MatchDayReview Podcast

After a weekend of FA Cup action we now know our semi finalists. Leicester City, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Southampton, the 4 teams left. We look at Leicester's impressive victory over United on Sunday night. Would a trophy be a just reward for Leicester under Brendan Rogers?Meanwhile what stage of the United cycle do they currently find themselves in under Ole, and is there a way out of the cycle any time soon?And of course there is the inevitable quadruple talk across Manchester in the blue camp, can they get finally get over their European problem, and do they need it to gain respect on the continent?

We are well and truly into the business end of European competition. With the quarter final draws taking place for both competitions we break down the draw, discuss the challenges facing each team, and pick our favourites of those left.

Tottenham missed the chance to extend the gap between themselves and their North London rivals, as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 at the Emirates. Is there a mental block at White Hart lane when it comes to the NLD, or does this team still just need time to adjust to Jose? Sheffield began life after Chris Wilder in pretty abysmal fashion with a 5-0 defeat away to top 4 chasing Leicester. After the news this week that Wilder was leaving, what does this mean for Sheffield going forward and their prospects of coming straight back up to the Premier League? In the top 4 race Chelsea, West Ham, and Everton all joined Tottenham in dropping points over the weekend. With United and Leicester winning are we now looking at a 5 horse race for 1 spot?Oh, and with the England U21s team being announced just before we hit record we discuss what the announcement could mean for the senior team, and the future tactics of England going forward.

We know 4 of the 8 teams into the quarter final of the Champions League. There was to be no repeat of La Remontada in Paris, but Barça gave it a go, and if not for Keylor Navas could have been dreaming of history. As it was though was this the night PSG learnt to 'get over the line'?In Turin, Porto and Juventus gave us a game for the ages as Porto go through on away goals with a terrific defensive display, Pepe in particular coming in for praise. What does it mean for Juve though. Their win now policy clearly hasn't worked so where do they go now at this cross road?Elsewhere Dortmund and Liverpool came through their ties, and there was even time to sneak a Premier League game in as well.

Liverpool's struggles at Anfield continue as they go down 1-0 to Scott Parker's hard working Fulham side, who will now be believing that they can get out of the relegation zone. It has been quite some turn around for the side from Craven Cottage given that the bookies had paid out on them going down from as early as the third week of the season. Elsewhere Tottenham continued their good recent form and assault on the top 4 with victory over Palace. Would the top 4 and a trophy be enough for Mourinho to get a statue outside their new shiny stadium? In the race for the top 4 there is a big game tonight as we look ahead to the Everton V Chelsea, and we go north of the boarder to congratulate Steven Gerrard and Rangers on their 55th Scottish League title.

It's 21 and out for Manchester City as United roll up at the Etihad and walk away with all 3 points. Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw give the reds a 2-0 win and cut the gap at the top to 11 points. Listen to our instant reaction and analysis of the Red Devils victory as we talk tactics, attitude, and consistency.

The Premier League dished up some stinkers in the mid week. Least of all the foggy affair at Selhurst Park where Manchester United failed to capitalise on Leicester's dropped points earlier one, by putting in possibly their worst performance of the season. (There has been a few of them recently). But with the league dishing out an abnormal amount of drab games will it take the eventual return of fans to kick some of these games into life? Elsewhere City won again (shock), Sheffield are officially not the worst team in Premier League history, which I am sure is a relief to their fans, and Chelsea take on Liverpool in a top 4 clash.

It seems the standard of refereeing in the Premier League is getting worse by the week. This week is no different with Lee Mason making quite possibly the worst refereeing decision ever in English football. Despite their refereeing bad luck however, Brighton really didn't help themselves when it came to taking their chances, missing 2 penalties. Elsewhere in the refereeing world Luke Shaw relays what a ref says on the pitch and now faces a ban, not Stuart Atwell for actually saying it, but Luke Shaw for repeating it. I know right, I don't get it either. And finally is all not well at Burnley, it certainly wasn't against Tottenham, and could they be sucked into the relegation zone, which could then be the least of their troubles. (I hate that we have to talk about the refs so much, but if they will keep messing up. Anyway, enjoy!)

After an impressive return to European football last week, this week it felt a little bit like the 'B' team had been sent out. City continued their winning run against Borussia Monchengladbach, with Joao Cancelo now playing in all the positions on the pitch. The Spanish teams have struggled in the Champions League and the Europa League, but what exactly is going on over in La Liga. And to cap it all off, just how badly wrong can you predict a Lazio V Bayern Munich game?

For the first time since 1999, Everton came away from Anfield with 3 points. This time around we look at what Everton got right, because by this time we all know what Liverpool got wrong. Elsewhere in the race for the top 4 West Ham laid down a marker by beating Tottenham and leaving them chasing Europa League dreams. But one positive for Spurs fans would be the performance of Gareth Bale. Is it now time to give him a run in the team? And down the bottom of the table Fulham crank up the heat on Newcastle, could their final day showdown be a relegation play off, or will it not even get that far?

Listen to our (not so) instant analysis and reaction as Inter Milan go 4 points clear of their city rivals in the race for the Serie A title. Two goals from Lautaro Martinez and one from Lukaku giving Inter a 3-0 win in what was an exciting game.

The Champions League made a triumphant return this week with 4 exciting games. Mbappe stood up at the Nou Camp as Barcelona crumbled in Europe again. Liverpool expose RB Leipzig's high line as Sabitzer shows his playmaking prowess at the wrong end of the pitch.Last night Sevilla and Dortmund played out a cracker as Erling Haaland continues his quite frankly ridiculous Champions League goalscoring record. Meanwhile it's work to do for Juventus to overcome a well organised and fire-y Porto team. They could possibly start by not giving them a goal every time a half kicks off. Oh and in the Premier League could Fulham catch Newcastle, and Man City won, but whats new with that?

Alisson was at it again in goal for Liverpool at the weekend, but their problems go far beyond their blundering keeper. Is their a mentality issue at Anfield, or is it just really difficult to retain the Premier League. Runaway leaders Manchester City eased passed Tottenham on the Saturday, with Ilkay Gundogan continuing his fine form, but before you sharpen you pitchforks for Jose Mourniho at Spurs does he need time? I saw Julien Nargelsmen trending on Twitter this morning, but I am here to tell you to hold fire just for now. And finally, Fulham have a goalscorer prepared to score a 'strikers goal'. Could this be the start of them reeling Newcastle in as they prepare for a period without their all important number 9? Maybe it's not as cut and dry as we thought a few weeks ago.

On this episode of the MatchDay Review Podcast Instant Replay, we give our instant reactions and analysis to the 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns between West Brom and Manchester United. Plus, we talk about the causes of Man Utd's poor form and whether a lack of belief has cost them in the title race, and does this season risk becoming a disaster for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?All this and more on the latest episode of the MDR Podcast.Check out our Super 6 predictions podcast. Listen for free on Patreon @ patreon.com/matchdayreview.

The mid week 5th round of the FA Cup failed to deliver unfortunately. Drab game after drab game, where all involved looked cold and as if they just wanted to be anywhere else. That was of course until Everton and Tottenham took to the field. In a game that Jose Mourinho would have hated every single minute of they put on the show of the round in what was, dare I say it, a proper cup tie. Elsewhere, West Ham should take some of the blame for the atrocious game at Old Trafford, Brighton felt the cold more than most as they literally freeze in the last minute, and is the gap to the so called 'top 6' too big for us to have a go a mid table sides for not giving it a go any more?

After twice coming from behind at Old Trafford in a thrilling 3-3 draw, has Carlo Anchelotti instilled a feeling of belief amongst the Toffees that they can reach the heights of the Champions League? However, after Manchester City's demolition of Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, will the top 4 race be the most exciting thing we see towards the end of the season again? If it is, theres going to be a lot of teams involved. Elsewhere there is an obligatory VAR discussion that gets a little bit rant-y. Apologise in advance.

City get their first win at Anfield since 2003. Is it now an open and shut case in the title race? City certainly have one hand on the trophy after an impressive 4-1 win. As for Liverpool, are they now in a tussle for the top 4? Join us as we give our instant analysis of what was an entertaining game at Anfield, that included missed penalties, scored penalties, and more misery for teams trying to play out from the back.

It's Groundhog day, again. Or at least it was for Southampton, as for the second time in 2 seasons the Saints lose 9-0, equalling the worst ever defeat in the Premier League. However, as 9-0 defeats go, this one is widely accepted to not be as bad as the last one, and wasn't without its controversial moments. We're talking about VAR again with offsides and double jeopardy being the main talking points this time, as David Luiz and Jan Bednarek suffer similar fates at the hand of VAR. We try and get our heads round the decisions and ultimately come to the same conclusion that we do everytime. And finally, Liverpool's loss at home to Brighton leaves them 7 points a drift of Manchester City at the top of the table, and without a goal at home for 3 games. Do their issues go beyond defensive injuries, and is there any hope of a positive result against City at the weekend? All this and more, on this episode of the MatchDayReview Podcast.

After defeat to Brighton at the weekend are Tottenham now in a fight for the top 4 instead of the title? With Harry Kane injured, Gareth Bale looked every inch the golfer that Zidane thought he was on the football pitch. Down the bottom though that win for Brighton pulls them further away from the drop zone, leaving Fulham, West Brom, and Sheffield United in real predicament. Is the gap now too big to the rest of the league? We certainly think so. And we talk about the dangers of Youtube recommendations, fan phone in radio shows, and Americans when they attempt football. (The actual football, not the one with their hands).

Welcome to Episode 121 of the MatchDay Review Podcast.On this more light hearted episode of Extra Time we play Room 101 with football, talking about the irritating parts of the beautiful game we would remove forever. Yes VAR is the ultimate choice. However, we discuss other areas of the game that need improving and Aiden's vendetta against short sleeves and gloves continues. All this and more on the latest edition of the MDR Podcast.

Sheffield United put a halt to Man Utd's title challenge, but it's not curtains just yet for Ole's tricky reds. For Sheffield on the other hand, can they smell safety now they're hot on the heels of West Brom?Elsewhere, Burnley win in a very Burnley fashion, is it out with the English, in with the German in more than one way at Chelsea, and would Champions League football make West Ham fans like their board?

We were going to talk about the FA Cup this weekend, but Chelsea had other ideas. Following the news this morning of Frank Lampard's sacking there was only ever going to be one topic of discussion. We talk about Chelsea's history with sacking managers, the job Lampard did during his time in charge, and where could he go next. (Hint: It's north of the boarder)Then we do get around to discussing the 4th round of the Cup, and there is also a reminder that we are less than 2 months away from international football. (Sigh)

On this episode of the MatchDay Review Podcast we give our instant reaction and post match analysis of a snowy FA Cup game at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Luton Town.Chelsea were victorious 3 goals to 1 in an easy outing against Championship Luton. We talk about the lack of intensity from Luton's players, Kepa again making horrendous goalkeeping errors and the great passing and movement for Chelsea's 3rd goal. All this and more on the latest edition of the MDR instant replay podcast.

In a 24hr period that saw no more than 3 teams sit a top the Premier League we have a look at both Manchester clubs wins, and Leicester's win over Chelsea. We're no stranger to offside discussions in football, but Bernardo Silva's opening goal has opened a whole new can of offside worms. (The worms weren't offside, but spoiler Rodri was) We discuss just how it was allowed to stand, and why it probably shouldn't have. Elsewhere in that game after much deliberating it turns out Dean Smith wasn't concerned for John Moss' Christmas day haul. Over at Craven Cottage, United returned to the summit with another Paul Pogba banger. Does he see this as his best chance at a league title with the Red Devils? And also, why swimming pools in football stadiums is a terrible idea for all involved. And finally Leicester City are title contenders and will remain so. Why we think expectations are too high at Chelsea, and West Ham get a small mention. There's is also Copa Del Rey action, and a little bit of history as well.

After the usual hype given to a Liverpool-Manchester United clash, and rightly so given their league positions, the two table toppers put on a damp display at Anfield. The result leaves the door open for Manchester City to take top spot at some point as they begin to find top gear with a comfortable win over Crystal Palace. Does the relentless pace of this season play into the hands of Pep and his team, or are there more twists and turns to come? Elsewhere, can you stop Google football updates from the Bundesliga 2 unnecessarily clogging up your phone?, Luka Jovic's goal scoring exploits, and has Lionel Messi finally snapped in a Barcelona shirt?

Manchester United are top of the Premier League! After a hard earned win at Turf Moore, Ole's Tricky Reds hit the front in the league, and just in time for a showdown with title rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Meanwhile, City are creeping up behind the top 2 after a 1-0 win over Brighton leaves them just 4 points off the top with a game in hand, as Phil Foden is showing the league just how good a player he is. Elsewhere, Everton keep pace at the top, Tottenham don't, Fulham put in a good performance, and Newcastle are just awful. Plus, there is an interesting appointment in the board room at West Ham

It's 3rd round time! It's one of the biggest weekends in the English football calendar was this weekend and there was shock's, ummm, sort of. Leeds United's defeat to Crawley Town takes the crown of Cupset of the weekend, so we jumped in and analysed Bielsa and Leeds this season. There was also some classic tale of the underdog at Marine, and we appreciated the penalties alert update from BT Sport. Elsewhere, why you should only watch Newcastle if you have insomnia, Manchester United can go top on Tuesday, but it will be a big task at Turf Moore, and why Anfield is the blueprint for modern stadiums

On this episode of the MatchDay Review Podcast we give our instant reaction and post match analysis of a great FA Cup game between non League Chorley and Derby County.Chorley were victorious by 2 goals to nil to reach the 4th round for the first time in their history. We talk about the great performances from the Chorley players, how the good old fashioned physical play and balls into he mixer helped Chorley and how the Derby youngsters can use this experience to improve. All this and more on the latest edition of the MDR instant replay podcast.

There may not have been too much football this week, but there was still some Carabao Cup action. We assess what a 4th semi-final defeat in a row means for Manchester United, and are City coming into form at the right time? Tottenham meanwhile are following the Mourinho blueprint to success, but what are there chances of winning at Wembley and beyond.Elsewhere Pele is still making up his goal tally, and we are grateful for a quiet start to the transfer window.

After Chelsea's defeat to City at the weekend it's Frank Lampard's turn in the firing line. A couple of bad results is all it takes, and in this season it may be more reactionary than ever. But with Chelsea's history of hiring and firing we assess Lampard's chances of staying at Chelsea, discuss where it has gone wrong over the last couple of weeks, and how he can turn it around, given time. Elsewhere United went level on points with Liverpool at the top of the league after an entertaining game against Aston Villa. Big Sam meanwhile looks like he's bitten off more than he can chew at West Brom after a rocky start. Are the right players available in transfer market to ride to Big Sam's rescue, or could they end up getting cut a drift at the bottom of the league. And finally, we discuss where Pele could find some more goals from after he loses another record, this time to Cristiano Ronaldo.

We've moved our Super 6 predictor podcast on to the main channel for the upcoming round, so if you're in need of a little help with your mid week Premier League predictions, look no further. We'll break down all 6 of the games selected for this week as well some Tony Pulis chat, the obligatory Big Sam praise, and why the MEN's transfer tombola is an only child in a recent divorce.

Instant reaction and analysis of Leicester and Man Utd's 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League. Kicking off the bumper Boxing Day football schedule two title challengers faced off at the King Power. We discuss the game itself as well as what a draw does for the two teams in the long run, and look ahead to the rest of their fixtures in the immediate future.

On the latest episode of the MatchDay review Podcast we analyse and talk about all of the action from Matchday 14 of the Premier League. The high energy play from Manchester United's in the thrashing of Leeds at Old Trafford, the increasing media witch-hunt towards Marcelo Bielsa, Wilfried Ndidi's welcome return to Leicester and their push for the title and Dean Smith has done a phenomenal job at Villa.Plus, is Ndidi the answer to Barcelona's problems? Is Crystal Palace's lack of effort in games a sign of looming relegation? All this and more on the latest edition of the MDR Podcast.

Instant reaction and analysis to Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Valencia in La Liga.

Big Sam makes his long awaited return to the Premier League, we discuss how he will get West Brom firing, and his chances of keeping them up. One team that could have done with getting him in eariler however though is Sheffield, who continue to make the worst start to an English League side in history. Is there any chance of them staying up? (Probably not if we're being honest)And Liverpool go top as they beat Tottenham.

On this episode of the MatchdayReview Podcast we talk about the results and events of Matchday 12 in the Premier League. Focusing on the demise of Arsenal, more penalty controversy, Fulham's resurgence under Scott Parker and Southampton being one of the best teams in the League.Plus, Neymar being world class and will his injury hamper PSG? Is Mikel Arteta out of his depth? Is it time for Arsenal to send out the Bat Signal to Big Sam? We also discuss the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw and the Round of 32 draw in the Europa League. Plus we predict our winners of both those competitions.All this and more on the latest episode of the MDR Podcast.

Instant reaction and analysis of what was an incredibly boring Manchester derby. A game that neither side looked like they wanted to lose, and a game that neither did. We quickly discuss the game, what it means for the league, and then move swiftly on to talk about other matters including Bayern, Juventus, and Barcelona.

In what as a big week for Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer they have fallen at the European hurdle. But besides dropping into Europe's second rate competition, what does defeat mean for United, and can they avoid the Europa League derailing their season?Over in Spain, Real Madrid rise to the big occasion, escaping the shadow of the Europa League and into the daylight of the knockout stages. Where they'll be joined by their opponents on the night after Romelu Lukaku managed to keep teammate Alexis Sanchez from scoring a last minute winner to send Inter Milan through. Theres all this and more, including out predictions for the knockout stages on this episode of the MDR Podcast.

Following their 2-0 defeat in the North London derby on Sunday, questions are beginning to be asked about Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal manager, with the Gunners currently sat in 15th place in the league. How deep do the problems go at Arsenal, and just what is needed to turn things around at the Emirates. Elsewhere in London, the Manchester United comeback roadshow stops off at the London Stadium as the Red Devils come back from 1-0 down against West Ham. But are they just 1 injury away from their season falling apart as Bruno Fernandes becomes more and more important to this team. Over at the Hawthorns theres more ridiculous VAR calls, and we'll round up the other action as well including where does Timo Werner's miss chart on the Eric Chupo Moting scale?

Reaction and analysis of Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Sevilla in La Liga. A win that sends Los Blancos up to 3rd in the La Liga table, but despite the victory the performance of both teams failed to excite in this one.

After David Luiz's and Raul Jimenez's clash of heads on Sunday night, (we wish them both a speedy recovery), football needs to look at the way it deals with head injuries and concussion. On the pitch, Arsenal looked flat, again, Manchester United comeback from 2 down at St Mary's thanks to an impressive Edinson Cavani, and Liverpool keep the VAR chat rolling.

Get our instant analysis and reaction to the Serie A game between high flying Sassuolo and Inter Milan. Sassuolo's unbeaten run in Serie A came to an end as Inter Milan rocked up and came away with a fairly comfortable 3-0. Goals from Alexis Sanchez, Roberto Gagliardini, and an own goal from Vlad Chiriches giving the Nerazzurri all 3 points.

The best player to grace the beautiful game, a genius and a maverick, we pay tribute as the world lost an icon in Diego Maradona. Elsewhere, football continues a pace, with 2 out of 4 Premier League teams qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League, and Inter Milan mess up my dream of seeing Real Madrid play in the Europa League. And we look ahead to what will be a busy weekend at both ends of the table in the Premier League.

After a weekend where Tottenham topped the table, Leicester bottled their chance to lay down a marker, and VAR over turned itself, we're here to walk you through all the key talking points. Including, why football hasn't passed Jose by, Liverpool have more squad depth that at first glance, and why Fulham should start refusing penalties that are given for them. There's all this, and more, on this episode of the MatchDayReview Podcast.

Boredom, analysed.

The international break is over, and so is our break!Whilst we were away Derby County parted company with Philip Cocu and in his place steps somebody called Wayne Rooney (remember the name). We discuss what Rooney could bring to the table as a manager, if his playing career will have a big influence on his style, will the press give him time, and where could we see him in a few years time? Elsewhere we look ahead to the weekends Premier League action, including two top of the table clashes involving Liverpool and Leicester at Anfield, and Tottenham and Man City at White Hart Lane. There's also an interesting game at Elland Road as Leeds look to get back to winning ways against Arsenal. There's all this and more, including how other players have transitioned into managers and why Sheffield United could struggle without Chris Wilder, on this weeks preview show from MatchDayReview.

There's been 3 different leaders in the Premier League this week, so allow us to talk you through all 3 of them. From Southampton's rise after that result that you can't not mention when talking about Southampton, a season that looks set up for Jose Mourinho and Tottenham, and ol' Brenden Rogers giving Leicester that 2016 feeling. Plus, how Hakim Zyiech is clearly better than Willian, whats gone on at Sheffield for them to be so bad, and why the panenka is the most vein way to take a penalty.

On this episode of the MatchdayReview Instant Replay Podcast we give our instant reaction and analysis of Manchester United's 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.We analyse all the action on the pitch and talking points from the game including; Bruno Fernandes' impressive performance, Fred's MoM display in midfield and Everton's attacking struggles. Plus we discuss Ole Solskjaer's post match interview, the circus surrounding Man Utd at the moment and the dismal refereeing. All this and more on the latest edition of the MatchDay Review Podcast.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MatchDayReviewTwitter: twitter.com/@Matchday_ReviewWebsite: www.matchdayreview.comYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz9sbuNf1n_IJ-wMB6UjX1w?view_as=subscriberMerch: https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/matchday-review-podcast-store

The troubles are mounting for Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjær after defeat to that Istanbul team who's name I can't pronounce. The less said about the defending for the first goal the better, but yet we managed to get about 20 minutes out of it. Elsewhere, Chelsea are starting to look solid at the back with Thiago Silva getting over his rocky start, Diogo Jota could be signing of the summer, and could Real Madrid really be playing their football on Thursday nights? We discuss all this, look ahead to the standout Premier League fixtures this weekend, and much more, on this episode of the MatchDayReview Podcast.

We give our instant reaction and analysis as Bayern Munich beat FC Köln 2-1 in a routine victory in the Bundesliga. But perhaps it wouldn't have been so routine if Köln could finish. Thomas Muller was the stand out performer in a much changed Bayern team that included everybody's favourite Eric Maxim Chupo Moting. But it is at the back where maybe Hansi Flick will have cause for concern as Köln made a real fist of it in the second half, and with some better finishing could have something out of the game. We also look ahead to the Klasiker next weekend, and assess what makes Bayern favourites still for the Champions League.