:00:31. > :00:40.Hello, welcome to Match Of The Day 2 Extra. Plenty to discuss on BBC One,
:00:41. > :00:45.BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC sport website over the next 45 minutes. We
:00:46. > :00:50.will look at the Euro 2016 qualifying draw. We will ask if
:00:51. > :00:53.Liverpool can stay apace after winds yesterday for Chelsea, City and
:00:54. > :00:59.Arsenal. There is a chill in the air at Cardiff, their trip to Abu Dhabi
:01:00. > :01:03.cancelled after their 4-0 thrashing by Hull. And David Moyes celebrates
:01:04. > :01:08.Wayne Rooney's new deal with a win at Crystal Palace. With me we have
:01:09. > :01:12.Kevin Kilbane, Andy Dunn from the Sunday Mirror and we have BBC
:01:13. > :01:13.sport's Ben Smith. If you want to get in touch, we want your views,
:01:14. > :01:27.thoughts and opinions. We will look at the Premier League
:01:28. > :01:32.very shortly. As the Euro 2016 qualifying draw has just been made,
:01:33. > :01:36.we will discuss that first of all. If you are watching on the
:01:37. > :01:40.television, you can see the three guests are massively excited by what
:01:41. > :01:45.they have just seen. Convey that excitement to the radio listeners as
:01:46. > :01:49.well, Kevin Kilbane! Looking at the top end of the draw, looking at the
:01:50. > :01:54.Irish draw, against Germany, Poland, Scotland, Georgia and Gibraltar, I
:01:55. > :02:00.think it is a tough draw. I really do think that. Looking at England as
:02:01. > :02:04.well, with Switzerland. I think England have a decent draw. For the
:02:05. > :02:08.Irish and Scotland I think it will be good games, but a tough draw for
:02:09. > :02:13.Ireland and Scotland qualify. This the thing, you get the draw made and
:02:14. > :02:17.you look for a group of death, that is the cliche. This draw, we are
:02:18. > :02:22.looking for a group of interest? That is the Scotland and Republic of
:02:23. > :02:26.Island draw, in with Poland, Germany, Georgia and Gibraltar. I
:02:27. > :02:30.think the fans will look at the draw and that is the one they will go
:02:31. > :02:33.for, the excitement and the games they can see. England will be
:02:34. > :02:36.delighted from a points perspective. There is no excuse if they do not
:02:37. > :02:42.qualify from that group. Inspiring the fans, getting people into sea
:02:43. > :02:46.games at Wembley, the likes of Estonia, Slovenia, San Marino, that
:02:47. > :02:51.is not going to excite anyone. I think you have to say this with a
:02:52. > :02:57.Scouse accent, but it is what we call a group of deffo. It is. I
:02:58. > :03:02.agree with Ben. One of the issues is how you promote these games, sell
:03:03. > :03:08.these games. England will qualify. In a way, it is good to see these
:03:09. > :03:11.lesser teams in the tournament, the tournament expanded. But on the
:03:12. > :03:14.other hand it does take out the uncertainty. Any element of
:03:15. > :03:18.uncertainty about the major nations qualifying has been totally removed.
:03:19. > :03:25.Any uncertainty about England qualifying has been removed. It does
:03:26. > :03:29.give them a chance to qualify. It's good from Scotland, Wales and
:03:30. > :03:33.Northern Ireland's perspective, it gives them more of a chance to
:03:34. > :03:37.qualify, but is it evaluate the tournament? Euro 2012 was a
:03:38. > :03:40.brilliant tournament, you go back through the 16 team tournament, it
:03:41. > :03:46.is an outstanding format, really top, top tournaments. I think what
:03:47. > :03:50.will happen is that nations such as England, I am not over inflating
:03:51. > :03:54.their capability, but they will qualify, it almost becomes a build
:03:55. > :03:57.up to eight tournament, rather than a qualification for the tournament.
:03:58. > :04:05.England will maybe use of those games to blood new players. They can
:04:06. > :04:08.take... Not risks, but they can give them a chance of competitive
:04:09. > :04:12.football. The great selling point in the past was that many people
:04:13. > :04:17.thought it was more difficult to win than a World Cup, because of the
:04:18. > :04:20.quality. Nothing is dilutive in the tournament. We have lost that. On
:04:21. > :04:26.the other side, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, perhaps they thought it was
:04:27. > :04:31.their chance to get into the top teams again, but in that group it is
:04:32. > :04:35.tricky. It will still be difficult for them to qualify with the teams
:04:36. > :04:38.around them. If you're looking at Ireland and Scotland, of course they
:04:39. > :04:42.have a chance. Apart from Germany, you say they will qualify
:04:43. > :04:45.definitely, you could beat Poland at home, you could certainly be Georgia
:04:46. > :04:53.and Gibraltar, you would fancy your chances. It's just a good draw.
:04:54. > :04:58.Wales in with Bosnia, Cyprus and Belgium. Northern Ireland with
:04:59. > :05:02.Greece, the Faroe Islands, Bulgaria and Hungary. Do you think there is a
:05:03. > :05:05.danger, when you look at a draw like this, because the tournament has
:05:06. > :05:10.been expanded and there will be 24 teams, as opposed to 16 just gone,
:05:11. > :05:15.is there a danger that we look at this sometimes from the arrogance of
:05:16. > :05:18.the English? I know that might annoy English people watching and
:05:19. > :05:21.listening, but the Scots, Welsh and Northern Ireland will probably be
:05:22. > :05:25.nodding along and say that England can be arrogant and it isn't just
:05:26. > :05:31.about the big nations? I totally agree, it can come across like that.
:05:32. > :05:33.It's important that what this does, expanding the tournament 24 teams,
:05:34. > :05:38.it will give nations a chance to qualify who not normally qualify.
:05:39. > :05:44.Players like Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, if you keep it up 16 teams,
:05:45. > :05:48.Wales will have a tough task to qualify. They may go through their
:05:49. > :05:51.careers not playing in major tournament finals. What this does is
:05:52. > :05:54.give nations with good individual players the chance for those players
:05:55. > :06:01.to experience tournament football. From that point of view it is good.
:06:02. > :06:05.If you go back to the early... Around 82, 84, I still have strong
:06:06. > :06:12.memories of England playing Turkey and qualifiers. I remember 86. Do
:06:13. > :06:17.you want me to push you off that chair? Maybe it was 86. Just pretend
:06:18. > :06:27.to be the same age as you! But England were eight or nine past
:06:28. > :06:34.Turkey. It was eight, two, four, six eight, roast turkey on a plate! But
:06:35. > :06:38.you look at how Turkey has developed? You have to take the
:06:39. > :06:43.longer term view? It's important for these nations, for their developing.
:06:44. > :06:47.A lot of these countries are allegedly knew, from the break-up of
:06:48. > :06:50.the Eastern Bloc, they are developing nations, 20 or 40 years
:06:51. > :06:55.old. They need the experience of being in with a shout qualifying. If
:06:56. > :06:58.we balance of a lack of interest the qualifying with giving other nations
:06:59. > :07:02.a chance, the top two from every group goes through, the third is
:07:03. > :07:06.going to the play-off, best place to side qualifies automatically. Where
:07:07. > :07:11.UEFA could be criticised is how these qualifiers are going to be
:07:12. > :07:16.scheduled and staggered. They have changed that as well? We will see a
:07:17. > :07:23.change to the international calendar in the coming September. This week
:07:24. > :07:26.of football that UEFA and Pasini Billy Platini had been trying to
:07:27. > :07:31.organise, it means teams will play two games, Friday and Monday,
:07:32. > :07:38.Saturday and Tuesday, Monday and Wednesday, it is interesting for the
:07:39. > :07:41.fans. But it's a nightmare for club managers and it will be interesting
:07:42. > :07:43.to see how it's going to work. It means you are not scrabbling between
:07:44. > :07:49.seven different channels trying to keep up with this or that game? The
:07:50. > :07:52.problem with the clubs, they are going to be kicking up a fuss just
:07:53. > :07:55.by letting the players go and they want to keep their players back at
:07:56. > :08:01.the clubs around the big international is. How difficult will
:08:02. > :08:04.it be for players? Take us through a Premier League dressing room when
:08:05. > :08:08.players arrived back from international duty. Do you arrive
:08:09. > :08:11.back in dribs and drabs, even under the current system? That is aside
:08:12. > :08:15.from lads coming back from South America and Africa. When we used to
:08:16. > :08:18.have internationals, you would play Wednesday night and I invariably,
:08:19. > :08:22.you would try to get back into your club Thursday morning, you would get
:08:23. > :08:25.yearly flight, not fully recovered, trying to get back for a recovery
:08:26. > :08:30.session on Thursday morning for training. You are not fully
:08:31. > :08:32.recovered on Friday. By speaking to so many international players
:08:33. > :08:36.saying, we had a nightmare on Saturday, we were not fully
:08:37. > :08:41.recovered or prepared for that game for the club. You are not physically
:08:42. > :08:44.ready for it. You could have situations where one club team have
:08:45. > :08:47.a load of international players that finish on Sunday, another one might
:08:48. > :08:51.be playing that coming weekend, they might not have them back until
:08:52. > :08:55.Wednesday. When you are flying to Eastern Europe, if you are playing
:08:56. > :09:06.the cars at Stans, the problem is getting back, logistically, I
:09:07. > :09:10.difficult. -- Kazakhstan. Wayne Rooney must be made up, he has a
:09:11. > :09:14.chance of beating the England goal-scoring records. Then says that
:09:15. > :09:18.the qualifiers will be without interest, even third placed teams
:09:19. > :09:22.have a good chance of qualifying, it will be boring. Dave says that to
:09:23. > :09:26.keep football relevant, a way has to be found to avoid so many this
:09:27. > :09:31.matches, there are almost no matches that whet the appetite. Henry Winter
:09:32. > :09:35.has contacted us, forget quits for ?1, I think adults should be let in
:09:36. > :09:46.for free to some of these games. -- kids. Group I, France are going to
:09:47. > :09:50.be put in that group, Andy Dunn, just to give them some football.
:09:51. > :09:55.Apparently, it is difficult for host countries to arrange friendlies?
:09:56. > :10:02.It's a novel idea, the first time I think it has happened, basically, I
:10:03. > :10:07.think it is too rounded up to 54 teams, rather than anything else, to
:10:08. > :10:10.give it an even number. You could argue if you are looking at quite a
:10:11. > :10:13.lot of the games, France are going to Portugal twice, it might not be
:10:14. > :10:18.bad to watch, albeit nothing riding on it? I am sure in London would
:10:19. > :10:21.have loved to have France in the group, a game at Wembley, it would
:10:22. > :10:25.have been great for broadcasters, it could have really capture the
:10:26. > :10:32.imagination and there would not have been anything riding on it. That
:10:33. > :10:38.kind of a game just doesn't exist in England was not grow group in the
:10:39. > :10:43.current draw. Get in touch with us and put more of your thoughts and
:10:44. > :10:47.opinions to us shortly. Let's move to the Premier League. Yesterday,
:10:48. > :10:51.Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea won in very differing ways. It's
:10:52. > :10:55.down to Liverpool to respond to that this afternoon. It is one of the
:10:56. > :10:58.1:30 games, at home to Swansea. Brendan Rodgers is taking on his
:10:59. > :11:04.former club. Here is the Liverpool manager. It gives us a chance to
:11:05. > :11:10.ensure that players's fitness levels are correct. We can take in the
:11:11. > :11:13.week, in terms of focusing on the one game. The more games you have,
:11:14. > :11:16.you are playing and recovering. You could say that when you are in a cup
:11:17. > :11:22.competition sometimes they can give you that extra prop to move forward
:11:23. > :11:29.in your league campaign as well. As I said, for us, we are very
:11:30. > :11:32.determined. It is just narrowing the focus onto each and every one of
:11:33. > :11:38.these games and looking to be at our maximum. Brendan Rodgers, there.
:11:39. > :11:42.Jonathan Pearce is doing this game for Match Of The Day 2. Talking
:11:43. > :11:46.about how they have been beaten by Arsenal in the FA Cup, they don't
:11:47. > :11:49.have that destruction, it was not much of a distraction for them
:11:50. > :11:53.anyway, was it? There were progressing well even when they were
:11:54. > :11:57.in the FA Cup? It is expressed as disappointment and a half of the
:11:58. > :12:01.funds for going out of the FA Cup. I have just bumped into him about five
:12:02. > :12:05.minutes ago, he is still playing down Liverpool's chances. That is
:12:06. > :12:08.his way, really. He's not going to show from the rooftops and say they
:12:09. > :12:12.can win the title, they certainly have the attack forced to win the
:12:13. > :12:16.title, and attack force that should worry Swansea very much today. When
:12:17. > :12:22.a group 2-2 early on, Luis Suarez was still suffering from his
:12:23. > :12:29.suspension. -- when they won two - two. Sturridge, seven games in a
:12:30. > :12:32.row. The two of them are a very potent strikeforce and I think they
:12:33. > :12:37.will be too quick for the Swansea defence. The sprinklers have started
:12:38. > :12:43.and it is raining as well. Of course, it will make it slicker and
:12:44. > :12:48.better suited for the forwards. That is what I was going to go on about.
:12:49. > :12:51.I think Swansea will struggle. Liverpool need to win. They saw the
:12:52. > :12:56.teams above them win yesterday. They know what they need to do. There is
:12:57. > :12:59.a real reliance about Liverpool, a real confidence, and assured look
:13:00. > :13:06.about them. This is a very, very good team in the making. A tough
:13:07. > :13:10.game for Swansea, who did well against Napoli and could have won
:13:11. > :13:13.the game. I thought Britton was superb. But they have had fewer days
:13:14. > :13:19.to prepare and I think that will count against them. We will let you
:13:20. > :13:26.go so you don't get too wet. The sprinklers are still on him. We will
:13:27. > :13:30.let him go. He has put his hood up. Let's focus on Daniel Sturridge,
:13:31. > :13:34.first. Michael has sent a tweet. Can you
:13:35. > :13:39.class Daniel Sturridge as world class? No, not yet. I don't think
:13:40. > :13:42.you can. I think he needs to do it at Champions League level, that is
:13:43. > :13:45.the important thing. That is why it is important that Liverpool qualify.
:13:46. > :13:49.What I do like about him at the moment is what I think was levelled
:13:50. > :13:55.against him, though that City and Chelsea, maybe he was not that
:13:56. > :14:00.adaptable. You didn't like coming in off the left, or off the flank, he
:14:01. > :14:03.only wanted to play centrally. The suggestion was he kicked up a bit of
:14:04. > :14:08.a fuss when he had to adapt and fit into another system. 40 Seattle in
:14:09. > :14:12.the pool was that he is willing to fit into wherever Brendan Rodgers
:14:13. > :14:18.wants to play him. The game where they destroyed Arsenal, who played
:14:19. > :14:22.centrally to exploit a lack of space from Mertesacker. He is also adept
:14:23. > :14:27.at cutting inside with Suarez to the centre. I like the fact that he
:14:28. > :14:30.seems to have brought into the Brendan Rodgers idea, this Liverpool
:14:31. > :14:40.way that maybe he didn't at Chelsea and Manchester City. Depends what
:14:41. > :14:46.you mean by world-class. You would buy Daniel Sturridge. You buy him
:14:47. > :14:51.for what he can give you, goal-scoring and everything. He is
:14:52. > :14:56.in that world-class bracket but hast to prove it in the top bracket with
:14:57. > :14:59.Liverpool in the Champions' League before he can be considered along
:15:00. > :15:04.with the greats now. Ben Smith, how much credit you think Brendan
:15:05. > :15:09.Rodgers deserve simply from a coaching point of view? In this era
:15:10. > :15:15.where everybody thinks they can be a football manager. You play it on the
:15:16. > :15:19.computer and you say, I can do that. With Rendon Rodgers, you can
:15:20. > :15:27.properly see players developing under him. You can see them in
:15:28. > :15:31.proving? Absolutely right. If we go back to Daniel Sturridge, when he
:15:32. > :15:36.came in there was a reluctance on Brendan Rodgers' part to bring him
:15:37. > :15:41.in. Could have taken him in the summer, did not want to, wasn't sure
:15:42. > :15:45.then brought him in in the January. He has worked closely with him on
:15:46. > :15:50.the field and also his attitude off the field. That has gone through the
:15:51. > :15:55.whole squad, the team feel they belong and they wanted. There hasn't
:15:56. > :16:01.been any difficulty or bad atmosphere. Look at Jon Flanagan, he
:16:02. > :16:06.was considered to be leaving the club as well. Here's another one who
:16:07. > :16:09.has progressed in the last few months and gone on to establish
:16:10. > :16:15.himself as a top defender in that squad. Some people say his greatest
:16:16. > :16:21.triumph might be Jordan Henderson. Again, people write into the wake
:16:22. > :16:28.Brendan Rodgers coaches. The way he sets up his teams is impressive. And
:16:29. > :16:37.mostly Steven Gerrard in this role, pulling the strings behind Jordan
:16:38. > :16:42.Henderson and Philippe Coutinho. They keep desertion, not hurting
:16:43. > :16:50.teams in behind, albeit Luis Suarez was doing that. I was at the
:16:51. > :16:54.Merseyside derby and the way they closed Everton down and stopped
:16:55. > :17:02.them. Raheem Sterling's workrate was outstanding. That is the cornerstone
:17:03. > :17:07.of their success. It is pressing high up the pitch and getting the
:17:08. > :17:12.ball back quickly when they lose it and going straight back up their
:17:13. > :17:17.opposition. A text says, no disrespect to Swansea but we must
:17:18. > :17:24.beat teams of their standard. The way Chelsea got the win yesterday,
:17:25. > :17:28.they will win the title. Swansea, Garry Monk and all of them winning
:17:29. > :17:31.the Derby against Cardiff, they are still, as you look at the table this
:17:32. > :17:38.morning, four points above the relegation zone? It is a massive job
:17:39. > :17:44.for him to get them away from it. Think there are a few worst teams
:17:45. > :17:47.and I think that will be their saviour this season. They were
:17:48. > :17:54.impressive against Natalie and they could have won that game. Going back
:17:55. > :17:59.to Anfield today, it will be another big test. But I think they have got
:18:00. > :18:06.enough to get out of trouble. Do you think there is an advantage for
:18:07. > :18:11.Garry Monk? Because he knows the club inside out and he knows the
:18:12. > :18:16.players? You can see the way the players react did when they beat
:18:17. > :18:21.Cardiff. The players were running across the field and he has a lot of
:18:22. > :18:25.respect. I don't think they will win today but I think it does have a big
:18:26. > :18:34.advantage. Let's talk about the other sides in the race for the
:18:35. > :18:36.title. We will start with Chelsea who won in injury time against
:18:37. > :18:43.Everton. Roberto Martinez said he felt Chelsea had used every trick in
:18:44. > :18:51.the book to secure all three points? The disappointments, the know-how of
:18:52. > :18:58.the holding team of how to get free kicks and dead. As a referee you
:18:59. > :19:01.need to have a crystal ball. It is impossible to get the decision right
:19:02. > :19:06.and it became a bit of an impossible case. Obviously we defended well. We
:19:07. > :19:15.had to defend many dead ball situations and we did that well. In
:19:16. > :19:20.injury time it is a harsh reality. That interview is all over the
:19:21. > :19:30.papers this morning. Front page of the Sunday mail. Says, " Martinez
:19:31. > :19:38.left fuming over Chelsea's tricks". Is he right to be fuming? I am not
:19:39. > :19:44.sure a crystal ball would help a referee, by the way. He said every
:19:45. > :19:46.trick, trying to get a free kick in a dangerous area. Every team does
:19:47. > :19:53.that. When he came into the press conference, he started talking in a
:19:54. > :19:58.complimentary fashion about the way his team played, and he is right,
:19:59. > :20:03.Everton played well. But it came out of the blue when he said Chelsea
:20:04. > :20:08.used dirty tricks. They didn't, it was more a case of Everton getting
:20:09. > :20:15.tired. The crucial free kick, Ramires come on. He is very good,
:20:16. > :20:22.powerful player and they were tiring and they were running past tiring
:20:23. > :20:26.Everton players. The fact of the matter is, they should have defended
:20:27. > :20:32.the free kick better. I agree with that. Maybe Leighton Baines could
:20:33. > :20:42.have prevented him getting in. But the quality of the ball Frank
:20:43. > :20:46.Lampard put in, was amazing. And Tim Howard's I line seemed to be taken
:20:47. > :20:54.by John Terry. John Terry did well to react and get in. It is typical
:20:55. > :21:00.hard-nosed Jose Mourinho style. That goal will not make it into the end
:21:01. > :21:04.of the season highlights package, but it is one of those moments if
:21:05. > :21:09.Chelsea are going to win the league. Everton played so well. They didn't
:21:10. > :21:15.go there just to defend, did they, Everton? Same at the Emirates, they
:21:16. > :21:18.played well but did not create and that was the big problem. Everton
:21:19. > :21:24.played so much good football throughout. Also the striker they
:21:25. > :21:29.were going to play, pulled his hamstring in the warm up. Then he
:21:30. > :21:34.had to reshape the team, so they did not have an attacking focal point.
:21:35. > :21:49.They did play well. Chelsea used to strikers, they were terrible
:21:50. > :21:56.yesterday. Torres came on and was a half-hour cameo of what he could do
:21:57. > :22:01.wrong, he did do wrong. A tweet said Will the lack of forward firepower
:22:02. > :22:09.catch up with Chelsea? All of those top teams have a weakness, whether
:22:10. > :22:12.it is Chelsea's lack of a striker going forward, Manchester City not
:22:13. > :22:18.being able to shut the back door, Arsenal have lost heavily at the
:22:19. > :22:21.Etihad Stadium against Liverpool. I've been Chelsea just have enough.
:22:22. > :22:27.They have experience and the know-how. In some of the papers this
:22:28. > :22:37.morning, Didier Drogba has been linked with a return with a playing
:22:38. > :22:40.return or the Sunday Times suggesting he will come back as a
:22:41. > :22:47.striker's coach. You will hear more as that goes on.
:22:48. > :22:57.Is that because they are playing Galatasaray? Yes, they play them
:22:58. > :23:02.will stop he is out of contract in July and he has a number of offers.
:23:03. > :23:09.He will take his time. He will definitely play one more season. I
:23:10. > :23:15.understand his family do like living in London. I'm not sure they still
:23:16. > :23:21.are. His son was at Chelsea? He has three children who are still at
:23:22. > :23:29.school in London. He can also help develop the strikers within the
:23:30. > :23:37.squad. Whether or not he will come back and have a major impact, I
:23:38. > :23:42.don't know. You look at Chelsea's 1-0 win and you look at Manchester
:23:43. > :23:50.City's 1-0 win and you think they ought to be similar. Chelsea
:23:51. > :23:55.celebrated their 1-0 win more the citrus leader Manchester City did.
:23:56. > :24:03.Manuel Pellegrini said they just won ugly against Stoke? They did, when
:24:04. > :24:09.you look at the reaction. Babs it might have been the circumstances, a
:24:10. > :24:14.last-minute goal against a top Everton side. Stoker caused problems
:24:15. > :24:19.the city and showed their vulnerabilities at the back that we
:24:20. > :24:25.have seen. You start to question when you see how exposed they become
:24:26. > :24:31.at the back. That was their first Premier League goal in almost a
:24:32. > :24:42.month. They scored 16 Premiership goals in January, but they miss
:24:43. > :24:55.Sergio Aguero. Also they need someone to get hold of the game.
:24:56. > :25:04.Without the grade, -- Sergio Aguero, you need Negredo. They say they
:25:05. > :25:09.should be resting players because of the Champions' League. It is great
:25:10. > :25:13.to be in the cup final and the FA Cup, but I think Chelsea will play
:25:14. > :25:19.two more games in the league before Manchester City play again. So
:25:20. > :25:23.Chelsea could be nine points clear by the time the next time Manchester
:25:24. > :25:30.City play again in the league. If Chelsea are in form next week, and
:25:31. > :25:33.Tottenham Hotspur and then they come back into the league and find they
:25:34. > :25:39.are nine points behind Chelsea. It plays on their minds. Even when you
:25:40. > :25:45.have The Games in hand, is it the fact other sides could be further
:25:46. > :25:49.ahead? It plays in your head when you have the Saturday game and the
:25:50. > :25:56.other teams are playing on a Monday. You're looking round to see, you
:25:57. > :25:59.have to win this game. Seeing Manchester City win yesterday, they
:26:00. > :26:04.did not look like they were going to open up Stoke. Stoke were defending
:26:05. > :26:10.well and defending deep. It could have been a 6-point ad vantage, a
:26:11. > :26:20.5-point advantage over Manchester City. It could have been a huge goal
:26:21. > :26:22.for them. We said yesterday, head of the last two league cup finals, all
:26:23. > :26:28.four sides involved in those games were beaten the week before.
:26:29. > :26:35.Liverpool, Swansea and Bradford before last year's final, Manchester
:26:36. > :26:42.City struggled yesterday. Sunderland were thumped at Arsenal. Kevin, they
:26:43. > :26:46.did not help themselves at times. They tried to play out of the back
:26:47. > :26:51.which is what Gus Poyet at once them to do, but that cost them at times?
:26:52. > :26:58.Gus Poyet at spoke about how he likes to get his team set up. He
:26:59. > :27:05.said he will never change it. I was talking to him about his philosophy.
:27:06. > :27:08.He said, we will never change that, I want players to express
:27:09. > :27:18.themselves, use the goalkeeper at times and the back four. But it did
:27:19. > :27:23.cost them. It was the new Argentine player, he played the backpass
:27:24. > :27:29.blind. It was an absolute error. But that is the sort of thing that can
:27:30. > :27:36.cost you. He stepped in, looking forward, ended up playing a simple
:27:37. > :27:42.pass and it cost them. Barcelona were playing one touch football?
:27:43. > :27:57.Giroud being back in the team looked fresh. I do like that play. They
:27:58. > :28:03.seem to have an understanding. If you factor in the route has played
:28:04. > :28:11.in every game for his country as well since the middle of August. It
:28:12. > :28:16.is a ridiculous amount of games. When he was at real Madrid he was
:28:17. > :28:21.quite often brought off? He has looked like a player who needs a
:28:22. > :28:25.rest. I was at Anfield and I think Jordan Henderson pinched the ball
:28:26. > :28:31.off him and he did not have the energy to chase him down. You
:28:32. > :28:36.mention yah yah Toure, you need those players to step up and take
:28:37. > :28:43.you over the line. He was brilliant at Newcastle. You need that. So Ozil
:28:44. > :28:52.can have a few days off, come back stronger and play at Arsenal. When
:28:53. > :28:57.you are a record signing, will you get more criticism? Definitely the
:28:58. > :29:04.case. You're looking for Attallah 's Matip character to get you through.
:29:05. > :29:09.-- talismanic. Arsenal were flying at the time when he signed. We had
:29:10. > :29:17.Ramsey playing so well, Giroud was playing well, so when you have your
:29:18. > :29:23.down spell, and he has looked tired. When you are winning, rue revel in
:29:24. > :29:27.his luxurious talent. When Arsenal are losing we want him to be Lee
:29:28. > :29:34.Cattermole. His workrate is not going to be high, he is not going to
:29:35. > :29:39.win any tackles. Also injuries and suspensions have made him work that
:29:40. > :29:45.bit harder and exposed him a bit more. You look at it from a
:29:46. > :29:49.player's point of view, saying he is pointing at players, but when you
:29:50. > :29:54.see him pointing the finger, it highlights something that is not
:29:55. > :30:06.there. I don't like to see that. If I was disappointed, I would go to
:30:07. > :30:11.him in the dressing room. And also Mertesacker stopped when they were
:30:12. > :30:16.playing Liverpool. You cannot just lame him for the way he is
:30:17. > :30:21.performing. Another tweet, Arsenal played well, but they lack against
:30:22. > :30:25.big teams like Manchester City and Chelsea. Which is what you are
:30:26. > :30:33.saying earlier. Let's focus now on the bottom half of the table. The
:30:34. > :30:40.standout result was Cardiff's 4-0 home defeat by Hull. Solskjaer
:30:41. > :30:43.suggested they created more chances in the first half and didn't take
:30:44. > :30:48.them, but that doesn't alter the fact they conceded four at home,
:30:49. > :30:53.against another side who were promoted last season? Absolutely. A
:30:54. > :30:56.side that have invested very well, actually. He said they created more
:30:57. > :31:02.chances, I remember Norwich creating more chances at Cardiff, and won the
:31:03. > :31:05.game. That is what happens in the game. Taking nothing away from Along
:31:06. > :31:11.and Jelavic, they were outstanding, brilliant signings by Steve Bruce,
:31:12. > :31:16.and by the owner that provides the money, another story. Defending
:31:17. > :31:20.wise, for a couple of those goals, four Jelavic's header, there were
:31:21. > :31:27.six Cardiff players in the box. That looks like a team that doesn't quite
:31:28. > :31:30.know what is it is supposed to be doing. The Cardiff owners were
:31:31. > :31:33.trying to point out that Malky Mackay's transfer dealings were at
:31:34. > :31:37.the root of why they fell out, and then they said Solskjaer has spent
:31:38. > :31:41.brilliantly in the transfer window, five of those were playing them, and
:31:42. > :31:50.they don't look like brilliant signings to me. Kenwyne Jones, Fabi,
:31:51. > :31:57.Zaha, I don't think you can drop them in and accept a big upheaval.
:31:58. > :32:00.Can include Sunderland, we will bring in West Brom and Fulham who
:32:01. > :32:07.played each other. West Brom and Pepe Mel, Felix Magath, Fulham's
:32:08. > :32:12.third Manager of the Season, do you get a sense, the majority of these
:32:13. > :32:15.new managers, you can even go to Muelensteen as well, they don't know
:32:16. > :32:24.their players yet and therefore the crowds are looking unsettled, more
:32:25. > :32:27.often than not? Sunderland might be the exception? Some of them don't
:32:28. > :32:35.have experience of being in the trouble that they are in. You sell
:32:36. > :32:38.Shane Long to a direct rival, he may not have been prolific from a
:32:39. > :32:47.goal-scoring point of view, now he has a partnership with Jelavic.
:32:48. > :32:51.Fulham, look at them, Hull signed those two for 12 million, both with
:32:52. > :32:54.Premier League experience, regardless of Jelavic's form, you
:32:55. > :32:58.have a top-class player that is going to work and create for others,
:32:59. > :33:02.you have Shane Long thrown into the mix. West Brom, to let him go the
:33:03. > :33:07.way that he did, he would not have seen too much Shane Long. I think it
:33:08. > :33:14.a huge error. They have got Victor Anichebe, who will cause
:33:15. > :33:18.problems... But he's not starting? That's the thing. They bring him on
:33:19. > :33:23.at half-time, and they look better in the second half. Doesn't this go
:33:24. > :33:28.to the heart, managers coming in, perhaps not knowing the legal their
:33:29. > :33:31.players, you have to question that. Look at Tony Pulis, he knows the
:33:32. > :33:37.league, he knows what the opposition are going to do, how they are going
:33:38. > :33:41.to set up. The experience he has got, you know that Sam was going to
:33:42. > :33:47.get them out of trouble. There were a lot of people questioning why they
:33:48. > :33:51.were sticking with him. A lot of the fans had turned. For them to make
:33:52. > :33:54.that brave decision, seeing David Sullivan interviewed in December,
:33:55. > :33:58.when everyone was saying they should sack him, they were saying they are
:33:59. > :34:01.going to give him till the end of the season, if they get it wrong,
:34:02. > :34:04.they get it wrong. They backed the manager, the players were behind
:34:05. > :34:11.him. How much does that help the players? Take Felix Magath, the
:34:12. > :34:15.reporter said, have you made any changes? He replied, I don't know, I
:34:16. > :34:20.didn't pick the last team, so I don't know who was playing. The
:34:21. > :34:25.players must know if they are coming or going? The problem with Fulham is
:34:26. > :34:28.the negativity that is going around, through the coaching methods,
:34:29. > :34:31.straightaway. There is a negative field around the appointment.
:34:32. > :34:34.Everybody is talking about how he likes to work the players, he runs
:34:35. > :34:48.them into the ground, these sort of things. I think that. I know a lot
:34:49. > :34:51.of Norwich fans probably disagree. A lot of Norwich fans are not in
:34:52. > :34:54.favour of it at times. But he's done a great job and his continuing to do
:34:55. > :34:58.that. He has done it at other clubs he has been out and had success.
:34:59. > :35:03.That is why I think they will stick with him. You think they will? The
:35:04. > :35:16.rumours going around... I think they should. Briefly going back to
:35:17. > :35:23.bringing in somebody, Southampton is the exception. I think if they lose
:35:24. > :35:27.today, I think he will go. Why? Because that is what I think. David
:35:28. > :35:39.McNally will think, there will come a time when there are X amount of
:35:40. > :35:43.games left. It comes down to the business that Hull did again. The
:35:44. > :35:47.understanding is that David McNally says the brief of Chris Hughton is
:35:48. > :35:50.to keep them away from the bottom three. If they were to lose today,
:35:51. > :35:58.they still would not be in the bottom three? This is not the first
:35:59. > :36:01.time that we have heard this. In December they came close to making
:36:02. > :36:04.this decision, I think, they pulled back and went on a decent run and
:36:05. > :36:08.now they find themselves in a difficult position. The last four
:36:09. > :36:11.games are against Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and
:36:12. > :36:15.Liverpool. That probably gives you seven or eight games to win four or
:36:16. > :36:20.five matches. That's an incredible task for anyone. But who do you
:36:21. > :36:26.bring in? Exactly. Who wants to take it. It was his relationship with
:36:27. > :36:29.David McNally, that is the big thing you are reading. That has been going
:36:30. > :36:35.back three or six months, with Neil Lennon coming in from Celtic. That
:36:36. > :36:39.is a huge call, for Neil Lennon, let alone for Norwich. He's going to win
:36:40. > :36:42.the title with Celtic, he will have Champions League football again.
:36:43. > :36:46.They are saying, these are Norwich's last four games, you have
:36:47. > :36:50.seven or eight to make sure that we are not playing Championship
:36:51. > :36:54.football? Unless a couple of those teams are already sorted where they
:36:55. > :36:57.are going to finish, that might be the case. But I think you are right
:36:58. > :37:03.in that it would be a huge call for Neil Lennon. From my understanding,
:37:04. > :37:06.maybe he will be ready to come down for a new challenge. And why
:37:07. > :37:10.wouldn't he want a new challenge? Fantastic club, Celtic, fantastic
:37:11. > :37:13.what they have done and are doing, but he has been there for a long
:37:14. > :37:19.time as a player and manager, you might want a new challenge. But it
:37:20. > :37:23.only lasts for 11 games... All of a sudden he could be in a Championship
:37:24. > :37:27.club next season, and he's made a big error leaving a Champions League
:37:28. > :37:30.club in Celtic. Let's touch on Wayne Rooney, Manchester United won at
:37:31. > :37:33.Crystal Palace yesterday. Wayne Rooney scored one of the goals to
:37:34. > :37:36.celebrate the new Deal. This is what he said too Match Of The Day
:37:37. > :37:40.afterwards. To be honest, I knew what I was doing for a while now. It
:37:41. > :37:45.was just a matter of getting it done. I have been settled, I have
:37:46. > :37:54.been enjoying my football. Obviously, it's great for myself and
:37:55. > :37:59.hopefully for the fans. I'm here to stay and I want to help this could
:38:00. > :38:03.be successful. Hopefully, we can do that. Janet in Bridlington, what do
:38:04. > :38:09.the panel think of Rooney think of him getting that amount of money?
:38:10. > :38:14.Bismarck says, people need to get off his case over wages. If my boss
:38:15. > :38:17.wanted to pay me 50p per second, I'm not going to refuse that. We need
:38:18. > :38:21.him to stay to attract top players in the summer, if we fail to qualify
:38:22. > :38:24.for a Champions League, which looks likely. That is the argument
:38:25. > :38:28.Manchester United fans are saying. It would have cost them an awful lot
:38:29. > :38:35.more to replace him, rather than to keep him? In a way, his contract was
:38:36. > :38:40.so far advanced that you're thinking, it is almost like signing
:38:41. > :38:44.another player. You think about how much it is going to cost to sign a
:38:45. > :38:49.29-year-old world-class player, ?30 million, plus wages. It's only a
:38:50. > :38:52.small percentage of the turnover for your marquee talent. I don't worry
:38:53. > :38:59.for the figures. But I think might be an issue, they mentioned acting
:39:00. > :39:02.chilly attracting players -- attracting players to the club, and
:39:03. > :39:09.they are going to look at Wayne Rooney's wages. Why would Toni Kroos
:39:10. > :39:12.sign former test United? You been at possibly the best club side in the
:39:13. > :39:16.world, he'll get good money. He might sign if they say, you can have
:39:17. > :39:20.the same as Wayne Rooney. But that creates a problem, that is the bar
:39:21. > :39:29.being set for world-class talent. So when they are being linked with a
:39:30. > :39:34.player somewhere in Europe, as good as he is, he's not likely to come in
:39:35. > :39:38.and say I want ?300,000 per week. But he is more likely now he's
:39:39. > :39:41.staying? The question was if Manchester United could have
:39:42. > :39:49.afforded not to do this deal. In the summer, Wayne Rooney fell out with
:39:50. > :39:53.Alex Ferguson, he went into the manager 's office and said, what do
:39:54. > :39:57.you think, do we go our separate ways? He wasn't in the team, there
:39:58. > :40:00.was interest from Chelsea. All of a sudden he's back in the team,
:40:01. > :40:03.playing well, the power comes back to him. United are suddenly
:40:04. > :40:07.thinking, we could lose this guy in the summer for far less than he is
:40:08. > :40:10.worth. They have to do the deal and then they have to pay the wages he
:40:11. > :40:18.wants. Ultimately, Wayne Rooney's team have played a blinder. They
:40:19. > :40:21.have got their client... The figures are what they are because the club
:40:22. > :40:24.can afford it. It's an astronomical amount of money, but you have to say
:40:25. > :40:28.he is worth it because of what it would take to replace them. Thank
:40:29. > :40:33.you very much for all of your text messages and tweets. Might read some
:40:34. > :40:36.more out in a moment. The other 1:30 kick-off today is Newcastle against
:40:37. > :40:39.Aston Villa. Steve Bower is doing this game for Match Of The Day too.
:40:40. > :40:46.I spoke it to him earlier that both of these clubs always seem one match
:40:47. > :40:52.away from a crisis? Cull as you well know, here on Tyneside it doesn't
:40:53. > :40:56.take much to create a crisis with the natives, but they are not happy
:40:57. > :40:59.as far as Newcastle is concerned. Four home defeat in a row and they
:41:00. > :41:03.haven't scored a goal in any of them. If they were to lose today,
:41:04. > :41:08.that anxiety would increase. They have not lost five league games in a
:41:09. > :41:10.row at home since 1953. Paul Lambert has stoked the fire by saying he
:41:11. > :41:19.thinks the edginess within the crowd can help Aston Villa today to three
:41:20. > :41:24.points, as they look to get some consistency. Still in natural
:41:25. > :41:28.addition fight. He mentions that the crowd might
:41:29. > :41:32.help Aston Villa, and Villa are better away from Villa Park? As
:41:33. > :41:37.Newcastle are, as well. That has hampered their form here. Yes, Aston
:41:38. > :41:41.Villa are dreadful at Villa Park. We have seen them a few times this
:41:42. > :41:45.season. Away from home, they play with a little less fear, that more
:41:46. > :41:48.freedom. That is their hope today. As far as Newcastle are concerned,
:41:49. > :41:54.you look at their team sheet, since Cabaye's much publicised departure,
:41:55. > :42:00.that has hit them as well. They have big names back, Coloccini, their
:42:01. > :42:03.captain back in defence. Loic Remy will return after suspension. Their
:42:04. > :42:06.top scorer, where would they be without him? Already, they have a
:42:07. > :42:13.stronger line-up, but undoubtedly they need to win. Let me confirm,
:42:14. > :42:24.Coloccini, checked Coyote and Loic Remy all back for Newcastle, as is
:42:25. > :42:27.appalled at. -- Dummet. Mignolet, Johnson, Jordan Henderson all
:42:28. > :42:32.recalled for Liverpool. It's interesting, we talk about how great
:42:33. > :42:35.the Newcastle fans are, but they are under real pressure at home?
:42:36. > :42:41.Newcastle were incredibly edgy against Tottenham the other week. I
:42:42. > :42:46.think Paul Lambert has just started to get the flames stoked a little
:42:47. > :42:49.bit more, by saying what he said. Our Jew has said he is not happy
:42:50. > :43:05.about his comments. -- Alan Pardew. It's more edgy for both sides. Just
:43:06. > :43:12.by having Coloccini, checked Tiote back, it improves them. They need
:43:13. > :43:16.three points? Leads to keep his stock higher, because he needs to
:43:17. > :43:19.get away from there. One thing about Mike Ashley is that he's always
:43:20. > :43:23.probably wanted mid-table security for Newcastle, no more. They went
:43:24. > :43:26.into Europe, they struggled because of their squad size. I don't think
:43:27. > :43:30.they wanted to replace Yohan Cabaye in January. They go too high up the
:43:31. > :43:38.table, they give themselves problems, so mid-table is good for
:43:39. > :43:46.Ashley. A text from a viewer in knowledge the Norwich, -- Norwich,
:43:47. > :43:49.if we get four five wins from the easier games, it won't matter if we
:43:50. > :43:59.lose the last ones. Match Of The Day 2 is that 10:25 on
:44:00. > :44:00.BBC Two. See you next. -- see you next week. Goodbye.