:00:30. > :00:34.Good afternoon, welcome to MotD2 on BBC Two,
:00:35. > :00:40.Joining me today: Mark Lawrenson, John Hartson and the Sunday Times'
:00:41. > :00:47.Use the hashtag #BBCFootball on social media or text
:00:48. > :00:57.Coming up, Diego Costa and Chelsea are dumped out
:00:58. > :01:01.Rafa Benitez takes charge at Newcastle.
:01:02. > :01:05.Bournemouth edge closer to safety after a third win in two weeks.
:01:06. > :01:14.And, are Manchester City now out of the title race?
:01:15. > :01:20.Virtually all of the Sunday papers focusing on the Diego Costa
:01:21. > :01:43.sending-off. We will talk about Rafa Benitez and
:01:44. > :01:46.his release clause later that we have to start with the cup tie last
:01:47. > :01:47.night. Everton are through to
:01:48. > :01:50.the semifinals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2012
:01:51. > :01:58.after a 2-0 win over Chelsea. Well done, and lots of cat and
:01:59. > :02:03.mouse, the game came to life in the last ten minutes but you are through
:02:04. > :02:08.to the semifinals. It is a fantastic feeling, more than anything is the
:02:09. > :02:12.atmosphere that was created. One of those that you will take every
:02:13. > :02:19.single one of us to create a special memory. I think the goal from Roman
:02:20. > :02:26.is one of the great goals we will see in the FA Cup. -- Romelu Lukaku.
:02:27. > :02:32.Two team is very similar in terms of the way we are, technically. I
:02:33. > :02:36.thought we looked a team that were hurting from the weekend and that
:02:37. > :02:40.reaction and character and responsibility, wanting to get rid
:02:41. > :02:46.of the pain we had against West Ham really made us perform to high
:02:47. > :02:50.standards. From the first second to the last it was an incredible
:02:51. > :02:57.performance, and we had many good performances this season. And
:02:58. > :03:05.hopefully we want to celebrate with the fans and enjoy the atmosphere
:03:06. > :03:13.with them. You ask my question, he is great to interview. Very
:03:14. > :03:19.comprehensive answer. Let me ask, there are plenty of positives from
:03:20. > :03:24.the Everton point of view. Absolutely, really good win, into
:03:25. > :03:28.the semifinal. Good performance as Roberto said, perfect reaction from
:03:29. > :03:35.losing late in the game to West Ham in the league. Lukaku, another two
:03:36. > :03:47.goals, an unplayable when he is on song. All in all a fantastic fourth
:03:48. > :03:50.formers. What they need, those performances where they are home
:03:51. > :03:55.against the lesser teams. They have struggled at home as everybody
:03:56. > :03:59.knows. The atmosphere came through on telly, it rocks at Goodison Park
:04:00. > :04:06.and that will be one of the problems they will have to look after if they
:04:07. > :04:12.move. Up until that three weeks ago, if you looked at Everton you go,
:04:13. > :04:16.Wigan but with better place. Insofar as they cannot really defend which
:04:17. > :04:19.is why they are conceding. They have some outstanding players. They
:04:20. > :04:32.should be much further up the league. It was interesting you
:04:33. > :04:35.mention the atmosphere. The fans have not really been behind them but
:04:36. > :04:41.there was something about the performance yesterday, no matter how
:04:42. > :04:44.much Martinez tries to change Everton it is when they go back to
:04:45. > :04:53.their basic they can beat anyone. If they can carry that on to the cup
:04:54. > :04:57.semifinal. When Joe Royle was manager, it was dogs of war. It was
:04:58. > :05:02.a bit like that yesterday with some skill. It is also down to the
:05:03. > :05:08.players to inspire other fans. It always amuses me when people within
:05:09. > :05:14.football clubs suggest that the atmosphere created by fans affect
:05:15. > :05:20.the players. Since he arrived Roberto Martinez has been trying to
:05:21. > :05:22.put in a more patient build-up. That does not necessarily go down with
:05:23. > :05:29.the public, they want higher tempo and the passion. They are not fans
:05:30. > :05:34.that are easily impressed. You are not going to get them just behind
:05:35. > :05:37.you automatically. When we look at Romelu Lukaku and we see some of the
:05:38. > :05:43.goals he scored including last night, which was brilliant, is there
:05:44. > :05:47.still, this is not actually criticising him, he is still young.
:05:48. > :05:52.But for all his good performances are you still looking for more
:05:53. > :05:58.consistency? I think you are always looking for more goals from your
:05:59. > :06:03.strikers. Into the 20s now, his hold-up play and linkup play has
:06:04. > :06:11.improved. The goal last week when Lennon played him in and he held it
:06:12. > :06:14.up and followed the run. He is a beast, six foot four, great in the
:06:15. > :06:20.air. Left foot, right foot yesterday. For me you are always
:06:21. > :06:23.looking to improve, yes. When Everton bring in new players it is
:06:24. > :06:31.getting to know the new players but no complaints. I think he has
:06:32. > :06:36.improved. I do not want to sell the place for them but all of the big
:06:37. > :06:44.teams are looking at him. Chelsea did not want him. He has scored 25
:06:45. > :06:48.goals this season, the first to do that for Everton since Gary Lineker.
:06:49. > :06:53.But he does switch off and the crowd see that. That might be the next
:06:54. > :07:00.step if he wants to play for a big club. He is unstoppable in spells.
:07:01. > :07:11.His positives outweigh his negatives certainly. Do you think if Everton
:07:12. > :07:15.win the cup that stops the doubt, the rumours that would swirl around
:07:16. > :07:21.Roberto Martinez because of the new investment? It would not totally
:07:22. > :07:26.satisfied the supporters but it would be enough, they are a bit
:07:27. > :07:33.staffed of success. But the bottom line is next year has to be better.
:07:34. > :07:38.Phil says his job was on the line last night and that lost Commons has
:07:39. > :07:46.prevailed. Why has it taken so long to set the team up properly? -- at
:07:47. > :07:51.last common-sense prevailed. This board Gareth Barry Ryan
:07:52. > :07:59.-- this morning Gareth Barry has privately refuted the allegations he
:08:00. > :08:07.was bitten by Diego Costa last night. Also a Chelsea statement last
:08:08. > :08:11.night denied that. Mark? I do not think he bit him. If he is a
:08:12. > :08:17.pantomime villain. It is virtually every week. It is nothing new. The
:08:18. > :08:25.clever thing to play against and is not to be antagonised, just laugh at
:08:26. > :08:29.him. Motioning to bite, that is what people are saying, rather than
:08:30. > :08:34.actually biting. But motioning to is different to what we have seen
:08:35. > :08:38.before? That is the only way he will get done, if the FA say he has
:08:39. > :08:45.motioned to do it. He has not actually sank his teeth. Gareth
:08:46. > :08:52.Barry does brilliant for him. You can see by his reaction, look at the
:08:53. > :08:59.World Cup, Suarez and Chiellini, he almost went crazy because he felt
:09:00. > :09:03.it. Gareth Barry hardly flinched. It is there, it does not look great but
:09:04. > :09:07.I agree with Mark, he does not actually take the fight. The other
:09:08. > :09:11.thing is the referee is right there with the linesman. The issue to
:09:12. > :09:16.yellow cards, the referee clearly saw it not as violent conduct.
:09:17. > :09:23.Whether there is even the facility to punish him. I do not think so.
:09:24. > :09:26.Chelsea said Diego spoke to officials after the game and expect
:09:27. > :09:30.results over his reaction that led to the red card but also very clear
:09:31. > :09:34.he did not bite Gareth Barry. I am assuming that if he is saying he
:09:35. > :09:39.didn't and if Gareth Barry is saying he was not bitten, then the two
:09:40. > :09:49.people involved are singing from the same hymn sheet. I think the debate
:09:50. > :09:57.just moves on, is Diego Costa worth the bother. The Chelsea as much as
:09:58. > :10:01.anything. He has had this great run under Hiddink and he has done that
:10:02. > :10:05.while behaving themselves. He is one of those players where the idea that
:10:06. > :10:11.having an edge helps does not apply to him. All it does is get him off
:10:12. > :10:14.the pitch and distraction. Nicholas says Costa is not worth the fleeting
:10:15. > :10:23.moments, he is a disgrace to football. That incident masked the
:10:24. > :10:32.Chelsea performance. Woeful defending, no heart, lack of
:10:33. > :10:34.passion. And Danny says, I hope everybody Chelsea finally comes to
:10:35. > :10:42.rumours that the manager was never the problem. -- finally response to
:10:43. > :10:48.rumours. How do players go from winning the Premier League to
:10:49. > :10:53.struggling the next year? It is always very difficult to win
:10:54. > :10:59.consecutively but a loss of form, not from two or three, but apart
:11:00. > :11:02.from Willian, he is the only one you could abstain. The loss of form has
:11:03. > :11:03.been frightening from everybody else.
:11:04. > :11:07.Leicester play Newcastle in Rafa Benitez's first game in charge.
:11:08. > :11:15.He spoke for the first time yesterday as Newcastle manager.
:11:16. > :11:25.Some people can see this like it especially, but it is normal, trying
:11:26. > :11:29.to do my best, to stay in the Premier League. If there is a
:11:30. > :11:33.compromise for the future it is because I'm convinced we will do
:11:34. > :11:37.well. I want to stay here and start winning from Monday. I'm here
:11:38. > :11:41.because I believe we can do it. We have enough quality. We need to give
:11:42. > :11:49.confidence to the first to organise the team in the way we want to do
:11:50. > :11:54.things. Again I would say the atmosphere, the fans, everybody in
:11:55. > :11:59.the City is helping. I have some experience because I'm getting
:12:00. > :12:07.older. At the end it is more or less the same. Obviously some people say
:12:08. > :12:12.it is not the same. You have to approach the game, you have to
:12:13. > :12:16.analyse things and be sure that everybody here everything. Then the
:12:17. > :12:20.responsibility of someone that wants to win a trophy and does not want to
:12:21. > :12:22.make mistakes is more or less responsible to have someone that
:12:23. > :12:28.does not want to make a mistake because they can be relegated. I
:12:29. > :12:30.think in terms of the approach it has to be similar. Rafa Benitez
:12:31. > :12:39.talking to the press yesterday. Some of your messages straightaway.
:12:40. > :12:42.Rafa is exactly what we needed, tactically brewing, born winner.
:12:43. > :12:48.Will not take any rubbish. Barry says, not sure which Newcastle games
:12:49. > :12:58.he has watched a convincing. -- tactically brilliant. Do you think
:12:59. > :13:05.he can keep them up? No. I do not think so. He is good enough.
:13:06. > :13:10.Tactically he is very shrewd. He is a top manager. They have an
:13:11. > :13:16.appallingly unbalanced squad but I think he can sort it out in the
:13:17. > :13:25.short term. He has to win against Sunderland. The fixtures are not the
:13:26. > :13:29.worst. He has been there before. When you say he is tactically
:13:30. > :13:34.competent, have they looked tactically incompetent this season?
:13:35. > :13:39.Do you think tactics has been the problem? Well... It has been the
:13:40. > :13:45.players first of all. But they have changed tactics. Watching McLaren it
:13:46. > :13:51.was not sure who he really wanted to be playing. What you will get from
:13:52. > :13:56.Rafa is something quite clear. And you look at the players they signed
:13:57. > :14:00.in the window, certainly Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend, they
:14:01. > :14:06.are not crackers. You are in that position -- they are not scrappers.
:14:07. > :14:10.You just have to get your team over the line. You are fighting for your
:14:11. > :14:14.footballing life will stop I seriously think they do not have the
:14:15. > :14:18.players. John Carver was on this programme and what he said about
:14:19. > :14:23.Coloccini, and he managed him. He must have found that difficult to
:14:24. > :14:28.say, Fabiola is not a leader, he just concentrates on his own game.
:14:29. > :14:33.Ranks for that, captain. I think the next three games in particular.
:14:34. > :14:38.Leicester on Monday, the big on next Sunday and then the big one again
:14:39. > :14:45.against Norwich. You only have to finish above Norwich. Because I do
:14:46. > :14:51.not think of to Swansea, 33 points, they will get another win,
:14:52. > :14:56.Bournemouth have got one to 38. They are both fine. It is Sunderland,
:14:57. > :15:03.Newcastle or Norwich. They have to finish above Sunderland as well.
:15:04. > :15:04.That game in a couple of weeks away and Norwich is as big as any other
:15:05. > :15:17.fixture. Rafa Benitez has been at Real
:15:18. > :15:21.Madrid, has won the Champions League at Liverpool, he will not feel
:15:22. > :15:25.frightened by those fixtures. You might look at the DVD of Newcastle
:15:26. > :15:32.playing this season and feel very frightened(!) if we were constantly
:15:33. > :15:38.told, Steve McClaren a great coach but not a great manager, does... Is
:15:39. > :15:45.one of Rafa Benitez's qualities man management, because arguably. No,
:15:46. > :15:49.no, no. He is not a man manager. Under Steve McClaren we were told
:15:50. > :16:03.that the man management needs to be present. There is a lot of players
:16:04. > :16:09.who will start regularly but are not good enough for the Premier League.
:16:10. > :16:13.And are not bothered what happens to Newcastle United, they are on a
:16:14. > :16:19.contract, they go to the championship, they probably do not
:16:20. > :16:23.have a clause where they lose money. They have the balance wrong. They
:16:24. > :16:26.had success selling foreign players, flipping them, making them better
:16:27. > :16:30.players, buying them for low money, selling them for big-money, you
:16:31. > :16:36.cannot do it for ever and it has come back to bite them. If you
:16:37. > :16:41.cannot get by that crowd, the noise they create, they get behind their
:16:42. > :16:48.players. Fantastic place to play football. St James' Park. It is a
:16:49. > :16:52.shocking thing, isn't it, if you cannot get motivated, if you are not
:16:53. > :16:56.bothered. Perhaps bothered is the wrong word... Just not putting it
:16:57. > :17:02.in. They have got Steve McClaren the sack. The other thing, John is
:17:03. > :17:09.right, great place to play, although want to do, the punters, they just
:17:10. > :17:13.want to be entertained. Rob says, it is bizarre that Newcastle have
:17:14. > :17:16.someone of his calibre, great opportunity, they could do a
:17:17. > :17:21.Leicester City next season. He's not the only one saying that! If he
:17:22. > :17:25.keeps them up, yes, it is a big if, but they have won the lottery with
:17:26. > :17:28.Rafa Benitez if he keeps them up because he is a serious football
:17:29. > :17:33.manager who can build a club, I do not think they have had that kind of
:17:34. > :17:42.figure for a long time. If you keep someone up, it is loaves and fishes.
:17:43. > :17:44.Yes! Biblical reference on a Sunday, well timed! LAUGHTER
:17:45. > :17:47.Moving on to talking about Bournemouth, you could argue that
:17:48. > :17:50.one of the people who has contributed to Steve McClaren
:17:51. > :17:53.leaving this job is Charlie Daniels, who has weaved his way through the
:17:54. > :17:56.Newcastle team to score Bournemouth's final goal at St
:17:57. > :18:06.James' Park last week. He joins us now. That afternoon! I know that
:18:07. > :18:11.footballers do not like to talk about opposition side that much, but
:18:12. > :18:15.you had a game plan to get the crowd against the Newcastle side last
:18:16. > :18:19.week, you knew that if you started quickly, the atmosphere would turn.
:18:20. > :18:24.Were you surprised, being on the pitch, how much it turned? Our game
:18:25. > :18:29.plan was to go there and dominate the ball, get the crowd frustrated,
:18:30. > :18:36.and turn it hostile against their own team. I thought we done that. We
:18:37. > :18:44.had a lot of pressure in the first 15, 20 minutes, after we scored, we
:18:45. > :18:48.began to dominate. The crowd went against them, that is what you want
:18:49. > :18:54.as an away team. Ten points out of the last 12, great run, what do you
:18:55. > :18:58.put it down to? Hard work, you see us in training every day, working
:18:59. > :19:07.hard. Every game is a different game plan, that we work towards. For that
:19:08. > :19:11.week. A bit of self belief, as well, a bit of confidence goes a long way.
:19:12. > :19:15.How long, for you, personally, do you think it took you to get self
:19:16. > :19:22.belief, playing in the Premier League. I don't know, really, I
:19:23. > :19:25.would like to think that from the first whistle, really. As soon as we
:19:26. > :19:30.started, the first home game, against Aston Villa, I like to think
:19:31. > :19:35.my performances have been good. That they have been up to scratch. From
:19:36. > :19:40.every game, keep going forward, building the confidence up a little
:19:41. > :19:45.more. You and cook and Frances, and Elphick, all of you were at
:19:46. > :19:49.Bournemouth from League 1. -- Cook. I know that there had been injuries
:19:50. > :19:54.this season, and the back four has been shuffled. -- Francis. But do
:19:55. > :19:56.you think that stepping up into the championship and then into the
:19:57. > :19:59.Premier League, do you think actually you have not found it as
:20:00. > :20:10.big a step because you are confident as a unit? Yes, as I say, we have
:20:11. > :20:14.had a settled back four. Adam Smith has come in, need has done very
:20:15. > :20:18.well. Each of us know each other's roles, and we know where everyone
:20:19. > :20:25.else will be. It does help in that way. And if we can keep consistent,
:20:26. > :20:29.then it is going to be a great success. The club have spent, they
:20:30. > :20:35.have been quite canny in the players that they have brought in. You have
:20:36. > :20:41.to be, the higher you go, the more you need specialist players, game
:20:42. > :20:47.changers. The gaffer has brought in some very good players, who have
:20:48. > :20:52.scored some important goals. You will not tell me now, because it is
:20:53. > :20:57.not mathematical, that you are safe. No, not yet, we are not safe yet. I
:20:58. > :21:01.thought that would be the case! We wish you well for the rest of the
:21:02. > :21:08.season. If it were not for Leicester, their manager would get
:21:09. > :21:12.column inches, really. He has done a fantastic job. The great thing about
:21:13. > :21:16.it, he has not changed the way they have played at all, it has really
:21:17. > :21:22.been refreshing. You can throw a view in there who would get more
:21:23. > :21:26.recognition, Watford... West Ham... From where they are from, the start
:21:27. > :21:31.of the season we all thought Bournemouth would get relegated. Did
:21:32. > :21:37.we not? Well, no, well, not everybody! Always a bit cautious
:21:38. > :21:57.about the teams that come up. They have a threat in Josh King
:21:58. > :22:04.laptop. They try to win games, it is great to see. -- Josh King up top.
:22:05. > :22:09.Should be mentioned as well, they have spent nearly ?50 million on
:22:10. > :22:13.players. There is a balance there. It is time to drop the plucky brave
:22:14. > :22:17.named that the BBC gives them, it is as if they still have a lot of the
:22:18. > :22:20.League 1 players, who have been with them, like Charlie, but they have
:22:21. > :22:27.added to it with the ?50 million they have spent. They have the
:22:28. > :22:32.combination absolutely right, a great advert for stability but also
:22:33. > :22:35.adding a little bit, Max Gradel, Benik Afobe, Max Gradel has barely
:22:36. > :22:41.been available, and Tyrone Mings, as well. Comparing them to Norwich,
:22:42. > :22:46.Newcastle, Sunderland, even Swansea, they have changed a lot this season,
:22:47. > :22:49.searching for answers. Eddie Howe, from the moment he got into the
:22:50. > :22:53.Premier League, it has looked like he knew what he wanted, the team he
:22:54. > :22:57.wanted them how he wanted to play, the strength they have, how they
:22:58. > :23:00.would work them, and that that would be enough. This is the lowest number
:23:01. > :23:07.of endless managers there has ever been in the English top flight, only
:23:08. > :23:13.three left, what he is great. Tottenham... Tottenham put five past
:23:14. > :23:18.them, and they just did the change, didn't make any difference, they did
:23:19. > :23:22.not change. Energy and pressing, it is what Leicester and Spurs have
:23:23. > :23:26.done, it is what has worked in the Premier League this season. Why is
:23:27. > :23:31.it all right for Bournemouth not to change when they 25s but Roberto
:23:32. > :23:36.Martinez gets hammered for not changing and doing the same thing.
:23:37. > :23:44.He may not have the squad to change Bournemouth, he has got to keep
:23:45. > :23:59.going with what he has got. -- when they concede two fives.
:24:00. > :24:04.Another one of those season defining weeks for Arsenal, you could argue
:24:05. > :24:09.that Arsene Wenger has gone with the strongest possible line-up, apart
:24:10. > :24:13.maybe from Calum Chambers at right back in place of Hector Bellerin,
:24:14. > :24:17.three changes from the 4-0 victory at Hull in the replay on Tuesday
:24:18. > :24:26.that got them here. Flamini is out, Francisco Klang, Nin, and mesoderm
:24:27. > :24:36.is ill and Sanchez come in for the walk to. -- Theo Walcott. -- Mathieu
:24:37. > :24:50.Flamini is out, Francisco Klang comes in. Craig Cathcart is fit. And
:24:51. > :25:01.to changes in midfield. Baroni comes in. 8325 Watford fans here to cheer
:25:02. > :25:08.them on. -- Francis Coquelin. That team selection, strong as they
:25:09. > :25:13.possibly can be, they do play Barcelona on Wednesday night, do you
:25:14. > :25:15.think they think that one has gone? Escom and Barcelona played
:25:16. > :25:22.yesterday, they have already got a game. That has well and truly gone.
:25:23. > :25:27.And it is the only competition he can win, for me. They will not win
:25:28. > :25:32.the league. Those fine is five words which follow Arsenal around, they
:25:33. > :25:40.always let you down, it is much and it has happened. -- those famous
:25:41. > :25:47.five words. -- it is March and it has happened. John Hartson,
:25:48. > :25:51.they have had a players-only meeting after their recent run of poor form.
:25:52. > :25:54.He said, "We know as a unit it has been tough
:25:55. > :25:57.and we all had a good chat amongst us behind closed doors.
:25:58. > :26:00.It was a meeting to express how everyone is feeling and it worked."
:26:01. > :26:04.only the results are going to say whether it was worth it or not. The
:26:05. > :26:06.players getting together to sort it out without the manager, what do you
:26:07. > :26:09.think? Depends upon the meeting. If the players recognise they are not
:26:10. > :26:12.doing as well as they can... They have put in the effort but I think
:26:13. > :26:15.that is not a bad thing, the players can get together. It is today, the
:26:16. > :26:18.performance, the reaction, that everybody will judge them on. I
:26:19. > :26:23.would rather they were steaming into each other at half-time. That is a
:26:24. > :26:28.major problem now. I know it is a little bit old school, but it is a
:26:29. > :26:31.major problem, you have got to sort, somebody in the dressing room, John
:26:32. > :26:36.Terry has done it at Chelsea, sort out the dressing room, sort out
:26:37. > :26:39.people. Sometimes you have got to tell them the future and it is not
:26:40. > :26:44.particularly good, it is the way of the world. It is a little bit late,
:26:45. > :26:47.the reaction to adversity by the Arsenal is always too late, they
:26:48. > :26:54.came off against Spurs the other day, saying they had fantastic
:26:55. > :26:59.character, 2-2, but seeing out the game at 1-0, that would have been
:27:00. > :27:03.character. Winning the reactor -- winning the FA Cup will be reacting
:27:04. > :27:08.too late to later the season. No side has won the cup three times in
:27:09. > :27:11.a row for 130 years. It would be historic but this season it is not
:27:12. > :27:14.good enough, last couple of seasons it showed progress but this is the
:27:15. > :27:18.season that progress was meant to be winning the title. Their best chance
:27:19. > :27:26.of winning the league was this season. Possibly, but looking at the
:27:27. > :27:30.season that Leicester City have had, they have come from nowhere. In
:27:31. > :27:35.terms of Manchester United having a poor season, Chelsea, Liverpool...
:27:36. > :27:42.Manchester City... I thought that Manchester City were a shoo-in for
:27:43. > :27:46.the title. Eight away goals in the Premier League in the last 12 games.
:27:47. > :27:51.They have only won two of the last ten away games! I have thrown away
:27:52. > :27:54.the FA Cup. They are going to get through in the Champions League,
:27:55. > :27:59.they will beat Dynamo Kyiv, that puts them in the quarterfinal, but
:28:00. > :28:02.in terms of the league, especially after the first five or six games
:28:03. > :28:07.where they were absolutely untouchable, to have dropped in
:28:08. > :28:10.terms of their standards and their performances, so much in recent
:28:11. > :28:16.weeks, they have lost the big games at home, they lost against Leicester
:28:17. > :28:21.and Spurs. I think there supporters will really be frustrated. One more
:28:22. > :28:24.on the Arsenal and Watford game, before going back to Manchester
:28:25. > :28:26.City, the last few games I have watched, Watford have been very
:28:27. > :28:31.difficult for the opposition to break down, whether that is
:28:32. > :28:35.Manchester United, at Old Trafford, Leicester City, at vicarage Road.
:28:36. > :28:39.They seem to have changed it with Etienne Capoue out wide, that has
:28:40. > :28:43.strengthened them even more. I think that they have been very good in
:28:44. > :28:47.those games, Troy Deeney has been excellent but body in a gala has
:28:48. > :28:50.been the problem, they have lost 1-0 twice, in games where they have had
:28:51. > :28:55.the better, they have that foundation. If DNA gala can begin
:28:56. > :28:59.scoring again, then they have had the chances. But if they score first
:29:00. > :29:06.against Arsenal today, and they have a real problem breaking them down.
:29:07. > :29:12.-- Odion Ighalo. Manchester City were at Norwich yesterday, finished
:29:13. > :29:16.goalless, here is Joe Hart. Really frustrating afternoon for Manchester
:29:17. > :29:21.City. Yes, I cannot see us getting too much air time tonight from that
:29:22. > :29:28.game. It was an OK performance, we did not give any chances but we did
:29:29. > :29:32.not create many. You have got to give Norwich a lot of credit, made
:29:33. > :29:36.it difficult all over the pitch. Good for them but I am not bothered
:29:37. > :29:39.about Norwich City, it is about our own performance. It is a good
:29:40. > :29:46.performance and result for them, but it is no good for us. Do you feel it
:29:47. > :29:49.has made it more difficult for you, it is still achievable
:29:50. > :29:53.mathematically, but it is a big gap. We will have to rely upon a crazy
:29:54. > :29:57.season getting even more crazy. But we are still in it and we will never
:29:58. > :30:06.give up. Jonathan, everybody is talking about this title challenge,
:30:07. > :30:09.should they be looking over their shoulder? They have played the same
:30:10. > :30:13.number of games as West Ham and Manchester United, two clear of West
:30:14. > :30:21.Ham, four clear of Manchester United. West Ham in particular, Alex
:30:22. > :30:25.Ferguson said this week, he thinks West Ham United could pip them to
:30:26. > :30:28.the top four. It is as if they have just decided to coast, and
:30:29. > :30:33.concentrate on the Champions League, which is a dangerous game for them.
:30:34. > :30:39.They are not good enough, particularly away from home, to rely
:30:40. > :30:43.upon that. Liverpool will be only four points behind if they win their
:30:44. > :30:46.game in hand. Member when they won at Chelsea and Manchester City and
:30:47. > :30:48.people thought they were going to win the league! A little bit of
:30:49. > :30:59.caution! -- remember when. has been that type of season where I
:31:00. > :31:03.would not this rise if Arsenal or Manchester City dropped out, it has
:31:04. > :31:15.been that kind of season. And West Ham, the run they are on, West Ham
:31:16. > :31:22.have nine out of the last ten. Who is it going to be? I Spurs have
:31:23. > :31:28.enough points. I think Spurs will be fine. They have a chance of winning
:31:29. > :31:34.it. Why are City so inconsistent? Good question. The key players are
:31:35. > :31:39.the ones they have had for five years, Yaya Toure still wins games
:31:40. > :31:46.for them even though there is a lot of things he does not do for any
:31:47. > :31:51.more. They have lacked the quality of work to make up for those older
:31:52. > :32:00.players. They are relying on moments of magic from him and Silva.
:32:01. > :32:05.Fernandinho Jesus Navas. Raheem Sterling will never understand
:32:06. > :32:11.again, loads of ability. Can that understanding be coached? A little
:32:12. > :32:18.bit. I don't think he will ever understand it. That's what I'm
:32:19. > :32:23.saying, can he be coached? I do not think he realises how he does what
:32:24. > :32:30.he does, it is purely instinctive. Wilfried Bony has not done it,
:32:31. > :32:36.nowhere near. Too much reliance on Aguero to get the goals. He is a
:32:37. > :32:42.world-class striker. Lacklustre in front of goal, when they get in and
:32:43. > :32:48.around the box. Fantastic on the eye but just the final pass that will
:32:49. > :32:55.create has not been there. It will be a tough job for Guardiola.
:32:56. > :33:01.Apparently City are just playing like they are fed up with
:33:02. > :33:06.Pellegrini. Pellegrini has failed, spending so much money and
:33:07. > :33:11.struggling against Norwich. Daniel says they need to focus on making
:33:12. > :33:16.the top four. Waiting for the quickest ever resignation in
:33:17. > :33:21.history. If the big players, Yaya Toure in particular, David Silva got
:33:22. > :33:25.some stick after yesterday. If they do not produce then they get the
:33:26. > :33:33.stick as opposed to maybe the players on the periphery who do not
:33:34. > :33:39.deliver at all. Players like Samir Nasri who is nowhere near any more
:33:40. > :33:43.but still earning wages. Really poor recruitment policy in the last five
:33:44. > :33:48.years. One of the things Guardiola is to give them is a style of play
:33:49. > :33:53.and identity. For all of the money they spent they never came up with
:33:54. > :33:56.that. Kevin De Bruyne is a big miss. It is football, you have to manage
:33:57. > :34:02.those injuries. They should be top of the league. With Norwich holding
:34:03. > :34:10.out, you still do not give them any hope? They have got hope, yes. I
:34:11. > :34:18.think Sunderland have got a bit of fight. It is a battle. This will be
:34:19. > :34:24.two from those three. When was the last time Norwich on in the league.
:34:25. > :34:27.They were good yesterday. Solid, but goals are the problem again. Goals
:34:28. > :34:36.have been the problem since they came into the Premier League. The
:34:37. > :34:43.4pm game in the FA Cup is Manchester United against West Ham. You have
:34:44. > :34:49.spoken to Dimitri Payet this week. He talked about Ronaldinho, the
:34:50. > :34:54.scenes himself as a player who goes and puts on a show and tries to
:34:55. > :34:59.entertain. He has been one of the finds of the Premier League the
:35:00. > :35:01.season. Along with Mahrez. He was relishing the thought of going to
:35:02. > :35:06.Old Trafford because he missed out in the league when he was injured.
:35:07. > :35:11.He does not fear a stadium like that as a reason to be scared. If you
:35:12. > :35:17.look at West Ham they can fight as well as play football. They are big
:35:18. > :35:26.and strong and athletic. They love to tackle. Very much like their
:35:27. > :35:30.manager in many ways. But Payet, one of the top five in the country this
:35:31. > :35:35.season, certainly. At Blackburn the other week, all right, his second
:35:36. > :35:40.goal was against ten men but even so his free kick, he is one of those
:35:41. > :35:45.players who gets you off your seat. What has he done now? He is that
:35:46. > :35:49.good. They should be relishing this. Of course they should. They are
:35:50. > :35:57.having a fantastic time. In great form. I do not think they would be
:35:58. > :36:03.favourites today at Old Trafford. Are you just going on history for
:36:04. > :36:10.that? I probably am, Mark. Won't they be short of a centre-back.
:36:11. > :36:16.Winston Reid is 50 slash 50. The likes of Noble, Obiang, Antonio. --
:36:17. > :36:20.50-50. They do work in midfield for Payet to go and get the ball where
:36:21. > :36:25.he likes to get it and go for. You take his defence for responsible it
:36:26. > :36:32.is out. Great, why burden him? Exactly. He has been outstanding.
:36:33. > :36:36.Everybody has looked at Antonio. And everybody went, I do not think he
:36:37. > :36:43.can do it. He has a goal in him as well. In big games. Stan Collymore
:36:44. > :36:52.has written today, not on United player would make it into the Bilic
:36:53. > :36:56.team. Goalkeeper? But look at the West Ham team and it is full of the
:36:57. > :37:02.type of clothes that Manchester United used to be about. Lanzini is
:37:03. > :37:08.the Manchester United typo, Payet. A loss of identity from a United. I do
:37:09. > :37:12.not think West Ham would trade. As well as the flair players as you say
:37:13. > :37:17.they have those players who can fight and put their foot in as well
:37:18. > :37:20.which Manchester United always had. In this phase of the season where
:37:21. > :37:24.everybody is talking about leadership, you spoke about the
:37:25. > :37:30.dressing room at half-time, you could throw the same accusation and
:37:31. > :37:36.the Manchester United dressing room. As has been thrown at Arsenal and
:37:37. > :37:39.various other clubs. Absolutely. But don't get me started on Manchester
:37:40. > :37:43.United. It is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
:37:44. > :37:50.Football has moved on massively. He is yesterday's man. I do not mean
:37:51. > :37:54.he's going to lose his job, he has always been yesterday's man.
:37:55. > :37:59.Managing from a different era. The captain 's armband has gone from
:38:00. > :38:06.small into character Mata. Are any of them leaders? -- Smalling,
:38:07. > :38:11.Carrick, Mata. I do not know them personally. You look at Martial,
:38:12. > :38:17.Ratchford, Depay, they are not leaders. Chris Smalling, England
:38:18. > :38:23.centre-half. He has had a good season. I thought the emergence of
:38:24. > :38:27.the kids was a last chance for van Gaal. They offered him maybe an
:38:28. > :38:34.unlikely get out of that look at what has happened at Ratchford -- to
:38:35. > :38:38.Ratchford already. His head looked full of instructions at Anfield on
:38:39. > :38:44.Thursday. He already looks short of confidence. It is a fact that
:38:45. > :38:47.players seem to get worse under van Gaal rather than better is one of
:38:48. > :38:56.the reason is you might think it does not work. Could he go this week
:38:57. > :39:03.with West Ham, Liverpool, Manchester City. If he loses all of them,
:39:04. > :39:09.possibly. I do not see him. Honestly I think he is yesterday's man. Why
:39:10. > :39:12.would they get rid of him this week, what is the point? Because the
:39:13. > :39:20.atmosphere could become so poisonous depending on how they go. If they
:39:21. > :39:28.lose, they won't get in the top four, out of the cup. I would think,
:39:29. > :39:34.just give him until the end of the season. Just drifting. I would put
:39:35. > :39:52.Ryan Giggs in there. Laurel Browne got a mention this week. -- Laurent
:39:53. > :39:58.Blanc. Gary says it is a fantastic time to the West Ham supporter on
:39:59. > :40:04.text. A good time to be going north? Good luck with that one. You would
:40:05. > :40:08.be there by Tuesday. Every Silva lining has a cloud at the moment.
:40:09. > :40:09.Quickly, let's touch on the Championship.
:40:10. > :40:14.Strange situation at Middlesbrough, assistant Steve Agnew will take
:40:15. > :40:16.charge of their match against Charlton this afternoon.
:40:17. > :40:18.It's being reported that manager Aitor Karanka
:40:19. > :40:20.has had a big falling out with his players
:40:21. > :40:29.Could they sort this out? It sounds bad. He has missed training for four
:40:30. > :40:34.days and this is the crucial time in the season. Of situation. I question
:40:35. > :40:38.Karanka because whatever his problems are this is where he needs
:40:39. > :40:45.to fight. If not for the club then for himself. It is very odd to
:40:46. > :40:49.desert it. The whole thing is bizarre. When you look at the bottom
:40:50. > :40:52.of the Premier League and you talk about the pressure of staying in
:40:53. > :40:57.maybe we are seeing in recent months the same at the top of the
:40:58. > :41:02.Championship. They are not out of it. That is why it is bizarre.
:41:03. > :41:06.Burnley and Hull, they have their managers from last season and
:41:07. > :41:10.everything is stable. Derby and Middlesbrough trying to get into the
:41:11. > :41:15.promised land. Middlesbrough bottled it in the final last year. They did
:41:16. > :41:20.not turn up. They have invested a lot in the squad. They bought Jordan
:41:21. > :41:30.Rhodes. There is an expectoration likely for them to go up which is
:41:31. > :41:31.why deserting at this button and there is an expectation. It'll be
:41:32. > :41:32.interesting to see his reasons. Second in the Championship. What
:41:33. > :41:37.morale must be like in the dressing room. For him to walk out of it.
:41:38. > :41:41.Obviously a problem with the players. It will be interesting to
:41:42. > :41:46.actually see what comes out. Looking at it a different way, they will be
:41:47. > :41:52.on massive money if they get promotion. No one is going to toss
:41:53. > :41:56.it away, you would think. We're not talking about a soap opera club,
:41:57. > :41:58.this is Middlesbrough. A good owner, the dressing room that you do not
:41:59. > :42:00.hear tales from. Did Spurs need to rest so many
:42:01. > :42:05.players against Borussia Dortmund with only Villa
:42:06. > :42:21.to worry about this weekend? I was surprised. Not really. I think
:42:22. > :42:27.the Premier League is a priority. It is within their grasp to catch
:42:28. > :42:32.Leicester. Even though Leicester are going ready well. I think the
:42:33. > :42:35.priority is the Premier League. Rest eight few players. Borussia Dortmund
:42:36. > :42:42.is a tough game anyway away from home. They need a big performance
:42:43. > :42:47.after the North London derby as well? It was a sporting decision,
:42:48. > :42:51.better chance of getting in the Champions League via the Premier
:42:52. > :42:56.League rather than going and winning the Rafa league. But they do need a
:42:57. > :43:04.performance. -- winning the Europa League. It is they work so hard
:43:05. > :43:09.together. Villa did the same. Pochettino has always taken it
:43:10. > :43:14.seriously which is perhaps why it surprised people. I think
:43:15. > :43:18.essentially we know they need back-up for Harry Kane and Delhi
:43:19. > :43:28.Alli was injured. That is who he had to rest. -- Dele Alli. The defeat
:43:29. > :43:34.even with a second string, that is interesting. With the guys they have
:43:35. > :43:40.rested coming back today, they will be fresh. You have to go with Spurs.
:43:41. > :43:45.Villa only started playing when they were 4-0 down last week. You know
:43:46. > :43:46.what, forget it. Thank you very much everybody.
:43:47. > :43:49.Commentary of both FA Cup games on 5 Live today.
:43:50. > :43:51.Arsenal at Watford in about half an hour,
:43:52. > :43:52.Manchester United against West Ham at 4pm.
:43:53. > :43:55.I'll be back tonight on BBC One for Match
:43:56. > :43:58.of the Day 2 for both of today's Premier League games.