Is the Premier League boring?
Episode Summary
Mike and Myles debate the success of this season's Premier League as a spectacle. As Liverpool stand one win away from the title, and the 3 promoted teams all go back down, has it been... boring??
Aired on April 21st 2025.
Time Stamped Topics
00:00 – Welcome
01:45 – Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle - Villa's stunning response to Champions League exit.
15:15 - Liverpool on the verge of the Premier League title after 1-0 win relegates Leicester City.
21:12 - How big a factor is PSR (profit and sustainability rules) for clubs becoming and staying competitive?
31:48 - Manchester United vs Lyon - what a game! Could United win the Europa League?
36:53 - Arsenal could actually win the Champions League.
SEO Keywords
Premier League podcast, football podcast UK, Champions League race, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea, football analysis, EPL talk, Europa League, Lyon, Liverpool, PSR
Full Transcript
Hello. How are you? Welcome to the Football Diary podcast this week. And it's becoming that point of the season where the table is really taking shape. And I've got to ask the question, really.
I guess this the answer to this depends on who you support, but what kind of season has the Premier League been so far, do you think? How do fans feel? I'd love to hear your comments as well to to this video too. What do you think of the Premier League's competitiveness at the top and at the bottom? And has it been a pretty dull Premier League season, a pretty predictable one, or have you found it quite exciting and interesting?
Love to hear your thoughts. Well, obviously, I'm here with Myles today. We have very different perspectives on how the Premier League's gone for our respective teams, won't we? And, I think as a United fan, I'm I'm can't wait for it to end, to be fair. But there are so many elements of this season, I think, that have been really fascinating and really interested and almost, like, unprecedented, really.
And the same goes for being a Villa fan. I guess you found that too. Right? Yeah. It's been such an interesting season to watch.
And it feels like I could do with it going on a little bit longer, to be honest, because we've hit form right towards the end of it. So, yeah, I think with any season, you're looking for the major conversation points. Is there a battle for relegation? Is there a battle for the title? Who's gonna claim the top four?
What are the domestic cups looking like? And we've probably had the best conversation around the top four that we've had in years, the best conversation around the domestic cups that we've had for years. But the other two, the the two biggest you would say, meh. Like, that's the best way to put it, isn't it? Well, the it sounds like the league is harder to win and easier to stay in based on that logic.
So it's a bit of a closed shop, I think, for a lot of clubs that are trying to, you know, get a foothold in the Premier League, and that's kinda disappointing. And that's where the kind of question comes about really as as to whether this is a a competitive league. But let's continue, I guess, with the Aston Villa theme because they're part of the reason why I think the big six in England is no longer the same big six. It doesn't even exist anymore, really, does it? It's fluctuating so much in in terms of which teams you could probably include in there.
But Villa are probably proving their part of that along with their opponents this weekend, Newcastle, another riveting game between the two The Villa won't convince any four one, and I guess makes your season, I I guess, look even more exciting than anybody else's, really. But what a result, first of all, for your guys. Yeah. It was fantastic. It was one of those where before the game, there's there's a lot of nerves around Villa Park because they've got this excellent home record, but terrible record against Newcastle recently.
And it felt like so much was riding on this game because all of a sudden, if we don't win this, it opens up a massive gap between the two of us that at this stage in the season, you can't afford. So a must win game, and they went and got it. That that's amazing, and it kinda falls completely down to the area of the the pitch that we normally appraise in Newcastle for, the midfield. I think Villa's midfield would outclass Newcastle's, and and that was the difference, really. And the fact that we had the depth to bring players off the bench to have an instant impact, like, we've talked about every week about Villa recently.
If it was like it's you must think as someone watching these two sides now, and as a club you were trying to develop, if you wanna emulate something, there's the blueprint for both of them. Right? Like, you must watch the progress of these two teams and go, that's how you go and do it. That's how you build this squad. Yeah.
I think it kind of highlights the importance of recruitment and getting it right, doesn't it? And Villa have obviously been celebrated for their January transfer window, which has has really galvanized your season and your second half to the season. And I think in some ways made Newcastle's second half of the season, especially now, more difficult because I think this was the seventh straight game in a row where they played the same starting 11, which is gonna be tough on the legs, isn't it? Let's face it after the the last few games they've had. But Villa, yeah, rotated.
It made a difference, had so much fresh energy in that midfield, like you said. And I've looked down that left hand side. Everything seemed to go down there. And a lot of well, a lot of the goals were as a result of plays down the left, and that for me is where Villa seemed to really be taken it by the scruff of the neck at the minute. They're playing to their strengths massively with players that are adapting so well and coming into the team at the right time.
Yeah. I think that you're probably referencing and and someone that I've really admired lately in Ian Maatsen because Luca Digne has just been sensational for for Villa really this season. I thought he he's so impressive. But when you want a bit more impetus, then then Maatsen makes a lot of a lot of sense, really. And he was a big signing in the summer, and you wondered how long it was gonna take for him to embed himself into the starting 11 in his squad because Emery likes to take his time with that.
He doesn't want to just throw someone in. Look at Tielemans. Tielemans didn't start games at the start of last season when we first brought him in, so Maatsen has had a bit of time to get to know the squad. You can see he's developing quite good relationships, on the pitch and off the pitch with people around him, and that impact is now starting to come. And it's funny because it comes off the back of last season where, actually, he went out on loan and had an immediate impact somewhere.
So you'd expect him to be able to do the same, but Emery's managed him really, really well. And I think him alongside McGinn or Ramsey when Ramsey came on shows that that yeah. You're right. That left hand side is such a weapon. And it's funny because that always seems to be the side everyone wants to build on and focus on.
Like, no matter who our team is, as our team has progressed and changed and developed, all the attacking impetus normally comes down that left. And it's only this season when he's kind of allowed Cas to progress a bit more that we've seen any balance really. But, no, they they were excellent. And I think you mentioned about recruitment there. Is is there any better recruitment in the league than than that midfield alone?
Because, I mean, you're talking the five that started behind Watkins in this game were Rogers, Asensio, McGinn, Tielemans, Kamara. Now, okay, Asensio is on loan. Right? But the rest of them, I think, combined cost about 16,000,000. You're talking 2 and a half million for McGinn, about 14 for Rogers.
Tielemans and Kamara on a free, both of them. Now I don't know if there's a better midfield duo in the league right now. You maybe argue Gravenberch and McAllister at Liverpool. You could possibly argue Rice and Partey at Arsenal. But Kamara and Tielemans, free transfers, mate.
Well, I suppose Tonali and Guimaraes, but, I mean, this game proved otherwise, didn't it? Yeah. I agree. Amazing value and amazing recruitment. Yeah.
I think they've attracted these players to a club that looks like it's going places as well, and I think you can't really understate how big a part Unai Emery has played in that with his recent signings. He is the draw in some ways, isn't he? He's the player that they wanna play for. Marcus Rashford included. You know?
I think he's looked at Villa as a package, but also the fact that they're led by this manager, this coach that's got a history of getting the best out of players that are struggling. And that's proved to be the case. But Well, I'd like to mention on that, though, of Ali Watkins as well. Literally, if I say the same. Yeah.
Watkins. Interesting. Amazing achievement for him this weekend. He goes on to become our joint top Premier League goal scorer of all time. And that's that's a big accolade, really, by a club like us.
So that's excellent, but he talked quite openly at the end of the game, didn't he, about Mhmm. Oh, alright. But I wanna be playing every week, and he's worked so hard to get to this level of his career. To leave him out of PSG games, like, we both said before it, we really thought it was crying out for him. Now granted, I've learned to stop Preston and Embry because Rashford was incredible in the second leg.
But if you're Ollie Watkins, are you looking elsewhere now? Because it's it's it's worrying, I think. I was reading into trying to read into this performance, first of all, because he played like he had a point to prove. Like, the amount of times he hit the woodwork as well, scored in the first minute. He was at it from the start.
Yeah. He was. And it was a clear response to that that champions league snoop, if you don't wanna call it that. And, yeah, the interview was quite telling, wasn't it, with Watkins, the post match, where he did say that he was female. They used those words, didn't they?
And you can see that because he's he's earned his place as well as leading attacking threat. So you think in the biggest game in their recent history, he'd get a prominent role, so I'd be gutted too. What do you make of it then? Do you look at that and get a little bit worried? Yeah.
A bit. Because I think Watkins is an elite striker, and I think we really underrate him. I've said it so many times. I think I think he's so fantastic. You look at his goal contributions across the last three seasons now.
We're talking 20, three seasons in a row. That that's amazing. And Emery's turned him into an absolute machine. If it was like he he's capable of so much, and the way he leads the line is really effective. He's a very different kind of striker to Marcus Rashford.
So if the plan is, okay. Let's cash in on Watkins while his value is still hot and buy Rashford instead because he's a couple of years younger and Embry will have a bit of time to work with him. Fine. I'll I'll be lying if I said I wasn't gutted at the idea of that because I don't think Watkins is the area of the team that needs desperate improvement. I think, actually, it's the area of the team that we've been the strongest in for so long, and I think we really underrate what he brings to this team.
I mean, this game perfectly aligns because there's so much comparison between Newcastle and Aston Villa because of their perspective kind of fan bases, their size, their history, and their recent kind of challenging of the top four. They're two clubs that get compared quite a lot. And if you look at the profile of players they've got, there's a lot of conversation around Isak as the informed striker in the league, and Watkins in this game showed that, actually, you know, I'm I'm still here, and I've been consistent for a very long time. There's a lot of conversation about the midfield. You mentioned Guimaraes, Tonali.
Well, Tielemans and Kamara dealt with them so easily, it felt like. They brushed them aside in this game. And now granted, the last fixture was the opposite. So I'm not I'm not writing Newcastle off and saying, well, Villa are much better. But what you can see is that if you are competing at that level and you are trying to push back for the Champions League, those are the players that, a, got you there in the first place, and, b, put a really good showing in at that level too.
Yeah. I think massive credit to Emery as well for bouncing back from the disappointment of midweek because, I mean, that was that was gutting, wasn't it? The heart and the effort that went into that game must have been draining. So it's a bounce back against this opposition who are the former team of the Premier League. We were saying this last week.
You know, Newcastle are really flying at the minute. It produced that display that wasn't just a four one victory. It was dominant. Like, there were so many goals that Villa could have scored, and you could argue that Newcastle was slightly knackered to a degree. But Villa had them by throat.
They were absolutely on the attack from minute one, clearly. And that is a response, isn't it? How are you feeling about that as as a kind of a reaction to what happened in against Paris? I think because they won the game, although the disappointment over losing the tie, winning the game and the performance they put in will lift this team, and it will show them, look. We can compete with the best out there.
A lot of people are having PSG down as their favorites for the competition, and they run them very close. If it wasn't for Donnarumma, they'll are in the semifinal runner. I I'm gonna start hate campaign about Donnarumma, I've realized. Because without him, I'm watching Villa in the semifinals of the Champions League, and England have lifted the euros as a minimum. Proper bogeyman.
He he's he's ruined me. No. I think as a reaction, yeah, I think it showed that there was there's been so much conversation about Aston Villa results post Champions League games this season. I think it's a bit of a false narrative because if you look at some of our fixtures that we've had after Champions League games this year, we're talking Arsenal, Liverpool. There's been some tough fixtures in there as well.
This was as tough as it got, really, and we went out, and and you're right. It could have been more. We hit the woodwork three times. I think Fabian Schaap probably could have got sent off before he scored, and then who knows how the game goes at that stage. So, yeah, this is an excellent response.
And, again, it boils down to that rotation of the squad. I'm not sure there's a stronger bench in the Premier League right now than Villa half, and that was missing the likes of Leon Bailey, Pau Torres, and still they were able to bring those options on. I'd look. We're probably not gonna hold on to all of them in the summer. FFP will mean that we probably have to lose a bit of this amazing depth we've got right now, but I trust that Villa will be really smart in how to navigate that as they have been before.
So, yeah, a good response to a very disappointing outcome midweek, but I have to say nothing but pride for the Champions League campaign. Yeah. Well, lost over this game as well with two fantastic finishes, I think, from Inanna, was a Beautiful. Was an absolute beauty, wasn't it, to begin with? But also, I think Matson's finish deserves more credit.
Like, the way he rifled that in was was superb. So, yeah, going forward, Villa looked great and, yeah, kept a Newcastle side at bay that have been really dangerous lately. So what a result. There's me talking about whether the Premier League is exciting or not, and then you get results like that. But it's tough because you've also seen Chelsea pick up three points this week as well.
Manchester City pick up three points as well. In pretty scruffy circumstances, both games weren't that resounding. How are you feeling about the Champions League race now? It's getting tighter, isn't it? It's so tight.
It's so tight. I mean, what? There's two points between seventh and third now. That's such a good gap for this stage of the season to be fighting for. As a neutral, I I'd love that.
And I think people are still probably assuming that Villa won't be part of it and Chelsea won't be part of it. But for both of them to go out and get a win at the weekend is huge. Particularly for Chelsea, I think, when you consider that if they'd lost that game, they're out of the race, it feels like, doesn't it? So to come back late and get a goal, particularly from their, like, kind of marquee signing from the summer, who I think we would probably argue we'd expected more of this season, that's a really big statement for them. And for Man City, they're looking to consolidate something.
They're trying to get something out of this season. Now they could end it with champions league qualifications in an FA Cup, which is pretty applaudable, really, isn't it? And I watched the City Everton game and thought this side still looks bang average, really. But as a team, they might not be operating at the highest function, but they have individuals capable of moments, and that get that's all you need, really, at this stage of the season. The city are always gonna have that and always gonna be a threat for that reason.
The conversation's wide open. I mean, we're we're we're talking before Forest have played, obviously, and you'd imagine they would go out and and do Spurs, really, off the back of Spurs' European performance. Midweek, they'll be tired. They're not. They don't care about the league now.
I mean, their their safety in the Premier League is confirmed this weekend, which is a funny thing to be talking about after 32 games. So it's it's anyone's game still, mate. I don't know. Like, have your opinions on who's gonna qualify change since we talked last week? No.
Because I feel I get a feel for the mood of each club, and I think the mood of the the clubs that are the most positive and the most buoyant is obviously, obviously, Aston Villa now, and Newcastle. I feel like them two are in prime position. City, I think, by virtue of just having enough quality, will be up there too. But the mood at Chelsea feels so flat. Even this game, like, the crowd's reaction to Enzo Maresca is so off, isn't it?
Like, I can't see that changing, and I think he'll be gone in the summer definitely. Didn't despite what might happen, they might win a trophy and qualify again for the Champions League. I still don't think that'll be enough. I think they'd They'd get rid of him at that stage. I I feel like the mood of the the the fans plays a big part.
Yeah. And I think the ownership are receptive to that, and we found that out in recent years, haven't we? So, yeah, it obviously looks a weird one. But, They moved they moved pots on pretty quick, I suppose. They did.
Yeah. He seemed relatively popular, didn't he? So Chelsea is a is a weird one. But in terms of vibes and and pure, like, energy, it's Newcastle and Aston Villa, I think. And this game is is such a testament to Villa, really.
But let's talk about the title. Liverpool obviously beat Leicester, the King Power one nil with a Trent goal off the bench, which is a rare thing, isn't it? Defender scoring from off the bench. We still don't know what's happening with Trent, and he's been pretty coy about it. I think if he'd have been staying, he'd have said by now, so I'm pretty sure that's the way it's gonna go.
He's had a absolute pelters from Liverpool fans, doesn't he, from his apparent, I don't know, betrayal, I guess, leaving on a free in some ways. But Liverpool themselves are one win away from the title. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion. Leicester are relegated and pretty much it feels like all of them are now. I think Ipswich is still mathematically possible even though they lost fallen into Arsenal.
But the title and the relegation race, if you can call it that, has been a really poor one, hasn't it, this season by contrast? Yeah. It feels like we're just having digs at Liverpool again because they they won the title in the COVID year, and they won a title in a year that's completely underwhelming at the top end of the league because no one's competed with them. But that in itself is a testament to them and their consistency. They haven't necessarily been the most glamorous side to watch at times.
They have looked like someone could get at them, but no one has. So I think you have to give them the credit for that, that they've kept it going. Because it can almost be hard when you're not looking over your shoulder because what have you really got to play for? Complacency can settle in, and it hasn't for Liverpool. They're still getting results.
I mean, if we talk about Liverpool dipping form of late, they're still winning the games, and I think that's a a massive thing for them. And, look, in the week that they've secured the contracts of Salah and Van Dijk for a couple more years, I think that says a lot about how they view this season that although, yes, those players are older, and at some point, a rebuild will kind of be necessary for that core that's been there for so long. We're talking Alisson, Trent, Robertson, Van Dijk, Salah. That will be recycled soon. That will be moved on, but they're not quite ready to do that yet because the levels of their kind of elite players are still very high.
And when you've got a new manager coming in, and is still a new manager if you think about the legacy he was kinda following, he will want time to cement his philosophy before that massive rebuild needs. So if you can keep Salah and Van Dijk for a couple of years to keep that going, that's wise. I there's still a part of me that wouldn't rule out Trent staying. I think it's more likely that he goes. I think there's been so much talk about it.
Real Madrid are clearly really keenly interested in him. But his response to the goal, I you can never read too much into it in a moment, but it means something to him still. I don't know whether it was like a a sense sense of relief coming back from injury, getting a goal that helps him towards a title. Like, look. See?
I I do care. I am here. And then maybe he does go and sign for someone else in the summer. But I don't know. Would there be a temptation for him to say, okay.
Well, we're on the up right now. We've just won the title, and, actually, some of our mates are staying longer than I thought maybe they would. Shall I give it another couple of years, or do you think he's gone? I think his head's turned already. I'm sure Real Madrid have been in contact with his his associates and his agent, and I'm I'm pretty sure they've put put an offer on the table that he's mulling over.
I think it's more a case of of when rather than if he stays. I don't think he's I think he if he was gonna stay, he would have done. He's a scouser. Right? Like, he he's not gonna leave the fans waiting to hear his decision.
And they've been down this path in the past, haven't they, with was it Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, like, all left on threes on the same path to Real Madrid. So, you know, they've been bitten before. But I think Michaelson is just the way Liverpool have got over the line with this title does make the Premier League look a little bit of a declining force at the very top because they will probably get over 90 points, I think, but the nearest team to them, Arsenal, will get probably five or six points under that looking at their total points that they could get. And then below them again, there's another gap, isn't there, of maybe five, six points it's gonna be potentially. So, yeah, the tier of of quality at the very top has declined to a degree where they can win the title at Canter.
And I think that's disappointing for Premier League fans, for English fans, and for just anyone that wants a competitive league because, yes, it has been exciting below that. But they're fighting for scraps really. They're fighting for crumbs. Qualification for a European competition is not a trophy, and you want to see clubs wanting to and have the resources to get to that upper level. I think Arsenal have that and will look back at the season with regret, I think, definitely.
Because they've had injuries, and we know that. And they've had a bit of bad luck, but they could have been that team that that competed. They've got the qualities to do it. So it is disappointing for me from that perspective. But you could end up with the top four of Liverpool winning their first Premier League title in front of full stadiums ever.
That's a massive achievement. I'm still second. Yes. They could win the Champions League for the first time. Yeah.
Then all of a sudden, this season is the best season in their history maybe or at least since the Invincibles. You could end up with Newcastle, who have won a domestic trophy and got back into the Champions League. They will take that. You can end up with Villa, who could also win a domestic trophy, get back into the Champions League. And all of a sudden, alright, there wasn't a title race, but the top four are incredibly happy with the season they've had.
Now there'll be teams that won't be happy with that, obviously. The likes of Man City are never gonna be happy. One of Man United or Spurs is inevitably gonna have had the worst season ever, and we're kind of we've been used to them being part of the top six conversation. But, again, one of them could end up with Champions League qualification and a trophy this season. So that in itself tells you that this season is such a hard one to judge.
Yes. We expect two teams to at least be battling that out, but maybe that's because we've had that recently. We've had City and Arsenal the last couple of years. We had City and Liverpool before that. There have been years and you know this as in Man United.
I've had been years where Man United have run away with it, really. There we've seen that in the Premier League before, so I don't think it writes this season off when that level just below has provided competition, and the cup competitions have been so interesting. Like, we could end up with three English European Cup winners this season. And then we could also end up with two new domestic cup winners. The palpitations as well for European qualification could extend far down the table, like Bournemouth or, like, ninth place could qualify for the conference league, which is that's incredible.
Mhmm. And you're right. It is unprecedented, but I'm gonna leave it there for now and have a break. But after the break, I wanna talk about the impact of PSR and what that means for teams being competitive next season. For example, Aston Villa.
Can they continue competing at that level when they're probably gonna have to sell someone? Let's talk about that after the break. Welcome back to part two of the Football Diary podcast. I asked a question before we left for the break as to whether this season's kind of a transitional one for Premier League clubs and whether next season might promise to be more competitive at the top especially. And I say that with a view to the clubs like Villa and Newcastle clearly growing in strength, also having that ghost of PSR looming over them and keeping their finances in check from being too competitive and expanding expanding beyond their means, really.
Is that gonna be an issue, do you think? As a villa fan, Miles, do you want to step up to the next level, and at what cost do you do that next season? Yeah. I mean, there's part of me that kinda likes it being a challenge rather than it just being who can throw the most money at it. Obviously, no fan wants a repeat of Chelsea or Manchester City buying league dominance.
Like, we don't want to see that. And when you have the financial powerhouses behind the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea, and even Villa, to be honest, that that is very foreseeable if you take those PSR regulations out. However, you can see the system's not fit for purpose because what it's inevitably doing is damaging academies. It's changing the valuations of players, and it's creating this world where, yes, you build something naturally and you still have to ship it on. I mean, you saw us last season.
We we had to sell Douglas Louise when we really didn't want to. We've done really well at kind of regenerating that and and doing well, and we've made some good player sales with the likes of Diaby and Duran going to Saudi. That's great. It wouldn't surprise me if we had to shift at least one major asset in the summer, particularly if we don't qualify for Champions League. Newcastle may be forced into sign Isak.
If they want to improve the rest of the squad, that's a conversation for for them to have internally. You can't do everything. And I think, really, the people that it's hitting the most is right down the bottom. Because, look, Forest had this this trouble where when they got promoted, they breached PSR, had the points deduction. It was messy, and it it nearly cost them really dearly.
And if it had, they wouldn't be where they are now. If you're a new club coming up, what what chance do you have if you can't take that that big pot of money and go for it? Well, that's the question about the competitiveness of the championship compared to the Premier League, and it is purely fueled by who? The survivor of the riches, basically, isn't it? But again, I I suppose you could get by with smart investment.
But for a club like Ipswich, Ipswich have kind of committed a lot of money to to financial investment in players this summer. And they still got half a squad that's kind of from league one, from the championship. And they've struggled, and they've done the best out of the promoted teams, but they conceivably could have under 30 points, and get relegated. So you could get just above 30 points and avoid a relegation this season. And it used to be that magic 40 mark, didn't it?
And that's so not the case anymore because even the most mediocre of teams above the relegation zone, I include United in that this season, can kinda canter their way to safety and have literally no jeopardy as well. And we've just seen, haven't we, that Burnley and Leeds are promoted now from the championships. So they'll be back in the Premier League. And this yo yo continues of clubs going between the two divisions. And there might be a a team from the championship playoffs that will break that.
It'll be like a Coventry or something coming up for the first time in a while. But how will they fare? It's all financially driven, and that's the challenge, isn't it, that PSR kind of puts on clubs like that? How do they break through and become kind of a lower mid table team and and become relatively consolidated? Yeah.
It's hard because the you can see clubs trying to do it slowly in a way. And like Ipswich, I think they've done that this season where they have gone out and spent money. But if you look at what they've spent money on, it's like players that will be excellent in the championship, not good in the Premier League necessarily, with the exception of probably Dalap. That was the sign in, and and Hutchinson could definitely remain in the Premier League and and wouldn't look out of place. But the majority of their squad is built for them to go again next season.
And for them, that makes sense, really, because they can hold on to McKenna. They can build that squad stronger to return to the Premier League with a better foundation. Because you're right. There are still league one level players there. They can't make that jump that quickly.
But it's sad that you almost have to become a yo yo club for a while to make it financially viable for you to compete. Second year in a row, all three promoted teams have gone straight back down. That that's not something that bodes well for the competitive nature of the league. And does PSR really stop stop that? I mean, look at Leicester.
Yeah. Leicester are a big club these days with a a really proud recent modern history that should have thrived on the opportunity to be back in the Premier League. They bring a new manager in, and look at the January window as a perfect example of being hamstrung and not being able to actually do anything to compete. But, again, I do go back to I would rather that than them put themselves in finance jeopardy because we've all just sitting there on the opposite side, I guess. Don't you think there's an incentive there to sometimes maybe skirt the rules like Forest did to a degree and throw enough money at enough players that something's gonna stick, and you have a Murillo in there that's gonna be worth a fortune further down the line and take the points here knowing that you might have a few players that potentially could get you up to that part of the table.
Maybe, but it's risky. Forest barely survived when they had that points deduction, and I think they I mean, you look at them in Everton and when it all went on with them, that that was a horrible time for the fans as well because there was so much uncertainty. I remember us talking about not knowing who the relegated teams were even after the last kick of the ball in the season because it felt like other deductions were looming. So I don't think you ever wanna kinda play that level of chance. What's more frustrating is when you see the clubs that are kinda circumnavigating the FFP rules and PSR rules in in bizarre ways.
I mean, we we were guilty of it. Like, selling Amari Keleman for as much money as we did in the summer was nuts, and Chelsea have done it consistently, selling young assets that to their own clubs. It's a mess, but the league have created that mess by not making PSR airtight, really. And, yeah, it's it's never gonna be the conversation that we want to be having, really. But coming out of this season, it feels more poignant than ever because you're right.
The lack of a competitive nature is is drawing back to the foreground of our minds again. Well, that's, I think, why champions' d qualification is so important, isn't it? But then it's also a case in that part of the table, yeah, and and Vidda included in that, that it's the biggest squad that gets the furthest and does the best. Like, it gets to the second half of any season. Injuries start piling up, and the effect of injuries on players has become fatal, to some clubs.
Their their form is completely disrupted by the fact they've lost two or three at least, you know, key players and not had a squad deep enough to kind of rotate them. So that worries me. I think the competition at the top end of the league and and teams like Villa and Newcastle sustain in that because you wanna see them competing for the title eventually. And any club with ambition wants to make that next step. But how much money do you need to do that?
Well, if we haven't sold Duran in January and Diego Carlos Yeah. Where would we be now? Because we've improved our squad and increased the depth. We have to make sales to do it. Villain wouldn't really have wanted to sell John Duran, if we're honest.
He's one of the the the brightest prospects in world football at the time that we sold him. But, equally, it has meant that we've given the Champions League a really good go, got to a domestic semifinal, then now we should compete for the top four again because we were able to bring depth in to replace him. So there is always that that kind of juggling act, and we've seen it with clubs before. I mean, you look at Brighton, Leicester, every time that they felt like they were on the edge of something and getting let ready to compete, their prize assets are picked off because they have to go and then invest the money in other areas to compete at a top level. What's good about clubs like Newcastle and Aston Villa is they should have the infrastructure that, actually, they don't need to do that.
They've got the owners with the money to continue to pay the play as well, and they should be able to bring revenue in because they've got global fund bases. Now Villa aren't very good at that, or they've got better lately, I will say. They've got a lot better at it lately. But our wage to turnover ratio is the worst in the league along with Tottenham. So that tells you everything you need to know about it it's a business at the end of the day, and there are some clubs that are very good at running like a business.
And there are some clubs that that are a bit naive to it, I think, but that's a conversation for a different day, probably. Yeah. Well, we touched on it there, and I think we'll we'll go on to that next. It's European qualification and what that means to clubs and the state of the European competitions this season and the amount of English clubs still involved, you know. Like you said, we could have three English winners of all those key marquee, European leagues, including the Champions League.
Arsenal look really well placed to do well in that. So, yeah, it's it's just the sign of the strength of the Premier League, and it's come at a huge cost. Like, they've spent a lot of money, the club's collectively. And I think there's other leagues looking at as as a collective nation spending that money and doing so well again. Well, yeah, obviously, that's the way it works.
I don't think it's quite as simple as that though because you do have to invest wisely. And I feel like English clubs have done that really well. And that's probably the reason why the European success has been so obvious compared to, like, the other nations. But it's difficult to do, isn't it? When there's so many clubs scouting in the same pool for players, you've gotta really get creative with it too.
And, that's why I kinda wanna see some of the clubs that are competing towards the middle area of the league get into that European competition as a reward. Like, if Brighton Yeah. Get into European competition. If Brentford get into European competition or Bournemouth, they really deserve it because you're right. They've been intelligent.
They've gone out and they've built something, and I think that's really impressive. Whereas we could end up with either Man United or Tottenham in the Champions League next year. No disrespect to you and Dave. You've followed Villa through the Champions League and been very supportive of it, but I am desperate for you to not win that competition because I don't want it to be made a mockery of. And if United or Spurs can perform the way they have this season and walk away with a place in the Champions League, that devalues the Europa League to me so much.
And I think there's already a conversation about that this season because you no longer have the teams from the Champions League dropping into it. So there's an assumption that the the quality of it is slightly lower than it was last year, which is fine. Right? Now my club could end up in it next year, and I would be thrilled to see us win it. I would be less happy about it if the conversation is, yeah, but anyone can win it because Man United won it last year in the way they were playing, or Tottenham won it last year the way they were playing.
Let Bilbao win that cup, please. Because I just think I just think for for us to actually still consider European competitions as exciting and fun, we want to see the top level of competition available in them. And with the change in format, with the conversation around the Super League, I think it discredits them and takes away from the joy of teams like Brighton or Brentford being there if a big name wins it out of nowhere. Hang on a minute. Let me just interject there and say, are you not entertained?
Did you not see the Lyon game? Mate, that was probably the most enter that's probably the most entertaining game of the season for anyone apart from Lyon fans. And I I feel like United do deserve to be where they are in the Europa League. They're unbeaten. The only team unbeaten in European competition this season.
So we've saved our our best, if you can call it that, for Europe. And I think in a season where our league form has struggled, I feel like that's amazing to see. And we've got a squad that is competitive enough, on paper at least, to go well in a cup, and we've done it in the last two seasons. It just happens to be this cup's a European one. Who you know, I I will take that.
But that Lyon game, come on. That was Yeah. One of the the biggest moments, I think, in my recent United supporting time. Like, it was incredible to see Maguire's big head on the end of that that cross with Casimir in the hundred and twenty first minute. That was incredible.
It was it was as entertaining as watching someone fall down the stairs, someone go to help them after they've fallen down the stairs, and then then fall too. Like, yes. It was an entertaining game from a neutral, but not because United were amazing in quality, not because Leob were amazing in quality. It was just a great narrative. And, yeah, fair play.
Like, the way United kept themselves in the game and the way they got themselves back in with the goals, they were they were all of great quality other than maybe the penalty, which it was I I think it was a penalty, but fortunate that that that kind of challenge comes in, really. And it's good for Mayno. It's good for Maguire. I think two players have come under the wrong levels of scrutiny at various points. So there's talk of Mayno moving on in January.
Maguire's obviously had his his battles. But I, again, I agree with you to an extent that United have got a squad capable of a cup competition, and they've used their best in the Europa League. Fine. Is the squad capable when you see what it's cost them to do this well? It we hit 33 games this weekend, and this weekend, it was mathematically proven that Man United were gonna remain in the Premier League this year.
That's a joke. It's your worst Premier League season ever. Is it worth it to have these one off games where you should have been out of this one, really, and Leung should have held on? As much as United forced the conversation and got themselves back into it, lumping Harry Maguire upfront and Leon crumbling isn't me saying, yeah, United are an excellent side that deserve a European trophy to place in the Champions League this year. You would be absolutely embarrassed in the Champions League next year if nothing changes.
There's gonna be a lot of changes, I believe, maybe between now and then if we do qualify. Can afford it. I I'm honestly struggling to think of which team would win in a Europa League final between United and Spurs. Now I don't think that that replaced them lately. No.
I think Bilbao will be as Bilbao are the best team in the competition, by the way, and this this seems like it's destined. Right? Mhmm. But in a glimpse, there's gonna be no no kind of easy opposition to Spurs as well. So a Europa League final between English clubs is not a given.
But let's just say it happens. Yeah. How are you calling that? It's it's hard, isn't it? Because Poste Kogulu is as disillusioned as Amorim at the minute with the players he's got.
And I'm not I think it might just be a case of who's the jammiest on the day, if that's the case. I don't think it will be an English final. No. I I I think you will lose. I think Bilbao will get there.
I think it's their home stadium, and it you're right. It does feel best, and I think they're a better side. Tottenham and Beaute Glint is hard to call. Not enough. Beauteglen's season has only just started, so it's hard to know what they're really doing right now.
Obviously, amazing for them to get past Lazio, and I don't trust Spurs in any way, shape, or form, but they do have players of equality that can get them through a game against a side like that you would imagine. If it was United Spurs, like watching an episode of Laurel and Hardy, that was. I've I've no idea what to call that. Spurs have had the better Man United of late. United, I think, are somehow, I would say United are a better side than Spurs.
I don't know. I haven't had an idea. I think the difference is really open and honest. Make me feel a bit like, ugh. Well, that's what I mean.
You talk about this league and this this season, and has it been a an underwhelming season or an exciting one? And you could argue either way depending on your viewpoint. Like, the Europa League, has it been exciting, or has it been totally predictable? I mean, as a United fan, I'm thrilled we've got as far as we have, and I think that's the perspective I'll take. But I think it's been exciting in the Europa League, definitely.
I think the change in format, I I've been a real big fan of it this year. Maybe it's a bit of recency bias. Maybe it's a bit of bias because my team was in one of them for the first time, and it it worked really well for us. But I think the the change in format has enriched the competition in its own right by not adding the likes of I don't know. A pair of feet could have ended up in there the way they played in the group stage, and then all of a sudden, it's it's a completely different competition.
Yeah. I I can see the merits of the competition. There's been some really entertaining ties in there. I mean, you think back to, like, even Galatasaray's running the competition, that was really exciting, and the their games were were really high scoring and and free flowing. And, yeah, you have to give United credit for their run as well.
It's not been boring to watch, has it, I suppose. So fair enough. Fair enough. Champions League then. Let's move on to that before we wrap up.
And Arsenal obviously absolutely hammering Real Madrid over two legs and, I think, deservedly being where they are and I think with a very real real chance of of winning it. How do you fancy their chances against PSG? Having seen them close-up, what do you think? Firstly, I just wanna say that I had a bit of a proud dad moment then because as soon as you mentioned Arsenal, I can hear my son in the background crying. And living in East London with Arsenal supporting family and trying to raise a villa fan is difficult, so I'm I'm glad that he's tuned into it.
I I don't know how to judge Arsenal's chances because there was no part of me that thought they were gonna get past Madrid, and they did it so convincingly Yeah. That they have to be considered I think probably considered favorites at this stage. Yeah. But I look at everything else, my opinion, I think they have the worst coach of the four teams left. I don't think that he has the same sort of tactical nerves that the other coaches that he's gonna come up against have, really.
I think that they will struggle with different elements of PSG than Villa struggled. Okay? So Arsenal are defensively much better than Aston Villa. Like, I I'm not gonna contest that at all, and I think that they will do a good job at trying to shut out a lot of PSG's attacking force. But how much are they gonna be able to take the gains PSG?
If you look at when PSG struggled against us, it was when we had nothing to lose, and we really, really went for it. Right? And PSG are on a back foot. They're not used to that. They never have to do that domestically.
So that's a really good thing. Without we have that same old conversation about Arsenal. Without a striker, how do they do that? Because you can't rely on Declan Rice scoring two incredible free kicks again. Right?
You can't rely on the fact that Real Madrid in the second leg had to chase the game and left space for them. PSG won't do that. And the way that midfield presses, Arsenal missing parte in the first leg, there's still no Gabriel, obviously. I know Saka went off injured at the weekend. I'm not sure how serious that is yet, but I don't know.
That Pierce team midfield, they they found space where space didn't seem to exist constantly. The fullbacks offered so much going forward. And if you're playing, essentially, for center backs or someone like Myles Luis Kelly, who's a fantastic footballer but has no discipline No. No. They could get pulled apart in those areas, really.
So I don't know. I think they have to have so much credit for what happened in Madrid. And like I say, I've got family or Aston fans, and they will talk about that as one of the best moments they've seen in in better modern history at least in the last twenty years. It was incredible. They thoroughly deserved it.
They were the much, much better side, and that will give them a confidence boost going into the these later stages of the competition. So it'll save you season time, really. Go and do it. Yeah. Because although a semifinal is a good achievement, if at the end of this season, they finished thirteen, fifteen, now have many points behind Liverpool in the league, and they don't take a trophy home.
It's a worse season than last season. It is. Regardless of that Real Madrid performance, you can't say this has been a good season until they get something over the line, and I think they've gotta do it. It's unpredictable, isn't it? The European final four for the Champions League especially, is anyone's game.
It's exciting. I think it'd be a new name on the trophy, I think, is either one of either PSG or Arsenal will go on to win it, I think. You think? Yeah. I do think so.
Yeah. Arsenal again, see, though. They're both kind of a bit. The dark horse is really out of the four, definitely. And who I think is a really good game in the group stage as well, remember.
I I really like Inter. For a cup competition, the way Inzaghi's got them, I mean, they they also have the experience of being in a final really recently, which none of these other sides have. I'd I I wouldn't I'm not saying I think they're gonna win it. I wouldn't write them off though. I think they'll get past Barca.
Yeah. I think Arsenal have gone all in on the Champions League, and I think there's a point where the league looked insurmountable, and you could see them switch off in that competition and go hell for leather in the Champions League. And do you know what? If they do end up pulling off, fair play to them because it would have been absolutely worth it. Because that chase of Liverpool, I think, would have been futile anyway because they've been so good.
Yeah. That's, I think, all we got time for on this week's pod. Yeah. The whatever you make of the Premier League this season, please do leave your comments. We'd be keen to see whether you found it interesting, exciting, or dull, predictable in a procession because, it's pretty split opinion from what we've heard so far.
But until next week's Pod Myles, I'll leave it there, and, enjoy the football. See you then. Thanks, mate. See you later.
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