22/12/2013

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:00:32. > :00:39.Hello and welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra. We're live on BBC One,

:00:40. > :00:44.on BBC Radio 5Live and on the BBC Sport website. Coming up: We'll ask

:00:45. > :00:49.what's going on with Malky Mackay at Cardiff. Is he going to stay or go?

:00:50. > :00:54.Managers of Spurs face Southampton after a week of turmoil on and off

:00:55. > :00:59.the field. We'll talk about Everton visit to Swansea. Look ahead to

:01:00. > :01:06.tomorrow night's big game between Arsenal and Chelsea.

:01:07. > :01:13.With me for the next 35 minutes is Robbie Savage, 5Live's commentator

:01:14. > :01:18.John Murray, and Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail. We want your views as

:01:19. > :01:22.well. You've got 35 minutes to get your

:01:23. > :01:26.thoughts and opinions to us and I will put your questions to the

:01:27. > :01:32.studio. You were at Anfield yesterday. It was a very odd

:01:33. > :01:37.atmosphere wasn't it? It was unlike anything I've experienced really. I

:01:38. > :01:42.wasn't at the game when Martin Jol knew he was on the way at Spurs or

:01:43. > :01:46.when Martin Hughes knew he was on the way to Manchester City.

:01:47. > :01:49.Everything pointed to the fact that at some point yesterday we were

:01:50. > :01:55.going to find out that Malky Mackay was no longer the manager of Cardiff

:01:56. > :02:02.City. But for whatever reason that hasn't yet come to pass. Just odd.

:02:03. > :02:06.It must have been a very, very strange afternoon for Malky Mackay

:02:07. > :02:10.himself, with the whole thing that surrounded it. A strange afternoon

:02:11. > :02:14.for him and despite everything that's gone on he did all his media

:02:15. > :02:20.and press duties after the match. Before we get the thoughts of Robbie

:02:21. > :02:25.and Ian, let's hear from Malky. 100% I can tell you I won't be resigning

:02:26. > :02:29.from the Football Club. . I am the manager here. Had I couldn't look at

:02:30. > :02:33.myself in the mirror resigning and walking away from that group of

:02:34. > :02:37.players, may staff, the training room staff and office staff. What

:02:38. > :02:41.we've built here in the last two-and-a-half years, and the fans.

:02:42. > :02:43.They've been like that home and away for two-and-a-half years. They

:02:44. > :02:48.should be enjoying the Premier League season this year. Obviously

:02:49. > :02:53.you are not going to resign. I don't think anybody would expect you to.

:02:54. > :02:58.Do you know what Vincent Tan is going to do? No, I don't. Do you

:02:59. > :03:02.think even Vincent Tan knows what he is going to do? I'm not sure after

:03:03. > :03:07.yesterday, the reaction of the Cardiff fans, the Liverpool fans,

:03:08. > :03:11.and people in general. People who were respecting the game say it is a

:03:12. > :03:15.ridiculous decision to sack him if that's the case. I think there might

:03:16. > :03:19.be a change of heart. From what I've seen over the weekend, from people's

:03:20. > :03:24.comments, I'm not sure he will be sacked now. What is bizarre is why

:03:25. > :03:29.everybody asks Malky Mackay if he is going to resign. Nobody in their

:03:30. > :03:33.right mind would resign. He is doing a good job. The question, will you

:03:34. > :03:37.resign, for me isn't right. Due really think that a atmosphere at

:03:38. > :03:42.Anfield yesterday, the coverage in the papers and the media could sway

:03:43. > :03:47.a club's chairman to change his mind? Not this one. He decided a

:03:48. > :03:53.long time ago he wanted Malky out of his club. . He's been doing

:03:54. > :03:59.everything he can to persuade Mali in various underhand ways to

:04:00. > :04:04.resign.ia would he walk? Tan knows that now. All his methods have fail,

:04:05. > :04:10.so now he will sack him, maybe not today or tomorrow, but at some

:04:11. > :04:14.point. Malky will be OK. He's a very good manager and a level bloke.

:04:15. > :04:20.Whether Cardiff will be OK under the ownership of this crazy guy is more

:04:21. > :04:23.doubtful. What I thought was telling was that when Brendan Rodgers spoke

:04:24. > :04:28.to the media after the match yesterday, he said that he had

:04:29. > :04:34.spoken with Malky Mackay on the Friday night before the game and

:04:35. > :04:40.either wittingly or unwitting Brendan Rodgers was referring to

:04:41. > :04:45.Malky Mackay as manager in the past tense. He offered strong support and

:04:46. > :04:51.said if Cardiff stick with Malky Mackay, they will stay up this

:04:52. > :04:55.season. He said this guy will go on to be a top manager at a top club,

:04:56. > :05:04.referring to him in the past tense. So Mali expects to be sacked? Yes.

:05:05. > :05:09.After this match, they went on to the pitch together, he was talking

:05:10. > :05:13.to Richard Bevan from the League Managers' Association. The chairman

:05:14. > :05:17.is a big fan of Malky. I think if he could have persuaded Vincent Tan to

:05:18. > :05:26.maybe stick can Malky Mackay there could have been a change of heart.

:05:27. > :05:28.The chairman has proved to be an ally in the last difficult months. I

:05:29. > :05:33.believe there was a conversation between the owner around the

:05:34. > :05:39.chairman on Friday night where he was trying to drum sense into him,

:05:40. > :05:43.but who knows whether that's worked. The word we had on it a, David

:05:44. > :05:50.reported that the relationship between Vincent Tan and Malky Mackay

:05:51. > :05:54.had down beyond repair. Weeks ago. They don't talk. So if the

:05:55. > :06:01.relationship has broken down beyond repair... Yes, but maybe there's

:06:02. > :06:05.some magician who can repair it. Maybe there's someone in the

:06:06. > :06:09.background who can do that. How long can this continue like this? You

:06:10. > :06:13.said on 5Live yesterday Robbie, it won't affect the players. All they

:06:14. > :06:17.are bothered about is getting their money and making sure they are

:06:18. > :06:22.playing in the first team. Do you really believe that When I was a

:06:23. > :06:25.player, from a selfish point of view, if you are a player and you

:06:26. > :06:29.are seeing what's happening to the chairman, the manager, as long as

:06:30. > :06:33.you are in that team and you are big picked and paid each month, does it

:06:34. > :06:36.really have that much effect on you? The second half performance was

:06:37. > :06:42.terrific. Liverpool were the better team. That's why they got beat. .

:06:43. > :06:45.Some players might think if the manager goes, they might get back on

:06:46. > :06:50.the team, but the majority of players now getting their wages each

:06:51. > :06:55.months, there'll be a new manager, I will still be getting paid, does it

:06:56. > :07:00.affect me? But people like Craig Bellamy will care. Yes, but the

:07:01. > :07:05.majority won't. They will have an influence on the players, the more

:07:06. > :07:10.relaxed players, the more selfish players, people like Bellamy will

:07:11. > :07:17.have an influence. There are a lot of selfish players. We are seeing

:07:18. > :07:23.the odds that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is 6-4 on favourite for this job

:07:24. > :07:26.with Sven second favourite at 2-1. Fans who always go, who would want

:07:27. > :07:30.to manage Cardiff in these situations? There'll always be

:07:31. > :07:36.somebody who would want to be manager. One or two people will want

:07:37. > :07:42.that job and we all know who it is. Would you say it is the Swede? I

:07:43. > :07:48.would be amazed if Solskjaer took it. I heard Lawro say on Friday

:07:49. > :07:53.night, who would come in to this scenario? And the answer to that

:07:54. > :08:01.question was Sven-Goran Eriksson would be a manager who would happily

:08:02. > :08:07.walk in. He's worked with some eccentric chairman in the past. He

:08:08. > :08:11.was sacked by an eccentric Far East chairman but it won't put him off. I

:08:12. > :08:16.have a strange feeling that all the Cardiff fans were so in favour of

:08:17. > :08:22.Malky Mackay staying, the fans, Ian might dis that fans have an

:08:23. > :08:25.influence it, but Malky Mackay could still be the manager at the end of

:08:26. > :08:28.the season for Cardiff. An extraordinary atmosphere yesterday

:08:29. > :08:33.with the may that Cardiff City fans all the way through the game, like

:08:34. > :08:40.an old-fashioned atmosphere. I agree. Tan in the director's box

:08:41. > :08:44.with his black gloves looked like an executioner. He's been getting grief

:08:45. > :08:49.from Cardiff fans for months. I don't think anything that happened

:08:50. > :08:54.yesterday will worry him much. Liverpool, the Mail on Sunday's

:08:55. > :08:59.front page, like so many newspapers, has Luis Suarez on the front cover.

:09:00. > :09:03.There is a picture of him on virtually every sports section.

:09:04. > :09:07.Before we talk about whether Liverpool are title contenders,

:09:08. > :09:12.let's hear from Brendan Rodgers on his newly signed striker. To have a

:09:13. > :09:18.player of that calibre and quality in your ranks is first class. We've

:09:19. > :09:23.always said when you've got someone of that esteem in your team, of

:09:24. > :09:28.course it makes you better. He's really happy at the moment. . His

:09:29. > :09:35.performance today yet again was outstanding, and he show that the

:09:36. > :09:39.ball, he squares it and gets his finish. A remarkable man, a

:09:40. > :09:43.remarkable player. We are delighted he's here and I think it will give

:09:44. > :09:52.the supporters a boost. On the subject of his new deal, Adam Dunn

:09:53. > :09:58.asks is it beneficial or is it a means to get a fair fee for him when

:09:59. > :10:02.Real Madrid come in? With Messi being injured, Suarez is probably

:10:03. > :10:09.the second best player in the world. If they go it will be Suarez or

:10:10. > :10:12.Gareth Bale last year for Spurs. If they don't get in the Champions

:10:13. > :10:16.League, is the second or third best player in the world going to be

:10:17. > :10:20.happy playing Europa League football or no European football at all?

:10:21. > :10:25.Contracts this day and age, do they really mean that much? If a player

:10:26. > :10:29.wants to leave, Brendan Rodgers deserves huge credit for the way he

:10:30. > :10:34.handled him. . He is an unbelievable player. But no Champions League

:10:35. > :10:37.football, what is he going to do? If they don't get Champions League

:10:38. > :10:42.football, on current form you would say they would. There's more than

:10:43. > :10:47.half the season left to. It is not a certainty that Liverpool will be in

:10:48. > :10:50.the top four. Robbie makes a good point and the question is a good

:10:51. > :10:55.question. I think the answer is both. . Liverpool have handled this

:10:56. > :10:58.situation a brilliantly since Suarez asked to leave in the summer.

:10:59. > :11:02.Liverpool have done well to keep him. It doesn't mean he will still

:11:03. > :11:06.be at Liverpool at the end of that contract but it means that if they

:11:07. > :11:11.face a situation where he wants to go and they feel it is right, they

:11:12. > :11:15.can now get a very good fee for him. That's a pragmatic thing to do. It

:11:16. > :11:21.is an intelligent thing to do. It works for them and for him. He is

:11:22. > :11:26.just so hungry at the moment isn't he. I said this during the

:11:27. > :11:32.commentary yesterday. He is ravenously hungry to score goals.

:11:33. > :11:38.Pat who was with me on 5Live yesterday, we felt at half time

:11:39. > :11:46.Liverpool have got the game one. Chelsea next weekend, two huge

:11:47. > :11:51.games. Brendan Rodgers will take Suarez. He plays full 90 minutes.

:11:52. > :11:56.Brendan Rodgers knows he wants-to-be out there. He wants to be on the

:11:57. > :12:03.field. He doesn't want a rest, so Brendan Rodgers is dealing with him

:12:04. > :12:08.in that way. The swim way we talk about Arsenal going to Manchester

:12:09. > :12:11.City, two defining fixtures for us this season, is it going to be the

:12:12. > :12:18.same for Liverpool over the festive period? Do you think it will define

:12:19. > :12:26.how and where they finish? Possibly. The big telltale sign was not having

:12:27. > :12:32.structure imand Gerrard and -- Sturridge and Gerrard and still

:12:33. > :12:37.winning. They proved, to win 5-0, irrespective how Spurs played, they

:12:38. > :12:42.were fantastic. Henderson looks a new player, and Joe Allen and

:12:43. > :12:45.Flanagan with his goal. I think they've got a realistic chance. I

:12:46. > :12:54.think they will finish top four. That's not great for Manchester

:12:55. > :13:00.United. City, Arsenal and heal will be above united. What happens if he

:13:01. > :13:08.dips or gets injured? Are they still good enough to keep in the taxpayer

:13:09. > :13:15.four? Well... They started very well without Suarez. You mentioned how

:13:16. > :13:20.they started without Suarez this season. This calendar year they've

:13:21. > :13:31.scored more goals than any other Premier League side. Yesterday

:13:32. > :13:38.during the game gay describe hem as Leicester City-Lite. Do you want to

:13:39. > :13:43.justify what you meant by that? The first half yesterday they were

:13:44. > :13:52.terrific. It is some way since I've been at Anfield and heard the home

:13:53. > :13:56.supporters purr at the way Liverpool... Do you think they are

:13:57. > :14:00.contenders? I do, with Suarez leading them like that. Remember,

:14:01. > :14:04.the season we are this is unusual because of the change and all of the

:14:05. > :14:08.big clubs apart from Arsenal, I feel this season there is an opportunity

:14:09. > :14:13.perhaps for Liverpool. If Arsenal get beat tomorrow, they're fourth.

:14:14. > :14:18.Incredible. They are title contenders. Graham from Taunton says

:14:19. > :14:27.Liverpool had every chance of winning the title if we keep Suarez

:14:28. > :14:37.fit. I suspect Everton supporters might be saying the same thing. Text

:14:38. > :14:43.us. 85058. Tim from Kent, Malky Mackay for

:14:44. > :14:48.Spurs. We could do a lot worse. Spurs today are at Southampton. In

:14:49. > :14:53.charge of them for the moment is Tim Sherwood.

:14:54. > :14:57.If it was down to me I'm getting a ten-year contract now. Football

:14:58. > :15:02.don't work like that. It is all about getting results. I played

:15:03. > :15:10.here, it is my club. I know what the supporters want. I know what they

:15:11. > :15:14.demand. It ain't my decision to make the appointments. We've got to

:15:15. > :15:21.respect the men who take that decision. Well, Simon Brotherton is

:15:22. > :15:25.at Southampton for Match Of The Day 2, which is on tomorrow night. So we

:15:26. > :15:28.can show you Arsenal against Chelsea. He wants the job

:15:29. > :15:36.permanently. Do you think he stands a chance? I don't think he's going

:15:37. > :15:38.to get the keys to the Tottenham job permanently Mark, no, because he

:15:39. > :15:43.doesn't have any management experience. He does have a lot of

:15:44. > :15:48.experience of Tottenham as a club, as a player and on the back room

:15:49. > :15:53.staff. He's been involved for a number of years, so in the interim

:15:54. > :15:57.he's a good person to have around. I don't expect next season he will be

:15:58. > :16:01.the manager of the team though. I think he will get the Christmas and

:16:02. > :16:03.new year period. They will be hoping that the team gets decent results,

:16:04. > :16:06.because the pressure will come on to make an appointment, if they

:16:07. > :16:11.struggle over Christmas and new year. Clearly, from what we can see,

:16:12. > :16:16.the club don't particularly have a plan in place in managerial terms

:16:17. > :16:20.that they can execute at this point. The big plan he had in place,

:16:21. > :16:23.certainly against West Ham in the Capital 1 Cup during the week, was

:16:24. > :16:28.to try to change the tempo against Spurs' play. He wanted them to play

:16:29. > :16:31.a much quicker style of football. I'm not sure watching it on

:16:32. > :16:37.Wednesday that all the players were able to buy into that. Well, I think

:16:38. > :16:42.they probably tried to buy into it but I'm not sure they had the gas to

:16:43. > :16:47.carry that out for the full 90 minutes. They were winning with 10

:16:48. > :16:52.minutes to go before sum coming 2-1.The idea of upping the tempo is

:16:53. > :16:57.probably the right one. It is interesting he chose to do that. He

:16:58. > :17:03.went to a more traditional British style of 4-4-2. A lot of fans were

:17:04. > :17:07.excite excited to see two up top, with the wide men out there. The one

:17:08. > :17:11.thing I've noticed, not just this season, watching the teams that

:17:12. > :17:15.Andre Villas-Boas is putting out at Tottenham, when you look at the

:17:16. > :17:18.talent on the pitch, they really did struggle to break other teams down

:17:19. > :17:21.at times. They were more laboured than you would have expected in

:17:22. > :17:27.breaking some of the opposition teams down. It is a good idea. What

:17:28. > :17:30.did concern me though was the suggestion that maybe the players

:17:31. > :17:36.weren't quite fit enough to be able to carry out that, and they did sort

:17:37. > :17:39.of run out of gas towards the end. One of the things that Mauricio

:17:40. > :17:44.Pochettino did when he took over Southampton was to increase the

:17:45. > :17:49.tempo. This is an ideal chance to get back on track. It is not just

:17:50. > :17:53.Tottenham that's desperate for a result. . Southampton five games

:17:54. > :17:58.without a win. To be fair, they have had a tough ticks ture list. It is

:17:59. > :18:04.not surprising that results-wise it's been a blip. The Aston Villa

:18:05. > :18:08.home defeat, they would have expected to take 3 points but didn't

:18:09. > :18:13.get them, so they are desperate for the win here. He's done an excellent

:18:14. > :18:16.job and he's been linked with a Tottenham job in the last week or

:18:17. > :18:19.so. Just reading the papers and looking at the story, it seems like

:18:20. > :18:23.a wide open field. I don't think Tottenham are particularly close to

:18:24. > :18:28.making an appointment as a successor to AVB.

:18:29. > :18:33.Bringing you the team news shortly for this game. Why couldn't Sherwood

:18:34. > :18:42.be the next Spurs manager, Ian Ladyman? Why would he, would be a

:18:43. > :18:46.more pertinent question. No, the you're here to answer. It is

:18:47. > :18:50.Christmas, so I changed it around! Of course he knows the club, it

:18:51. > :18:54.doesn't mean he doesn't know football, but he hasn't been a

:18:55. > :19:00.manager. I can't believe for a minuta Tottenham are going to get

:19:01. > :19:04.rid of AVB and seriously give consideration to promote Tim

:19:05. > :19:10.Sherwood, with the greatest respect to him. Equally I can't understand

:19:11. > :19:16.how they've sacked AVB without any idea who they want. The press box at

:19:17. > :19:21.Spurs is above the dugout. He was up most of the time shouting at his

:19:22. > :19:26.players. To in which this tempo, he was furious so many times with how

:19:27. > :19:31.slow they were. The defence not push Pep Guardiola up to the halfway

:19:32. > :19:35.line. They wanted to increase it and they didn't seem able to. I'm

:19:36. > :19:39.surprise odd, because in the Europa League campaign they should be fit

:19:40. > :19:43.enough to increase the tempo. Is that stuff on the training ground?

:19:44. > :19:49.Are the players not physically fit enough? Surely this far into the

:19:50. > :19:55.season the players should be fit enough to increase the tempo. You

:19:56. > :20:01.made a point about Pochettino. I agree with Ian, I'm not sure

:20:02. > :20:13.Sherwood her has enough experience to manage. He's picked an attacking

:20:14. > :20:20.team, Lloris in goal, Dembele, Soldado...

:20:21. > :20:26.Spurs fans the other night as well. Their anger wasn't necessarily

:20:27. > :20:33.directed at the players when we spoke to them on 5Live or at Andre

:20:34. > :20:37.Villas-Boas, but at Daniel Levy, saying explain to us what's going on

:20:38. > :20:44.at this Football Club. It is a fair question. Looks as though they are

:20:45. > :20:51.going to be 4-4-2 again today with Adebayor and Soldado. All options

:20:52. > :20:56.are open for Spurs in terms of Tim Sherwood, possibly. A manager until

:20:57. > :21:01.the end of the season. Or they bring in someone now. But again, it just,

:21:02. > :21:09.all options are open, but it means where are they? Glenn Hoddle. I

:21:10. > :21:13.would give him another go. There is an issue at Tottenham like at some

:21:14. > :21:17.other clubs, nobody is sure who is buying the players at Tottenham. The

:21:18. > :21:21.Continental system that some clubs like these days, I'm not convinced

:21:22. > :21:25.it works. I think any manager who is going to go into Tottenham,

:21:26. > :21:30.especially if it is someone with the history of Hoddle and the ego and

:21:31. > :21:36.the self respect that someone like Hoddle's got, is he going to manage

:21:37. > :21:43.a club where he can't be sure he will be choosing the players next

:21:44. > :21:53.summer? The papers are saying they want the Dutch coach, van Gaal. If

:21:54. > :21:58.Baldini was to go, the would it clear things up for you at Spurs?

:21:59. > :22:03.Would ITMA make the next managerial appointment easier? Roberto Mancini

:22:04. > :22:07.gets a mention in the Daily Telegraph as well. Baldini was

:22:08. > :22:12.getting a huge amount of credit at the start of the season when the

:22:13. > :22:20.seven signings were made. What was Garth Crooks's quote? There are so

:22:21. > :22:26.many memorable Garth crooks quotes I can't remember. They sold Elvis and

:22:27. > :22:32.bought the Beatles, remember? Everybody thought Baldini had pulled

:22:33. > :22:38.off a master stroke, but there were injuries. The key to Tottenham's

:22:39. > :22:42.season was how they spend the Gareth Bale money. You lose one of the best

:22:43. > :22:47.players and replace him, that was always going be crucial. If you are

:22:48. > :22:50.the coach or manager and you don't have the final say, how is that

:22:51. > :22:57.going to work? You will have problems. It appears there is no

:22:58. > :23:03.strategy, and Spurs' season a damaged as a result. John Murray

:23:04. > :23:06.asked for Everton texts. When John Murray speaks, the people listen.

:23:07. > :23:13.What's the secret to Everton being so strong this season, asks Mrs

:23:14. > :23:21.Walker with, who says she is Evert's biggest fan. And this one says there

:23:22. > :23:25.is another club on Merseyside, guys. This one asks could we get top four

:23:26. > :23:30.with luck on our side? Michael says win today and we are well in with a

:23:31. > :23:35.chance today. Don't count us out. Robbie Savage? The key to Everton,

:23:36. > :23:43.the manager's a fantastic tactician. I've never seen forward-thinking

:23:44. > :23:48.players thinking of this so much. When they get in between the lines

:23:49. > :23:54.or the back four on the midfield, they are so attacking. I've never

:23:55. > :24:00.seen a team get united in the way they did. They get between the lines

:24:01. > :24:05.had and attack. They are fantastic. Barclay is a player to watch. So

:24:06. > :24:09.confident, so poised on the ball. I was speaking to David Moyes about

:24:10. > :24:14.him and asked him what he thought his development would be. He said he

:24:15. > :24:20.can do anything he wants. He is so confident. So clear in his mind what

:24:21. > :24:28.he wants to do when he gets the ball. He and Lukaku have been

:24:29. > :24:31.fantastic this season. ALL TALK AT ONCE

:24:32. > :24:36.Consistency of selection I think is a big thing for Everton, which

:24:37. > :24:42.doesn't work for every team. The players happen to be in form, and

:24:43. > :24:51.very good loan signings for Everton. They are well coached. Manchester

:24:52. > :24:55.City fans can't work out how well they do... Let's move on to City.

:24:56. > :25:00.How big a result was it for them yesterday Robbie? Just because they

:25:01. > :25:07.allowed Fulham to get back to 2-2 and there've been so many questions

:25:08. > :25:12.about their away form. Yeah. ??FORC At 2-2 there was a period when

:25:13. > :25:22.Fulham looked dangerous. . City have moved up a gear and scored four

:25:23. > :25:29.goals away from home. 51 goals s. Three goals a game... I'm not bad at

:25:30. > :25:36.maths! I'm improved. We could all see the cogs whirring there. Now he

:25:37. > :25:44.has to work on the English! I think The their away form is crucial.

:25:45. > :25:48.Let's give City credit yesterday. They scored four goals away from

:25:49. > :25:53.home. They were tlivg. They had that period at the moment, highlighted on

:25:54. > :25:58.Match Of The Day John Murray, when they had 20 minutes away from home

:25:59. > :26:04.where they struggled to keep possession. We saw it at Villa and

:26:05. > :26:08.Stoke. That section where they don't tend to have at home Robbie is

:26:09. > :26:12.probably a better man to answer. Will there be any damage from the

:26:13. > :26:17.fact that there was that wobbly spell, or will it be brushed over by

:26:18. > :26:24.the fact that they did come back in the game? Conceding two goals,

:26:25. > :26:29.Fulham have come back into it but they scored four goals away from

:26:30. > :26:33.home. They'll think we can outscore other teams. That was without

:26:34. > :26:38.Aguero. They are not right defensively. They did concede three

:26:39. > :26:45.at home to Arsenal, despite scoring six. Is that will improve. Joe Hart

:26:46. > :26:51.is back in goal. You will imagine that respect with Hart and Kompany,

:26:52. > :26:56.you can see them getting better. I think they will be the champions.

:26:57. > :26:59.They are the only team of winning ten games straight in the league and

:27:00. > :27:03.just putting a zip on and putting distance between them and the rest.

:27:04. > :27:08.They have got some issues which I think were outlined last night on

:27:09. > :27:10.Match Of The Day but I think they will start those out. Let's look

:27:11. > :27:21.ahead to the big Match Of The Day 2 is on tomorrow

:27:22. > :27:26.night. Arsenal against Chelsea. Let's hear from both managers. Look,

:27:27. > :27:35.it is not a personal battle. Honestly, we had some big games and

:27:36. > :27:38.what is important for me, I'm completely focused on Arsenal

:27:39. > :27:44.Football Club and on my team and doing well. Do we play Monday night

:27:45. > :27:48.against Chelsea or anybody else? For me it is exactly the same. What is

:27:49. > :27:56.at stake for us is to come back to winning habits. It is not me against

:27:57. > :28:08.Wenger. It is my Chelsea against his Arsenal. That doesn't play Monday.

:28:09. > :28:14.It has no influence. For the game of Monday it means nothing. How do you

:28:15. > :28:18.see this going tomorrow? Referring there to the fact that morinho has

:28:19. > :28:24.such a good record at against Wenger with, nine tames his Chelsea have

:28:25. > :28:28.played Wenger's Arsenal and Arsenal have yet to win against Jose

:28:29. > :28:33.Mourinho's Chelsea. I feel it is almost a bigger game for Arsenal

:28:34. > :28:37.having been beaten so badly by Manchester City. If Arsenal had been

:28:38. > :28:41.able to get something at Manchester City, I think that would have eased

:28:42. > :28:48.the pressure a little. Huge, huge night for Arsenal in particular. You

:28:49. > :28:51.were nodding and agreeing? I totally agree. It is more predictable to see

:28:52. > :28:57.the way Chelsea's season will go from here. They are not the most

:28:58. > :29:03.exciting team to work at the -- to watch at the moment. They should be

:29:04. > :29:06.though. The Morinho doesn't see it that way. Arsenal terrific on the

:29:07. > :29:11.day, the a little more unpredictable. What's interesting is

:29:12. > :29:15.that two of their biggest games this season they've already lost. One at

:29:16. > :29:17.Manchester City and one at Manchester United. I think it will

:29:18. > :29:22.be those games that might just come between Arsenal and breaking this

:29:23. > :29:33.long period without a Premier League title. I think the game's midfield

:29:34. > :29:38.battle, the Capital 1 Cup game, he played Essien and Mikel that day.

:29:39. > :29:44.Morinho keeps saying Chelsea are playing well. I haven't been seeing

:29:45. > :29:49.that. I think they've been lucky to scrape past Palace. When Jose

:29:50. > :29:55.Mourinho was first here, they had Drogba, a young Essien. I don't

:29:56. > :30:07.think they have got the same spine of the team this time. Chelsea might

:30:08. > :30:11.need a transition period. This view says he needs at three or four world

:30:12. > :30:15.class signings. The gulf in quality with Manchester City is massive. We

:30:16. > :30:22.should point out that you and I will be there for the commentary tomorrow

:30:23. > :30:26.night an 5Live. Do you want to answer her question rather than plug

:30:27. > :30:33.yourself? I thought I was going to get away without you mentioning

:30:34. > :30:37.that! I felt that the Manchester City-Arsenal game, an awful lot has

:30:38. > :30:42.been loaded on to that. A Arsenal in some quarters have been dismissed.

:30:43. > :30:46.But I felt on that day Manchester City virtually to a man produced

:30:47. > :30:51.very good performances. . The opposite applied to Arsenal. They

:30:52. > :30:57.were below par. They could have scored five on that day. And

:30:58. > :31:03.conceded ten equally. Initiative over seen an Arsenal team give the

:31:04. > :31:07.ball away as often as that did. Arsenal look vulnerable when they

:31:08. > :31:10.don't have the ball. . Any team with serious aspirations of winning

:31:11. > :31:14.things can't exist in that environment you have to be more

:31:15. > :31:18.secure when you don't have the ball. At the moment I don't think they

:31:19. > :31:24.are. No Koscielny for this game, which is a loss. Do you have any

:31:25. > :31:30.problem with Ashley Cole going to a rival team's Christmas party? Not

:31:31. > :31:35.really, because in football you usually have acquaintances and not

:31:36. > :31:39.mates. You can move from club to club and you will be friendly with a

:31:40. > :31:45.few players. It is no it a rare thing. I've got no problem with that

:31:46. > :31:50.personally. OK. That's the game on Monday night. We'll have Match Of

:31:51. > :31:54.The Day 2 after it on BBC One. We should pay tribute to David Coleman,

:31:55. > :32:00.who passed away yesterday. Described by so many as being the best sports

:32:01. > :32:07.broadcaster of all time. John, just a chat about what he was like as a

:32:08. > :32:18.commentator. Well, he was one of those voices who I grew up with.

:32:19. > :32:21.Memories of Grandstand and Sports Night and listening to David

:32:22. > :32:24.Coleman. When it was announced during the Liverpool game, when

:32:25. > :32:31.Liverpool scored, I was thinking it would have been great to say 3-0,

:32:32. > :32:36.almost by way of tribute. To come out with a line as simple as that,

:32:37. > :32:44.just to give the score when the goal goes in the net, and be remembered

:32:45. > :32:51.for it, is... What better tribute than that? The other thing we spoke

:32:52. > :32:57.about yet was his journalistic side, which came into force so many times

:32:58. > :33:02.during the Olympics, particularly the 1972 Olympics. It was one of the

:33:03. > :33:06.great things about him. He wasn't just a comforting and in many ways

:33:07. > :33:11.inspiring voice, he was a reassuring voice, because you trusted what he

:33:12. > :33:16.told you. From any journalist, whether written or broadcast, you

:33:17. > :33:22.can't ask for more than that. David wafz comprehensively reliable. And

:33:23. > :33:28.we all grew up with him. Sports Night. I was allowed to stay up on a

:33:29. > :33:35.school night to watch that. A fantastic commentator. 5Live will

:33:36. > :33:39.have more tributes to David Coleman throughout the afternoon. Are Mark a

:33:40. > :33:43.Liverpool fan texted. The only title rival Liverpool have to play away

:33:44. > :33:47.from home is Manchester United. If they can is a stay in touch, surely

:33:48. > :33:52.will will be a big advantage. On 5Live start this afternoon,

:33:53. > :34:00.Southampton against Spurs, Swansea against Everton. . Match Of The Day

:34:01. > :34:00.2 tomorrow night on BBC One, 10. , 10.35pm.

:34:01. > :34:02.Bye-bye.