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
166 | PSG Have Become The Establishment. Man City Went A Different Way
PSG are a superclub backed by an oil state who have come to dominate European football. Not dissimilar then to Manchester City. Yet, ahead of their Champions League meeting this week, one club is facing serious sanctions for breaching financial regulations and the other is not. Like City, the French champions have been accused of inflating related-party sponsorships to fund squad building, but PSG
165 | Liverpool v Man City: It Means Everything And Potentially Completely Nothing
Manchester City travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday in a game that marks the first appearance of the boys in sky blue since the Premier League verdict dropped and opened the public's eyes to Sham City. A cauldron, a bear pit, a house of flying Kopperberg bottles, it's fair to say it will be lively on Merseyside. Does it mean more because it's Liverpool? Do the yet-to-be-defined sanctions
164 | What The Manchester City Case Means For The Premier League
With Manchester City having been found guilty of systematically cheating their way to Premier League domination, what are the broader implications for competition itself? How robust will one of England's major cultural exports be in the face of its biggest ever scandal? But also has its previously successful formula of light-touch regulation and openness to foreign investment been the Premier Leag
163 | Is The Manchester City Case The Biggest Story In Premier League History?
Trying to place the scale of the Manchester City cheating scandal into context is not straightforward given there is almost no comparable event in the history of English football. However other historic scandals do exist, Calciopoli in Italy is one, but there are more closer to home too. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and James Horncastle discuss where the City case lands among all of that, as
162 | Manchester City: Sham Football Club
Manchester City’s epic run of glory lies in ruins after a long awaited verdict reveals the success was built on a mountain of sham contracts and more than £850m in side income from its Abu Dhabi royal overlords. Rory, Jonathan and Tariq try to dissect a ruling for the ages.
P1: (00:55)
P2: (26:16)
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Produced by: Tom Bassam
Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com
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161 | The Manchester City Verdict: A Stain On The Premier League
The arrival of the news that Manchester City had been found guilty of the majority of the more than 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League upended a sleepy international break weekend. It is the biggest story in football in recent memory and has huge implications for English football and beyond. Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja have been tracking this story for years, John Brewin ask
160 | What Makes Spain So Dominant?
Spain are World and European champions (again), but is there more to the country's success than their clearly defined set of football principles? Why has this set of players succeeded where the post-2012 generation fell short? James Horncastle is joined by a very Spanish Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith to discuss.
P1: (05:45)
P2: (34:15)
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It's the final day of Wilson Month! This is your last c
159 | Klopp, Zidane And The Latest Batch Of Big Name International Managers
Jurgen Klopp and Zinedine Zidane will be among some very familiar faces in the dugout during the upcoming Nations League fixtures as they become the latest high-profile coaches to make the move into international football. They join a number of high-profile peers, including as Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti, in trying their hand coaching a national team, but what is behind this raft of big-name
158 | Why Are So Many English Players Going Abroad?
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are the most high-profile, but they are from the only English players currently plying their trade on the continent - there are three at Inter Milan alone. This trend is certainly a break from tradition over the past 20 years, where outside of a few high-profile exceptions Englishman kept it strictly Premier League and there was a feeling the foreign clubs weren't pa
157 | Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville And The Rise Of The Partisan Pundit
Sky Sports has changed football more than once since the outset of the Premier League and the latest development has elevated star pundits such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to figures that dictate the discourse well beyond the broadcast. Driven by social media, technology and changing consumption habits, this is increasingly taking the form of partisan analysis. Rory Smith, Jack Pitt-Brooke
156 | Manchester United: New Dawn Or False Hope?
Manchester United were an outlier in a summer of lavish spending. In a sea of nine-figure signings, the new arrivals at Old Trafford were brought in on more modest fees as a number of targets moved to rivals. Gone are the days when United were top of the food chain, Premier League titles are now firmly in the rearview mirror and Manchester City are the dominant local force. So with another reboot
155 | Champions League Preview: Are Barcelona Ready To Win It Again?
The Champions League begins this week with some enticing fixtures and a pool of potential winners that may be as small as six teams. PSG have plenty going in their favour but much of what benefits the defending champions in terms of a lighter domestic workload also holds true for a resurgent Barcelona. And what of the English clubs? Is this the start of a long-previewed era of Premier League domin
154 | Is The Premier League's Transfer Bubble Ready To Burst?
The Premier League's clubs have spent just over £3.4bn this summer. Several clubs have paid fees exceeding £100m, Manchester City have done it twice. It feels like less a player trading system than an over-financed arms race, but is the league in a financial bubble?
In this episode, Rory Smith, Miguel Delaney, and Jonathan Wilson analyse the complexities of the modern football transfer market,
153 | This Premier League Knows The Cost Of Everything But The Value Of Nothing
The Premier League's summer transfer window has had too much going on. The volume of intra-league deals is unprecedented, the fees are excessive and it seems as if no one is asking 'does it make sense?'
To try and unpick it are Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Tariq Panja.
P1: (00:54)
P2: (31:28)
It's Wilson Month! What does that mean? It means anyone signing up for SC Libero over
152 | What Are Liverpool Now?
Liverpool under FSG have been at various points held up as the model for a modern football operation. They were good sellers and squad builders. The owners generally believed that the best way to run a Premier League club successfully was to achieve success where people can see it, on the field. Now, with a cohort of powerful individuals that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos buying a significant
151 | Premier League Kick-Off: Awarding The Trophy And Other Overreactions
The 2026/27 Premier League season is underway. So is it too early to hand Arsenal the trophy?
Miguel Delaney was at the Emirates on Friday night, while Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Wilson had to watch on TV. They discuss what we learned from the opening weekend, and how much of an advantage it is to go into this season with an established manager.
The three big losers this weekend were Tottenha
150 | Can Anyone Stop Arsenal?
With the Premier League in the midst of a period of upheaval, Arsenal, the reigning champions, stand alone as the sole pillar of stability amongst the traditional challengers. Neither of the league's other recent title winners - Liverpool and Manchester City - appear as strong as they have been in the past couple of seasons, while Enzo Maresca has the additional unenviable task of trying to replac
149 | What Do We Want From The New Season?
The 2026/27 Premier League season is finally upon us. Even after a transfer window where all the big money has been spent domestially, there are hopes for some exciting new arrivals into 'our league', and maybe for a game which is more determined by individuals, rather than set pieces.
On today’s episode, Jonathan Wilson and James Horncastle discuss what we actually want to see this year, while J
148 | Solving A Problem Like Gianni Infantino
Gianni Infantino, the embattled 'Pope of Football', is limping on as Fifa president and has split the world's federations into two factions, one that wants to see him removed from office and the other who wish for him to remain. Why, despite his obvious flaws and major errors, does Infantino retain such levels of support? Jonathan Wilson is joined by Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja to unpick the mo
147 | The Premier League's Big Beast Manager Is Now A Dying Breed
A new era of Premier League football will begin this month. With Pep Guardiola out of the picture, and Jurgen Klopp long gone, none of the ‘big beasts’ of management will be in jobs. Instead, the 'big six' will largely be coached by managers in their mid 40s, all with something to prove.
On today’s episode John Brewin, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jonathan Wilson ask how this will affect the dynamic of t
146 | Did The Premier League Need Vinicius?
Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Junior is over after Real Madrid announced on Thursday afternoon that the Brazil international had signed a new long-term contract.
But on today’s episode - recorded just before the news was confirmed - Jack Pitt-Brooke, James Horncastle and John Brewin discussed why Arsenal’s attempted move for him felt so significant. For all the Premier League’s wealth and success
145 | How Infantino Tried To Sell The World Cup And Destroyed His Presidency
With a $15bn World Cup bolstering Fifa's bank account, Gianni Infantino was riding high and set fair to continue as football's self-appointed pope, with another term as president all but guaranteed. Little more than two weeks later, following an abruptly abandoned plan to sell a stake in the golden goose to the brother of Donald Trump's son in-law and Infantino is facing the prospect of having to
144 | The Premier League Will Return In A Vastly Different Place
Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are all beginning the new Premier League season with different managers than started the last. With a cast of new characters now coming into focus, Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson consider what storylines might take shape and the longtail impact of the World Cup. Also discussed is how the creep of football is er
143 | You've Just Signed A World Cup Star, Was It A Good Idea?
Johan Manzambi has become the latest player to earn a big transfer off the back of an impressive World Cup, following the likes of James Rodriguez, Ilie Dumitrescu and Papa Bouba Diop. Yet in recent years clubs have turned away from scouting players at major tournaments, but why is that when they provide tangible evidence of a player's quality and ability to handle playing under immense pressure?
Bonus 013 | Remembering Kevin Keegan
The sad passing of Kevin Keegan at the age of 75 last week brought to an end of the ultimate football lives. One of British football's earliest superstars, highly decorated as a player, revered as one of the game's boldest attacking coaches, Keegan was beloved figure both in England and further afield. Here John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson look back at the life of 'King Kev'.
This was originally r
World Cup 015 | The Tournament Debrief
The World Cup is in the rearview mirror but before it disappears from our collective consciousness, amid well-earned holidays or a headlong dash back into the gnarled embrace of club football, we take a look back at the tournament in its entirety. Jack Pitt-Brooke is joined by Jonathan Wilson and Rory Smith for this one.
P1: (04:28)
P2: (33:04)
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For this summer's main event, we are offerin
World Cup 014 | How We Saw Spain Become Champions Again
Spain have beaten Argentina in the World Cup final in a slightly underwhelming conclusion to an overwhelming tournament. This episode was recorded throughout the day of the final by our Liberi on the ground, Rory Smith, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja. It is a bit rough and rugged but it is how we saw it.
Build-up: (01:38)
Pre-match: (03:23)
90mins: (14:35)
Post-match: (16:39)
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For this s
World Cup 013 | England Crumble To Set Up Heavyweight Final
England's latest World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina was both familiar but also a new type of failure. The familiar retreat was exacerbated by Thomas Tuchel doubling down on the tactics that had worked in Mexico City and it all means that Spain will play la Albiceleste in Sunday's final. James Horncastle, Jonathan Wilson and Miguel Delaney review both semi-finals before turning their attentio
World Cup 012 | The Tale Of Two Very Different Semi-Finals
France v Spain and England v Argentina are the World Cup semi-finals FIFA wanted but they could not be more contrasting in terms of what they offer the viewing public. One side promises technical prowess and a game for the chin strokers, on the other a mess of emotions and brilliant moments. You work out which way around those are being billed. Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Rory Smith have thi
World Cup 011 | England, Belgium, France and Switzerland... It's The Revenge Of The Europoors
We 're down to the final stages of the World Cup. So who is going to win it?
Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and Miguel Delaney are on today’s episode, and start with discussion of Argentina who have won their last two games 3-2 in remarkable circumstances. Then focus turns to England, as Jack and Miguel discuss their historic win at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday night.
Spain have gone under th
World Cup 010 | England, Brazil And A Change To Football's Established Order?
It's been a busy start to the World Cup round of 16. England triumphed on a night of great drama in Mexico City and Norway dumped out a hapless Brazil. Are these results, especially the latter, symptomatic of modern international football? Are the game's traditional powers being caught by nations with better organised youth development?
Jack Pitt-Brooke and Miguel Delaney check in from the Aztec
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
Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com
Sub
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
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