Libero

Liverpool fans rejoiced when the club signed Mo Salah to a new contract. With Liverpool’s title defence in tatters, the team in chaos, have Liverpool got a Mo Salah problem? The Egyptian has lit up Anfield for the best part of a decade but would last season’s title have been the right time to move on? John Brewin, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja try to answer the question and wonder why it’s so hard to say goodbye. They also look at whether we now have an Arsenal against Manchester City title race, consider why the table is so congested, and provide a comprehensive list of Premier League fans who are actually happy.P1: (00:44)P2: (36:16)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is one big question that today's Libero is seeking to answer and that is: is it fundamentally easier to change the fortunes of a club with less historical baggage? Are the likes of Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton really following in the footsteps of 2003 Chelsea? To do so Rory Smith is joined by Jonathan Wilson and John Brewin for a discussion that covers a lot of ground.P1: (08:57)P2: (40:25)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quarter of the way through this Premier League season, people are starting to ask: is the football we are watching this year any good? Or has the rise of set pieces turned it into a different game? For almost a decade, Pep Guardiola’s brand of possession football felt like the dominant form but even Manchester City are now playing in a different way. Is there no future in the positional game? Or does Andoni Iraola carry the torch for attacking football?On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson try to explain why the game has changed so much, and why even the best teams have decided to take a more direct approach.P1: (11:08)P2: (29:03)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rule of thumb in Scottish football is that if one Old Firm club is doing badly, then the other is doing well. So what happens when both Celtic and Rangers are both in troubled times concurrently? With Brendan Rogers axed as Celtic boss shortly after the departure of Russell Martin from Ibrox, a Hearts team powered by the analytics of Tony Bloom are top of the Scottish Premiership. It seems there has never been a more likely time for an outsider to end Glasgow's hegemony north of Hadrian's Wall, but how have the Old Firm clubs found themselves in such a perilous position? When did buying 'Championship jobbers' stop being good enough? Has the obsession with beating each other hindered their ability to succeed in Europe? Much to discuss for Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Rory Smith.P1: (03:56)P2: (32:36)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many words have been written and spoken about Diego Maradona, but not yet on Libero. That changes now. To celebrate the 65th birthday of the greatest footballer of all time, James Horncastle is joined by Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja. There's singing, Scottish accents and anecdotes for all.P1: (00:35)P2: (36:09)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Brewin, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja are here to talk about the world’s biggest domestic fixture - self-styled, perhaps, but deservedly so - it's 'El Clasico'. Real Madrid v Barcelona, as the fixture will be this Sunday, comes at a tumultuous time for La Liga, with the contentious battle over playing matches overseas very much a hot topic. That is discussed, plus the game's history, the two teams' differing tactical styles and management.P1 (01:31)P2: (38:47)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ange Postecoglou was sacked as Nottingham Forest manager on Saturday, after just 39 days in charge. On today’s episode, Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith and Jack Pitt-Brooke discuss his brief tenure and ask why Postecoglou took that difficult job in the first place.Postecoglou has had a distinctive career and remains an interesting figure. So what is it about him and his skills that stands out? Is it his attacking style of play? Or is it his capacity to talk persuasively in public and frame a narrative around himself? And in the modern Premier League era, is that one of the most important skills of all?P1: (19:57)P2: (30:58)Produced by: Tom Bassam, who apologises for a slightly rougher edit than usual. Unfortunately the AWS outage reduced the available edit time. Email in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League is back, and Arsenal are top of it. There are plenty of reasons to believe they can stay there, too: the deepest squad in the country, an outstanding manager, an uncanny ability to score 95th minute goals from corners. So why does it feel as though every week brings a referendum on their character? Do we undervalue the work Mikel Arteta has done? Is it all part of a PGMOL plot? Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith and Falklands Islands resident Jonathan Wilson ask whether Arsenal are treated differently to everyone else.P1: (09:40)P2: (42:04)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jude Bellingham is seen as England's biggest star, which is why it's very glaring that Thomas Tuchel has broken with decades of protocol and left the Real Madrid man out of his latest squad. Amid talks of the need for squad harmony and the manager's previous comments about Bellingham "intimidating" teammates, there's clearly more to his absence than fitness. Is Tuchel just laying down the law? Or is there an actual danger of Bellingham missing out on the World Cup? Three men who know a thing or two about giant egos, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Miguel Delaney, discuss this, England's historical, craven need to pick the big names players at any cost and who is actually the national team's current 'best' player.P1: (00:14)P2: (36:21)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hated, adored, never ignored, Margaret Thatcher is one of the most important figures in the history of the country that is home to the world's wealthiest domestic league – this cannot be a coincidence. Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Rory Smith discuss how the Premier League has become almost entirely a-political, whether this is a key reason for its rise and if Thatcher's greatest legacy is the creation of an English success story in a sport she cared so little for.P1: (04:04)P2: (43:06)Produced by: Tom BassamEmail in via liberopodcast0@gmail.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopodFollow us on X @podcast_liberoFollow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram @liberopodFollow us on TikTok @liberopodFollow us on Facebook @liberopodMusic: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.