12/02/2017 MOTD2 Extra


12/02/2017

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Hello. Good afternoon to you. Welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra.

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Joining us this afternoon former Arsenal and England defender, Martin

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Keown who had a big impact on the final score yesterday. He's back for

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more. Alongside Stoke City defender, Phil Bardsley who hobbled off

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yesterday, but is fit and well today and Andy Dunn Andy Dunn, the

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Mirror's chief sport writer. Good afternoon to you all. You can use

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the hashtag BBC football to get involved and text us on 85058. This

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is what's coming up. Liverpool's Mane man is at the double to damage

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Spurs title challenge. Arsenal beat Hull City, but what does the future

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hold for Arsene Wenger? We shall hear from that man, Antonio Conte.

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And we'll look ahead to a huge relegation battle at 4pm live on 5

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Live, Swansea City taking on Leicester City. Some back page

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headlines. The Sun, "I'm off." I'm not. Serge serge ready to quit.

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Arsene Wenger hinted he will remain Arsenal manager beyond the end of

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the season. We'll discuss that. The Mirror goes with top gun Benitez,

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saying Arsenal are eyeing up a coaching team of Rafa Benitez and

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Thierry Henry if Arsene Wenger quits. The Sunday People goes with

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dreamer Klopp still crazy for the title. That's where we're starting

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at Liverpool. You were there yesterday. It was more like the

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Liverpool we saw in 2016? It was. It was the irresistible Liverpool when

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they attack like they did in the first-half, the first 30 minutes

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certainly. They are irresistible. It was relentless and quick. Mane was

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unstoppable yesterday. It was everything we had come to expect

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from a Klopp team and certainly everything we have come to expect

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from a Klopp team against the big teams. Everyone leaving Anfield last

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night had the same question, what happened in January? What happened

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against Hull City? They couldn't understand it because Liverpool at

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their attacking best are unstoppable and there was also a great feel

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Jason around the place. Klopp is a big one for getting the crowd

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involved like a lot of managers are, but he makes a big play and the

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atmosphere there was electric and basically Spurs once Liverpool got

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at Spurs straightaway and knocked them out of their stride and they

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never got into any stride Spurs. Phil is it too simplistic to say

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Liverpool, they missed Mane? Is it to say that was the problem? I think

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losing Mane to the Africa Cup of nations and an injury to Coutinho,

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but players who come in have got to take their opportunity and for

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Liverpool that didn't happen. They fell way short. One win in January,

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I think, it was for a club of Liverpool's stature is not good

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enough. Ben Davis had a tough afternoon against Sadio Mane. I feel

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sorry for Ben. I have been on the receiving end of that when Sadio

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Mane was at Southampton. Within five minutes he got two shots. I was

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thinking I would get closer. He is a top player and missed him in January

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dearly. More like the Liverpool we come to expect under Jurgen Klopp?

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Yes, but all they have done is made it easier for Chelsea to win the

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Premier League. I was hoping Tottenham would win this one to make

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a fight of it at least. Jurgen Klopp works on hearts and minds and he

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spent the week working with his players and reminding them of how

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good they were. They lost their confidence and lost their way at

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home. It was becoming an ordeal for them. Incitied of the emotion, it

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was becoming tricky. Mane really, I mean, he was a breath of fresh air,

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but he has, it gives them a real balance at the top of their team and

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you have to have that, to play against pace, it is a nightmare. It

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is relay pace. It is incredible pace. Ben Davis had a torrid time

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and especially when you had Eric Dyer in the back line and Rose who

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was a huge miss and they struggled. What I would say about Liverpool and

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Mane is they looked physically fresh yesterday and now, they've only got

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13 games left in their season, until the middle of May, that's it. 13

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games. Klopp was talking after the game, they don't play again for I

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think it is two weeks tomorrow when they play Leicester away, I think.

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He was saying he was going to give them a couple of days off and have

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another pre-season. I said to Phil, does that mean, he's going to work

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them hard? Pre-season working these guys hard because of the game being

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based around that physical freshness. He said his dream was to

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win all 14 games. The chance is slim and none. As a player, it's

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interesting. You don't want to be sitting around thinking too much

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about what is ahead of you, sometimes I would rather work and if

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I goat used to working it not a stranger anymore. You have had a

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break and you should feel fresh and you don't because you lose your

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fitness a little bit. Maybe there is a feel-good factor again and he is a

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feel-good factor manager like no one else. We talk about this heavy

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metal, they are dancing to the beat yesterday. But when it goes wrong,

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there is a quietness in the room as there was at the Kop the last few

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games before this one. So they're on the way back. I think they're good

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enough to finish in the top four. They won't win. Chelsea are away and

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running now. They have given themselves too much to do. It is a

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mountain to climb for anyone to catch them now. In Liverpool's

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favour, I think they will finish top four because of the fixture

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deadlock. You look at Tottenham and Pochettino and he came into the

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press Conference and he was pointing out they play Europa League, FA Cup,

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Europa League, and then League again while Liverpool are going through

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another pre-season. Liverpool winning the first game and they beat

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Arsenal and went to Burnley and lost, so where are we with

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Liverpool? Will that happen next? I don't think we can say the

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drawbridge is up and Liverpool will be successful. Tottenham have really

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let themselves down and Dyer taking liberties in possession. Is he a

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centre-half? Does he play, when he plays in centre-half, you can't take

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that kind of time on the ball and they really missed Danny Rose

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yesterday and they look like they play of three because at the back

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because they have got players suited to it and when they don't have Danny

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Rose they go back to a four and they've played a three away from

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home up until now. They did it at Arsenal and they were magnificent

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and they really looked a good side. Let's hear from Mauricio Pochettino.

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We didn't have a chance enough to try to score, but the first-half was

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very poor. Our performance was poor. That is true. We need to be honest.

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If you want to fight and challenge for the Premier League, we cannot

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accept that and we need to recognise that we were really poor and

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understand why. The big question is will they make top four? The title

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has gone for Spurs? It has. Judging by that performance yesterday. I was

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really shocked. I mean I was shocked at one how despondent Pochettino

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that was. That's how off colour Spurs were. They were never at

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races. He mentioned, Pochettino, there was a lack of aggression and

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there was a sort of almost a laziness summed up by Eric Dyer

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getting caught on the ball for that second goal. I thought Pochettino

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got it wrong. They defended too high. Teams who get success at

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Anfield tend to drop deep, don't over commit, I think Spurs did and

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got picked off by the pace of Mane. All-round they were just not there.

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Having said that, the two quick goals knocked the stuffing out of

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Spurs. They didn't have any time to get back into that game? Liverpool

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could have scored ahead of those two goals and scored after. Mentally

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when they couldn't win the Premier League, it was like nothing else

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matters and they tumbled down the table and let Arsenal sneak into

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second place. Is Pochettino thinking there needs to be a resolve for my

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players if we can't finish first, we finish second. They're going to

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throw their good work away. You have got Manchester United starting to,

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by the way Manchester United, six draws at home, if they could turn

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those into wins they would be in second place now. So they're all

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marching behind you Arsenal, Spurs, all the teams are together and

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you're going to have to grow up a little bit. Tottenham can't worry

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about not winning it, you're going to have to finish in the top

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position. Perhaps the most over used word is mentality. The question with

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Spurs is it mentality or are the players not good enough to win a

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title? I think they're good enough and the manager showed it that he

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doesn't think they were right mentally. Yes, you can be undone by

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a bit of greatness. Davis should drop off quicker and deal with that.

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You're playing against someone rapid and you have got to give yourself an

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advantage. Why is he holding the line there? He didn't react to the

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danger. He didn't get a reaction from his team and he will be it is

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appointed. Phil this is Pochettino's third season this charge. Under him

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the only team in the top six they have beaten away from home is

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Manchester City, therefore is that problem psychological or I go back

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to the point, are the players not good enough to go to the top six

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sides and win away from home? Spurs are one of the most exciting teams

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in the League. I watched them live the last couple of seasons and they

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beat us 4-0 twice at home. I think there is a lack of mentality in

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amongst the squad, a bit of experience maybe to be in the

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position where they are challenging for Premier League titles. You look

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around the squad, it is a young squad and inexperienced. Maybe

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another season or two, you never know, but at the moment, I just

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can't see them winning the League. I just don't think, I think there is

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an element they can be adventurous away from home. A lot of the top

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sides, someone like Manchester United went to Anfield and defended

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deep and parked the bus. I don't think Pochettino is capable of doing

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that. He probably hasn't got the players. I think that in terms of

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winning the title, I don't think you can win the title if you're reliant

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on one man your goals. Harry Kane barely got in the game. Dele Alli

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hardly got in the game. Look at how young Dele Alli is. When you're

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challenging for title and you looked in the continual for the game and

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you're thinking real menment you look at some teams and you look in

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the tunnel before the game and you think, I have got half a chance

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against these. There is a lot to be admired with Tottenham because they

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have been in the Champions League. I know that's not gone well. Playing

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at Wembley ten years ago and we were awful as well. They're building a

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new stadiumment they're trying to compete on the transfer front. They

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are at the top of the table. I think there is a lot to applaud and it is

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that maturity of the player that, you know, you go to these places,

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you suffer, you make sure next time, you have seen your little book, I'm

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suffer that again. They're equipping themselves. It wasn't a Pochettino

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performance. It was lacklustre. There was no energy around the

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pitch. They couldn't put their legs up to run. It was unlike them. What

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about Dele Alli the Sunday Express is reporting that he is linked to a

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move to Manchester City? And Barcelona and Bayern Munich and

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linked with a lot of people. It is strange the way he keeps getting

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linked. He had that purple patch of goal scoring particularly the goals

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against Chelsea, magnificent. I have seen him a couple of times away from

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home this season. I saw him at Manchester United when they got beat

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by Manchester United. And yesterday, when they got beat and he wasn't

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effective at all. He wasn't effective at all. Strange that the

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stories keep coming out. Here you've got Dele Alli who is on his second

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contract. So signs a contract. Then signs another contract for let's say

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?50,000 a week. Then after that, you get Harry Kane signing for say

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?100,000 a week something like that. So now, Dele Alli is only one year

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into a five year deal and if people are saying, it suits him and his

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people I would suggest, if he's a ?40 million, ?50 million target then

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he can go into the Tottenham board and say, "I'm a ?40 million player.

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I deserve more than that." I think there is an element... It would be

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disaster for to Tottenham to lose this player. Finance won't be a

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problem for this guy. Be a part of the Tottenham history and help turn

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the club around. They're not that far away Tottenham. They are close

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for it happening. They probably need a striker. When Kane was out they

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didn't have that resource. They are just a couple of players away from

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being the champions. Build a team around him. You have got Rose. You

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have got Walker. These type of young English players. Top, top players

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and you stick with them and build your team. You know how these things

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work. You know how these things work, Dele Alli will say I love

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Spurs. I'm committed to Spurs. You can't tell me he's overly unhappy.

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Coming second, he won't be happy. It happened at Arsenal where they have

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lost players and it could happen against at Arsenal. Some players

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haven't signed contracts and will they stay? You point at the

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trophies. You want Utopia as a player. If you're winning trophies,

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that's the icing on the cake and if they don't get it, they will move

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and it will be the same for Dele Alli. One final point on Dele Alli.

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All top players want to play in the Champions League. Real Madrid or

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Barcelona come calling, you can't tell anyone watching that Dele Alli

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is not going to be interested by what Real Madrid have to say.

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Of course he would be interested. He wants Champions League football and

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he wanted to play but England and that would help that cause, and if

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you are building your team around him and he is the main man, he wants

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paying as their main man. Who is saying that topping am not going to

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make the Champions League? That's not get ahead of ourselves, he is

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not Real Madrid level come let the game win something at Tottenham and

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do something for England, it did not go well in the US. He is still

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maturing and developing and it is too early for him to leave -- in the

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Euros. We can hear first from Arsene Wenger after their victory over Hull

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City. Noticeable there were some banners saying Arsene stay. Well,

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you know, I have a big respect for this country and this club. I'm

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grateful because I work here for 20 years and that absolutely

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exceptional. But my job is to make these people happy and when I don't

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do it, I feel guilty, that is what it was important for us to win.

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Arsene Wenger talking after the win over Hull and referring to the

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discussion which has been widely reported in the papers with Ian

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Wright. You know him, is he staying or going? I'm almost bored with this

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and people are probably bored with my answer! This when

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-- when you're a player and you look at a monitor, you want somebody who

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trusts you and believes in you, you don't want to be bored -- at a

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manager. You want variety in your work. Wenger gave me all that is a

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player. Everyday we did to me different, he believed in me, we

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were challenged, can you go unbeaten? He has achieved many great

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things. What he had to decide is if he has come to the end of the road

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in terms of his managerial qualities that he had to offer. If he went

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here without any succession plan management for the club it would be

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too soon. I don't think the club are ready for him to leave. A lot of

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thinking needs to be done at a high level. Yes come at the end is coming

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but maybe another one year contract. Wenger should be make to be part of

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the manager coming in, in the same mould. He has been such a big part

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of the club, the new stadium, he is clever committee but the idea out

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there and let other people believe it was their idea and then grows it.

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That club is a huge story of success also I am a competitor as well and

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I'm disappointed in what they have done, not since I left, but I

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thought they were going to win everything in Europe and it didn't

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happen. There is a disappointment but we are realistic to know that

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Chelsea came in with their millions and changed the landscape, Man City

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cabinet. That is why Arsene Wenger has struggled. Leicester told us you

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don't need to spend the most money to win and that is what hurts and it

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will hurt Arsene Wenger. He can't quite get the recipe right and that

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is the biggest mystery. A good piece in The Times today, Rio Ferdinand

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speaking ahead of Arsenal's game against Bayern Munich in the

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Champions League. He's as he would not have wanted to play for Wenger,

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he said Arsenal need a rocket and they won't get it from their

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manager. He is wrong because he would have loved to play for Wenger,

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I can't think of a player who has not improved. That is is not what he

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is saying. I think he's wrong. I'll give you a flavour. I often look at

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big managers and asked, would I like to play for him? With Wenger the

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answer is no. Everyone is different but if I'm not doing the right

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things as a player, I want somebody who can press my buttons, give me a

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rocket every now and then, the whole team to liven up the dressing room

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and sent shock waves through the group. From what I hear, Wenger is

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not that sort of guy. How does he know that if he hasn't played for

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him? He would have loved to have worked for Arsene Wenger, because

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everybody does who works with him. He is getting stuff from players.

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Players play way above themselves under Arsene Wenger and ago summer

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and they are not the player. It is his judgment of players. Can he

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still did a player? Who are the midfielders at the moment? Xhaka has

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come in, Wilshere is on loan, who is better? This the hard questions need

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be asked. People talk about the mentality of Arsenal and there is a

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soft belly in the midfield. Don't buy the best midfielder in Europe.

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You mean mentally? From your point of view, does he

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give players a rocket? Rio is saying he doesn't. What he does, he leaves

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you out. He leaves you out of the team. And if he is with you, he

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supports you. That is all you need. From the outside, a suggestion Rio

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is getting at is that he is too soft. Does he indulge players? If

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the indulging in a poor run of form, Mesut Ozil? If the indulging him?

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Because he is a big name? Things like that. It is an environment he

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creates which is one of trust and belief in his players and he doesn't

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fly off the handle. He is very consistent and stable and that is

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how the club has been built. That is the worry for Arsenal, when they

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change that, what will the next manager be like? Everybody is

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thinking that the grass is greener but will the new guy be any better?

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We won't know. Maybe they say, we should've done this three or four

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years ago because we have won the league. It might be that Arsenal

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fall out of the Champions League. While they have such a good man, I

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believe they will hang onto him. And you get a mention in this Rio item.

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The great side with that Spike 's -- spine. You are at the end of its!

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That leads me onto this, when you were playing for United and you look

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in the tunnel and you saw Martin Keown and Patrick Vieira and

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Emmanuel Petit, what was going through your mind? I was 17 when I

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first went to Highbury and it was intimidating, seeing these big

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blokes, and now you look at the Emirates and you think, they are

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very good players, top players, but have they got that...? I watched

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them away at Chelsea last week and it looked like ten kids running

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around on a pitch. No organisation, no nothing. If you are challenging

:22:30.:22:32.

for titles, you need to go to Chelsea and do something. Can I ask

:22:33.:22:43.

Francis Coquelin has to MB at Eden Hazard, fantastic gold

:22:44.:22:48.

It. You have to regroup and organise and go from there. Arsene Wenger

:22:49.:23:03.

went more towards Barcelona, more technical and the physical players,

:23:04.:23:06.

I was in there for the physicality to be fair, the next one wasn't

:23:07.:23:10.

physical. The belief was that we need to go more technical and it is

:23:11.:23:14.

the balance. In the Premier League as Guardiola is finding, there has

:23:15.:23:18.

to be a toughness about you which Chelsea have. Costa is the toughest

:23:19.:23:23.

centreboard in the Premier League and have got that balance through

:23:24.:23:27.

the team. -- centre forward. I would look at the opposition in the tunnel

:23:28.:23:32.

and they looked up at the error and Emmanuel Petit because they were

:23:33.:23:39.

giants -- at Patrick Vieira. Arsenal need that type of player. You ask

:23:40.:23:43.

where you find someone like Patrick Vieira. Kante is an example, he is

:23:44.:23:49.

the best midfielder I think we have ever seen. If Leicester can recruit

:23:50.:23:54.

somebody like that, why can't Arsenal? What do you make of the

:23:55.:23:59.

link in the papers this morning, Rafa Benitez and Thierry Henry? When

:24:00.:24:06.

Martin says about a succession plan, I can't believe they haven't

:24:07.:24:10.

considered it. They will know where they are going to go. They will know

:24:11.:24:17.

what direction to go in. If Wenger leaves, it would be remiss of him

:24:18.:24:20.

not to tell them now. I don't think that'll no way, it is too soon. That

:24:21.:24:26.

changing the reins cannot happen this quickly. I don't think they are

:24:27.:24:33.

ready for it. Unless the board do think he is going to go. It is a

:24:34.:24:40.

multi-million pound business, we can't rely, if you are the manager,

:24:41.:24:45.

I can't wait for you to decide. We need to get our house in order. I

:24:46.:24:49.

imagine there is an indication behind-the-scenes. When I have been

:24:50.:24:54.

with Arsene Wenger, he has lost none of those reflexes, he still wants to

:24:55.:24:58.

do it, it is whether it is right and proper for him to do it. As he done

:24:59.:25:01.

enough to deserve to stay there and I believe he has. It is his decision

:25:02.:25:06.

to make. He has created so much and it is unique. I admire him for what

:25:07.:25:10.

he has achieved and the success he has brought, but finishing top four,

:25:11.:25:16.

the occasional FA Cup, Champions League quarterfinal maybe, is it

:25:17.:25:19.

enough for Arsenal? If I'm an Arsenal fan, certainly not. You want

:25:20.:25:23.

to be challenging and winning the Premier League and getting to

:25:24.:25:26.

Champions League finals. That is where the club is at. The lunchtime

:25:27.:25:31.

game in the Premier League is Burnley against Chelsea. The Burnley

:25:32.:25:37.

defence pretty much picks itself, it is in midfield where we have some

:25:38.:25:42.

variation. Jeff Hendrick is suspended, Ashley Westwood makes his

:25:43.:25:46.

full debut after his transfer from Aston Villa and so does Robbie

:25:47.:25:50.

Brady, signed from Norwich City the money comes in for Scott Arfield.

:25:51.:25:53.

The Chelsea team has pretty much picks itself for the last few months

:25:54.:25:59.

and so again, David Luiz's sore knee is fine and Chelsea are unchanged.

:26:00.:26:07.

Thank you. You fancy Chelsea to win that one? Yes. Burnley have got a

:26:08.:26:15.

very fine home record, but looking back at that Chelsea performance

:26:16.:26:18.

last week, it is hard to pick a fault in them and to find a

:26:19.:26:23.

weakness. It is very difficult. They have a way of playing and the

:26:24.:26:29.

personnel. It sounds strange, that I think the difference Conte has made

:26:30.:26:32.

is that he has coached them and coached them. You can tell they know

:26:33.:26:36.

every last detail of what they are supposed to do on the pitch, from

:26:37.:26:41.

the wingbacks, Alonso and Moses, they know where to be. And when

:26:42.:26:46.

they're not, he goes mad. Against Arsenal he picked up his assistant

:26:47.:26:51.

by the collar and threw him down the line to go and tell him! It is

:26:52.:26:57.

brilliant, how well drilled they are. We saw it with the Italian team

:26:58.:26:58.

will they did really well in the

:26:59.:27:04.

tournament. It was a variation of the system he has got now and it's

:27:05.:27:08.

difficult to play it and manage it. You have got to know everybody's

:27:09.:27:12.

role and responsible deep and he knows it. He has shoehorned in

:27:13.:27:19.

Hazard as a skilful player and still to be creative. He is playing one

:27:20.:27:24.

striker now. He had the midfielders that sit there, Matic and Kante avec

:27:25.:27:29.

a brilliant. Who couldn't play with those two guys? -- and they are

:27:30.:27:35.

brilliant. And on the sides, Moses has been a revelation. It is a

:27:36.:27:40.

fantastic story. It is led by the manager. The transformation

:27:41.:27:43.

defensively has been extraordinary. Earlier in the season they had a few

:27:44.:27:47.

problems, especially when there were playing back four. I was at the

:27:48.:27:53.

Swansea game when Gary Cahill had a terrible match and suddenly Conte

:27:54.:27:57.

changed it and look where they are. I think he has found the right

:27:58.:28:01.

formation for the right players. You look at Moses and Alonso, you would

:28:02.:28:05.

never look at them before and think they would be winning the title at

:28:06.:28:10.

Chelsea but they have come in and the manager has shown faith and kept

:28:11.:28:12.

them in and they looked solid and well drilled. One wingback is

:28:13.:28:18.

crossing and the other is in the box because they rely so much with the

:28:19.:28:22.

discipline in the centre of midfield. So much trust in the

:28:23.:28:25.

squad. They are going to run away with it. Costa, Kante and Hazard get

:28:26.:28:31.

the headlines but Moses and Alonso have been the unsung heroes. We

:28:32.:28:36.

mentioned it, that Arsenal game, it is a Moses cross, and Alonso

:28:37.:28:44.

finishes it. We have seen it often. And six years ago, Bolton against

:28:45.:28:51.

Wigan at the DW Stadium, FA Cup fourth round replay, around 7000

:28:52.:28:58.

people there, Moses comes on as a sub for Wigan and Alonso comes as a

:28:59.:29:02.

sub for Bolton Wanderers. Now Conte has taken them, they gone different

:29:03.:29:08.

routes. Alonso went back to Italy, Moses was on loan all the time but

:29:09.:29:11.

he has got them both and they are now in a system they are relishing.

:29:12.:29:19.

We had Moses on loan at Stoke. He was completely not interested in

:29:20.:29:25.

training! But on game day, he was on it and brilliant for us. Just to

:29:26.:29:32.

alert listeners to Radio 5 Live that that stat came from your head! And

:29:33.:29:40.

Gary Cahill played in that game. Sam Ricketts got injured, he got badly

:29:41.:29:46.

injured, he ruptured his Achilles. Alonso came on for him. Moses came

:29:47.:29:53.

on for Callum McManaman. Where did you park?! And Klasnic scored the

:29:54.:30:05.

winner. Conte is a winning machine, people underestimate him, you put

:30:06.:30:08.

good players with a very good manager and it is a recipe for huge

:30:09.:30:13.

success. When he was at Juventus, his first season they went unbeaten

:30:14.:30:17.

in the whole season on the second season they went top of the two

:30:18.:30:21.

games come after three games in the third season and a record number of

:30:22.:30:24.

points and he is a serial winner of trophies. He understands the system,

:30:25.:30:28.

it is not that of saying Moses, what can I do with him? This is how we

:30:29.:30:33.

are playing and you are playing. He gives a clear message which is what

:30:34.:30:37.

players want. Contrast that with the weight Man City plague and it is

:30:38.:30:39.

about creativity and he is an artist. It is a lot easier to be

:30:40.:30:44.

told to do a job and that is why Conte is flying this year. Next it

:30:45.:30:48.

could be different when the artistic side of Man City comes through and

:30:49.:30:52.

they can understand it. There are some huge managers in the Premier

:30:53.:30:55.

League this year and Conte has been the pick.

:30:56.:31:01.

Right, let's turn our attention to Slaven Bilic. Let's hear from Slaven

:31:02.:31:09.

Bilic. I am the first one to say it is hard for the referees, the pace

:31:10.:31:17.

of the game, contact sport and you are on the wrong end in all the

:31:18.:31:21.

major decisions and there were like more than a few. You can can live

:31:22.:31:28.

with one or two, but you can't live with so many of them. I really rate

:31:29.:31:36.

him. He knows that. I told him that privately last year. Now I can't get

:31:37.:31:44.

over this. I can't get over this. Look, I'm going to go home tonight

:31:45.:31:48.

and instead of having three points and be so happy before this break

:31:49.:31:56.

and everything, to have that bitter feeling, it's awful and the

:31:57.:32:01.

refereeing was, sorry for the words, nothing personal, but the refereeing

:32:02.:32:06.

today was awful. He was very emotional, Slaven Bilic.

:32:07.:32:11.

He is. But we watched that game in the studio yesterday afternoon.

:32:12.:32:15.

There was a discussion over whether Gareth McCally impeded James Collins

:32:16.:32:20.

for the equaliser for Johnny Evans, but do you think the refereeing was

:32:21.:32:25.

that awful? Well, look, I think when you're playing against one of Tony

:32:26.:32:30.

Pulis' teams, you're wound up and it was one of those where they went a

:32:31.:32:34.

goal up and they sat back and it was all about West Ham. Everything

:32:35.:32:36.

seemed to go against him. There was a goal that was disallowed which,

:32:37.:32:41.

you know, I look at that and to be honest, I don't think the player

:32:42.:32:45.

was, but he did push the goalkeeper that was the infringement. There was

:32:46.:32:50.

another penalty appeal. Everything seemed to be going against him. He

:32:51.:32:58.

was wrong on the throw in and there was probably a foul on Collins

:32:59.:33:02.

because Collins came off the bench to deal with that situation, but it

:33:03.:33:06.

was a towering header from West Brom and they just keep going and it was

:33:07.:33:09.

the frustration of the afternoon. It is interesting to listen to him, his

:33:10.:33:13.

honesty, he wants the two week period to relax and the three points

:33:14.:33:18.

in the back... Even though West Ham have got themselves out of a bit of

:33:19.:33:22.

a hole, all the decisions, I watched that last night and it was the

:33:23.:33:28.

build-up, they were marginal. There was probably a foul in the build up

:33:29.:33:32.

to West Brom's first goal, probably, but you could see him not giving it.

:33:33.:33:37.

Questionable. Probably, I think, what I would call say a seven times

:33:38.:33:41.

out of ten that's probably given, but only that. They were all

:33:42.:33:45.

marginal and the increased frustration of conceding so late.

:33:46.:33:50.

Two, whatever infringement may or may not have taken place, it was a

:33:51.:33:54.

good cross and a towering header. Phil, have you seen a marked

:33:55.:33:57.

improvement when you've played West Ham? Because they have had a couple

:33:58.:34:03.

of tricky results, haven't they? It was a strange, well, a good point

:34:04.:34:07.

for us at their place, but there was a strange atmosphere at the ground.

:34:08.:34:13.

It took them time to adapt from moving to Upton Park and going to

:34:14.:34:17.

their new stadium. They have players with exceptional ability, but I

:34:18.:34:23.

think when corroll doesn't play, you can tell the difference when he

:34:24.:34:26.

doesn't. Yeah, I think, you know Slaven Bilic is doing a steady job

:34:27.:34:34.

there and bitterly disappointed. Andy Carroll comes in and he's

:34:35.:34:38.

almost unplayable. And then he's injured again. This is, they're

:34:39.:34:43.

going to have to manage. You don't hear anything of the injury. Kept

:34:44.:34:48.

quiet and puts a hole in their season every time he gets injured.

:34:49.:34:54.

West Bromwich Albion, what a job Tony Pulis has done there. Tony's

:34:55.:34:59.

teams have always been like that. It was a disappointing result for us

:35:00.:35:02.

last weekment we was poor first-half. The second half we took

:35:03.:35:05.

the game to them a little bit more. I felt we should have got something

:35:06.:35:11.

out of the game. We had a um can of good clean chances which we didn't

:35:12.:35:16.

take place. He has a well drilled and organised team and typical Tony

:35:17.:35:20.

Pulis team. You came off yesterday by the way? Yeah. Disappointing to

:35:21.:35:26.

come off as always. A little bit of a tightness in the hamstring. It was

:35:27.:35:30.

a disappointment, I got back in the team and put in some steady

:35:31.:35:33.

performanceks, but hopefully not too bad and back training next week. You

:35:34.:35:38.

weren't exhausted chasing after za hard? I think he was exhausted

:35:39.:35:43.

chasing after me! You know what them wingers are like. They don't like

:35:44.:35:49.

chasing full-backs. Do you feel they gave the ball to Benteke the way

:35:50.:35:53.

they should? If I was Benteke, is this ball coming in or not because

:35:54.:35:57.

the amount of tricks and flicks? Stop, start. Stop, start. My quads

:35:58.:36:03.

are in bit stop starting. He put Townsend on the left and za hard on

:36:04.:36:10.

the right to get crosses in the box for Benteke, I can't recall too many

:36:11.:36:14.

crosses going in the box. Our goalkeeper had a clean kit after the

:36:15.:36:18.

game. Not much for our goalkeeper to do and not much service for Benteke.

:36:19.:36:23.

Andy, are Palace going down? I fear for him. I fear for him a lot. I

:36:24.:36:35.

look at that squad. I am thinking they bought some players. I'm sure

:36:36.:36:39.

when Sam went there he thought that squad was easily good enough to get

:36:40.:36:41.

out of trouble and it hasn't happened. They're on a run, the

:36:42.:36:46.

result last week, you know, it was a shocking result. The sort of result

:36:47.:36:50.

that can knock the stuffing out of you. And you would expect some

:36:51.:36:55.

response, wouldn't you? It didn't look, from what Phil tells us, there

:36:56.:36:59.

wasn't much of a response. I fear for them when you consider there are

:37:00.:37:05.

green shoots of hope from the other teams around them. If it was anyone

:37:06.:37:09.

other than Sam Allardyce because their recording has been shocking

:37:10.:37:14.

but they play Middlesbrough, if they can win that game, that gives them

:37:15.:37:20.

hope and belief. You see the team on paper and it is a decent team.

:37:21.:37:27.

Strong, powerful quick. The last season Sam took Sunderland away and

:37:28.:37:32.

got a response from that break. I think they only lost three games in

:37:33.:37:36.

the last, I think it was 12 or 13 and stayed up. And instead they get

:37:37.:37:44.

thumped by a team at home and don't go on Sam's traditional mid-winter

:37:45.:37:48.

break. It is a different Sam Allardyce after what he went through

:37:49.:37:53.

with the England job. Has he got the stomach for this? He found himself

:37:54.:37:57.

in a situation that he probably shouldn't have gone to. You mean the

:37:58.:38:03.

impossible task? Was it six wins in 46 matches that John Motson told us

:38:04.:38:07.

yesterday. It is a terrible, terrible set of results, isn't it?

:38:08.:38:11.

He has gone there. It has become a culture of losing football matches.

:38:12.:38:16.

How can we expect him to turn that around? You know, if Sam sat on the

:38:17.:38:22.

bench yesterday, you know, and looking at this and he can't help,

:38:23.:38:28.

but maybe think I was England manager not long ago, it was my

:38:29.:38:34.

dream job. Would he let that affect his professionalism? He needs this

:38:35.:38:37.

break and the build up to Middlesbrough and everything is on

:38:38.:38:40.

that game and he has got the players to do it. They're at home. He talked

:38:41.:38:44.

about the fans as well, saying that the fans, it has become a difficult

:38:45.:38:48.

place to play at home. They paid for their fans to travel up there. It

:38:49.:38:51.

was an olive branch and they have got to play their part and if you do

:38:52.:38:55.

that, you could book Palace to win that one. Talking of trips abroad,

:38:56.:38:59.

David Moyes is taking his players to New York. Some of them are going to

:39:00.:39:02.

watch the ice hockey and some are going to watch the basketball. Is

:39:03.:39:07.

that a good idea? They are going to train running around Central Park.

:39:08.:39:10.

It would have been a good idea had they won yesterday! I wrote a piece

:39:11.:39:14.

about this in the week. What is acceptable? As a result before you

:39:15.:39:21.

go on a mid-season break? So, in other words, 4-0 at home getting

:39:22.:39:26.

beat by Sunderland wasn't acceptable to Palace, we can't go off to Dubai

:39:27.:39:31.

on a jolly. I feel building up to this game when David was talking

:39:32.:39:35.

about going to New York... Sometimes you need to be away from each other.

:39:36.:39:41.

We were losing games hand over fist and I've got to sit and look at you

:39:42.:39:46.

for another two weeks. It might be best let me go and live my life and

:39:47.:39:56.

go away and then we will be back in each others company. No, I don't

:39:57.:40:00.

think, we're footballers. We're not tourists. I am not with the trip,

:40:01.:40:05.

there is plenty of time for that when you finish. Yes, a change of

:40:06.:40:09.

environment, but in each other's company. It is freezing cold in New

:40:10.:40:17.

York. It is forecast sub-zero. New York or Dubai? A bit of sun. Dubai!

:40:18.:40:29.

Ice hockey, New York. At least, it is not masquerading as a training

:40:30.:40:33.

camp. They're going there for a bondering session. For socialising

:40:34.:40:38.

and Sam loves the mid-season break and you can't tell me that it's...

:40:39.:40:42.

The north-east, people are working hard, aren't they, on the coalface

:40:43.:40:45.

and suddenly these players who are not performing are off in New York

:40:46.:40:49.

enjoying it or sunning themselves. It is the wrong message. It is work

:40:50.:40:54.

for us at Stoke the last three seasons. We have had a couple of

:40:55.:40:57.

good results leading into knowing that we were going to on a

:40:58.:41:03.

mid-winter break to Dubai and come back refreshed and gone on to get

:41:04.:41:06.

another couple of good results. It has worked for us, but I don't know

:41:07.:41:11.

if it is a training camp. It is not a summer holiday. They will take in

:41:12.:41:17.

Ground Zero and the basketball. It is a bonding trip. I guess not

:41:18.:41:21.

everyone likes bonding trips, but David says he thinks it will be

:41:22.:41:24.

benefit. If he thinks it will be been fit regardless of that result,

:41:25.:41:28.

it will be a benefit which I think Palace were mistaken, if he thinks

:41:29.:41:32.

it is a benefit they should go regardless. You can understand

:41:33.:41:36.

Chelsea going to New York for a break because they probably deserve

:41:37.:41:39.

it! The sun is great. There is a health benefit for doing that and

:41:40.:41:41.

there is a training facility there as well, but I'm not sure about New

:41:42.:41:46.

York! Like the Dubai trip, it has been a

:41:47.:41:51.

good work out. It has been a good... Is it all work or is there a bit of

:41:52.:41:57.

play? All work! LAUGHTER

:41:58.:42:01.

I remember Charlie Adams sat there and winking at me. Some downtime.

:42:02.:42:07.

Yeah. Everyone deserves a bit of downtime. Phil's reluctance to

:42:08.:42:14.

answer is, "I'll tell you off air! " Andy, let's talk about the

:42:15.:42:21.

relegation battle today, Swansea City, Leicester City? I think

:42:22.:42:25.

Swansea will win the game. I was impressed. I'm impressed by what

:42:26.:42:29.

Paul Clement is doing. They made the right decision to get him in and

:42:30.:42:32.

sadly for Bob Bradley to lose his job. I look at Leicester. I think

:42:33.:42:37.

he'll go back to the team. He rested for the Cup game and that's the team

:42:38.:42:41.

that's been performing. If you rotate and then a team plays well

:42:42.:42:44.

and they are all out again and you're bringing in players who were

:42:45.:42:48.

off form in the first place. So you want him to play the Cup team?

:42:49.:42:53.

Elements of that. If you've got a defensive unit there. That team have

:42:54.:42:58.

conceded ten goals in four games and they look like conceding every time.

:42:59.:43:02.

Do I think morgue-should be playing today? I'm not sure they should.

:43:03.:43:08.

Ranieri said come back and be the player you were last year and all is

:43:09.:43:12.

forgiven. So I believe he'll play the 11 that played last year apart

:43:13.:43:17.

from Cante. He will play his main players and it is about believing in

:43:18.:43:21.

those players. I can only imagine what's going on in that dressing

:43:22.:43:24.

room. Nobody wants to be a champion and get relegated. Do you want that

:43:25.:43:29.

with your name? That is almost a disgrace to end up where they are

:43:30.:43:35.

and they have got to come together. Their strength is unified. They are

:43:36.:43:39.

all strays thrown together. Even their manager could never win a

:43:40.:43:43.

trophy. Sort it out and get together and they can be a good team. Martin

:43:44.:43:46.

thank you very much indeed. Phil, good lucks with the injury and Andy,

:43:47.:43:50.

thank you very much indeed. Thank you for your texts, e-mails and

:43:51.:43:57.

tweetsment we're back tonigh with Match of the Day 2. Thanks for

:43:58.:43:59.

watching. Bye-bye.

:44:00.:44:03.

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