On The Continent - A European Football Podcast

It’s been another incredible year of football across Europe: Bayern’s reign of terror was finally ended, Jude Bellingham helped Real Madrid achieve La Decimoquinta and Lamine Yamal announced his arrival to the world at Euro 2024. Today, Dotun and Andy hear from our regular contributors who tell us all about their highlights of the year. Ask us a question on  BlueSky ,  X  or  I...

There is always so much happening in European football and we’re never able to cover everything we would like to. Luckily, we’re joined by Lee Wingate and Paul Watson from The Sweeper who are experts in getting to those hard to reach spots from across world football. Today, they join Andy to bring you up to speed on some of the very best European football stories you might have missed in the past...

Marcus Rashford has said it's time for a new challenge, so which European clubs should be eyeing him up? Patrick Vieira has coached Genoa to three consecutive clean sheets, but is it enough to keep them in Serie A? Plus, Real Sociedad's Álex Remiro impresses in goal, Dele Alli is set to train with Cesc Fàbregas' Como, and we pick which of this season's kits we'd most like to find under our Christm...

Lazio 0 Inter 6. Is this the result which is going to fire Inter Milan to back-to-back Serie A titles? Dotun, Andy and David Cartlidge think it might do just that. Elsewhere, Barcelona and Real Madrid both gift-wrapped an early Christmas present for Atlético Madrid, but how have Diego Simeone’s men made it back into the La Liga title race? Plus, Andy and David explain how Dries Mertens continues t...

After a tricky start to the season, is Jude Bellingham back to his best? And after impressing earlier in the campaign, have Juventus become the most boring team in Europe? Plus, the future of Thomas Müller at Bayern, Christian Pulisic suffers an injury, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns! Join Dotun, Andy, and Lars Sivertsen as they answer your questions. Ask us a question on  Twitter ,&nbsp...

We’re six games into the new-look Champions League. How come some of the “minnows” are flying and some of the big clubs aren’t having it all their own way? Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen are on the hunt to find out… Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok , and email us here:  otc@footballramble.com . For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscrib...

Welcome to Millerntor, the home of FC St. Pauli. Millerntor isn’t just St. Pauli’s stadium, but it is their prize asset in terms of building a sustainable and successful future for Europe’s most fashionable club. St. Pauli are not like other clubs, and even though they are not alone in struggling to keep up with the financial demands of modern football, they have naturally created their own comple...

RB Leipzig suffer a heavy defeat at home to Wolfsburg, so how long can Marco Rose keep his job? João Pereira's Sporting suffer a humiliating defeat to Santa Clara, so is he really ready for the job? Plus, Raúl Asencio thriving in the deep end, the puzzling Samuel Chukwueze, and our favourite playmakers on the continent. Join Dotun, Andy & Nicky Bandini as they answer all of your questions. Ask...

What defines a blip and have Barcelona just recovered from one? Dotun, Andy and Nicky Bandini disagree over just that question on today’s OTC. Elsewhere, Nicky explains why there is no need to worry about Claudio Ranieri at Roma just yet, despite only having one point from three games. Plus, who is the best player in the Bundesliga? It’s not who you might think… Ask us a question on  Twitter...

Football could be considered the most popular cultural pursuit that has ever existed. So should we be surprised that – perhaps more than any other sport – it is routinely used to gain political and cultural soft power? Today, Miguel Delaney tells Dotun and Andy all about his new book, States of Play, which gets to the bottom of sportswashing and assesses its true impact on the game we love. Miguel...

Atalanta thrashed Young Boys 6-1 in the Champions League this week, so how do they so often punch above their weight? After Robert Lewandowski reached 100 European goals, is he one of the all-time greats? Plus, FC Utrecht defying the odds, Pep Ljinders’ struggles in Salzburg continues, and can Tammy Abraham get back to his best at AC Milan? Join Dotun, Andy & David Cartlidge for the answers. A...

Dotun, Andy and David Cartlidge look over a chastening week for a few European giants and try to work out what Real Madrid need to do to rediscover that magic - will working on the relationship between Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham prove enough? Elsewhere, PSG’s young forwards struggle to fill the void Mbappé left, as Luis Enrique’s spiky demeanour leaves a sour taste. Plus, we wonder if a cla...

Patrick Vieira links up with his old teammate Mario Balotelli at Genoa, but can he be the man to save them from the drop? Pep Guardiola is set to sign a new contract at Manchester City, but why were no European clubs in the race for his signature? Plus, Bradley Barcola continues to show all the right signs, Randal Kolo Muani reaches a crossroad, and Vincenzo Montella ...

Lyon have been handed a “provisional relegation” by Ligue 1’s financial regulators. But what does this mean and could they really go down? Dotun, Andy and Jonathan Johnson debate whether Lyon will still be in Ligue 1 come the start of next season. Before that though, it’s been an exciting week in the Nations League, but which countries are best placed heading into the next World Cup cycle? Andy an...

Rúben Amorim is officially the new Manchester United manager. He joins after four years and two league titles at Sporting, but what can we learn from this? Portuguese football expert Miguel Pereira joins Andy Brassell to explain why he thinks Amorim will be a success at Old Trafford.  Ask us a question on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok , and email us here:  otc@fo...

Roma have brought Claudio 'dilly ding, dilly dong' Ranieri out of retirement, but can he really be their long-term solution? Elsewhere, Éder Militão and Mauro Icardi both suffer ACL injuries, so where do Real Madrid and Galatasaray go from here? Plus, Fiorentina are exceeding expectations under Raffaele Palladino, Lyon beat Saint-Étienne in Le Derby, and why do European fans put up with anti-...

One point separates the top five teams in Serie A. But who is best placed to challenge Inter for the Scudetto? Andy gets David Cartlidge and Nicky Bandini to revealed their thoughts on who might be in the title race come the end of the season. Elsewhere, it’s been an explosive week for Roberto De Zerbi, Nicky explains how he could be feeling the pressure of life at Marseille. Plus, Kylian Mbappé m...

More midweek action for us to get stuck into, as Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of his former employers. Where has their form from last season gone?! Plus, Sporting move on from Rúben Amorim, so who’s next? Plus, why Girona have struggled to maintain last season’s form, who’s the best defensive midfielder in Europe, and the role that Spanish clubs have played i...

Has Paulo Fonseca turned a corner at Milan? Lars Sivertsen tells Dotun and Andy that the underlying numbers are looking good for the Rossoneri. The underlying numbers for Real Madrid, however, are less pretty… Elsewhere, Atlético stole the three points off PSG but Andy fears Diego Simeone’s men still have plenty of flaws they need to address. Plus, Roma have been linked with Frank Lampar...

Dotun, Nicky Bandini and David Cartlidge dive into your curious continental queries, and they begin with another edition of what seems to have become an annual question: should Atlético Madrid be searching for Diego Simeone’s replacement? Elsewhere, we discuss the chaotic mess at Roma, who were dusted up by a former academy prospect at the weekend, and look over Francesco Faroili’s encouraging sta...

Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or after Rodri beat Vinicius Jr to the main prize. Were they right to do so or was it a convenient distraction after they lost 4-0 to Barcelona? Today, Dotun Adebayo, Nicky Bandini and David Cartlidge explain why they don’t support Real Madrid’s decision to skip the ceremony. Elsewhere, Antonio Conte’s Napoli are top of Serie A. Can they go all the way and how ar...

Vinícius Júnior is the favourite for the Ballon d”Or, but has he actually been the best player in the world? Meanwhile, Nuri Şahin’s Borussia Dortmund looked good against Real Madrid until they didn’t - was it an embarrassment for the Dortmund coach? Plus, Monaco’s unbeaten streak continues, there’s a second giant on the horizon in Paris, and could Roma legend Francesco Totti really make a comebac...

Andy joins us live from Barcelona airport after watching Raphinha & co bury Bayern Munich. Today, he tells Dotun and Nicky Bandini why it is one of the best games he has been to in a long time. Elsewhere, is it too early to say Juventus’ home form is a crisis? Nicky thinks so but she also explains why Thiago Motta’s side are still a work in progress. Plus, Peter Bosz’s PSV are flying once agai...

With Thomas Tuchel now on the growing list of successful club managers to join a national team, can we say that international management is becoming cool again? Meanwhile, as Spain's 19-match unbeaten run in competitive fixtures continues, are they the very early favourites for the World Cup? Atlético Madrid and Lazio are handed small fines after their fans were found guilty of racist behaviour –...

Thomas Tuchel is the new England manager and the German media are having a field day, obviously. Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen explain why Tuchel could actually be suited to international coaching for one surprising reason. Elsewhere, Man City have hired a new sporting director from Sporting, while there's more financial turmoil in France after beIN SPORTS failed to pay for their Ligue 1 TV right...