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The Game

Arsenal for the title? Spurs for fourth? But what is Scott McTominay?

The Game

The Times

Lionesses, European Championships, Entertainment News, News, Sports, Sport, Champions League, Premier League, Soccer, Football, World Cup

3.21.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2024

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For fifteen minutes it seemed Arsenal were the complete team, but was that down to West Ham’s passivity? What does the result from the London Stadium mean for both teams - are Arsenal now back in the title race, if they were ever out of it; and for West Ham is a contract for David Moyes more or less likely?

The result at Spurs was not reflective of an end to end encounter. Brighton refuse to take a backward step and Spurs now have all their players available again.

After the break, what/who is Scot McTominay? A six, an eight, a ten or a throwback. The team try to figure it out. He helped Utd to a key win. Villa lost, but played well.

Finally, Gregor went to meet Luton forward Elijah Adebayo but he was an unlucky omen for a great lad. Oh and Alyson is getting excited about Xabi Alonso…

Timeline:

West Ham v Arsenal

4’ Hard for arsenal to win a title with some many London derbies to negotiate. West Ham have a good record against Arsenal.

6’ Trossard was superb. 15 min spell with four goals. They had everything for that spell. Pace, power, grace, intelligence.

9’ Arsenal were in control, they made it a technical contest. Last season it felt like it got tense and emotional.

10’ the asterix is West Ham are all at sea.

11’ Gregor thought West Ham were passive.

13’ easy to extrapolate too much from games like this. Just one win.

16’ West Ham fans might have seen this performance coming. Team set up on the back foot.

17’ West Ham have some good players, could do something under a more progressive coach. 

Tottenham v Brighton

20’ to teams better at pressing than playing out from the back. Repeatedly stealing the ball off each other in the final third.

21’ It came down to both teams not quite having the quality in the final third, Son made the difference. The quality makes the difference in those fine margins.

23’ it was all about Son, it felt like he had been away for a year.

24’ Spurs are looking good, they’ve got all their options back for the first time under Postecoglou

26’ Spurs need more out wide if they are going to progress to the next level.

27’ Brighton missing the cutting edge up front. But still doing remarkably well with the resources they have and the type of football they play.

28’ Brighton - Playing above themselves, brilliant to watch and a clear style of play.

Scott McTominay and Villa v Utd

31’ Jack of all trades or will he be a 8 or a 10? Always looked like he would be a destroyer rather than a goal scorer.

32’ for all his appearances and goals he still won’t be a starter.

34’ Its not definitive that he can’t start. 

35’ Any parallels with John McGinn at Villa, not quite a centre mid or a ten?

36’ Are their good players being phased out who can’t do what the modern creative/pressing era requires.

38’ This is Utd from last season, grabbing wins they shouldn’t whilst not playing very well. But still amassing the points.

40’ Villa have had a dip, but yesterday they played well and felt they were unlucky not to win.

41’ Utd now seem better placed to finish top four than Villa…But spurs look good.

Luton v Sheff Utd

43’ Spent a long time at Fulham without playing for the first team. Appreciates where he is now.

44’ The energy at Luton comes from players who have had to fight to play top level football.

47’ Sheff Utd were fearless. Didn’t come for a draw. 

Bundesliga 

48’ Leverkusen deserved their great win against Munich. Poor Harry Kane looks like he might not win a title.

50’ some of Leverkusen’s patterns of play were amazing. 

52’ Alonso is nothing like Klopp, that could be a really good thing. IF he goes to Liverpool.

 


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello and welcome to the game football podcast from The Times. Today we're asking

0:09.8

one of the biggest and most baffling questions in football, one that has had even the brightest philosophers completely stumped.

0:16.3

How good is Scott McTome.

0:18.6

We'll also be talking about Arsenal West Ham, Luton, Sheffield United, and I'll be shoehorning in a mention of Lincoln

0:24.2

City after Super Brennan Johnson gave Tottenham a late winner against Brighton.

0:28.1

And joining me, Tom Clark, for all of that we have London football writer and European football

0:31.8

expert Tom Olnut, esteemed football writer and resident Fox expert

0:36.0

Allison Rudd, and a former footballer who during his 15 caps for Scotland's

0:40.9

under 21s never had anyone ponder how good he was they knew he was

0:45.4

absolutely class Gregor Robertson is here too you thought I was going to be mean then

0:49.2

didn't you yeah it's good good finish to that one good save good save now we will be heading to the London Stadium very shortly but first

0:56.7

last week it was Foxes this week Allison Rudd is waving a jilly Cooper novel in my face

1:01.7

Why? Because I was walking down my local high street and a woman

1:07.5

who I don't really know is a friend of a friend of a friend. She stopped me and she said, oh, I was so impressed you're a character in a jilly

1:16.5

Cooper novel and I said I'm not a character I'm a real person which is slightly

1:21.2

odd response but that's how I reacted and she said no no you're in a Julie Cooper novel

1:25.1

so I was intrigued so I bought the latest chili Cooper which is called Tackle which is about the world a football

1:31.8

steamy sex in football and she uses our very own Johnny Northcroft

1:39.1

as a consultant on what football journalists are like when they go in mix zones and

1:43.6

press conferences and things so it's perfectly acceptable I think for her to use

1:48.8

Johnny Northcroft as a character if you like someone who appears in a press conference a fictional

1:55.2

press conference and says something but I was never consulted about the book and I

...

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