:00:26. > :00:28.Good afternoon, welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two,
:00:29. > :00:32.Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website.
:00:33. > :00:35.Joining me today, former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann,
:00:36. > :00:37.ex-Celtic striker Chris Sutton and Jonathan Northcroft
:00:38. > :00:46.Chris Sutton also played for Chelsea on Blackburn hit man for Germany.
:00:47. > :00:48.Get in touch using the hashtag #bbcfootball on social media,
:00:49. > :00:56.After 13 successive home wins, the leaders Chelsea are beaten
:00:57. > :00:59.by Crystal Palace, who have now won four in a row.
:01:00. > :01:01.Has Chelsea's defeat opened the door to Spurs,
:01:02. > :01:03.with the gap now seven points following their comfortable
:01:04. > :01:06.You'll hear a remarkable interview from Jose Mourinho
:01:07. > :01:09.Phillipe Coutinho shines as Liverpool beat Everton
:01:10. > :01:14.And we'll look ahead to a big game at four o'clock, where Arsenal
:01:15. > :01:28.As far as the papers are concerned, the Mail on Sunday says it's not
:01:29. > :01:33.over, Mauricio Pochettino has warned that Chelsea -- one Chelsea but
:01:34. > :01:40.Spurs are coming to them. The Sunday Times leads with Coutinho and the
:01:41. > :01:44.headline Kop Star. The Telegraph has quotes from Jose Mourinho warning
:01:45. > :01:48.his wasteful strikers. We will come onto him and Man United later and
:01:49. > :01:53.the Merseyside derby, but we have to start with the Crystal Palace 2-1
:01:54. > :01:58.win at Stamford Bridge, four straight wins since Mamadou Sakho's
:01:59. > :02:05.debut, conceding just one goal. There is lots of interest in Zapata
:02:06. > :02:12.and Benteke, but how much difference has Sakho made? He has started four,
:02:13. > :02:14.they lost that game at Sunderland and everybody thought that was it
:02:15. > :02:20.for Crystal Palace but they came back strong. I don't think there has
:02:21. > :02:24.ever been a doubt that he is a great defender, he has his deficiencies,
:02:25. > :02:29.but Crystal Palace, the way Sam Allardyce wants to play, I think he
:02:30. > :02:32.fits in perfectly. From his defensive qualities, Liverpool could
:02:33. > :02:37.do with a player like him. No coincidence that results have
:02:38. > :02:46.improved since he came in. Lots of people might have expected
:02:47. > :02:48.that would Sam Allardyce, and Sammy Lee, who I understand deserves
:02:49. > :02:53.credit for what he is doing in training, and Kevin Keane? They have
:02:54. > :02:57.it working. I think we all expected a reaction quicker. Sakho has been
:02:58. > :03:03.outstanding. They had some luck yesterday. But you have to. Three
:03:04. > :03:08.clean sheets in the last four, conceded one yesterday, that is what
:03:09. > :03:15.Sam Allardyce is about. Then they have the threat going forward, a big
:03:16. > :03:18.goal yesterday from Zaha, also Benteke. They have tough fixtures
:03:19. > :03:26.coming up that yesterday bodes well for them. It is similar to what
:03:27. > :03:30.sounded at Sunderland, bringing in players in the transfer window. He
:03:31. > :03:38.has brought in Sakho and another player. He has the spine of the team
:03:39. > :03:42.but he lets attacking players play, he always did that at Bolton and now
:03:43. > :03:46.you can see people like Zaha expressing themselves. We know
:03:47. > :03:51.samples mac formula. Chris said we all expected him to get it right but
:03:52. > :03:54.a couple of months ago when Crystal Palace were not doing particularly
:03:55. > :04:00.well he said we will not pull away in February or March, you might have
:04:01. > :04:08.to wait until April, similar to what happened at Sunderland. But they
:04:09. > :04:10.still have Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, both Manchester clubs to
:04:11. > :04:14.come. Yes, but they gave themselves a fighting chance. Four or five
:04:15. > :04:19.weeks ago you would have said they were up against it, but it was three
:04:20. > :04:24.months of points yesterday, probably nobody expected. But he has been to
:04:25. > :04:31.so many places where you think, really, can he get them out, they
:04:32. > :04:40.worked their socks off in 90 minutes, I think that is half the
:04:41. > :04:50.battle. You need to be in defence, but if you want to win games you
:04:51. > :04:54.have to score goals. They missed -- they missed Zaha when he was in the
:04:55. > :05:02.African Cup of Nations. He is a game changer. You wonder if a 4-0 defeat
:05:03. > :05:05.plates and part. That shocked Crystal Palace and make them realise
:05:06. > :05:10.exactly where they are. When Sam took over he had the England thing
:05:11. > :05:14.hanging over him, it seemed to be a rallying point and snapped everybody
:05:15. > :05:19.out of it. The chairman, Steve Parish, the dressing room. Since
:05:20. > :05:24.then, they have been fantastic. When you describe somebody as a game
:05:25. > :05:33.changer, how many games do you expect them to change? Enough. I get
:05:34. > :05:38.you... In terms of creativity, it has always been the end product
:05:39. > :05:41.which has been missing. A big game yesterday at Chelsea. Nobody
:05:42. > :05:46.expected them to get anything from it. Jonathan is quite right, Sakho
:05:47. > :05:51.has come in, you need the threat going forward. Zaha can get you up
:05:52. > :06:00.the pitch, I thought he took his goal to rhythmically a quick shot,
:06:01. > :06:05.cellar Thibaut Courtois out. And Benteke's finish was really special.
:06:06. > :06:09.You had to be able to score goals. The teams at the bottom,
:06:10. > :06:13.Middlesbrough do not score enough, I think they are and Sunderland are
:06:14. > :06:17.down and it is one other. The reason I asked how many games
:06:18. > :06:21.you would expect him to change, it feels like a Palace to not win a
:06:22. > :06:25.game then more often than not the criticism will come the way of
:06:26. > :06:28.Wilfried Zaha, but it Chelsea do not win it does not always go to Eden
:06:29. > :06:37.Hazard art as the man who is criticised. The reason I like a man
:06:38. > :06:40.is that Allardyce said that he wants Zaha to emulate Hazard. There is a
:06:41. > :06:48.lot of pressure on Zaha. -- the reason I likened to them is that.
:06:49. > :06:52.Even on an average day, Zaha has to create three, four or five
:06:53. > :06:56.goal-scoring opportunities for his team-mates and draw the attention of
:06:57. > :07:00.other players. When Chris talks about an outlet, you want players
:07:01. > :07:06.who draw the attention of two or three players, it gives you 12-macro
:07:07. > :07:09.spy on the rest of the field. This is what Hazard does. Looking at the
:07:10. > :07:17.teams at the bottom, you need to be able to keep a clean sheet. Looking
:07:18. > :07:26.at some land, they have Defoe, I don't think Middlesbrough have a
:07:27. > :07:29.game changer. I think Palace have two, potentially three or four with
:07:30. > :07:35.Puncheon and some others. I think it bodes well for the rest of their
:07:36. > :07:39.games. Sometimes we have to give them all the way because sometimes
:07:40. > :07:42.we can be too critical when they don't assist or score on a regular
:07:43. > :07:49.basis. It looks like he has grown up in
:07:50. > :07:56.bed. Bolasie was Alan Pardew's go to guy, and Bolasie going, it was a big
:07:57. > :08:01.onus on him to do what he is doing. Zaha has just seized his moment to
:08:02. > :08:06.become the main outlet in that team. Just look at January, no Sakho, no
:08:07. > :08:12.Zaha, poor January. Here's changing games now.
:08:13. > :08:17.We will go back in two game changers when we talk about Ross Barkley and
:08:18. > :08:20.Manchester United's attack. We could have the same conversation three
:08:21. > :08:24.times during the course of the show. Rich says Sakho is immense for
:08:25. > :08:31.Palace, would Klopp still pay Clucas ahead of him on this form? Sam says
:08:32. > :08:35.that Sakho has been a godsend to Palace. Chelsea Warrior, who I
:08:36. > :08:39.assume is a Chelsea fan, says all credit must go to Allardyce for
:08:40. > :08:44.organising them. We can lump this in with Spurs winning at Burnley, you
:08:45. > :08:49.watched that game. Is the title race back on in this reactionary world?
:08:50. > :08:56.At midday yesterday it was over, all they said and it is back on? Is it?
:08:57. > :09:00.I still think Chelsea are strong favourites. Tottenham were terrible
:09:01. > :09:06.in the first top yesterday, but once they scored in the second half, in
:09:07. > :09:11.total control, make changes. Touch Tottenham were terrible in the first
:09:12. > :09:15.half yesterday. I think they only have Man United and Arsenal at home
:09:16. > :09:23.out of the top six, they will fancy it. I didn't ask you how Spurs were,
:09:24. > :09:27.I said is the title race back on? Yes. Pochettino talking about them
:09:28. > :09:33.losing focus last season, he believes they will be OK this
:09:34. > :09:36.season. Do you see a different Spurs this season to last? They would have
:09:37. > :09:41.learned a lot from the Chelsea game last year when they completely lost
:09:42. > :09:45.the plot, the manager being on the pitch and they were kicking people.
:09:46. > :09:49.Something you have not seen at Spurs, when you associate them with
:09:50. > :09:53.one thing, it is being organised, disciplined, doing what they do want
:09:54. > :09:57.probably better than everybody else. I do not think the race is over, I
:09:58. > :10:02.have expected a slip-up from Chelsea for a few weeks but they have been
:10:03. > :10:07.too strong, scoring lots of goals. The mindset will change with
:10:08. > :10:13.Chelsea, you can begins backwards and you say we need so many more
:10:14. > :10:18.points. Psychologically, it can make a difference. If Spurs win those
:10:19. > :10:23.games I can see it getting tighter. The nature of doing football shows
:10:24. > :10:29.at this time of year is that you read a lot of fiction lists for
:10:30. > :10:32.people to compere -- fixture lists. Spurs have Watford, Bournemouth,
:10:33. > :10:40.Leicester and Palace, Arsenal and Man United at home, West Ham on a
:10:41. > :10:44.Friday night, Hull on the final day of the season. Chelsea in the next
:10:45. > :10:47.couple of weeks have Man City at home, this Wednesday, then they had
:10:48. > :10:53.to go to Manchester United the weekend at the 15th and 16th. That
:10:54. > :10:58.as much as yesterday means there is still a chance. Those Spurs fixtures
:10:59. > :11:02.look quite easy but it is different trying to win them under pressure.
:11:03. > :11:08.In the West Brom game last year, they drew when they should have won,
:11:09. > :11:14.they were 1-0 but the pressure came on them, that was part of their
:11:15. > :11:20.problem, winning under pressure. They have less pressure than Chelsea
:11:21. > :11:23.because nobody expects them... Chelsea were really unfortunate
:11:24. > :11:30.yesterday not to win the game. Palace defended resolutely deep. If
:11:31. > :11:34.there is one worrying thing, Chelsea have started to concede goals.
:11:35. > :11:39.Sometimes a game like this can put doubt in your mind, to lose a game
:11:40. > :11:44.or a home game has not happened for a long time. Ten points, if you win
:11:45. > :11:49.the next tenure probably have ten or 11, 56 games to go, near enough
:11:50. > :11:54.there. Seven points, the fixtures, within a week you could be down to
:11:55. > :11:59.one or two. It might put a bit of doubt into the mind. If one team can
:12:00. > :12:05.do it the way they have performed without Kane, the job Pochettino is
:12:06. > :12:12.doing is second to none. Is it Man City next for Chelsea? Thanks for
:12:13. > :12:19.listening! I often don't listen. Particularly today! I don't mean
:12:20. > :12:22.that. They had to bounce back. It is nothing to how they played
:12:23. > :12:27.yesterday, it is just that for all the times of the element of doubt to
:12:28. > :12:31.come in is before having Man City at home and Man United away. If they
:12:32. > :12:36.lose to Man City it will be to four points.
:12:37. > :12:45.Depending on what City do this afternoon. So we are basically none
:12:46. > :12:53.the great stuff, everybody! You can use the hashtag #bbcfootball, or
:12:54. > :12:56.phone on that macro text on 85058. Given Burnley's home form, you
:12:57. > :13:04.thought some of the changes might have been risky. You probably could
:13:05. > :13:08.have played in goal for Spurs, probably couldn't, to be honest! But
:13:09. > :13:15.it was all about chances. They lost Wanyama through injury, Winks got a
:13:16. > :13:24.nasty injury, Yan Sun got the chance up top. They just need to get Harry
:13:25. > :13:28.Kane back. Dele Alli and Eriksen have been fantastic in the absence
:13:29. > :13:32.of Harry Kane. I think it is a myth that they cannot deal with that
:13:33. > :13:43.Harry Kane, how many other players have three or four players in double
:13:44. > :13:45.figures for goals? They have other game changers!
:13:46. > :13:52.Let's focus on the early game, you can listen to this on 5 live, full
:13:53. > :13:55.commentary from 1:30pm, Swansea versus Middlesbrough at the liberty.
:13:56. > :13:59.Juliette Ferrington is with a legend from the home side.
:14:00. > :14:04.As far as the results are concerned, for Swansea and Middlesbrough, a
:14:05. > :14:08.pretty grim afternoon yesterday. How much, Lee Trundle, writes on this
:14:09. > :14:13.afternoon? I think it is massive, when you talk about a must win game,
:14:14. > :14:16.it goes for both sides. The way Middlesbrough are in the table and
:14:17. > :14:22.where we are, we need that cushion so we will be going out for the win,
:14:23. > :14:26.definitely. Is there more pressure on Middlesbrough because of
:14:27. > :14:30.yesterday? I think both of us are feeling the same pressure. We are a
:14:31. > :14:35.few points ahead, but with a game like this, it's one series today, it
:14:36. > :14:41.drags us right into it. Not only the three points but the confidence, if
:14:42. > :14:45.you are losing to a team lower down in the division, where will your
:14:46. > :14:52.points come from? The lads are focused and hope they can get three
:14:53. > :14:56.points. Is there an element of calm going into this one? The past three
:14:57. > :15:00.home games, we have done really well, we have won. We have not been
:15:01. > :15:04.so good on the road. It will be nice to get back up to two hard games
:15:05. > :15:17.away, get the home fans behind us and bring the points home. In his
:15:18. > :15:19.programme notes, the manager said it is an opportunity to build on the
:15:20. > :15:22.recent good form? Performance wise, we have been good since the gaffer
:15:23. > :15:25.has come in. We seem to be more comfortable at home, a perfect day
:15:26. > :15:28.for a game and a perfect day for a win. I am a little bit nervous, we
:15:29. > :15:32.have looked at it this season and thought this is the biggest game of
:15:33. > :15:35.the season. That keeps happening again and again. Today is now the
:15:36. > :15:40.biggest game of the season. I am sure we will be involved in another
:15:41. > :15:42.one, the way football is. You can hear full commentary on 5 live
:15:43. > :15:53.sport, the kick-off is at 1:30pm. Ian Brown can give us the team news
:15:54. > :16:01.from the Liberty Stadium. Today's results gave few favours to these
:16:02. > :16:05.two clubs. That cranks up the pressure. Swansea today without
:16:06. > :16:11.Fernando Llorente, their leading goal scorer, who is out with an
:16:12. > :16:18.ankle injury. He misses today, so Jordan Ayew is upfront. Olsson makes
:16:19. > :16:22.a timely return, and Leroy Fer returns to midfield. Middlesbrough
:16:23. > :16:28.make one change from their defeat against Man United a couple of weeks
:16:29. > :16:35.ago. Traore starts ahead of Leadbetter. Negredo stays up front,
:16:36. > :16:38.and Gestede is on the bench. Traore starts the Middlesbrough. At least
:16:39. > :16:45.that gives them some kind of attacking pace. Often they blacked
:16:46. > :16:50.that this season. I think they are better suited to counter attack.
:16:51. > :16:54.They don't score enough goals. This is a must win for Middlesbrough
:16:55. > :17:01.today. Swansea strong at home. They will be looking over their shoulders
:17:02. > :17:06.now with the results yesterday. But Middlesbrough have started to leak
:17:07. > :17:10.goals, so they could be down. I think they would take a draw. If
:17:11. > :17:16.they lose, the gap is eight points, which might be a bit too much with
:17:17. > :17:22.eight or nine games to go. Traore, last week against Man United, he
:17:23. > :17:27.merely change the game. Had a huge impact. Middlesbrough can score
:17:28. > :17:41.goals. It is the biggest problem they have. Defensively they are OK,
:17:42. > :17:44.but they simply cannot score. Today Traore is getting a chance, which
:17:45. > :17:49.gives them more purpose going forward. In Negredo, they have
:17:50. > :17:53.someone who can score goals. Fingers crossed they get a result, because
:17:54. > :17:58.if they lose today, that could be it. If you take a more Cerebral
:17:59. > :18:06.Assassin perspective, given the chairman that they've got, given the
:18:07. > :18:12.way that the club has been won. -- has been run, could they do what
:18:13. > :18:17.Burnley did and build on that and come back a second time with more
:18:18. > :18:23.Premier League experience and a bit more stable? I know exactly what you
:18:24. > :18:30.are saying. You look at it in those terms, they came up, just, and they
:18:31. > :18:34.didn't spend that much money. It's probably not a surprise they are
:18:35. > :18:39.where they are. They haven't overcommitted themselves, so they
:18:40. > :18:43.could do exactly what you say. It could be important getting the next
:18:44. > :18:49.manager. Burnley had Sean Dyche, and it looks like Karanka may be led
:18:50. > :18:53.them down a bit of a blind alley. He was maybe a bit too negative and
:18:54. > :19:00.didn't filled a team that they wanted. Do you think they are taking
:19:01. > :19:03.their time, partly to see what Agnew does, but if they do go down, they
:19:04. > :19:10.have the right man to bring them back. I think Craig Shakespeare does
:19:11. > :19:16.well at Leicester, Middlesbrough tried the same thing, and it didn't
:19:17. > :19:23.work quite as well. You have done your first scowl in my direction.
:19:24. > :19:30.That is for people watching on -- people listening on the radio! They
:19:31. > :19:35.don't score enough goals. A great chairman. Will that put them in good
:19:36. > :19:39.stead if they go down to bounce straight back? I'm not sure. I don't
:19:40. > :19:45.think they have a strong enough squad. I don't think it has ever
:19:46. > :19:49.helped a team to go down. I don't think it's a positive. Getting out
:19:50. > :19:57.the Championship is a huge effort. There will be teams down their...
:19:58. > :20:01.Would you say it hasn't helped Newcastle? We will find out next
:20:02. > :20:06.year. Burnley could still go down. There is another example. If you
:20:07. > :20:11.look at the Championship, there's hardly a team that's been in the
:20:12. > :20:16.Premier League. They've brought Jonathan Woodgate in, which I think
:20:17. > :20:22.is a big thing. He's an icon in the north-east. He just has to get the
:20:23. > :20:29.fans behind him, or keep them. One result can change an awful lot. If
:20:30. > :20:33.you win at Swansea today, you are only a few points of safety.
:20:34. > :20:37.Personally, I cannot see it, but I think they will not get beat. I
:20:38. > :20:44.think they will get at least a draw today. How far up the table would
:20:45. > :20:50.you go for who is still in this relegation battle. Hole-macro are in
:20:51. > :20:56.the final relegation spot with 27 points from 30 games. I'm not saying
:20:57. > :21:03.this, Southampton fans, before you have a pop! If you go onto ten, you
:21:04. > :21:11.have Southampton, who will be 34 from 28. I think you do go up to
:21:12. > :21:15.Southampton. It is unlikely that Southampton and even Bournemouth
:21:16. > :21:21.will get dragged into it, but you've seen it before. Lose your last seven
:21:22. > :21:27.or eight games and you can sync. Realistically, it will start with
:21:28. > :21:36.West Ham. They are in 14th. We Mac I worry about Burnley, because they're
:21:37. > :21:40.away form is hopeless. Hahn's win yesterday has really opened things
:21:41. > :21:50.up at the bottom. It is impossible to predict that last spot. I would
:21:51. > :22:02.go further than Burnley. West Ham on 33 probably only need two more wins.
:22:03. > :22:07.West Ham have a tough few games. If they do need a result, they always
:22:08. > :22:15.dig a result out somewhere. I wouldn't go further than Burnley. If
:22:16. > :22:26.Middlesbrough lose, it is between Hahn, Swansea, Palace and Burnley.
:22:27. > :22:30.-- between Hull City, Swansea. It is so tight. How can we not say that
:22:31. > :22:39.Southampton and Bournemouth are in it? They have got a couple of games
:22:40. > :22:45.in hand. I think anyone from Bournemouth could go. It is unusual
:22:46. > :22:50.to have Palace on a winning run, Hull City on the winning run... You
:22:51. > :22:56.don't see teams in the bottom going on those kinds of winning runs too
:22:57. > :23:02.often. That shows you that nobody is entirely safe. Their manager hasn't
:23:03. > :23:10.lost a home game for three years. They have got some really good...
:23:11. > :23:17.Don't make me read out another fixture list! They have some very
:23:18. > :23:23.winnable home games. And this goes under the radar as far as the home
:23:24. > :23:27.team is concerned. Watford's three points against Sunderland yesterday,
:23:28. > :23:32.taking them to 34, was a vital three points. It does. Sunderland are
:23:33. > :23:37.tenth and they don't seem to have played well the entire season. They
:23:38. > :23:45.are out of it now. I think they are a strong team anyway. They are on 34
:23:46. > :23:50.with Southampton and Bournemouth. Let's turn to the Scottish
:23:51. > :23:54.Premiership title, which will be sealed today by Celtic if they win
:23:55. > :24:01.at Hearts. This was a 12:30pm kick off. We are under way here. The
:24:02. > :24:06.first time Celtic can seal that victory. It will give them a sixth
:24:07. > :24:10.successive Championship here in Scotland, and their first under
:24:11. > :24:17.Brendan Rodgers, who was connected with the Arsenal job this week. No
:24:18. > :24:23.Dembele, no Griffiths, because of a fractured vertebra sustained in last
:24:24. > :24:27.week's Scotland World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. At the moment,
:24:28. > :24:34.they have had the bulk of the play. At the moment, 0-0. Jonathan
:24:35. > :24:40.Northcroft, how do I interpret the look you gave me when he said that
:24:41. > :24:46.Brendan Rodgers had been connected with Arsenal? Scepticism. He is
:24:47. > :24:52.still in that rebuilding phase of his career. I am a fan of his, but
:24:53. > :24:56.this will be his first league title, he will have just won his first
:24:57. > :25:02.trophy in November, so he's quite a long way from being the man who to
:25:03. > :25:08.succeed Arsene Wenger. You talked about being in the rebuilding stage
:25:09. > :25:13.of his career. What is he rebuilding from? His morale. Liverpool
:25:14. > :25:25.shattered him. My concern if he went to Arsenal would be how he would be
:25:26. > :25:31.able to handle it. If he wants a big job, he will have to handle it.
:25:32. > :25:36.Nobody is getting the Arsenal job, are they? Whatever people say about
:25:37. > :25:41.Brendan at Liverpool, there was criticism at the end, he's gone into
:25:42. > :25:46.Celtic, and people cannot the Scottish league as much as they
:25:47. > :25:51.like, but everybody in Scotland to knows about football... Rangers
:25:52. > :25:56.thought they could beat Celtic, but Brendan has done nothing wrong. The
:25:57. > :26:02.last manager was really poor and they had no right to get into the
:26:03. > :26:07.Champions League. He has worked wonders this season, and should get
:26:08. > :26:12.credit for it. Chris is right. Aberdeen, my team, will get 80 odd
:26:13. > :26:18.points, and we will lose by 20 points to Celtic. So he has done a
:26:19. > :26:21.remarkable job. The other thing is, coming off the back of an
:26:22. > :26:28.international break, the England player that was praised most by the
:26:29. > :26:32.media and fans was Adam Lallana, and Stuart Armstrong was praised by
:26:33. > :26:36.Gordon Strachan is having the most impressive international debut he
:26:37. > :26:44.had seen for Scotland. Both players developed by Brendan Rodgers. You
:26:45. > :26:48.can make a case that Lallana's form has improved, and he's a lot more
:26:49. > :26:53.consistent now than he was. My question to Jonathan Wood be, if you
:26:54. > :26:59.say he is rebuilding his career, I think he's more prepared, or he has
:27:00. > :27:05.more chance or justification to get a big job now, than he did at the
:27:06. > :27:09.time he went to Liverpool. In the end what cost him his job at
:27:10. > :27:17.Liverpool was some of the things he came out in the press... Scheuer
:27:18. > :27:21.football stats, I don't think the current manager is better than he
:27:22. > :27:27.was. I don't think he did too much wrong. Celtic, when they are in
:27:28. > :27:35.town, it is always the game of the season. To go a whole season
:27:36. > :27:39.unbeaten, which he can still do, and of course the heavy defeat against
:27:40. > :27:49.Barcelona happened to others. I think Brendan Rodgers should be one
:27:50. > :27:55.of the key managers on the list. It is simple to look at Celtic this
:27:56. > :27:59.season. The transformation from last season. Totally performed the
:28:00. > :28:04.personnel, good signings, and the team has been a million times
:28:05. > :28:10.better. The signings I think were a problem in the end at Liverpool. The
:28:11. > :28:16.accusation at Liverpool was that he didn't make all of those signings.
:28:17. > :28:20.There is a point there, but I would just come back to the pressure
:28:21. > :28:25.thing. I don't think he's been under that much pressure at Celtic,
:28:26. > :28:32.because it has gone so well. I have to disagree. I saw him after one of
:28:33. > :28:39.the away games, and I have never seen Brendan looked rough. He was
:28:40. > :28:43.shaking. They were fortunate to get through in the away leg, and that
:28:44. > :28:48.was enormous. The pressure for Brendan Rodgers is going to come in
:28:49. > :28:53.the early part of the season, because Celtic fans expect. Last
:28:54. > :28:59.season they didn't, but now, expectation is high. When you go to
:29:00. > :29:05.Celtic, everybody expects you to win the league. Even the Champions
:29:06. > :29:13.League, people don't see that as an achievement. Let's move on to the
:29:14. > :29:19.Merseyside derby. Get in touch with us on #bbcfootball. Thomas sent us a
:29:20. > :29:28.text on 85058. Jonathan Northcroft, you are the media on this panel.
:29:29. > :29:34.Answer this one. Can you or one of your panel explain why the media
:29:35. > :29:37.focus so obsessively with highlighting Ross Barkley? Is that
:29:38. > :29:44.another player in the Premier League that is subjected to this kind of
:29:45. > :29:48.scrutiny? Loads of players, Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal, Costa at
:29:49. > :29:55.Chelsea... He is a focal player, and he wants to be. Who is he being
:29:56. > :30:02.built by as the next answer to Steven Gerrard? By Evertonians. Not
:30:03. > :30:07.all of them, because I think opinion is a bit divided. Some of it is not
:30:08. > :30:12.his fault. We have hyped him up as the media. But yesterday, you could
:30:13. > :30:17.not focus on Ross Barkley when you looked at Everton's performance. He
:30:18. > :30:22.had such responsibility, and he singularly failed to cope with it.
:30:23. > :30:27.It was a very bad game from him. Ryan Giggs in the Telegraph said the
:30:28. > :30:32.following, as a young player, you have to and the trust of managers
:30:33. > :30:35.and perform consistently. There were times in my early career when Steve
:30:36. > :30:43.Bruce would call me over and say, come on, we need a bit of magic to
:30:44. > :30:47.win this. I was no longer the kid of whom any meaningful contribution was
:30:48. > :30:52.to be applauded. There were expectations. My team-mates had seen
:30:53. > :30:57.me win games and wanted to see me do so again. Barkley is 23. Is he at
:30:58. > :31:00.that stage of his career? No longer a kid, and his team-mates asking for
:31:01. > :31:11.a bit of magic. Yes. Costa and Sanchez are seasoned
:31:12. > :31:15.internationals, he does not come into the same bracket so there is
:31:16. > :31:19.more scrutiny on him should be. I am huge fan of Ross Barkley, the way
:31:20. > :31:24.Everton set up at the moment it does not help him, you might compare him
:31:25. > :31:30.to Dele Alli, even though he is a few years younger, he has Wanyama,
:31:31. > :31:33.Dele Alli, who has thrived, Dembele. He has international committees and
:31:34. > :31:42.players next him. Looking at Everton, Jagielka is coming to the
:31:43. > :31:47.end of his career, others are passed 80. -- past 30. The same with
:31:48. > :31:52.Schneiderlin. I don't think he has the support that other players have.
:31:53. > :31:57.For him to progress I think the team has to bring two or three players
:31:58. > :32:01.in. For his personal development, I am not too sure if a change of clubs
:32:02. > :32:06.would be the best for him, because the fans get very nasty with him at
:32:07. > :32:10.times. Whenever things go wrong, Ross Barkley is the first one
:32:11. > :32:20.singled out by the fans, I think he does not deserve the treatment. He
:32:21. > :32:22.may not have performed to the level that he can but I don't think he
:32:23. > :32:26.deserves the criticism. Sometimes as a fan you are more harsh on your own
:32:27. > :32:30.because you want them to do so well, because they are one of you. Yes?
:32:31. > :32:34.Yes. He did not help himself in the Derby yesterday. He did the
:32:35. > :32:39.ridiculous tackle on Henderson in the first half. He lost the plot. He
:32:40. > :32:44.is of an age now, you're getting at this with Ryan Giggs, he is at a
:32:45. > :32:49.crossroads. Nobody doubts his potential but in the end he has to
:32:50. > :32:59.realise that potential. For England, should he or shouldn't he be? That
:33:00. > :33:03.is -- he is behind cellar Dele Alli, Dele Alli is streets ahead of him
:33:04. > :33:09.now. He needs to perform consistently well. Is it fair he was
:33:10. > :33:17.compared with Coutinho after yesterday? What are the differences?
:33:18. > :33:25.He is a different type of player for a start. That is why I asked if it
:33:26. > :33:31.was fair. I don't think it is. He is seen as a creator. My question would
:33:32. > :33:36.be is he in the comfort zone, has he been there for too long, does he
:33:37. > :33:41.need another manager to get the best out of him? He does not fulfil his
:33:42. > :33:45.potential, as it is now. We all agree he is better than what he
:33:46. > :33:49.shows at the moment. Everything has been built for him by a committee
:33:50. > :34:03.has played in the position he wants, earlier in his career he played
:34:04. > :34:05.wide. The manager has less to do what he wants, he does not have
:34:06. > :34:08.responsibilities, he plays number ten, he has been given the stage. He
:34:09. > :34:10.is 23, the comparison with Coutinho comes in, they are different players
:34:11. > :34:14.but similar ages. At some point, which is what Ryan Giggs is getting
:34:15. > :34:19.at, you will be judged as a senior player and Ross Barkley did not
:34:20. > :34:23.perform like one yesterday. It was a big game, big stage comic huge
:34:24. > :34:27.Derby, he should have been sent off twice.
:34:28. > :34:31.If people are watching, we have a picture of remember Lukaku behind
:34:32. > :34:35.you, he was criticised. People are saying he went missing yesterday,
:34:36. > :34:42.did not have a shot on target. Similar against Man United and
:34:43. > :34:46.Chelsea. It is very easy to go, well, Romelu Lukaku went missing, he
:34:47. > :34:51.did not do anything, but then you criticise some of the players behind
:34:52. > :34:57.him, so which is it? Maybe you excuse a striker who is not getting
:34:58. > :35:02.supply. When I was doing ratings I tried to bear in mind that he had
:35:03. > :35:07.hardly any supply, but he almost had as bad a game as Barkley. We have
:35:08. > :35:11.seen this from Lukaku before in big games, he has just not been the
:35:12. > :35:16.bully, as it were, that we have seen. Were Liverpool comfortable
:35:17. > :35:21.yesterday? Very comfortable, apart from the ten or 15 minutes when
:35:22. > :35:24.Everton equalised. Looking at the Everton team, looking at world-class
:35:25. > :35:30.players, even when they have average games or they are a bit off-colour,
:35:31. > :35:34.you want them to affect the game three, four or five times. Barkley
:35:35. > :35:40.did not do it yesterday, Lukaku did not do it. They looked a lot more
:35:41. > :35:45.solid defensively yesterday with Lovren coming back, it was a pretty
:35:46. > :35:50.comfortable afternoon the Liverpool. Pat Cronin said that Everton were
:35:51. > :35:58.shocking, did not want to compete, just wanted to kick Liverpool off
:35:59. > :36:06.the pitch. Mixmaster Du said that Berkeley... Barkley cannot be relied
:36:07. > :36:12.on. One person said if he is no good for Liverpool, how could he be going
:36:13. > :36:18.to Arsenal? He was out of his depth at Liverpool, sold out by going to
:36:19. > :36:21.Scotland with Celtic. Don't say anything, Chris! He has already
:36:22. > :36:26.failed at Liverpool, a similar underachieving club to Arsenal.
:36:27. > :36:31.Don't go that extra measure Mark let's go to the Emirates, Arsenal
:36:32. > :36:35.against man city, the 4pm game, highlights are on much of the day to
:36:36. > :36:43.later. Steve Wilson is at the Ritz, this could be an interesting
:36:44. > :36:49.atmosphere? -- Steve Wilson is at the Emirates. I heard what Bob
:36:50. > :36:54.Wilson said about this stasis which Arsenal find themselves because
:36:55. > :37:03.everybody is trying to answer will he or won't he stay. Arsene Wenger
:37:04. > :37:08.says he is not in a position to deal what that macro reveal what he is
:37:09. > :37:14.going to do. As Morrissey said all those years ago, How Soon Is Now? I
:37:15. > :37:19.agree with Bob Wilson that it is not helping anybody at this football
:37:20. > :37:24.club whilst this type of uncertainty and paralysis is going on, it will
:37:25. > :37:29.be difficult for Arsenal to achieve their goal, which can be no more
:37:30. > :37:34.than two finish in the top four of the Premier League. They could still
:37:35. > :37:37.win the FA Cup. For what it is worth, I would not state my
:37:38. > :37:41.reputation on it but I get a feeling that Wenger will be around next
:37:42. > :37:45.season. As far as Manchester City, we have
:37:46. > :37:51.already done the permutations of the title race, what happened yesterday
:37:52. > :38:00.will give them an extra spring in their step? Absolutely, looking at
:38:01. > :38:03.the title race through the kaleidoscope of how it looks on
:38:04. > :38:05.Saturday morning, it looks rather different now. Man City 12 points
:38:06. > :38:09.behind, a game in hand, they go to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and the
:38:10. > :38:12.lead could potentially be cut to six points is Man City win both these
:38:13. > :38:18.games. There is a big difference between cutting the lead on Chelsea
:38:19. > :38:22.to six points and overhauling the 6-point gap, overhauling Tottenham
:38:23. > :38:27.Hotspur. You would say that it's City win today and can win at
:38:28. > :38:33.Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as Palace did yesterday, all bets are
:38:34. > :38:39.off. Unexpectedly, there has been life thrown back into Manchester
:38:40. > :38:42.City's Premier League season. Steve Wilson, This Charming Man at the
:38:43. > :38:47.Emirates, thank you. I am told the banner is being
:38:48. > :38:54.carried down the Holloway Road saying in Arsene we rust, which
:38:55. > :38:58.makes more sense than the Wexit banner held at the couple of weeks
:38:59. > :39:04.ago. Some Arsenal fans have mixed feelings? I think it has gone past
:39:05. > :39:08.blaming Arsene Wenger. The fact that he is in charge of his destiny is
:39:09. > :39:15.wrong, it is the owners. He is not an ambitious man, from what I see,
:39:16. > :39:21.with his American franchises. He has to take the decision away from
:39:22. > :39:26.Arsene Wenger, Arsene Wenger is stubborn, he does not want to go.
:39:27. > :39:30.That whole situation will only be cleared up when the owner is strong
:39:31. > :39:35.enough and takes the decision away from Wenger. Long-term, I think
:39:36. > :39:38.there is a big question as to whether Wenger should stay,
:39:39. > :39:44.short-term situation is really damaging Arsenal. That dressing
:39:45. > :39:52.room, Chris and Didier will know better than me, when teams are
:39:53. > :39:56.whingeing about a manager's future, it does not help them. Arsenal are
:39:57. > :40:02.waiting for their manager to reveal all. It looks like it has become
:40:03. > :40:08.centred around Wenger, his ego trip, they need to move forward as a club.
:40:09. > :40:16.Why can't he just say, I am staying or I am going. He has reportedly
:40:17. > :40:20.said, I will not stop, for old people, retirement is death. If he
:40:21. > :40:25.will not continue at Arsenal, that seems he will continue elsewhere.
:40:26. > :40:29.There has been a goal at Tynecastle. When Celtic were under the cosh they
:40:30. > :40:32.responded in the fashion that wins you championships. Scott Sinclair
:40:33. > :40:37.not picked up properly on the right-hand side of the Hearts
:40:38. > :40:42.defence, they got a bit of luck with a deflection with a final shot, it
:40:43. > :40:46.rose into the roof of the net and that is why you can hear the Celtic
:40:47. > :40:53.fans booming out of their anthems. Do you think your old club will go
:40:54. > :40:57.to Arsenal and win? I think they have every chance, they
:40:58. > :41:02.look more solid since the keeper has changed. It is a sorry state of
:41:03. > :41:07.affairs, what happens at Arsenal at the moment. Uncertainty does not
:41:08. > :41:11.help. You give players excuses. The spotlight has been on him when you
:41:12. > :41:15.get beat on aggregate ten goals against Bayern Munich, some of the
:41:16. > :41:19.player should have been called out but they were not because the talk
:41:20. > :41:23.is about the manager. If he stays, fair enough, I think it would
:41:24. > :41:28.probably be time for change, but if he wants to stay, fine. At least
:41:29. > :41:33.make it clear, at the moment I don't think the situation helps anyone.
:41:34. > :41:38.Didier Hemant, Chris Sutton and Jonathan Northcroft join me. Here is
:41:39. > :41:41.the Jose Mourinho interview from yesterday.
:41:42. > :41:47.We saw you smiling with Tony Pulis at the end, did you cancel each
:41:48. > :41:53.other out? I don't know what you mean. Two team is very evenly
:41:54. > :41:59.balanced? Do you think so? I am asking you. You think so, really?
:42:00. > :42:03.You think that is a question. You were smiling with him at the end,
:42:04. > :42:07.was that an acknowledgement? I was smiling because he is my friend, I
:42:08. > :42:13.was not speaking about the game. Do you think the game was like that? I
:42:14. > :42:18.can smile if I lose, win or draw, it has nothing to do. Do you think the
:42:19. > :42:23.game was like you were saying? I was asking what you thought, that is
:42:24. > :42:27.just what I am asking. I am sorry to say, that is a silly question. When
:42:28. > :42:32.a team crosses the midfield line once in 90 minutes and the other
:42:33. > :42:36.team for 90 minutes is with the ball in the opponents half, trying and
:42:37. > :42:43.trying and trying and trying, you tell me one team cancelled the
:42:44. > :42:47.other? Chris Sutton has been given how was a Macromedia training, it
:42:48. > :42:53.seems to have worked. What is wrong with back if you disagree with the
:42:54. > :42:58.question? I don't what he said. Touch what is wrong with firing
:42:59. > :43:02.back? I don't think it was a great question, it was one-sided in terms
:43:03. > :43:08.of territory, but Mourinho should concentrate more on his team in an
:43:09. > :43:11.attacking sense. They have not scored enough, West Brom cancelled
:43:12. > :43:17.out the attacking threat of Man Utd. They are the lowest scorers in the
:43:18. > :43:21.top six, West Ham have had a great season. Rather than focus on getting
:43:22. > :43:25.back at a reporter, concentrate on the job in hand and sorting out your
:43:26. > :43:30.team. We only have 20 seconds but it is
:43:31. > :43:34.the same old story, simple, simple, simple football put across and
:43:35. > :43:38.nobody gets on the end of it? It was like that and a Van Gaal, and with
:43:39. > :43:43.Van Gaal that was also more action in the press room than on the pitch.
:43:44. > :43:50.Celtic have just gone 2-0 up at Tynecastle, the title will be
:43:51. > :43:55.theirs. Thank you to Chris, Didi and Jonathan. Swansea against
:43:56. > :43:58.Middlesbrough then Arsenal against man city today, highlights later and
:43:59. > :44:00.both commentaries on 5 live this afternoon. Goodbye.