Football Daily - Premier League Review: Salah throws grenade & Villa in title race?

Episode Date: December 7, 2025

James Gregg is joined by Andy Cole & The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards to talk Mo Salah & review the weekend’s Premier League action. Hear from Daniel Farke after Leeds fight back to draw with Liverpool. Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta have their say as Aston Villa appear to join Arsenal in the title race. And Pep Guardiola isn’t feeling Rayan Cherki’s rabona assist!01:10 Luke fulfils childhood dream 03:40 Is Mo Salah leaving Liverpool? 20:55 Leeds’ Daniel Farke excited for coffee & cake 29:10 Are Aston Villa in the title race? 35:30 Unai Emery & Mikel Arteta have their say 36:10 Any concerns for Arsenal? 37:45 Pep Guardiola not having Cherki’s rabona assist 41:10 Crystal Palace into the top four 42:35 Fight for Europe wide open 44:00 How big was Tottenham’s win for Thomas Frank?5 Live / BBC Sounds European commentaries: Tue 2000 Inter v Liverpool, Tue 2000 Tottenham v Slavia Prague on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Real Madrid v Man City, Thu 1745 Ferencváros v Rangers on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Celtic v Roma on Sports Extra.

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It is the Premier League review It's James Gregg in this week For the almost irreplaceable seemingly Almost at least Rick Edwards And with us on this episode Premier League golden boot winner And Hall of Famer Andy Cole

The telegraphs Luke I am told He's like a cold spring He's wanting to be let off the leash And talk all about The almost irreplaceable Mo Sala More on that in just a second you'll have to be coiled a little bit longer though Luke I'm afraid a good evening to the pair of you

Andy you first how's the weekend be yeah typical weekend if yeah yeah what was the typical weekend like for Andy Cole in winter yeah a bit of football stay indoors might go to the range but if it's cold stay indoors how did you strike him at the range just keeping it ticking over okay yeah not bad ticking over good man good man and Luke yeah I was at St James's park yesterday um I've been to my mum and dad's for lunch, but I just want to get this out the way because it is the elephant in the room, right? Andy, this is an absolute privilege for me.

You were one of my football heroes, not just when you're at Newcastle, but when you went to Manchester United, because I support late in Orient, I always adopted a player to kind of follow, which was kind of ahead of its time, really, because everyone does it now with, like, Ronaldo and Messi and Mbapé and Namar,

But I liked you at Newcastle, but I got very defensive of you when you went to Manchester United. If you remember, you were getting a bit of a hard time in the media. I was a teenager. Yeah, well, exactly. Well, I was a teenager, and I became a bit of, you know, an Andy Cole fan. An Andy Cole fan. I had a poster of you on my wall at university.

My best friend at university had a picture of Dwight York on his wall. Okay. So you, you know, this is a big moment for me. Gary Linnickle was my first footballing hero but you became, you replaced him you replaced Gary Linnaker in my affections followed your career throughout and yeah you know

you meant a lot to me growing up so this is very emotional moment for me This is a very nice start to the podcast isn't it? This is a really nice way I used to argue with people people slagged off Andy I took it personally I you know I came close to fisty cuffs with people

for criticising Andrew Cole so yes and you also My wife used to, just another little aside. Do you remember Amigos in Jesmond? Oh, yeah, I did say. At the Brandling. The Brandling. Yeah, yeah, she used to work there.

He used to come in. You were a bit surly. Didn't talk to many people. Normally reading a newspaper. So why does that make me surly? Because I didn't speak to many people. I was just kidding what my parents always used to state me. Don't talk to strangers.

Yes, that is true. That is true. You're talking to two now, Andy. Yeah, that's true. And a bit of a stalker, not just a stranger, a slight stalker in me. Well, well, there we have it. That is probably the most unique start to the Premier League review.

See, this is what happens when you replace Rick Edwards just for one week. This kind of starts at the podcast. I go rogue. It's great. I love it. Absolutely love it. We're going to get into it. The big talking point of the weekend.

And I promise, look, despite all the great Premier League moments that we've heard across the weekend on Five Live, we'll unpack some of what we've seen. I promise, I really want to dig deep into some of those. excellent moments that we've heard and obviously some significant ones as well from on the pitch but the big question to ponder over is have we

seen the last of Mo Sala in the Premier League? Three straight games on the bench, an unused sub for Liverpool's three all draw away to Leeds on Saturday and afterwards he had a seven and a half minute conversation with a huddle of reporters where he said many things

but mainly that he says he feels like he's been thrown under the bus and that his relationship with Arna Slot has broken down. We will get into some more of those quotes as we go through. What are your first reactions? Andy, what did you think when you read all the most salot quotes coming out yesterday evening? Obviously, he's getting a lot of his chest. Naturally, when you're at that level, you're very, very disappointed on the bench.

Three games on a bounce as well, you know. disappointed I think Mo's a very emotional football anyway but I just look at it when I listen to it and then read it it seems like it's been going on a little bit longer

than we might have been expected I'm looking at Liverpool this season and Liverpool haven't played particularly well but if you look at the team as a whole if you take away at the TK for instance I think he's the only one for me to say yeah he's done well so far this season.

The rest of the boys have really struggled. And for him to be left out for three games, I was very, very surprised. He touched on it, for what he's done for the club and just his achievements at Liverpool. Sometimes, yeah, you do deserve that little bit of grace. You know, it seems like he was the first one to go, and he's going to find it very difficult

to get himself back in the team for whatever reason. Yeah. Do you have sympathy for him then, Andy? Because I know when you were a player, you had a few moments in your career where you were angry with a manager where you didn't feel like you're being treated properly, but to go public with it in the way he has done,

that's pretty explosive, isn't it? Yeah, it is, but you see me, now I've retired and I try to look at things from obviously both sides, we just don't know what's gone on, you know? So I'm not going to say, oh, he's banged out of order. I don't know what's going on. Obviously, what he's saying, what is getting off his chest, that's the way he feels,

so something's gone on for him to get to that stage from, get it off his chest. Then it's as simple as that. Now, what's going on between him and the manager, him or anybody else at the football club? I'm not going to be on the radio trying to berate him. That's not my style. I've been in that position. And you get to that stage in football when you think,

oh, someone's taking liberty. I need to get this off my chest. Now, if it didn't come out and say anything, you know, is there a problem. When someone comes out and says something, oh, is this, is that, is a problem. When you play football, you actually can't win unless you're doing your job, like you're scoring goals or playing well,

but if you voice your opinion, you're a problem. He doesn't speak to the media much, which is his prerogative, and look, you know, that's fine, and he can do that. And I think his words, because of that, carry a lot more weight when he does speak, and that's part of it, isn't it?

The fact that he's clearly very calculated when he has something to say. I think the last time he actually did one of those media-type huddles where he spoke to journalists kind of freely and openly, was last November, sorry, two Novembers ago, after a Liverpool loss at Southampton, and he thought, right, I need to have a little chat and sort of say what I'm saying and talking about... When he wanted his new contract, you're skirting around it.

When he wanted his new contract, he used the media to put pressure on the board to give him a new contract. He's very, very clever. I wouldn't say he wanted a new contract. I think he actually deserved the new contract. Well, he wanted one and he got one, and he only speaks when he wants something. I mean, from a journalist, Andrew, that's all I'm saying. He doesn't speak. He spoke three times in a post-match interview.

I've read that in the Liverpool Echo today. Three times he's stopped to talk to journalists after the game. I think he's not thrown his toys out the pram. He's thrown a hand grenade. That's what he's done. And what do you think the reasons are then? I think he's not for the first time, an aging footballer, who has not started the season particularly well.

Neither of Liverpool. But he's been taken out the team. I don't think many Liverpool supporters, from what I could gather, were particularly in sense that he'd been taken out of the team. Football is a team game. There's no individual in the team. He has not taken that well. I think obviously his relationship, well, he's pretty much said it,

his relationship with Arna's slot behind the scenes is deteriorating. he got his new contract last season he's earning 400,000 pounds a week deserves that money for me the numbers make no difference if he's earning 20 grand or 400 grand it makes no difference there's just numbers okay but he signed his new contract last last uh last season he deserved that new contract of course he did you know he's a key factor in them them winning the title but for me he's not able to handle the fact that he is not playing well that he can't handle the fact that he's Look, I've been very vocal in battering somebody like Mary Earps of the way she retired from international football with England

in the women's game in the summer, so I can't not do the same in Mo Salah. He's come out and he's accused the football club that's been very, very good to him, and a manager who has defended him in public and supported him in public. He's come out and he's tossed a hand grenade because he now wants out of Liverpool.

That's the way I perceive it. He wants out. But you don't know circumstances. Well, he wants out. That's your opinion. he wants out, but if he does want out, do you know the reasons he wants out? It's

because he didn't actually give any indication, and by the way, neither did Arna Slott. Arna Slott had spoken straight after the match, hadn't he, given his post-match thoughts after that game at Ellen Road on Saturday. And, you know, slot had basically said, look,

I didn't use Seller because it was about controlling the game at 3-2. We didn't need a goal. Normally, when you need a goal like last week at Sunderland, brought Mo on, but this week I didn't. A player doesn't pick the team. A player doesn't pick the team. That's the manager's job.

It's the manager's job. It's the manager who will lose his job if results aren't good enough. He has chosen not to pick Mo Salah for free games. Mosella can't cope with that. This is how I perceive it. He can't cope with that. He's decided that, you know, they've brought in a lot of players in the summer. He's had this move to Saudi Arabia, I think, in the background for at least 12 months now.

And I think this was him firing the starting pistol on his exit from Liverpool. he's done it in the most explosive way possible he has attacked the manager when he's vulnerable you know you know you know you know on the slot is under huge pressure at Liverpool at the moment results aren't good enough people are talking about his future in the job and his star player has come out after a game

and which has been left on the bench and he's attacked him he's attacked various other people pretty much everybody and he's burning bridges and he wants to get out in January and he's trying to force his way out and look he has I think he's tossed a hand grenade in the direction of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes

and it's either sell me probably for less money than you thought you were going to get or sack on a slot. Now Liverpool Football Club are not going to sack on a slot. They cannot sack on a slot because Mo Salah wants it. That is how I perceived it. I think it was pretty shocking what he's done. But he's done it deliberately, Andrew, isn't he? He's done it deliberately.

He knew what he was doing. You knew what he was doing when he gave this interview. Well, I'm not going to say he's done it deliberately or not because I don't know the circumstances. So I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, yeah, of course, yeah. because I mean, there's always two sides to a coin. Now, what's ever gone on has gone on. You know, ultimately, you want to try and find out what has gone on between him, the manager, him,

and anybody else at the football club, before we can start throwing accusations about, yeah, he's thrown his toys out of the prime, he's thrown a grenade in there or whatever maybe. He's got a lot of his chest where we didn't expect him to get a lot of his chest. And that's the way of you. I try to look it from both sides. I try to look it from Mo Salas's side.

and what's going on between him and the manager because it sounds like something's come on. What would you think is a teammate if one of your former teammates had done that? Say Roy Keene had come out at Manchester United and said after three games he haven't played said, I've got no trust with the manager, I want to go. I know players have done it before.

It's not the first time a player has come out, but what would you think if you're in that Liverpool dressing room now having heard those points? Well, like I keep saying, depending what kind of relationship, he has been the manager first and foremost and he depends what's going on in the whole camp

it depends what's going to do you think it's an unhappy camp do you think it's an unhappy camp then do you think there are a problem I think if if you won the league convincingly the year before play some real real good stuff you're expected to defend

your title you know everyone's looking at Liverpool this season as Liverpool favour the way Liverpool have played you see you're trying to say it's so hold on hold on it it's only been what three months what's happening in three months when I'm by Liverpool now

can just about I don't know I'm not being rude anything pass it from A to B can't keep a clean sheet players look like I'm not going to say they don't look interested

don't look like they can get it together His quote Andy here that he said and I know that he was probably quite cross at the time and you've got to take a lot of these things with

okay this is a man coming straight out of a dressing room where he felt obviously like he could have influenced the game at Ellen Road and he was desperate to be part of it. He said, I've done so much for this club. I don't have to fight every day for my position

because I've already earned it. I've already earned my position. Look, the guy scored 250 goals in 420 games, you know, third on the all-time list at Liverpool. Brilliant last year, 29 goals as they'd won the league. But as a professional footballer, Andy, you're constantly fighting for your place, aren't you? You're not guaranteed a spot come when rain or shine, are you?

Yeah, I think when you get yourself in a position I'm not going to say, yeah, you're guaranteed your spot but I think when you get yourself in a position that Sala has got himself into, you're always thinking that you've got that little bit of grace. Okay. No? So, yeah, I get that, I get that, but he's not played well.

I mean, you've got to be picked on merit. You've got to be picked on form. Okay, I'll hear that. I've got a question for you then. So, as Van Dyke played well? I don't think he played as bad as Salad. Canate hasn't played well and that's another subject

because Arna Slott's talked about in being at a crime scene at the weekend which isn't exactly great. Yeah, go on current. Those two guys are still playing week in week out. So if you could try and say yourself, well, most of Sala could be looking at that and turn around saying himself,

well, hold up. These two guys haven't played particularly well. But they're still playing week and week and out. So what's the difference? The way he's couched it is he said that people don't want him at the club anymore. I mean that that's what he said He said that there's somebody at the club

doesn't want me anymore I've been thrown under the bus I've been made out that I'm to blame for the poor runner form I get the emotions are high He's been a brilliant footballer He probably is still a brilliant football But he hasn't played well this season

But I think you get into a dangerous territory When a player is demanding Because I've been brilliant for Liverpool And he has been one of the all time great Mo Salah for Liverpool Football Club Certainly in modern history But you can't just insist That you're in the team

and then when you're not in the team, give an interview, only your third interview that you've done after a game in a mix zone, basically throwing everybody, accusing people have thrown him under the bus. And then, you know,

you're throwing them under the bus. But that's that's what I'm saying. It's a vulnerable manager. It's explosive. It's combustive. You're the journalist. Yeah. That's for you now to do your job

and find out what is going on. He wants to leave. He wants to leave. He wants to leave. Because some players don't just lose the plot for nothing. Regardless if they get dropped or not, players know when they're playing well,

players know when they're not playing well, players know when they've got to play themselves back into form. He understands all that. But in all this, it seems like he feels, for some reason, hold up, yeah, okay, I've not played particularly well, but there's quite a few people who haven't played particularly well. Why is all this landed on my doorstep whereby I'm being left out of the team? That is the question he's asking,

and he's come out and he's attacked his manager and he's attacked people at the football club because in my opinion he now wants to go he wants out. That's your opinion. Yeah. Yeah. That's your and you're entitled to your opinion but that's not the facts. So BBC's sport has been told

that Liverpool are open-minded. Look, we don't know what that means in journalistic speak do we? But apparently they're open-minded about his future and of course that Saudi interest that Luke mentioned a few moments ago. Rob Green was on Five Live earlier. He said he only ever speak when it's going wrong for him

but this gives Arna Slot an open goal with whatever he wants to do now with Mo Salah. If he wants Salah out now with Afcon of course coming up which is in just over a week from now when he will fly off to the Afcon to play for Egypt.

With this outburst, it's a bit of a gift for Arna Slot to say there's nobody bigger than the club off you go. He said Brighton's his farewell. He said Brighton's his farewell game in that interview.

Yeah, yeah. But if Brighton is his farewell or it's not his farewell, for Mo Salah to leave Liverpool if it does happen I'll put it this way. Liverpool will miss him. Yeah. Yeah.

Liverpool didn't think there's going to miss Trent Alexander. Liverpool miss him. What more? What next, I should say, for Mo Salah, from both of you. What happens next? For me personally, if he moves on from Liverpool and goes to wherever he wants to go, I think Moosella will continue to do what Mo Salad does best. I think he wants out

He's made it pretty difficult very difficult Nearly impossible now for him to stay at Liverpool And mend his relationship with Arna's slot I'm not saying that can't happen Stranger things have happened in football as Andy will well know Relationships can be healed These things can be forgiven people can move on But when you've got a player saying that Brighton is his farewell game

And you're coming up to the January transfer window He's about to go to Afcom with Egypt I'm sure he'll do brilliantly with Egypt there he wants out the rumors of that move to Saudi Arabia like I keep saying they've been there for a long, long time at 33 he can go and get a very lucrative contract playing in Saudi Arabia he's on that now but he can get an even more more lucrative

is that more more more I'm not even making sense he can get an even bigger wage going to play in Saudi Arabia at the age of 33 whether he likes it he's not his powers physical powers are going to be in decline It makes sense for him. I don't see how there's any way back for him now. Having given that interview,

I don't think there's any way back for him at Liverpool. And I think he knew that when he gave it. I think it was calculated. I think every word was designed to sting. Every word was designed to land a blow. And I think he now believes that his time at Liverpool is over. And I think if Liverpool received a bit in January, they will gratefully take it, I think, now.

It's certainly caused plenty of discussion, not least in the last 20 minutes or so here on this podcast. It would throw the cat amongst the pigeons, wouldn't it, if he was to play or indeed even start against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. We've got commentary of that on Five Live Sport from 8 o'clock, and then Liverpool, Brighton, Anfield next Saturday. That is also our commentary, so you'll be able to hear

if it is indeed a farewell for Mo Sala in terms of playing in a Liverpool shirt. And it is interesting. The fact that he did give that. seven and a half minute, almost monologue, and we're still talking about it now here on Sunday evening. So we will talk more about Moselle. We'll find out.

We'll leave Andy, the journalists like Luke, to actually go away and do some proper work, you know, and find out what is going on. To do what I'm actually paid to do. Yeah, that's a good point. It's really sad, though, just finally, it's sad, though, it's, you know, to just take a step back,

it is quite sad that a player who's been such a hero at Liverpool, such an amazing player for them, brilliant footballer has won the lot with them, has been such a sort of founding sort of pillar of the success they've had under Juergen Klopp and in Arna Slots last season when they won the title

that it has come to this, that is the kind of last word I like to sound it really, that it's come to this, that he's felt the need that this is what he has to do. He is wielding what I, in the journalism industry, called player power and he's wielded it very, very well and I think he will get his desire

and he will get his move and eventually, you know, wounds will heal and he'll be forgiven and it'll be remembered as the Liverpool legend he is but it's a rather sort of sour end to what was a wonderful story for him at Liverpool. Well, we will move on to matters on the field. We've talked about Ellen Road.

Well, that's because that's where Liverpool were on Saturday and Leeds came from behind twice to rescue what was a brilliant point actually. Here's the Leeds manager, Daniel Farker. The boys can be really, really proud because it was just one point, anyhow, of course, but it feels a bit like a win today, and the boys can take lots of confidence out of this game. These are young lads, and they are wild. They are not like perfect machines, but what for me then also important, like to calm myself down,

then to find a good solution for the last minutes anyhow, and we try to change the game again with some substitutions. And thank God it worked. So, yes, the energy here at Ellen Road is outstanding, is really a place second to none. But we have to make sure that with all being this passionate and this emotion that we don't do any mistakes. And if we do mistakes and we have to repair it again, this is what we did today and we take the point, a valuable point. It's been a good week. Day off now? Yes, I definitely need Sunday with coffee and cake on the sofa so our supporters can enjoy the week and celebrate a bit.

I also perhaps a beer or a pint. I'm looking forward to have a quiet Sunday afternoon on the sofa. I hope that Daniel Farker had a good Sunday afternoon. That sounds nice, doesn't it? They have done actually pretty well, considering where they were at, what they were coming into over the course of the last week or so. Four points from three very tough matches. They came back from 2-0 down at Manchester City.

I know they lost 3-2, but that perhaps gave them a little bit of impetus, a bit of something, didn't it, to then go into that game against Chelsea, four-game losing run they were on. They won that 1-3-1, and then obviously 2-0-down versus Liverpool to draw 3-all. Great week, actually.

if you're a Leeds fan in terms of actually just seeing something that's going to give you some hope that you can play Premier League football again next season? Yeah, I think they've been brilliant. Obviously, I watched the game last week against Manchester City. I thought it was very unlucky.

And I mean, very unlucky. To come back the way they did do, you know, and to lose the game the way they did do and a bit of time wasting all that shenanigans. You know, to pick themselves out, to go again midweek against Chessie. Chelsea, to get a good win against Chelsea.

I mean, that was a real good win. And then again, yesterday against Liverpool, to bring themselves back from 2-0 down, get back to 2-2, go 3-2 down, to come back from there. When you talk about players playing for their manager and all believed in they can get results, I think if you look at Leeds over the past three games,

I think you can see they're doing just that. There's been a lot of speculation about the manager's future, hasn't they? I think I said this last year. By you guys? not not me specifically but you guys in the media yeah okay all right

I'll take one on on the chin for the entire football journalism profession just because I like here Andy as we established right at the start of this podcast but there has been a lot of speculation you remember just within sort of hours almost it's probably probably a couple of days but within hours of their

promotion last season there were doubts about the manager he's come out of a really tough week I think he's really enhanced his reputation at Leeds. I think you've seen a group of players who are obviously still playing for him. He's changed the system a little bit, hasn't he?

He's made a bit of tactical tweaks, formation tweak, and to come out of those games with the points they've got, I think that's great, to be two-nil down straight after half-time against Liverpool and to come back

and two-all, then go three-two down again and pull it back to Free All. Amazing spirit. Ellen Road is brilliant on nights like that. really is and that that kind of the bond between the team and the supporters was was really there um they're 16th in the premier league they've got 15 points and i think when we look at the history of newly promoted clubs that is a really good return for them after 15 games a point

every game if they continue that sort of form uh for the rest of the season that you know they'll almost certainly stay up so i think you'll have to be careful what you wish for with lees i don't think the change your manager i think he's done enough certainly now to give himself another least another couple of months in the job. At least. At least. Are you giving him two months? Yeah?

I'm not giving him two months. I'm just saying he shut people up. He shut people up who were saying that maybe he was going to lose his job. Now they can lay off him for at least two months. That's what I mean. People like me can lay off him for two months. But I just think he's done a pretty good job. He's done a pretty good job.

And he's done it under pressure as well when he's had all these doubts about and these question marks about him and whether he was the right man to guide him to safety. Well, they're doing pretty well. They're doing pretty well. And I think the last week, the performances, the results, I think it stands them in good stead going into the Christmas period. So, you know, you said that you think you believe he's done a pretty good job, yeah? See, for me, Percy, from the outside looking at, if the team like Lees gets promoted to the Premier League,

what are their expectations? To stay up, exactly. Okay, so just to stay in the league. First season up, yeah. Stay in the league, yeah, yeah. Well, that's not as easy as people might think it is, especially when you come out of the championship. Yeah, of course not.

I mean, the last two years, the three newly promoted teams have all gone straight back down. There you go. That doesn't save a manager. Nine times out of ten, that still doesn't save the manager. That's just the ruthless nature of the business. That's not the media.

That's football. Well, sometimes it is the media, because he got promoted last season. The first thing that was coming out, is he going to keep his job. So where's that comes from? It's terrible. That's got to come from the media then, isn't it?

Well, it's come from somebody within football, probably. We don't just come to these things out of thin air. I'm going to defend my industry slightly. We don't sit around a table and leave your seance board and just go, right, okay, what story am I going to come out with? It comes from somebody. I don't know. Some stories that I see nowadays, I'm like, where did you get this one from?

But I thought it was totally unfair. I'm with you. I thought it was disgraceful that the guy has just got Leeds promoted and within a few days he's reading oh you might be losing your job because the board don't think you're the man to keep them up well he's doing a pretty good job of it so far so lay off him lay off very very good job i think he's doing a very good job we agree on something at the end of the first half for the podcast love it leads are 16th or above the dotted line as luke said we are headed in towards the half time break and you know what that means it's time for the

half time teaser here on the premier league review one premier league team is on their best top flight run over a 10-game spell since 1919. But I want you to tell us who that team is. The answer is coming next. Hello, this is Matt Chawley's urgent questions. Your daily dose of political mayhem from the heart of Westminster. Order, order. I call Matt Chawley. I'm a supporter of flags. It turns out time is finite. Government doesn't want to be involved in this. I did not think the candidates are fruit books. Match release. Urgent questions.

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Listen on BBC Sounds. Welcome back to the Premier League review. Before the break, we asked you. One Premier League team is on their best top flight winning run. over 10 games since the year 1919. But I want you to tell us who that team is. Any ideas on this one, gentlemen? I was hoping Andy would have.

I'm notoriously rubbish at these, Andy, and I never get them. So I've got two candidates, but I want to hear Andy go first, please. Good run at the moment. Good run. Oh, dear me. Best since 2019, in fact. 1919. 1919.

That's well before much time. I've got a lot more time. I will give you a. Luke, do you want have a stab at it? I think it's either I'm going to go with Crystal Palace.

Your other candidates was? Sunderland. Neither then. Well, that's what I told you I'm absolutely rubbish at these. Well, there you go. Look, when I say it, you'll kick yourselves because Aston Villa,

they've won nine of their last 10 Premier League games, obviously losing just the one in that period. It's the first time they've not say that. Well, I know, I know. I mean, especially after this weekend where they've had a brilliant brilliant sort of result

and catapulted themselves into that title race haven't they? Let's talk Villa off the back of that then. They had a poor start didn't they to the season some pockets of Villa fans

unbelievably to me from the outside looking in were wondering if their last couple of seasons had been a bit of a flash in the pan and they were getting restless and frustrated but my goodness great result perhaps the results of the weekend

against Arsenal 2-1 win that 94th minute winner from Buendia and look let's get a little bit sensationalist here. That's kind of sent shockwaves through the title race, hasn't it? What do you mean by shockwaves through the title race?

I mean in the sense that we were talking about a Manchester City going to be the team that catches Arsenal. Is it going to be maybe someone else from further afield? Maybe Chelsea, who've obviously been inconsistent but brilliant. And then next thing, you've got Aston Villa, who when we probably reached the middle of October weren't even part of the conversation

and now we're talking about them as being right up there I mean they're third on 30 points

just three back of Arsenal yeah well I think that tells you a lot about the manager and the players

you touched on it at the start the season I think everyone was looking at Astonville and saying themselves

what's going on there by the way you know this is not the villa we saw last season slowly about surely

about surely they've got themselves back on their feet and winning football matches and playing some real good stuff as well I think Emery I think he's a brilliant manager I really do

he's been fortunate I'm not going to say fortunate he's been good enough to everywhere he's gone he's achieved something you know and he's doing that now at Aston Villa

the way they played yesterday morning as well I think it's a great advert for the Premier League I mean two teams going out two teams shot I win a football match you know

but I just looked at Villain and said myself yeah they're a real good team they're getting better definitely I mean you and I Emery Luke has been in a similar situation before with Villa hasn't he a couple of years ago to the day

they beat Arsenal to go within two points at the top they went on to finish four 23 points eventually behind what was an incredible Manchester City team that season but yeah he knows this and he might have picked up a few bits

from that what's holding Villa back from us saying yeah well they're the team team. They're the team that everybody should be worried about. Why aren't we saying that about Ashton Villa? I think you'd probably look at the strength of squad, maybe compared to Arsenal and Manchester City, potentially even Chelsea, who have imploded a little bit since I described them as a real deal last week.

So well done me for putting the kiss of death on Chelsea. Yeah, squad deaf, but I think it's a reminder. Ashton Villa's form, it's a reminder when you've got a good manager, you've got to back them during those difficult spells and they did have a really difficult start to the season it was a I would call it a hangover from the summer a testing trying summer they didn't do their recruitment until late

they lost some important players they were handcuffed by PSR they had that really painful end to the previous season didn't they when they missed out on the on the Champions League on the last game in the season losing at Manchester United and I think it took them a little bit of time to get going but when you have a top manager

who's been there, done it, proven track record and you've got a manager who has the faith and the support of the fans as well and the supporters, you can ride out those tricky spells and come through them and they've come through them really well I think at the start of this run

it was a bit sticky, it was a bit stodgy but it's just getting those points though, isn't it? Getting the points, yeah, and again, they weren't great against Wolves last weekend, you know, a narrow win against a poor Wolves team, not a great performance but they found a way to win

and you get that hidden ingredient and it's the most powerful ingredient as Andy will tell you you get confidence you get belief and they've gone in against Arsenal and they're full of it

they're absolutely fired up and playing well and suddenly they go toe to toe with who I still think are the best team in the country and I still think Arsenal will end up winning the league but they went toe to toe to toe with them

they took advantage of the fact that Arsenal had centre backs out and it was a makeshift defence but they were really really good and Villa Park is great on those occasions as well and they've benefited from going a little bit under the radar even on this podcast. I want to share a little bit of feedback from a friend of mine who's an Aston Villa fan who after we gave them 10 seconds last weekend described it

as a joke presenter, Rick, a joke guest, me and a joke of a podcast. So I thought that was a bit unfair really to talk about us like that. But look, give Aston Villa their flowers. They're quietly under the radar as it were there's climbed out the table and then now I think at the very minimum you'd have to say Andy Champions League next season for them the way they're playing

if they keep going why not you know everyone gets excited so also five points five points clear you know and the way everyone was talking like the title was over yeah I'm like

have we forgotten it's only November yeah that is that's you know what Andy that's a big bug bear of mind that I think that it's you're almost handing the trophy to them. Some people, aren't they? And you think, that's two matches. Exactly.

And I say to a lot of my mates who are awesome fan. I keep saying, nothing gets finished until me. And when I was playing under Sir Alex, it always used to say that the season doesn't get started until Easter. And we're like, gaffa, the seasons need it finish. I know what he means that.

That's crunch time, isn't it? That's crunch time. Exactly. Exactly. So you can be five points clear now. When you get to obviously the Christmas period because it's very busy and then you get to the Eastern period

we come very busy you could be dropping five points within Christmas and Easter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll hear from Arsenal boss Mikhail Arteeta in a moment but first the Aston Villa Gaffa Unite Emery.

I'm so so happy I'm proud of the word they did the players, how they are responding after our poor start and I think they were taking the challenge we were sending in the dressing room and how we are building the team this is the most power we can have

and we can try to keep it for a long time. They are a really, really good sight. To lose it in the last stage of the game, the manner that we did it, it is painful, but it's football. 18 games and beating, you lose a game, now you have to go back and start again.

Especially the level of consistency that the boys have shown in this period has been incredible, so I only have arguments to think that we're going to continue to do the same. Any concerns for Arsenal then, Luke? Arsenal, I've ticked most boxes this season for me.

As I say, I'm still believe they will win the title. There are two major problems is they haven't got that know-how, they haven't got that experience that they can draw on of getting over the line.

In fact, what they've experienced is near misses, what they've experienced is second place, what they've experienced is disappointment. And they've also got Manchester City on their tail. And we all know Manchester City do have that experience,

do have that know-how and have pipped them previously. And you were part of that Manchester United team that chased down Newcastle, of course, Exactly. And how many points were they clear at Christmas? Was it 11?

11 points clear? 11, something like that. Yeah, 10, 11. So it's not over by any stretch of imagination. No, it's not over. No, it's far from over. There's going to be a lot of points won and obviously a lot of points lost. You can look it this way.

You know, if you look at the Arsenal team, I mean, they've got some fantastic plays. He's a quite a fantastic squad. But then you can look at this way as well, turn and say, in the Arsenal team and squad, how many of those players have won the title before? Well, that's it. And that's where they have to find something and dig deep, Andy, isn't it? There you go.

And learn from their experiences in the last couple of seasons. Yep. No one's been in that position. No one's been in a position whereby they've got it over the line and they've gone on to win the title. And for players who haven't been there, as the manager always used to say, it's squeaky bum time because it is.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, sandwich between our. Arsenal and Villa. You just said it actually. Manchester City, 3-0 winners over Sunderland. They turned it on a little bit, didn't they, in that victory? Because they were talking about that Sunderland match as being a bit of a banana skin. Ryan Cherokee with a ridiculous Robona assist. If you have not seen it, you need to make that a point of order, I think.

Pep Guardiola was not, though, particularly impressed by it. Here he is speaking to Jonathan Pierce. Well, extraordinary goals. I mean, the piece of skill from Cherokee How special was that? No, especially, especially Ruben. And the Ruben was the most important one. The first one always the most important one. It's really, really, really good.

And, yeah, Brian. But that one is cross good. The way, right, left, doing what they have done, it's fine. But the best player, the best player I played that game is Messing, never, never make naive things, always the simple things. for define messy the simple things always is the best

and all this type of players they're a big, big talent with Ryan is a big talent it's good it's fine but it's not cool that isn't good

some message Luke isn't it when he said I don't like it I want to keep it keep it simple like Messi I'm not sure

I'm not sure Messi made everything look simple I don't think he kept it simple he just made the really difficult things like dribbling past

eight players and scoring you know make it look simple. So I think that's a bit wrong. That's just kill joy stuff, isn't it? I mean, we like showmen in football. Andy?

We like to be entertained. They're winning too, Neil. He's tried a little bit off the cuff, a bit of improvisation. Everyone loved it. Killjoy pet. Maybe that's why he is the most successful manager for his generation because he is a kill joy

and he doesn't like his players doing that. But for me, as a spectator, watching that, I thought he's brilliant. I don't know how Andy feels. Andy? Andy? I'm feeling it all day long. I mean I look at that and turn around and say yourself

ultimately that's why fans pay money because they want to see that little bit of magic that little bit of flaring to do that and then Foden finishes off with a header you turn around and say yourself that's what it's all about in it you know that gets fans jumping off their seats and applauding

mad and you didn't do it at nil-nil-nil he didn't do it a nil-nil he didn't it like they're winning 2-0 why not have a little bit of fun no come on pet man give us a smile. It's one of those, you know, I mean, I get where it's coming from and, you know,

Pett's very set in his ways, the way he wants you to play and things like that, but that little bit of individual, brilliant, you know, if Maradona had done that, would Pett be saying keep it simple? I don't know. He's just being, he's just being contrary, in my opinion. He's just being contrary deliberately because everyone's excited about it and he's like, No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. It's pep all over, but for all of the rest of us, we can just enjoy it.

We can just say, that's brilliant, loved it. Fantastic. Fantastic. I personally loved it, and it is definitely something. If you're not seeing it yet, you just need to go on BBC Sport website. I have a look at the highlights. It is well worth it. And if you want to know how hard it is, try and do it in the backyard or in your local park on the move

and see where you end up, because I know where I would be. It'll be face down in the grass. Exactly. Well said, Luke. Well done. That was almost like a warning, wasn't it, when you see? see these TV programmes so don't try this at home.

Palace, by the way, we should just quickly mention Palace into the top four Mark Gaye with a late winner at Fulham. They've actually won more away games and taken more points away from home than any other side

in the Premier League this season, which is very helpful indeed, isn't it, if you can have that road form as our American friends like to say. Fourth in the table? Yes. So we're talking about Aston Villa being third. Crystal Palace are fourth.

Yes. Having an absolutely phenomenal season and they've got a manager who we don't know if he's going to be there beyond in the season. So Crystal Palace, brilliant. Aston Villa, brilliant. You know, they've been a breath of fresh air, both of them. It's brilliant, isn't it, to see that?

Do you two enjoy seeing an Aston Villa and a Crystal Palace mixing and shaking it with the top four? Do you like seeing that? I do. Now I'm not involved, yeah. Yeah? Well, yes. It's quite different, I'd imagine, actually, when you're playing under Sir Alex.

Yeah, when I was playing trying to win the Premier League, no. But now I look at it, and I talk about it. trying to say myself, Crystal Palace continued a form from last season. I thought it was fantastic last season. Winning the FA Cup and then going to win the Community Shield. Losing a big player as well, a big, big player. You know, as in, you know, could have lost a Gagee as well.

Yes. I could possibly lose him in January. And I look at what the manager's done there on a limited budget, wherever you look at, and I tip my hat to him. I think he's been absolutely brilliant. The top eight in the Premier League currently has

Aston Villa 3rd, Crystal Palace 4th, Everton just take a little moment David Moyes took over a team to save them from relegation he's got them six and you've got Brighton 7th and Sunderland 8th

I mean that for me it's a thoroughly entertaining Premier League table which means it's been an entertaining mad, crazy, unpredictable first 15 games of the season and I think that's great and I think that's why people love the Premier League

We talked about it supposedly being anybody can beat anybody on their day. I always thought it was a bit of a myth actually when we had that sort of established big six finishing in the top six every season. But I think, you know, this season more than ever, that that is really the case. And it's good for the product. It's good for our entertainment. It's not good for those who do accumulators at the weekend. No, let's breeze through the rest of what we should talk about from the weekend.

So Chelsea down to fifth, nil-nil at Bournemouth, lost at Leeds in midweek. They'd winless in the last three. Liam DeLap already out for a couple of months and a dislocated shoulder that's nasty business Cole Palmer made his first start in nearly three months there we talked about Everton Tiano Barry as well getting that

first goal since joining for 27 million pounds in the summer 17 games 737 minutes of play it's taking him David Moyes says that he earned it with his effort and work rate and we'll just wrap things up with Tottenham how big was that tuna will win over Brexit? for Thomas Frank at Tottenham's first league win at home since the opening day. I mean, I'd be honest, I was there last week for five live sport.

They were played late against Fulham last Saturday. They were 2-0 down inside six minutes. I have not seen an atmosphere like that from a home crowd in the stadium in a long time. They were incandescent the fans. They were rightly so. You know, they've just seen their team basically let an away side breeze through that back four and pop a couple of goals inside the first six minutes. They actually did recover pretty well in the second half and gave a bit of a game of it.

But that is, I mean, that is so important, isn't it? That they keep doing something at home that is going to keep their fans on sideloot. Yeah, absolutely. I was at St James's Park midweek and they were solid and dogged and showed a bit of resilience. against Newcastle and obviously got the injury time equalizer. I think Thomas Frank needed that. And then you're just asking, can you build a bit of momentum? But they had to.

Look, there's been a lot of conversation this season in particular about is Tottenham Stadium too nice? I don't know, too nice to go and play out because it's such a wonderful state-of-the-art arena. But he just had to get that weight off their shoulders, turn up in front of their own supporters, win and win well, good performance. And you know, you know, Andy as well, look, you've got a, you've got to, You want to keep your home fans happy, haven't you? Otherwise, you're in trouble, not just as a manager, but as players as well.

Yeah, you've got to try to. I think we all know home forms massive in the Premier League, not just the Premier League, at any league. So when you're not winning home games, it becomes a little bit harder. But then I'll go back to what are Tottenham's expectations this season, whether they believe they should be at what they aims and ambitions. Yeah. I mean, they finished 17th last season, of course.

So, you know, with that, any other team finishing 17th would probably say that 10th would be a great agreement on things, wouldn't they? But Spurs have higher expectations of that, Andy, don't they? Can you explain why that is? Where and how do Spurs look at themselves as a football club? You know, does Spurs believe, right, we should be vying to win the Premier League? Spurs saying we're a Cup team. They think they should be in the Champions League.

I mean, the problem is you've probably got six, seven teams. probably, certainly six, who think they should be in the Champions League every season. There are only ever going to be four or five places available to English clubs in the championship. That's right, yeah. It's difficult, and I know exactly what you're saying about Tottenham. I think they've got the six highest wage bill in the country. Generally, that correlates to where you should be finishing or expected by your par score. So I think six would be Tottenham's par, I think, in terms of where they finish the season.

I don't know if you agree. Six, eight. I look at Spurses as a top ten team. Right, okay. Oh, it's quite savage. They're tenth at the moment. So, there you've got. So Andy, you bang on.

Good guess that. You bang on. Bang on. And that was with that two-year-win at the weekend. Brighton, they've hung on to seventh. They left it late, of course, to draw with West Tam. A goal apiece. And Newcastle beat Burnley 2-1.

Six defeats in a row for Burnley at five points. from safety at the moment. That was a very enjoyable episode. Spiky talking about Mosella. I'm just glad that listeners will be able to rewind it for that little bit of a loving that Luke had with Andy Cole right at the very time. Well, they say never meet your heroes. Well, I've just argued with mine on a BBC podcast, which I have to say, you know,

if you'd ask the 14-year-old me, you know, dreams do come true. So that's great. Andy, thank you very much indeed for being part of it. Did you enjoy it? Yeah, thank you very much for having you. We really enjoyed it. Great. Absolute pleasure.

Luke, as always, a joy and a pleasure. That is therefore the end of this episode of the Football Daily. The next one will be the Monday Night Club with Mark Chapman, Chris Sutton, Connor Cody and Steph Holtz. This winter, cricket's oldest rivalry is reignited. England. and Australia do battle to compete for the Ashes. That is extraordinary.

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