Stadio: A Football Podcast

The Champions League is back! Musa and Ryan round up the round of 16 second legs that were played over the weekend ahead of its move to Lisbon for the remainder of the tournament. They begin with Manchester City’s drama-free win over Real Madrid (03:56), and Musa is accused of jinxing Raphaël Varane. Lyon went through thanks to the away goal rule (11:42), and there's discussion about Maurizio Sarri's replacement, Andrea Pirlo (17:50). There’s also talk of Bayern cruising through against Chelsea as well as Barcelona progressing despite failing to impress, before the guys look ahead to this week’s quarterfinals (34:46). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s another what-if episode, in which Musa and Ryan take a trip through an alternate football reality. Before they do, they reflect on the news that Arsenal are to lay off 55 staff members, including roles in recruitment and scouting (04:34). Then it’s on to the what-ifs, beginning with if Gareth Bale had been sold to Birmingham City in 2009 (19:35), if Antonio Conte had signed Romelu Lukaku for Chelsea in 2018 (35:38), if the current football and social media climate had existed when Alex Ferguson was under pressure during his early days as Manchester United manager (43:07), and if Celtic had beaten Chelsea in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final (47:53). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musa and Ryan break down Arsenal’s FA Cup Final win over Chelsea at Wembley, thanks to two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (03:40). They discuss Christian Pulisic, who scored before suffering a hamstring injury, and Mikel Arteta’s securing the first trophy of his young managerial career. They also reflect on Eddie Howe leaving Bournemouth and predict where he may go next (24:55), before moving on to the failed Newcastle takeover bid and what it means for the wider context of ownership of European clubs (28:55). There’s also a quick chat about Inter, Atalanta, and looking ahead to the Champions League’s return (40.28). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal, Musa and Ryan are joined by two-time FA Cup winner and Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and England legend Ian Wright. He talks about how it feels to play and score in multiple FA Cup finals, how his first experience with Crystal Palace differed from his second and third with Arsenal, what makes Wembley unique, pre-match nerves, the differences between the three managers he went to the final with, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League season wrapped up this weekend, almost a full year after it began. Musa and Ryan do an extended round-up of the key last matchday fixtures, including Watford’s relegation after defeat to Arsenal (06:40) and Bournemouth’s joining them despite beating Everton at Goodison Park (13:15). Aston Villa’s draw away at West Ham was enough to keep them up, and there’s talk about Jack Grealish’s potential future (16:59). Manchester United beat Leicester to secure Champions League football next season, and there is analysis on the jobs that Brendan Rodgers and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have done at their respective clubs (19:30), as well as the job Frank Lampard has done at Chelsea, who will also be in Europe’s premier competition next season (31:51). There’s also chat about Manchester City, Liverpool, Jordan Henderson’s Football Writers’ Player of the Year award (39:10), Houston Dash’s first trophy in the NWSL Challenge Cup (49:40), and Juventus securing a ninth straight Scudetto (57:32), plus much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musa and Ryan take questions on who would be in contention for the Ballon d’Or had the 2020 edition gone ahead (05:06), whether Chelsea’s new signings can disrupt the Premier League top two next season (09:46), Leganés’s heartbreaking relegation (16:04), underrated players (21:26), Jose Mourinho’s ever-reducing cycle, which leads to a discussion about pairing managers and actors (21:26), plus Ralf Rangnick’s proposed move to AC Milan being off (34:26). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musa and Ryan reflect on the FA Cup semifinals, which saw Chelsea and Arsenal progress to the final and highlighted potential problems within the two Manchester clubs (05:50). In the US, the NWSL was full of shocks as the top four seeds all exited the competition and Britt Eckerstrom stole the show (22:35), plus Ryan shares his love of the numerous novelty Twitter accounts that have sprung up around the tournament. The MLS was also wild, with goals, sendoffs, and plenty of VAR drama, much like La Liga’s final day, which saw Leganés relegated, two legends leave, and Villarreal and Granada seal their first ever European spot (32:00). Finally, they touch on Bielsa’s Leeds United getting promoted to the Premier League, Nigel Pearson’s sacking with two games left, and World Cup winner Andre Schürrle retiring at the age of 29 (42:25). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a mailbag episode this time around, as Musa and Ryan let the questions guide them. They begin with Arsenal’s win over Liverpool (06:40) despite registering just three attempts on goal and a record-low possession total at home. They also discuss how the schedule is starting to take its toll on players, heap praise on the absent Jordan Henderson (12:32), and choose what players they would take from ’90s Arsenal and Manchester United teams onto today’s (14:23). Next, they host the first-ever ‘Stadio’ competition, in which they’ll be giving away a copy of Issue 2 of the brilliant Caricom Magazine, which contains an essay by Musa (20:11). Finally, they round up the latest from Portugal, Italy, and the U.S. (21:30) before moving on to discuss the Women’s Champions League (26:45), the USWNT players they’d like to see on European clubs (29:11), the rules they’d take from other sports into soccer, (32:24) and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musa and Ryan discuss how the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling to overturn UEFA’s punishment of Manchester City for alleged breaching of Financial Fair Play regulations will affect European soccer. They also touch on the damage to UEFA’s authority and how it played a part in creating a handful of powerful European superclubs (03:43). Next, they reflect on the North London Derby, in which Spurs beat Arsenal to land yet another victory for Jose Mourinho over the Gunners (16:47), before praising Chris Wilder as he continues to do a brilliant job at Sheffield United (32:00), and hitting a couple other Premier League talking points. Finally, following a letter by an anonymous Premier League player revealing they are gay but not able to go public, they discuss why men’s soccer has still so much to do to prove that the game really is for all (36:18), plus much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MLS Is Back Tournament kicked off last Wednesday, so Musa and Ryan discuss the conditions surrounding its questionable return as well as Orlando’s beating Inter Miami in the opener and how the circumstances differ from the NWSL Challenge Cup (03.48). They take a question on how the NWSL compares to leagues in Europe, and explore whether the next NWSL CBA may allow USWNT players to play in Europe (10:40). They recap the wild Milan vs. Juventus game, Ralf Rangnick taking over for Stefano Pioli next season (15:11), whether Kai Havertz would fit at Chelsea as a rumored move to London gains steam (23:05), how the lack of a crowd affects field-player traits (30:05), and what footballing minutiae they love, including player and managerial sartorial choices (34:37). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesFor more podcasts each week, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, become a Stadio member by going to patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.