The Totally Football Show with James Richardson

Manchester United knock out Liverpool in a ding-dong battle at Old Trafford, thanks to Fernandes. And the sensational Shaw. It’s another defeat for Liverpool but were there positives for Klopp? The holders Arsenal are out but Martin Odegaard is on the way in. Is he the antidote to Willian? And how big will Brighton v Fulham this week be in determining who stays in the Premier League? We dip back 2...

Leicester beat Chelsea in a match summed up by the panel as well-coached versus not well-coached. Does Frank Lampard know what’s going wrong? Man United stay top of the table. Is Solskjaer’s laid-back style and man management helping United and Paul Pogba flourish? Next up for United, it’s Liverpool in the FA Cup. Does Klopp need to go strong to play his players into form? And will it be a weekend...

Celebrations in the Basque country as Athletic Bilbao win the Spanish Super Cup in a thriller against Barcelona, with Lionel Messi sent off for the first time in his club career. Inter Milan are victorious in the Derby d’Italia as Pirlo gets schooled by Conte. Even after a bad week for Bayern, all their rivals slipped up. Except Union Berlin. Plus Brexit’s impact on transfers and misery for Marsei...

Man City pummel Palace on Sunday night. Were we too quick to write Pep and his side off? Are they the clear title favourites now? Liverpool and Manchester Utd produce a goalless draw, with the panel losing faith in a fatigued Firmino. Or that we’ll ever see van de Beek. What’s behind the Wolves slump? Are they being dragged into a relegation fight? And will Brighton be OK? The pod also reminisces...

The top two clash in the Premier League as Liverpool host Manchester United. Will the Reds knock Ole’s men off their perch? Will it boil down to a battle between Paul Pogba (passing university) versus a Thiago inexplicably making his home debut. Elsewhere, it’s the first Black Country derby in 9 years, enough to make any Wolves fan who remembers the last one nervous. Duncan makes the argument that...

It’s a big weekend in the Bundesliga as Schalke win for the first time in almost a year. And Monchengladbach come from 2-0 down to beat Bayern. But is Marco Rose destined for Dortmund? In Italy, Inter v Juve looms large on the horizon. While in Spain, Storm Filomena and the snow played havoc with La Liga. The top three in France are separated by just two points, while AVB and Payet aren’t getting...

There’s no fairy-tale in Crosby but Crawley stun Leeds while Newport give Brighton an almighty scare. Meanwhile Villa and Derby are both forced to play the under 18s. Is it potentially damaging to play men against boys? The Premier League returns in midweek with Manchester United having the chance to go top. And can Sheffield United win their first league game of the season against struggling Newc...

8th tier Marine host Tottenham in statistically the biggest mismatch in FA Cup history. The Athletic’s Simon Hughes, former Marine mascot and ball-boy, gives us the latest from Crosby. Also there’s Crawley v Leeds (Yems v Bielsa) and Big Sam goes back to Blackpool. The Carabao Cup final is set and stone – Tottenham will take on Manchester City in April. The pod shows some appreciation for the Dias...

The pod is very excited about Milan v Juventus this coming midweek as the only unbeaten team in the top 5 leagues take on Pirlo, Ronaldo & co. The Bundesliga is back with Bayern again conceding first but powering to victory, while Dortmund welcome Haaland back to the team and Sancho back to the scoresheet. And Tasmania Berlin fans are worried about losing their place in infamy. Athletic Bilbao...

Manchester City are at their scintillating best at Stamford Bridge, putting Frank Lampard under pressure with The Athletic reporting that Chelsea are looking at alternatives. Would it make sense to fire him? Did it make sense to hire him? And has he found himself in a Jurassic Park scenario at Stamford Bridge? Meanwhile is it time to call Man United title challengers? Or are they just really good...

From a year like no other, we present our highlights of 2020. From banality to Bertrand Traore. The panel are excited about Man Utd against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day, with Villa fast becoming one of our favourite teams to watch. Mourinho takes on the anti-Mourinho in Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds can’t be ignored and nor can Jack Harrison. Sheffield United have had the worst start ever but are they th...

Thomas Tuchel is sacked in Paris on Christmas Eve, to be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino. Was he hard done by? Or is he destined to always fall out with the hierarchy? And can Pochettino impose his pressing style on PSG? He’s not the only managerial mover. Schalke have hired Christian Gross of tube ticket fame. And after 27 years out of club management, Nantes have appointed former France coach an...

Bayern go top of the Bundesliga but the headlines surround Leroy Sane the subbed sub. And are Dortmund already on the verge of crisis under their caretaker? Lille are top of Ligue 1 but both organisations could be in dire financial straits. Meanwhile Karim Benzema – the greatest French striker ever? Speaking of Benzema, are we veering towards a two-horse title race in Spain between Atletico and Re...

We have both sides of the divide on Saturday at Selhurst Park – Liverpool run riot over Crystal Palace winning 7-0. Can anyone keep pace or are the champions about to disappear into the distance? Man United hammer Leeds 6-2 at Old Trafford, in a game that almost has pundits waxing lyrical about the losers more than the winners. But given United’s squad depth, are they viable title contenders? Are...

Liverpool win it late against Tottenham in a game that Jose Mourinho thought Spurs deserved to win. And a game where Curtis Jones turns in an Iniesta-ish performance. Next up for Spurs, it’s Leicester, undone by Everton’s cupboard approach. The Toffees now host Arteta’s struggling Arsenal. We ask if Aubameyang is a suitable skipper?  It’s all change at the Hawthorns as West Brom sack Slaven Bilic...

PSG will play Barcelona in a rematch of the 2017 remontada, it’s Nagelsmann v Klopp, plus Lewandowski v Immobile in the Champions League in 2021. Dortmund bid farewell to Lucien Favre after a 5-1 thrashing by Stuttgart – Rafa explains why he was always a cultural misfit at the club. Real Madrid beat Atletico in the derby. The first Liga defeat of the season for Simeone’s side, but does he have pro...

Arsenal suffer their 4th successive home defeat as Burnley win at the Emirates for the first time ever. Are we approaching the end for Mikel Arteta? Has staff upheaval off the field affected morale on it? Next up for the Gunners, it’s high-flying Southampton, with the Van Dijk-esque Vestergaard and the soon to be in demand Hasenhuttl. Liverpool and Tottenham both drop points in London on Sunday, a...

United crash out of the Champions League after another slow start in Leipzig. So we’re fully expecting a Manchester derby win for Solskjaer and co on Saturday. Despite all the Paul Pogba drama. There’s positive action from a very negative situation as PSG & Basaksehir walk off after the 4th official is accused of using a racist term towards Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo. Bielsa names...

Leipzig host Manchester United in a pivotal final fixture, with the Germans fresh from an exhilarating draw with Bayern Munich. It’s been a bad week for Barcelona. They’re not getting points and they’re not getting paid. So what are the chances of Messi and Neymar ending up back together in Paris? James Horncastle is worried about Juventus under Pirlo. Will there be kicks between Real Madrid and M...

Spurs stay top after another North London derby win. The panel hail Harry Kane, Son and of course Tottenham, channelling Inter 2010. But how worried should Arsenal fans be about Aubameyang, Willian and Arteta’s gameplan? Man United once again turn up after half-time in their victory at West Ham. Is Solskjaer like Zidane or Deschamps in that he has too much talent at his disposal to go too far wron...

Man United’s Champions League destiny hangs in the balance after defeat at home to PSG. Did Solskjaer make one of the strangest managerial decisions ever? And looking at the negatives for PSG, is Kylian Mbappe regressing? David Moyes’ high-flying West Ham host United next. Benji Lanyado wonders if fans being back in the London Stadium could be a bad thing. Speaking of the Moyesiah, has he left his...

Jimbo, James Horncastle, Rafa Honigstein Julien Laurens and Alvaro Romeo look ahead to the crucial Matchday 5 in the Champions League. Can Real avoid another slip up? Are Inter going to embarrass themselves again? How uncomfortable will Ajax make things for Liverpool? Plus, is there really a title race in Ligue 1 - and just why was a game called off in the Maltese Premier League? RUNNING ORDER : ...

Does the turnaround win at Southampton represent a turning point for Manchester United? Did Chelsea’s 0-0 with Spurs show the maturity of both sides? We dive into the issues raised by Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool’s draw with Brighton. Namely TV deals and the need for 5 substitutes. Are there certain clubs in the Premier League out of sync with the rest of Europe? Is there a crisis of confidence am...

On a momentous week, Jimbo is joined by Karen Carney, Rory Smith and Adrian Clarke after the passing of Diego Maradona. The football world mourns the loss of a player who inspired more devotion than any other in the game’s history. We discuss Maradona’s legacy. And we hear about Adrian’s encounter with Diego in his pyjamas. The Premier League weekend is headlined by Chelsea v Spurs – Lampard v Mou...

Leipzig are looking to do the double over Paris Saint-Germain. Along with defeat at Monaco on Friday, are PSG set for Thursday night football? Erling Haaland scores 4 – is he going to another level? Was his performance against Hertha Berlin striking perfection? And who’s the 16-year-old challenging him for the headlines? A Zlatan inspired Milan stay top but their star man could be out for a while....