Liverpool's poor form continues, but it could be worse, right? They could be Jose Mourinho's Tottenham? That and more on today's show! Part 1 Shola Shoretire came on for Manchester United on Sunday to make his debut for the club at only 17 years of age. As pointed out by Carl Anka, the first World Cup he remembers is the 2010 edition in South Africa. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast. I am your host Declan Harte and joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, since when did we allow players born in 2004 to play in the Premier League? Part 2 Everton won their first Merseyside Derby in over a decade, and their first win at Anfield in over two decades. They beat Liverpool 2-0. Chelsea drew 1-1 with Southampton. Most notably, Thomas Tuchel took off Callum Hudson-Odoi. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick at the Nou Camp as PSG beat Barcelona 4-1. Part 3 Listener, cast your mind back to December 6 - perhaps a simpler time. Tottenham Hotspur were top of the league on 24 points from 11 games played. They were six points clear of Manchester City, and they had just beaten North London rivals Arsenal. All was well. Now, they sit 23 points behind Man City and are ninth in the league table. Jose Mourinho’s time is surely running out, but where do Tottenham go next? Part 4 The Champions League Last 16 first legs continue. Which pair of games will we be watching, that tough choice they always force us into for no real reason. In the Premier League, four of the top five play each other, with Leicester also playing Arsenal. How do we see these games playing out? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

The Total Football Podcast

Episode 161 - What Next for Tottenham?

The Champions League returns with an unpredictable sets of Last 16 fixtures. That didn't stop us trying to figure out who we'll be seeing in the Quarter Finals of this year's competition! Part 1 We all thought this year would be different. After the halfway point of the season everything still looked up for grabs. But only six games later does it all look wrapped up. The Premier League was fun while it lasted. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast. I am your host Declan Harte and joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, will we ever get a title race ever again? Part 2 Liverpool’s form continued to nose dive. They were 1-0 up against Leicester with 20 minutes to go, but collapsed to a 3-1 defeat in the final 15 minutes. Man United dropped points to West Brom. A disappointing individual result, but in the long-run not that devastating, right? Tottenham continue to look awful. What much else is there to even say? Part 3 Last week we discussed the future of the Champions League, but this week we must discuss the present. The competition returns this week for the Round of 16. I don’t know about you, Andrew, but the matchups this year seem pretty fresh and I’m not entirely sure what to expect. How about you? Part 4 There is also, of course, Premier League action this week. This includes midweek games to catch up on postponed fixtures. Everton face Man City before playing Liverpool on Saturday. How do we predict the consistently inconsistent? In Europe, there’s a Derby Della Madonnina in a top of the table clash in Serie A. Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 160 - Champions League Predictions!

There was a lot to get through in the news this week, but we also take the time to wonder what next for the Champions League? Part 1 Well we’re 20-odd games into the season and the table has taken some kind of shape, it’s rough around the edges sure, but the pieces are all vaguely near their final resting places. While everything is still to play for, who knows what twists and turns await us. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, this is all true except for the relegation “battle,” right? Part 2 Liverpool’s title hopes are surely over now right? They lost two home games in one week, first to Brighton and then 4-1 to Man City… Man United equalled a Premier League record, winning 9-0 against Southampton, before throwing away a 3-2 lead in the dying minutes at home to the ever inconsistent Everton. Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham, but for how much longer? Mike Dean received death threats following a busy week for the Main Event Man. Has the concept of refereeing controversies melted all of our collective minds? Part 3 The Champions League format faced a lot of scrutiny in the last week. It’s been called a backdoor Super League, it’s known as the Swiss Model and it’s got all the big league talking. Nothing is certain yet, but all we do know is that there’s no way everyone will be happy. I’m going to rule out the open seed straight knockout concept right out of the gate and ask, between the two options put forward, where does European competition go next? Part 4 There’s midweek action once again, but this time it’s only the FA Cup, so let’s focus on looking ahead to the weekend’s Premier League fixtures. We’ve got Leicester/Liverpool, Man City/Spurs and Arsenal/Leeds. Who have you got for these three? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 159 - How Can We Fix European Football?

Transfer deadline day, the crisis baton and dull 0-0 draws are all on the menu in another delicious show Part 1 It is Transfer Deadline Day and the only team going on a panic-spree looking for new signings is *checks notes* Liverpool?? Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast. I am your host Declan Harte and joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, what has happened to the unimpeachable transfer committee? Part 2 Liverpool got back to winning ways, the crisis is over before it ever really got going. They put Tottenham and West Ham to the sword 3-1 Tottenham followed that Liverpool defeat with a 1-0 defeat to Brighton Man United suffered one of the upsets of the season to Sheffield United, but how big of an upset was it really? Thomas Tuchel took charge of his first two Chelsea games, what are our first impressions? The Premier League confirmed that, for the period between January 25-31, of 2,957 covid tests, only seven came back positive. Part 3 Teams are playing three times a week every week these days and the impact on the players is becoming quite clear. It was another low scoring weekend, with yet another high profile 0-0. This was one of many goalless draws between big clubs we’ve seen this season. What has been the cause of this trend, and will we see it continue into the rest of the campaign? Part 4 We are really living the real world version of David Mitchell’s satirical sketch “FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL.” There’s yet another round of midweek games this Tuesday to Thursday… Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 158 - Unimpeachable Transfer Committee

Chelsea have sacked Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager. Listen in as we give our deep dive analysis on the entire situation. What next for Lampard and what next for Chelsea? Part 1 Godzilla faces King Kong in the upcoming MonsterVerse film, but it was Liverpool who went up against Manchester United on Sunday to renew some hope into the magic of the cup with a thrilling 3-2 match at Old Trafford. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, how annoyed must Sky be at this entertainment? Part 2 Liverpool’s unbeaten home run came to an end on Thursday thanks to a 1-0 defeat to a late Burnley penalty. Man United kept their lead at the top of the table, Paul Pogba’s stunning goal gave them a 2-1 win at Fulham. Meanwhile, City’s good form continued with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa. Part 3 Today it was announced that Frank Lampard was sacked as Chelsea manager only 18 months into a 3-year contract. His final game was a 3-1 win at home to Luton Town. He has the lowest points per game total of any Chelsea manager in the Roman Abramovich era. He has left the club in ninth place in the Premier League and 11 points off leaders Man United and five points off Liverpool in fourth. Part 4 There’s midweek Premier League action to look forward to this week. Chelsea face Wolves on Wednesday, but that will likely be too early for Tuchel, so what can we expect from the Blues post-Lampard? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 157 - Sucking the Carrot Juice

The legacy of Wayne Rooney and Mesut Ozil, the future of Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo and reaction to Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United.  Part 1 Last week, Wayne Rooney announced his retirement from the game. He was the leading England and Manchester United goal  corer, but he leaves behind a strange legacy in the game, having started playing at the age of 16 but now retiring at 35. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, where do you stand on the career of Rooney? Part 2 Arsenal are yet to play as of recording, but Mesut Ozil is set to leave Arsenal for Fenerbahce this week. He was at the 7.5 years, was the deal worth it for both parties? Chelsea got back to winning ways, beating Fulham 1-0. But it was hardly convincing, was it? Man City were convincing in their 4-0 win over Crystal Palace. A lot of people have them down as title favourites given their form, but are they right to? Tottenham won 3-1 against bottom of the table Sheffield United. The highlight of the game was most certainly the third goal from Tanguy Ndombele Inter Milan were 2-0 winners over rivals Juve on Sunday night. They’re second in the table, level on points with AC Milan, Juve now in fifth and they looked dreadful in this game. Part 3 Man United retained their position at the top of the table following their 0-0 draw at Anfield. Liverpool slipped down to fourth, behind Leicester and Man City. The reaction to the game was mostly negative, with a lot of people finding it to be a boring, drab affair. But, Andrew, what did you make of it, and what does it mean for the league going forward? Part 4 There’s midweek Premier League action set for this week, but will we see Aston Villa play ever again? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 156 - Are Man City Title Favourites?

Will we see any business in the January Transfer Window, more talk about the pandemic football calendar and where is the next generation of manager for hire relegation battlers? Part 1 The January Transfer window is now open. We’re approaching the halfway mark of the month, but there has predictably been very little activity so far. However, Manchester United showed last season the value in taking advantage of the opportunity to bring in someone. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, will we see a Bruno Fernandes type signing from anybody this year? Part 2 The FA Cup went ahead this week, but not completely as planned. The football schedule is frankly a mess right now. Aston Villa and Derby had to send out the kids, and now Premier League teams are swapping opponents with only two days notice. Tottenham will face Man City in the league cup final, why do both Mourinho and Guardiola keep winning this thing? Juventus closed the gap at the top of Serie A one week before they play Inter Milan. Conte’s side’s winning run came to an end midweek, and Juve themselves ended AC Milan’s unbeaten run. Who do we think will come out on top in the upcoming Derby d’Italia? Part 3 We are at almost the halfway point of the Premier League season, and yet only one club has decided a change of managers was necessary. This time last season five managerial changes happened at the likes of Watford, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton and Watford. Why has this change occurred? Is it a one-off result of pandemic football, or is this the beginning of a wider trend to give managers more time at the helm? Part 4 14 Premier League clubs are in action this midweek, but undoubtedly the most important game coming up in the next seven days is between rivals Liverpool and Man United at Anfield. United go to Burnley first on Tuesday, with any good result taking them to the top of the table. How do we expect Solskjaer’s side to handle that kind of pressure? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 155 - Matty Taylor, Where Are You

We review the Christmas football period, while also wondering whether or not football should continue for the next weeks and months. Part 1 We’ve made it through to the other side, it’s almost the halfway point of the Premier League season, and yet we still don’t really know what will happen next. We tried to predict the holiday schedule of games, but this is no ordinary league campaign and football has never been weirder. The Total Football podcast wishes you a happy and healthy 2021. I am your host Declan Harte, and joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, what did you make of the last three rounds of fixtures? Part 2 I suppose we’ll start with the title race. Liverpool still sit at the very top of the table, but only just. They picked up two points from nine, meanwhile Man United picked up seven. Where do you stand with these two old rivals? Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is under the threat of the sack after his side’s slump continued. Is Lampard on the verge of the sack or will he see it through to the other side? Arsenal’s form improved, starting with a 3-1 win over that Chelsea side. What’s been the cause of that? Man City also beat Chelsea 3-1 and looked good in doing so, are City back and ready to surge to the title, or is this just more inconsistency? Thomas Tuchel was sacked as PSG manager over the break. Mauricio Pochettino has come in to replace him, how do we see that working out? Part 3 There’s been breaches of covid protocol, games postponed, further lockdown restrictions, rumours, speculation, accusation and actual positive cases. Through it all, football will seemingly continue and the FA Cup will even go ahead as planned with the Third Round this weekend. It was an uncertain two weeks of will they or won’t they as clusters emerged at various clubs, but can football cope with the rising cases, or should it be stopped? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 154 - Bumper Holiday Football Schedule Review!

Turns out 2020 was a pretty unpredictable year, but will 2021 shape up more to our expectations? Happy New Year, listener, it can't get any worse, right? Part 1 So this is it, the year of 2020 is finally over. Are we sure that’s allowed? It’s definitely felt like we’re stuck in this hell year forever. A lot has happened between now and January, both in football and, quite obviously, in the rest of wider society. But I think we can all agree: roll on 2021 Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, any hopes and dreams for the year ahead? Part 2 We’re going to spend this episode looking back at our 2020 predictions, which we made last December. There’s no way these could possibly be wrong! Part 3 We will now close out the show by going through our predictions for football in 2021. Surely this will be as easy as ever? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 153 - Predictions for Football in 2021

There's a lot to look back on in the last week of Premier League action, but there's also a lot to look ahead to! So in this episode, we manage to do both...  Part 1 Earlier this season Liverpool conceded seven goals in an away game and Manchester United conceded six at home on the same game week. Now, this weekend, they both reversed their fortunes with Liverpool scoring seven away at Palace and Man United putting six past Leeds at Old Trafford. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, is this not really bizarre, do you remember anything like that happening before? Part 2 Liverpool asserted their lead on the league this week with wins over Spurs and Palace. Will we even get a title race after all? Man United moved ahead of Chelsea and Tottenham. The latter two were tipped for a title charge in recent weeks, but now it’s United who are in third and with a game in hand. What does this mean for the league table, because surely United aren’t Liverpool’s biggest title challengers? Meanwhile Arsenal’s form has continued to collapse. They picked up one point from games against Southampton and Everton. Mikel Arteta keeps coming up with weird quotes after every defeat. Is he ok? Big Sam returned to the league this week, replacing Slaven Bilic at West Brom. Can he pull off one last great escape? Part 3 Over the course of the next two weeks, all the Premier League sides play three times. By the time we next record a podcast all of these matches will have taken place, and with the table looking so constricted, who knows what it will look like by then. Oh, that’s right… we do! Let’s look at the upcoming fixtures and see what the league table will look like on January 5th. Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 152 - Christmas Schedule Mayhem Awaits

A weekend that saw none of the big sides win, what can we expect in this week's Barclays double header? Plus, reaction to the Champions League draw! Part 1 With the loss of Paolo Rossi and Gerard Houlier, this has been a particularly difficult week for football. This year has seen the loss of many greats of the game, with two more passing in just the last few days. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, what are your memories of these two men? Part 2 To the football now and it was a weird Premier League weekend. None of the traditional big sides won, which has allowed Southampton and Leicester a route into the top four. Let’s start with the Manchester Derby. Why was this game so bad, and is this just what big league games are now? 0-0s becoming a common theme of these games. Liverpool dropped points at Fulham, and even then it took a weird penalty decision to go their way to even earn a draw. A very poor performance from the champions. Are Fulham… good now? Spurs threw away a 1-0 lead away to Palace. Can they afford this kind of result? Chelsea lost 1-0 away to an injury-hit Everton side. Chelsea have yet to beat a side above 13th in the table this season. Was this result coming? Part 3 The Champions League Last 16 draw was made Monday morning, with none of the sides in the draw currently top of their league table. The group stage went pretty much as planned, with the only big sides missing out being Manchester United and Inter Milan. Given the matches are still months away, what are your initial expectations for the knockout rounds of European football, and is there any clear favourite to win the whole thing? Part 4 There’s no Champions League to look forward to, but instead we have some midweek Barclays! In fact there’s a top of the table clash on Wednesday as Spurs go to Anfield… The league table could look totally different by next Monday, are there any surprises you see coming from this double set of games this week? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 151 - Premier League Clubs Respect the Point

Can Ireland qualify for World Cup 2022? Fans return to stadiums, and Arsenal's losing streak continues Part 1 Well we now know the UEFA draw for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, are you now excited for the return of international football in, oh, roughly 12 weeks? Part 2 Fans returned to English football this week. Of course, it didn’t get off to the best start when Millwall supporters booed their players for taking the knee before kick off against Derby. But, overall, what did you make of seeing fans back in the stands? Tottenham retained their spot at the top of table, a typical Mourinho 2-0 keeps them ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. How were both of their performances in victory this week? Chelsea and Manchester United both won 3-1 against Leeds and West Ham respectively. How would you compare both of their wins? Part 3 Arsenal sit 15th in the table. They are now closer in points to the relegation zone than the top four. Only three teams have scored fewer goals. Their last league goal from open play came in a 2-1 win against bottom side Sheffield United, a whole 656 minutes ago. They are 16th in the league in shots and shots on target. In the coming weeks they face Burnley, Southampton, Everton and Chelsea. Just how crucial are these games for Mikel Arteta? Part 4 We’ve reached the final round of Champions League group games. Unlike other recent seasons, there are a few big clubs who still have it all to play for Group B is a giant mess, and Manchester United must avoid defeat against RB Leipzig if they are to progress. Man United also face their City rivals next weekend. How do we see this game going? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 150 - Arteta's Tough Time Continues

Klopp vs. Des Kelly. Looking back at the life of Diego Maradona. And the Champions League group stage sets up its conclusion Part 1 Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Today we’re going to jump right in and discuss the big topic of the footballing action from the weekend. Then we will remember Diego Maradona who sadly passed away last Wednesday. But before all that, we would like to give our sympathies to his family. Part 2 The big football moment of the weekend was not something that happened during a match itself, but rather the eight minute debate that took place in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Brighton. BT’s Des Kelly interviewed an emotional Jurgen Klopp about a wide range of interesting topics. It was enthralling viewing, and now Andrew I’d like to know what you thought of all this? Part 3 Diego Maradona, World Cup winner with Argentina in 1986. Scorer of the goal of the century. Two time winner of Serie A with Napoli. A whole host of other honours. And of course, one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. How did you react when you first heard the news? Part 4 There are only two rounds of Champions League group stage football left, are we excited? The Premier League has an action packed weekend ahead. A bitter rivalry is renewed in Chelsea against Leeds, but another bitter rivalry rages on as Tottenham host Arsenal. Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 149 - Remembering Diego Maradona

Has the Premier League table finally found its shape? Is there a chance La Liga or Serie A might see a new winner? And has our understanding of how we dissect teams finally shed the weight of where they are in the league table? Part 1 With only five minutes to go before kick off between Manchester United and West Brom, Sky Sports were still debating over an innocuous handball decision in the first half of the Tottenham and Manchester City match. Because the game at Old Trafford was on BT, they simply refused to acknowledge its existence. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, while I get why they do this, is it not still just a bit weird? Part 2 Liverpool took a commanding 3-0 win against Leicester City. Rumours of their demise were greatly exaggerated. The champions put out a strong enough starting XI and the result never looked in doubt. Tottenham went top with a 2-0 win over Man City. That match looked very familiar though… Chelsea have now won 5 on the bounce and only conceded once in that time. Are we sleeping on them a little? Atletico Madrid won 1-0 over Barcelona with the helping hand of Andre Ter Stegen going walkabout. Is this Atletico’s year? They’re second behind Real Sociedad but have two games in hand AC Milan won their battle of first v third in Serie A to stay at the top of the table. Juve are four points behind in fourth, is this the year of a new Scudetto winner? Part 3 Manchester United are 10th, Arsenal are 11th and Manchester City are 13th. Yet, when looking at the top of the table with Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea sitting aloft the first three places, maybe this wild and weird Premier League season is now finally starting to take shape. Have we got our three title contenders? Part 4 The Champions League returns with some marquee fixtures. Are we on the verge of seeing Inter Milan, Real Madrid or PSG’s European ambitions come to an abrupt end this midweek? The big Premier League game this weekend sees Frank Lampard go against Jose Mourinho once again as first v third battle it out at Stamford Bridge. Who will come on top in this important league game? Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 148 - And Then There Were Three?

Hollywood meets Wales, Liverpool meet their injury department and Irish football meets misery. At least the club game is back next week? Part 1 Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have officially become the new owners of Wrexham Football Club. Yes, Deadpool and Mac from It’s Always Sunny now own a Welsh non-league English football club. Hello and welcome to the Total Football podcast, I am your host Declan Harte. Joining me is Andrew Conway Andrew, what is going on here? Part 2 Scotland qualified for their first tournament since the World Cup in 1998 and we now know the entire field of Euro 2020 2021. Who do we have as favourites now? Liverpool’s whole starting backline may now miss the game against Leicester, as well as Henderson and Salah. Are we reaching nine misfortunes territory with Klopp? The Premier League have officially reversed the pay per view decision and will be moving back to the format from the very start of the season. What does this move mean for English football broadcasting rights? Part 3 With the positive covid tests of Matt Doherty and James McClean, as well as the injury to Adam Idah, Ireland are now without 13 of the players picked for the squad this international break. Stephen Kenny is yet to win in his first seven games in charge and in that time they have scored one goal. Where has it all gone wrong for Irish football? Part 4 Thank goodness the international breaks are now finished for 2020, the needless distraction from club football is over and we can get back to a normal football calendar again. The big game of the weekend sees Manchester City play Tottenham on Saturday evening at White Hart Lane. Who are the favourites for this? Liverpool also host Leicester Sunday evening, while Arsenal go to Leeds… Closing Contact us: @thetfpod on Twitter and @totalfootballpod on Instagram or email us at theTFpod@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: Declan @CheesyHartePun & Andrew @Conbon27 For more, subscribe to Declan’s writing over at declanharte.substack.com Remember to rate/review the show on your podcast provider of choice and do tell friends and family about the show. The more the merrier! Opening and Closing Music by JuliusH from Pixabay

Episode 147 - Liverpool's Nine Misfortunes

Each Monday our enthusiastic team get together to review the weekend's football action, preview upcoming fixtures & have in-depth discussions on the big issues affecting the beautiful game. Join the conversation Follow @theTFpod on Twitter or @TotalFootballPod on Facebook & Instagram.

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