Libero
A podcast about football, the least important of the most important things, featuring John Brewin, Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle, Tariq Panja, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson.
Episodes
World Cup 009 | France Are Good, Germany Are Bad. Why?
As traditional World Cup giants like Germany and the Netherlands fall, their flaws are exposed but how deep do they run? Are these football cultures that have been overtaken the changes in the modern international game? Why then are France excelling? John Brewin, Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson discuss the reasons behind these shifts, as well as where new ideas in international football are com
World Cup 008 | Festival Over, Tournament Begins
Memorable moments in the 2026 World Cup group stage were rare, with Lionel Messi, Iran and the late drama of Algeria v Austria providing the best of them. With jeopardy now back on the menu as we enter the knockouts, will the identity of the winner become clearer? Or is it foolish to draw any conclusions based the low-stakes football we've seen so far?
Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja
World Cup 007 | The Bad, The Good And The Pointless Of A 48-Team Tournament
As the 2026 World Cup concludes its final round of group games, it is time to ask whether the new format has delivered or not. Are the levels of the additional teams a problem? Why are the likes of Scotland being left in limbo? And what do the complicated permutations tell us about a changing game?
On today’s episode we have Rory Smith in LA, James Horncastle in Miami and Jack Pitt-Brooke in New
World Cup 006 | Is America A Football Country Yet?
It is essential for the success of international football tournaments that the hosts do well, and so far Team USA - undeniably the leader of the 2026 World Cup triumvirate - have exceeded expectations. Yet much of the discourse remains fixated on the popularity of the sport in a country where there are certainly other, bigger games in town. What will it take for the conversation to move on from t
World Cup 005 | The Big Names (And England) Deliver, Ronaldo Doesn't
With all 48 teams at the World Cup 2026 now having played, Gianni Infantino will be delighted that the football is now doing the talking, quite emphatically. To pick apart the first round of matches and the off-field stories that are bubbling away under the surface at Fifa's big jamboree are Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja.
P1: (00:32)
P2: (30:45)
For this summer's main event,
World Cup 004 | Tickets, Tornados And The England Camp… Initial Impressions
Libero has landed at the World Cup and we've even seen some football. We have everyone’s first impressions from the first week (or so) in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Both Tariq and Jonathan were in Mexico City for the opener, Jack and Miguel are ensconced in the England camp, while Rory and James are experiencing it from opposite sides of the USA, engaging in the greatest pastime of all:
World Cup 003 | Previewing Fifa's Bloated Mega Tournament
The 2026 World Cup is upon us. The “biggest, most inclusive and best" football tournament ever is finally here . Gianni Infantino told us to say that. On today’s Libero, James Horncastle, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson look forward — if that’s the right word — to what is about to unfold across the United States, Mexico and Canada and try to pick their way through the politics and the problems to f
World Cup 002 | Are Ancelotti And Tuchel The Exception Or The Rule?
The 2026 World Cup has a class of elite coaching talent unlike any other tournament in history. Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Mauricio Pochettino will all be calling the shots for nations they are not from. There is a clear shift in the profile of managers willing to take jobs that were previously the preserve of international football specialists. Is this the start of a permanent trend shift
World Cup 001 | Why Isn't The Age Of Messi And Ronaldo Over Already?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will play at this World Cup despite a combined age of nearly 80. It is a credit to their commitment to football and, undoubtedly, improvements in sport science that the two defining players of the last 25 years are still going, but it also begs the question of why can't the game let go of these two superstars? Messi and Ronaldo are not the only players in the upp
127 | Arsenal Got Close, But How Do They Catch PSG?
Arsenal lost the Champions League final on Saturday night but it has still been an undeniably brilliant season and deserved to parade the Premier League trophy around north London in front of millions fans.
For the final Libero of the club season, Rory Smith and Miguel Delaney dial in direct from Budapest, before Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson ask how Arsenal can make up the g
126 | Is PSG v Arsenal The Future Of Football?
The Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal has a rare quality in this fixture: it pits clearly the two best teams in Europe against each other. Both clubs have had brilliant seasons, each winning their domestic league, adding to an epic feel for the game in Budapest, but the fixture has a sense of freshness, because Arsenal have never won this competition, and PSG won it for the first time
125 | Arsenal Vanquish Manchester City... The End Of A Premier League Era?
The Premier League's final day confirmed Arsenal are champions, West Ham are going down and Sunderland are in the Europa League. But it also felt like one long goodbye: from Pep Guardiola to Mo Salah, via Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Andy Robertson. On today’s Libero, Rory Smith, Jonathan Wilson and our North London correspondent Tariq Panja ask how different the league will look without severa
124 | Manchester City, Pep Guardiola And Football’s Greatest Experiment
Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City. It’s an exit that brings to an end one of the most unique experiments in football history, and one that is unlikely to be repeated again. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja discuss Guardiola’s legacy and the very specific set of circumstances that provided the platform for him to produce arguably the most complete winning machines in English foot
123 | Can Unai Emery Break Through The Europa League Glass Ceiling?
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—Unai Emery is once again in the Europa League final with a team featuring the letters V-I-L-L-A somewhere in their name, a remarkable achievement and one that also creates a perception that he is not among the top echelon of coaches. The competition with which the Aston Villa manager has become sy
122 | The FA Cup Final Should Mean More Than This
ICMP has kindly released an extra few tickets for our live show on 22nd May, so we can squeeze a few more of you in. Plans are coming together and it should be a fun night there will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. Doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London. The link for tickets is here 👍
The FA Cup should be
121 | Is Michael Carrick Manchester United's Best Option?
We have a handful of tickets remaining for our live show on 22nd May, there will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. Doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). The link for tickets is here 👍
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Michael Carrick has made Ruben Amorim's tactics board nightmare at Grimsby seem lik
120 | Arsenal v PSG... A Meeting Of Europe's Best?
We are doing our first live show. It's on 22nd May, doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). There will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. The link for tickets is here 👍
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We have spent much of this season wondering, like many others, whether Arsenal were about to bottle it
119 | The Cult Of The Manager
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From Matt Busby to Liam Rosenior, even harking back from the Wilsonian era of the late 19th century, how has the role and the standing of the football manager changed? Certain football clubs may act as if managers and head coaches are no longer their most important employees but certain mana
118 | Saudi Arabia: Football's House Of Cards
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Amid a shifting landscape of Saudi Arabian sports investments, where does football sit in the PIF's list of priorities? Newcastle are at a crossroads in their journey with the House of Saud and the Pro League is no longer handing out cheques for fun. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja discu
117 | Diego Simeone And Atletico Madrid, The Club Moulded In His Image
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Ahead of Atletico Madrid's Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, we take a look at one of European football's main characters, Diego Simeone. Cholo's impact on a club that were by no means destined to be in their lofty position has been profound, as have his unique and evolving tactics. James
116 | Liam Rosenior, Chelsea And A Crisis Of Their Own Making
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Liam Rosenior is no longer the Chelsea manager, to nobody’s surprise and to many people’s relief, perhaps including Rosenior himself. Can any manager succeed at Stamford Bridge? Or has the club’s strategy under the BlueCo ownership made that near-impossible? Tariq Panja and Miguel Delaney, joi
115 | Was Manchester City's Win Against Arsenal Really A Title-Decider?
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—Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday was a rare thing: a Premier League game that lived up to its billing, both for the importance of the game and the quality of the football.
On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson look back on the afternoon that saw City
Libero 114 | Arne Slot, Liverpool Manager: The Case For And Against
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Liverpool’s exit from the Champions League means they will finish the season trophyless, and the only thing they have left to play for is a fifth-placed finish. Over the course of this season Arne Slot has lost all the credit with the fans he built up by winning last year’s Premier League title.
Libero 113 | Why Does No One Want Arsenal To Win It?
So it all comes down to this. Maybe. After Arsenal lost at home to Bournemouth and Manchester City swatted aside Chelsea, the Premier League has a genuine title decider: Mikel Arteta’s stumbling set-piece merchants against Pep Guardiola’s passing drones at the Etihad on Sunday. On today’s Libero, James Horncastle asks Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith whether the momentum has definitively shifted, if
Libero 112 | Cracking The Code Of Premier League Survival
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This time of year isn’t just about trophies and titles, it’s about trying to stay in the Premier League and this year will be the toughest route to survival in a generation.
On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson look at the survival battle, and the q
Libero 111 | Football Has A Ticket Price Problem
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What’s happened with the tickets for this summer is an absolute scandal but soaring prices is a trend that has an impact way beyond the World Cup. The exploitation of the match-going fan have seen tickets become tradable assets for the market to set the price for, all the while d
Libero 110 | Will Infantino And Trump Break The World Cup?
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From peace prizes to golden baubles, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has made it his mission to shower the US president in praise and treasure, while in the process inserting himse
Libero 109 | Can England Win The World Cup?
We are still in the soft launch phase of SC Libero, but getting on the bandwagon early will give you the chance to lock-in a pay-what-you-want price for an annual subscription until we figure out exactly what perks we give to members. Take advantage of us now at liberopodcast.com.
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Thomas Tuchel was appointed to the England job with one clear aim: to win the 2026 World Cup.
The question
Libero 108 | Do National Teams All Play The Same Way Now?
Join SC Libero! Our members’ only offering is now live, in a soft way. We're starting you off with ad-free episodes, but a host of other benefits are in what we call 'the pipeline'. Sign up now at liberopodcast.com and you get to pay what you want, because we’re suckers.
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All of football’s great nations used to have their own distinctive styles. Brazil meant Jogo Bonito. Italy meant defensiv
Libero 107 | Chelsea, The Oligarch And One Of Football's Biggest Scandals
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Chelsea’s fine for secret payments from the Premier League between 2011 and 2018 might have been a record £10 million but within the game that punishment and suspended transfer ban
Libero 106 | Are Arsenal's Lost Years Over? Why The Carabao Cup Final Matters
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Sunday’s Carabao Cup final could be a historic day for Arsenal. It is their first final since they won the 2020 FA Cup and could mark the start of a glorious climax to the 2025/26
Libero 105 | The Paradox Of The Premier League's European Struggles
For all of the Premier League's clubs financial advantages over their European rivals, they are facing a wipeout in the Champions League. Is it fatigue? Is it tactics? Is it a massive waste of resources? Or are Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja going to looking a bit silly on Thursday?
P1: (01:36)
P2: (28:26)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 104 | Where’s Your Famous Atmosphere? The Premier League’s Sanitised Matchday
Atmosphere is one of the Premier League’s biggest selling points to broadcasters, but ask anyone who regularly goes to games and they will tell you that atmospheres in English grounds are in stark decline. If we do accept that atmospheres are getting worse, why is that?
On today’s episode John Brewin, Jack Pitt-Brooke and James Horncastle try to unpack what exactly we mean when we talk about a ‘
Libero 103 | What Era Was Peak Champions League?
Libero might like knocking the Champions League, but even we know there's nothing like European knock-out football for compelling drama. But with six English clubs in the last 16 and Manchester City playing Real Madrid, again, is this really as exciting as it should be? Is this as good as it once was? This week on Libero, Miguel Delaney, Tariq Panja and Rory Smith ask when the Champions League was
Libero 102 | Trying To Make Sense Of The Business Of Football
Every year football's rich and powerful gather at a West London hotel to do deals, shake hands and talk about the game in a way would be quite unfamiliar to anyone not in the posh seats at 3pm on a Saturday. Several Liberi were in attendance at the recent FT Business of Football Summit, so they found a quiet corridor to discuss what they'd overheard at the conference, as well as the detachment bet
Libero 101 | Spurs In Peril... No Longer Too Big To Fail?
In recent years it has felt as if the Premier League was permanently stratified, with the poor teams unable to win and the rich teams unable to lose. But Tottenham Hotspur have the ninth biggest revenue in Europe and they are at increasing risk of going down.
On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson discuss the possibility of Spurs’ relegation from the top flight. Jon
Libero 100 | Anxious Arsenal And The Definition Of A Bottle Job
It is – it turns out – quite difficult to pin down an accurate definition of what 'bottling it' means and, therefore, which teams can be fairly described as having committed this failure of will in the past. Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson give it their best shot at outlining the true meaning of the phrase and discuss the most famous 'bottle jobs' in football history. With the nerve
Libero 099 | Has Jose Mourinho Burned His Bridges At Real Madrid?
Jose Mourinho will take his Benfica team back to Real Madrid on Wednesday night, trying to get through to the last-16 of the Champions League.
It is now almost 13 years since Mourinho left Real Madrid but his three year spell there remains one of the most interesting periods in modern football. Never before or since has Florentino Perez handed over the keys to a coach so determined to work agains
Libero 098 | Juventus, Benfica And The Plight of Europe's Forgotten Clubs
It’s Champions League punishment round week, which means clubs who were among the biggest and best in Europe 10 years ago are slogging it out to make it through to the last-16.
The question on today’s show is what these sides - especially Juventus, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund - can realistically achieve in a European game that is now stacked against them.
Jack Pitt-Brooke, Tariq Panja and Jame
Libero 097| The Death Of Individualism
In a world where Jack Grealish becomes 'The Rest Station' and Jürgen Klopp insists that no playmaker can be as effective as counter-pressing, it is fair to say that the game's creative geniuses are being marginalised like never before. Has systems football stunted players' ability to think for themselves? Do free spirits have no place in modern tactics? A trio of Libero mavericks, Miguel Delaney
Libero 096 | Lads, It’s Tottenham: The Fall Of Thomas Frank
Another week, another manager departed from the big chair at a traditional English heavyweight. It turns out Dr Tottenham does not have a cure for the club's own malaise and so Thomas Frank must go. Are Spurs trapped in a gilded cage of being the Premier League's sixth biggest club? Are the demands in north London unreasonable? Where will the Lewis family turn for their first appointment of the po
Libero 095 | Slot And Guardiola: End Game?
Resisting the temptation to get distracted by VAR, John Brewin, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Rory Smith discuss the more immediate consequences of Manchester City’s win at Anfield. It was a result that leaves Arne Slot with no margin for error as he tries to keep his job, but does it also tell us something about Pep Guardiola’s future? Is his new-found activist streak evidence that he’s in his final few m
Libero 094 | Can VAR Be Fixed?
There has been no bigger change to football in the 21st century than VAR. On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja want to do more than just complain about it, and the harm that it has done to the modern game. They also want to explore how we got into this position, from Gianni Infantino replacing Sepp Blatter through to its introduction at the 2017 Confederations Cup.
Libero 093 | When The Premier League Is The Man I Need
In Libero’s lifetime, the panelists have regularly lamented the spectacle served up by the Premier League, but after a bumper weekend, Rory Smith, James Horncastle and John Brewin dwell on whether we’re actually a bit spoilt and if viewers standards have risen with the quality of the football on offer. Drowned out by the often negative online noise, Libero remembers to enjoy itself in this episode
Libero 092 | The Modern Premier League: Less Bump, More Grind?
"In the middle area of the pitch, those 24 metres, we feel the game has become stuck, particularly in the Premier League. Everybody has so much information now.” These were the words of Anthony Barry, Thomas Tuchel's number two, back in November, when discussing the what England players face week-to-week in the Premier League. On this episode, John Brewin, Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith discuss to
Libero 091 | Bad In The Premier League, Winning In Europe
Wednesday sees the climax of the Champions League's 144-game 'league phase', a TV bonanza featuring 18 fixtures, after which we will know who made the top eight, who faces the punishment round and who goes home. It's thrilling stuff, we're told.
On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja discuss the second season of the new format and wonder whether the pay-off is worth
Libero 090 | The Unbearable Weight Of Being Tottenham
Thomas Frank may have delayed his departure with that surprisingly comfortable win over Borussia Dortmund, but that is only the tip of Tottenham’s problems. What is the club’s strategy? What do they want to be? Do they no longer have a sense of quest? To answer all of that are Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith.
P1: (05:14)
P2: (29:21)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 089 | How Afcon Descended Into Chaos
It was supposed to be the smoothest running Africa Cup of Nations in tournament history, all the edges levelled off. Then came Sunday’s final and unbelievable scenes in Rabat: dodgy penalties, an even dodgier Panenka, Brahim Diaz’s tears, riot police and Senegal denying what had looked a triumph custom-designed for the Moroccan hosts.
That Jonathan Wilson was there to see it - his 12th AfCon fin
Libero 088 | Real Madrid: Too Big To Manage
He might have been a playing legend but that ended up counting for nothing as Xabi Alonso became the latest Real Madrid manager to be crushed between the weight of galacticos and the biggest Madrileno of them all, Florentino Perez. Was it doomed from the start?
Good luck then, Alvaro Arbeloa, with taming the beast. Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith join John Brewin to discuss football’s most prepos
Libero 087 | Chelsea, BlueCo And The Case Against Multi-Club Ownership
Rory Smith enjoyed going viral for his rant against Chelsea's egregious exploitation of Ligue 1 'sister club' Strasbourg so much that he wanted to make a whole podcast about it. Luckily, James Horncastle was keen to provide operatic hosting duties and Miguel Delaney has an opinion on the issue, so we did. Covered is the morality of the multi-club groups, the shades of grey offered by different app
Libero 086 | Amorim, Maresca And The Battle For Power
That’s been quite a week, hasn’t it? On today’s Libero, Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith and James Horncastle explore how the sackings of Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim shed light on where power lies at Manchester United, Chelsea and in the modern Premier League. Is it with the manager? Or is it with the faceless technocrats in the front office?
P1: (02:38)
P2: (34:34)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 085 | The Downfall Of Ruben Amorim
Libero is not a coach. It is a manager. It has always wanted to be Ruben Amorim. Even on the day he was sacked by Manchester United. Rory Smith, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja unite to discuss the downfall of the radically honest Amorim, what his defenestration means for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s project and whether United can ever be saved.
P1: (01:25)
P2: (34:09)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 084 | The Things That Will Definitely Happen In Football This Year
It's the first Libero of 2026 and here to pick up the pieces of the festive period are Tariq Panja, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson. In a World Cup year the panel make some bold, and some less bold, predictions about what football has in store over the next 12 months and potentially even further into the future.
P1: (04:46)
P2: (28:11)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 083 | The Stories That Defined Football In 2025
As the year nears its end, Miguel Delaney, Tariq Panja, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Wilson take the opportunity to look back at 2025 to pick out football's major narratives.
P1: (10:04)
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Libero 082 | Rabona Bans, Transfer Speak And 'United'... Christmas Dinner Debates
John Brewin, Miguel Delaney, Rory Smith, Tariq Panja and Jonathan Wilson have all had a bit too much on Christmas Day and are ready to get into it with some of their pet hates in football. Pull up a chair, pour another Baileys and join us for the bit of Christmas dinner when everyone lets themself down a bit.
Want to join in? Let us know your biggest football gripe in the comments.
P1: (01:50)
Libero 081 | The First Annual Libero Personality Of The Year Award
Black tie, ballgowns and montages... it's the Libero Personality of the Year award. Rory Smith is your host for this glittering event, where he is joined by the judging panel of John Brewin, Tariq Panja, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Wilson to crown the winner of this loosely defined prize for the figure who defined football in 2025. Did we get it right? Let us know in the comments.
P1: (4:41)
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Libero 080 | World Cup Tickets, Did It Need To Be Like This?
It's basic supply and demand, right? Fifa has stunned most of the world by making the 2026 World Cup the most expensive tournament ever for the match-going fan, with dynamic ticket prices that could see its flagship event deliver as much as $14 billion in revenues, because - ultimately - that is what football is all about. Here to question why the football powers that be are milking fans, the game
Libero 079 | What's Stopping Newcastle Becoming 'The New Manchester City'?
Manchester City racked up another Premier League win this weekend, beating Crystal Palace 3-0 with another display of their new direct, powerful individualistic style. Their change of direction this season has shown us a new side of Pep Guardiola, more pragmatic, more ruthless, and back in the hunt for the title.
On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson discuss City
Libero 078 | The Big Beautiful World Cup: Six Months To Go
With six months to go until the newly-expanded greatest show on Earth, today’s Libero considers what a World Cup designed by FIFA, Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump will look like. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Miguel Delaney ask how the football will play out, what the fan experience will feel like, and how political the whole event might be.
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Libero 077 | Mo Salah, Player Power And Undignified Exits
"I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus." These were the words of Mo Salah after Liverpool's dispiriting 3-3 draw with Leeds at the weekend. A match where Salah, last season's top scorer and the club's perennial talisman, did not make it off the substitutes be
Libero 076 | The Long Barclays... Is Football Trapped In The 90s?
Rory Smith is joined by John Brewin and James Horncastle, who – like the anxious middle-aged men they are – are seeking refuge in the past. But a past that informs our present in a way that is actually quite odd, because in many ways it does feel like football can’t quite escape the 1990s.
Today's kits are based on designs from the 90s, the famous pundits who shape how we understand the game, la
Libero 075 | Are Chelsea Actually Good?
Chelsea held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Sunday even though they were reduced to 10 men in the first half. They looked like a proper Chelsea team, playing in a proper Chelsea atmosphere. And even though they missed the chance to go second, and close the gap to three points, it felt like a day that strengthened their reputation, and that of their coach Enzo Maresca.
So on today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Br
Libero 074 | How You Watch Football Is About To Change All Over Again
Football is ultimately a TV show, however much we might want to see it differently. The story of the rise of football over the last 40 or so years inseparable from the changes in technology, not least satellite TV in the UK and the relationship between the Premier League and what is now Sky Sports, dating back to 1992. You cannot understand the Premier League or modern football independent of that
Libero 073 | Why Is It So Hard To Retain The Premier League Title?
Only three managers have ever won back-to-back Premier League titles and that figure does not look likely grow this season. Managerial greats such as Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte have all failed, so what is it about the Premier League that is so difficult to hang on to and is that going to change in an era where the top clubs have more advantages than ever before? James Horncastle
Libero 072 | Arsenal v Tottenham: Who Really Owns North London?
A team of interlopers from Kent are now arguably London's biggest club and with the pendulum of power swinging back Arsenal's way in recent years, a league title appears possible again. Did North London's original club, Tottenham, miss the opportunity to retake primacy? And what are the origins of one of the Premier League's great fixtures? Jonathan Wilson, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Miguel Delaney go d
Libero 71b | ACTUALLY The Greatest Week Of Football Ever
Last week Libero called this the greatest week in football but little did we know the drama to come. In fact, there was so much to talk about we decided a bonus episode was in order. Here to talk through all things World Cup qualification are Miguel Delaney, Jonathan Wilson and Tariq Panja.
P1: (1:31)
P2: (18:53)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
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Libero 071 | Cristiano Ronaldo’s Search For A Happy Ending
Cristiano Ronaldo might not have done it exactly how he would have wanted — getting sent off while losing to Ireland — but the 40-year-old Al Nassr frontman is now on his way to a sixth World Cup with Portugal. On this week’s Libero, John Brewin, James Horncastle and Rory Smith discuss addiction: Ronaldo’s addiction to playing and Portugal’s addiction to Ronaldo, and contemplate whether his wealth
Libero 070 | Why This Is The Best Week In Football
The international break can often seem a chore, but this time around there are bountiful reasons for optimism. Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle and Jonathan Wilson discuss why this week - and specifically this week - is one of the best in world football. There is just nothing like the joy of qualifying for the World Cup, a feat more pronounced because it occurs only once every four years. The lads
Libero 069 | Liverpool's Mo Salah Conundrum
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
Libero 068 | The Premier League’s Goldilocks Clubs
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.
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Libero 067 | Is The Premier League Boring?
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
Libero 066 | Celtic And Rangers On The Brink... Is The Old Firm Dying?
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 the
Libero 065 | The Diego Maradona Episode
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 Bassam
Email in via liberopodcast0@gmail.com
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Libero 064 | Real Madrid v Barcelona: A Health Check On El Clasico
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 tw
Libero 063 | Ange Postecoglou’s Main Character Energy
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 h
Libero 062 | Arsenal, First The Worst, Second The Best
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?
Libero 061 | England's Jude Bellingham Problem
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
Libero 060 | The Premier League: Thatcher’s Greatest Triumph
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
Libero 059: What’s Wrong With Liverpool?
Saturday brought Liverpool’s third defeat in a week, following reverses at Crystal Palace and the cauldron of RAMS Park, home to Galatasaray. If you were a football doctor and were looking to diagnose reasons for Arne Slot's team looking more like pretenders than champions, what would say? To answer that question Rory Smith is joined Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja.
P1: (01:35)
P2: (40:33)
Produced
Libero 058: Is Football Too Online?
Dressing rooms sharing posts about refereeing decisions, managers complaining about their nicknames on X and social media troll campaigns, football is very online these days. Is this just another case of football predicting society? Is it completely a bad thing? Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja discuss.
P1: (12:56)
P2: (36:40)
Produced by: Tom Bassam
Email in via liberopodcast0@gma
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