Matt Davies-Adams, Adam Crafton and Tom Williams react to a certain CR7's latest records and our first heavy weight fight. Tuesday night brought us the good, the bad, and the possibly ugly as France beat Germany 1-0. We ask is this France instilling fear? Did Germany deserve a draw? And did Rudiger have a little nibble? Speaking of bites, over in Hungary our early evening entertainment, well it didn't get going until 80 minutes in but not even the clock can beat Cristiano Ronaldo from breaking r...
Jun 16, 2021•57 min
Matt Davies-Adams, Duncan Alexander and Dom Fifield react to a day of record-breaking goals and record-breaking passes at Euro 2020. The Tartan Army’s return to tournament football is an unhappy one as Patrick Schick inspires Czech Republic to victory from the halfway line. Did Scotland prove they are genuinely unlucky? Or are they just not clinical enough? Sweden channel their inner Palace to stifle Spain and draw 0-0 in Seville. Alexander Isak looks the real deal, Alvaro Morata – not so much. ...
Jun 15, 2021•58 min
Matt Davies-Adams is in the hot seat in the company of Carl Anka and Daniel Storey after a dazzling Day 3 at Euro 2020. England exercise real control and relaxation in their opening game as they defeat Croatia at Wembley. A great day for Phillips and Mings as Southgate’s team selection is completely vindicated. And he can afford to not even use Grealish or Sancho. Netherlands and Ukraine contest the game of the tournament so far as the Dutch win 3-2 in Amsterdam. And an angry Arnautovic seals vi...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Jimbo, Daniel Storey and Tom Williams reflect on a day overshadowed by the dramatic collapse of Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s star man is thankfully in a stable condition after requiring CPR on the pitch against Finland. Away from Copenhagen, Belgium dismantle Russia and Wales are fortunate to escape with a draw against Switzerland, thanks to the efforts of Kieffer Moore and Danny Ward. But did Robert Page get his selection wrong? England v Croatia is the big game on Sunday. Juraj Vrdoliak tells ...
Jun 13, 2021•52 min
Jimbo, Duncan Alexander and Sasha Goryunov react to the opening night at Euro 2020 and look ahead to Day 2. Italy make dark horses Turkey look pony with a dominant display in Rome. James Horncastle joins us after the 3-0 win on Friday as the Azzurri shatter their own stereotypes with an adventurous performance. Saturday’s a landmark day for followers of Finland, with their first ever game at a major tournament against Denmark. With a daunting fixture list, Ari Virtanen isn’t optimistic they can ...
Jun 12, 2021•49 min
Jimbo brings you Part 2 of our Euro 2020 preview with Duncan Alexander, Julien Laurens and a motley crew of continental experts. Group F is the group of death. Is victory a foregone conclusion for France? Will Benzema rock the boat or rock the tournament? Raphael Honigstein tells us why Germany are feeling fearful. In Group C, we’ve got some frank opinions on De Boer and Holland and some high hopes for Malinovskyi and Ukraine. Luis Enrique might be great but Covid-19 is playing havoc with Spain’...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Jimbo’s back with part 1 of our preview of Euro 2020, in the company of Michael Cox, Tom Williams and Sasha Goryunov. The Three Lions head into essentially a home tournament as favourites. Paul Ince tells us what life inside the camp was like at Euro 96. Are England and Croatia worse than we think they are? And are Scotland and Czech Republic better? Can Wales match their semi-final exploits of 5 years ago, with or without a striker? They’re in the same group as a young Turkey side who we’re ver...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 14 min
The Euros are just around the corner and to get yourself in the mood, here's a taster of The Athletic's excellent new Euro Stories series, in which we relive every European Championship from 1988 to the present. So set your time machine to the summer of 1996 and allow Iain Macintosh and a few your Totally favourites to transport you back to a time of Gazza and Gareth, Baddiel and Skinner and the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Subscribe to Euro Stories by following The Athletic's Beyond...
Jun 02, 2021•50 min
Matt Davies Adams talks to Chelsea and Scotland legend Pat Nevin about his remarkable career on and off the pitch. Pat's autobiography The Accidental Footballer is out in print and audiobook now. It's very good indeed - and we're not just saying that because Pat's one of our Totally pod squad - so get it here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 31, 2021•41 min
Jimbo, Daniel Storey, Carl Anka and Dom Fifield reconvene to wrap up club football once and for all this season. It’s a magnificent weekend for West London football as Chelsea defeat Man City in the Champions League final. We pay tribute to Tuchel, Mendy, the full-backs, Mount, Havertz and of course N'Golo Kante. Humble genius - a sure fire Ballon d’Or? Does he have to be considered an all-time great? Also celebrating are Brentford fans who see their side promoted to the Premier League for the f...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Jimbo is joined by Duncan Alexander, Lynsey Hooper and Tom Williams to comb through a footballing week full of finals. Villarreal win their first ever major trophy, as Unai Emery claims yet another Europa League title. And it’s at the expense of a Manchester United side suffering through Solskjaer’s lack of substitutions, De Gea’s lack of penalty saves and Fernandes’s coin toss decisions. Stunning managerial news as Conte leaves Inter, Zidane leaves Real and could Pochettino follow his heart, le...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Jimbo brings you the final European edition of the season with James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, Alvaro Romeo and Julien Laurens. Atletico are La Liga champions for the first time in 7 years as we salute Trippier, Correa and Simeone. Is it bye bye Zidane and bye bye Koeman? Will we see Raul v Xavi in the dugout for El Clasico next season? And there’s no Ramos – or any Real players – in Spain’s Euro squad. Lille seal their first title in 10 years, as Pochettino washes his hands of PSG’s secon...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 6 min
The Premier League season comes to a close with Jimbo, Michael Cox, Daniel Storey and Sasha Goryunov here to soak up the drama. It’s Liverpool and Chelsea who make the top 4 as Leicester miss out, the Foxes’ poor performances of the last month finally catching up with them. The Blues are beaten at Villa but aren’t punished for their feeble finishing. Are their hopes of winning the Champions League over if they concede first? West Ham qualify for the Europa League, while Man United prepare for th...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Jimbo is joined by Adam Crafton, Duncan Alexander and David Preece ahead of the final weekend of the Premier League season. Three teams are battling it out for the one remaining place in the Champions League. Will losing out on the top 4 mean Leicester lose players? Will Harry Kane actually be allowed to leave Tottenham? And how misjudged was the Mason appointment? Roy Hodgson WILL be leaving Crystal Palace. We relive some of his finest moments as David has Scandinavian stories of Roy and his ci...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Checking into a continental football hotel, it’s Jimbo, James Horncastle, Rafa Honigstein, Julien Laurens and Alvaro Romeo. The title races in Spain and France are going right down to the wire as Lille slip up but are still a point ahead while Atletico strike late to stay 2 points clear heading into the final day. Dortmund secure silverware and a top 4 finish which might be enough to hang on to their stars. Sporting are champions of Portugal for the first time in 19 years, with a young team and ...
May 17, 2021•57 min
It’s a weekend that reminds us why we love football, relived by Jimbo, Daniel Storey, Charlie Eccleshare and Adrian Clarke. Leicester win their first ever FA Cup. A classic cup final by dint of having one of the great cup final goals and cup final saves. How many clubs are feeling silly for turning their nose up at Brendan Rodgers? And are Chelsea in danger of being over-coached by Thomas Tuchel? It’s a horrible weekend for Chelsea as they lose the Women’s Champions League final 4-0 to Barcelona...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Jimbo welcomes Michael Cox, Dominic Fifield and Duncan Alexander into the pod to preview some big cup finals. Chelsea face Leicester in the FA Cup final, with both sides experiencing contrasting fortunes in midweek in the Premier League. Joe Brewin tells us how winning this competition would mean more to Foxes fans than a top 4 finish. Speaking of the Blues, Katie Whyatt helps us preview the Champions League final with the finest WSL team ever assembled, against heavy favourites Barcelona. Perha...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Jimbo and the Euro crew of James Horncastle, Rafa Honigstein, Julien Laurens and Alvaro Romeo take apart another dramatic weekend across the continent. Lille are closing in on a first title in 10 years as we pay tribute to their recruitment. Meanwhile PSG are purchasing Prince vinyl. Bayern Munich are champions of Germany again and have their eyes on 10 in a row. Can Lewandowski break Gerd Muller’s Bundesliga goals record this season? Dortmund are back in the top 4 thanks to their saviour Sancho...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Jimbo, Adam Hurrey, Carl Anka and Daniel Storey are back as the race for Champions League football takes more twists and turns. Leicester suffer a shock defeat at home to Newcastle. Are they set to slip out of the top 4 again? And how much blame would come Brendan Rodgers’ way? His old club Liverpool are back in the mix. Should the Reds be chasing the top 4? Or do they risk missing out and ending up in the Conference League by mistake? West Ham are beaten by Everton as Calvert-Lewin enters Harry...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Jimbo is joined by Michael Cox, Duncan Alexander and Tom Williams as the 2021 Champions League final becomes set in stone. Chelsea and Man City both overcome Real Madrid and PSG with relative ease in the semi-finals. Are they the two best clubs in Europe? And should the final be happening in England? James Horncastle joins us for his take on Roma’s shock move for Mourinho as their new manager and the size of the task at hand. We look ahead to a Premier League weekend where Arsenal could relegate...
May 06, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Jimbo meets up with Euro pals James Horncastle, Rafa Honigstein, Alvaro Romeo and Julien Laurens to look ahead to the Champions League semi-final second legs. Inter are champions for the first time in 11 years as Antonio Conte overthrows Juventus from the Italian throne. Now he just has to sort out their new club anthem. The top 3 in La Liga are hanging on in the title race while Monaco slip out of the running in Ligue 1 after a five-goal and five-dismissal thriller. Dortmund and Leipzig will me...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Jimbo welcomes Daniel Storey, Adrian Clarke and Sasha Goryunov into the pod on another weekend where off the field issues overshadow the action. Manchester United v Liverpool becomes the first Premier League game ever to be called off due to fan protests. Can we expect to see more of this as the Super League backlash continues? Everton look to have blown their hopes of a top 4 finish. Is it time Ancelotti came in for some criticism? Also we praise Ollie Watkins, proof of the power of the pyramid...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Jimbo, Jack Lang, Duncan Alexander and David Preece dissect a big old week for English football teams. Man City deliver one of their best ever away performances to turn the Champions League semi-final against PSG in their favour. We pay tribute to the non-panicking Pep. Chelsea are in a similarly strong position after a 1-1 draw in Madrid, featuring Ngolo Kante and the strongest squad left in the Champions League. Looking ahead to the Premier League weekend, we’re not promising goals between Man...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Jimbo welcomes Rafa Honigstein, James Horncastle, Julien Laurens and Alvaro Romeo as we look ahead to the Champions League semi-finals and some exhilarating title races. Lille come from 2-0 down to win a thriller at Lyon, a statement victory in their pursuit of the title. But how different will Les Dogues look next season? We look ahead to the Champions League and Europa League semi-finals, with most of them looking like 50-50 calls. The fall-out from the failed European Super League continues. ...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Jimbo is joined by Daniel Storey, Dom Fifield and Tom Williams, as the first major silverware of the season in England is dished out. Manchester City win the Carabao Cup for the 4th year in a row in an incredibly one-sided but narrow win. Would Mourinho have been brave enough to take off Harry Kane? And did Spurs ruin their chances of winning this final by ditching their former manager? It’s a big weekend in the race for Champions League football. How long will it take to fix Liverpool? And do t...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Jimbo is joined by the elite line-up of Michael Cox, Charlie Eccleshare and Duncan Alexander. The European Super League appears to have collapsed as quickly as it was formed with the Big Six in England all pulling out. What killed the ESL? Should the owners have been more patient? Did England save football? Or with the new Champions League reforms, are we actually worse off than we were a week ago? The League Cup final beckons with Manchester City taking on Tottenham, managed by Ryan Mason, the ...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Jimbo assembles his own elite European line-up of Rafa Honigstein, James Horncastle and Alvaro Romeo. With the European Super League now a fully proposed project, the panel discuss if there’s any demand from broadcasters and sponsors for this unproven commodity? Pedro Pinto gives us the UEFA perspective on the dirty dozen, and the extent to which the clubs could be punished. Agnelli’s Juventus might be missing out on Champions League qualification after defeat to Atalanta in Serie A Jose Mourinh...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Jimbo, Carl Anka, Daniel Storey and Matt Davies-Adams discuss a weekend that could be seismic for football in this country and around the continent. The Premier League’s “Big Six” clubs announce their intentions to start a new European Super League. We discuss how this could be calamitous for English football, and to what extent the clubs should be punished for this deplorable act. On the pitch, Leicester will play Chelsea in the FA Cup final, as Thomas Tuchel ends Man City’s quadruple hopes. In...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Jimbo welcomes Pat Nevin, Duncan Alexander and Sasha Goryunov for an in-depth discussion on the Champions league quarter-finals. It’s elimination for the holders Bayern and a triumph for PSG and for Neymar – the Prince Charles of football. Up next for them, Manchester City, who finally reach the semi-finals under Pep Guardiola as Foden (and Bellingham) show exactly what they’re made of. Liverpool are snuffed out by Real Madrid at Anfield. Has Klopp been found tactically lacking this season? And ...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Jimbo, Rafa Honigstein, James Horncastle, Alvaro Romeo and Julien Laurens cast their eyes over the Champions League quarter-final second legs. PSG have the advantage over Bayern and are on the verge of knocking the holders out. Will PSG falter at home again? And has civil war broken out at Bayern between Flick and Salihamidzic? Will Man City show they’re not a heroic team and once again fall at the quarter-final hurdle against Dortmund? Zinedine Zidane continues to lose players but find solution...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 5 min
