OTB Football
FOOTBALL DAILY: 'A lot of personality, resilience... ' Andrews Brentford chase the Champions League | Pico Lopes on World Cup '26 | Arsenal and Liverpool in a clash of champions?
08 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Football on Off The Ball. Definitely not a fail down. It's back on out there and different culture, different league, trying to learn the ropes of everything. He's coming good at a good time. I think he's scored two weeks ago as well. Join in the obsession. Subscribe now at offtheball.com forward slash join. Off The Ball's Football Daily. Hello and welcome along to Thursday's Football Daily.
I'm Phil Egan. Coming up today, we'll hear from both Arnold Slott and Mikel Arteta ahead of tonight's meeting between champions Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal. We hear from Darren Fletcher after Manchester United's draw away to Burnley in his opening game as interim boss. And could Keith Andrews' Brentford side be playing Champions League football next season?
But first, Liverpool boss Arnall Slott says it's hard to hear some fans don't enjoy their style of play at the moment. The defending Premier League champions are on a nine-match unbeaten run ahead of this evening's trip to leaders' Arsenal, who are 14 points above them. But Slott still believes his side can achieve something special this season.
I want to win as much trophies as I can, but I think I'm also known for the fact that my team's always tried to play
attacking football and i can only say that we are still trying to do so arsenal boss michael arteta says they've got a point to prove against the champions at the emirates his side are top and favorites to win a first league title since 2004 a win tonight would move them eight points clear but arteta doesn't think the table is a fair reflection of liverpool's ability
That's on paper but I still think that they are a superb team and what they've done as well and you have to understand as well the context that they had with certain injuries and the difficulty of the league for all of us but my opinion hasn't changed about them.
Kick-off is 8 o'clock and last night Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said they're not out of the title race despite a third draw in a row. The latest was a one-all draw at home to Brighton. Erling Haaland scored a first-half penalty for City.
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Chapter 2: What insights do Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta share about their teams?
That was his 150th goal for the club. We are going to continue. So it's a long, long, long time and continue and try to, you know, to play better and better. That result leaves City five points behind Arsenal. Darren Fletcher's first game as interim manager of Manchester United ended in a two-all draw away to second from bottom Burnley.
Benjamin Sheshko scored both goals for United, who missed the chance to go fourth. It's an amazing experience. I'm disappointed we didn't win the game, so I can't hide that.
Chapter 3: How does Darren Fletcher reflect on his first game as Manchester United's interim manager?
But in terms of the experience of leading the team out, preparing the team, the fans, the support, everything like that, it's a pleasure, it was an honour. But I can't help but stand here and think that we didn't win the game, so that's my overriding disappointment.
United are due to hold further talks today with Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about taking charge until the end of the season. Ruud van Nistelrooy is also being considered for the interim role, but Fletcher will remain in charge for Sunday's FA Cup clash at Hampton Brighton.
And on this morning's Off the Ball Breakfast, the 42s Gavin Cooney joined Dirk Gilroy and Vinnie Perth in studio and debated the impact of the Class of 92 and the noise around Manchester United. Finny what do you think of the influence of the class of 92 on the modern club?
Chapter 4: Can Keith Andrews' Brentford qualify for the Champions League?
I think I think look I think Gav was right in the sense of Amaran had been torn like you could see Manchester United ended up in fifth at the end of the season and you could that would have felt like a bit of progression you could see the criticism of being so wedded to a system particularly every week I think modern football unless you're really good at a system or like
Arsenal can play a certain way, Liverpool the best, Man City over the years. But modern teams, and Manchester United in that team between 5th and 12th at the moment, whether they like it or not, that's where they're at. So you've got to be adaptable on a given week, and he showed no adaptability.
Chapter 5: What challenges does Liverpool face ahead of the match against Arsenal?
But for me, the behaviour, and that's the only way I can put it, of the class of 92 as being a disgrace. And there is a thought that because of what they achieved, they can say what they want. I don't accept that. I think some of the language out of them has been really poor and it's put people under a lot of pressure. And ultimately, the people above Amaran have buckled under that pressure.
And it's so difficult for any manager to go in under that shadow. And the language of Paul Scholes, for argument's sake, has been really, really poor in terms of what he's come out with, what he's not done. They've slagged the club off at every... To suggest that Nicky Buck couldn't get a ticket for argument's sake for a game for Manchester United, it's just nonsense. It's nonsense.
He had to send an email to keep his season tickets, was the, I think. Oh, well. And now he's going to give those season tickets up if Maresca gets the gig, so. So what, he won something 20 years ago. They're all club legends, grand. And they're making a lot of money out of what they're doing.
And just give the club a little bit of a break and that doesn't mean you don't call them up or whatever the case may be but it's like it's incessant the noise they're creating around that football club where they probably need to come out of the headlines a little bit for a week or two or a month or two and just get on with their job and finish 5th. Yeah.
Like United, Chelsea also missed the chance to move up to fourth place. New boss, Lima Senior, watched from the stands at Craven Cottage where Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Fulham. Mark Kukerea was sent off in the first half. Harry Wilson got the winning goal for the home side, his seventh Premier League goal of the season. I think with the man extra, I think first half especially, we used it well.
I think second half they did a lot better, obviously got back in the game. But then we knew if we kept passing the ball, making them runs, then the chances would come. And when it fell on my right foot, I wasn't so sure. But I think it took a little nick and I was delighted to see it go in the bottom corner. Chelsea caretaker boss Callum McFarlane says it was a poor result in a derby.
Tough game, disappointed with the result. Obviously the red card always changes things. That's football, it happens. I thought we adapted really well. We were really difficult to play against. They created very few moments. So yeah, disappointed that we managed to get back in the game and then a bit of quality from Harry Wilson decides the game.
There was more tension between Tottenham players and their fans after last night's 3-2 loss away to Bournemouth. Manchester City bound Antoine Semenya who scored a late winner in his last game for Bournemouth. Andoni Iriola paid tribute to Semenya ahead of his Ā£62.5m move to City. Spurs have just one win in their last six matches and manager Thomas Frank says it's a difficult time for the club.
Players are frustrated. I'm frustrated. We're all hurt. The fans are hurt. That's absolutely natural. That's why we're in football is emotion. So it's just very painful for everyone involved in Tottenham today. Frank also described the suggestion he deliberately used an Arsenal branded cup as extremely stupid.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of Manchester City's recent draw?
I think we're definitely going the wrong direction if we need to worry about me having a cup with another local of another club. Well, of course I'll never do that. That's extremely stupid. Like Manchester City, Aston Villa also missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to three points last night. Villa were held to a scoreless draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner says he believes Captain Mark Gahey wants to stay at the club. Despite speculation linking him with a move away this January, City and Liverpool are among the club's rumour to be interested in the England international who's out of contract in the summer. Glasner says big money talks.
I think that Marc will stay, but if Marc says, I want to leave, and the club pays massive money with six or five months left of contract, every player will leave. Brentford's superb form continued last night with a 3-0 win at home to Sunderland. Igor Thiago scored two goals to take his tally to 16 in the league this season.
Cuivin Kelleher saved his third penalty of the season, the latest, a panenka from Enzo Lafee when it was 1-0. The Bees are up to fifth place, just one point behind champions Liverpool. Keith Andrews paid tribute to the intensity his side brought to the game. Could have been 6-1 as well. Which I'm sure you'll get on to. Yeah, really good performance.
A lot of personality, resilience, calmness, intensity, which we were after tonight. No excuse about the fixture. Congestion this time of year. It's a time of year I love. I always have as a player. There'll be no excuses from us in terms of lack of energy and lack of intensity. And I wanted to bring that to the table tonight. I thought the players did that really well.
Newcastle are up to sixth after a thrilling 4-3 win over Leeds at St James' Park. Harvey Barnes scored in the 102nd minute to give Eddie Howe's side all three points. Howe was pleased to see his side come from behind three times to win it late on. Absolutely that.
I mean, I sort of said to the players after the game, I don't want to talk about any negatives because that wasn't our finest performance. We're well aware of it, but I want to focus on the positives. The comeback win, we haven't done that. The late goal, we haven't done that enough. Never say die spirits togetherness, the unity.
We've got some special players here and it's about trying to get them in the right place to produce their best football and It's only by winning games that you can truly get into that position. So that win will do us the world of good. Everton were held to a one-all draw at home to bottom side Wolves. Michael Keane was sent off after he pulled the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodari.
The Everton defender had put the home side ahead in the game. Jack Reelish was also sent off late on in the game. He got a second yellow card for sarcastically applauding the referee. Everton boss David Moyes was frustrated with the decision to send Keane off. If I walk past and I pull somebody's hair,
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