On The Continent - A European Football Podcast

Which teams will get ripped apart in January? Could guest nations ever play in the Champions League? How long can Julian Nagelsman survive at Germany? And what player is going to be the breakout star of the next 12 months? Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen answer your questions for the final time in 2023! Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram and  TikTok , and email us here: ...

2024 has the potential to be a transformative year for European football, given the introduction of the new Champions League format and its clashes with new European Super League proposals. Today, Dotun and Andy are joined by Miguel Delaney to assess whether those UCL changes will help to even out the balance of power in European Football - Miguel even admits he doesn’t dislike the format as much...

Is Aurelio De Laurentiis to blame for Napoli’s disastrous title defence? Which Champions League knockout has the biggest upset potential? Why did a club president in Turkey order all his players off the pitch because of a refereeing decision? And what are some of our continental highlights of 2023?! Dotun and Andy are joined by Nicky Bandini for your penultimate Ask OTC of the year! Ask us a quest...

Nicky Bandini’s on the pod! That means one thing: José Mourinho has forced himself into the headlines. Today, Dotun, Andy and Nicky discuss Mourinho’s claims that he wants to stay at Roma and how his former pupil Thiago Motta is quickly becoming one of the most innovative managers in Europe. Elsewhere, they marvel at how perfect Harry Kane is for Bayern Munich and how much Viktor Gyökeres could ea...

As the group stages across Europe draw to a close Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen wonder if some of Europe’s underachievers can turn things around, as Ajax and Lyon languish near the bottom of their respective leagues. Elsewhere, we wonder if Reims’ Will Still might take the Sunderland job, rate some contenders for the Europa League and check in on the latest chapter of Bodø/Glimt’s remarkable fair...

Lighters in the air, the Champions League group stages are done forever. Thankfully, we were blessed with two groups of death to mark the occasion. Today, Dotun, Andy and Lars pick up the pieces as PSG scraped through the knock-outs and Copenhagen stunned Galatasaray and Man United. Elsewhere, they explain why there is still some magic in Girona beating Barcelona despite the club's links to the Ci...

After reports this week that Real Madrid have set a deadline for agreeing terms, who needs the other more: Real Madrid, or Kylian Mbappé? What does the future hold for João Felix after scoring the winner against his parent club? What will happen to Nice when Sir Jim Ratcliffe turns his eyes to Manchester? And who will be using the Groupama Stadium come June 2nd – Lyon, or Taylor Swift?! Dotun and...

The goalkeeper situation has always been problematic at PSG during the QSI era. Is Gianluigi Donnarumma the next victim? Today, Jonathan Johnson joins Dotun and Andy to explain why Donnarumma is not the goalkeeper that PSG and Luis Enrique need going forward. Elsewhere, Jonathan and Andy outline why Napoli’s title defence is already over. They also discuss the shocking recent trend of fan violence...

Galatasaray and Man United played out one of the great Champions League group stage matches last week and our very own Andy Brassell was there to capture all the action. As well as bringing you the electric atmosphere inside Rams Park, Andy also caught up with United We Stand founder, Andy Mitten. He shared his experiences of a lifetime of following Man United across Europe, including his memories...

Are there any positives to next season’s Champions League format? How did Fabio Grosso turn Lyon’s senior players against him so quickly? Can anyone arrest the tumble of Europe's sixth-best attended club in Bundesliga 2? And how good is the man that everyone’s pinning as Manchester United’s future sporting director, Paul Mitchell? Dotun and David Cartlidge chat to Andy in Istanbul and answer your...

When the draw came out, we all assumed that PSG, Dortmund, Newcastle and Milan was the 'group of death'. But is Group A the group of death that nobody predicted? It certainly seems so for Man United. Today, Dotun, Andy and David Cartlidge debate whether incompetence has been the spark for all the drama in that group. Elsewhere, David explains why Milan have come to the end of their time with Stefa...

KÍ Klaksvik have shocked the whole of Europe this season by becoming the first Faroese team to ever reach the group stages of a European competition. On today’s bonus edition, Dotun and Andy are join by the I’s Chief Football Writer Daniel Storey who recently spent some time in the Faroe Islands to report on this extraordinary tale. Ahead of Klaksvik's decisive final two group games, Daniel tells...

The Italian press are calling it the ugliest Derby d'Italia in years. Today, Andy and Nicky are here to point out the diamonds in the rough. Nicky starts by revelling in the fact that there were two excellent goals by each team's main marksman and two even better petty celebrations. Andy then points out that psychologically this result is worth more than just a point for Inter and also explains ho...

Who is Europe’s best run club? Why has André Villas-Boas’ attempt to run for Porto’s presidential elections been received so badly? Is Viktor Gyökeres already one of the Primeira Liga’s most valuable assets? And where have all the Italian strikers gone? Dotun, Andy and David get to the bottom of your questions! Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram and  TikTok , and email us he...

After a dismal week, German football fans have never been more apathetic towards their national team. But can they turn it around? Today, David Cartlidge joins Dotun and Andy to explain why he thinks the current players are simply not likeable enough to win the fans over in time for a home Euros. Elsewhere, with La Liga suffering from “El Virus Fifa”, they wonder if recent injuries during the inte...

Can Girona keep up their title charge? Why did Urs Fischer and Union part ways at last? And with Euro 2024 qualification off the table, what’s going wrong for the Sweden national team? But which one-in-a-generation talent could turn their fortunes around? Alexandra Jonson joins Dotun and Andy to answer your questions! Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram and  TikTok , and emai...

Real Sociedad have caught a lot of people off guard with their great performances in Europe this season. However, one person who hasn't been surprised one bit is La Liga expert Alexandra Jonson. Today, she joins Dotun and Andy to explain why she expected Real Sociedad to be exactly the dark horse they've proved to be on their return to the Champions League. Andy also tells us why Luis Enrique is a...

Something special is happening in Leverkusen this season. Andy went to watch the Bundesliga leaders take on Union Berlin and spoke to the mastermind behind it all: the great Xabi Alonso. Andy talks to Alonso about how he transformed Leverkusen from relegation contenders to Bundesliga pace-setters in just 18 months. We also hear from ex-Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka about the impact Xabi Alonso’s ha...

Why have Benfica struggled so much in Europe this season? How are FC Copenhagen managing to punch so far above their weight? And after more than 35 years behind the mic, what is the best individual performance Derek has ever commentated on? Dotun, Andy and iconic commentator Derek Rae tackle those questions and much more on today’s Ask OTC. Join us! Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Insta...

It’s been a big week in German football! Today, Dotun and Andy are joined by the legendary commentator and Bundesliga expert Derek Rae. Derek explains exactly why Edin Terzić is the right man for the Dortmund job despite a disastrous Der Klassiker. He also gives us insight into why Union Berlin fans love their manager, Urs Fischer, despite their difficult start to the season. Plus, Andy shares his...

Is Francesco Farioli Europe’s next exciting young manager? Is French football fan culture fundamentally broken? Will any of football’s next Ballon d’Or starlets achieve the reach of Messi and Ronaldo? And can Faroe Islands’ finest make it into the next round of the Europa Conference League?! Join Dotun, Lars and David as they answer all your questions! Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  In...

Real Madrid took control of La Liga this weekend, but could they win it without Jude Bellingham? Today, Dotun is joined by David Cartlidge and Lars Sivertsen to explain why Los Blancos might be too reliant on their star man. Elsewhere, the panel explain that Bayern need to start being Bayern if they have any chance of catching Bayer Leverkusen, while David explains why Inter Milan – and particular...

On today’s bonus episode, Dotun and Andy are joined by our favourite Norwegian, Lars Sivertsen, to talk about many others’ favourite Norwegian: Erling Haaland! Lars’ new book ‘Haaland: The incredible story behind the world’s greatest striker’ is out this week, so he joined us to chat about his compatriot’s amazing story and how he went about writing the book. We discuss the sacrifices he made as a...

Dotun, Andy and Miguel Delaney dive into the mailbag for another round of Ask OTC - join us! We wonder how FC Basel have found themselves at the bottom of the Swiss league despite regular European jaunts, while Union Berlin and Benfica also disappoint domestically. Plus, will Diego Simeone find any more success at Atletico? Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTo...

Dortmund had too much European experience for Newcastle but are they losing their famous identity? Today, Miguel Delaney joins Dotun and Andy to discuss that and explain why Serie A is poised to become Europe’s second best league behind the Premier League. Plus, Ajax and Lyon: are they really too big to be relegated? Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok , and...