The Nations League – how, what and why?
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2018
⏱️ 38 minutes
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Summary
Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Alyson Rudd and George Caulkin to discuss the inaugural UEFA Nations League weekend. But if you’re still unsure about what exactly it is, allow us to answer the questions you were maybe afraid to ask.
Is England’s game with Spain in danger of being treated like a World Cup parade where fans pay tribute to the players? And we examine numbers that might point to a decline in Harry Kane’s form but is he just being cautious due to injuries?
Plus the panel debate the dilemma facing Declan Rice who may switch allegiances from the Republic if Ireland to England. And the issue of clarification of the handball rule, which began with Willy Boly’s goal for Wolves against Manchester City, continues to enrage.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey. |
| 0:11.0 | So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas. |
| 0:16.5 | Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply check the Uber app. Hello and welcome to this Thursday game podcast from the Times I'm Gabriel |
| 0:36.8 | Mark guilty I've dropped my peers Morgan persona you'll be gone. That's a shame |
| 0:40.4 | I am Natalie Sawyer no definitely not and it is the first |
| 0:44.9 | international weekend of the season but that doesn't mean we are short of |
| 0:48.2 | talking points. I'm going to have to issue an apology not an apology but you know hold my hand up to Allison but that's |
| 0:54.7 | going to come later on the show regards the the handball rule so we'll get into |
| 0:58.6 | that we have a bit of a gearbrandt stat attack on Harry Kane and that one rise possibly deciding that he'd rather |
| 1:06.6 | be English than Irish when it comes to international football. |
| 1:10.8 | Well you've mentioned Allison, she's in the studio alongside us, Allison Rudd, good morning. |
| 1:15.0 | I think you're going to have to keep saying Allison Rudd, not Allison Becker, Allison Rudd. |
| 1:18.7 | It's going to get very confusing for people. |
| 1:21.5 | Well, you should have been here on Monday when we were whacking lyrical |
| 1:24.4 | about Allison in terms of his good looks, Gab. He is extremely handsome. |
| 1:28.2 | Down the line we've also got George Colkin. Hi George. |
| 1:32.1 | Hello there. |
| 1:33.0 | Hello. |
| 1:34.0 | Let's get to it then. |
| 1:35.0 | We're going to start with the World Cup semi-finalists. |
| 1:36.0 | England, they host Spain in the Nations League on Saturday, |
| 1:40.0 | and we'll be discussing exactly what the Nations League is a little later. But Rahim |
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