🎙️ Sky Sports Premier League Podcast •August 25, 2026 •⏱️ 30 min

MNF Predictions: Can anyone stop Arsenal?

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1. Executive Overview: Core Theses & Key Revelations

The flagship predictions episode on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football served as far more than routine seasonal speculation; it provided an authoritative, high-stakes audit of the Premier League's shifting tactical hierarchy and macroeconomic framework. As Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher broke down their forecasts alongside fan-voted league tables, their consensus pointed to an unmistakable turning point: Arsenal have established a structural hegemony that separates them from an increasingly compromised chasing pack. Mikel Arteta's side, bolstered by high-caliber recruitment including Solís and Bruno Guimarães, represents the sole entity in English football possessing both tactical maturity and single-point-of-failure squad redundancy.

The editorial breakdown of the broadcast reveals five core analytical pillars that define the contemporary top-flight landscape:

  • Arsenal's Structural Hegemony and Risk Mitigation: Gary Neville’s declaration that Arsenal are "way out in front" reflects a fundamental shift in elite squad construction. The addition of Bruno Guimarães eliminates single-point-of-failure vulnerabilities—specifically insuring against extended absences to Declan Rice—and elevates Arsenal from title contenders to undisputed pace-setters.
  • Manchester City’s Rodri Dependency: Jamie Carragher’s refusal to back Manchester City for the title stems from a severe structural vulnerability: the physical absence of Rodri. Without the Spanish midfielder anchoring Pep Guardiola’s rest-defense and spatial distribution, City's systemic stability suffers a catastrophic drop, rendering them incapable of sustaining title-winning points pace.
  • The European Tax and Chelsea’s Domestic Arbitrage: Neville outlined a compelling calendar arbitrage thesis for Chelsea under Xabi Alonso. Unburdened by midweek European travel, Chelsea’s streamlined ~45-game domestic schedule allows an elite central core—featuring Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer, João Pedro, and £120m signing Morgan Rogers—to amass points through physical freshness and tactical continuity.
  • The Premier League’s Macro Talent Drain: Carragher highlighted a troubling reality regarding global talent distribution. Following the departures of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, top-tier global superstars increasingly favor continental institutions like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain. This drain risks pushing the Premier League toward physical transition play and set-piece reliance over elite flare creativity.
  • Managerial Transition and Quality Compression: Both analysts identified a temporary reduction in the overall standard of top-four pursuers compared to the peak 2017–2022 era. As the league transitions from legendary figures like Jürgen Klopp to emerging strategists like Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola, and Michael Carrick, clubs below Arsenal are navigating volatile structural rebuilds marked by defensive insecurity and technical inconsistency.

Through this analytical lens, the broadcast exposed a league undergoing systemic recalibration: an elite frontrunner operating with clinical depth engineering, surrounded by historic heavyweights wrestling with talent depletion, tactical transition, and physical fatigue.

2. Context & Background: The Landscape Leading to This Conversation

To fully grasp the significance of Neville and Carragher's predictions, one must examine the macro-tactical evolution of English football over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2022, the Premier League experienced an unprecedented era of managerial excellence. The simultaneous presence of Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, and Antonio Conte raised the tactical, technical, and physical requirements of title contention to historical heights. Achieving 90-plus points became the mandatory benchmark for domestic glory, demanding near-flawless squad depth, relentless high-pressing, and pristine positional discipline.

However, the contemporary landscape reflects a distinct transitional epoch. Mikel Arteta, who entered the managerial sphere as an apprentice under Guardiola, has completed his ascension to league master. His Arsenal side now demonstrates the pragmatic control, set-piece dominance, and spatial compactness characteristic of prime title winners. Conversely, their direct rivals are navigating structural realignments. Liverpool post-Klopp, Manchester City managing squad fatigue after multi-year trophy cycles, and Manchester United rebuilding under Michael Carrick all exhibit varying degrees of tactical vulnerability.

Compounding this managerial transition is the intensifying calendar crisis. The expansion of continental tournaments and international fixtures has placed an unprecedented physical load on elite squads. The distinction between teams enduring 60-game multi-front campaigns and those operating on single-game weekly cycles has emerged as the primary variable in domestic performance forecasting. Historical precedents—such as Liverpool’s 2013-14 title charge under Brendan Rodgers or Manchester United's domestic spurts during non-European seasons—demonstrate that calendar relief can effectively offset structural squad deficiencies.

Neville’s backing of Chelsea is anchored precisely in this calendar arbitrage. In an era where physical marginal gains decide top-four finishes, freedom from midweek European travel represents an immense competitive advantage. When combined with the fan survey data presented during the broadcast—where only Arsenal supporters expressed total conviction in winning the league—it is evident that both analytical metrics and fan sentiment recognize Arsenal's distinct structural advantage over a resetting division.

3. Deep-Dive Thematic Breakdown

3.1 Arsenal’s Structural Hegemony and Risk Mitigation Engineering

Arsenal's emergence as clear title favorites is not merely an organic continuation of previous form; it is the deliberate outcome of risk-mitigation squad engineering. In prior campaigns, Arsenal’s title ambitions suffered heavy blows whenever core central figures experienced mid-season injuries. Gary Neville emphasized how Arsenal’s recent transfer strategy directly eliminates these single points of failure. The marquee acquisition of Bruno Guimarães provides an elite double-pivot operator who can seamlessly partner with or step in for Declan Rice.

"If Declan Rice gets injured for three months, that would be a risk to Arsenal. The signing of Bruno Guimarães removes that risk." — Gary Neville

By bringing in a proven Premier League midfielder in his prime rather than relying on unproven youth development bets, Arsenal have insured their central spine against physical attrition. Guimarães brings high duel-winning volume, progressive ball distribution, and tactical adaptability. Combined with defensive additions like Solís and existing defensive leaders, Arteta has built a squad capable of absorbing severe injury setbacks without compromising their defensive transitions or control-oriented style of play.

3.2 Manchester City’s Rodri Dependency and Squad Attrition

Jamie Carragher’s analytical reluctance to select Manchester City for the title stems from a single, non-negotiable factor: the structural absence of Rodri. In Pep Guardiola’s complex tactical framework, the central defensive midfielder functions as the load-bearing pillar. Rodri dictates tempo, breaks up opposition counter-attacks through flawless rest-defense positioning, and provides spatial security for City’s attacking midfielders.

"Without Rodri, I just can't see [Manchester City winning the league]." — Jamie Carragher

Without Rodri, City's defensive transition structure loses its baseline stability. Secondary replacements, while technically gifted, lack Rodri’s physical presence, aerial dominance, and intuitive positional awareness. When combined with squad fatigue from consecutive title campaigns and the league-wide departures of iconic creators like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, City face an uphill challenge to sustain the points-per-game average required to overhaul a fully stocked Arsenal team.

3.3 The European Tax and Chelsea’s Domestic Arbitrage

The debate surrounding Chelsea highlighted the profound performance gap created by European competition. Gary Neville posited that Chelsea’s absence from European football acts as a force multiplier for manager Xabi Alonso. Operating on a ~45-game domestic schedule enables Chelsea to conduct comprehensive tactical coaching sessions throughout full training weeks, maintain high physical pressing intensity, and reduce squad muscle injuries.

"Chelsea have got no European football, and I think that if they keep Enzo and Caicedo in midfield with that front three, and they're only playing 45 games, they're going to amass an enormous amount of points." — Gary Neville

At the heart of Chelsea’s tactical setup is the elite double pivot of Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, supporting an explosive attacking unit featuring Cole Palmer, João Pedro, Noni Madueke, and £120m signing Morgan Rogers. Neville argued that this front-five central core rivals any attacking unit in English football. However, both pundits acknowledged that Chelsea’s title credentials remain contingent on Xabi Alonso securing decisive transfer authority to resolve persistent defensive vulnerabilities and goalkeeper unreliability before the transfer window closes.

3.4 Liverpool in Transition: The Van Dijk Aging Curve and Jacquet’s Dawn

Jamie Carragher’s evaluation of Liverpool provided a sophisticated breakdown of an elite backline in transition under Andoni Iraola. Central to his analysis was the evolving tactical role of Virgil van Dijk. Historically, Van Dijk operated as an omnipotent defensive anchor who elevated partner center-backs like Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, and Ibrahima Konaté by an estimated 15 to 20 percent through his supreme recovery pace and aerial dominance.

"I think we're at the stage now where Virgil van Dijk, for me, as an individual, will still be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but he's going to need help and he's not at the stage where I think he can look after other people." — Jamie Carragher

Carragher explained that while Van Dijk remains a world-class individual defender, the natural physical aging curve dictates that he can no longer cover for partner errors across large spaces. This reality elevates the importance of young center-back Jacquet. Impressing with his spatial poise, composure under pressure, and clean passing out from the back, Jacquet breaks the classic archetype of gangly young defenders. His ability to hold his own zone independently is vital as Liverpool manage Van Dijk’s contract final year and adapt to Iraola’s aggressive defensive scheme.

3.5 The Premier League’s Macro Talent Drain & Tactical Homogenization

One of the most profound editorial points raised by Carragher concerned the macro-level talent drain impacting English football. Despite the Premier League's unmatched financial power, top-tier global superstars are increasingly gravitating toward continental giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.

"The best players in the world unfortunately still don't come to the Premier League. We've had some great players and we've lost two absolute superstars in Salah and Kevin De Bruyne." — Jamie Carragher

Carragher illustrated this trend by noting that during the recent World Cup semi-finals featuring Argentina, England, Spain, and France, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers was the sole Premier League attacking player to start. This stat highlights a growing concern: if English football loses its creative flare players—such as Florian Wirtz—the league risks devolving into a hyper-physical product dominated by athletic transitions, duel intensity, and set-piece schemes rather than individual technical artistry.

3.6 The Battle for Europe: Carrick’s United, Post-Klopp Liverpool, and Spurs’ Spending Dilemma

The push for Champions League qualification reveals a tightly clustered group of mid-tier contenders battling structural transitions. Neville and Carragher found it virtually impossible to separate Manchester United and Liverpool in fourth and fifth position. United, under Michael Carrick, must balance their return to European football with an ongoing squad rebuild. Neville candidly admitted that securing fourth place alongside a domestic cup trophy would represent an outstanding campaign for Carrick, acknowledging the physical and mental demands of European travel.

Conversely, Tottenham Hotspur present a financial spending paradox. Despite significant capital investment in high-profile attacking signings like Savinho and Omar Marmoush, Neville expressed strong reluctance to back Spurs for a top-six finish. Citing distrust in Spurs' defensive spine and overall squad balance, Neville preferred structured, well-coached projects like Brighton or Newcastle United, reinforcing the principle that heavy spending without structural stability rarely translates to reliable domestic performance.

4. Speaker Perspectives & Analytical Contrast

The ongoing dynamic between Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football offers a compelling contrast in football analytical methodologies. Neville operates primarily as a macro-structural strategist, evaluating squad depth, calendar congestion, physical load, and psychological endurance. Carragher functions as a technical and tactical analyst, dissecting individual positional profiles, aging curves, structural balance, and macro-industry recruitment trends.

Their contrasting predictions for the season illustrate these distinct analytical philosophies:

Analytical Dimension Gary Neville Jamie Carragher
Champion Pick Arsenal (100% conviction, citing depth & risk removal) Arsenal (Agrees, citing City's post-Rodri vulnerability)
2nd Place Pick Chelsea (Cites 45-game schedule & European absence) Manchester City (Cites systemic baseline superiority)
3rd / 4th Battle Man City 3rd, Man United 4th (Transparent fan optimism) Chelsea 3rd, Liverpool 4th (Distrusts Chelsea's backline)
Core Analytical Focus Calendar load, physical attrition, squad insurance (Bruno) Single-player dependencies (Rodri), defender aging curves (Van Dijk)
Strategic Blindspots Overestimates domestic calendar edge; emotional United bias Underestimates impact of European midweek travel fatigue

Neville’s decision to place Chelsea second relies heavily on the physical freshness derived from a single-game weekly schedule under Xabi Alonso. He analyzes squad construction through the lens of endurance and risk mitigation, best demonstrated by his focus on Bruno Guimarães as insurance against a Declan Rice injury. Carragher, by contrast, places greater emphasis on proven defensive stability and goalkeeper quality, causing him to hesitate on Chelsea despite their formidable attacking talent.

Additionally, their exchange regarding crowd hostility toward players like Enzo Fernández offered sharp psychological insight. While external media often treat fan hostility as a negative distraction, both former players agreed that away-ground antagonism frequently reflects opponent respect and tactical concern, serving as motivation for elite performers rather than a structural hindrance.

5. Strategic & Industry Implications

The insights generated during this podcast episode extend well beyond immediate match predictions; they reflect fundamental shifts in elite football governance, squad assembly, and broadcasting media.

Key strategic implications for the sport include:

  • Risk-Mitigation Squad Engineering: Arsenal’s strategic investment in prime Premier League talent like Bruno Guimarães marks a clear shift away from purely speculative player development. Modern title contenders must build immediate positional redundancy into core central areas to survive grueling domestic and continental schedules.
  • Calendar Arbitrage as a Tactical Resource: Clubs operating outside European competitions are increasingly leveraging single-game weeks to gain a competitive edge over multi-front rivals. Unburdened by midweek travel, managers can implement detailed tactical periodization and maintain superior physical pressing metrics.
  • The Managerial Authority Mandate: Sustainable long-term success requires total alignment between executive recruitment and managerial vision. Xabi Alonso’s insistence on controlling transfer decisions at Chelsea highlights a growing demand among modern elite managers for final veto power over squad recruitment.
  • Broadcasting & Analytical Evolution: The sophistication of the MNF debate illustrates the growing audience demand for high-level tactical and statistical analysis. Television punditry has shifted from basic emotional commentary to nuanced evaluations of rest-defense structures, physical load dynamics, and macro-economic talent shifts.

6. Looking Ahead: Unresolved Questions & Next Milestones

As the transfer deadline approaches and the opening phase of the domestic campaign unfolds, several critical metrics and developmental milestones will decide whether Neville and Carragher's predictions hold true:

  • Final Transfer Window Moves: Will Chelsea secure a reliable goalkeeper and central defender to fortify Xabi Alonso’s project? Can Arsenal finalize an additional forward acquisition to complete their attacking rotation?
  • Rodri’s Recovery and City’s Points Variance: What will be Manchester City's exact points-per-game drop-off during Rodri’s absence, and can Pep Guardiola adapt his rest-defense framework to keep pace with Arsenal?
  • Chelsea’s Early Domestic Points Accumulation: Can Xabi Alonso capitalize on Chelsea’s favorable domestic calendar to build an early points cushion before European group stages begin draining their top-four rivals?
  • Liverpool’s Defensive Stability under Iraola: How effectively will the Jacquet-Van Dijk center-back partnership perform under high-pressing demands, and will Liverpool resolve Van Dijk’s contract situation before it creates off-field noise?
  • Carrick’s European Balancing Act: Can Michael Carrick successfully manage Manchester United's Thursday-Sunday European schedule while sustaining a consistent top-four push against Liverpool and Tottenham?

The answers to these questions will define the narrative of the 2026-27 season. For now, Arsenal stand firmly at the top—a meticulously engineered squad poised to capitalize on a Premier League in structural transition.

💬 Key Quotes & Speaker Breakdown

Premier League title race

"A hundred percent Arsenal. I know when we say this, Arsenal fans think that it was somehow sort of applying pressure to them, but they're way out in front. They really are right now."

— Gary Neville

Premier League talent drain

"The best players in the world unfortunately still don't come to the Premier League. We've had some great players and we've lost two absolute superstars in Salah and Kevin De Bruyne."

— Jamie Carragher

Manchester City squad analysis

"Without Rodri, I just can't see [Manchester City winning the league]."

— Jamie Carragher

Premier League quality

"The teams that are below Arsenal right now are of a standard that has been as low as we've seen probably in the last six, seven years."

— Jamie Carragher

Virgil van Dijk form

"I think we're at the stage now where Virgil van Dijk, for me, as an individual, will still be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but he's going to need help and he's not at the stage where I think he can look after other people."

— Jamie Carragher

Chelsea's top four prospects

"Chelsea have got no European football, and I think that if they keep Enzo and Caicedo in midfield with that front three, and they're only playing 45 games, they're going to amass an enormous amount of points."

— Gary Neville

Arsenal transfer strategy

"If Declan Rice gets injured for three months, that would be a risk to Arsenal. The signing of Bruno Guimarães removes that risk."

— Gary Neville

Managerial prospects

"If Xabi Alonso gets the recruitment right and he sorts the defence and the goalkeeper out, he could be the emerging manager out of that five that are below Mikel Arteta... he could be the next one to win the league."

— Gary Neville

Manchester United transfer policy

"I think United had to make a decision to sort of remove themselves from the [Bruno] Guimarães and [Sandro] Tonali deals. I think they're good players, but they were massive fees."

— Jamie Carragher

Relegation battle

"I've not got the faith that I had last season. I'm going to go for the three promoted teams to go down."

— Gary Neville
📜 View Full Episode Verbatim Transcript 34,623 characters
Foul ball is back on Sky Sports and you can stream it on now with 1,500 matches this season from the Premier League, WSL, the EFL and the Scottish Premiership. You can stream in minutes and with flexible plans, you can have it your way. Now that is world class. Streams Sky Sports on now today. 18-plus UK-only, broadband 2.5 megabits per second required full-time supply. And it is indeed prediction time on Monday night football, but before we hear from Gary and Jamie on their picks, we're actually going to take you to what the fans think is likely for them this season. So remember, these are fans voting on their own clubs and we've taken as an average where they see their finishing position and only Arsenal fans think they will win the league with Manchester City in second place. Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea fans all think their team is likely to finish third with Villa 5th, Spurs fans feeling bullish. I should say that this was before the weekend that people were voting. So Spurs is 6, 81 percent think that. Brentford to build on last season with a seventh place finish, Boris climbing up to eighth Bournemouth and Everton, ninth and leads into the top half in tenth. So what about the bottom? Well, the good news is that no one's getting relegated this season. But that was the same as last year. Nobody thought they were going down last year either. And unfortunately, three did. So, all the fans think they will finish 17th, commentary nips which both have themselves at 16th with Sunland Newcastle, Brighton, Fullham and Crystal Palace making out that bottom half. I'm surprised by Brighton actually. I thought Brighton fans might be a bit more optimistic than that. But Sunland and Newcastle tied in 11th. We will see they'll be fighting for position all year no doubt. So, Arsenal to be champion, say the Arsenal fans, what do Jamie and Gary think? And we didn't make them vote before the weekend. We've let them watch all the football across the weekend to see if anything would change. So, let's start with the champions. Jamie, who are you going for? Yeah, I mean, a few weeks ago, I thought City might have had a chance, maybe, because I thought Arsenal might be thinking a lot about the Champions League and City would be desperate to get that trophy back. But it was all around Rodgerie. I think of Rodgerie, Stadek, had maybe made a case for them. But without Rodger, I just can't see. Gary? A hundred percent Arsenal. I know when we say this, Arsenal fans think that it was somehow sort of, but applying pressure to them, but they're way out in front. They really are right now. And the squad that they've sort of assembled, the signings, the concert, and Gimeraish and Solis, and maybe one more coming in the next week at what squad they are. If they didn't get that one more, would you be hedging your bets a little bit? No, I think they're fine. I mean, they've got still loads of options in forward areas. I know that Jamie makes a good point of finding out about them, got the one with the Stardas, but if they get the one with the Stardas, then they're just going to be further ahead. But I think with what they've got already now in defence and in midfield, with the sort of good attackers that they've got of a really good standard, then they're fine. All right, so who's finishing second, third and fourth? Who's getting closest to Arsenal? We've got a little bit of variation. So Jamie's gone city to be second with Chelsea and Liverpool. Gary's gone Chelsea second with city and guess who? You're knighting. So first of all, Gary, you think Chelsea and next best, why? Just purely because of the fact that they've got no European football, and I think that if it's a bit, if they keep Enzo, and they can keep Enzo and Casseroan midfield with that front three, and they're only playing 45 games, and they can play in the carabal cup the rest of the squad players, they're going to amass an enormous amount of points based upon the fact that they're going to have a more three weeks, not have the injury pressures, they're not going to have the travelling that comes with European football, and the sort of mental fatigue that comes with that, and I just think they'll just edge pass managed to city. I felt that you were tinkering between city and Chelsea as next best. I wasn't quite, listen, man, city are better than Chelsea, but as Gary said, the European factor can play a huge part, we saw Manchester United last season, you go back maybe 10-50, I don't know how long it is now, we're Brendan Rogers, Liverpool almost one of the really tight, that was on the back of not having European football, so it gives them a big, big lift, Chelsea. I'm like that, and just I think probably at the last moment I haven't watched them tight, even though they've won, I mean the goalkeeper, and some of the issues they had at the back as well I'd say, yeah, yeah, I'd just pick, go for Manchester City. Why do Manchester United have the advantage over Liverpool? Look, do you want me to be honest? Yes. I can't separate United and Liverpool in fourth place, I genuinely have no idea. Have you ever told me you've changed the four times of the weekend? So after the United played, he changed it to Liverpool. No, I've never pulled play something like that. But a couple of weeks ago, I had United in third, I didn't have Chelsea where they were, but as it just, you sort of get nearer to the season, you start to look at the squad and you start to think about it, you think about Chelsea, and the fact they've got no European football, that'll give them a big edge, I think City are in a better position than United. Look, at the moment, I'm not convinced by United, all of Liverpool really, but I do think they'll finish fourth and fifth, I've just gone United fourth, just purely because I'm a United fan. Would that be success, do you think? I would take fourth place now in a cup. Did you think the truth would? I think they would, because I mean to cope with European football, the big question at the end of last season was, can Manchester United, can Michael Carrick do this when they've got European football? So to finish fourth with European football and maybe do well in a cup, that would be a fantastic season, I think. And that's not being defeated, that's just where we're at right now. You had lots more questions about Liverpool after your analysis earlier on Jamie. Would fourth be reasonable for Andoni Eriola first time round? I think, I think these want more, but I think just looking at the sort of the Chelsea situation, Liverpool where they are right now, the transfer window's got a week to go, who knows what's going to happen in the next week, it could maybe change it to you and maybe say could they sneak into the top three, but I don't see any way they'd be in the top two and I don't see any way they can mount a title challenge show. A little bit of what Gary's just said there, if you said to me, now as a Liverpool fan, you'll have Champions League football or, you know, you've been the top four or five and you could win a cup at shake on that right now. How far have you got Liverpool ahead of Manchester United then? One place? He's not that confident. One place, there we go. I mean, watching the Liverpool on Sunday was worried watching it, but... I didn't even worry watching Manchester United at all. David, we're being honest. The teams that are below Arsenal right now are of a standard that has been as low as we've seen probably in the last, probably six, seven years. Let's be clear, if we're being honest, but do you think any of these things are actually ready? I mean, post-World Cup, with the transfer window still open. We've had some of the best managers in the world in the last seven or eight, nine years in the Premier League, managing these clubs. We've got a lot of you managers. Michel Attetta's gone from being the apprentice in the last few years. Lots of questions about him and doubts. Now he's the master and obviously then there's old managers that are behind him in terms of sort of trying to prove themselves. So we're in a position of transition with the managers that are in these clubs, with the squads that these clubs have had and that they're not at the standard that we've seen in the last few years, but it makes it interesting. It makes it intriguing. They're all going to get beat. They're all going to beat each other. They're all going to lose points and drop points. And that's what we want in the Premier League. We don't want to be perfect. I think a good point to make is the best players in the world unfortunately still don't come to the Premier League. We've had some great players and we've lost two absolute superstars and that's a couple of years in Salah and Kevin De Bruyne. But in the main, we always know they go to Barcelona and Real Madrid that the Warriors, some of the top players now are at Bayern Munich. They're at Paris Saint-Germain. I go back to the World Cup semi-finals. I think of all of those four teams and they are the four top teams in the world. If you think of the attack and players for all of those teams, so Argentina, England, Spain and France, there was only Morgan Rodgers from the Premier League who started the semi-final. I thought that was a bit of a worry. But as Gary said, in the past, what's master is the managers? We haven't got those managers right now. And this is almost like going back to about 2015-16 when we had an influx of new managers, but those managers were Pep, Conte, Klopp. So a lot of teams have got new managers, but they're not at the level of those. They might go on to do that, but they're not big beasts. They're not sort of Champions League when as we haven't got that. Who knows what Shelby Alonso, for example, is going to grow into. But do you think the best attacking players, perhaps, as you're saying, don't come here because the physicality that this league has got right now? Well, that was tough. Yeah, listen, I did the newspaper article about Florian Veit. I know we've analysed him tonight, but my point was, at the weekend, was that Liverpool obviously desperate for them to succeed. But in some ways, the Premier League needs them to succeed. You know, we need those flare players. We need those attacking players. We don't want this league to be seen. That's probably it was a little bit last season of like power, set pieces, players like that can sort of come to fruition in the Premier League. Listen, he's got to do that himself, both. I think when you look at some of those players around, you're going to be playing for Bayern Munich, you're playing for PSG, you're playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona. It's probably a lot easier than playing the Premier League every week, probably a lot less competitive. And they're probably getting better numbers. Right, so where we've got to, we've got two, six. Remember what Spurs fans were saying. They are pretty confident. They are finishing six. Jamie agrees. Gary doesn't. Go on, Gary. Yeah, this was a late change. Did you have Spurs there originally then? No, I had Brighton six. They're Brighton as you've been saying for a long weekend. Even though they know that in Europe, it's easy. I've never got a lot of stuff they've got to say from your castle to London. They do very well. Let me make it easy for you then. Why don't you think Spurs will finish top six? I don't trust them yet. I don't think that, sometimes you look at that Spurs going, you think I'd have to spend a lot of money and I was over the summer thinking quite exciting for Spurs fans. They finally splashing the cast, but then I look at the team and I think, where's it all gone? And maybe they have to sign the players this weekend. I think that'll happen and that'll strengthen them. Savino and Mahmouche. And that'll make them a lot better, but I just don't know whether they'll pull it together. And that's the question. So I know Brighton are a good unit. They're reliable, they're consistent. And I think Brentford and Brighton and I could have put Brentford in there as well, by the way. I think those two teams this season may just get in there because they're consistent. And they know what they're doing and they're good well-drilled. And a well-organised well-drilled team, I think will be a team of talented players who, to be fair, are still trying to find the way. Yep, they could force their way into the conference league. They're not quite there yet. Brighton, one to keep an eye on. European contenders. Gary has put Spurs in that category. Brentford, who missed out on gold difference last season, Jamie, what this tells us is that you think they're here to stay effectively? Yeah, I've been really impressed with what Keith Andrews has done at Brentford last season. A lot of people say, and they may be something in it, that when you manage in a club like Brentford, which is so well-run behind the scenes and the hierarchy, it makes it easier for the manager. Of course, it does probably, it does make it easier, but watching them this weekend, watching them last season, all the talk this summer feels like space of almost being the big name in town, basically, all summer. And to beat them the way they did, and of course, when you talk about what it seemed like, like a Brighton, they have got European football. This season, Brentford haven't. So I think that will be a big plus point for them. And that's why I went for Spurs in six, because it's not just not playing the games. Surely, it means you won't have a lot less injuries as well, when you haven't got European football. So, you know, you can normally keep your team together solid. We have to weaken there. Yeah, I really like love watching them play. I'm for me. That was the best performance of the weekend, Brentford. But Assembilla, of course, who are playing the Champions League this season, nowhere to be seen in those. What's going on there? Look to that team yesterday that Unai Emery had to field in the substitute bench. And I've got a lot of love for Assembilla and Unai Emery. What's going on? I remember they had a really slow start to last season as well. No, I know. Not this is very different Dave. You know, when you think about what's gone, what's left, Ludinia, Telemann's, Rodgers, Conzer, maybe Ollie Watkins. That squad's been obliterated of its experience. I'll talk about him in Martin. There's a massive personality, by the way. I don't underestimate the value that he has. And then how are they going to even think to compete? Look, Unai Emery is an unbelievable culture. He gets the best out of teams. But I'm really worried for Villa. I don't know what's going on. The average age was also 29 for Assembilla last year. So did it need some surgery at some point? Listen, there's always this talk, isn't there around the PSR with Assembilla? No, I don't know. Frustrate the supporters and they get ripped apart. And then they look at Spares finishing 17, two years running. And they're going to spend it 100 million on tonnally. So it must be a frustration for them. And whether these rules in the future will be tweaked or changed or whatever it may be. But it does feel like teams like I haven't probably even Newcastle in the last couple of years. And Assembilla looks at a certain point and you just can't go any further. All right, we're about relegation clubs. Gary, do you see any of the promoted sides surviving? I hope that one of them or two of them stay up. I've not got the faith that I had last season. And the last season, if you remember the first weekend of the season, we did leads, game, didn't we against Everton? It was really positive. And then obviously Sunderland, we saw them beat West Ham. And I just thought there's no way they're going down Sunderland. But I just have I mean, what's what I've seen this weekend as I'm going to go for the three relegated tea, sorry, three promoted teams to go down. But I do think I'm not going to go too early on my relegation risk. But watching for them tonight, that's a risk. That's a big risk. Young players splitting you centre backs like that, being open. We'll know a little bit more after they go to Sunderland next weekend to see if they had that. But you've gone Sunderland down by the way. Wow. Yeah, gone. I'll be going in for that. I don't see that. But I mean, if you did, you would have done it. No, but where's that come from? Well, the fact that they've got your opinion football. So going to be there's a lot of positive. Pardon? There's a positive. Well, we'll go factor. Well, they're going to be doing a lot of Thursdays Sunday. And I think I think it would be, I think Sunderland last season reminded me a little bit of Sheffield United and Chris Wilde, where they came up and they had a really brilliant season, finished high up the table. But a lot of the games, like Sunderland, where you win by the odd gommencing to look, but sometimes you just win by the odd goal. I always think it seemed then if they start flipping the other way and you maybe lose it by the odd goal. And it's very little in the performance. And when you're going to run the line numbers last season, their underlying numbers were pretty add them not far away from relegation. And I just think with the European football, I think that could be a problem for them. Yeah, and look, it's unfair to judge Coventry on Friday night because they're playing as the best team by a mile. And that was a horrific start for them in terms of a fixture. So I won't judge that. And likewise, Hullard, just a massive experience beating Manchester United, I won't pay too much attention to that. And the Ipswich win against Sunderland's is a long way to go. But I just, yeah, I couldn't get to any of the three teams. I think that Fulham and Palace are the ones that I think I'd be most worried about. I'm not that concerned about Sunderland right now as I sit here. But go on then, let's have a look at relegation risks. And I had Fulham before this game. Oh, sorry. I really forgot to nail it down. So you're right. I think those two are the ones that I would have picked. And to be fair, I was moving between. I picked Fulham this morning before this game tonight. That's not a late change. Obviously, young manager, young forwards, lost all their goals. All the hallmarks of risk is there with Fulham. And Crystal Palace added to that, miss. They haven't had a great preseason. That hasn't gone particularly well, Fulham. They lost the first game at Everton, which to be fair, they were actually very unlucky. When you actually looked at chances, they had no fear of it too, I think. Yeah, they probably said they've got something from the game. They've still kept at them warm. It was, you know, probably the, you know, the best player. So he's not there for that. No, he's not going to go anywhere. But then I go back to the European football again. They're going to go into the Europa League as well. And all they've done Europe last season. But new manager, new in the Premier League, lost a few players still in Europe. Yeah, I probably go crack Crystal Palace that I was scared. So you go in Crystal Palace and go on Crystal Palace, safe Fulham off. Thank you. Okay. Top scorer. Let's see if there's any surprises. No. Well done, Erling. Congratulations. Do you like his new hacker? I love it. It's good, isn't it? My mum doesn't like it. What was he doing yesterday with that mischance? Did you not see it? Yeah, I did feel it. He didn't know what he was going to do. He's power. I just, I was one of them. He's just, yeah, he's a stunning one, that impact signing. Jamie's gone Fernandez of Spurs, presumably. Yeah, I really like, oh, sorry, I really liked him last season at West Ham. And I thought, to be honest, I thought my new man, I thought I might be another few teams in four, really, I need to go to better team and spares and teams of Spurs were 17 last season. I'm probably looking to get top six, I thought maybe someone a little bit high would have taken them. They wanted him. I mean, I think United wanted Bolton Ali. I'm Fernandez, but I think the money was rising at such a level and the wage rise at such a level that they just bowed out similarly to Anderson. I think the fee was big also. I think he wanted to go to City. So, but I think United, what did all those three players, but they just decided that, I think United Canada for the big boys no more. But I think the problem with United was the, because of, I mean, I'm not saying that they would have relied on a Guarti, but because Guarti gets injured, they didn't end up in a situation where they've got one midfield player. So, they need three. So, let's say you've got 150 million and 60 million for three, if you blow 95 million on one, you're not going to get the other two that you need. So, I think United had to make a decision to sort of remove themselves from the Fernandez and Tanalis. I think they're good players, but they were massive fees. What do you think the impact of Bruno Gimmar? I should ask, still will be there. I think it's the best signing by a mile. It's a shame he wasn't playing Friday, wasn't it? Yeah, I think it's the best signing by a mile. The one risk that Arsenal have. If you take a player out of Arsenal's team anywhere, probably Raya is the one, the other one, but in the outfield parts of the pitch, there isn't a drop-off between the first and second choice anywhere apart from Declam Rice. There's a massive drop-point Declam Rice moves out of the team. So, if Declam Rice gets injured for three months, that would be a risk to Arsenal. The signing of him removes that risk. He is a massive personality, different player than Declam Rice, but you talk about the personality and character on the pitch. We talk about no players, you've got massive personality and character. He is a brilliant personality and character. He believes he can win every single football match for his team. He believes he can tackle. He's aggressive. He's somebody he'd won alongside you. I think he's an amazing sign. And by the way, 75 million compared to some of the others that have gone for more is value, I think, in this market. Is he getting a close to the Asian team? Wow. He's 20-eight. He's interesting, because I've spent money on a couple of 28-year-olds. He's 28 before he's 29. He's 28, but what he says is old. He's 18. He's 28. He's 18. What's he signing the player? You're not getting that money back, are you? But what I'm saying to you, we're not talking about replacing Declam Rice here. You don't talk about a 21-year-old. You talk about a player who can go into that team in the best... You don't want to win the Champions League in the Premier League. That's where Arsenal want to be. You can't bring a 21-year-old in our 20-year-old into replace Declam Rice. You've got to bring someone in who's ready. So, you know, Manchester United, over the years, they signed some experience players at times to be able to cope with the demands. You're certainly sharing them at the age of 32-33 as a third and fourth striker. No, he didn't. You're a 30-one. 31. You're a 30-one. You're a 30-one. You're a 30-one. I know he'll be a 30-one player. You can't replace Canton now with a 21-year-old or a 15-year-old. You've got to put... My point is, you sign experience players sometimes to replace. Players who you know and... I'm sure a little bit of people may sign the experience midfield player this week, James. I'm mainly an experienced fallback option. I think I have them two wingers playing at fallback. I'm over-talking about it. Full stop, James. OK, players to watch. Jamie, who've you gone for? Jacquet. Yeah. It's in your future. Yeah, he's played one Premier League game. He's only won... played one pre-season game for Liverpool. And he... He's looked really good in both games. But you know, sometimes when you look at a player and they just look at the path. It could be any position, so I'm just saying, a centre-fold or a midfield player, and just think he looks good. So you think he's... He can almost envision him being good. So he looks the path and the reason I'm picking him as well as they want to watch is because I think this is the first season where a player alongside Van Dyche is going to have to play his own game and at times look after Van Dyche. I think we're at the stays now where Veerje Van Dyche, for me, as an individual, will still be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but he's going to need help and he's not at the stage where I think he can look after other people. So when you think of Joe Gomez, you think of Matterp, you think of Canata playing alongside Veerje Van Dyche, I think they all looked 15, 20% better than they actually are because they were playing alongside him. I don't think that's going to be the case with this lad. Are you starting to imagine a life without Veerje Van Dyche? Yeah, I think. The references age earlier as well. Yeah, but I just think it might be interesting because I think his contacts so he's obviously going to arrive here and he's evidently so. I'll live a pool with Veerje. I think it's probably, they wouldn't know now, see how he helps Jack out, he's got Leone coming through as well and they probably buy someone next somewhere I was imagining, but it'd be interesting to see what happens with Van Dyche in 12 months' time. I was really impressed with Jack out there. I think you can spot a young defender who's got the balance and the poise and the way in which he passes the ball to just set up, but sometimes you see a young defender and the wiry, the gang that's like their arms aren't connected to the hips and to the legs, it's all like they're all over the place and they haven't got the balance on the pitch, but he just looked like he was totally in control. Look, he'll make mistakes, he's young, but I really like the look of him. It takes a lot for me to say that about a young defender. He looks like he's got a good thing going there. What do you think Morgan Rogers could develop into as your player to watch? Well, look, just the fee and when you're 120 million pound player, we've seen the way in which Jamie's spoken about votes earlier on today. You've got to hit numbers, you've got to be 12, 15 goals, you've got to be 10, 12 assists, or else you're going to come into pressure. And this is, to me, we all sort of went, we know he's a good player, Morgan Rogers, we'd all like him at our clubs, we'd love him at United, you'd love him at Liverpool, but you're think 120 million. Wow, but I think that, to me, he's the player to watch because I think if he can deliver this season for Chelsea, they can get it, they can go and push Arsenal. Should we change the predictions? No, no, no, no, tonight to be fair, I think what we thought earlier on in the week or what we thought in the last couple of weeks about Chelsea, we saw tonight what it was, and that's without ends off in Anna's own casino, I think incredible players in the fantastic midfield so you've got them two in midfield, you have them three up front, you're going to do a lot of damage because that's a fantastic front five is, I mean, would it be a front five, would that front five be the best front five in the league? Cassado Fernandez, Rodgers and Palmer and Jal Pedro, if you saw Arsenal with, you know, Madweki or Sacker or Havots, and then you've got the boys Solis, and then you've also got Declanise in midfield with say, I'm trying to think Lewis Kelly, I think you'd go for Chelsea's front five, over most in the league, but the defence and the goalkeeper is not at the level of Arsenal's orcities maybe. They're just due to this question still hanging over into Fernandez, who got a lovely reception from Fulham fans tonight, I mean, actually got difficult reception from Chelsea fans a couple of weeks ago, how crucial is it that Chelsea keep him, do you think, or should they actually catch him? They have to keep him, he's a brilliant football player, a brilliant player, and just something, I used to get booed at times at away grounds, I'm sure you did as well, I think that the idea of being booed is a sensational thing, it means that you are really a, it doesn't mean that you're on popular with him, he does. But what it actually means is, no, fans don't boo players who they don't care about. They're booing of course of the agency, you know, but they also booing, because they also booing, because of the fact that he's he's a bit of a, I can't use that word, kind of. Well, you used to get caught. Yeah, what I'm saying is you can be a bit of a, well done for self-sensory, you can rile people up, and you can wind people up, and you can get people going, and that's a personality, that's a character, that's someone who, to be fair, has got something about, and so I, I don't see being booed by Fulham fans has been a negative, I think that's a massive problem. What are the years of Fulham fans sing to you? The levels can play for you. Did you think the booing would stop when you retire? Oh no. I think I'll put the only blog in history to get booed into my whole Fulham. The cal, the cal, the cal, the cal, me into my Fulham fans. Well, I finished on managing to watch, and again, we're looking at a positive lens on this. You've got a, you've got a little thing, a little twinkle in your eye for the new castle boss, right, I stayed in Newcastle last night. You just asked me a question, and he asked me a question, and I'm just saying that, I'm just saying that. You've got twerk under water, I'm just saying that, to be fair, I'll let you talk for the first hour and a half. I'm only asking you these predictions, you will let me out once a year, I'll let you out. But he came in, he had something to eat in the restaurant that we were chatting with him. No, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't just let him relax, and he said, it's interesting, you watch your manager walking, and you think he said, he must be so gutty just to have concede that goal in the 96th minute, but he was a good day for him. Anyway, carry on. Not even yesterday, I've just seen a couple of of the press conference he's seen, he's only young, but he's got that little twinkle in his eye, I think it'd be a fiery character in the Premier, I like that with managers, he was a bit like Shaap and on the front foot with the, you know, the lads on the, I think it was Daniel and Michael yesterday, wasn't it? In a good way, and I was just about always coming to Newcastle, huge football club, putting that performance yesterday, but I think he's got a, I think he's got something about him. So no Pep Guardiola, no Jürgen club anymore, could Javier Lanzo be one of those that rises up to fill that space? If he gets the recruitment right, and he keeps the players in those front areas, the pitch that I've just mentioned before, and he sorts the defence and the goalkeeper out, he could be the emerging manager out of that five that are below Michelate, that are trying to win the league, he could be the next one to win the league, and that's why I think this season's critical for him, because he's got a finished second or a good third, because if he, if he doesn't finish second or a good third this season, without Champions League football, with that squad that he's amassed, without European football, then there would be questions, but I actually believe that he will go and do it, but I'll be interested to see what he does in the next eight or nine days, and I throw back to what I said before, he's the manager of Chelsea, that means that he basically, I think, makes the final decision on transfers, on recruitment, it looks like he's sort of saying, you're not doing what you've been doing for the last three or four years, it comes through me, and I think if he goes and does one or two pieces of business in this next week or so, he's got to look after himself and demand that he gets that one or two players in this next week, and we know where those areas are. Can I just have one more one to watch? Go on. Will you? Okay, wear them trousers again. Why, why do you think I'm causing all that? I've done for a wide trousers for the first time in... Hey, do you think he thinks he's frank-weird? What you'll normally find is that Carol start wearing these not two or three years. No, I have to Jamie Reddap. Jamie Reddap for some more of them six months ago and he's had the little lot. Did he say before? What did he say tonight before the show? He said, I've been told the browns that I can't believe it. What's on the feet? I don't know. I went shopping. I went shopping on Saturday in London, this guy styled me. I tell you, I think they're pretty cool, you know. I tell you what, I like these. What are they, the bowling shoes? We have descended into first. Gary, shall we book you in now for the last one of the season in come back? Yeah, I was brought in for the last one of last season, but you kicked me out because you put a Patrick Viering because I asked the one the league. I'm happy to come in and do that. By the way, why have we not done who won the most points out of last year's predictions, which is what we normally do, because I actually won it again. Okay. I won it three years on the bounds. You do know that don't walk over. Yeah, I think Jamie's accepting it. Absolutely, knows. Yeah, but you're not seeing them falling down two seasons ago. Don't stop. And by the way, sunlight is amazing with the league this year. Thanks for listening to the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. Make sure you give us a follow so you don't miss an episode. See you next time. The EFL is back for a new season, and so too is the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast. Join me, Summian Growlin every Thursday when I'll be getting the views and opinions of Sky Sports as top-undits. We'll have all the latest news and talking points from the Championship League 1 and League 2 covered right the way through until the playoffs in May. That's the essential EFL podcast. Don't forget to give us a follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and don't forget you can also watch us on Sky TV or on YouTube.