:00:00. > :00:40.Welcome to Match Of The Day to extra. We are live on BBC One, BBC
:00:41. > :00:46.Radio 5live and on the BBC sport website. Coming up, we will analyse
:00:47. > :00:51.the weekend's football, including David Moyes and Man United after
:00:52. > :00:56.their defeat yesterday. We will look back at great wins. Oak and Crystal
:00:57. > :01:01.Palace, and Norwich, because they impact on the top and the bottom of
:01:02. > :01:11.the table. And we will preview to -- this afternoon's premiership game,
:01:12. > :01:19.and with me in the studio Danny Mills, Steve Bauer and Rory Smith.
:01:20. > :01:25.We want you to get involved as well. Text us, or contact us via the BBC
:01:26. > :01:31.Sport website. It is basically David Moyes and picture of Yohan Cabaye
:01:32. > :01:35.all over the back pages. Just incredible. Just after the start of
:01:36. > :01:39.the season, I thought they might finish outside the top four for the
:01:40. > :01:44.first time since I can remember, and I think that is a serious problem.
:01:45. > :01:48.We almost the issues in the summer were the lack of signing players. If
:01:49. > :01:54.they don't finish in the Champions League places, who is going to want
:01:55. > :02:01.to go to United? I know they are a massive club. I know I might be a
:02:02. > :02:06.bit biased. They might be playing Leeds next year! Who is going to
:02:07. > :02:12.want to go there? Rooney's contract situation, he is not going to be
:02:13. > :02:17.able to make big signings, and they could be 15 points behind today. We
:02:18. > :02:22.will look at Arsenal vs Everton later and talk more about United. It
:02:23. > :02:27.is turning into quite a bad weekend for Sunderland at the moment, with
:02:28. > :02:32.Palace and Norwich winning, and Stoke as well. You were at the
:02:33. > :02:35.Stadium of Light yesterday. I was. They did OK in the first half, but
:02:36. > :02:44.in the second half, they lacked a lot of spirit. I think the reality
:02:45. > :02:49.had hit Gus Poyet yesterday. This is a club that has only won four of
:02:50. > :02:54.their last 30 Premier League games. To try and turn that mentality ran
:02:55. > :02:57.quickly is going to be difficult. They are five points adrift at the
:02:58. > :03:02.moment. Three of the next four games are away from home. You could just
:03:03. > :03:08.hear the frustration in Gus Poyet's voice at the end. Their home games
:03:09. > :03:11.are going to be crucial. They have had a difficult week, Chelsea and
:03:12. > :03:17.Tottenham, but I do worry for Sunderland. History tells us that
:03:18. > :03:22.eventually the unpredictability will stop in the Premier League and the
:03:23. > :03:27.natural order will come through, but the longer this season goes on, the
:03:28. > :03:32.less likely that looks. Yes, it normally evens out, but it is
:03:33. > :03:41.getting more unpredictable. With United and Chelsea losing at Stoke,
:03:42. > :03:45.it is difficult. We are baffled by how unpredictable it is. I think it
:03:46. > :03:50.could be a title that is one with 80 points or less, and I think that the
:03:51. > :04:00.chances of relegation is one from nine at the moment. There are two
:04:01. > :04:05.games today. Arsenal vs Everton later, and you will be able to see
:04:06. > :04:13.both on much of the day to tonight. The first game of the day to is full
:04:14. > :04:18.Aston Villa from Craven Cottage. John, do you think that full will go
:04:19. > :04:25.through because of this performance? That is exactly what
:04:26. > :04:30.Renny Meulensteen says in his match programme notes today. It was an
:04:31. > :04:33.improved performance on Wednesday night against Tottenham, and there
:04:34. > :04:37.was a lot of talk around here about how wonderful the supporters were
:04:38. > :04:41.getting behind the team on Wednesday. The fact is, they lost
:04:42. > :04:45.the game and they have lost their last seven matches now in all
:04:46. > :04:50.competitions. I am looking a little ahead, and before Christmas, Fulham
:04:51. > :04:58.have got games against Everton and Manchester US city. Clearly, tough
:04:59. > :05:01.matches, so today's game is very important for full to get something
:05:02. > :05:06.out of it, otherwise they could be bottom of the table by Christmas
:05:07. > :05:13.Day. Aston Villa go into this game buoyed by the results, as well as
:05:14. > :05:16.their performance at St Mary's. Yes, and the great thing for Aston Villa
:05:17. > :05:21.is they are away from home, where they have been performing so well
:05:22. > :05:25.lately. Only one defeat away from home all season, and that was at
:05:26. > :05:31.Chelsea back in August, when they were unfortunate to lose that game.
:05:32. > :05:35.Southampton had more of the match on Wednesday night, but Aston Villa won
:05:36. > :05:40.the game. A big concern today will be whether Ron Vlaar is going to be
:05:41. > :05:43.fit. We will find out for certain in the next few minutes. An important
:05:44. > :05:49.player for them at the back, the captain, and he went off injured at
:05:50. > :05:54.half-time on Wednesday. Not sure it is hopeful that he will be able to
:05:55. > :06:00.play. Thank you. We will bring you that team news when we get it. John
:06:01. > :06:05.talked about Villa away from home. Only Spurs have a better way
:06:06. > :06:11.record. City are also brilliant at home by terrible away. It is strange
:06:12. > :06:17.how you get such a stark contrast. With Villa, it may be Lambert's
:06:18. > :06:23.style and they can counterattack better away from home. I think the
:06:24. > :06:29.counterattacking works well for them. They are more set up to play
:06:30. > :06:33.on the break, and away from home, you are happy to sit in and play
:06:34. > :06:38.that counter style. When you have to force the issue at home, I'm not
:06:39. > :06:48.sure they have the creative mid field player is to open the teams
:06:49. > :06:52.up. This is a huge game for full, because Meulensteen is a very
:06:53. > :06:57.respected manager in the game. He wanted to be manager, and he has his
:06:58. > :07:00.chance, but seven straight defeats. They didn't win on Wednesday, and
:07:01. > :07:05.this is the type of game they have to get three points from, otherwise
:07:06. > :07:19.they could be cut adrift by the New Year period. At Brondby, where he
:07:20. > :07:26.had six months, there were tales of weird things, like asking players to
:07:27. > :07:33.name animals they would like to be like - except a snake! They were not
:07:34. > :07:37.allowed to name a snake. There's plenty of good coaches who don't
:07:38. > :07:45.make good managers. There's no guarantee that you cross over. He is
:07:46. > :07:50.desperate for this opportunity. Going back to Brondby in 2006, 2007,
:07:51. > :07:55.there was a lot of water gone under the bridge during that time. Seven
:07:56. > :08:00.years, the chance to work with a variety of managers or coaches.
:08:01. > :08:04.Maybe that will be a slightly different Meulensteen at full to the
:08:05. > :08:12.one who was at Brondby. Yes, you have to assume that he has changed
:08:13. > :08:18.over the years. He needs to win and he needs it quickly. If they
:08:19. > :08:23.struggle the next few games, Norwich, Hull and West Ham, if they
:08:24. > :08:27.don't win at least two of those, and bottom by New Year's Day, I think
:08:28. > :08:32.they will be doomed. Iverson insight from a player's point of view. If
:08:33. > :08:37.they are bottom or in the bottom three around Christmas, or even
:08:38. > :08:41.going into the New Year, Meulensteen has talked about having some money
:08:42. > :08:45.available and being able to bring in players. As a player, would you go
:08:46. > :08:51.to one of the bottom three sides in the Premier League in the transfer
:08:52. > :08:57.window in January? Only if you are mercenary. You have to pay more
:08:58. > :09:03.wages to attract people. You might not get one of the best players. If
:09:04. > :09:07.you have any ambitions as a player, it is very, very unlikely. They
:09:08. > :09:12.might be losing Berbatov as well, who is very enigmatic. He can be
:09:13. > :09:15.fantastic. He is one of the only players in that side at the moment
:09:16. > :09:21.with the real ability to score goals. If they lose him, can they
:09:22. > :09:26.replacing? They can replace him with a hard-working player, but maybe not
:09:27. > :09:30.someone who can put a chance away. I think that club in transition is
:09:31. > :09:35.going to be the buzz phrase over the next six weeks. Our Villa club in
:09:36. > :09:43.transition? Or have they come through the transitional phrase --
:09:44. > :09:48.phase? They have been in transition since about 99! They have some
:09:49. > :09:52.really good young players, and Lambert should begin them credit for
:09:53. > :09:56.giving those young players a chance, but there are times when they look
:09:57. > :10:01.like they will need more experienced and more quality. I think Villa
:10:02. > :10:06.Wilson vibe relatively comfortably. But the question is, where does
:10:07. > :10:13.Randy Lerner want to take them? What is the grand plan? He was given the
:10:14. > :10:19.remit to give young players a chance. Sometimes, when players come
:10:20. > :10:23.in, they haven't got the quality. But the likes of Westwood in
:10:24. > :10:28.midfield, and the players up front, such as Benteke... He didn't even
:10:29. > :10:37.start on Wednesday, and they still won the game. Also, I was at the
:10:38. > :10:41.Villa - Spurs game, and Benteke was on the bench then. It felt like
:10:42. > :10:45.everything was very flat until Benteke came on, and that gave the
:10:46. > :10:53.fans a boost as well. He hasn't really hit the heights. He hasn't
:10:54. > :10:58.scored in eight. Villa are a good side. They are a young side, and you
:10:59. > :11:03.will get unpredictability. You will have great games and tough games.
:11:04. > :11:07.They found it hard last season. All those young players went through
:11:08. > :11:11.tough times, from the fans and the media and everybody. Now you see a
:11:12. > :11:18.good performance, but they cannot always back that up. Do get in touch
:11:19. > :11:23.with us today. We will talk about Arsenal vs Everton later on. We will
:11:24. > :11:29.look back on yesterday's football shortly, but we will touch on the
:11:30. > :11:34.story that is on the front page of the Sun on Sunday today.
:11:35. > :11:42.Ex-premiership stars in match fix probe. Just the general theory
:11:43. > :11:47.behind this. It isn't strictly match fixing. What it is is spot fixing,
:11:48. > :11:52.being able to say, I will get a booking in that match. We have known
:11:53. > :11:56.for a while that that is an issue in football. This one is about hooking.
:11:57. > :12:01.The other issue was the first throw-in, which I can't understand
:12:02. > :12:06.why anyone would want to... If you were betting on the first throw-in,
:12:07. > :12:10.that looks suspicious anyway. That has been an issue ever since this
:12:11. > :12:16.betting came in. It has been an issue for a while, and there has
:12:17. > :12:21.been the idea that match fixing is something that happens to
:12:22. > :12:25.foreigners. But you cannot take that attitude. You cannot shut the border
:12:26. > :12:34.any more, and the FA has to be alert to it. You should ask Danny about
:12:35. > :12:40.the bookings in his career! I am gutted. I could have made an
:12:41. > :12:45.absolute fortune! My record was 14 yellows, two reds and an FA ban on
:12:46. > :12:51.top of that. I went to the FA Cup after that as well! Did you ever
:12:52. > :12:56.hear of anybody being approached? Not approached, but the throw-in
:12:57. > :13:04.'s... When the spread betting first started, you could bet on anything
:13:05. > :13:07.in football. If you go back to the Premier Li, there was a time when
:13:08. > :13:11.the ball would be rolled back from kick-off and it would be smashed in
:13:12. > :13:17.the corner. Massively suspicious, let's be honest, and that got picked
:13:18. > :13:21.up on after a few years. The sums of money and the odds were not huge,
:13:22. > :13:26.but there was betting on that. Bookings, I have not heard anyone
:13:27. > :13:31.being approached for that, but I took a booking in a game
:13:32. > :13:36.deliberately to avoid suspension later on in the tournament. So it
:13:37. > :13:40.has happened, where players have deliberately got themselves booked.
:13:41. > :13:43.We have seen recent Champions League games, players getting themselves
:13:44. > :13:53.booked to make sure that they are available for the next stage. You
:13:54. > :14:00.say allegedly! But that happened. It did happen, because I did it. The
:14:01. > :14:06.other thing in all of this, can we afford to be too sanctimonious about
:14:07. > :14:11.it? There are so many football competitions, programmes, events,
:14:12. > :14:17.sponsored by betting companies. This is the issue. There was definitely a
:14:18. > :14:22.link. You only have to look... We will not mention specific companies
:14:23. > :14:26.or actors, but I have not seen a football match for three years
:14:27. > :14:29.without Ray Winston's face appear. There is this tight link between
:14:30. > :14:36.gambling and football which seems to be growing. It is a sensitive issue,
:14:37. > :14:40.and there is something there that maybe needs to be addressed.
:14:41. > :14:44.Wherever there are grey areas in life, people will exploit it. It
:14:45. > :14:50.isn't just Premier League games. People are betting on non-league
:14:51. > :14:55.games, the Conference, and that isn't really covered. If someone is
:14:56. > :15:00.booked in a Conference game, or get sent off, no one is bothered. That
:15:01. > :15:06.is what foreign markets are looking at. Let's take a look at yesterday's
:15:07. > :15:12.games. We will start with the game at Old Trafford. Manchester United
:15:13. > :15:17.beaten by Newcastle. We didn't create enough. But we had one or two
:15:18. > :15:22.moments to score and we didn't take the chances. Sometimes you need one
:15:23. > :15:26.of the things to go for you. It is difficult today for David and the
:15:27. > :15:31.club at the minute. They have had some tricky results. He is a great
:15:32. > :15:34.manager. I think it is important that the fans of Manchester United
:15:35. > :15:38.and the board stick with him. Because he knows, he has proven he
:15:39. > :15:43.will be great for this club. But it is some sticky days and we all have
:15:44. > :15:47.them. The process is the same, we try and win the next game. The
:15:48. > :15:51.important thing is we move on and do the right things and we do that most
:15:52. > :15:57.days and try and get them right. We will try and do it again. First, to
:15:58. > :16:01.appease Anthony in Durham and Newcastle fans, he says, please,
:16:02. > :16:05.please, praise Newcastle's performance instead of focussing on
:16:06. > :16:11.Manchester United. I think Newcastle did well. They set their team up to
:16:12. > :16:17.play a different game. He has done that a couple of times. You have to
:16:18. > :16:22.remember six weeks ago, Alan Pardew was odds on favourite to be sacked
:16:23. > :16:28.and he goes on a great run. If he gets his best eleven out, The Got
:16:29. > :16:34.some good players. Look at the contrast in quality. Cabaye is a
:16:35. > :16:51.great player. He has ability to go forward. Toe. The iot -' Ollie said
:16:52. > :16:57.Newcastle, have they turned the corner. Yes I was there when they
:16:58. > :17:02.beat West Brom. Yesterday, away from home, they have been setting up
:17:03. > :17:06.differently and they have got consistency. They're picking more or
:17:07. > :17:12.less nine or ten of the same players. You look at the bench and
:17:13. > :17:17.Cisse coming on, Shola Ameobi and they have Steven Taylor who isn't
:17:18. > :17:23.player. They have a settled team and confidence and they came back
:17:24. > :17:27.against West Brom and Danny is right, I thought there was some
:17:28. > :17:32.irony that Cabaye scores the goal and he is the type of player that
:17:33. > :17:37.Manchester United are crying out for. Manchester United made seven
:17:38. > :17:43.changes yesterday from the defeat to Everton. Does David Moyes have any
:17:44. > :17:50.idea what his best 11 is? No, I think to an extent having a best
:17:51. > :17:55.eleven is not right, because they have so many games. Moyes has come
:17:56. > :18:02.in and said, I want to look at all the players I have got, even anner
:18:03. > :18:06.the son -- Anderson and decide whether he can be a footballer,
:18:07. > :18:12.despite all the evidence to the contrary. In your opinion! Yes, well
:18:13. > :18:16.these are the champions and the problem is is it not obvious from
:18:17. > :18:20.the outside that a lot of the players, you prejudge and you know
:18:21. > :18:25.they aren't of the required standard. It is not rocket science
:18:26. > :18:30.to work out there is weak areas. He doesn't seem to be closer to finding
:18:31. > :18:35.out who he wants and he who doesn't want than at the start of season and
:18:36. > :18:39.that would worry me. I think Wednesday and Monday, in terms of
:18:40. > :18:42.quality, midfield has been a problem. Those two games showed how
:18:43. > :18:47.much Wayne Rooney has been playing for Manchester United. But Michael
:18:48. > :18:51.Carrick. He gets a lot of criticism from some people. He is popular in
:18:52. > :18:55.that Manchester United dressing room. He hasn't played in the last
:18:56. > :18:59.two games. They have failed to create and get the tempo and keep
:19:00. > :19:03.the ball moving. All things that Carrick does. I know it is not down
:19:04. > :19:07.to one player. But I think that shows, those two games as if it
:19:08. > :19:14.needed to, and some people did need to, how important Carrick is. Is
:19:15. > :19:23.that not in itself. I like Michael Carrick. He can't do it on his own.
:19:24. > :19:29.But he is n Javi, he is Michael Carrick. And he is getting older and
:19:30. > :19:36.it is an ageing side. There no fear factor, you take Wayne Rooney out
:19:37. > :19:40.and van Persie wasn't 100% fit and David Moyes had to leave him on.
:19:41. > :19:46.That is a touch worrying. He is struggling towards the end of the
:19:47. > :19:51.game. But going through the midfield, Januzaj Cleverley and
:19:52. > :19:56.Nani. If you're coming against that, you think, there is no one who
:19:57. > :20:04.worries me. We are an average side and we can deal with that. Back in
:20:05. > :20:08.the day, wow you'd think -- you would think that would be difficult.
:20:09. > :20:12.But now teams are going to Old Trafford and saying, we can win
:20:13. > :20:16.this. That is a belief you haven't had for ten years. In everyone
:20:17. > :20:20.focuses on the midfield being the problem, the fact that Paul Scholes
:20:21. > :20:27.had to come out of retirement a couple of years ago and that
:20:28. > :20:31.actually if you take them as specific central midfielder,
:20:32. > :20:38.Anderson was probably the last one they bought until Fellaini came in.
:20:39. > :20:44.Who takes blame. It is the -- is it the scouting department, is the
:20:45. > :20:50.board, it is Alex Ferguson? Apart from Fellaini, none of that midfield
:20:51. > :20:54.is Moyes' fault. It is difficult to blame Moyes, but in the last three
:20:55. > :20:57.years he maybe focussed more on the present than the future. That
:20:58. > :21:03.husband wiz strength in knowing what was coming. You know as soon as the
:21:04. > :21:07.idea of retirement entered his mind, whether he started building a team
:21:08. > :21:10.for today. The central midfield is baffling, because it has been a
:21:11. > :21:16.problem. Or whether players he brought in, whether Tom Cleverley
:21:17. > :21:23.developed as much as Alex Ferguson thought he would and Anderson. He
:21:24. > :21:28.has been there before with people like Veron. Midfielders that
:21:29. > :21:36.promised and not delivered. And they had bids in on players and they
:21:37. > :21:40.didn't want to come like Modric and Sneijder. They went, you know, what
:21:41. > :21:45.no, we don't want to come. Even this summer. The same thing happened.
:21:46. > :21:51.They had interesting players and they weren't interested in playing
:21:52. > :21:55.for United. They have never done much business in January. But this
:21:56. > :22:01.is the biggest January. They have never been ninth or tenth either.
:22:02. > :22:06.Michael says, Alex Ferguson left Moyes the same team, a Premier
:22:07. > :22:11.League winning team, full of create yicht and determination. Why aren't
:22:12. > :22:18.they getting the same results. Philip, I wonder how long it will be
:22:19. > :22:23.before United fans go to Old Trafford dressed as red seats? Now
:22:24. > :22:29.the relegation battle and we will start with Crystal Palace, who beat
:22:30. > :22:35.Cardiff yesterday. They're a good group of lads and have responded
:22:36. > :22:42.well. We have done a lot of shape and... You know stuff that I think
:22:43. > :22:46.is essential to give you a chance to win matches. Especially against the
:22:47. > :22:51.teams that we have to fight against. Against the top teams. You catch
:22:52. > :22:56.them on the the right day and they will beat you. But you have a chance
:22:57. > :23:01.if you're set up properly. From that position, you can play some stuff
:23:02. > :23:06.and we did. We created quite a few chances. You don't want to get
:23:07. > :23:09.carried away, because it is West Ham and Cardiff they have beaten at
:23:10. > :23:13.home. But the whole change in atmosphere there is remarkable.
:23:14. > :23:19.Always happens when a new manager comes in, there is a new impetus. We
:23:20. > :23:27.always talk about the honeymoon period. There very few clubs where
:23:28. > :23:32.that doesn't happen. Is it sus stainable long-term? I have doubts.
:23:33. > :23:36.He has fired them up and sent them out with a message, get stuck in, be
:23:37. > :23:43.organised and do this and do that. And they have done it. Be organised
:23:44. > :23:47.is the key. They look so organised. That is what his teams have been. He
:23:48. > :23:51.has had criticism, but you can't say his teams haven't known their job
:23:52. > :23:55.and what they're supposed to do. That was the thing, Crystal Palace
:23:56. > :23:59.looked anything but organised before he arrived. And again we were
:24:00. > :24:02.talking about Sunderland, at least he has given them something this
:24:03. > :24:06.week, because otherwise they were in danger of being cut adrift. There
:24:07. > :24:09.was a point at which you wondered whether they might be rivalling
:24:10. > :24:13.Derby for the lowest ever points tally. You look at the quality in
:24:14. > :24:18.the squad and it is not there. But there is a lot of team there is you
:24:19. > :24:27.could say the same about. When you look at that Palace squad, you see a
:24:28. > :24:35.lot of Tony Pulis type players. I don't mean it in a disparaging way,
:24:36. > :24:39.but they have a big back four and he has wingers like Puncheon. There are
:24:40. > :24:49.players that will fit into what he wants to do. I liked the logic when
:24:50. > :24:56.he went and people said it will be difficult taking that defence. Well
:24:57. > :25:01.the thing about Pulis's style is it is relatively easy to implement. He
:25:02. > :25:05.gets the teams disciplined and organised and if you have a plan
:25:06. > :25:09.down the bottom, then you stand a chance. Because there will be some
:25:10. > :25:15.teams that don't have a plan. Set pieces will be key. Sam Allardyce
:25:16. > :25:20.has always been organised and done well and hasn't played the greatest
:25:21. > :25:27.football, but I look at Palace and you can be organised to a point. But
:25:28. > :25:30.Ethel -- but they will go on another run. They have some tough game,
:25:31. > :25:34.Chelsea, Villa and Manchester City. If they lose all three of them,
:25:35. > :25:37.their confidence goes again and can he, does he have the ability to pick
:25:38. > :25:46.the players up again after he has done it once and it has been
:25:47. > :25:51.knocked. When you saw the results at the Stadium of Light one that stood
:25:52. > :25:58.out was Norwich winning at West Brom. Yes, I was at West Brom and
:25:59. > :26:03.Steve Clarke said what an important match that was. Manchester City blew
:26:04. > :26:09.them away in the first half an hour and 3-2 was a false score line and I
:26:10. > :26:14.saw West Brom lose at Newcastle and he said this was a massive game and
:26:15. > :26:18.there was some eyebrows raised, given Norwich's form away from home.
:26:19. > :26:25.They have been a soft touch conceding goals. You would have got
:26:26. > :26:34.high odds on them getting a clean sheet, never mind a win. West Brom
:26:35. > :26:38.are not safe. They are a team that everyone assumes, well organised,
:26:39. > :26:42.decent players and they will be fine. But they're the same as
:26:43. > :26:48.Cardiff, they're in trouble. There are some teams we have not
:26:49. > :26:54.concentrated on for being in trouble. West Brom have more quality
:26:55. > :26:59.in different areas than the Crystal Palaces in the long-term. You're
:27:00. > :27:04.looking at how many goals are you going to score and who will score
:27:05. > :27:08.them. Norwich have players, they haven't settled. Gary Hooper is
:27:09. > :27:16.starting to settle. Yes, they spent money and they have players that can
:27:17. > :27:23.get you a Annabel Goldie Hull -- can you gate goal. Hull I think will
:27:24. > :27:28.struggle. But Cardiff and West Ham, you cannot see where West Ham are
:27:29. > :27:34.going to score consistently from. They have played with a false nine
:27:35. > :27:40.and now Nolan is suspended. No idea when Andy Carroll will come back and
:27:41. > :27:47.will they have money to spend? The false number 9 was the buzz phase
:27:48. > :27:57.and team of transition. We will bring you the team news for Fulham
:27:58. > :28:03.against Villa soon. Let's focus on one of yesterday's other games,
:28:04. > :28:08.Stoke peating Chelsea by -- beating Chelsea 3-2. The last part of the
:28:09. > :28:13.game was stupid by us to play that way. Because in the last ten minutes
:28:14. > :28:19.we gave them what they want. They want long balls, they want balls in
:28:20. > :28:27.the air, they want a dirty game, first ball, second ball, kick the
:28:28. > :28:34.ball away, go to the floor, asks for the coach. We gave them that. But we
:28:35. > :28:40.played very good fat ball and -- good football and we had fantastic
:28:41. > :28:45.movement. We don't capitalise on goals we pay. Another three goals
:28:46. > :28:51.cone seeded. We are not used to seeing that from Chelsea? No, and...
:28:52. > :28:55.What do you want me to say? To criticise individually my players'
:28:56. > :29:00.mistakes? I can't do it. We have only had one defeat in six games. We
:29:01. > :29:06.haven't won as many as we deserved. But everyone understands we are
:29:07. > :29:14.early into what we are trying to do and we are trying to change the way
:29:15. > :29:19.we play and people saw that today. Do you worry about Chelsea's
:29:20. > :29:23.defence? I'm surprised. I thought the start of the season Jose
:29:24. > :29:29.Mourinho came in and Chelsea have always been rigid and pragmatic and
:29:30. > :29:35.that is how most of his teams play. They have conceded a ridiculous
:29:36. > :29:40.amount of goals for them. Again also they're not a team where maybe like
:29:41. > :29:44.he had at Madrid where we can forget about defence and attack and teams
:29:45. > :29:52.will be scared, because they continue have -- don't have that out
:29:53. > :29:57.and out centre forward. So they're having to go. Every week there are
:29:58. > :30:04.ridiculous unpredictable results. You think on a Friday, your pools,
:30:05. > :30:14.home win, home win and then you see, rip it up. It is so difficult to
:30:15. > :30:21.predict this season. Bet on yellow cards instead! I wish I had known
:30:22. > :30:27.that ten years ago. He does live in 1985. There was a lovely irony that
:30:28. > :30:36.the person who scored the winner. Oak was on loan from Liverpool. --
:30:37. > :30:50.who scored the winner last week was on loan. I do think he trusts David
:30:51. > :30:54.Luiz. The central midfielders, they are not what they were. Up front,
:30:55. > :31:01.Torres comes in and works hard, and looks like he is trying. Demba Ba is
:31:02. > :31:05.not the most subtle of strikers. Mourinho doesn't look like he has a
:31:06. > :31:12.settled idea about what he is trying to get that seem to be. In fairness
:31:13. > :31:17.to Chelsea, it could have been 2-0 up in the first 20 minutes, and
:31:18. > :31:23.Mourinho says in the first -- in the papers this morning that they didn't
:31:24. > :31:29.take their chances. Last year everyone says that Manchester United
:31:30. > :31:32.were a great team, and they have Robin Van Persie. Can Chelsea win
:31:33. > :31:36.the Premier League with the strikers they have? They have had chances and
:31:37. > :31:42.have converted them in the past few weeks. Are there strikers good
:31:43. > :31:47.enough, if no one else comes in in January, to go the whole 38 games in
:31:48. > :31:55.the Premier League? They might try and shift Demba Ba, but then they
:31:56. > :32:04.have a ?50 million footballer in Etu, so I think there is a real
:32:05. > :32:09.structural problem at Chelsea. They have conceded 17 goals in the
:32:10. > :32:17.Premier League. That is a good start. Alan says, after yesterday's
:32:18. > :32:24.loss against Stoke, do you think Chelsea will win the league? I think
:32:25. > :32:29.that Manchester City or Chelsea are my favourites. But Arsenal need to
:32:30. > :32:37.strengthen. If they lose Deji row, -- if they lose Giroud, he is a big
:32:38. > :32:44.support to the players around him. Man City have such strength and
:32:45. > :32:49.power, such strength in depth, that you will have to believe that they
:32:50. > :32:54.will sort out there a way form. Can Liverpool maintain a challenge? I'm
:32:55. > :33:04.not sure. Arsenal are the meeting who could look as though they could
:33:05. > :33:08.finish above City or Chelsea. City could having to use their lead at St
:33:09. > :33:15.Mary's before Southampton came back. Is that a missed opportunity?
:33:16. > :33:21.Massively. Arsene Wenger said many times that away from home and at
:33:22. > :33:25.home shouldn't be that different. Manchester City is a complete Jekyll
:33:26. > :33:29.Hyde. For some reason, they struggle away from home. The players
:33:30. > :33:37.don't like the routine of travelling, maybe, but whatever it
:33:38. > :33:44.is, they cannot seem to get that form. Vincent Kompany came back
:33:45. > :33:50.yesterday. Osvaldo did fantastically. City are not the same
:33:51. > :33:54.force. If you do not have that fear factor, it is massive
:33:55. > :34:01.psychologically. I was at St Mary's yesterday, Southampton were superb.
:34:02. > :34:07.They struggled for the first 20 minutes. Aguero should probably have
:34:08. > :34:10.put City 2-0 up. You wondered if Southampton would wilt, but the way
:34:11. > :34:16.they worked was incredible. It doesn't matter who the players are,
:34:17. > :34:22.they play the same way. Whoever they play, they do what they do, and that
:34:23. > :34:25.is really impressive. He has them working to a really specific plan.
:34:26. > :34:35.And they were missing players yesterday. Schneiderlin is the key
:34:36. > :34:42.one. I really like him. If I was a Premier League club, I would want
:34:43. > :34:45.him. He is fantastic. They had 318-year-olds playing by the end.
:34:46. > :34:53.They have a plan and they know it inside out. I watched City at West
:34:54. > :34:59.Brom on Wednesday. The first half an hour was probably the best football
:35:00. > :35:04.I have seen all season. There were missed opportunities. They could
:35:05. > :35:08.have won yesterday as well. I still think, going forward, with the
:35:09. > :35:13.options they've got, out of all the teams in the Premier League, they
:35:14. > :35:18.have the most options. Arsenal vs Everton is the 4pm game. You can
:35:19. > :35:26.hear that on 5 Live. Full against Aston Villa, full make one change in
:35:27. > :35:41.the side that lost this week. -- full. Benteke starts. I will give
:35:42. > :35:48.you the full Villa team. Guzan, Westwood, Delft, Agbonlahor,
:35:49. > :35:54.Benteke... Just that one change for Fulham. Arsenal vs Everton, let's
:35:55. > :36:03.hear from both -- from both managers. We are hungry. We want to
:36:04. > :36:07.win. We have just put a few results together that should make us, and
:36:08. > :36:14.will make us, more ambitious. As well, conscious that in every single
:36:15. > :36:21.game, you have to put a top-level performance in. Since the beginning
:36:22. > :36:27.of 2013, we have been quite consistent in our results, but now,
:36:28. > :36:31.as we have just said, we have a big week in front of us, starting with
:36:32. > :36:35.Everton. We have to show that we have the hunger and the quality to
:36:36. > :36:41.do it. Arsenal deserves a lot of respect. In the first 14 games, you
:36:42. > :36:49.are capable of winning 11, it is an outstanding team. That is why we
:36:50. > :36:54.will have to be at our best. Looking at ourselves to try and use this as
:36:55. > :37:03.a terrific test to see how quickly we can improve and challenge this
:37:04. > :37:07.side. It is an exciting game. Roberto Martinez and Arsene Wenger
:37:08. > :37:11.there. Kevin Kilbane is at this game for us this afternoon. From
:37:12. > :37:16.Everton's wider view, how did they approach it? I'm sure they will
:37:17. > :37:19.approach it the way they have approached every game this season
:37:20. > :37:25.under Martin us. They are very attacking. They attacked Man City
:37:26. > :37:31.this season from the outset. I can't see it will be any different today.
:37:32. > :37:34.The way they approached it midweek against Manchester United, it is
:37:35. > :37:39.thrilling. I would expect them to play the same way here. What
:37:40. > :37:43.problems were that calls for Arsenal. Not many sides will go to
:37:44. > :37:48.the emirates and try and take them on. That's right. We have seen them
:37:49. > :37:54.a couple of times ourselves. The way they play they can go on. They have
:37:55. > :38:00.that direct approach at times. They can play through midfield. They've
:38:01. > :38:06.got options. They can go from back to front. They move through midfield
:38:07. > :38:13.at the moment in a way that makes them a test for anybody. We have had
:38:14. > :38:19.text and tweets asking how far your former club can go this season. Top
:38:20. > :38:24.four? Title contenders? Martinez said himself this week that the win
:38:25. > :38:29.against Man United was a benchmark for them and they can go on and
:38:30. > :38:33.achieve things this season. It is a big ask for them to get in the top
:38:34. > :38:38.four, but the way they are playing, who knows? Thank you, Kevin. If you
:38:39. > :38:43.are listening to us on the radio, think yourself lucky as you can't
:38:44. > :38:50.see what Kevin was wearing! Every week we have to talk about Kevin's
:38:51. > :38:54.outfits. Everton went for it at Man United, because they recognised that
:38:55. > :39:01.there wasn't much protection in front of the United back four with
:39:02. > :39:05.Giggs and Delaney. They will not get that with slimming the at Arsenal
:39:06. > :39:12.today. I think he is almost as important as Ozil. If Flynn
:39:13. > :39:20.meanie's side wins, he gathers his team together and takes a photo of
:39:21. > :39:25.the. It is to bond the team together. Flamini has that it of
:39:26. > :39:35.devil in him that I think they have been missing. You talk to Arsenal
:39:36. > :39:40.fans, and they highlight Flamini, ahead of Ozil. I think both are
:39:41. > :39:44.appreciated by players. When as all walked in, it lifted the Arsenal
:39:45. > :39:50.dressing room immediately. Quite a few players had been crying out for
:39:51. > :39:53.someone like him. That one world-class player to walk in the
:39:54. > :40:00.dressing room and start to train with them lifted Arsenal. In terms
:40:01. > :40:07.of the presence of a player, maybe you have been in that situation...
:40:08. > :40:11.Yes, but you have to give massive credit to Arsene Wenger, who got
:40:12. > :40:18.huge criticism for not signing anybody in the summer. Then he
:40:19. > :40:27.bought in Flamini. And then as all. -- Ozil. Wenger had a plan and knew
:40:28. > :40:30.where he was going. That protection is given to Mertesacker and
:40:31. > :40:36.Koscielny, who now look really good pairing. Apart from another centre
:40:37. > :40:41.forward, and possibly a centre half, they have got a fantastic
:40:42. > :40:47.squad. Players are coming back from injury. Podolski and Walcott are
:40:48. > :40:52.still out. That midfield is exceptional. If they can add in the
:40:53. > :40:55.transfer window... But that one special player, when they come in
:40:56. > :41:02.and you are struggling a little bit, you are looking around for a bit of
:41:03. > :41:11.inspiration. Oval can give you that. He can create something from
:41:12. > :41:14.nothing. -- Ozil. If you have someone like Harry Kewell, you knew
:41:15. > :41:19.that they could score you something out of nothing and give you
:41:20. > :41:26.inspiration. With Ozil he might always create something. She room
:41:27. > :41:30.always gets praise. You talk about a Mertesacker new contract. It just
:41:31. > :41:38.shows that all of us who work in the media need to give people time when
:41:39. > :41:42.they come to play. If you are looking at for Laney at Manchester
:41:43. > :41:47.United, or Soldado at Spurs, who maybe haven't set the world alight
:41:48. > :41:59.yet, maybe we should calm down a bit. They do need a season to
:42:00. > :42:04.settle. For Laney was always going to need a bit of time. With
:42:05. > :42:07.Mertesacker, I think a lot of the criticism was justified. The
:42:08. > :42:16.criticism was that he was quite slow. He was getting Debaty was
:42:17. > :42:25.turning slowly. Now people are subbing him at source, before he
:42:26. > :42:40.gets there. Flamini certainly protected that back for a lot. I
:42:41. > :42:47.think Mertesacker needs some credit as well. When he came in, they
:42:48. > :42:53.started to look solid at the end of last season. Winning in Munich gave
:42:54. > :43:03.him the confidence to help them finish fourth. Just on Everton, they
:43:04. > :43:04.will go there thinking, given what they did during the week, that they
:43:05. > :43:23.can get three points. Definitely. they did during the week, that they
:43:24. > :43:24.Barry, McCarthy, that holding midfield player is vital. The key
:43:25. > :43:30.area today is midfield. midfield player is vital. The key
:43:31. > :43:40.get enough of the ball to create something? A text that has come in,
:43:41. > :43:41.get enough of the ball to create blew, there were no English players
:43:42. > :43:49.on the pitch for Manchester United. blew, there were no English players
:43:50. > :43:54.Arsenal have a real chance of winning the title? Maybe not this
:43:55. > :43:54.Arsenal have a real chance of afternoon, but maybe on Match Of The
:43:55. > :43:58.Day to tonight. Thanks to afternoon, but maybe on Match Of The
:43:59. > :44:03.guests. See you next week. Goodbye.