Football Daily - Euro Leagues: Kane for Ballon d'or & Faroe Islands at the World Cup?

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

Euro Leagues: Kane for Ballon d'Or & Faroe Islands at the World Cup?John Bennett, Guillem Balague, Rafa Honigstein and Mina Rzouki discuss all the latest in European football. Jean-Philippe Mateta has his first start for France at the age of 28 - but he's ruffled some feathers after calling out former teammate Wilfried Zaha. Nick Woltemade has now scored in his last 4 games for club and country - how big was this international break for him? Der Klassiker is this weekend - the only 2 unbeaten teams in Bundesliga face off but who will come out on top? Gennaro Gattuso has won his last four with Italy, and in Serie A, have AS Roma finally hit the jackpot with Gian Piero Gasperini? Plus Faroe Islands' Odmar Faero drops by with his country just a point away from the World Cup play-off spots - can they become the smallest nation to ever play at a World Cup? And what's the latest with Jude Bellingham after his omission from the England squad? How has that been received across the continent? And how important is Mikel Merino for Spain?01:05- Mateta and Zaha 09:50 - Woltemade 17:20 - Can Harry Kane win the Ballon d'Or? 24:05 - Italy 31:15- Roma 36:30 - Faroe Islands' Odmar Faero 47:15- Jude Bellingham

On the Football Daily podcast, the Euroleagues with John Bennett. Welcome to Euroleagues coming up. We're going to ask whether Nick Volta Marder is proving his critics in Germany wrong. Sometimes may be good. We'll talk about Gennaro. Gattuso with Italy and, would you believe it, the Faroe Islands, still in with a chance of making the World Cup after three straight wins. We'll speak to one of their key players who was back at work behind his desk at his office job

at 8 a.m. the next morning after the game against Czech Republic. That is the sort of work ethic that Guillaume Baleigh, Mina Rizzuki and Rafael Honigstein can relate to. Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us. Hello, everyone. Hello, good evening. Plenty to get into this week.

We're going to start by talking about Jean-Philippe Matetta. Have you all seen this row he's having with Wilfred Zaha? We'll get to that in a moment. But first, I want to talk about what a great story this is, Mina, because he scored his first international goal for France. at the age of 28, his first call-up, so he scored against Iceland. I love these stories. We love young players coming in and making a brilliant impact on their debut,

but for someone at 28 who never really had a hope of playing international football to come in and score straight away. It's a brilliant story. Yeah, absolutely a brilliant story. And it kind of gives you hope that you can do it at any age. So maybe, John, there's life for you yet. One day we can all hopefully fulfill our dreams and become the football players that we always talk about.

about. Are you laughing at John? Are you laughing at his dreams? You're laughing at his dreams. She thinks I'm still 28. I'm all for it. I'll take that. I'll take that, definitely. Look at the pessimistic guys just waiting, you know, calling you old, whereas I quickly referred to you as just another 28-year-old, but it is a great story. And there's a lot of them actually, a lot of these guys who have grown up and perhaps peaked at a later age. In fact, that was a good exercise to do, look into that. What were the old guys that made it? And in Spain, I'll tell you three names that have got a particular story. Puskas. He was a Spanish international at 34. Of course, after he playing with Hungary and leaving Hungary, he couldn't play for two years banned by FIFA,

eventually played for Spain, four games only. Havi Navarro started as a lorry driver and made his debut as 32, yet all having won a lot of things with Sevilla. And the most recent one is Joselu, who made his debut two days before he became 33, made his debut. debut actually against Norway, he scored two goals. And then within a period of a year and a half, he won the Champions League, the Nations League, and the European Championships, just like that, at 33. So that's the good part of the story.

That's the romantic part of the story. Let's get to the row. Rafael Hollistae, what have you made of this row with Wilfred Zahar? So it starts with these comments that Jean-Philippe Matetta made, when he got the call-up, he said, I always believed at Crystal Palace right at the start, when I wasn't even playing, I spoke about the France team in the dressing room

and I had teammates like Wilfrid Zahar who were laughing. They said that I was mad to think about the France team when I wasn't even playing at Crystal Palace. But I responded saying that it was my objective and that I simply had to play to show what I could do. So he mentions Wilfred Zahar who's now at Charlotte FC in the MLS. Fair to say that Wilfred Zahar not happy about his name being mentioned by Mateta.

This is what Wilfrid Zahar had to say this morning. No, I'm sorry because my head's on fire. I've got to clear up this Meteta situation because he doesn't want to. I spoke to him, he doesn't want to, he's okay with it. And this just shows me that, see, the times when I was playing at Crystal Palace and people, all these people were watching me, it's clear that they weren't happy for me. On the pitch, I'm passionate and all that stuff, but I'd never bully someone or say someone won't make it here or won't make it at all or nothing like that.

So it's like, it's disgusting when I see someone that I thought was a friend, do that. his chances of playing for France way back when he wasn't playing for Palace as friends we laughed it off but we're joking around that it's going to be difficult especially with Benzima all these different players playing in those positions but we never ever once said you're never going to make it

wouldn't you be shocked if this person asked this to 10 people I swear to you 10 Crystal Palace players were there when this conversation was had wouldn't you be shocked that this person has made out like there some sort of hate from me when there was 10 people. Why is it because just because with Zaha, Zaha is the biggest name? I do not understand, it's disgusting.

I've never hated on anyone. So now I'm getting messages, or you're not laughing now at Matta. I couldn't care less, well done to him. I even congratulating publicly on his, on his posts. So to hear that story come out, it's like, what the f***? Did you dislike me the whole time for you to come out with this, your come up story?

I'm going to use Zahar as my come-up story. I don't have football friends. This is why I keep myself to myself, because how's you going to do that? Wow, Raffa, what do you make of this? It's bizarre, isn't it, that he's got so upset about this? It sounds like in the dressing room, they were just having a bit of fun, saying, you've got no chance. There's so many players ahead of you.

You're not playing for Crystal Palace. But he's really taking this to heart that his name's been mentioned by Matetta. What's French for overreaction? Didn't seem that bad comment. and maybe more said in jest or as a sense of, you know, I showed everyone and I don't quite get where the animosity and the hate and the anger comes from. I mean, Sahar said in this interview that he doesn't have any friends in football, maybe because he takes things very seriously or too seriously.

I mean, I think it bears no relation to the offense or perceived offence. I think Matata was just making a point that. people didn't believe in him. He happened to mention one name in particular, and he's taken it very badly, but I don't see what the fuss is, really. Why would Mateta need to mention the name? Like, imagine we just laughed at, you know, John, like potentially fulfilling his dreams of becoming a football player at this age.

But imagine he's now going to do... And you mention him by name as well. Yes, I know. It's terrible, because he is so going to remember this in his next interviews when he, when he leads England to the World Cup. But like, let's just imagine it. Then he says, oh, well, you know, I don't know. Raffa Honnstein was laughing at that point.

You're kind of like, well, it's all of us. So why was there? It's just a joke. Why are you mentioning my name? And he said that he's received messages. And you kind of feel like a lot of people just read headlines and not necessarily look into it. And just be like, oh, so were you that guy?

Were you that hater who was bullying him the whole time? And I just feel like you could have just said we were, I just don't see the reason for mentioning. mentioning names so I can understand Zaha being upset about it. I guess the rant just seems a bit too much, but I would be upset too if my name is pulled into something that was supposed to be in Jess. I just remembered something that happened between Rafi and I, which is a little bit like this. Wow.

We were in a meeting with a lot of very serious people with the production company of Idris Ebra, and somebody put a presentation in the screen, and there was a little bit of CV on everyone that was going to be involved in a project that included him, Kabamakotti, myself. And they take in one picture of me a selfie with Messy. And he said in front of everyone, that's Rafi. He said, the presentation great, but, you know, selfie, I wouldn't do that.

Would you? Anybody? Would you? And I've never forgotten that. Because, by the way, I was at the forefront of social media at that point. I was doing what everybody's doing now. I've never forgotten that. We have to give them a right to respond here. We were right to reply.

Yeah, go on then, man. I'm glad you didn't say it was AI. I don't believe you just said that. My head's on fire. How can you reveal all that on national radio, Guillem? It's over between us. You've got friends in football. Secondly, I still love him.

But secondly, I don't care about what Sahar thinks of Mateta and Matta thinks of Sahar. But it was been, I listened to Sahas rant two or three times. And he's fascinating if you look into it in detail. He talks about 10 other players or 10 in total laughing at Mateta when he wasn't even started for Crystal Palace. I think Mateta has used that as a fuel to push his career. So he's got to thank Sahan, everybody else, for what they've done for him. Then, you know, can Mateta point out at any changing room in the history of his career

where he mentioned something like that and people will go, yes, yes, you've got a chance. Good boy. We're hard. You'll get there. or would he get banter? He will, of course, get banter. It's all like a storm in a tico, but most of the Sahara set came out,

you know, it's interesting stuff for analysis. He says, why mention me? Didn't he like me all that time? That's why I keep myself to myself and all that, don't have friends in football, really? So the explosive cocktail at some point was just going to go off because you had on one hand somebody that doesn't trust anyone in Sahan

and somebody else that takes everything far too seriously. So it's just a glimpse into how these elite players think. Do you know what? It comes to my head. The little kids, because they will be the rest of their career. The rest of the career, they have to be protected because they far too sensitive. The little kids. You make a good point there, though. It reminded me of Michael Jordan in that documentary where every time he achieved something,

he needed someone to insult him or to wind him up to motivate him. And I think Matteta's used this as fire, so it's actually helped him. But let's move on to another player now who scored his first international goal over this international break. Newcastle United is Nick Volta Mada scoring for Germany as they beat Northern Ireland 1-0 on Monday.

Raphael Honigstein, what a way to answer his critics because he's now scored, I think I'm right in saying, in his last four games for club and country, and remember that the Bayern board member and legendary former player, Carl Heinz Rummega, he spoke a few weeks ago,

basically insulting him, talking of insult, saying, I can only congratulate those in Stuttgart, his former club, for finding. And he says, I'll use quotation marks here, an idiot who paid that much money, talking about the amount of money that Newcastle paid for him, because we certainly wouldn't have done that in Munich. So how big was this international break for Nick Volta Mado? Yeah, it was huge because he was booed in the previous break,

when he, along with other German players must be said, did not cover himself in glory, especially in that 2-0 defeat against. Slovakia, I mean, didn't look as part of the team, was very isolated. But of course, since then he started scoring for Newcastle and he started with his first ever goal, a winning goal for Germany against Northern Ireland. And I think it's really changed the mood completely because this is a very likable guy. I mean, maybe some people don't like the fact that he's really into fashion and maybe that's seen as, you know, somebody who should pay more attention to football.

You know, things can be quite conservative at times. but he's a very nice guy and he's a guy that now scores in the Premier League and he's a guy that clearly has, through no fault of his own, commanded a transfer fee that is a big debate, especially because Bayan who liked to get things

their own way were I don't want to say on the receiving end but of course missed out because they didn't want to go all that high to the kind of amount that Newcastle were prepared to pay. So this is really about buying sort of saying well we always pay the right money

and this is too much money rather than an insult I think towards him but it didn't help him I think in his development but now I think there's a sense that you know this guy has really arrived now really be the answer for Germany

as far as the World Cup is concerned you know can he fill that huge void that has been there since Clauser retired really that is the big question and I think for that reason alone even Rumeniger and everyone else will hope that his development and his success at Newcastle will continue

because we need to have a centre forward of real class who can lead the line effectively. Yeah, Julian Nugglesman played it down a bit, didn't he? He mentioned all the strikers that are injured at the moment. But if you were to make a prediction, Raffer, do you think he would start at the World Cup next year? Don't think we have any other strike at centre forwards. He was mentioned Kai Havert.

Yeah, I mean, Kai Havert, of course, has played that role quite effectively. And Germany, at the Euros with Havert in that role, looked good, even though he himself, wasn't able to have the same kind of impact directly in front of goal, but I think his movement and his positioning play helped others play other players a lot. I think Volta mater is obviously a completely different centre forward, but I'd love for Harvard's to be fit and be an alternative.

But I think as of now, as far as sort of more orthodox centre forwards is concerned, Voltaimada is on his own because Nicolas Fulcruc is the closest we have to another sort of number nine in the true sense or in the original mold is of course having a very hard time at West Ham and has no guarantee to get back into the Germany squad either. So Volta Mardi is at the moment. If you were Newcastle, considering that he is such a different player to Alexander Isak and it is a bit of a tactical gamble to have gone for him, would you have gone for him and do you think this is a place in which, oh, you're smiling, so you might have not

not chosen him then? No, look, I think if you're in the market for a centre forward and a lot of clubs were and you have a bit of money burning a hole in your pocket because you are clearly selling Isa Khan. They knew at that time that he was going to go. Then I think it's understandable that they looked at him very closely. But of course, it is a bit of a gamble because the guy had only had six months at Bundesliga level before going to the Premier League to a big club in the Premier League, a club with real ambition to at least make the top four to do well in the cup competitions. And I think there's a lot to ask for a centre forward who's at 22 still developing.

It's one of my pet theories that centre forwards tend to need a bit more time. You know, they peak a little bit later than let's say wingers or centrebacks. I think they need that experience. They need that know-how, that kind of street smartness that you need to be really effective. and they buy the potential but I'm already surprised I'm already happy in the sense that I think his betting in period

has been shorter and he's been more effective quicker than I thought and if he can continue and if Eddie Howe can continue to develop and the way he has developed other players really well in recent years

then they will look at the smart ones and other people might think that they're the idiots in the equation Rafi you touch briefly on the words of Romania if you don't mind going back to it, you mentioned that, you know, by and pace properly and the rest,

they just don't do it as it should. But I just wonder if his words expressed like a broader frustration, the fact that English clubs come out pay German teams, the fact that German young players or even players of any age, leave far too early, perhaps, in his eyes. And if that feeling is the one of the old guard,

or if a new directors think the same way. It's a double-edged sword because a lot of people in Germany are very happy that the money from England is there and helps them to sell the likes of Iquitika and so on for huge money. In Dortmund are a great example. Bayern don't tend to sell. Bayern have to compete and sometimes lose out as they did with Vietz,

and you can maybe say Voltemart even though it was more of a transfer fee issue. But the problem is more for the rest of the league. Bayern, in a sense, are isolated from that trend because they can still pay so much money that they can take Harry Kane from the Premier League, they can take Sadiou Manet from the Premier League, they can take Luis Diaz from the Premier League. But the other teams are either sellers or have to almost develop talent with a view of then selling them on later on. And this is a big problem for the league in the long run because the accusation used to be

rightly or wrongly that Bynne would target other teams to make them weak and get their best players. Even if they don't do it, if they don't get any of these good players from Dortmund or Leverkusen or so on, they still tend to get stronger because they're the only team that can keep their own players and buy some players from the Premier League, whereas everybody else are net sellers in terms of talent and quality. So yes, there is a problem. I don't think Rumenik is particularly concerned about it, apart from when Bion are directly affected. But it is something that the league has to grapple with and I think they haven't quite come to terms with it

or they're still sort of trying to figure out whether it's a net good thing that you can sell these players and reinvest or if it's a problem for the league in the long run. Well, let's talk about one of the players that Bayern Munich spent a lot of money on Harry Kane. We joked a few weeks ago in Euroleagues around the time of the Ballandoor that Harry Kane could win it if he kept scoring at this rate. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek but he's a genuine contender.

I know it's early days, but he scored 103 goals in 106 buying appearances, 19 goals in 12 games for England and Bayern this season, one every 52 minutes. Mina, that is astonishing, isn't it? Are you putting him up there as the best striker in terms of form at the moment in European football, Harland and Bapé, Kane?

Who's at the top? Harland is... It's difficult because he has so much to his game, Harry Kane. And I think it was also really interesting to hear Kingsley Comand speak to Rio Ferdinand on that podcast. And he was talking about playing alongside Harry Kane in comparison to playing alongside Lewandowski. And he said in a way he had to provide Levendowski and deliver for him at all times. Harry Kane has the ability to make other people look good because he's not just a striker. He's not just playing for himself. He's somebody who plays.

for the team. He provides for the team. He delivers assists. He play makes and he makes the wing looks really good. And it just reminded me something about Pelo and when we used to say, you know, is he the best ever? And when you ever used to say that to Andrea Pelo, do you think he were the best ever midfielder? He goes, I was really lucky that I played with such good forwards because that's what makes me so good. But Harry Kane is that guy that just makes everyone look good. And the way that he is scoring right now and you, I mean, strikers are quite hard to find these days that are doing so well other than Arland and Mbapé are obviously on a class in the same class. But, you know, once upon a time, he used to say, I want to be Ronaldo, I want to be

Messi. And then we kind of did a little bit of a, oh, come on, you know, who's going to be Ronaldo and Messi? But the kind of stats that he's providing right now, they are Ballando worthy. Of course, the Ballando, we know, only ever goes to the winners of either the Champions League or the World Cup or makes that. So it's got to be buying something. But I would say that if they did, then absolutely he's going to be the guy that wins it.

Because on current form, the way that he has also changed this season, and am I right in saying that I was looking at these heat maps that they had produced and where it was more concentrated in obviously goal scoring and playing as a number nine. This year he seems to be dropping back, helping out. And he's just everywhere now on the pitch. So it seems like every year, and in that goes to your theory, Rav. where as you get older, it's almost like you get better. And his intellect is just on another level, his sacrifices for the team is on another level. And the fact of the matter is that they're without Jamal Musiala,

who is their chief creator in co. And having Harry Kane be able to deliver so much and almost take on that role as well as being the striker. Incredible stuff. I offer another alternative theory of why Kane is scoring so much, but not just Kane, Hallen as well, Embappet. and how in the past it would have been Christiano, Messico's, you know, of course

and Lewandowski and that's it and there would be a big gap between them and the rest. But I think we started a new trend of a strikers scoring a goal per game and given the amount of opportunities that we'll have in the big sides, I could even be bigger than that. And it's down

to the fact that how teams play. First of all, there's more man-to-man marking which creates more open situations, more space used by these talented players. teams you get in the build-up take more risks so again an opportunity if you're still the ball to score and you've got the talent you'll do that the teams that are not the biggest ones the small ones as well when they play the Bayern munich or the Manchester cities they defend

very very deep and more and more teams like Bayern like Manchester City are prepared to beat low blocks and that has to do as well with the movement of the players there's much more layers of knowledge into the likes of any striker. There is more individual work as well. And that fits with that trend of managers that want to impress and play offensively, especially in bigger sides, because that gives you not only prestige,

but the possibility of continuing at this level because all these big sides want to play offensively. So I think we're going to see more and more and more of those strikers that score a goal again. And just quickly, Rafa, because we're going to move on to talk about one of my favourite subjects, Janara Gattuso. But how is Kane viewed now?

at Bayern Munich compared to Robert Lewandowski? Well, Mina hinted at it in the Kingsley Coleman interview, which I think is quite reflective of the mood that Levantowski was admired, was respected, but wasn't quite loved and appreciated to the extent that Kane is. Because Kane, on top of everything we talked about, has this kind of humility that is almost extremely rare, if not, never apparent for centre-forward.

I mean, we associate center forwards with a lot of things, but not humility and selfishness. And he has that in his game. He thinks about the team first. He thinks about winning first. He defends so much. He's in his box half of the game when buying a leading and they defend deep. He puts in tackles against, you know, the opposition left winger and things like that. And people are just crazy for him.

And he said just the other day that he feels Vincent Company has unlocked another level. in his game and while all these things that Gier mentioned are true I still think that with the buying team that there lacks Musial at the moment

and isn't in terms of the depth that's strong he plays like three or four players at the same time on the pitch and that makes him so invaluable at the moment

and don't forget you can watch the Bundesliga Friday night matches on BBC eye player this season so this week it's Union Berlin against Brissian Munching glove back it kicks off

at 730 p.m. by live sport WSL and what a game of football it is to kickstart this new WSL season and she is able to just pick her sport this way past the best goal keep at the division BBC Women's Football Weekly The latest news insights and analysis from across the women's game Lucy Bruns, welcome back

What one lioness do you think would make the best rugby player Me? Listen with the BBC Sounds app. This is the Football Daily podcast with John Bennett. Now to one of my favourite Euroleague's characters, Janaro Gattuso, Italy beat Israel 3-0 on Tuesday to make it four wins from four for Gattuso in charge of the team.

So they've booked a playoff place. Will Italy then qualify it for a World Cup after missing out on the last two editions? I remember bringing this up. I'm not sure if any of you were on the playoff. panel actually on the Euroleagues, where James Horncastle, he sighed when I got really excited about Janara Gattuso being named Italy manager. And I said, why are you upset, James? Why are you not happy? And he said, it's because I want Italy to get to the World Cup. And like a lot of people,

he thought it would be a bit of a car crash. But so far so good, Mina. So far so good. But I echo James' sentiments when you told me Gattuzzo was coming, not you specifically, but when I heard about Gatuzo being the guy in line. It just sort of seemed to, I don't know, demonstrate the giant collapse of Italy at this moment. You know, like there were so many clips going around social media right now about that Italian team in 2002, the one that, you know, the one just before they won the World Cup. And we're talking about Palomal Dini and Canovarro and Nester and Totti and Del Piero. It was just an embarrassment of riches. And now when you look at Italy and over the last few seasons, even though they want the euros, there's just this fall about it. But at least

one thing you could always rely on is that Italy created these great coaches. And yet none of these great coaches were called upon or succeeded. Spalletti didn't succeed. And then this has kind of sent me on a spin recently because I firmly believe that you are as good as your coach. And so it is doing well. So what does that say? Is Gattu is actually a really good coach? And we're not doing well then. Come on. Where's the positivity? What are the positives here? It's like 16 goals, It's, they can't, I mean, it's a disaster because they lose the ball. They are so frail against counterattacks when Donoruma made a mistake for it for Estonia to get a goal in the end. They look terrified after that.

So even though right now what Gatuzo's done really well, so to his credit, what he's done really well has created a united team. This is a side that seems really hungry at the moment that is full of rage and the way that it needs to be that's fighting for the jersey. in a way that we never saw under Luciano Spalletti. Speletti was always considered this great tactician, but we always had question marks about his ability to really spur on his side. And if you look at his Napoli team, a lot was made about how good Victor Osman at the time was in instilling that mentality of we can win it this year,

we can win with Napoli. And so that was Speletti's floor. And so what Gattuz has come and done is just screamed at them and told them how much they need to fight for this jersey. And it's like by osmosis, they have all of this fashion. inside of them and are playing for him and they admire what he has achieved with the Italian national team. And you can see that. They're hungry for goals at all times. But the team has no balance. And they are not very good at really understanding the game in you and the way that you

need them to. If you look at, for example, the way that they played against Israel. And there was a lot being made about this game. You would think that they were playing Estonia and Israel, but you thought that they were going to play like France and Spain at this point. I mean, you should be beating Estonia very easily, so you shouldn't be so scared. And with Israel, it's a harder team, but you should still be winning these matches without this being such a kerfuffle. And yet Israel had loads of chances. They had the counterattacks. They rotated their players so well that it sort of threw them for a loop at a while because Tran Ali didn't know, wait, what's going on here. But the difference is, is playing with two strikers, having strikers who are scoring goals, Guilla. So maybe it is about

the way that people are playing right now. But, you know, when you're talking about the fact that football has changed, I was thinking, God, scoring goals for Italy was so hard, but under Gattuzzo, it looks so easy. Raffa is desperate to come in here. Can I make a prediction as to what he's going to say? Go on then. They haven't played any decent teams yet. Is that what you're going to say?

Well, I would say, I mean, doing well is relative here, isn't it? I mean, they lost 3-0 against Norway. They had that crazy match away in inverted commas to Israel, the 5-4. and of course they've beaten Estonia and Moldova. But Norway was under Spalletti, so this is this we'll see more now. Yeah, okay, fine, but I mean, Italy doing well is not coming second. Italy doing well is first and the problem that they have is that even if they win the next two games, they can still finish second because Norway's goal difference is, of course, so superior.

And that's the ultimate, that's the first tiebreaker. There's 16 goals to the good So I think it all looks As if it's going to be another Playoff game against the likes of I don't know North Macedonia or so on And then we'll see what happens We'll see how good they really are

That's the scary part right It's like you know that You know we say small games But Italy is lost in North Macedonia Switzerland I mean that's a harder team But it's just that they Even against the smaller size

They haven't shown the best So maybe now although the way that they lack that balance worries me they are reckless, they look tactically naive at times but hey listen maybe they'll be a bit like Barcelona well they'll just outscore the opponent but without much of the beauty can I just make one small point about the theory that Goals you know goods center forwards will win your games

I mean tell it to Sweden I think they would they would love love for that to be true the way they're doing with both Isaac and Jokeres up front and being absolutely terrible. Yeah, and they sat their manager at Sweden in this international break. But Guillem, one point on Gattuso, before we move on to Roma, is he going to get them to the World Cup then?

It looks as though it's going to be playoffs. But that's another question that looks at the close up at the situation. And if we've got time, I just wanted all of us to take three steps back and say three words, Mancini, Spalletti, Gattuso. Nothing to do with each other. Problem's still there.

So, Mina, in 30 seconds, please, Would you tell us what's wrong with Italian football? Thank you. No youth development, no money to really invest. And the kind of culture right now means that you have to win instantly. So not much time is being given to develop players and to create cohesive projects in all honesty. But with Vanchini, he left, right?

They didn't necessarily want him to leave. And he gave them the greatest gift, which is Retegi, who was just scoring goals nonstop. He's been amazing to watch. I mean, even if you looked at last season, Capo Canieri, 25 goals, 10 with his left foot, 10 with his right foot, five with his head. The way that he has just grown, and that's Mancini's gifts. Spalletti, I guess he got the job because, you know, what he did with Napoli and Gattuzzo,

because they realized Speletti wasn't a good man and manager. It seems like everything, they try to correct, but then they don't actually see the big plan. And right now, who is going to take the job because Ancelotti took Brazil? Serriardo returns this weekend and I want to talk, Mena, about Roma, second in the table. So Jean-Piero Gasparini has made a great start since leaving Atalanta to take over the club which kept sacking managers, what is it, five coaches since 2024.

Did you expect such an instant impact? Because I looked at this and I thought it will work but it might take some time because of the tactics and the changes that he had to make but straight away he's made a positive impact. he has made a positive impact he did an interview the other day in Italy and they they asked him about well they asked him about usually with him because of his style of tactics you would imagine it would take ages and they've all they've been called reckless before it's too attacking at times

but it seems like he's learned from that in a way where he's decided to go to roma and make them defensively solid so what this side looks like right now is not at all a normal gasperini team This is a team that looks like it's just, it's still Claudio Ranieri's side from last season with just a hint of Gasparini in it. I mean, if you look at the stats, they're just, they're pressing that bit higher, but still quite balanced. The strikers, then they've yet to learn how to flood the box and actually create those overwhelming attacking displays that he was so famous for when he was at Atlanta. They are not aggressive in the same way. they're not tenacious in the same way they're not man-marking in the same way

so this is not yet a Gasparini team so I'm reluctant to really judge them at the moment because he's not changing too much straight away nor does he have a team that's really created for him at the moment he doesn't have a striker that he actually needs and one who will provide the kind of game that he needs Dovik is not it Ferguson is not it

and so you feel like right now with the way that they're going forward he's having to hope that DiBal is going to come through for them. But DiBala misses more games than he plays. So he's not somebody that you can depend on. So attacking wise, this is a team that's yet to really grasp all of his ideals going forward. But what they do have is the best defense in Seria. And that's carrying on actually from last season under Claudio Ranieri where they had the best defense in the second half of the season and second overall. So he's made them a balanced unit and just try to work off what they're very good at now and slowly try to introduce his own ideals into it. But I have to say they've

also been lucky. And if you look at, for example, the match against Elas Verona, look at the kind of shots that they're conceding. And their XG stance would say to that they're good opportunities, that they are conceding, which means that are they overachieving at the moment? And you have to say they are so lucky defensively to have a goalkeeper like Milis Vila, because Svila has been, astonishingly good. He is, he's got the highest save percentage on shots on target among all goalkeepers in Europe's top five leagues. And that stands at 93% at the moment.

He plays like a veteran. He, anything that goes past that defense, he's like a war. And if you watch that, that game against Elas Verona, it was an interesting one because Verona was so good. And yet he managed to rescue them by doing a save with his face. you saved with his actual face and he is the difference maker right now

and Gasparini actually said one of the reasons we are doing so well you can call it luck or you cannot but we have a strong defense and much of that is down to the fact that I've got the best goalkeeper right now and that has also helped them because we know in Seria

that in the 18 of the last 19 leagues the best defense wins the title other than the time that Juventus had won it so that's what he's working on now. So against Inter, this is where we can judge better because this is the first big team that they're going to play against and we need to see whether or not they're actually as good as they have looked when they're playing the smaller sides.

Mina, talk to us about Matthias Soleil, who in the lack of strikers scoring, you got an offensive midfielder that is doing so, three goals, two assists in six games for Roma and finally looking like the player that they thought they had bought. And can you convince you? seem to be an Italian international, or is that too late? No, for that last point, Scaloni has said that he has kept a specific eye on Sule, and that he definitely wants to integrate him within his side, but just to give him time, he wants to see how he develops at Roma. I think Gasparini is exactly the right coach to get the best out of him

in ways that they've been too dependent on Di Bala before, and Suley has taken his chances when he can, but he's been inconsistent in form. So now under Gasparini, and considering the problems that they do, have going forward. He is showing the power that he has and how much he's growing. It's about speed of thought and speed of play that he's got to master the different phases of the game. But he has all that raw talent. He just needs to channel it better. And I think that he can absolutely do that under Gasparini. So I firmly believe that Scaloni will call him up soon and Italy will not be able to get him to play for their side. We've spoken about some great underdog and fairy tale

stories, haven't we, on the program this season. Karat al-Matti Bodo Glimp, qualifying for the Champions League. We spoke to Dr. Carl on the last Euroleagues about the Swedish underdogs Mielbi, who haven't won the league yet, but they can do so by winning on Monday night.

And what about this international break? We had Kat Verde qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. And now we're going to speak to a player whose dream of doing the same thing for an even smaller nation is still alive. The Faroe Island beat Czech Republic 2-1 on Sunday

to put themselves within a point of the playoff spots with one match remaining in the group. This is astonishing because Faroe Islands has a population of just under 55,000, so they would be by far the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup. Delighted to say that the player of the match from that Czech Republic game, Odmar Farrow,

joins us now on Euroleagues. Odmar, thanks for joining us. Hello. Hi, thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. So tell us, first of all, what were the celebrations like after that game to keep the dream alive to beat Czech Republic 2-1? I think it was a great experience all around, but I think a lot of the players were thinking, unfortunately, it's a Sunday night, so there's not going to be much happening in the city afterwards. But no, we had a nice evening together and spoke about the events of the match and the wave that we're on at the moment. after that, I think a lot of us went to work the next day.

Yeah, I have to talk about this. You went to work the next day, didn't you? So what time did you start work? Tell us about what job you have. I work at a furniture store here on the island, and I didn't realize it, or I didn't know at the time, but when I checked out of the hotel and went home, then all of the players, I think, they sat on

and had a few glasses of wine and good chat. and I raced home to my family and went to work early early the next morning at 8 o'clock. 8 a.m. in the office after beating Czech Republic after being a man of the match, you were in the office at 8 a.m. It's true.

That's amazing. And as you say, all the other players have day jobs as well. Is that correct? Are any of them professionals in the team? Four professionals? Yeah, we have a few professionals on the team playing in the likes of Iceland and Denmark and Norway. but I'd say at the moment

it's roughly a 50-50 split. All the guys and me and I want to chat to you as well but I just want to ask what has happened to give you this success to make it that Faroe Islands have won three in a row because I think I'm right in saying that Ferrell Islands had never won more than

two games in any qualification campaign before and you've won four this time. What has changed? What's the recent success down to? It can be a any one of a number of things or a combination or culmination of a number of a number of things I think one thing I think is around about a year ago we we changed the managerial team the manager and the assistant coach and appointed a local combination of coach and assistant coach and since then I think the the feeling in the team and in the in the training camps has been yeah a more fairwee's localized feeling and ever since since then the unity in the team has improved and the stats will show that defensively we've not been giving away many chances conceding goals and until recently we've been hunting for some kind of big results and now thankfully we got two in a row so now we're

now we're just riding a wave and seeing how far it can take us. Odma, I don't want to be too presumptuous, but of course there is a chance that you might make it. Can you explain to us what it would mean for the Faroe Islands? And crucially, would you get two months off to actually go to the World Cup from your job, from your boss? In terms of time off, I have a very flexible boss, so that wouldn't be a problem. But in terms of expectations and what would happen if we did reach a finals, I'm not sure that's sunk in. When we beat Montenegro in the first of the last two games, we hit nine points, which was the record tally for a qualifier. And then in the next game, then we get 12 points.

And at the moment, it's just kind of like uncharted territory. and at home against Croatia it was a close game funnily enough and we lost 1-0 on that day and I think our thoughts are kind of going back to situations in the away game against the Czech Republic and the away game against Montenegro where we concede late and lose points and I think the situation is now that we both have to win against Croatia and we have to rely on results going our way so it's it's I mean you have to be realistic it's looking difficult it's possible but should it happen there would be a celebration like like never before here on the islands I'm sure of that Omar you you explained very well the process

that's taking you there and it's got to do with tactics it's got to do with better coaching or better decisions but you also touch briefly on the fact that you just needed something that confirm that you were good enough. Is there a moment where you think, after even a bad result, you think, hold on a minute. We're not worse than these guys. And what would that be? I think you are right. But specifically at what point we've been talking about now football the way it is nowadays.

There's a lot of analysis and a lot of you get a lot of feedback, individual and collective. And when we look at the numbers, especially during this last campaign, what we see is, unfortunately, at the start, we lost our first two games narrowly. Had we been able to get a draw in one of those games, then now it would have been crucial points. Little did we know that then. But there are some key factors such as the fact that we recently, should we lose, we don't. don't lose by more than one goal. And most of our games can go both ways right until the very end.

And suddenly, once you, we found out, once you are tight in the defense, and you give away a few chances, and then it suddenly clicks offensively also. And you then possess the ability to score more than one goal every game. Then suddenly you have a good combination of various things. And then even the country of our size can

a team like Montenegro 4-0 and after that game I think even at half time we were just like yeah let's just keep going doing the right things doing the basics and the way it is for us underdogs if we can't afford to take our foot

off the gas so we only know how to give 100% so once we get the bone between our teeth then we just plow through and now suddenly a bit of quality offensively is starting to shine through as well So I think it's a little bit of those things that we're seeing now. Amma, you talk about being the underdog

and there must be a certain joy of being able to just enjoy the games and see yourself doing well and keep going. But do you think now you're going to enter into this with people saying there is qualification on the line? There's a real possibility you can make it, albeit slim, like you said. But is there now a little bit of pressure when it comes to playing these next match?

Is it going to be a case of, oh, I've got to make everything right, and then the pressure is going to get to everyone. I think in terms of pressure, it's a little bit early for us to, yeah, to learn how to handle that. I mean, normal pressure, there's always pressure on the international scene, but I don't think anyone's going to label us favorites or anything like that, going away and expecting a result against Croatia. We know that in terms of now, as opposed to maybe two, three years ago, it's more of a possibility. And in terms of belief in the squad, there's a much bigger belief. And I think that's what's going to drive us, if anything, if we're going to get a result in that game, because if beating Montenegro 4-0 was big,

then beating the Czech Republic was even bigger. And should we go on and get three points against Croatia, which is what will be required, then that will be even bigger. But I think it's just a sense of now we've proven to ourselves that we can, can do these things. The next step in the ladder, so I say, I think would be to, yeah, go and challenge at least Croatia for a big part of the game and at least make it uncomfortable for them. And if we do that, then we've done our side of the bargain. And who knows, maybe a draw between Gibraltar and Czech Republic could happen. I mean, who knows?

Anything could happen as Kat Verde showed. Odmar, we can detect a Scottish accent. I think you grew up in Aberdeen, didn't you? Tell us about that. And if you got to the playoffs, you could draw Scotland, couldn't you? Would that be the dream scenario? Yeah, I haven't actually looked at the possibilities of who we can draw and so on. But a few of my friends back home from Aberdeen were saying that, that it is a possibility. And I've been lucky enough to play against Scotland twice before. We had them in the qualifiers, I think, three or four years back and that was those were amazing experiences

especially having grown up in Scotland then yeah that was huge and yeah I'm not sure how the nerves would be playing against Scotland when a place in the World Cup is on the line then I'm sure I would get some nerves but that would be

an amazing scenario Odmar we'll be watching and really cheering you on thank you so much for joining us on Euroleagues all the best next month you're welcome thank you Good look. That is Odmar Farrow from the Faroe Islands. What an opportunity they have next month.

They are still in it. It's a long shot, but maybe, just maybe. Let's send Euroleagues by talking about Jude Bellingham. A lot has been said, a lot has been talked about after he was left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad. So how big are the next few weeks for Jude Bellingham? Tuchel said this on Bellingham. He's an important player. He's a big player.

The guys who are now here, they have the reward and they feel the reward and it's now necessary. I stay in touch with the other guys. If we invite them, we are sure they will buy in or we will not invite them. Why would we? This is, how do you say, a non-negotiable? We'll get to Guillem in a moment for the Royal Madrid perspective on this.

But, Raffa, you know Thomas Tuchel well. You've covered Thomas Tuchel's teams down the years. What do you think he was trying to do here with his comments about Jude Bellingham over the last couple of weeks? It sounded to me like a thinly veiled warning that not just him, but everyone who is part of the team has to be a team player.

And I think it illustrates the difference between club management and national team management because even though you spend far less time with your players as a national team coach, the time you spend is a lot more intense because you're in camps, you are on top of each other for two weeks the whole time. And then, of course, if you go all the way, it can be up to eight weeks in a big tournament. and if you feel that somebody brings too much ego into it or maybe feels that special rules apply, Tuchel mentioned special rules applying to special players

in his first answer at the beginning of the international break when he was asked about Jude Bellingham, then I think national team managers are very wary of complicating their life even if it means leaving superb players out and Yulein Nagatzman did something similar, not the same magnitude but he left out Leon Garetska

ahead of the Euros and he talked about collective you know match, harmony and really was quite hinting quite heavily that Garetska was too much of an egotistical guy or at least

could not be trusted if he was to be substituted or perhaps not starting not to affect the mood negatively. He's since been, of course, been brought back. So I don't think it's terminal. I don't think it is a sense of, you know, Tochel doesn't like Bellinghamer doesn't think he's good enough, but it sounded to me very much conveniently disguised

with the fact that he wasn't fully fit and so on, which is something he mentioned, of course, as well. Like a warning, not just to him, but to everyone, that the team will come first, even at the cost of maybe one or two big names missing out. In the last couple of years, Jude Bellingham has been with managers that allowed him to do whatever he want on the pitch in a way because he resolves situations. So the more the team struggled, the more you saw Jude, that was with England and with Real Madrid. Now he's got two coaches that are asking him to do less to be more in the side.

But while one was happy in Chavi Alonso to have him around every single day, defining his role, probably in behind Benissues and Mbapé and what that means, obligations defensively. Offensively, the other one seems quite okay with not having him, even though, okay, physically he's not at his best. But as Raffi has just said, this was an opportunity for 10 days to actually have him and talk to him about what he wants of him. He's decided not to take that opportunity when he keeps talking about how little time manager of a national time has got.

So I think you've got a manager that sees in Jew Bellingham an essential part of the team in Chabby Alonso and another one who thinks, yeah, he can help me, but I'm not going to build a team around him, perhaps even more, perhaps it's not an essential part of the team. It's going to be interesting to see how Drew Bellingham interprets that and reacts to it. So again, just one thing before I go into this, but Javi Alonzo got a little bit of stick for playing Bellingham against Atletico Madrid, because it was, seen that he wasn't yet ready to come on and be the player considering that he was recovering from his injury, not yet at a full level, and this was a really important match to throw him on.

So, I mean, is that true, right? Yeah, he started him, and also he was asked about it, because it goes into what you're saying. Chavez-Lonso was asked about it. If you had the Aletico Madrid game to play again, you've seen what Bellingham has done will use him, and he was like, no, you cannot look back, but he was trying to suggest that perhaps he wouldn't do it. It wasn't the right choice. But is not, like, in my head, I'm like, you know,

we're talking about a player who always comes up clutch in the right big moments for England. He has that mentality in many ways of, you know, how much have we spoken about Real Madrid under Carlo and Charlotti not being this great team? And yet they always produce those moments that win the games, right? It's that Real Madrid mentality. And yet he embodied that for England.

He was the guy that showed up in all the right time. And Tuchel, like one of the things that you're always going to get something with a man who's only tasked with getting them to the World Cup and playing that tournament. So there isn't some long-term future that he's working towards and I can understand putting the team first but for me I think this is just a

warning but I can't see this as being anything more than that. I don't think there's any real fear of not including a player who has I mean for me the most important England player in their last tournament and the one who always

makes the difference. So are we just making too much out of something like this? Yeah, just briefly to end, Raffa, you said this, you know, he'll be back next. You expect Tuchel to call him up next international break and it'll all be fine. It will be sorted. I'm not so sure. I mean, I think he will be back if he's fully foot, of course. But I think Tuchel is making a point that this is going to be on my terms.

I mean, he calls it the team terms, but really he is deciding what the team needs. And as we saw with Bayern, you know, where he really went quite heavily against established players like Kimmich and Geretska and said, basically, I need different players. He is not afraid to fight these battles, and especially as an England manager, when there's no contract, he doesn't have to play certain players because it's damaging the club and they pay a lot of money. These considerations don't apply. I think he's going to be very ruthless, very narrow-minded and focused on what he wants.

And I think it does pose a problem as opposed to, you know, in recent years where if you have a big name. You're always in the England squad. Tuchel Fields. The squad is now so good and has so much depth that maybe I can do without these guys, or at least I can draw a realistic sort of scenario of a warning to suggest that maybe I can do it without them to make sure that they sign up to what I really want from them. Rappar Honigstein, Guillaume Barago, Minorazuki. Thank you very much. Steve Crossman. We'll be back with Euroleagues next week on Five Live next Thursday. Welcome to the brand new podcast series Rugby League Top 10 with me Mark Chapman. It's where John Wilkin, Brian Noble and Jamie Peacock will discuss, debate and argue over lists

of the best players, games, finals, iconic moments and plenty of other categories that will no doubt leave you screaming at your device. The most entertaining parts of the last sport are these, the jeopardy, the moments. He made rugby league look cool. Yeah, I mean, that's a difficult thing to do, I think. It is really is. Yeah, no. I think we've all managed to carry that battle.

Rugby League top ten. Listen on BBC Sounds.