Chapter 1: Can Real Madrid challenge Barcelona for the La Liga title?
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Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Murray, Shakir Hyslop and Stevie Nicholl here in the studio. We will continue the conversation on what we saw in El Derby in the show with Real Madrid beating Atleti in the most recent meeting between the two sides. And it's Vinny Jr.
who's stolen the headlines today as saying, Viva El Derby, Viva La Liga, basically long live the derby, the league is alive. And also Marca going with Vinny keeps the pressure on. Yes, he certainly does because there is still a Clásico to be played in May between these two sides. And after the international break, we'll be seeing Barcelona take on Atleti as well.
But lots to look back on in this game.
The crosstown rivals face each other, Real Football Royalty of course and Atletico who like nothing better than snarling the defiance at Spanish football elite. In his first Madrid derby, Adam Ola-Lukman strikes and stuns Real Madrid. He's given a penalty. He's given him a gift. Perfectly struck and that changes the mood instantly. And it's 2-1 to Real Madrid.
They've turned it round in the blink of an eye really. And here's Molina who scored from out here, and he's done it again! Last week against Etape, this week against Real Madrid! It's an absolute cork-up! And suddenly Atletico Madrid are level! Brilliantly done! Real Madrid back in front again! Is it excessive force endangering an opponent? No. That's the criteria.
Oh, what a pass that they left to Julián, he hit him with the spider. Oh, off the inside of the post. What a hit. And Real Madrid get the three points that lifts them to within four points of Barcelona.
Yes, the title race is on. There's a four-point gap at the top of the table still with, as mentioned, the two still to face each other in May in the next Clásico. And Barcelona is still Atleti to face after the international break. It's getting tight. It's getting exciting. Alex Kirkland is joining us now, our Madrid correspondent. Alex, you were there yesterday.
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Chapter 2: What impact do injuries have on Real Madrid's title race?
What is the reaction from the Madrid press, who are obviously so demanding when it comes to their coaches? How are they seeing this latest win?
Yeah, excited. And also, I think it's a big turnaround because, look, it's not long ago, just a couple of weeks ago, remember, Arbeloa was under big pressure, you know, in the media. And we at ESPN were reporting that, you know, sources within the club were telling us that 99%, you know, barring a miracle... He wouldn't be staying on beyond this season.
And just a couple of weeks later, with some big results, the City tie, this game as well, that's starting to change. Arbeloa is getting a lot of praise in the press, and I think rightly so. He's got a lot of things right. We have to give him credit for that. The form of some of the key players, especially Vini and Fede Valverde, is helping a lot.
So, yeah, people are getting, I'd say, pretty excited about where this team might be heading. Even if, like I say, there's still a note of scepticism or not wanting to get carried away with that.
Let's take a look at what's ahead for these teams before that big meeting between the two on May 10th in the Clásico. For Barcelona, they've not only got Atleti in the Champions League quarter-finals, they're also facing them next in La Liga. Just a reminder, in those... Copa del Rey meetings between the two this season. Atletico put Barcelona out and have progressed at their expense.
They've got Espanyol, a local derby sandwiched in between there as well. And then later on, you see Celta, Getafe and Osasuna for Real Madrid. When they return to action, they're away to Mallorca. They've got a hefty tie against Bayern as well. And then you can see other teams in there.
Real Betis definitely standing out among those teams with just that four points with what you're seeing there, Stevie. And the fact that we are still looking at a title race, that's the feeling, that there is still a Clásico to be played. How are you seeing it?
I still slightly trust Barcelona more than I do Real Madrid. And I think, actually, one of the incredible things is that, considering the last three performances, two against City and against Atleti, I don't know whether it's good or bad that now he's got to put Mbappé in and Bellingham in. Because they've kind of...
It feels like they've turned a corner with what he had available, but now it feels as though it may get upset, particularly with introduction and Bellingham.
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Chapter 3: How did Manchester City perform against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final?
And with Mbappé coming back as well, is that going to affect Vinnie? You know, because Vinnie, since Mbappé's had his injury struggles, Vinnie has absolutely come to the fore. You know, Abelor clearly is a guy who's been putting his arm around Vinnie, building Vinnie up, you're the man, you know. We rely on you. And he rises to the occasion when it's all about him.
So as much as it looks as though they've turned the corner recently, there could be a couple of little spokes, a couple of little things thrown in the spokes of the wheels. So I'm not quite sure how that will go. And when you show all those games, normally you'll go, all those domestic games, three points. But they've been struggling with those games all season.
Then you add the fact that he's going to have to change some things, because there's no way he's not playing Bellium when he's fat.
Chapter 4: What went wrong for Kepa in the Carabao Cup final?
There's no way he's not playing Mbappe. So what does that do to Vinnie? So turn the corner maybe, but... I'm not quite as confident as some others.
Vinny's definitely turned a corner under Abeloa. That's back-to-back braces from him. It feels like a world away, and it wasn't that long away, that the Bernabeu were jeering and whistling this player.
Incredible, and to see him perform at this level, that's what we know Vinicius Junior can be. But again, now you have to reintroduce Bellingham, and more importantly, Kylian Mbappe. You wonder how that...
Chapter 5: How did Liverpool's loss to Brighton affect their season?
affects Vinicius Junior and his performances within his squad. Now, Abelou has got a task on his hands because we are talking reintroducing two world-class players. I don't think anybody would call him anything. And how do you do that without upsetting what you see right here? We have a title race.
And while I agree with Stevie, I think Barcelona, Sydney are in a poor position of favourites as far as I'm concerned right now. I would also agree in saying that We have a whole lot more questions about Real Madrid right now than we do Barcelona, but we've done that all season long, and it's four points. Barcelona have seemed to be the more settled, the more assured.
We've had these questions about Real Madrid all season long, their form, to your point, Kay, whistling, Vinicius Jr.,
Chapter 6: What does Spurs' relegation battle mean for the team?
And it's still four points. And you saw against Raya Vallecano yesterday that high Barcelona line, which still is unconvincing. Joan Garcia continues to be Barcelona's standout player. But... That four-point gap, the classical to come, at the Nibiru in the bar where they are absolutely perfect. I think at this point, it is Barcelona's title to lose.
Yeah, it's a night and day between what we saw from Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, what we're seeing from Vinny, isn't it, Alex?
Yeah, I think a lot of it has been about psychology. A lot of it has been about Arbeloa going out of his way to making Vinicius Junior feel important, feeling like the main man. Xabi Alonso kind of took the complete opposite approach. He took him out of the team, even when he was fully fit, something that never, never happened before. And he made him feel like he wasn't particularly important.
He wasn't particularly keen on him. And I thought kind of unsurprisingly, it didn't work. You know, the big moment, of course, the flashpoint that we've talked about a lot on the show was in the Classico earlier in the season when Vinny was subbed off early and reacted so badly at the Bernabeu.
You know, Arbeloa sort of took lessons from that and said, we are going to make absolutely sure that everyone knows that Vinny is the guy. And he's responded. I agree with what Steve was saying. I think the big question to come is,
is what does Arbeloa do now because yeah you've got these two other star players to come back and really the successes of Arbeloa so far have been what he's done without those players you know Vinny Junior letting him have freedom to move more centrally in attack and get into the kind of positions that Mbappé otherwise gets into alongside him Brahim Diaz a more low profile kind of forward who is willing to to do the hard work and play for the team a midfield four that's quite disciplined and organized the youngster Tiago Pitarch in there who's doing a lot of running and
Arda Guler as well, playing alongside Tua Mene and Fede Valverde. You know, bringing in Mbappé and Drew Bellingham, and you've got to rip all that up and almost start again, just because of their characteristics. You know, those two players are not going to do the same things that have been working for Brahim Diaz or have been working for...
for Thiago Pitatti if he's the one who drops out or Radagula. So that's the massive challenge now. You know, I've in the past got some flak for suggesting that I don't think that these three, Mbappé, Vini and Bellingham can really work in the team together. And I said maybe one would have to go in the summer as a result. I'm fascinated to see what Arbeloa does because he's got no choice.
I agree with the guys. He's got to bring them back in. But doing so, he's going to undo exactly what has made this team work over the last few weeks.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the upcoming El Clasico?
Yeah, because obviously that's the negative side of it if it weren't to work. But you are, as Alex mentioned, bringing superstar players back in here. So it might be different, might be better, Stevie.
It might be better as a bit of a stretch. That really is a stretch, considering we've seen those three superstars playing together at the start of the season, not consistently, and it hasn't worked. Nobody could sit with a straight face and tell you that it's made them better when they've been on the field. So, yeah, the hope is that both Mbappe and Berlingham, because they've been out...
kind of toe the line somewhat. But if they don't, and they go back to what they were doing, then there's more reason to think that we're going to see the average Real Madrid that we've been used to seeing for most of the season.
Okay. Any thoughts on that, Shekhar? No, I'll just say... It's a problem to have, isn't it?
It's a great problem to have, and that's why Albaloa gets paid the big bucks. But the challenge is, how do you change a team that's winning and winning consistently... But then how do you leave out Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham? Yeah, more comfortable sitting here having to discuss that.
You're not going to have to worry about it. We can just talk about it right here on ESPN FC. A lot more Spanish football always available here. Once we do return from the international break, these are the games that you can look forward to. And of course, a big one coming up between Atleti and Barcelona on April 4th.
Athletic's Antoine Griezmann is set to sign a two-year deal, including an additional one-year option with Orlando City in MLS. He left for Orlando, according to reports, after the game and is expected to begin playing in July. Tell us more, Alex.
Yeah, it's been a bit of a saga this one, hasn't it? Of course, these talks between Griezmann and Orlando started earlier in the season. There were suggestions that he might go during the MLS transfer window that closed this month.
And that didn't happen because what happened in the meantime is that Griezmann won back his place in the Atletico Madrid team and became a really important player for the team again when he had been on the sidelines earlier in the season.
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Chapter 8: How do upcoming matches impact the title race in La Liga?
Listen now to Bridge of Lies, wherever you get your podcasts.
And so Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and goalkeepers were arguably the story of the final as well. A tale of two goalkeepers, shall we say, what went wrong for Kepa and what went right for James Trafford as well. We do welcome in Jan Agafjortov to talk more about this, but of course it's another day, Shaka, when goalkeepers are in the spotlight right here.
It seems to always happen, and for good reason, for both, and very contrasting for both James Trafford and Kepa. Trafford, who got the nod early on from Pep Guardiola, you knew that was coming, Pep has done this throughout his entire career, and turned up big time, especially early on with that save to keep Arsenal out. Had that gone in, who knows how the game would have played out.
And then, of course, well this is the james trafford uh triple save um which listen as things go to make this kind of save or saves this early on just settles you right down and and you feel great going going into well the next 84 minutes we're with this so credit to james trafford for for his performance but then tellingly kept by the other end later on a couple of mistakes one that just kind of
unnerved him in coming out for this one. He just judges, I think he judges the bones of the tooth incorrectly and kind of gets away with it in that he has to but that kind of uncertainty leads up to this. And from there, you knew exactly what your talking point was going to be for this cup final.
And while Kepa will take the brunt of the criticism, on one hand, it's no less than Manchester City deserved. Secondly, I think Arsenal weren't great on the day either. So we leave that for Arteta to figure out.
You just got the goalie union bit in at the end, didn't you? You just right to the death, you had to throw in Man City and actually Arsenal just won.
So did Man City not deserve Kepa? Hold on. So it's not Kepa's fault? No, I said it was Kepa's fault. Mistakes aside, were City better than Arsenal? I was just pointing out the goalie's union came in at the end. I said it was a mistake. And then I said, all things being equal, other than that, City were the better of the two teams. I don't see how I'm wrong in saying that.
Well, let's go right to the other end of the pitch with Jan Agafiotov, shall we? Did goalkeepers decide this game, Jan?
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