is it? For Into Milan? Ah, Ashley Young. Yeah Ashley Young. Ashley Young.

Yeah, actually Yeah, anyway, the point wasn't to finish the show with the quiz actually But what about the, I mean, what sort of headlines did that make, James? How's Vardy getting on?

Well, he's getting on, both in terms of his age and on the pitch. I think there was some disappointment, really, after he joined that, he wasn't more involved. You know, Cremendezzi started the season really well. They beat A.C. Milan at San Ciro in their first game. That was a big shock. They've only lost once so far this season, newly promoted Cremed. and they are in the top half. And so in answer to your question,

there were particularly in moments of the last three or four weeks where in Italy they say a winning team you don't change. And so it was very hard for Vardy to get into a team that kept getting points. But now Davy Vindicola, the Kremlin, coach has tried to integrate him,

changed his system a little bit, goes too up top. That's what happened against Genoa. on Wednesday night. And, yeah, they, the thing, it's quite tough for him, Ali, because he's got this guy called Federico Bonatoly who plays up front for Cremonese as well.

I don't know if you saw Bonnetally's goal against Genoa last night. It was similar to his goal against Acea on the opening day of the season. The guy just scores worldies, scissor kicks, bicycle kicks. And when you've got a player doing that, who's Italian,

it's difficult, even for someone with Vardy's profile and all of the excitement that there was around Vardy at the beginning of the season, it's difficult for him to basically make a case to be starting ahead of him. Guys, that's just about it. In terms of this Champions League football coming up next week then,

Giam, and we've touched on Liverpool, Rail Madrid, obviously, which is standout game on the Tuesday night. Is that the one you're particularly looking forward to anything else next week, in particular, that catches your eye? and can you answer can you ask that one slowly so I look at the other games obviously about

Piercey I'm going to answer definitely surely I'll put in Newcastle an athletic club obviously anything that has to do with Marseille in it

and Atlanta that should be a crazy one and to see Barcelona I don't think Barcelona are going to reach the heights of last year and if that doesn't happen

let's see what happened with Ansefliq that fail already the second year at Bayern Munich. So those would be interesting ones. Yeah. B.S.G. Bion comes to Paris on 14 wins in 14 games this season, beating the Capellos

and Milan's record, James, of 13 in a row. Nobody has ever started a season with 14 and 0, basically, if you like your basketball or American sports score announcement. 14 and O is pretty amazing. They come to Paris to, play a team with more injuries. We saw Desire Edway,

what looks like a really bad injury for him in that one-one drug and slurion, a PhD team, not really firing in the league certainly a bit differently in the champion league. So this should be an absolute cracker on Tuesday night. And Napoli, Napoli, Jones, their first up on Tuesday, 545. So we've got commentary of Slavia Prague

against Arsenal 545, kickoff UK time on Tuesday. But Napoli, obviously, off the back of that thrashing they took at the hands of PSV. Yeah, and look, I mean, things have really picked up for them in the league. since they beat Inter at the weekend when no one was expecting them to win

and they won in midweek too but in that win over Inter the opening goal scored by Kevin de Breiner steps up to take a penalty and in taking the penalty he pulls a muscle I think in his hamstring and is now out until the new year so Conte already had injuries Lukaku hasn't played at all this year McTominee and Hoyland came back from international break with injuries Rachmani's been injured so it's a long casualty list

Jules was mentioning PSG's injuries you know Conte is counting them at Napoli as well so yeah I mean they really need to get a result against downtrack Frankfurt after that as you said morale sapping defeat against PSV guys thank you that's flown by it's always an absolute pleasure to speak to you Guillaume Ballaget, James Horde Castle and Julianne LaRourne,

interrupting his holiday. So, Jules, so we're recording this. This is like 10 o'clock UK time now. Is there a little family game of cards or something to just round off the night? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we've played with Hamas before the Champions League Final, very competitive. We've got great games that kids love. I can name them, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to.

French games. The card game Julian has got. We played it when we went skiing together and we played it in Munich for Champions League. It is the most addictive, the best. card game has ever been in games. I love games. It's incredible. Really? Skyjoys is amazing, but Flip 7 is even better, I think. Oh, really? Yeah, Chames, next time we play, and Ali and Guillaume, next time we all together, I'll bring the cards with me. On the pod. Yeah.

Excellent. Guys, I will see you all soon. Enjoy the European Football, the Champions League football next week. Thank you very much to the guys. Thank you for listening. That is it for this edition of the Euroleagues on the Football Day. Daily podcast. Up next on the Football Daily, it's the commentator's view. That's me again, with John Murray and Ian Dennis. Thanks for listening. He scored goals, lifted trophies and broken records along the way. There it is. It's a day to remember the Wayne Rooney. And now he's got a podcast. Welcome to the Wayne Rooney show.

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