Chapter 1: What recent matches in La Liga are highlighted in this episode?
So far, so good under Arbeloa. There's definitely a strong connection there with the players, you can see it. What about the penalty though? What did you make of that?
It was an interesting one from Mbappe. I mean, I think it was done with all the best intentions. But for me on the sideline, I thought, oh, thanks for bringing that up again.
It's sort of like a tutorial, isn't it? Look, this is how it's done. This is what you could have done.
Chapter 2: How is Kylian Mbappe performing in recent games?
Had you done this, then you would have lost the AFCON final.
So are these rumours strong in Spain?
Yeah, this season has not gone how he would have wanted it to go, let's put it that way.
Did you see the weather?
Oh, it was horrific. I think there's a goal that we need to talk about in this game. Harry's word on the group chat was filthy.
Filthy, yeah. I love it.
Hello and welcome to the Rest is Football La Liga with Alex Alger and me, Gary Lineker. Where have you been? You're always somewhere, Alex.
Always somewhere. Never at home. I'm home today.
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Chapter 3: What challenges has Trent Alexander-Arnold faced at Real Madrid?
Well, you're home today because I can see the dartboard. Exactly, exactly. No, I was in Milan for Inter-Arsenal.
Yeah, which is a good game.
That was on Tuesday night. Yeah, good game, good game. And then I was at that 3-2 win for Manchester United yesterday. I was at the Emirates. So that was, I was about to say good, not good for Arsenal, but it was a great game to watch. Some brilliant goals in that, but some brilliant goals in La Liga as well, which we're going to be talking about.
I think we should probably start with what was obviously the biggest game of the weekend. Two teams in the top four. Villarreal hosted Real Madrid, who've obviously changed coaches, got an interim till the end of the season. Well, little by little, poco a poco, they seem to be finding their feet under Albala. And let's have a look at how they beat Villarreal.
Will Real Madrid have been in deep water at times so far this season? Tonight, they face the yellow submarine, Villarreal, performing beyond expectations so far. It's hard at Gula.
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Chapter 4: What transfer rumors surround Julian Alvarez and Arsenal?
Valverde. Gula gets it back and is looking to just dance through a couple of challenges and is denied at the near post by Luis Junior. That was a superb slaloming run from the Turk. Mbappe. This is Junior. Papke tried to clear, but not very far. And Kylian Mbappe scores again. Well, Papke, the hero of the Africa Cup of Nations final, couldn't get enough on that block.
And Mbappe was there to tap in. Parejo for Moreno. And Villarreal's captain really should have hit the target there. This is Junior. From left to right, enter Kylian Mbappe to try and have a run at Alphonso Pedraza, who... Brings him down.
Chapter 5: How is the fantasy football club 'The Players Lounge' structured?
It was just too good from Mbappe. Pedrata lunged in. A chance to score an 11th penalty of the season. Oh, that's how you parenka. With Brahim Diaz watching on. A cheeky second from Kylian Mbappe.
Well, Alex, there wasn't much going on in the first half, but that man Mbappé struck again.
Yeah, yeah, so good. He scored twice as well, didn't he, against Monaco's former club in the Champions League midweek, which was, I think, the start of a positive shift for Real Madrid. That was a massive win, 6-1, and the players that had been booed in the previous match really showed up. It was Vinny Junior, scored twice and assists, Fede Valverde, too, to assist.
So I think they went into this game against Villarreal feeling good, and I think the mood had changed totally.
Yeah. Before we actually talk about that particular game, we talked about it, didn't we? Last week on the pod, Jude Bellingham, the fact that he, you know, they're starting to talk about his reputation going out too much and he kind of rubbished it and then did the little celebration drink.
Yeah. I quite like that because it sort of just shows, look, I'm not taking this too seriously. I'm hearing what you guys are saying about me, but it's not true. And I think he was asked about it post-match and he was like, look, I could get lawyers involved. I could, you know, I could kick off and say it's not true. I could just humor you a bit. I'm just saying, look, it's not true.
And I'm going to prove that I'm not in the nightclubs every night. drinking gallons because I'm going to show up and score goals for Real Madrid and play well. And he answered them with his goal, didn't he? So I think it's a bit of fun, to be honest. I quite liked it. I liked the celebration. And then obviously went away to Villarreal and it wasn't a great performance. Villarreal didn't show up.
I think it was the Champions League Villarreal playing against Real Madrid at the weekend, the team that's already been eliminated from the Champions League. Yeah, Villarreal had a terrible, terrible time in the Champions League this season. But yeah, not great from Real Madrid, but job done. They played before Barcelona, so they temporarily went top of the league. But yeah, job done.
And Arbeloa came out after the game speaking about Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. And he said they're the two best players in the world, two footballers who changed football matches. And I think so far, so good under Arbeloa. There's definitely a strong connection there with the players. You can see it.
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Chapter 6: What impact does weather have on football matches?
They want to feel valued. They want to feel their worth and what they mean to the team. even though they should know it, right, without their manager coming out and saying it.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Mbappe got his goal, not the penalty, the first goal, which was obviously vitally important in that game. And it was kind of poachers finish that one, not his customary goals. But he also, his movement's very good in the box as well. He gets into good positions. I mean, he's such an excellent player.
I think for him, he really needs to win something big with Real Madrid this season.
Yeah.
I know it sounds bonkers because he's scoring more goals than anybody in world football, pretty much at the moment. Him and Harry Kane, isn't it?
34 goals in 28 appearances.
But it's incredible. I mean, it's ridiculous, really, because he's won a World Cup, nearly, nearly won single-handedly the last World Cup, but for Argentina, that incredible finish to that match. So I think it's unfair criticism, but he's won leagues obviously with PSG, but he needs La Liga.
He certainly needs at some point the Champions League because that's obviously the thing that's massively missing from his trophy cabinet. I mean, it seems mad that a player that good, that prolific needs to prove himself to football fans, but such is the nature of our sport. Yeah.
Yeah, but trophies will come, won't they? He's playing at Real Madrid.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of recent player performances for Real Madrid?
And his was significantly more important in the game than mine was.
Not great, not great. He's going to have nightmares, isn't he, for the next 35 years.
Yeah, Gerard Moreno had a great chance to actually make life very difficult for Real Madrid.
Yeah, he had two really good chances to level it for Villarreal. One was in the 56th minute, one was in the 62nd.
And he's normally a very good finisher.
Yeah, the second he was left completely alone, wasn't he, in the penalty area and should have scored it. He's having a really good season. But he didn't. Villarreal didn't show up. They've really struggled Villarreal this season against the big three. They haven't been able to beat any of the big three this season, but overall have had a great season.
Yeah, they've been a sort of a flat track bullies, dare I say, to use a cricketing term. They've been very good against teams below them. Not so good against teams above them and in the Champions League. Strange, strange old season. Shall we talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold? Yes. Or Trent, obviously, as he's now known.
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Chapter 8: What are the latest updates on La Liga standings and key matches?
Trent, yeah, rebranded. I mean, there's a lot of rumours, aren't there, and speculation. And here we go again, a little bit with social media and you have to be... very cautious with that. But it's sort of saying that he's not in Arbeloa's prans, that he's told him to get himself a move.
Now, I find it hard to believe because, A, why would he say that to someone before he's even played a game for him? Because obviously he's been injured mostly this season, so there's not been much to go at. Secondly, we've talked about the power at Real Madrid is with the players and the power at Real Madrid is with the president. The power at Real Madrid is never with the coaches.
So I don't see a coach, particularly an interim coach that he is at the moment. And if he carries on and performs brilliantly, he'll probably get the job. But I just don't, it just doesn't ring true. What do you think?
Mm-hmm. Someone at Liverpool's desperate to get him back. They're calling Arbeloa. Of course, Arbeloa used to play there. Can you imagine? Please, like, we need him back. We need him back. Don't play him.
And he's been linked with Manchester City as well. Yeah, he has as well. I mean, there won't be any shortage of clubs that want Trent, that's for sure, because he's so brilliant.
Yeah, he had a really tough start, I think, to his career at Real Madrid. It all went wrong when he played paddle with me, after he played paddle with me, because that's when he picked up his injury. But I'm sure it wasn't. Not on the paddle court. You should make that clear. Not on the paddle court, but he did his hamstring injury straight after that, which was a massive blow for him.
That was after the September international break.
So he had a really long... He was your partner in the paddle game, wasn't he?
He was my partner.
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