

Essential Football
Sky Sports
From Premier League news to international football talking points, Sky Sports' football journalists bring you in-depth, expert analysis on Essential Football.Listen to every episode of Essential Football on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker.You can also listen to Essential Football on your smart speaker by saying "ask Global Player to play Essential Football".For all the latest football news, head to skysports.com/footballFor advertising opportunities email: skysportspodcasts@sky.uk
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 19, 2023 • 14min
Premier League Weekend Wrap: Tottenham meltdown, Everton hold Chelsea and Arsenal go eight points clear
On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, Antonio Conte goes on a wild rant after his side throw away a 3-1 lead to draw at Southampton.There's frustration for Chelsea too, with Joe Shread at Stamford Bridge to see Everton snatch a late point, but better news awaits for Arsenal, who thrash Crystal Palace 4-1 in front of Ben Grounds and David Richardson to go eight points clear at the top.Jamie Carragher explains why Newcastle's win at Nottm Forest has put the cat among the top-four race pigeons, and Adam Bate assesses a pivotal win for Leeds at fellow strugglers Wolves.David Brooks speaks to Sky Sports after his long-awaited return after recovering from cancer, and Peter Smith is at Brentford to see Leicester claim a point and finally end their losing run.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Mar 18, 2023 • 10min
Antonio Conte rant special: Hear the Spurs boss' incredible outburst in full, plus Jamie Redknapp on why his position at Spurs is untenable
"Tottenham's story is this. In 20 years there is this owner, and they never won anything - but why?"Hear every moment of an extraordinary post-match eruption from Antonio Conte after Spurs threw away a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 at Southampton in a special edition of Essential Football.Are the Tottenham boss' incendiary remarks enough to see him ousted from his position? Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp tells Sky Sports why he thinks they could be.

Mar 12, 2023 • 18min
Premier League Weekend Wrap: Trossard delivers for Arsenal | Casemiro sees red again | Chelsea's resurgence continues
Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.It's as you were in the Premier League title race as Arsenal and Man City secure wins at Fulham and Crystal Palace respectively. Leandro Trossard starred for Arsenal with three first-half assists, while Erling Haaland's 28th Premier League goal helped Man City keep the pressure on Mikel Arteta's side at the top. We have analsysis from both games from Nick Wright and Sam Blitz.Peter Smith looks back on a thrilling 0-0 draw between Man Utd and Southampton as Casemiro saw red again, while Declan Olley gives his verdict on a much-needed win for Spurs.We hear from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who saw his side stunned by Bournemouth, Newcastle's Eddie Howe after the Magpies got back to winning ways against Wolves, and finally, David Richardson discusses a third win in a week for Chelsea and head coach Graham Potter.Finally, it's getting tight at the bottom. Leeds rescued a point against Brighton, while West Ham were held at home to Aston Villa, and there was a big win for Everton this week as Sean Dyche's side moved up to 15th. We hear from Dyche, who says his side's mentality is growing.And that's your Premier League weekend wrap!

Mar 5, 2023 • 17min
Premier League Weekend Wrap: Liverpool humble Man Utd, Arsenal back from the brink, Chelsea unconvincing in victory
On a dramatic weekend in the Premier League, we start off at Anfield where Roy Keane dissects Man Utd's battering at the hands of Liverpool, before Mo Salah explains how long he has waited to become the Reds' all-time top goalscorer.It's then down to London for a fairytale Arsenal comeback to earn a 97th-minute win over Bournemouth, as witnessed by Sam Blitz at the Emirates.Back up in the North West, Pete Smith was our man at the Etihad to wax lyrical over Phil Foden and express his concerns over goal-shy Newcastle after the hosts' 2-0 win to keep up their title hopes.Dave Richardson explains why Chelsea's 1-0 win over Leeds won't bring too much comfort to under-fire Graham Potter, while Declan Rice lays bare the hurt of West Ham's 4-0 defeat at Brighton in conversation with Sky Sports.Adam Bate tries to pick the bones out of an archetypal game of two halves as Wolves shock Tottenham 1-0 at Molineux, and Dan Sansom sets out exactly the size of Southampton's 1-0 win over Leicester to lift them off the bottom of the table.Last but not least, there's Everton's draw at Nottm Forest and Aston Villa's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Feb 28, 2023 • 1h 3min
Managers special with Neil Lennon and Matt Taylor on Cyprus, Celtic, 40-yarders & lessons from Big Sam & Dyche
Simeon Gholam is joined by Sky Sports presenter David Prutton and special guests Neil Lennon and Matt Taylor for a frank look at management, being out of work and their careers as players.The trio take a look back at their various meetings throughout their careers as players, before Lennon discusses his recent experiences managing Omonia in Cyprus - including a very memorable cup final win and a run-in with a referee! - while Taylor looks back on his stint at Walsall in League Two, and what he has done since he has been out of management.Lennon also discusses playing under Martin O'Neill, some of his experiences at Celtic, the highlights of career and what he hopes his next steps are.Taylor speaks about what he has learned in the past 12 months, while also discussing the most inspirational managerial figures in his career, with stories about Sam Allardyce and Sean Dyche in particular during his time as a player for the likes of Portsmouth, West Ham and Burnley.

Feb 26, 2023 • 18min
Man Utd win the Carabao Cup: Is this the start of something special for Erik ten Hag's side? How will Newcastle respond to defeat?
Sky Sports digital football journalists Simeon Gholam and Zinny Boswell give their full-time reaction as Manchester United beat Newcastle United to win the Carabao Cup at Wembley.It's Man Utd's first trophy since 2017 and the first of the Erik ten Hag era, while Newcastle's long wait for silverware continues.Sky Sports News reporters Dharmesh Sheth and Keith Downie join Simeon to discuss what victory means for Man Utd and how Newcastle will respond to their Wembley disappointment.

Feb 26, 2023 • 19min
Premier League Weekend Wrap: More problems for Potter at Spurs | West Ham relieve pressure on Moyes | Do Arsenal have mark of champions?
On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, we start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Declan Olley and Joe Shread have been watching Spurs' first league win over Chelsea in nine attempts - raising the temperature yet further on Graham Potter.Lewis Jones was at the London Stadium to watch David Moyes show why he is the best man to get West Ham out of trouble, while Ben Grounds watched Man City's return to form with a thumping win at Bournemouth.Ron Walker explains why Everton's defeat to Aston Villa should worry fans and manager alike, and Joe Shread analyses why Arsenal might just have the mark of Premier League champions.David Richardson was at Selhurst Park to watch Liverpool battle to a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, Ruben Selles was left to explain why his Southampton side were so poor in a 1-0 defeat at Leeds, and Ben Grounds was at Fulham on Friday night as they earned a point against Wolves despite being far from their best.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Feb 24, 2023 • 36min
Carabao Cup final: Rashford’s Wembley redemption? | Will Karius shock his critics? | The Brazil battle in midfield
Ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, we take an in-depth look at the Wembley showdown between Man Utd and Newcastle.Will Marcus Rashford continue his Man Utd goal-scoring form on his first return to the national stadium since the Euro 2020 final? How will goalkeeper Loris Karius cope with the pressure of the big game after his Champions League nightmare with Liverpool? And who will win the battle of Brazil in midfield, when Bruno Guimaraes goes up against international team-mates Casemiro and Fred? We also hear from Sky Sports pundit Michael Dawson on just what it takes to win a Wembley final and what the players will be going through before and during the big day.

Feb 23, 2023 • 35min
A deep dive into Liverpool's deep dive: Recruitment mistakes, brain drain and burnout at Anfield
On an Essential Football podcast assessing where Liverpool's season has hit the rocks - again - after a 5-2 thrashing by Real Madrid on Tuesday night, Sky Sports News reporter Melissa Reddy joins Ron Walker to discuss the size of the problems at Anfield.Melissa gives her analysis into the scale of Liverpool's ongoing issues, why their resurgence before this week was another false dawn, and explains what behind-the-scenes issues are affecting matters on the pitch.With sporting director Michael Edwards and FSG president Michael Gordon either gone or moved away from the Liverpool frontline, how much trouble are Liverpool in - and how do they go about fixing it?

Feb 20, 2023 • 23min
Premier League Weekend Wrap: Advantage Arsenal again | Spurs into fourth | Pressure piling up on Potter
It’s been another Premier League round packed with drama and it finished with a change at the top, a new arrival in the top four and some serious shifts in and around the relegation zone.Struggling to keep up with it all? Don’t fear! Your Premier League Weekend Wrap is here!Listen in for the lowdown on Newcastle’s ‘keeper crisis, another big Goodison Park win for Sean Dyche, a potentially decisive day for Arsenal and much, much more as Peter Smith and Sky Sports journalists and pundits round up the action...