Libero

Sunday sees the first Meeting of Manchester United and Manchester City of the season at the Etihad. On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and John Brewin look at the fixture and ask whether it is still one of the biggest in the Premier League calendar.The dynamic between the two clubs has been flipped in the last 15 years, with City now the dominant team of this era and United lurching from crisis. The fixture has lost its edge since its golden period between 2009 and 2013, when City were the rising force trying to topple Sir Alex Ferguson’s United.And while the local rivalry is a huge part of Premier League marketing, the question is whether a game like this can become a global product while still retaining its local appeal. Does it still matter in the same way?P1: (02:43)P2: (33:57)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Wilson, an esteemed football journalist and author known for his expertise in tactics and history, teams up with James Horncastle, a specialist in Italian football. They dive into the resurgence of tactical nuances, discussing man-marking versus zonal systems and how set-pieces are shaping modern coaching. The duo explores the evolution of football styles, debating if Pep Guardiola's influence marks the end of innovation or if the sport is rediscovering older strategies, balanced with modern techniques amid the evolving landscape.

He’s the greatest manager in Arsenal’s modern history and the Emirates a monument to his reinvention of the club. Arsene Wenger is one of the most influential figures of the Premier League era but also in French football from his time at Monaco, and is still involved in the game he loves as an employee of Fifa. But could he have won more in France and England? He never got to write his own epitaph with one more major triumph. Meanwhile, his Fifa role and closeness to certain forces within the game have gone against previously strong-held principles.Miguel Delany and Tariq Panja join John Brewin consider the enigma and legacy of Le Professeur.P1: (00:55)P2: (29:44)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's that you say? Every Libero squad member on one podcast? That's right, in order of appearance, Rory Smith, Jonathan Wilson, John Brewin, Miguel Delaney, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Tariq Panja and James Horncastle are here to talk about the most financially lubricated summer in football history - the Premier League's great (and late) spending splurge.We hear about what it's like to try and cover the flurry of transfer dealings on the last day of the window before discussing the driving forces behind the ever-increasing volume of moves, as well as how the power of the English pound reverberates across European football.Part one: (1:29)Part two: (12:27)Part three: (32:03)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United tenure reached a new low on Wednesday night as they were knocked out of the League Cup by Grimsby Town. Critics say he is too wedded to his 3-4-3 system, but has his ideological approach bought him more time than a more pragmatic manager would get?On today’s Libero, Rory Smith, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Wilson discuss Amorim’s struggles and the importance of having a philosophy in the modern game.English football has traditionally rejected abstract ideas but that looks to have changed over the last 10 years since Pep Guardiola’s arrival. Is it now possible to get a big job without a clear set of ideas? Or are we starting to see a turn back towards pragmatism through managers like Thomas Frank?Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The European club season is now underway, with the Champions League draw to follow on Thursday. James Horncastle and Miguel Delaney join John Brewin to discuss some of the key questions from the continent. The rest of Europe is taking some surprising decisions to keep up with the Premier League’s riches. Each of the so-called top-five leagues have taken different approaches. Can they work? Or are the major clubs now in control? Plus, some more logs are thrown on the PSR fire. Produced by: Tom BassamDISCLAIMER: Producer Tom experienced significant technical issues while editing this episode and as a result the audio quality is not up to the usual standard. We apologise profusely and will ensure a return to normal service for episode 048.Email in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The biggest story of this summer’s transfer window is Alexander Isak. The Newcastle United striker is so desperate for a move that he has not been training with Newcastle United, and on Tuesday night he finally went public about his desire to leave.On today’s Libero, Jonathan Wilson, Rory Smith and Jack Pitt-Brooke try to get to the bottom of the story of the summer. How outraged should we be by Isak’s conduct? Is he ‘on strike’, insulting the fans, or is he just playing one of the few cards available to him?This summer has shown how clubs treat players, whether Manchester United with their bomb squad, or Nottingham Forest denying Morgan Gibbs-White a move to Tottenham. So in that context does it make sense for a player to try to force his way out? And how can players claw back any power in the marketplace? Is the only route for them to stop signing long-term contracts when they are at the moment of maximum leverage?P1: (00:36)P2: (38:08)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the initialism on many people’s lips as the transfer window rages on. PSR, profit and sustainability rules: what are they good for? Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja join John Brewin to pick through the weeds of surrounding what is, in reality, a rather a dry financial regulation covering accountancy to stop clubs spending beyond their means. Though, of course, as it’s modern football, where self-interest rules, it can never be that simple. Can there really be such a thing as financial fair play? Are the scales weighted to serve established elite? Why can’t everybody spend what they want?P1: (00:59)P2: (34:15)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a chance that Manchester City's imperial era is over, and might Arsenal-Liverpool be what replaces it? As everyone - again - waits for 'the City case' to end, there are other new uncertainties about Pep Guardiola and his team, whereas we know much more about what the champions and Arsenal are about. Could this herald a new rivalry at the top? Have Arsenal done enough? Have Liverpool done too much? And what of world champions, Chelsea?P1: (03:46)P2: (40:37)Join the Libero Fantasy League: fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/hjjtc0 or via the code hjjtc0Produced by: Tom BassamEmail John with your Nectar point numbers at liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Wilson sets the new season’s agenda for Jack Pitt-Brooke and John Brewin ahead of Friday’s big kick-off. The title, the drop, the transfer market coming back in a big way and (30:17) the current trend for hulking No 9s are all discussed. Every team gets a mention. Well, apart from one. Can you guess who? Produced by: Tom BassamJoin the Libero Fantasy League: fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/hjjtc0 or via the code hjjtc0Email John with your Nectar point numbers at liberopodcast0@gmail.comFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices