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Chapter 1: What is Scotland's biggest test in the World Cup?
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Hotel Matsissa rakennat lomasi juuri sellaiseksi kuin haluat. Aamu meren rannalla, päivä kaupungin sykkeessä. Ostoksia tai ei suunnitelmia lainkaan. Hotel Mats Espoon Matinkylässä. Skandinaavista tyylikkyyttä, merenläheisyyttä ja pääkaupunki vain metromatkan päässä. Viivi pidempään, koe enemmän. Katso majoitustarjoukset hotelmats.fi.
The Football Daily Podcast.
At the People World Cup 2026. With Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith.
Hello, you're listening to the Football Daily with me, Rick Edwards and Lloyd Griffith. Yes, absolutely right. We're into the second round of the group games. Just feels like there's been so many games. Coming up, we're going to be speaking to Charlie Adam, ahead of Scotland's massive game tonight against Morocco.
Rafa Honigstein is going to join us to do a bit of an overview of the first round of the group games, what we've learned, also a quick look at today's games as well. Those scores from overnight are Mexico, the first country through to the next round after beating South Korea 1-0, Canada thrashed Qatar 6-0, Switzerland beat Bosnia Herzegovina 4-1. Chechya drew 1-1 with South Africa.
If you want to catch up, all of the scores and highlights are available on the BBC Sport website and app. Now, between games today, we had our most, I would say, Hollywood day. So we went into Beverley Hills because, and I don't want to talk about it, we had a meeting with an American agent there. No big deal. And when we were in Beverly Hills, I wanted to go to a shop. And so we went to a shop.
And it's quite a... Well, put it this way. It's a shop where you have to queue outside behind a rope. And then when two people... It's like going into a club.
It's like going into a club, yeah.
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Chapter 2: How do Scotland's players feel about being underdogs?
You're literally going, I've got to go. I've got to go and meet this American agent. I'm not sure if I mentioned it. And I'm there going, Rick, you can't leave me. And at one point he went, I'm going to have to go. At which point I kind of looked at the shop assistant. He kind of looked at me a little bit like, oh, mate, don't let me come over there and get you out of this jacket.
I then managed to, with my little sweaty mitts, get out of this jacket.
jacket there was a point where i thought the shop assistant was going to cut you out and then i just had to pay eighteen hundred dollars for a jacket i don't really want i don't look where would i wear it as well what's a choir i don't know anyway it was yeah i mean and i think that's just why beverly hills is not for me not for you i'm i'm at home at freshy place in grimsby i mean another one in fact was when we um we got on a hog one of the uh the electric bikes and one of the um
It's one of the two-person ones. And I was riding. Unusually, normally I'm hugging you. And I was at the front, but I also had my rucksack on. So I was like, well, maybe I should go at the front. And you're like, no, no, no. So you're sort of hugging it. That's not what I sound like. It is. A little bit. And you're sort of hugging me from behind, but also hugging around a rucksack.
So it's a bit precarious. And actually, as we came out, I didn't have massive control over the heart. You didn't. It was wobbling all over the show. And it was really wobbly. It was like jelly. And sort of weaving and wobbling as we went across, well, four lanes of a highway. And you, and I'm sorry to say this, there was a car coming. There was. We were going to be fine. We were going to be fine.
But you were squealing like a little piggy.
You were. I'd have said like a hog if I were you. Oink. I was like, Rick, there's a big truck coming our way.
But you didn't even, you know what you actually said? You named the truck, the type of truck. There's a Tacoma coming. It felt like an optician's appointment where the letters were getting...
Bigger and bigger.
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Chapter 3: What strategies are important for Scotland against Morocco?
What I will say is when he went down, he did the double save and then he went down and it looked like he was quite injured. And I was like, oh no. But then in the back of my head going, oh, we're going to get, we're going to get to see Memo Ochoa. Memo Ochoa out here. Oh, for his 154th cap or something. At the age of 48. He's only 40. Is he? Okay, fair enough.
But he doesn't have 14 million followers.
Mexico now through to the last 32. And looking at the path, it feels like England might be on a collision course with Mexico in the last 16. And that would be in Mexico City at altitude in front of 90,000 Mexican fans in the Azteca. And that's going to be a big ask, I think, Charlie.
Yeah, there is a big aspect. If I'm watching that tonight, England will blow Mexico away. No problems. With a team that England have got and the performance I thought of that night was excellent. I don't see anything in Mexico that would scare England. I think England would blow them away even in the...
Yeah, the attitude would be tough, but if you look at the teams, England have got a far better team, but it was just a good atmosphere for, you know, as a home nation to be able to qualify. We want the sort of home nations to get as deep as we can to keep the energy within the games. And yeah, it was a good win for Mexico. And it'll be interesting to see how the coach does it in the next game.
Does he rest a couple or does he try and go for to win every game and look to try and get that sort of draw in the last 32?
Let's move on to Scotland then. They play Morocco later today. It's a massive, massive game. But it was interesting what Steve Clarke was saying in his press conference, which is basically with the Scottish psyche, sometimes it helps. They're more comfortable being the underdogs. Does that ring true?
Yeah, no, absolutely. And that's where I said the Haiti game was more of a difficult game for us because we thought we were going to have more of the ball, but we didn't actually. Haiti had more possession. We need to be better with the ball. And if we do that, then we'll give ourselves a better chance.
I thought we were poor with the ball the other night against Haiti, but Morocco are a different side. They're seventh in the world, FIFA ranking, so... You've got good players that can hurt you. And, you know, this game will suit Scotland. We'll be able to counter-attack quickly and not have as much possession, but hopefully be able to hurt them in different areas.
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Chapter 4: What insights does Charlie Adam provide on Scotland's performance?
There's good atmosphere around the stadiums. The Scotland fans are enjoying it. And the boys seem to be buoyant with that result. And again, that's sort of that monkey off the back. First win at a World Cup for a long time.
And on that thing of sitting back, absorbing pressure and then being quick on transition, Ben Gannon-Doke will be absolutely vital in that, won't he?
Yeah, he had a tough hamstring injury, a long-term injury for three or four months after the Denmark game. He got back near the end of the season for Bournemouth and he's played a couple of friendlies now. His performance the other night was good. But yeah, we're going to need him on that counter-attack. We're going to need his pace, his power. So again, I think we might look to try and play...
maybe an extra midfielder in there and only play one up front. Maybe he goes with Shea Adams because he gives you that sort of legs to run in behind as well. Maybe a little bit different to Shanklin. And maybe he goes with Adams. I thought Adams did well the other night. He did really well for the goal. Runs in behind. Lovely touch. Setback for Ganon Doak.
And then he gets Jean-McGinn to the edge of the box. And it was a scruffy goal, but it was a goal that we'll take.
And Scotland, I mean, obviously, this sort of applies to every team, but they need their big senior players to step up. So I'm thinking about, obviously, John McGinn, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay. They have to be absolutely on it, don't they? They have to set the standard.
Yeah, absolutely. And again, you need to spine your team's key. The goalkeeper needs to play well, two centre-backs. Robertson's obviously got massive experience at club level and at national level now as well. So McTominay, McGinnis, they need to play well for us to really have an impact on the game.
The Moroccan coach was saying he felt his biggest problem was probably going to be the physical presence of Scotland, so winning those second balls and headers. And you do think that's somewhere that Scotland might be able to dominate?
Oh, absolutely. That's something that we have to use, set plays. We have to use that, again, being physical to make a difference to the opponent. But Morocco are coming in here in good form. Let's say before they won the African Nations Cup, drew 1-1 with Brazil and played really well against Brazil for that sort of first period until the hydration break.
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Chapter 5: How does the opening round of group games impact team dynamics?
They're having the time of their lives out in Boston. I'm sure you've seen all of the stuff. They've effectively taken over the city with the city's blessing. The Bostonians are absolutely loving it. Every statue's got a traffic cone on it. They took over Fenway Park. I hope you've seen the governor signing a declaration making haggis legal in Massachusetts, which is fantastic.
They had a big gathering where it was like the most number of Americans drinking iron brew at a single time. organised by this YouTube... It's unofficial, apparently. Unofficial, but you suspect it probably is.
If we're making haggis legal, anything's possible. Anything's possible in America. They love the Scots. Listen, the Scotland fans will travel... all over the world to support the team. But what they will do while they're there is have a good time. And the locals will have enjoyed Scotland fans being there. And you want to make a lasting impression on people.
And the most important thing for us now is we make a lasting impression on the pitch and we qualify for that last Saturday too.
Does it feel like you're working nights at the moment? Do you know what I mean? Like my mates who go work at Grimsby Docks and Immingham Docks, do you know what I mean? They're working nights at the moment, especially so they can watch the games when they get home. Does it feel like you've got a proper job and you work in nights?
Yeah, absolutely, Lloyd. This is not in my way of working. I'm not a morning person. I do not see the middle of the night. The only time I ever see the middle of the night is getting up for a wee.
Well, you're right, Charlie. That's going to happen more and more, I'm afraid.
Yeah, exactly that. But no, this is not what I planned. But it's just nice to be involved in the World Cup. Absolutely. It's a brilliant opportunity. And yeah, thankful for that. But yeah, my sleep is struggling.
and i can't speak to these lads yeah nice one we've got to get our salads down us now so um yeah get to sleep charlie
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Chapter 6: What are the early overreactions in the World Cup?
In England, and nothing.
Short form. What about short form? Where they're just talking the whole time.
No. Have you been to a nice little test game? I have not been to a cricket game.
Well, come on. We'll take you. Yeah.
the friends of mine who've told me how brilliant it is they usually talk about all the things that have nothing to do with the sport they say oh you can take a sandwich you can listen to the radio I can do all these things in my garden why do I need to go to a cricket game it's such a lovely social day
My dad's favorite thing to do is just go on his own to a county cricket match. And he just sits there. He reads the paper.
He has a lovely time. Yeah, but I don't know. If the game was so interesting. Well, it is interesting. Why would you say go there and read a paper?
The great thing is you don't need to be focusing intently on the game. I just don't.
It's so good.
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Chapter 7: What challenges does Raphael Honigstein highlight about covering the tournament?
But it's really hard, I think, to engage deeply...
with sort of the narratives around teams unless you're already familiar with them because you you know I mean tonight you're thinking okay I really want to know a bit more about this Mexico team but oh no there's another game coming up and I need to think about these other four or six or seven or 18 teams and it's hard it's hard to dive into it the way that you usually can I think when there's just slightly less frenzied amount of teams involved yeah I felt like it was quite
good in LA, this Mexico-South Korea game because there's a big Mexican contingent in LA and you've got Koreatown, so there's a big Korean contingent. So it felt like there was a kind of fizz about the place.
And I think that's something that perhaps we all underestimated a little bit, just how local this World Cup is. I don't think a lot of people in Europe felt very excited because, you know, it's hard to get to, it's very expensive, there's all the immigration issues, the political situation is... It's very divisive. But people are here.
Like even at that Jordan-Austria game, there were thousands and thousands of Jordan Americans who traveled from all over the U.S. to be there with their team. And it felt very, very special. So the world already is here to a certain extent, even if... you know, the fans from their home country stay away, maybe.
And it's nice because you're kind of being educated as to where the pockets of the world are in America, which is something that I absolutely didn't know. I didn't know that outside of Iran, Los Angeles has got the largest population.
Yeah, I mean, Lloyd is an ignorant man, but you know. He's good for him.
I absolutely am. But I went to a perfumery shop today, and there was an Iranian man that was serving me. And he was like, oh, yeah, no, we are absolutely the biggest population of Iranians outside of Iran. And we love it. And we're now so happy that people realize that. Because I think especially with geopolitically what's been going on, I think people just thought, oh, it's very insular.
There's no Iranians in America. When in fact, that's absolutely not the case. There's tons of them. Can I just ask really geekily, how do you as a journalist keep up with all this? Do you have a notebook? Do you have a wall chart to keep up with all the games? We've got a wall chart. We've got a wall chart, basically.
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Chapter 8: How is shopping in Beverly Hills related to the episode's themes?
The Cape Verde one, which is just an extraordinary rearguard action from Cape Verde and rightly got a lot of plaudits. And then actually, DR Congo getting that draw against Portugal. Portugal, one of the... one of the favorites and just came up, came up short.
Probably the most disappointing side. I think Spain weren't actually that bad. They just couldn't score the goal and they looked a little bit sort of uninspired. But I think they're still among the best sides and they don't have too much trouble going through the group stage. But with Portugal, you feel, wow, I mean, there's so much there.
potential that is being almost sort of willfully wasted by a very disbalanced setup, which kind of doesn't bring out the best of the players. They spent a lot of time with huge distances. I feel that they're not playing very well together. And of course, Homelander in front there, Cristiano Ronaldo. So it's not great.
I was speaking to a Portuguese journalist yesterday, and he was saying the thing is, there's no way Roberto Martinez is going to drop Ronaldo. He will start every game.
Yeah, he already said. He was asked why. Yeah, why is that? Well, I think he's made up his mind that he's going to just not do it. He said, he was asked, why didn't you substitute him? Because he clearly wasn't quite having the best of games. He said, I will not bring off the best goal scorer in the history of Portugal. You can look at it that way.
And he can still score a couple of goals, I think. But we knew that was going to be one of the big talking points of this tournament before, because it already was a big talking point four years ago. And I'm always kind of almost sort of rubbing my eyes in disbelief, thinking that four years down the line, we still have the same issue with Portugal.
And it's a shame because it's such an amazing team that really has, maybe unlike any Portugal side in living memory, at least in modern times, has a fantastic opportunity winning the tournament.
But not like that. It seems to me, you know, like when people say, oh, you know, your parents look after you and then they get to a point where you look after your parents. It seems very much like Cristiano has carried that team and now the team seems to be carrying Cristiano. I'm struggling to carry him.
Yeah, but I think the difference is, I mean, with children and their parents, the children sort of... Most children, I would say, love to help their parents out and they understand that roles have now reversed. But in professional football, it's not like that. I mean, you have a guy who'll say, you know, I could be playing a lot better here.
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