The Pressing Matters Podcast

We have some fun in the second half reminiscing about England's famous win over Mexico at the Azteca, but before all that we have the small matter of constitutional chaos as Egypt fume at their exit amidst a controversial set of VAR decisions in favour of Argentina. More Latam drama occured as Paraguay went out to France, and the USA disappointed against a Belgium team that still has Axel Witsel k...

Hello, yes, the World Cup is going on and the first ever Round of 32 comes to a close. Lots of games and we talk about some but not all of them. England got past the Democratic Republic of the Congo aka the DRC, but not in an overly convincing manner - what next for our lovely boys as they climb the heights of the Estadio Ciudad de México aka the Azteca more than 2,000m above sea level. France als...

It's our long-awaited Swiss Special, so we talk about our favourite chocolatiers as they top Group B. We also cover the small matter of England, who have won 1, drawn 1 as we go into the final group game against Panama. What have we made of the Three Lions so far and how do we think we'll do against Panama? Sam also rants about Grant Hanley as well as most of the England defence, and we work out w...

The World Cup is well underway in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. We've seen it all and we try to talk about everything: France's superstars see off Senegal, Håland continues his fine goalscoring form, Chris Wood lights it up against Iran, and Vozinha rakes in the Instagram followers. What have we made of the World Cup so far, do we like the new format with so many teams, and who is looking lively so...

In late 2007, Fabio Capello became England Manager, a global recession dawned, and smoking was banned in public spaces, but it wasn't all doom and gloom as an 8-goal thriller played out at the JJB Stadium. Join Toby and Luke as we rewatch this classic Premier League fixture between Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers. Unforgettable names such as Emile Heskey, Benni McCarthy, and Emmerson Boyce sta...

We wrap up the 25/26 Premier League season by looking back at our predictions from before the season began. Who overperformed our expectations, what mistakes did we make, and did we predict that Spurs would finish 17th? Paris Saint-Germain also won the Champions' League by beating Arsenal on penalties; Gabriel and Eze missing the crucial penalties. We give our thoughts on the game and what it mean...

It is a great day, as Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. We look back at a season dictated by Mikel Arteta's hard-to-beat side. It's also a managerial merry-go-round, as Pep might be leaving Manchester City after two title-less seasons; Michael Carrick continues with Manchester United, and Xabi Alonso joins Chelsea. Want us to answer your questions? Contact us at pressi...

Big drama as VAR spots a foul on Raya to save Arsenal and make life harder for West Ham, while Brentford fall victim to VAR decisions as Manchester City's high-line survives two nervy moments from Kevin Schade. Did the refs make the right call, and what can we do for next season? We also check in on Manchester United and Newcastle United as their season comes to a close. 01:20 - A Lengthy VAR Revi...

We're back to cover Arsenal's fantastic week reaching the Champions' League Final and going top of the Premier League again, we check-in on Chelsea post-Rosenior's sacking, and we look at Spurs as they settle-in under De Zerbi. Email us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com with any questions about football, the food of Panama, or Toby calling that Basque team "Sociedad" instead of La Real. 2:21 - Natio...

We're joined by special guest Luke from Cockerel Talk to cover the crisis at Tottenham as they sink deeper into a relegation battle. What went wrong since that night in Bilbao, who do the fans blame, and is there any hope that De Zerbi can save them? Follow Luke's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@cockereltalkpod Want us to answer your questions? Contact us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com Hos...

Arsenal continue to stumble towards the finish line, but have they done enough to win the Premier League title? Andoni Iraola leaves Bournemouth just after beating Arsenal at the Emirates, while West Ham continue surging out of the relegation zone. 0:00 - Red velvet cakes and Toby rambles about eggs 6:45 - Weekend round-up 9:18 - West Ham boost survival hopes 17:28 - Toby goes to the circus 22:07...

A gut-punch for Arsenal as a Nico O'Reilly brace assisted by Kepa sinks the quadruple dream. What went wrong for Arsenal and what do they need to do for the rest of the season? We also touch on Mo Salah's agreement to leave Liverpool, and Sam gets very angry about supermarkets. l 03:10 - League Cup Final review 32:47 - Second-keeper discussion 43:10 - Spurs - Forest 48:37 - Mo Salah leaves Liverpo...

We preview the League Cup final as Arsenal take on Manchester City in a short break from their tense Premier League title challenge. We also discuss if Arsenal can be happy with their timewasting thanks to an email from a dear listener; what we think of Chelsea's fine imposed by the Premier League themselves; and a look back at a week of Champions League fixtures where many English sides left disa...

Lots of talk about boring Premier League football as Arsenal's controlled approach takes them clear at the top. Can we change the rules, or do teams just have to adapt? And how much blame needs to be directed at football media? Plus we look back at what we said about Wolves when they were winless! 01:40 - ITV early-afternoon game shows 04:40 - 'Boring' Premier League football - is it a problem? 25...

A lovely North London Derby win for Arsenal over Tottenham leaves Spurs in even more trouble. How good were Arsenal vs how bad were Tottenham? We also talk about Michael Carrick's future at the helm of Manchester United as he carries the "interim" name for now. Plus who is shaping up to be an exciting FPL prospect? Want us to answer your questions? Contact us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com Hosted...

Manchester United ended their winning streak at 4 games - how easy is it to win 5 in a row amidst the unrelenting growth of United Strand's hair? We have a big old Liverpool chat after a late comeback for Manchester City in a game with multiple controversies; Toby goes into what has gone wrong for Liverpool this season. And, of course, Thomas the Frank engine has run out of steam - could Spurs rea...

More January transfers than you might expect, but who will have the biggest impact? Plus Liam Rosenior took a conservative approach to his semi-final at Arsenal; was this the right choice? 0:00 - Intro and United Strand chat 4:17 - Toby talks about hot-cross buns 10:59 - Sam talks about chicken 15:22 - January transfer window round-up 30:14 - League Cup semi-final chat (Rosenior) 51:50 - Rodri com...

Manchester United took 3 points from Arsenal in style; should Arsenal be worried about a slump in recent form, or do they have enough to take them to victory amidst an impressive table-topping Champions' League run? 00:00 - Very long introduction about Rick Stein and Hamnet and Midsomer Murders 12:46 - Arsenal's title chances vs pressure 30:22 - Arsenal's attacking options 47:12 - Corner chat 58:1...

Crystal Palace lost Marc Guehi as Oliver Glasner announced his departure - will the atmosphere become untenable at Selhurst Park? And Spurs are struggling as Thomas Frank comes under more pressure after losing to West Ham, but why might Tottenham keep him for a few more weeks? Plus we talk about the thrilling Manchester Derby as Michael Carrick takes control. Want us to answer your questions? Cont...

We look at a few early January transfers: Antoine Semenyo to Man City; Conor Gallagher to Spurs; and Michael Carrick to Manchester United. We watched the "Premier League Classic" Newcastle's 4-3 victory over Leeds. And Toby "quickly" talks about Liverpool's draw at Arsenal. 01:30 - The Magic of the Cup with Macclesfield FC 09:40 - Semenyo to City 18:15 - Gallagher to Spurs 23:52 - Carrick to Unite...

Manchester United and Chelsea have both made a managerial switch early in the new year. Was it right for Amorim and Maresca to leave; how will they be remembered at each club; and what do we make of their successors? Liam Rosenior is in, but will it be Michael Carrick or Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Old Trafford? We also shoutout three midtable sides who had an excellent run during the festive period as...

Aston Villa are on an incredible 10-game winning run to be in 3rd, but it's Arsenal who are top of the Premier League at Christmas. Who has finished top at Christmas before and how did their season end? Will Aston Villa's form continue? Will United struggle without Bruno? Who is Tivonge Rushesha? Where was Jeremy Brett born? Are we uncles? We answer most of these questions in this Christmas editio...

Mo Salah has rocked the boat at Liverpool by suggesting it might be his last game, what does this mean for Slot's job and Liverpool's chaotic transitional season. We also talk about Wolves being bad, and other famous Egyptians. 3:24 - Mo Salah situation 51:30 - Premier League Egyptians 54:45 - How many points for Wolves? 1:04:30 - Lineups game Want us to answer your questions? Contact us at pressi...

This week, what should midtable managers such as Glasner and Marco Silva do to maximise their careers, was Thomas Frank right for Spurs, and what did we make of Arsenal's draw against Chelsea's 10 men. 8:45 Thomas Frank and Spurs 26:20 Oliver Glasner 30:15 Ambitious midtable managers 41:41 Chelsea - Arsenal 1:02:00 Paqueta's red card 1:04:20 Line-up game Want us to answer your questions? Contact u...

We ignore the North London derby and Liverpool's loss to Forest and instead give some love to Everton and Brighton, although Toby still tries to talk about Liverpool anyway. Sam also has a headcold and so is even less excited than normal (until Arsenal are mentioned). Want us to answer your questions? Contact us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...