The Game

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Jonathan Northcroft and James Gheerbrant ahead of another huge weekend of football. How will Liverpool, arguably with their most solid defensive structure since the days of Rafa Benitez, fare against Emery’s speedier, more dynamic Arsenal? And can these teams help us fall in love with the team goal again as opposed to the long-range screamer? Across No...

It’s been a weekend where shocking events off the field have overshadowed football. On Saturday night, after Leicester City’s game with West Ham, Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was among those to lose his life when a helicopter carrying him and 4 others crashed outside the King Power Stadium. Under his stewardship, Leicester despite odds of 5,000 to 1, won the Premier League title in 201...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are privileged to be joined by Henry Winter and Matthew Syed after a Champions League week that’s thrown up a number of broader talker points. It’s another howler from Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal away in Eindhoven. The panel examine the mindset of a modern-day goalkeeper and to what extent they are under-appreciated and over-analysed. Manchester United meekly...

Gab Marcotti is joined by Paul Hirst, Gary Jacob and Bill Edgar after a big weekend of football and ahead of a big week to come. With Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford with Juventus, Lucy Holden has been to Turin and his birthplace Madeira to study the devotion to a football icon, in the midst of rape allegations that Ronaldo has denied. After a fiery conclusion to Chelsea’s draw with Ma...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Matt Dickinson and James Gheerbrant as the Premier League returns from the international break with a vengeance. Unbeaten Chelsea host Manchester United as Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge. Are Sarri’s side title contenders? Does Paul Pogba need a less rigid attacking system? Plus Gab has serious sympathy for Mourinho when it comes to his lates...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Martyn Ziegler and Alan Smith to discuss the biggest story in international football – the sudden regression of the German national team. Germany have now gone three competitive games without scoring for the first time in their history. After group stage elimination from the World Cup, is it Joachim Low’s fault or is there a systemic failing in German...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Matt Hughes and George Caulkin. And it’s a very difficult podcast for Natalie as Brentford have lost their beloved boss. Dean Smith and John Terry are the new team at the helm at Aston Villa. But given Terry was in the frame for the manager’s job, can he settle for a reduced role at Villa Park? A role that as Matt reveals, might not even be as number 2...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are back with Oliver Kay and James Gheerbrant as the Premier League tightens up at the top. The two title favourites draw 0-0 at Anfield with Riyad Mahrez missing a late penalty. Did Manchester City show a solidity in midfield that will serve them well in big games? Or are Liverpool’s front 3 of Salah, Mane and Firmino running out of steam? In Jose Mourinho’s words,...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Alyson Rudd to discuss a big week in the Champions League, and a bigger weekend to come in the Premier League. Liverpool face Manchester City at Anfield as the Premier League’s top two title favourites go head to head. With the Reds losing in Naples, is it the wake-up call Jurgen Klopp needs for a reset on a midfield lacking in creativity? Henry Winter...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are back to review more misery for Mourinho at Manchester United. After defeat at West Ham confirms their worst start in 29 years, has he taken United back to square one? And in the wake of in-fighting and increasingly random team selections, we ask if Mourinho is trying to orchestrate his own dismissal so he can leave Old Trafford with some credit in the bank. And...

It’s the story that keeps on giving. The bad blood between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho continues to boil at Manchester United. Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer discuss with James Gheerbrant and the man at the heart of the story, Paul Hirst. Was Mourinho’s training ground spat with Pogba pre-meditated to underline his authority not just to the squad but to the watching world? How embarrassing is th...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are joined by Henry Winter and Bill Edgar after another eyebrow-raising Premier League weekend. With Liverpool maintaining their 100% record and Chelsea dropping points for the first time this season, we cast our eye to the top of the table showdown at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Is Sarri-ball getting the best out of N’Golo Kante? And is there a place up for grabs...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer react to an eventful midweek in the Champions League as Tottenham taste their third defeat in a row. Are we right to question Mauricio Pochettino’s decisions or does he have too much credit in the bank? Manchester City suffer shock defeat at home to Lyon. Oliver Kay argues they are failing to hit the heights of this time last year. Should Bernardo Silva take ce...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer break down some major talking points after another big Premier League weekend, in the company of Alyson Rudd and Paul Joyce. Liverpool are flying with 5 wins out of 5 after beating Spurs but are they suffering from a lack of selflessness from their strikers? And what does Mauricio Pochettino do about his Kane conundrum? Everton lose to West Ham but have troubles off...

The Premier League returns, as do Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer in the company of Matt Hughes and Paul Hirst, to look ahead to what promises to be an intriguing weekend. Gary Neville has spoken exclusively to Matt Dickinson for The Times about his former club Manchester United, the need to back Jose Mourinho and a warning for Paul Pogba not to lose the dressing room over his future. The panel de...

Natalie Sawyer is joined by Matt Dickinson and Bill Edgar to discuss the fall-out from England’s Nations League defeat to Spain at Wembley. With Joe Gomez preferred to Kyle Walker in a back 3, and Kieran Trippier continuing to excel at wing-back, is there a place in the England team for the title-winning Walker? Plus as Southgate looks to solve the midfield conundrum, after a historical English em...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Alyson Rudd and George Caulkin to discuss the inaugural UEFA Nations League weekend. But if you’re still unsure about what exactly it is, allow us to answer the questions you were maybe afraid to ask. Is England’s game with Spain in danger of being treated like a World Cup parade where fans pay tribute to the players? And we examine numbers that might...

Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti are back together in the studio after another Premier League weekend full of surprises. Oliver Kay witnesses the Woodward banner at Turf Moor as we examine the criticism thrown at Manchester United’s chief executive. And with Burnley and West Ham struggling, we look at two sides suffering from the (claret and) blues. After errors from the experienced Cech and the ha...

In a special bonus bite of The Game podcast, Gab Marcotti is in Monaco to give his reaction to the group stage draw of the Champions League. In Group B, Tottenham face not just the might of Messi, but also Coutinho, Dembele and Chucky. Is Group C the group of death? Last year’s finalists Liverpool must overcome PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. Will it be an easy ride for Manchester City in Group...

Natalie Sawyer is back in the studio, alongside Alyson Rudd and Bill Edgar on The Game podcast. With The Times reporting that Anthony Martial has been offered a 5 year contract by Manchester United, is this a power-play from Ed Woodward to indicate he and Martial will outlast Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford? And does Mourinho deserve more respect or has he crafted the dullest side in the top 6? Plus...

Gab Marcotti and Alyson Rudd break down some complex issues on this Bank Holiday Monday edition of The Game. Arsenal secure their first win under Unai Emery but Mesut Ozil is missing from the squad against West Ham through illness. With rumours of a training ground bust-up denied, are people too quick to rush to judgment on Ozil? With Michael Owen’s revealing interview on BT Sport highlighting the...

Gab Marcotti, Alan Smith and George Caulkin tackle some of the tough issues in football this week, starting with the never-ending dispute between Newcastle fans and their owner, following some Wise words on Mike Ashley. What are fan expectations at football clubs and are they realistic? Matthew Syed is in the studio to discuss his article on Unai Emery and the challenge in inheriting an Arsenal in...

Gab Marcotti is joined by Gary Jacob and Paul Hirst after a Premier League weekend that asks a lot of questions. Manchester United’s defeat at Brighton raises issues over United’s defence. The panel discuss how Ed Woodward and Jose Mourinho can’t agree on certain players in the squad and the effect that has on their relationship. We saw 25 minutes of Sarri-ball during a bonkers victory for Chelsea...

Natalie Sawyer and James Gheerbrant take a look at the issues dominating the headlines in football ahead of another big Premier League weekend. Paul Joyce joins us to discuss how Manchester City can adapt to losing player of the year Kevin De Bruyne, side-lined for 3 months through injury. Could Phil Foden fill in? Should Emery lean on Leno for Arsenal in search of a better distributor than Petr C...

Gab Marcotti and Natalie Sawyer are joined by Matt Dickinson and Oliver Kay after the opening weekend of the Premier League season. And it’s clear the rest of the division should be very worried by Manchester City after their comprehensive victory at the Emirates. There’s no new broom at Arsenal who don’t look any different under Unai Emery. Paul Pogba’s cryptic comments about his manager open up...