The Rest Is Football

Who should be the next Manchester United manager? Was it a mistake keeping ten Hag this summer? Can Man Utd still attract the biggest managerial names? Gary, Alan and Micah react to the news of Erik ten Hag’s sacking in our first ever live episode recording. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have Arsenal and Liverpool shown enough to suggest they’ll keep pace with Man City in the title race? How is Chelsea’s set-up really helping get the best out of Cole Palmer? Why were VAR even getting involved in the penalty incident at the end of the Man Utd game? Gary, Alan and Micah also reflect on Barcelona’s thumping win in El Clásico and discuss whether this signals a true resurgence for the...

What magic did Haaland summon for his incredible spinning backheel volley? Is Villa’s rotation up front the secret of their success, or is there room to experiment with both Duran and Watkins? Does Lamine Yamal’s recent form hint at a Messi-like future for the youngster? Gary, Alan and Micah discuss all the key headlines from Matchday 3 of the Champions League as the English clubs make a fantastic...

Is Messi still the best player in the world? Are referees being unfair to Arsenal? Who are Micah and Alan's favourite bands? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the likelihood of England winning a major tournament under Thomas Tuchel as they answer the best of your questions. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball.com  Guinness makes its own debut as the Official Beer and No...

Should Curtis Jones be a regular starter for Liverpool? Was it the correct call to allow John Stones’ late winner? How do Southampton pick themselves up mentally after throwing away a two-goal lead at home to one of the fellow promoted teams? Gary, Alan and Micah also reflect on Arsenal’s first loss of the season and whether they have a disciplinary problem or not. Sign up to The Rest Is Football...

Eddie Howe always seems like such a lovely bloke, but what is his tougher side really like? How do you build the belief to truly compete with the biggest clubs? Do Newcastle need to win a trophy for this period to be seen as successful? Gary and Alan are joined by Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff to discuss the dream of playing for your boyhood club and what makes Alexander Isak and Sven...

Are Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola more similar than we think? Should we expect to see him drop some of England’s attacking stars? Is winning the World Cup the only way this appointment will be seen as a success? Gary is joined by German football expert Raphael Honigstein to give us the details on exactly what we can expect from England’s latest managerial appointment. Sign up to The Rest Is Foot...

Thomas Tuchel has signed a deal with The FA to become the new England manager. The 51-year-old German has signed an 18-month contract, starting on January 1st. Why have the FA opted for a foreign coach? Can Thomas Tuchel be the one to finally find the right balance in this England side? And does his style of play suit tournament football? Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfoot...

How do England solve the current problem at left-back? Are we starting to see more defensive frailties creep in to the side as they look to be more progressive? Is that a problem? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss where things stand with Lee Carsley after the latest set of fixtures and whether he really wants the job full time. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball.com Le...

Is it impossible to get the best out of Foden, Bellingham, Palmer and Saka when they’re playing in the same team? Did England get the defensive balance wrong or do we want to see them take more risks? What will Ollie Watkins be thinking after not getting a start in this game? Gary, Alan and Micah also pay tribute to George Baldock, who sadly died at his home in Athens earlier this week. Sign up to...

If Liverpool could only keep two of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, who would you let go? Who would the lads pick in their ultimate 5-a-side teams? How on earth did Alan end up on one of Kamala Harris’ official TikTok videos? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss how Messi has perfected the art of the twilight years of your career. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball....

Are Tottenham their own worst enemy at times? Who will blink first in the title race out of Liverpool, Man City & Arsenal? What are the favourite treats and takeaways for the guys when they spend a full day working on Match of the Day? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss Man United’s ongoing problems as Alan outlines their three main areas of weakness. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at t...

Have Villa shown they’re here to stay at Champions League level after beating Bayern Munich? Is Kai Havertz showing he can be the No.9 that fires Arsenal to silverware? Are Real Madrid struggling to fit all their superstars into the team?  Gary, Alan and Micah review the latest round of Champions League matches and also discuss the implications for VAR after Bruno Fernandes’ red card was overturne...

Which stadium has the most hostile tunnel walk? Which players would like to dish it out in the tunnel before you even got on the pitch? Who would be in your dream 5-a-side team of current players? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the most mentally challenging moments of their careers as they answer the best of your listener questions. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootbal...

What is the identity of this Man United team? Is there a problem in the dressing room? Have the owners put Erik ten Hag in an impossible situation? Gary, Alan and Micah discuss the troubles at Man United after a disappointing loss against Spurs. The trio also review the other key highlights from the weekend as Liverpool go top, Arsenal leave it late and Everton get their first win of the season. S...

How have things changed for the England team after the disappointment at Euro 2024? Which new Man City summer signing embraced the ‘work hard, play hard’ lifestyle on a pre-season trip to LA? What really happened when he tweeted that picture of a car after a heavy defeat for Aston Villa? Premier League winner and new England coach Joleon Lescott joins Gary, Alan and Micah to discus what it was rea...

How do Man City adapt to Rodri’s absence? Will this be Arsenal’s best chance to win the league? Will teams go after Man City a little bit more now? Gary, Alan and Micah also pick their top three non-footballing sports stars of all time and finally answer the all important question - what are their favourite types of cheese? Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball.com  Learn...

How do Arsenal recover from their last minute agony at the Etihad? Did Man City get lucky after a poor second half performance? Do Arsenal finally have the belief they can win the Premier League? Gary, Alan and Micah reflect on an action packed clash at the top of the table and also discuss impressive wins for Liverpool and Chelsea as they round up the weekend’s action. Sign up to The Rest Is Foot...

Where does David Raya’s double save rank on the list of great saves? How far will Aston Villa go in the Champions League this season after an impressive start? Will the new format give Celtic a better chance of being more competitive in the tournament? Gary and Micah review the return of the Champions League and we get all the gossip from David Beckham’s appearance on CBS. Sign up to The Rest Is F...

Leeds 03/04? West Ham 02/03? Newcastle 08/09? Who were the best side to ever get relegated from the Premier League and what went wrong to have such talented bunch of players and still go down? Gary, Alan and Micah also debate whether compensation for managers should be a lot higher and discuss the best and worst haircuts in football. Sign up to The Rest Is Football newsletter at therestisfootball....

How much of an impact will Arsenal’s win in the North London Derby have on next week’s clash with Man City? Why are Newcastle picking up points even though they’re not playing at their best? How far can Nottingham Forest go this season? Gary, Alan and Micah reflect on this biggest headlines from this weekend and also explain how the Match Of The Day running order works and why it’s fairer than you...

What did Jose Mourinho do to make sure Cesc joined Chelsea in 2014 instead of Man City or Man Utd? How did bizarre team meetings in Pepe Reina’s room at midnight the night before every game inspire Spain to World Cup victory? Could we see a full-back win the Ballon d’Or this year? The second part of Gary’s conversation with Cesc Fàbregas sees the pair discuss his time at Chelsea and the many succe...

What was it that set Arsène Wenger apart from other managers? Was Cesc really aiming for Fergie with that pepperoni pizza in the tunnel at Old Trafford? How did he end up spending hours in a police station after a night out at the 2006 World Cup in Germany? Gary is joined by the brilliant Cesc Fàbregas to discuss the early days of his career with Barcelona & Arsenal and why he now wishes he’d wait...

Who impressed the most in a new-look England side? Is the number ten role Jack Grealish’s best position? Will Nicko Sensoli ever buy a drink in San Marino again after his goal gave his side their first win in 20 years? Gary, Alan and Micah discuss what differences we saw from England in Lee Carsley’s first game as boss and reflect on the other headlines from the international break so far. Sign up...

Why has Arne Slot had such a great start to life at Liverpool when so many others have struggled taking over from successful managers at big clubs? What’s the secret to success at a club like Liverpool? Gary is joined by England, Liverpool and Watford legend John Barnes to discuss how his upbringing influenced his entire footballing career and who the greatest players he’s ever seen are. Sign up t...