:00:26. > :00:31.Welcome to MOTD2 Extra on BBC Two and the BBC Sport website.
:00:32. > :00:36.Joining me today are Mark Lawrenson, Jonathan Northcroft, chief football
:00:37. > :00:39.writer for The Sunday Times, and a warm welcome to Hull
:00:40. > :00:40.defender Alex Bruce, making his MOTD2 Extra debut.
:00:41. > :00:43.As ever, get involved using the hashtag #bbcfootball
:00:44. > :00:58.Over the next 45 minutes, we will look at Liverpool coming from behind
:00:59. > :01:06.at Swansea to go second in the table, Chelsea's win at Hull, and
:01:07. > :01:09.updates from Old Trafford where it's Manchester United against Stoke. A
:01:10. > :01:16.huge game later in the Premier League as Spurs host Man City, and
:01:17. > :01:21.we will also reflect on Arsene Wenger's 20 years in charge at
:01:22. > :01:28.Arsenal, as they travel to Burnley. The Ryder Cup dominates in the
:01:29. > :01:34.papers, but there is also Chelsea's win at Hull. Sunderland get a late
:01:35. > :01:39.equaliser at home to West Brom. The Telegraph choose the line that Ryan
:01:40. > :01:43.Giggs could take over from Francesco Guidolin at Swansea. And we will
:01:44. > :01:50.discuss the Swansea Liverpool game in a second. But let's go to Old
:01:51. > :01:59.Trafford. Man United against Stoke. Both sides could have scored, Peter?
:02:00. > :02:03.Yes, it could be 2-1 to United. The man who missed the first was Zlatan
:02:04. > :02:09.Ibrahimovic, put through by Pogba. Lee Grant in the Stoke goal made a
:02:10. > :02:15.couple of really good saves. Just before you came across, Pogba put
:02:16. > :02:23.through to the edge of the penalty area, and somehow skewed the ball
:02:24. > :02:34.wide. After 17 minutes, it is 0-0. Mark, it has been extremely open. It
:02:35. > :02:38.has. I think Darren Randolph made... Lee Camp made a brilliant save. I
:02:39. > :02:46.thought it was Darren Randolph! Moving on from there. We will go to
:02:47. > :02:59.Old Trafford later. We will start with Swansea against Liverpool.
:03:00. > :03:07.When they played at Anfield, they were very, very impressive.
:03:08. > :03:10.Definitely. They dug in well. Plop said going into the game that it was
:03:11. > :03:15.a massive game for them. These are the games they will have to run with
:03:16. > :03:20.if they are to be title contenders. It was a great result. Good to get a
:03:21. > :03:27.result down there after the few weeks they've had. You notice a
:03:28. > :03:32.confidence about Liverpool that wasn't there before. To see Milner
:03:33. > :03:38.chipped the penalty and express that... Previous Liverpool side
:03:39. > :03:42.might have gone a goal down there on a tough afternoon and found it
:03:43. > :03:46.difficult. But Klopp has a different spirit, and gave them the half-time
:03:47. > :03:52.rocket to put energy back into the team. And it worked. I would say,
:03:53. > :03:58.apart from the first half, that they are playing as well without the ball
:03:59. > :04:04.as with the ball. They were brilliant at stopping Hull playing.
:04:05. > :04:09.It didn't take a lot on the day. The front six now, as soon as it goes to
:04:10. > :04:13.one of the opposing defenders or midfielders, they are all in. They
:04:14. > :04:22.get the ball back so quickly, and Klopp loves it. They are a proper
:04:23. > :04:27.unit now. You watch them drop Daniel Sturridge for an extended period,
:04:28. > :04:32.and it's not even a story. People understand the team dynamics. It
:04:33. > :04:41.makes sense to have some Eno rather than Sturridge. And Firmino,
:04:42. > :04:45.Lallana... All those players just coming back from fitness. They can
:04:46. > :04:51.play anywhere across the front. They've all got pace and a little
:04:52. > :04:57.bit of a trick on the ball. They can all score goals and make goals for
:04:58. > :05:02.themselves. You have had to play, your Hull side, Arsenal, Man United,
:05:03. > :05:08.Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester already this season. The
:05:09. > :05:13.circumstances of games are different, and there was a red card,
:05:14. > :05:16.as we said. But from what your team-mates are saying, were they the
:05:17. > :05:21.most difficult side to play this season? We went down to ten men, so
:05:22. > :05:27.it was difficult. The way they pressed from the front, they made it
:05:28. > :05:32.very difficult for our boys. It's difficult at Anfield with 11, let
:05:33. > :05:39.alone ten. Arsenal were very impressive as well. If I was going
:05:40. > :05:42.to be honest, speaking to a few of the lads, David definitely given us
:05:43. > :05:46.the most problems. If we talk about how good they are when they don't
:05:47. > :05:50.have the ball, are they the most difficult to play against when you
:05:51. > :05:55.yourselves have had a ball? Definitely. They all have pace, they
:05:56. > :06:01.all know their jobs, they hunt the ball in packs and they pressed from
:06:02. > :06:06.the front. The spirit that Klopp has created is rubbing off on everybody,
:06:07. > :06:10.because from the outside looking in, you can see they've all bags of
:06:11. > :06:19.confidence. Great time to be injured! Is there a vulnerability
:06:20. > :06:24.about them? Klopp has admitted this himself, on set pieces? Yes, because
:06:25. > :06:29.they have conceded goals. The thing about them at the moment, they just
:06:30. > :06:33.looked like they could score against anybody. They've made so many
:06:34. > :06:38.chances. The good thing yesterday was that they were poor in the first
:06:39. > :06:43.half, by their own admission, that they turned it round. When you play
:06:44. > :06:54.poorly and win in this league, it is the sign of a good side. What about
:06:55. > :06:56.when you don't play that badly and lose? Do you have some sympathy for
:06:57. > :06:59.Guidolin and the pressure he's under? I do, because you could see
:07:00. > :07:04.the reaction yesterday. The players are still with him. They carried out
:07:05. > :07:10.his game plan, yet it all came to nothing in the end, probably because
:07:11. > :07:16.of a silly penalty. It was a silly challenge. Because of that, a guy's
:07:17. > :07:21.job is on the line now, and it could have been different. What I can't
:07:22. > :07:26.understand is, there's obviously something happening. Why wouldn't
:07:27. > :07:31.Swansea just name it and say, he's fine, he just needs to win a couple
:07:32. > :07:36.of games. But there's nothing coming out of Swansea saying he's fine with
:07:37. > :07:42.his job. More thoughts on Guidolin in a moment, but let's hear from the
:07:43. > :07:48.man himself now. In my situation, my position, it is
:07:49. > :07:56.clear for me, because I have just to work with my players week by week,
:07:57. > :08:01.day by day. I don't know. It's not this my problem in this moment, and
:08:02. > :08:10.our problem, my problem is our table is not good. To have some points
:08:11. > :08:14.more in our team, but I think if our team play in this way, we have the
:08:15. > :08:19.possibility to turn round the situation.
:08:20. > :08:26.The pressure has built from earlier, mainly from the defeat to Man City.
:08:27. > :08:30.Some of their earlier results. They have had a poor start. I feel for
:08:31. > :08:35.the manager because under enormous pressure. If they are going to make
:08:36. > :08:39.a decision, they either need to back the manager and put everything to
:08:40. > :08:48.bed, or they need to make a change and get on with it. The problem is,
:08:49. > :08:50.with all the uncertainty around the place, it feeds into performances.
:08:51. > :08:58.Yesterday, you could see how dejected the players were. He's
:08:59. > :09:05.managing the club day-to-day. But they also feel maybe they are in a
:09:06. > :09:10.period of... I hate this word... I'm going to use it, because I can't
:09:11. > :09:14.think of another one. This period of transition. I have heard some say
:09:15. > :09:19.this season already, for example when they lost at Southampton, they
:09:20. > :09:22.are not sure what their identity is at the moment, and maybe that comes
:09:23. > :09:33.from Guidolin coming in, losing Ashley Williams... That was the case
:09:34. > :09:37.last year, when Guidolin arrived. He put round gel back in the team and
:09:38. > :09:41.got the identity going again. Swansea are like a Sunderland or
:09:42. > :09:46.West Brom, where they have perfected the art of staying in the Premier
:09:47. > :09:50.League. Though arguably, they have been better than West Brom or
:09:51. > :09:54.Sunderland recently. Over the years, but I think they are settling for
:09:55. > :09:58.that mindset of staying in the Premier League. As a result, they
:09:59. > :10:04.sack managers very easily. They were quick to get rid of Garry Monk. I
:10:05. > :10:09.think that might be the problem for Guidolin. They are not going to wait
:10:10. > :10:14.to see if he turns it around. For them, it's staying in the Premier
:10:15. > :10:22.League. You will keep getting transition if you keep sacking
:10:23. > :10:29.managers. Flux is a better word. I do think, with them, it is a case
:10:30. > :10:33.of, if you keep sacking managers, it never works. Seriously, because the
:10:34. > :10:38.new manager comes in, he doesn't fancy him or him, wants to turn it
:10:39. > :10:44.round, and he doesn't get the results. It doesn't work. It is a
:10:45. > :10:48.short-term solution, which is what Sunderland are facing. They've
:10:49. > :10:53.sacked so many managers, and changed squad, they are left with nothing.
:10:54. > :10:58.Can you understand why Ryan Giggs appears to be the favourite at the
:10:59. > :11:04.moment, Alex? I can. If you look at the recent history of Swansea,
:11:05. > :11:11.they've had the likes of Garry Monk and Brendan Rodgers, a certain kind
:11:12. > :11:15.of man. You might think Ryan might fit the bill, a young manager with a
:11:16. > :11:20.lot to prove. We will have to wait and see. It will be a huge
:11:21. > :11:25.opportunity for someone like Brian, getting a Premier League job for his
:11:26. > :11:33.first job. Exactly. Is he the favourite for this job because he is
:11:34. > :11:36.Ryan Giggs? Without annoying Birmingham fans, if you wanted a
:11:37. > :11:39.young, upcoming manager, what is wrong with Gary Rau won at
:11:40. > :11:45.Birmingham, who did great things at Burton and then stabilised
:11:46. > :11:52.Birmingham, just as an example? I agree. For Ryan Giggs, it might be
:11:53. > :11:56.better to start with Gary Rau it. If he walks into Swansea, he will face
:11:57. > :12:00.the same pressures as Garry Monk and Guidolin face. He will have to win
:12:01. > :12:06.four or five of his first ten games, which is difficult. I think the
:12:07. > :12:10.better the club and the better the standard of players you start with
:12:11. > :12:17.as a manager, the better the start you've got. But it is a risk for the
:12:18. > :12:22.club. It is a risk for the club nowadays whoever you point. Let's go
:12:23. > :12:33.bad to old Trafford and Peter Slater. It could have been 4-2 by
:12:34. > :12:40.now. Another fine save by Lee Grant. He tipped a Paul Pogba effort a row
:12:41. > :12:45.-- over the crossbar early on. But it remains 0-0.
:12:46. > :12:51.Let's talk hole and Chelsea next, after a win for the away side at the
:12:52. > :12:57.cake on Stadium. Diego Costa getting one of the goals. We were talking
:12:58. > :13:01.about what it is like to play against Diego Costa. Reading between
:13:02. > :13:09.the lines, you were saying it is fun. It is fun. It's not fun if you
:13:10. > :13:15.take an elbow round the chops from him, but he's a great player. Seeing
:13:16. > :13:20.his quality yesterday, it was a superb finish. The lads played very
:13:21. > :13:25.well. They frustrated Chelsea and forced them to make errors. A bit
:13:26. > :13:32.like Klopp, whatever Conte said half-time, they were a different
:13:33. > :13:36.team second-half. Two great pieces of skill from Willian and Costa that
:13:37. > :13:43.had the goals. Is the Chelsea side still trying to find some kind of
:13:44. > :13:47.rhythm? Definitely. They looked a bit short of confidence, but as soon
:13:48. > :13:54.as they got that first goal, they gained momentum. They made it very
:13:55. > :13:58.difficult for Hull. Would you say it is a Chelsea manager who doesn't
:13:59. > :14:10.know his best team yet? Chopping and changing. He went three at the back.
:14:11. > :14:15.He put Azpilicueta right back, and Gary Cahill Centre half with David
:14:16. > :14:20.Luiz. He changed the back for around. And they looked comfortable,
:14:21. > :14:25.the back four did. Do you think they need a lot of change in January? Do
:14:26. > :14:30.you think Conte has started to realise that that might be the case?
:14:31. > :14:35.I'm interested what he will do with Matic, because the balance of the
:14:36. > :14:40.midfield isn't right. Kante has bags of energy and heat can prove
:14:41. > :14:44.himself, but he's almost one man at times. Matic hasn't been half the
:14:45. > :14:49.player he was when he started at Chelsea. Watching them against
:14:50. > :14:52.Liverpool, Hazard spent ages waiting for the ball. You cannot have
:14:53. > :15:00.quality players you are not getting the ball to. He needs a change in
:15:01. > :15:04.midfield, or something. The thing with Abramovich, he's always backed
:15:05. > :15:08.his managers in the early spells. He's saying he would like to
:15:09. > :15:13.strengthen it in January. Easy to say, but difficult to do, because
:15:14. > :15:19.why didn't you do it before August the 31st? What you would say,
:15:20. > :15:25.despite their fluent best, and despite doubts over the squad, they
:15:26. > :15:30.are in sixth. But they should be in sixth at the very least. That brings
:15:31. > :15:35.us to the next point, concerning Hull as well. Is there that top six
:15:36. > :15:40.and seven, then everybody else below? Absolutely, this year more
:15:41. > :15:45.than there's been for a long time, most definitely.
:15:46. > :15:52.Everton might be the gate-crashers from as it were. Leicester could
:15:53. > :15:57.still do something but the big teams have strengthened and the big
:15:58. > :16:01.managers have made an impact. Not just strengthened but also spent
:16:02. > :16:06.massive money which the other teams struggle to do. When the top six
:16:07. > :16:11.spend 30, 40 million on certain individuals it is difficult to
:16:12. > :16:14.compete. Is it a cliche used by the media, we've talked about your
:16:15. > :16:18.difficult start, but in many ways a of those games are free hits for you
:16:19. > :16:23.and it comes down to when you might play or Watford, or Burnley? They
:16:24. > :16:27.will be our big games, we will not get judged on Chelsea and Liverpool.
:16:28. > :16:30.It would be nice to pick up bonus points on those games but if
:16:31. > :16:33.somebody said to us going into this international break seven points
:16:34. > :16:40.from seven games with the teams we have played we would snatch your
:16:41. > :16:44.hand off. And it was of their own doing. We saw yesterday that when
:16:45. > :16:48.those sides play each other that it's more important maybe not to
:16:49. > :16:54.lose than to get three points. We have seen so many draws amongst the
:16:55. > :16:57.similar teams. I thought that at Sunderland, the margins for
:16:58. > :17:03.Sunderland at times getting that equaliser were huge. They couldn't
:17:04. > :17:07.afford to lose to West Brom. David Moyes knows you have to win their
:17:08. > :17:11.home games against your peers to stay in the league. There is a
:17:12. > :17:16.league within the Premier League, is you want to finish sixth out of the
:17:17. > :17:20.bottom six, at the top of the bottom six and there is more than six teams
:17:21. > :17:24.trying to do that. As far as Mike Phelan is concerned, you wouldn't be
:17:25. > :17:27.saying anything new if you were sitting here saying all of the
:17:28. > :17:32.players wanted him to stay. Definitely. It's been difficult for
:17:33. > :17:37.him. It is clarity over his future and he has said he wants the job.
:17:38. > :17:47.I'm sure they are sorting everything out, I hope so. Has there been
:17:48. > :17:50.continuity from him from your dad? To be honest Mick Phelan has come in
:17:51. > :17:56.and he has his own ideas but we still have Stephen Clemence and Gary
:17:57. > :18:00.was, players who have been with my dad a long time. Not a lot has
:18:01. > :18:07.changed. But obviously Mick has his own ideas and he's doing his own
:18:08. > :18:18.thing. The son Fiona runs the club now, interestingly. -- the son of
:18:19. > :18:21.the owner. Why wouldn't you just sort out his contract? The other
:18:22. > :18:25.thing is you've got to be careful, Mike Phelan is managing Hull in the
:18:26. > :18:29.Premier League at the moment but there will be a few clubs who will
:18:30. > :18:32.surely start sniffing around, particularly in the Championship,
:18:33. > :18:35.they are dispensing with the services of their own manager.
:18:36. > :18:38.Absolutely and naturally we were talking about Ryan Giggs and if he
:18:39. > :18:43.came into a Premier League club he might need an experienced head and
:18:44. > :18:46.Mick Phelan might be the first person he turns to. If his future
:18:47. > :18:50.isn't settled at Hull he might look at that as an attractive proposition
:18:51. > :18:56.and then you look at Derby and other clubs in the Championship who would
:18:57. > :18:58.go for him. He's got a lot in his locker, he worked with Alex Ferguson
:18:59. > :19:02.for a long time and achieved a lot of success with Manchester United.
:19:03. > :19:07.He's been around for a long while and he is a good manager. Why aren't
:19:08. > :19:12.they giving him a contract? It comes back to the same point. Still
:19:13. > :19:18.goalless at Old Trafford, 0-0. When do you expect to come back? When you
:19:19. > :19:25.play Bournemouth! One of the easier games! Back to running next week as
:19:26. > :19:29.Mike back to running next week, hopefully. Moving on to the game at
:19:30. > :19:32.the Stadium Of Light, late equaliser for Sunderland for Patrick van
:19:33. > :19:35.Aanholt against West Brom and it didn't leave David Moyes
:19:36. > :19:39.particularly positive afterwards. I thought their energy and
:19:40. > :19:42.commitment was great. I thought their endeavour and what they tried
:19:43. > :19:49.to do was fantastic. Undoubtedly we are lacking bits of quality but even
:19:50. > :19:53.today we have no centre forwards to put on at a goal down and no
:19:54. > :19:58.forwards to put on, I should say. So we had to change the system a bit
:19:59. > :20:03.and try and find another way to get a goal from somewhere and thankfully
:20:04. > :20:07.we did. Pat came on and got a goal. Jonathan North Croft, Alex Bruce and
:20:08. > :20:12.Micah Lawrence are listening to you, David Moyes. Is there a fine line
:20:13. > :20:14.between realism and pessimism? There is.
:20:15. > :20:20.Which side of it is David Moyes at the moment? I think he is realism.
:20:21. > :20:24.You'll never get pretence with David Moyes. He always tries to be upfront
:20:25. > :20:28.with supporters. Personally if I was a Sunderland fan I'd be happy he is
:20:29. > :20:31.telling me as it is and he is putting messages out there to be
:20:32. > :20:35.ownership as well because by talking about having not having players to
:20:36. > :20:38.put on that is a clear comment that may become the January transfer
:20:39. > :20:45.window you would want to try and sign a forward. He's always found it
:20:46. > :20:49.hard to be positive when he doesn't feel things are going well. I think
:20:50. > :20:53.Fiona has lost a great deal of interest, to be honest with you. I
:20:54. > :20:57.don't know how he got David Moyes to sign his new contract but I'm sure
:20:58. > :21:00.promises were made that have not been met. I think it's the most
:21:01. > :21:04.difficult job he's ever had but when the owner doesn't show much
:21:05. > :21:11.interest, where is it going? It is the Randy Lerner syndrome. That
:21:12. > :21:14.would be my fear for Sunderland. Ellis Short. When the owner loses
:21:15. > :21:18.interest in a football club it really begins to drift and the fans
:21:19. > :21:23.will pick up on it. The fans will most definitely pick up on it. Fans
:21:24. > :21:29.want to see belief, don't they? URA fan as well, if the manager of your
:21:30. > :21:33.club was coming out, being some fans would say defeatist, in post-match
:21:34. > :21:37.interviews, you would say what is the point, wouldn't you? You've got
:21:38. > :21:40.to read between the lines of what David Moyes is saying. He's trying
:21:41. > :21:44.to say to the fans there is a problem. Has been a problem at
:21:45. > :21:48.Sunderland for a few years, which is when Ellis Short bought the club he
:21:49. > :21:52.should have put this plan in, do the academy and all these kinds of
:21:53. > :21:56.things. We are back to that kind of keep sacking the managers, keep
:21:57. > :22:00.changing everybody around. David Moyes's problem is he is a manager
:22:01. > :22:04.Ellis Short wanted for about four years and tried to get him three or
:22:05. > :22:08.four times and he's got him and sat back and thought, things are fine, I
:22:09. > :22:12.don't need to invest or anything. Don't forget Sam Allardyce got the
:22:13. > :22:18.England job on the back of keeping them up, and everybody agreed he had
:22:19. > :22:22.done a fantastic job and that was only keeping them up by one game.
:22:23. > :22:25.Sunderland hardly spent any money, in the spending table they would be
:22:26. > :22:30.somewhere near the bottom. Even since dad was there when he was
:22:31. > :22:34.manager of Sunderland he had a very good strikeforce in Danny Welbeck on
:22:35. > :22:40.loan, Asamoah Zhang, Darren Bent. Since they left the club, however
:22:41. > :22:45.many years ago, six or seven years ago, they have never really replaced
:22:46. > :22:50.them. -- Gyan. Since then the attacking force hasn't been there.
:22:51. > :22:53.There is so much pressure on Jermain Defoe, if he doesn't score
:22:54. > :22:56.Sunderland. Score and that's the point David Moyes makes when he
:22:57. > :22:59.hasn't got a striker to bring on it is difficult in the Premier League,
:23:00. > :23:04.but on the flip side he cannot change things until January because
:23:05. > :23:07.he cannot sign anyone until then so he has to stay upbeat and positive.
:23:08. > :23:14.Will he still be able to change anything in January? It wasn't like
:23:15. > :23:18.he came in on August 31, he did have a transfer window to try and do
:23:19. > :23:22.stuff. Yesterday's opponents, Tony Pulis, said maybe there are lacking
:23:23. > :23:28.quality but he managed to get a couple in. Nacer Chadli being the
:23:29. > :23:32.prime example. Yes, and he is missing Adnan Januzaj, that was the
:23:33. > :23:36.big signing he felt he had made in the window. If you look at the
:23:37. > :23:43.signings they are bargain bucket, loans, scrambling around to see what
:23:44. > :23:48.he can get. Pound Stretcher. Somebody like Crystal Palace you
:23:49. > :23:51.might think is an equal team, they side Christian Benteke a. They are a
:23:52. > :23:55.bigger club through the nature of how many they get in their stadium.
:23:56. > :24:00.If you use West Brom as an example, but they have a really good
:24:01. > :24:05.defensive pace to build from. Have Sunderland? No. Back to Old
:24:06. > :24:08.Trafford, Peter Slater. 38 minutes played, still goalless, it shouldn't
:24:09. > :24:13.be, I reckon Manchester United maybe could have scored half a dozen,
:24:14. > :24:15.Kevin Kilbane is alongside me, and my right?
:24:16. > :24:21.Yes, Lee Camp is playing extremely well at the moment. The saves he has
:24:22. > :24:25.made, two or three great saves, Stoke are sitting deep, they are
:24:26. > :24:28.allowing pressure to be built, United gaining momentum, excellent
:24:29. > :24:34.movement around Ibrahimovic upfront and as you said this could be four
:24:35. > :24:40.or five at the moment. To be fair he is keeping the minute. What about
:24:41. > :24:44.Stoke? David De Gea had one shot to deal with. Brilliant movement from
:24:45. > :24:47.Joe Allen getting behind United's backline and when he gets into
:24:48. > :24:50.position he should do better, he didn't strike the chance well enough
:24:51. > :24:54.and De Gea wasn't tested enough. Other than that it has been pretty
:24:55. > :24:59.much one-way traffic from United. So there we are, five minutes until
:25:00. > :25:03.half-time, Lee Grant, or whoever the keeper is, have made three saves,
:25:04. > :25:09.United have missed three and it remains 0-0. Onto one of the other
:25:10. > :25:12.matches at 2:15pm at White Hart Lane, arguably the best Game Of The
:25:13. > :25:16.Day, Spurs against Manchester City, highlights on Match of the Day 2
:25:17. > :25:20.later went Simon Brotherton will be your commentator.
:25:21. > :25:25.We are looking forward to the game at White Hart Lane. The former
:25:26. > :25:29.Tottenham manager David Pleat has joined me on the touchline. Did you
:25:30. > :25:32.have an extra spring in your step as you walked into White Hart Lane
:25:33. > :25:37.today? Lots to look forward to and tactically it could be interesting.
:25:38. > :25:41.Early-season glamour game, the top two teams, prior to yesterday they
:25:42. > :25:45.were top, top and defending well and only conceding three goals, two from
:25:46. > :25:50.set plays. So that is a real plus for the way they will work and make
:25:51. > :25:56.sure they defend their gold and City are an exciting team so it should be
:25:57. > :26:02.an exciting game. You say the style makes for a good game. They are
:26:03. > :26:06.clever managers and it could be that one of the managers plays
:26:07. > :26:10.differently, who knows. If they both play the pressing game and try and
:26:11. > :26:15.win the ball early we will have ebb and flow. It hasn't taken Pep
:26:16. > :26:19.Guardiola long to make an impact at Manchester City, has it? He has
:26:20. > :26:23.integrated the players welly well -- very well, Gundogan, he played well
:26:24. > :26:28.in Germany and I'm looking forward to seeing him because he is getting
:26:29. > :26:33.going. I think he could be a danger to Tottenham, he is a talented
:26:34. > :26:37.player. And Aguero scores the goals. Last year City were a bit
:26:38. > :26:42.unfortunate, Tottenham scored at a vital time, disputed goal, and won
:26:43. > :26:47.comfortably 4-1, big result. Who is going to be lucky today? Have you
:26:48. > :26:53.seen much of Tottenham this season? I've seen enough of them. Enough to
:26:54. > :26:57.feel optimistic on their behalf? Yes, the way they interchange
:26:58. > :27:00.players is very clever and when they lose the ball they are very
:27:01. > :27:03.responsible to each other. Wherever they lose the ball, it doesn't
:27:04. > :27:06.matter if they are in a different position, they get back quickly to
:27:07. > :27:11.recover to try and regain possession, very good at that. They
:27:12. > :27:16.pass for fun at times, sometimes overpass, but I think goals could be
:27:17. > :27:20.the problem without Harry Kane. But at the same time I think they've
:27:21. > :27:24.done very well because they did have a disappointing few games at the end
:27:25. > :27:29.of last season but I think they've got over it. To what extent do you
:27:30. > :27:32.feel Harry Kane's fitness is key to Tottenham's title hopes? Not just
:27:33. > :27:37.because of his goals because he is a focal point and they can find him
:27:38. > :27:40.from deep positions if they have two players they get out of trouble ball
:27:41. > :27:44.and he holds the ball up well but so does Janssen, he holds up the ball
:27:45. > :27:49.well but he needs luck in front of goal. Whether he will play today I
:27:50. > :27:51.don't know, they might play sun upfront, but Harry is important to
:27:52. > :27:58.them because he has this wonderful personality -- play Son. He has a
:27:59. > :28:02.great personality and he is a fine player and is still very young. Kick
:28:03. > :28:07.off at White Hart Lane in the sunshine at 2:15pm.
:28:08. > :28:11.Thank you to Simon and David at White Hart Lane. How would you
:28:12. > :28:18.describe Spurs so far this season, Mark Lawrenson? Efficient?
:28:19. > :28:22.Efficient. Manchester City and Tottenham, basically built from back
:28:23. > :28:27.to front, whereas City front to back, as you would say. If you were
:28:28. > :28:31.Pochettino today you are not going to let Manchester City's main
:28:32. > :28:36.players play, that's the first thing. He will say we will be really
:28:37. > :28:40.difficult and it's probably about making a goal from Tottenham's point
:28:41. > :28:44.of view. I agree, I think it will be a great game, one to look forward to
:28:45. > :28:49.and with the strikeforce City have got with the form Aguero and De
:28:50. > :28:54.Bruyne are in at the moment. Tottenham are a match for anybody,
:28:55. > :28:57.though. The difference between Spurs and most teams is they are
:28:58. > :29:00.proactive, they will play against City on the front foot and try and
:29:01. > :29:04.get at them and we haven't really seen that in the Premier League to
:29:05. > :29:07.Manchester City yet. Manchester United stood off them and suffer the
:29:08. > :29:12.consequences so it is a real test from that point of view. I'm just
:29:13. > :29:17.interested to see how the fact these managers know each other well will
:29:18. > :29:20.play out. You talked about not standing off them. Obviously on
:29:21. > :29:24.Wednesday night Celtic most definitely didn't stand off. But
:29:25. > :29:29.equally I'm sure every Celtic fan would agree, who was at Celtic Park
:29:30. > :29:32.on Wednesday night, for the last 15 minutes or so the majority of the
:29:33. > :29:37.Celtic team who had played the full 90 minutes looked absolutely whacked
:29:38. > :29:41.because it can't just be... It's not just the physical side it must be
:29:42. > :29:45.the mental side as well. And also at Celtic, going there, it might have
:29:46. > :29:49.affected some of the City lads and they might be tired and fatigue so
:29:50. > :29:53.interesting to see their response. Great chance to put a marker down to
:29:54. > :29:56.say we have gone to Spurs and beating them as well and then the
:29:57. > :29:59.Premier League will wake up and think they need serious business. We
:30:00. > :30:06.will see how the game goes. It is far more physical than mental. Yeah.
:30:07. > :30:10.If you look at the level Celtic play at and then look at Manchester City.
:30:11. > :30:15.I'm not surprised they were tied at the end. The story of Spurs' season
:30:16. > :30:19.last year, they kept the incredible intensity going until the last few
:30:20. > :30:22.weeks. That's the question about Pochettino's approach and maybe
:30:23. > :30:26.Klopp's approach but they will have enough energy to press City today
:30:27. > :30:30.but just a high risk against a team like City because if they play
:30:31. > :30:37.around you they will kill you. There is no De Bruyne. De Bruyne is
:30:38. > :30:50.injured. So that helps. Except the then have Gundogan and David Silva
:30:51. > :30:54.ASBOs two head of Fernandinho. -- as those two ahead of Fernandinho. You
:30:55. > :30:57.have to go and play, not just watched City. Pochettino is quite
:30:58. > :31:01.old school, he always gets the striker to play the goalkeeper,
:31:02. > :31:04.School football stuff. Harry Kane charges at goalkeepers and it will
:31:05. > :31:08.be interesting to see if Janssen does that to Bravo with the fact he
:31:09. > :31:12.will try and play football as a goalkeeper. Is that still your area
:31:13. > :31:19.of biggest question, I suppose, over Spurs? Without Kane is there enough
:31:20. > :31:23.to super-team, not just scoring goals, but is there enough to
:31:24. > :31:31.super-team without him? Yes, because he does a lot more than just score
:31:32. > :31:35.goals. -- suit the team. Jansen and Son are energetic players but they
:31:36. > :31:41.look a step down to Kane. They have not played anybody great so far. The
:31:42. > :31:44.thing with Kane, because he's such a good player, he's almost moulded the
:31:45. > :31:50.team around himself. As David Pleat just said it is not just his
:31:51. > :31:54.goal-scoring, it's everything about him, he presses from the front. He
:31:55. > :31:58.is a physical presence and when you take it out of the team he starts
:31:59. > :32:04.for them, the rest of them go with him.
:32:05. > :32:15.Is he one of those who wants to play on his own, like Henry? He can run
:32:16. > :32:17.where he wants, he can do what he wants, and it's difficult to
:32:18. > :32:21.replicate that with somebody who doesn't play that way. So two
:32:22. > :32:26.questions there. Because of Harry Kane and how he has developed this
:32:27. > :32:32.role for himself as Spurs, is it quite hard for Spurs to find someone
:32:33. > :32:37.to take the load of Harry Kane, because they have Harry Kane? If you
:32:38. > :32:41.were a strike of the King to join the club, you would think that you
:32:42. > :32:48.are not going to get in ahead of him. Whoever they do get in, it is
:32:49. > :32:51.competition. With competition brings a better performance from Harry
:32:52. > :32:57.Kane, because he knows someone is banging on the door to get in. It's
:32:58. > :33:01.a difficult one. But when Kane does play, he's an old-fashioned centre
:33:02. > :33:07.forward, and Spurs don't have anything else. What is he like to
:33:08. > :33:12.play against? People's you around, his physical, he works hard, and
:33:13. > :33:19.he's an out and out centre forward. The other centre forwards come in
:33:20. > :33:24.little holes and drop off. You know what it's like. A totally different
:33:25. > :33:32.type of player to play. Scores all kinds of goals. Let's go to Old
:33:33. > :33:36.Trafford now. Still 0-0. I reckon Man United should have had half a
:33:37. > :33:45.dozen. Lee Grant has made some good saves. They've been good going
:33:46. > :33:50.forward. They've been excellent. The movement of Rashford and Lingard has
:33:51. > :33:56.been excellent. United are really having a bit of a field day,
:33:57. > :34:00.especially in the last third. Credit to league runs are making some
:34:01. > :34:07.top-class saves. Three top-class saves. He is keeping them in it.
:34:08. > :34:13.Apart from that, Stoke are offering little in the final third. Stoke
:34:14. > :34:21.haven't done too much. We discussed real Fred Bony in the first half. He
:34:22. > :34:26.is completely off the pace. If you get someone that's a willing runner,
:34:27. > :34:32.who will work for the team, Stoke have a chance in this game, because
:34:33. > :34:37.United haven't been great. Ronnie is way off it and he does not look fit
:34:38. > :34:41.enough to play at this level. Both managers look frustrated at
:34:42. > :34:47.half-time. Thank you. A feud tweets. Why does
:34:48. > :34:51.everybody think Giggs is right for Swansea? Is it because he is Welsh?
:34:52. > :34:58.He has never inspired like Gareth Bale. Yesterday they played well
:34:59. > :35:07.against City and Liverpool. Let's go to one of the other games this week,
:35:08. > :35:12.Burnley against Arsenal. As far as Arsenal are concerned, all the talk
:35:13. > :35:20.is of arson Wenger's 20 years at the club. A bit sentimental. I want to
:35:21. > :35:28.work and I want to do well. I accept as well that it can finish tomorrow.
:35:29. > :35:34.It is a love story, and a love story you expect always to last forever,
:35:35. > :35:39.but you know it can end every day. You don't expect it, though, to stop
:35:40. > :35:45.any time soon. When it stops I think it will be on Wenger's terms. I know
:35:46. > :35:49.out of contract at the end of the season, but I think you'll get a new
:35:50. > :35:56.one, if he wants it. He hasn't won any league titles in the last ten
:35:57. > :36:00.years. That might be a reason. It might. I've been looking at this 20
:36:01. > :36:04.year anniversary, and you just reflect what he's given English
:36:05. > :36:09.football and the club, and how appalling it would be for the club
:36:10. > :36:13.to sack him. I don't think it can. Wenger has given continental ideas
:36:14. > :36:19.in terms of playing, nutrition, training, which we now take the
:36:20. > :36:23.granted, that he introduced. He built that stadium for Arsenal. I
:36:24. > :36:31.think he should have won the title, of course. Surely, that's a massive
:36:32. > :36:36.negative against all the positives. Yes, but don't forget he's had to
:36:37. > :36:41.contend with Chelsea, amid all the money. And Manchester City. I'm with
:36:42. > :36:46.Jonathan. He's up there on the pedestal for me. It's about what
:36:47. > :36:50.clubs want. Do you want to look short-term and go for something with
:36:51. > :36:57.quick satisfaction, maybe a title, or do you want to reward a great,
:36:58. > :37:05.and somebody who's had custodianship of the club? He has built that club.
:37:06. > :37:11.Heat they have been like United. God help whoever will replace him. On
:37:12. > :37:17.who will replace him, should he have a say in it? I think so. Arsenal
:37:18. > :37:22.have a certain identity from what he's built there. Arsenal have an
:37:23. > :37:27.attractive style of football that you want to watch. I think if Wenger
:37:28. > :37:31.left and they went away from that identity, it would be a shame. I
:37:32. > :37:38.think it would be right if he had a say. Why wouldn't you want to pick
:37:39. > :37:43.his brains, if you were the chief exec? As long as you don't ask
:37:44. > :37:48.players, it will be fine. But for all the great stuff he did for the
:37:49. > :37:52.football club, for all the great football they've played, the success
:37:53. > :37:57.side of it, which is what fans want... I'm sure Arsenal fans
:37:58. > :38:01.couldn't give two hoots what Arsene Wenger has given to English
:38:02. > :38:07.football. They care about their own club first and forwards. I am
:38:08. > :38:12.speaking as a neutral and a romantic, maybe. The question of
:38:13. > :38:17.succession. If there is one chink in Wenger's armour, he hasn't developed
:38:18. > :38:21.his ex-players as managers, kept them in the club. None of the
:38:22. > :38:26.ex-Arsenal players have gone into management in the way that ex-Man
:38:27. > :38:33.United players did. Ferguson always encourage them to be in the setup.
:38:34. > :38:38.That is the odd thing about him. And choosing a successor, he doesn't
:38:39. > :38:42.seem to think in those terms. Is that a weakness? I am guessing here.
:38:43. > :38:48.If a lot of them went into it, would they want his job? I don't think so.
:38:49. > :38:54.I think he's fairly bullet-proof. What he has failed to do is win the
:38:55. > :39:02.league a couple of times in the last ten years. So have 18 other clubs
:39:03. > :39:05.every season, plus Arsenal. I think he's been an absolutely fantastic
:39:06. > :39:10.manager. Sometimes he makes me laugh and comes out with banners and so
:39:11. > :39:17.one, and then somebody goes and sets fire to the banner in the garden.
:39:18. > :39:21.And how many years has he been chief of football as well? You could see
:39:22. > :39:28.them finishing in the top for every season. It just shows how difficult
:39:29. > :39:34.it is, with Chelsea last season. I am playing devil's advocate.
:39:35. > :39:40.Champions League football, finishes second in the group and goes out in
:39:41. > :39:45.the last 16. I know what you're saying. But that is playing
:39:46. > :39:50.Barcelona as well. That's because they finished second in the group!
:39:51. > :39:54.If you are the Sunday Times football correspondent and deliver great
:39:55. > :39:59.articles, do you then reserve the right to choose when you leave the
:40:00. > :40:07.Sunday Times? That's completely different! I am not going to go down
:40:08. > :40:13.as one of the greats, whereas Wenger is in that category of Ferguson,
:40:14. > :40:18.Shankly, Busby... He has made that level of impact on English shocker.
:40:19. > :40:22.I would hate to see a figure of that stature be sacked. How do Burnley
:40:23. > :40:32.approach the game this afternoon? Bearing in mind, they beat Liverpool
:40:33. > :40:36.with 90% possession. After seeing Arsenal last week, light a candle
:40:37. > :40:40.and hope they have an off day! When you play the top four, you've just
:40:41. > :40:45.got to hope for a bit of luck and hope they have an off day. If
:40:46. > :40:52.Arsenal turn up, they will be in for a tough afternoon. Talk about Spurs
:40:53. > :40:55.not going to sit there enjoy it, I am not saying that Burnley will sit
:40:56. > :41:03.there enjoy it, but just be solid and try and hit it? If you dominate
:41:04. > :41:08.the midfield, you dominate the game, and it is something Burnley will
:41:09. > :41:13.have to stop Arsenal doing. They have differential Ocado which is a
:41:14. > :41:19.big chance today. -- they have Jermain Defoe. Talking about games
:41:20. > :41:24.against sides who will be there or thereabouts around you, you have the
:41:25. > :41:31.bonus against Liverpool and the three points. That will give more
:41:32. > :41:35.confidence as well. That is on 5 Live this afternoon. Full coverage
:41:36. > :41:41.of the Ryder Cup as well, with all the singles between Europe and the
:41:42. > :41:44.USA. Also Southampton against Leicester this afternoon. Jonathan,
:41:45. > :41:50.you wrote the book on how Leicester's season went last year. I
:41:51. > :41:57.bet that was easy to write! He chose to do it in August as well! What is
:41:58. > :42:03.different this season to last at the moment? The big thing is Kante.
:42:04. > :42:08.Doing that book and looking back at Leicester, you realise exactly how
:42:09. > :42:12.good he is. That is the big thing on the playing side. Also, they had to
:42:13. > :42:18.change the way they played because teams were sitting in against them.
:42:19. > :42:22.That is why they signed Sadio Mane. There is a chance for them now,
:42:23. > :42:27.having scaled the summit, what do they do now? It is all of those
:42:28. > :42:31.things together. At the King Power Stadium, they will be the same old
:42:32. > :42:36.Leicester. The problem has been away from home, where they've not been
:42:37. > :42:43.able to impose themselves. Wes Morgan looks as though he's had a
:42:44. > :42:47.good summer. What you mean? He's never had great pace, but was it
:42:48. > :42:54.Captain Morgan who sponsored him? He has always had that shape. Once you
:42:55. > :42:58.win the league, it is so difficult to win it again the next year,
:42:59. > :43:03.because you're just there to be beaten. We are all guilty of it. As
:43:04. > :43:16.soon as they lose a couple of games, we say, it's not the same. Another
:43:17. > :43:25.team were mid-table that year after winning. They were mid-table. At
:43:26. > :43:29.home, I think Leicester have the second-best record. You have to
:43:30. > :43:35.balance that at Champions League, because it looks as though they will
:43:36. > :43:39.go through. You have to balance that, and the expectation. And
:43:40. > :43:46.Southampton were very impressive against West Ham last week. Four
:43:47. > :43:51.games this Sunday. Burnley against Arsenal on 5 Live sports. Updates
:43:52. > :43:57.this afternoon, then highlights of all four games on Match Of The Day 2
:43:58. > :44:00.tonight. Thanks to all of you, and we will see you in two weeks, after
:44:01. > :44:03.the international break.