The Daily Football Briefing

They’re all very down in the dumps at Arsenal. A surprisingly high number of fans seem to have lost faith in Mikel Arteta. That seems a bit dramatic, doesn’t it? We check in on Amy Lawrence and Ian StoneAre Nottingham Forest title contenders? Matt Davies Adams certainly thinks so and our Liverpool correspondent James Pearce thinks the league leaders are in for a really tough game. Plus, we preview all of Tuesday’s big games around Europe.  Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Amy Lawrence, Ian Stone, Matt Davies Adams and James Pearce Producer: Si Watts

The FA Cup takes a lot of stick, from me in particular, but Sunday offered two of the best sort of games. First non league Tamworth gave Tottenham a real test across 101 minutes of uncompromising football class war and then Arsenal and Man Utd went at each other in a game that had more needle than quality. Carl Anka and James McNicholas were at The Emirates, Jay Harris was in Tamworth, we’ve also got Seb Stafford Bloor on a rampant Bayer Leverkusen and Dermot Corrigan was watching the Classico that no-one in England could see (by legitimate means).This is everything you need to know about the weekend’s football.  Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Carl Anka, James McNicholas, Jay Harris, Seb Stafford Bloor and Dermot CorriganProducer: Si Watts

We all knew Sean Dyche was under significant pressure at Everton, but I don’t think anyone expected him to sacked just a few hours before kick off in the FA Cup third round tie against Peterborough. David Ornstein and Paddy Boyland fill us in on the details. What do we make of Graham Potter at West Ham? Phil Hay has his doubts. And we have some good news for Manchester United fans too, they certainly haven’t had much of that over the past few weeks. Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: David Ornstein, Paddy Boyland, Phil HayProducer: Si Watts

Did anyone expect Spurs to play really mature, sensible football and beat Liverpool without conceding a goal? This was a very impressive display from them, though the referee’s decision not to dismiss Lucas Bergvall may have been more important than his dalliance with the tannoy…Julian Lopetegui has been put out of his misery at West Ham. The decision was finally reached on Wednesday after the poor man was made to take a morning training session. Roshane Thomas is here to tell us if it was the right decision or not. And remember how Barcelona were going to lose Dani Olmo for nothing? Not anymore. The Spanish government has stepped in and he can play again. Pol Ballus explains what just happened.Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: James Pearce, Jack Pitt Brooke, Roshane Thomas and Pol BallusProducer: Si Watts

Arsenal sent the xG meter past the three goals mark, but Newcastle were far more ruthless in front of goal and they have just secured a huge victory in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals. Can Arsenal turn it around at St James Park? I don’t fancy their chances…What’s the latest on Julien Lopetegui? We speak to our West Ham man Roshane Thomas.And it’s the first Heavy Metal Football…statistics of the season. Are Brentford all they’re cracked up to be? The numbers shed some doubt…Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Jordan Campbell, George Caulkin, Roshane ThomasProducer: Si Watts

Arsenal fans seem a little nervous right now and I can understand that. Newcastle stand between them and a first cup final since 2020, and the Magpies are in fine form. But former Gunner Adrian Clarke is very optimistic…AC Milan looked dead and buried in Saudi Arabia, but Christian Pulisic led a heroic comeback to secure Super Coppa success against Internazionale. Greg O’Keefe was watching that for us. We’re really going to have to start taking Nottingham Forest seriously. They are the real deal. Matt Davies Adams joins us to explain why. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got David Ornstein discussing his fascinating interview with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. How did we fit all this into just ten minutes? Scissors. Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Adrian Clarke, Matt Davies Adams, Greg O’Keefe and David OrnsteinProducer: Si Watts

Liverpool were supposed to give Manchester United the spanking of a lifetime, but they only escaped with a draw because a last gasp opportunity fell to Harry Maguire. What went wrong, we ask James Pearce, while pivoting skilfully to ask Laurie Whitwell what went right for United. And seriously, what is the deal with Dani Olmo? Can he leave Barcelona for free now? We asked Pol Ballus who patiently explained…yes. Yes, he can. We’ve got all the big scores and stories from around Europe, including a fine performance from Roma in the derby against Lazio and, as an avatar of our gently tweaked format, we ask Seb Stafford Bloor about this young goalkeeper that Spurs have just signed. Listen now (or later, we’re not fussy, it’s your life) and remember to follow, subscribe, review, rhapsodise or simply enjoy on your own terms.Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: James Pearce, Laurie Whitwell, Pol Ballus and Seb Stafford BloorProducer: Si Watts

The night started slowly in north London, but those who exercised patience reaped the rewards. Tottenham were 3-0 up against Manchester United, all but set for the Carabao Cup semi finals, when Fraser Forster decided to make the game a little more interesting with two terrible errors. Jay Harris has the story of the rest of the night. In Europe the Conference League league stage concluded. Chelsea were unsurprisingly top but there was still some fun to be had. Lucy Oliva was at Stamford Bridge to watch the Blues walk to their sixth victory of the campaign so far.And Everton’s takeover by The Freidkin Group finally went through. There is a new hope on the horizon on Merseyside. Paddy Boyland has all the details.Christmas reading hereHost: Abi PatersonProducer: Tom Fuller

There were no surprise results in the League Cup, but there were some surprising moments. Crystal Palace led Arsenal for fifty minutes at The Emirates before succumbing to a Gabriel Jesus hat-trick, Southampton pushed Liverpool all the way in a closer-than-you-might-expect 2-1 defeat. But there was no surprise in Brentford losing away at Newcastle because for some reason Brentford seem to lose rather a lot of their away games. We’ve got an update on the Marcus Rashford situation, we’ve got most of the scores from Europe (Spain started late and played havoc with our deadlines) and we’ve got the last of the WCL Group Stage, it’s all here on the penultimate show of 2024.  Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Jordan Campbell, Gregg Evans, Chris Waugh, Mark CritchleyProducer: Tom Fuller

Yep, those A22 guys are back with a new idea for ruining football. And it’s really quite something. Ninety six teams in four divisions that are split into multiple splinter divisions, all attempting to reach some sort of knock out round. I’ll level with you, I’m not a fan. There’s been a lot of news today. There’s the Mudryk banned substance story, there’s Marcus Rashford announcing that he’s ready for a new challenge, there’s the FIFA Best Awards, there’s Ronaldo running for President. No, not that one. The original one. Plus, we’ve got the scores from the WCL and news of a rare not-draw for Juventus. Presenter: Iain MacintoshWith: Si Watts, Max MatthewsProducer: Si Watts