:00:31. > :00:33.Good afternoon, welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two,
:00:34. > :00:40.Joining me today - the Stoke City midfielder
:00:41. > :00:50.Charlie Adam and journalists Amy Lawrence and Sam Wallace.
:00:51. > :00:52.Use #bbcfootball on social media, or text 85058
:00:53. > :01:05.We will be discussing how Leicester left it late to beat Norwich at the
:01:06. > :01:08.King thanks to Ulloa. Arsenal looking to close the 5-point gap at
:01:09. > :01:13.Old Trafford this afternoon. Spurs looking to cut the gap tutu points
:01:14. > :01:15.with a win over Swansea and Liverpool and Manchester City going
:01:16. > :01:22.for the first silverware of the season with the League Cup final at
:01:23. > :01:23.Wembley. -- the gap to two points. Daily Mirror focuses on Leicester
:01:24. > :01:26.being at the top of the table. Sunday Times - Man Utd
:01:27. > :01:28.Rip Up and Start Again. Director of Football
:01:29. > :01:37.to be appointed, board The Sunday Telegraph focuses on the
:01:38. > :01:43.takeover at Everton with Farhad Moshiri buying 49.9% stake in the
:01:44. > :01:50.club. We will talk about Everton later on. Starting with Leicester,
:01:51. > :01:54.who left it late to beat Norwich. Charlie Adam, you feel because of
:01:55. > :02:00.the nature of the opposition and the nature of the victory that was very
:02:01. > :02:02.significant. I think it is expectation, everybody expects them
:02:03. > :02:08.to win at home to Norwich, and they left it late. But I was sat watching
:02:09. > :02:12.our game and when the score came in that Leicester had scored I was
:02:13. > :02:16.buzzing for them. On the outside it's great for us and we would love
:02:17. > :02:22.to see Leicester win the league, because it would be an amazing fairy
:02:23. > :02:26.tale story. For the good of the game you'd like to see Leicester win the
:02:27. > :02:30.game, but also for the good of clubs like yourselves? Would it give you
:02:31. > :02:36.more believe? Would give you more belief that you could perform at
:02:37. > :02:39.that level -- belief. That gap is a big app financially. Like somebody
:02:40. > :02:44.said the other week in an interview, I think it was Michael Owen who said
:02:45. > :02:48.they could get relegated next season as champions and that's the nature
:02:49. > :02:51.of football -- big yap. They could win the league and get relegated but
:02:52. > :02:56.it's great for them to be part of. Nobody thought it would happen
:02:57. > :03:00.again. People kept writing them off week in and week out and they are
:03:01. > :03:05.still there. I would love to see them win it, but the big ones are
:03:06. > :03:08.chasing from behind. I found that interesting from the point of a
:03:09. > :03:12.professional footballer who are not that one of the so-called normal
:03:13. > :03:18.title favourites, that something like this can give everybody a lift.
:03:19. > :03:23.It gives the fans hope. Yes and you'd like to think it is sending
:03:24. > :03:28.out a signal. I'm sure that if you play for any club outside of the top
:03:29. > :03:32.handful you want to see the top handful getting their legs pulled
:03:33. > :03:37.away from them sometimes. It's part of what gives the Premier League
:03:38. > :03:41.it's authentic spirit, which is what is so admired around the world. You
:03:42. > :03:45.look at other major leagues and there is a sense that they don't
:03:46. > :03:49.have the same atmosphere where any team can beat any team and any team
:03:50. > :03:54.can trip anybody else up. Leicester have proved that to everyone. What I
:03:55. > :03:57.thought was interesting was Ulloa in the matchwinner. One of the
:03:58. > :04:01.qualities you need if you are going to win the league is the ability to
:04:02. > :04:06.have players come from the fringes of your squad. Ranieri has to do
:04:07. > :04:11.what every manager of a championship winning team is doing at the moment,
:04:12. > :04:15.which is he has a very subtle so-called first 11, the best part
:04:16. > :04:18.of, everybody knows what I will be if everyone is fit but he has to
:04:19. > :04:24.keep the fringe players completely and utterly focused, feeling part of
:04:25. > :04:28.it. If they are needed, Ulloa has started one league game in the last
:04:29. > :04:32.two and a half months and has had to come on for 20 minutes here, ten
:04:33. > :04:36.minutes there, not the easiest thing to do but he knows how valued he is
:04:37. > :04:42.in that squad. The couple of weeks of holiday helped last week and they
:04:43. > :04:47.got a week off after the game. Yes. We went to Dubai as a training camp
:04:48. > :04:50.as well but they had a week off on their own with their wives and kids
:04:51. > :04:55.and it seems to have worked for them. They have 11 or 12 games to go
:04:56. > :05:01.and it will give them the final kick towards the end of the season. They
:05:02. > :05:04.only play Saturday and everybody else is playing Champions League and
:05:05. > :05:08.Europa League. They have an advantage, but can they keep their
:05:09. > :05:11.nerve until the end of the season? In the build-up to yesterday's game
:05:12. > :05:14.everybody said this is the kind of test they will have to put up with
:05:15. > :05:17.between now and the end of the season because sides will go there
:05:18. > :05:20.now having looked at the fixture list at the start of the season
:05:21. > :05:23.thinking they can pick up a point or three with the game against
:05:24. > :05:29.Leicester, they will think about it very differently, and to use the
:05:30. > :05:33.cliche, park the bus. It will be interesting to see what West Brom do
:05:34. > :05:38.on Tuesday, another huge game. If you look at Leicester's run in is a
:05:39. > :05:41.bit more comfortable until the last three, Chelsea and United pop up in
:05:42. > :05:46.the last three games. They are beneath them in the table but still
:05:47. > :05:49.traditionally difficult places. You are looking at that historically and
:05:50. > :05:53.traditionally rather than where the teams are. I'm covering that game,
:05:54. > :05:58.Leicester against West Brom and that wouldn't have been the top pick,
:05:59. > :06:03.Leicester- West Brom, in February. It just would not have been. Any
:06:04. > :06:07.other time. But the season has been turned on its head. I think what
:06:08. > :06:12.they have shown is that football is changing. There are different ways
:06:13. > :06:15.of being a successful club. They have a brilliant recruitment policy,
:06:16. > :06:19.really experienced people who have been there a long time and they have
:06:20. > :06:23.taken advantage of other big clubs like United and Chelsea having poor
:06:24. > :06:26.seasons. But we used to feel that your wage bill dictated your place
:06:27. > :06:30.in the league and what Leicester is showing it doesn't have to be like
:06:31. > :06:35.that. Leicester are an inspiration to underdogs and those fighting
:06:36. > :06:42.against the odds. They might be moving quicker than slowly. Talking
:06:43. > :06:46.about how you approach the moving quicker than slowly. Talking
:06:47. > :06:49.against Leicester, do you think, and I suppose this is only normal, the
:06:50. > :06:52.next time you play Leicester you will approach it in a different way
:06:53. > :06:57.to maybe how you would have perceived it earlier this year? No,
:06:58. > :07:02.we still back ourselves to go there and win, this if we look at the two
:07:03. > :07:08.squads we would probably have a better squad. But they have gone on
:07:09. > :07:12.an incredible run. They have been solid at the back. They kept the
:07:13. > :07:16.same 11 for the majority of the season, which is what Chelsea used
:07:17. > :07:20.to do with Mourinho back on the day. He would have eight or nine players
:07:21. > :07:23.playing every week and maybe one or two. They've had a settled side
:07:24. > :07:28.which helps them and been knocked out of the cups quite early as well.
:07:29. > :07:32.They've had to focus on the league Saturday to Saturday and they've
:07:33. > :07:35.done a terrific job. But they will earn the respect from the big ones
:07:36. > :07:39.now when they go there because they've turned a few big ones over
:07:40. > :07:43.at home and also away from home. The results from now until the end the
:07:44. > :07:49.season will be the key. If they keep picking up wins and the others stay
:07:50. > :07:53.in the European competitions it will be a difficult season for the rest
:07:54. > :07:58.of them. Can I ask one question on Norwich and then we will move on?
:07:59. > :08:03.You fear how many more psychological blows Norwich can take over recent
:08:04. > :08:07.weeks. Two goals up against Liverpool and lose 5-4, two up
:08:08. > :08:14.against West Ham and draw 2-2, get to the last minute against Leicester
:08:15. > :08:17.and lose 0-1. You fear however that the players are that sort of stuff,
:08:18. > :08:21.you fear for that pattern starting. Charlie talked about the patent
:08:22. > :08:26.Leicester are in. When you are in a great pattern you cannot wait for
:08:27. > :08:30.the next game. When you are in a low pattern you fear going out every
:08:31. > :08:34.game and set yourself up with positive thinking but the slightest
:08:35. > :08:39.knock can feel like a massive knock. It does feel cumulative. Our
:08:40. > :08:44.newspaper did a ring around the supporters, people they talk to from
:08:45. > :08:48.the various clubs involved in the relegation battle recently. Arsenal,
:08:49. > :08:55.which three do you think will go down? -- asked them all. Everyone
:08:56. > :08:59.agreed on Aston Villa and Norwich. It's not a great sign but it is just
:09:00. > :09:05.what people think. There is a mentality that people don't expect
:09:06. > :09:09.them to get out of it. 85058, #bbcfootball if you want to get in
:09:10. > :09:13.touch. We will talk about today's games we will come to the League Cup
:09:14. > :09:17.final later but we will start with Manchester United against Arsenal,
:09:18. > :09:19.looking to close the gap on Leicester.
:09:20. > :09:28.We've had a good run in the Premier League and we want to continue that.
:09:29. > :09:32.We need to get over the result we had in the Champions League and
:09:33. > :09:37.focus on the Premier League, where we have a big part to play. We don't
:09:38. > :09:41.know how many points will be needed but let's not set any limit on the
:09:42. > :09:46.number of points we can make. We work the whole season for this
:09:47. > :09:49.period. That is where you are really tested. That is where you have an
:09:50. > :09:54.opportunity to show your quality. It's the most interesting period in
:09:55. > :09:57.the season. And it is the period of the season where you can show
:09:58. > :10:03.quality and nerves and desire as well. Sam Wallace, have they got
:10:04. > :10:07.more quality, nerve and desire than in previous seasons? They have more
:10:08. > :10:10.in relation to the other teams around them, I think that will make
:10:11. > :10:17.a difference. That was a very political answer. Again, with
:10:18. > :10:20.Leicester, the collapse of Chelsea's defence, United's poor season, and
:10:21. > :10:25.it's an opportunity. It's a chance for someone to seize that chance to
:10:26. > :10:29.go and win the league. It was interesting hearing Arsene Wenger
:10:30. > :10:35.talk about how in previous seasons he felt that the players had been
:10:36. > :10:39.distracted. He focused on 2008-2009, less than a year after Manchester
:10:40. > :10:44.City had been bought by Abu Dhabi and that is when Adebayo Azeez Toure
:10:45. > :10:48.left Arsenal and two years later Fabregas and Nasri left, Fabregas
:10:49. > :10:54.went to Barcelona. I've never heard him talk like that before --
:10:55. > :10:57.Adebayor. He is on a race the players and does not blame a
:10:58. > :11:02.footballer, and does not hold it against him for moving on, off for
:11:03. > :11:07.abandoning the Arsenal dream. And yet this felt very personal what he
:11:08. > :11:11.said in this morning's newspapers about chasing the money, basically.
:11:12. > :11:14.I would say that Arsene Wenger is pretty well-paid, and I wouldn't
:11:15. > :11:19.begrudge a footballer getting a better deal. But he's never been
:11:20. > :11:23.quite so open about how losing players has affected the season
:11:24. > :11:33.preceding it, rather than the season when they left. The Sun newspaper
:11:34. > :11:37.used the title contracts chasers. Arsene Wenger slammed, because you
:11:38. > :11:39.only slam people in football journalism, ex-tapped up stars, who
:11:40. > :11:44.ended the Premier League title efforts. The other thing you could
:11:45. > :11:47.argue, Amy Lawrence, is he goes on to say this squad has great
:11:48. > :11:50.solidarity. Whilst criticising former players for leaving and maybe
:11:51. > :11:55.not having the attention span that should have had in a title race,
:11:56. > :11:59.maybe he's using it as a way to spur on the current squad and talk about
:12:00. > :12:04.their solidarity. I agree. Arsene Wenger is usually careful about the
:12:05. > :12:08.messages he gives out. It does feel a little bit, as it is so out of
:12:09. > :12:14.character as Sam alluded to, you don't normally hear him talk in such
:12:15. > :12:17.critical terms. He's probably saying something he really felt, though. At
:12:18. > :12:22.that time the dressing room was the worst in the entire Arsene Wenger
:12:23. > :12:28.era. You can look back and see certain players who I think were
:12:29. > :12:32.disruptive. There was a perception that they were perhaps putting their
:12:33. > :12:37.own careers ahead of the group. Ahead of the club. That happens
:12:38. > :12:43.sometimes but if you are trying to do something that is difficult to
:12:44. > :12:46.deal with. He is challenging by saying look what happened there and
:12:47. > :12:52.don't let this happen to you. They are probably not unique in a
:12:53. > :12:55.dressing room that has players in it who are worried about, or thinking
:12:56. > :13:01.about where they might move in the summer. It happens in every dressing
:13:02. > :13:06.room. There will be players at other clubs thinking about the summer.
:13:07. > :13:11.There will be clubs talking to agents trying to get the players. It
:13:12. > :13:15.happens, there is no point beating around the bush, it is there and it
:13:16. > :13:24.is happening. If you look at the players they are talking about,
:13:25. > :13:29.Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor, I think they have gone to better clubs. Van
:13:30. > :13:33.Persie and Fabregas went and won a title. It has worked out for the
:13:34. > :13:37.players that left Arsenal than they have won a championship. If they had
:13:38. > :13:41.stayed at Arsenal, would they have won the league? Nobody knows, but on
:13:42. > :13:47.a personal level they did the right move because they won trophies. Now
:13:48. > :13:53.I think they have a very good team. They look as if they are a unit.
:13:54. > :13:55.They've got the players and their top players are performing well and
:13:56. > :14:02.they are in there with a chance. It is like Wenger says, they have ten
:14:03. > :14:09.or 11 games to go and this is their ten or 11 cup finals. There was
:14:10. > :14:13.euphoria at The Emirates at the header from Danny Welbeck will stop
:14:14. > :14:17.does he have to do separate what happened against Barcelona in
:14:18. > :14:21.midweek and take it out of the equation and tell everybody at the
:14:22. > :14:24.club to forget that. He said that virtually 95% out of the Champions
:14:25. > :14:28.League, and focus on the euphoria from Welbeck. Often in Champions
:14:29. > :14:33.League seasons that something he has to content with all stop he has to
:14:34. > :14:36.deal with some big horrible nightmare at some point in Europe,
:14:37. > :14:40.and make sure that that doesn't impact on what he's doing
:14:41. > :14:45.domestically. If you look back even at this season Arsenal were really
:14:46. > :14:48.embarrassed and lost against Olympiakos at home, which I think
:14:49. > :14:53.was their second defeat after losing in Zagreb and they got off to a
:14:54. > :14:57.terrible start. The Olympiakos home game was when they came out and
:14:58. > :15:00.smashed Manchester United 3-0. There was a concern about hangover from a
:15:01. > :15:05.really big European embarrassment and they probably came out with
:15:06. > :15:09.their best minutes of the season immediately. Probably Arsene Wenger
:15:10. > :15:13.and the players are realistic. They know they are unlikely to beat
:15:14. > :15:16.Barcelona and win the Champions League at the moment, even though
:15:17. > :15:20.you might hope and you might get that one in 1000 chance and it will
:15:21. > :15:25.all work for you. The Premier League is much more realistic. It makes
:15:26. > :15:30.sense. But I think Arsenal need, that Danny Welbeck goal felt like a
:15:31. > :15:33.seismic moment, and I still think they need another one, possibly
:15:34. > :15:37.today, particularly under pressure from Leicester and Tottenham who are
:15:38. > :15:42.doing so well. They haven't won at Old Trafford for so long. They can't
:15:43. > :15:45.score goals at the moment, they seem strung up, tense and nervous,
:15:46. > :15:49.particularly in front of goal. If they are going to go on a good
:15:50. > :15:52.enough run in the last few games to sustain a challenge right up to the
:15:53. > :15:55.end they have got to find some sort of scoring with.
:15:56. > :16:03.I also wonder whether the atmosphere at Old Trafford might feel different
:16:04. > :16:07.today. It has been flat at times this season because of the style of
:16:08. > :16:11.football. Given the young players that have come in and done well over
:16:12. > :16:16.recent weeks, that makes the fans feel better. Whatever the style of
:16:17. > :16:20.football is, you're willing to young players on. Some of them are local
:16:21. > :16:26.players and it can change the atmosphere. Yeah, to an extent. It
:16:27. > :16:38.helps when they start scoring goals. I still think Old Trafford is
:16:39. > :16:41.capable of going very reflective and quiet when things go badly. In some
:16:42. > :16:43.respects it feels like the roles are reversed if Martial doesn't start
:16:44. > :16:46.and Rashford starts again. It will feel a bit like those Arsenal teams
:16:47. > :16:50.in the middle part of the last decade when they were... The team
:16:51. > :16:54.was taken apart by predator clubs buying their best players. They had
:16:55. > :16:59.to send young sides to Old Trafford who would get beaten. It feels like
:17:00. > :17:03.the tables have turned a bit. I think this Arsenal team is much more
:17:04. > :17:08.stable than any you've seen since the invincible is. The top players
:17:09. > :17:12.like Sanchez and Ozil aren't really going anywhere. They've already had
:17:13. > :17:16.their big moves to the really big Spanish clubs and they've had to
:17:17. > :17:24.find an alternative because it hasn't worked out there. There is
:17:25. > :17:27.not this great disparity of wealth any more where asked all are picked
:17:28. > :17:31.apart by Manchester City and Barcelona. That stability counts for
:17:32. > :17:35.a lot. September 2006 was the last time Arsenal won at the league at
:17:36. > :17:42.Old Trafford, but I fancy them today. Will there be a freedom for
:17:43. > :17:47.Man United today? Those young players? I think so. The young kids
:17:48. > :17:51.have nothing to lose. Rashford coming in on Thursday night and he
:17:52. > :17:58.did extremely well. But this is the Premier League. This is Arsenal who
:17:59. > :18:02.are chasing the title. It's a totally different game. There's a
:18:03. > :18:09.lot of pressure on Man United today. These are the games where you need
:18:10. > :18:13.your big players. Hopefully it's a good game to watch. I saw a really
:18:14. > :18:17.interesting comment on Twitter earlier. Who is under more pressure
:18:18. > :18:26.today, Louis van Gaal or Arsene Wenger? Do you want to answer that?
:18:27. > :18:30.I'm not quite sure. In different ways they are both... Probably
:18:31. > :18:35.Arsene Wenger. You can answer that if you want. Get in touch with us.
:18:36. > :18:41.Who do you think is under more pressure? If van Gaal is beaten
:18:42. > :18:45.really badly, it's him. If it's an heroic defeat with half a team, the
:18:46. > :18:51.picture changes. What if Arsenal lose? Arsene Wenger is under more
:18:52. > :18:57.pressure. Have you got offence under the desk? I think Wenger is under
:18:58. > :19:06.more pressure. Straight to the point from Charlie. This evening on Match
:19:07. > :19:09.of the Day two, you will see that game and Spurs against Swansea.
:19:10. > :19:14.Spurs looking to cut the gap on Swansea. Simon Brotherton will be
:19:15. > :19:19.watching this one for Match of the Day he has a guest with him.
:19:20. > :19:24.I'm joined by Clive Allen, former Tottenham striker in the 1980s. They
:19:25. > :19:29.finished third in the table and Clive had that magnificent season
:19:30. > :19:33.where he scored 49 goals. When you look at the squad this season, is it
:19:34. > :19:37.the best team Tottenham have had since you were here? It's a very
:19:38. > :19:42.exciting team, a young team, and emerging team. They've gone on all
:19:43. > :19:52.fronts until the FA Cup last weekend, bounced back with a good
:19:53. > :19:54.you wrote the league victory against Cieron Keane which will give them
:19:55. > :19:57.great confidence coming into this important Premier League game. A
:19:58. > :19:59.very good side. Maybe the FA Cup defeat is a blessing in disguise.
:20:00. > :20:04.Going for the New Road believed and the Premier League, do they have the
:20:05. > :20:08.strength in depth? I do, it's one of their greatest strengths. Pochettino
:20:09. > :20:13.made eight changes from the FA Cup side at the weekend for the Europa
:20:14. > :20:18.League game on Thursday. It wasn't to the detriment of the team. A fine
:20:19. > :20:23.performance. He might make changes again today. It seems like there's a
:20:24. > :20:28.real confidence throughout the group, there is strength in depth
:20:29. > :20:30.and a lot of quality. Was it important psychologically to the
:20:31. > :20:34.other players that they beat the good side on Thursday in the Europa
:20:35. > :20:39.League without Harry Kane in the team? He's done so much for them
:20:40. > :20:42.this season. That was one of the biggest question is, how Tottenham
:20:43. > :20:46.would survive without Harry Kane. It was the first time he wasn't
:20:47. > :20:50.available, he wasn't even on the bench. When he's been rested he
:20:51. > :20:55.still been on the bench. Psychologically it was a big boost,
:20:56. > :20:59.it will give them confidence. But whenever Pochettino has changed the
:21:00. > :21:03.team, it hasn't weakened it. The full-backs have changed regularly,
:21:04. > :21:09.there's been the absence of the Tongan and Wimmer has come in and
:21:10. > :21:14.done well. Are these big games, like today, that can potentially be the
:21:15. > :21:18.most dangerous? It's easy to be up for Manchester City away, but the
:21:19. > :21:22.onus is on you to win in these games. Swansea are fighting for
:21:23. > :21:25.their lives, there is no easy Premier League game. They slipped up
:21:26. > :21:35.against Newcastle in the lead here when they were on a fantastic run.
:21:36. > :21:37.They are in good form in the Premier League, but they have to win.
:21:38. > :21:40.Hopefully it's a good game today. One thing you wouldn't want to do on
:21:41. > :21:45.a day like this is forget your coat because it's absolutely freezing!
:21:46. > :21:50.Back to you in a warm studio. Brave man doing that in his jacket
:21:51. > :21:56.and shirt! If you look at the stats, Swansea have got the second worst
:21:57. > :22:00.attack in the Premier League, only Villa's is worst, and Spurs have the
:22:01. > :22:04.best defence. For all that it can be tricky, it's difficult to look
:22:05. > :22:09.further than Spurs. You would expect Spurs to win and if they are serious
:22:10. > :22:12.about being a title challenger, which still seems incredible to stay
:22:13. > :22:17.-- say, but they are, and they have to win. The big one is next weekend
:22:18. > :22:22.against Arsenal. That will be important for so many reasons, not
:22:23. > :22:26.least the points. What happened at Spurs is pretty remarkable.
:22:27. > :22:32.Pochettino will be in the running for manager of the year whatever
:22:33. > :22:36.happens. More than anything... They've always been a big club, but
:22:37. > :22:40.people haven't been able to carry the burden of what they consider
:22:41. > :22:45.their tradition and history. That doesn't seem to bother him. He's
:22:46. > :22:48.built a young team, the club carries no debt, they got a new training
:22:49. > :22:52.ground, they are going to build a new stadium and they are spinning
:22:53. > :22:56.all these plates at the same time. And they are pulling it off at the
:22:57. > :22:59.moment. Can somebody explain this to me. I take all of that. If you read
:23:00. > :23:18.a lot of the papers and the comments,
:23:19. > :23:20.after -- Arsene Wenger will never have a better chance, apparently, to
:23:21. > :23:23.win the title. Klopp will improve Liverpool, Guardiola and Man City,
:23:24. > :23:25.rumours of Mourinho at Man United, people saying Chelsea can't be as
:23:26. > :23:28.bad necks easing. People look at Spurs and say Pochettino has built
:23:29. > :23:33.hopes of a future for Spurs. Why is there such a disparity between how
:23:34. > :23:36.they perceived? If you look at past histories for Arsenal and Spurs.
:23:37. > :23:43.Arsenal have been in the Champions League for a number of years.
:23:44. > :23:47.Tottenham got a taste under Harry Redknapp and it disappeared for a
:23:48. > :23:52.bit. Now they are in a position where they are there. Pochettino has
:23:53. > :23:56.done a great job, but if they do get into the Champions League, it's a
:23:57. > :24:03.success. Will he be there next summer? Will somebody come and take
:24:04. > :24:09.him? Can Daniel Levy Keable of them? -- Daniel Levy. It's reported like
:24:10. > :24:13.this could be the first of many chances for Spurs because of how the
:24:14. > :24:18.club is developing. This is seen as a last chance saloon that Arsene
:24:19. > :24:22.Wenger. The comparison, although it's not quite the same in terms of
:24:23. > :24:26.the extent of the fairy tale, so to speak, but Tottenham and Leicester
:24:27. > :24:31.are probably a closer alliance in terms of if they win the league, it
:24:32. > :24:36.will be considered some kind of miracle. If you look at projects,
:24:37. > :24:40.Arsene Wenger will probably not be at Arsenal as long as Pochettino
:24:41. > :24:43.will be at Tottenham. That's why they say Wenger doesn't have as much
:24:44. > :24:48.chance of winning the league in the next couple of years, but Pochettino
:24:49. > :24:53.has a few years to do that. That's why they might be saying that.
:24:54. > :24:58.Wenger has one year left on his contract after this season. In the
:24:59. > :25:04.past it's always renewed. Renewed in the summer and then the previous one
:25:05. > :25:09.expires. But he won't go on forever. They won't be wheeling him out in
:25:10. > :25:16.his bath chair! At some point he will step down. As Charlie said,
:25:17. > :25:21.Arsenal have had years and years. Champions League football. And all
:25:22. > :25:25.those financial benefits. Tottenham have launched this title challenge
:25:26. > :25:33.without that. They are a club that carries no debt, they turn a small
:25:34. > :25:37.profit, a small operating profit. When you think of some of the losses
:25:38. > :25:41.other clubs make, that's an achievement. Whether they do it or
:25:42. > :25:44.not, whether they do the things that Spurs often do and not get over the
:25:45. > :25:49.line, that's one thing, but you cannot deny they are punching above
:25:50. > :25:54.their weight when you compare them to clubs that have spent vast
:25:55. > :25:59.amounts of money and are not in the title race. Sam Wallace, Amy
:26:00. > :26:03.Lawrence and Charlie Adam with me. John in Aberdeen, Arsenal will get
:26:04. > :26:07.beaten today by a patchwork Man United team and then Wenger will
:26:08. > :26:10.start the excuses. Arsenal will never have a better chance to win
:26:11. > :26:15.the league and Wenger should go if they don't. Rashford and Memphis to
:26:16. > :26:20.turn on the style. Ryan says the pressure is on for Wenger, he has
:26:21. > :26:26.the aim of the most FA Cup wins, but he needs a Premier League title
:26:27. > :26:31.after so long. On Spurs, Ivan, I'm baffled by the lack of space in
:26:32. > :26:36.third. If Leicester are considered title contenders, so Spurs. We don't
:26:37. > :26:42.have a week 11. Any line-up Pochettino could have named will be
:26:43. > :26:46.strong. Given how Chelsea have performed under goose heading,
:26:47. > :26:53.should they be doing more to try to persuade him to stay? I'm baffled
:26:54. > :26:57.why he hasn't got the job. He came in before and did a great job. They
:26:58. > :27:01.went a different way. Now he's come in and done another great job and it
:27:02. > :27:07.looks like Ponty will get the job. I don't know what the problem is with
:27:08. > :27:12.whoever is making the decisions. They have an experienced manager in
:27:13. > :27:16.Hiddink, a very good manager. I don't understand why they don't just
:27:17. > :27:22.give him it and start rebuilding. I think there's a fit where Conte and
:27:23. > :27:27.Chelsea feels like a very good fit. When you look at the character of
:27:28. > :27:32.club and manager, there's a spikiness, a competitiveness, and
:27:33. > :27:38.aggression that is very alive within Antonio Conte. I think the club feel
:27:39. > :27:41.that Hiddink is fantastic for these short-term, let's just smooth
:27:42. > :27:48.everything over and get stable again. It's about winning titles.
:27:49. > :27:51.Hiddink has got the right credentials to do it. Conte is
:27:52. > :27:55.coming to a new league which he doesn't know and it will be
:27:56. > :27:59.difficult. I thought they should just give the job to Hiddink for a
:28:00. > :28:02.couple of years and settle down. They chop and change managers,
:28:03. > :28:09.they've lost Mourinho and it's affected them. I think they think
:28:10. > :28:17.Hiddink is a bit old. He's 69 now. That's one of the things they feel.
:28:18. > :28:21.But if his manner works, which it evidently does, then age and
:28:22. > :28:25.constantly looking for a spiky competitor don't seem to fit with
:28:26. > :28:33.what is working at the moment. They can have him back any year's time!
:28:34. > :28:37.Chelsea really believe and have always believed that that person is
:28:38. > :28:42.out there, that person who can manage the club for seven or eight
:28:43. > :28:45.years, that can give them all the things they want, young players
:28:46. > :28:54.coming through from the Academy, a bit of calm, a more sort of elder
:28:55. > :28:57.statesman kind of statements -- status among European clubs to be
:28:58. > :29:02.that great European power. They think that person is out there and
:29:03. > :29:06.whether it is Conte they appoint before the end of the season or not,
:29:07. > :29:13.every time they hunt for a manager, they go out there with the belief of
:29:14. > :29:17.perennial divorcee that somebody out there will make them happy. Isn't
:29:18. > :29:21.the definition of madness to do exactly the same thing and expect
:29:22. > :29:27.different outcomes? That manager was supposed to be Mourinho coming back,
:29:28. > :29:30.giving this massive contract. Going back to Andre Villas-Boas, he was
:29:31. > :29:32.supposed to be the great white hope that was going to be the long-term
:29:33. > :29:38.future to bring them everything they wanted. Every time they do it, they
:29:39. > :29:43.give managers long contracts. They do it in the belief that this is the
:29:44. > :29:47.real thing, this is going to be the new dawn. They backed their
:29:48. > :29:51.managers. But when it goes wrong, the experience of Villas-Boas when
:29:52. > :29:54.they left it until February to sack him, they now feel they have to make
:29:55. > :29:59.a decision earlier than that to nip things in the bud. They feel they
:30:00. > :30:02.waited too long for Villas-Boas, which is why they got Di Matteo so
:30:03. > :30:07.quickly the next season. I know those things look on the surface
:30:08. > :30:10.like they contradict each other, but they always go in believing this
:30:11. > :30:14.will be the right manager for the long-term.
:30:15. > :30:20.A won three titles as Juventus manager, Pirlo described him as part
:30:21. > :30:24.genius, part beast, he's done a good job with Italy in the Euro
:30:25. > :30:28.qualifiers, he's only lost one game as Italy manager and that wasn't in
:30:29. > :30:32.the qualifiers. When you talk about him not managing in the Premier
:30:33. > :30:35.League and he must get used to it, what do you think, given his
:30:36. > :30:38.experience, he would have to get used to? When you came up with
:30:39. > :30:44.Blackburn what did you have to get used to in the Premier League? It is
:30:45. > :30:51.a different spectrum, being at Blackburn and being at Chelsea. Just
:30:52. > :30:57.about getting used to the league. I wouldn't say... He could go and buy
:30:58. > :31:02.the best players in the world, Pogba, Ibrahimovic, whoever he wants
:31:03. > :31:05.if he wants the best at Chelsea. It is understanding the league and how
:31:06. > :31:11.the game is played in England. The physicality of the game, the tempo
:31:12. > :31:16.of the game is totally different from in Italy. There is no easy
:31:17. > :31:20.games. If you come to stoke it is not an easy game. Maybe at Juventus
:31:21. > :31:25.when he won three titles, if you go to Siena, or smaller clubs where
:31:26. > :31:28.they are expected to win, but at Chelsea they are expected to win
:31:29. > :31:32.every game but not every game in the Premier League is easy. Is it a
:31:33. > :31:36.sense of with a new manager you have to meet in the middle of what they
:31:37. > :31:39.are bringing for their ideas and what they have got to adapt to in
:31:40. > :31:45.the new country, or in a new league? What Conte rings, when he took over
:31:46. > :31:50.at Juventus they were just promoted after the scandal, they've lost a
:31:51. > :31:54.lot of players -- Conte brings. They had taken a big hit and they were
:31:55. > :31:57.coming back in the big time and they won the league without losing a
:31:58. > :32:00.game, unbeaten through the season, from when he walked into the door
:32:01. > :32:04.they had won the league without losing a game. I take your point
:32:05. > :32:09.that not every game will be super difficult but that wasn't the event
:32:10. > :32:12.is of the top doing it, it was Juventus back on the rise and this
:32:13. > :32:18.is Chelsea they think will be back on the rise. Will they keep John
:32:19. > :32:21.Terry? Would you? I would, he still one of the best centre halves in the
:32:22. > :32:30.league but it's a big decision for him if he comes in. West Brom beat
:32:31. > :32:35.Crystal Palace by 3-2, Palace unaddressed -- on a dreadful run.
:32:36. > :32:39.Here is Alan Pardew. We will not say we are OK, we are fine, we know we
:32:40. > :32:43.are on a run of form where people will question is an quite rightly.
:32:44. > :32:48.Fortunately we have the game on Tuesday night and we can. Sunderland
:32:49. > :32:50.were beaten today, we've been beaten, so that is a big game and
:32:51. > :32:52.hopefully we can get something from that.
:32:53. > :32:57.It feels like Tony Pulis has been much maligned this season and before
:32:58. > :33:03.Christmas people talked about Alan Pardew as an England manager, or
:33:04. > :33:08.possibly for the bigger clubs struggling, Chelsea one of them
:33:09. > :33:11.looking at Alan Pardew, now they are three points ahead of Palace.
:33:12. > :33:16.The problem looking at it from afar is that West Brom fans are objecting
:33:17. > :33:23.to the way Tony Pulis has gone about it. When you appoint Tony Pulis, and
:33:24. > :33:26.as Charlie will know, you get a certain approach and you are buying
:33:27. > :33:33.into a certain way of doing things which comes with guarantees. He's
:33:34. > :33:36.never been relegated. That is a very strategic decision. That the
:33:37. > :33:42.chairman makes and West Brom, let's face it, certainly with Pepe Mel,
:33:43. > :33:48.made some really bad managerial appointments. But he delivers that.
:33:49. > :33:53.It is whether you want to live with that in the long term which is the
:33:54. > :33:56.club. As far as Pardew is concerned, that's part of his career. It was
:33:57. > :34:05.the same at Newcastle, there were bad runs. I think when you look at
:34:06. > :34:12.those made to lower half table clubs that is always a possibility. They
:34:13. > :34:17.have never embarked on one of those runs where you get sucked back down.
:34:18. > :34:22.-- middle to lower half. Palace are a different club to the one that
:34:23. > :34:31.could stay in one division. They have the extra investment of Steve
:34:32. > :34:34.Parrish, the chairman, and they have a decent recruitment system. They
:34:35. > :34:36.feel like they have established themselves as a good,
:34:37. > :34:40.feel like they have established Premier League club. Even that in
:34:41. > :34:45.this league doesn't exempt you from these bad runs. I think clubs like
:34:46. > :34:50.Palace, when your key players are missing, Bolasie, Zaha, Cabaye
:34:51. > :34:54.missing for a couple of games, it takes its toll on the squad because
:34:55. > :34:58.they have that presence and different quality from somebody else
:34:59. > :35:03.but Bolasie has been missing for a few weeks and he needs to get him
:35:04. > :35:07.back fit and get him going. Like I say, and he said in the interview,
:35:08. > :35:11.you need to stop the rot as quickly as possible, even if it is a draw
:35:12. > :35:18.but a win would be grateful stop you need to stop the rot and the run of
:35:19. > :35:21.losing games. Moving onto a that has permitted the sports pages this
:35:22. > :35:28.morning and yesterday with Farhad Moshiri buying 49.9% stake in the
:35:29. > :35:34.club. Matt Law in the Telegraph this morning claims that Farhad Moshiri's
:35:35. > :35:39.willingness to allow Bill Kenwright to remain in position of power at
:35:40. > :35:43.the club gave him an advantage over other bids. Looking at social media
:35:44. > :35:47.there were quite a lot of Everton fans who wanted the takeover to mean
:35:48. > :35:55.that Bill Kenwright would be moved aside. That's an interesting point
:35:56. > :36:01.of view. I would have thought that keeping someone who has that
:36:02. > :36:06.heritage of the club and who has such heart for Everton and has been
:36:07. > :36:09.part of it for years isn't a bad thing. Although Farhad Moshiri is
:36:10. > :36:13.not completely brand-new coming into football from nowhere, he's been
:36:14. > :36:17.involved, albeit in a frustrated way with Arsenal, as a minority
:36:18. > :36:22.shareholder, still with about a third of the shares but with no
:36:23. > :36:25.power for years. I quite like the fact he's decided, OK, I'm in
:36:26. > :36:31.football but not able to really do anything. I've put all of this money
:36:32. > :36:34.in, I'm going to go to a club where I can actually do something. I think
:36:35. > :36:38.it's quite an interesting blend of an investor who is keen on his
:36:39. > :36:40.football and has been a part of it for the best part of the decade,
:36:41. > :36:45.albeit with another club, and someone from the old school. If it
:36:46. > :36:51.works it is a nice combination. I suppose the key to it is if he's
:36:52. > :36:56.allowed to do something, because it is to 49.9%. I saw a tweet from
:36:57. > :37:00.Neville Southall, it had the blue tick so I assume it was Neville
:37:01. > :37:04.Southall, he said he would have been happier if it had been 51%.
:37:05. > :37:09.Sometimes these relationships don't survive in practice. What is decided
:37:10. > :37:16.at the boardroom table when handing over the deal. I understand Everton
:37:17. > :37:20.fans' frustrations. Under Bill Kenwright Everton have become great
:37:21. > :37:26.trainers of players, Kenwright is a master in the transfer market, look
:37:27. > :37:32.what he did at United with Fellaini. He saw off Chelsea with John Stones.
:37:33. > :37:39.They buy cheap and sell high. Everyone would like to do that. But
:37:40. > :37:42.they've never sorted the stadium. It's a great English football
:37:43. > :37:47.Stadium but it offers minimal returns in terms of match day
:37:48. > :37:49.revenue. As we have seen with West Ham, Chelsea, Tottenham and
:37:50. > :37:52.Manchester City, all of these big clubs have moved or unmoving
:37:53. > :37:56.stadiums. There is no reason why Everton shouldn't be doing that.
:37:57. > :37:58.They are one of the most successful clubs in Ingush football. The
:37:59. > :38:04.long-term issues have not been addressed. What the new owner, that
:38:05. > :38:08.what we are going to call him, has got to address this, it is
:38:09. > :38:12.fundamental to be club's future of the stadium. They will have to move
:38:13. > :38:15.if they are going to compete in the Financial Fair Play era. Let's move
:38:16. > :38:20.on the big game of the as regards their being a trophy up for grabs.
:38:21. > :38:24.The League Cup final, fancy your former club Liverpool up against Man
:38:25. > :38:26.City? It's going to be tough for them. If Man City play the way they
:38:27. > :38:34.did in the Champions League I would expect Man City to
:38:35. > :38:40.win. But Liverpool are a big club and a good team and on your day in a
:38:41. > :38:44.cup final anything could happen but I think Man City have the edge and I
:38:45. > :38:48.look forward to it. Unless Liverpool play like they did at City earlier
:38:49. > :38:53.in the season and the City played like City did earlier in the season.
:38:54. > :38:56.That's the thing, that's why you need a to sit on when we are talking
:38:57. > :39:01.about this game. Just borrow the one from underneath Sam from earlier.
:39:02. > :39:05.When I was coming up on the train vacillating, would they win, would
:39:06. > :39:08.they win? There is unpredictable at you about both teams. We have all
:39:09. > :39:13.seen Man City look fantastic on their day and on others you think
:39:14. > :39:17.what are they doing? Liverpool under Klopp can be electric on certain
:39:18. > :39:20.occasions and other times very flat. It's very hard to predict when you
:39:21. > :39:24.don't know which version of either team will show up. I heard Noel
:39:25. > :39:28.Gallagher talk to Jamie Carragher, I know it was a different TV station
:39:29. > :39:32.but it was a good interview. He said he thought the big sides, in which
:39:33. > :39:37.he included Liverpool and Klopp, and figured out Manchester City this
:39:38. > :39:42.season. I find it very hard to imagine how you would figure out
:39:43. > :39:45.Sergio Aguero. He seems to score goals in any circumstances. I think
:39:46. > :39:49.Manchester City should win this game. Liverpool have spent a lot of
:39:50. > :39:53.money, as have Manchester City but Manchester City have better players
:39:54. > :39:56.and should win. If Klopp can come up with something that will stop them
:39:57. > :40:01.and he will have to stop them first before Liverpool play, then they
:40:02. > :40:04.have a chance. That there is no doubt Manchester City are the clear
:40:05. > :40:10.favourites to win. Stoke stopped Manchester City this season. Yes. I
:40:11. > :40:15.was just trying to think of the game and what happened. We beat them 2-0
:40:16. > :40:19.at home. But like Sam said it was an off day for Man City. We played
:40:20. > :40:22.extremely well and our lads were at it from the start but it was the
:40:23. > :40:29.opposite from Man City in midweek, they were not at the races. You have
:40:30. > :40:33.a chance like Liverpool have today. That young energetic midfield they
:40:34. > :40:38.have to get in and about Man City. That will be interesting. When you
:40:39. > :40:43.have somebody like Aguero, Silva, Raheem Sterling, coming on in the
:40:44. > :40:49.last couple of months and he's terrific. De Bruyne has been a big
:40:50. > :40:53.miss for them. Yes. If they can get him back fit in the last 8-10 games
:40:54. > :40:58.that will strengthen the chance of winning the league. In the big
:40:59. > :41:01.picture, when you know that the change is coming out Manchester
:41:02. > :41:07.City, is this a bigger trophy for Liverpool? I also think it is a free
:41:08. > :41:12.pass for Jurgen Klopp. At this stage of his first season when there is so
:41:13. > :41:15.much... He's allowed to be looking around and checking things out at
:41:16. > :41:19.the moment, which players he really wants to keep and which players he
:41:20. > :41:22.might dispense with, there will be a different flavour to this Liverpool
:41:23. > :41:27.team by the beginning of next season. I think he can go into it,
:41:28. > :41:33.desperate to win it, because that's the kind of character he is. But I
:41:34. > :41:37.don't think it is imperative to him. I totally get with Pellegrini, I can
:41:38. > :41:42.see it even more having watched the Dynamo Kiev game and looking ahead
:41:43. > :41:46.to today, that he probably took a lot of stick that was a bit
:41:47. > :41:51.unfounded about the FA Cup team. It has been a big week, and obviously
:41:52. > :41:55.he got the first part spot on. If he could get this part spot on he will
:41:56. > :42:01.be justified. That FA Cup selection is fair enough given they then went
:42:02. > :42:06.to Kiev and won 3-1. I always think you should go for it. This notion of
:42:07. > :42:11.having to travel, whatever it is, seven hours to Kiev, it's not like
:42:12. > :42:18.you're doing it on a budget airline. You self censored your self! Other
:42:19. > :42:21.airlines are available! I don't even know if they fly there.
:42:22. > :42:25.LAUGHTER The one thing I like about it is at
:42:26. > :42:28.least some young players got a chance and there is an argument to
:42:29. > :42:31.least some young players got a say the FA could introduce a quota
:42:32. > :42:36.of U21 players, I think that would be good. I'm not keen on seeing
:42:37. > :42:40.teams do that. I saw Hull do it against Arsenal and Steve Bruce said
:42:41. > :42:44.we got to give all of the squad players a chance. I feel that once
:42:45. > :42:47.you do that it ceases to become... It is a game and interesting in
:42:48. > :42:52.other ways but it's not a proper cup tie any longer. And also, on the cup
:42:53. > :42:56.final today, I don't see why Liverpool should accept that they
:42:57. > :42:59.have to be beaten by Manchester City just because they have better
:43:00. > :43:03.players. The reason your point manager Mike Jurgen Klopp is to get
:43:04. > :43:07.more out of players. It is like when people say Pep Guardiola is going to
:43:08. > :43:11.buy a new team, he supposed to be a good coach. Talking about Klopp, in
:43:12. > :43:14.the last six months he's been watching, he's got to get results
:43:15. > :43:16.straightaway, he is Liverpool manager and needs results on day
:43:17. > :43:21.one, not wait until the summer. manager and needs results on day
:43:22. > :43:27.ourselves in. He needs results on day one. And for me, I think
:43:28. > :43:31.Pellegrini has done a terrific job. But the whole surrounding of the Man
:43:32. > :43:36.City thing, it is a spectacle. They will be going, both clubs will want
:43:37. > :43:40.to win desperately. I think Pellegrini will want to win it even
:43:41. > :43:46.more because he wants to go there as a champion and he will want to leave
:43:47. > :43:51.that as a legacy, I won two trophies before I left. Charlie Adam, Amy and
:43:52. > :43:55.Sam, thank you very much. You can listen to the League Cup final on 5
:43:56. > :43:58.live after Spurs against Swansea and then highlights of both Premier
:43:59. > :44:02.League games on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One tonight. Bye bye.