"It's absolute *******" 🫣 | Gary Neville reacts to relegation battle | The Gary Neville Podcast

Hello, welcome to the Gary Nettle podcast, the final of the 2025 -2026 season.And we sit here at the gantry at a sweltering Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having Gary just watch Spurs escape by the skin of their teeth.First of all, your thoughts on the afternoon and what we've seen unfold here in terms of the Spurs performance on the day.

Yeah, I mean, there were many Spurs fans before the game that I spoke to.I spoke to one in a taxi yesterday for about 20 minutes in the middle of London.there was none of it wasn't one Spurs fan that thought that today was going to be comfortable.They thought it was going to be a terrifying experience.I had to think that was as comfortable as they could have got in respect of I thought it played really well.They controlled the game from minute one.

I thought that Conor Gallagher started that off by his first five minutes.He was really at it running forward.I thought the midfield got a grip of the game.I'm not going to repeat this, but Everton were absolutely awful.I mean, you couldn't have actually wished for a better opponent today than Everton.They were dire.

David Moyes didn't get anything out of his team and I think he'll be unhappy about that.But for Spurs, they were dominant as a 1 -0 could be and they felt really comfortable, they defended well, Everton didn't have a shot on target I think until 15 -20 minutes to go.Their work ethic was good, their compactness, their shape, their authority on the ball, all the things that you might say wouldn't be there in a nervous, anxious ground and a nervous, anxious team.I didn't see that.There was a lot of experience out on the pitch, and I think today they handled the occasion well.I mean, it doesn't get away from how they've been and what they put this crowd through and this fan base through.

But today I thought they were solid.

Their third home win of the season, their first since December.It's been wretched here.Before today, the joint worst record with Burnley at home in the Premier League.What is it about this place?How do they start to go about putting it right?

Oh, it's an absolute disgrace.I mean, they were my closing words at the end of the game when you threw to me.You mentioned that obviously there was celebration and the fans were celebrating because for them it's real.For the players, I'm sure for some of them it is real.But for some of them, I said it doesn't feel like they want to be on the bus.And that's what Roberto Deserbi is going to have to work out in this.

Well, he's probably worked it out already.I mean, not one a game here since Christmas.It's absolutely shocking for a group of players that have been expensively assembled for a club of such stature.But they're flimsy, they're weak, they're vulnerable.And the all tops who really has got to begin, I'm sure it already has, but they've been in fighting for their lives for the last few weeks.So it's probably now going to be a real concentration on it, whereas in the last few weeks, they're probably sort of what will be toying with recruitment for next season, thinking, well, are we going to be in the championship or are we going to be in the Premier League?

Now they know for real, having escaped today, they can start to basically drive a bulldozer through that dressing room because that's what they need to do.It's been a massive failing, but all through the club, the other decisions, even the decision this week, even what's happened with Romero.Watching that sort of emerge over the last few days, that story.If Romero had gone back to Argentina without permission of management at the club, we would have heard about it, that he'd gone rogue.He hasn't gone rogue.I think they've given him permission.

I think they've said, go on, get yourself back.Completely misunderstanding what togetherness is, and I think what was that sort of line they've been using in the last few weeks?Yeah, all together always, unless you're in Argentina.All together always.And do you know something?You hear some of this leadership ****, don't you, from time to time, which is spouted out in business and spouted out in football clubs where they have signed

on walls.But the problem is the actions speak a lot louder than words.The actions out on the on the pitch speak a lot louder than words.The dare to do.Do they dare to do these players?I don't think so.

Um are they always together?No, I don't think so.Is there a connection right the way through the club?No, we hear that the owners have been trying to sell this club for two or three, four years now trying to get as high a price as possible.Um They've done a great job in certain ways with certain things that they've built in infrastructure terms, but they failed the fans on the pitch that is most important.You know, football is all about first team performance at a football club, whether that's the women's team, the men's team.

You've got to win.You've got to win.And I have to say, you know, these Spurs fans are celebrating today.And look at that sign there behind that goal.It's the perfect moment for it, Bill.Do you want to read it out?

Well, there's one there that says, promise success, delivering failure, Enoch out.There's another one at the other end that says, love Tottenham, hate Enoch.Yeah.They need to get their act together, don't they?I mean, they parted company with Daniel Levy and made big promises that things were going to be different and that they were going to turn over a new leaf.Things have got worse.

Yeah.

Well, what's happened is the always together that you mentioned has come from the fans because they have stayed together.there was a protest, I think, planned a few months or so ago, and they cancelled it because they recognised that the team needed them out on the pitch and deservedly needed them out on the pitch.And Tudor needed them out on the pitch.They've turned up in the thousands outside the ground today.These Tottenham fans to urge their team forward.I thought that might add a little bit of anxiety to the players, but it actually didn't do.

They handled it well.But you've got players out on this picture.Quite a few of them are going to be going to the World Cup.They've got experience.They've got some quality out there.And look, Is it too far to say that they've been pathetic, that they should be ashamed?

of themselves?Probably not.You know, this is Tottenham Hotspur, and I know sometimes I get mocked for saying this is Manchester United.But you know, this is a football club steeped in incredible traditions.Now, they've not won trophies for a long time, regularly, even though they won the Europa League last year.It was fantastic, and it was great for this fan base to celebrate a trophy.

they've been underachievers and underperforming for a long time.But then this is another level of underachievement and hitting new lows.You know, the last two years in the Premier League and where they've been.So like you say, there's got to be a massive reset.There's got to be an autopsy that goes really deep right the way through the club.And to be fair, when you're owners of a football club, and I'm an owner of a football club, sometimes you have to start by looking in the mirror yourself.

You absolutely do, because success sometimes doesn't come in a football club because of the decisions that you make.because of what you do, not because of what the fans do, what the players do, what the coaches do, but just right the way through here.I mean, appointing your tutor and having to sack him within a few weeks.Um, it didn't feel right that appointment from day one, did it?Just didn't connect.Um, yeah.

Sacking against Posta Koglu, bringing Thomas Frank in, someone who's highly respected, bringing Igor Tudor in, now bringing the Zerbian.Yeah, what a roller coaster of a season and they'll have lost a lot of credibility and trust and you can see the signs that are up there that you've just read out at the opposite end of the ground against the owners and I'm not surprised.

Let's throw this forward a little bit.I think a lot of Spurs fans, certainly ones I've spoken to, are quite excited now that, you know, if we stay up then things could get quite exciting under Roberto de Zerbi.We've seen that probably the most stable Premier League club, he managed to fall out with the management then because they didn't match his ambition and that's obviously when he was at Brighton.He walked out on Marseille because things went, you know, he's explosive, he's combative and he's combustible.If they don't back him properly in the summer, you could see him walking out, couldn't you?He's obviously been made promises to come in.

Oh, they'll have to back him.Oh yeah, I think he's not going to sit down lightly and sort of just sort of have his belly tickled by the ownership and believe anything that they say.I mean, they must have given promises on the way in.And I said before, there's a bulldozer needs to go through that dressing room, and he's the bulldozer.What's he going to do with his captain?Van de Ven, I'm sure there'll be a lot of clubs after him.

Yeah, there's big decisions to make at this football club, and you know, He'll have decided already in this first four or five weeks what he wants and what he needs to remain from the current dressing room and the current squad.But I actually had a fascinating session going back maybe seven, eight, nine years, maybe 10 years now with Maurizio Pochettino when they just built the training ground and we were with England and I was assistant coach under Roy Hudson.And I always remember, and I'm not going to go into the detail of it, but when he first came in, he shifted a load of players.He had a group of players that were on the board, which were his squad.and he shifted a load to that side of the board.And they were the players he wanted to keep.

And then he shifted a load to that side of the board.He said, I've got to get rid of them seven or eight there.And Dzerb is going to have to do something similar.Be really cold.Be really ruthless.Really harsh.

He's got instinct.He's got experience.He's not someone who's going to mess around anyway.He doesn't need me to tell him what to do.But I think he's got strength now.And he's got power now.

And he's got authority now with this sporting director and the ownership.And they've got to go with him.And if they don't go with him, Yeah, he will, he's the type that won't accept it, and he'll just be off, he'll say, do what.

So positivity in North London, if we turn our attentions to East London, West Ham were the ones who, although winning on the final day, fell short.A disastrous season for them, and you fear for what the direction is at a stadium that the fans don't love, a board certainly where there's a massive disconnect between the supporters.you know they move to that stadium being promised the heights of European football they did win a European trophy three years ago and now they're back in the championship for the first time in 15 years yeah and because of I think Tottenham and the situation and predicament that they've been in this last month.

Almost West Ham have been part of it, but they've not been part of it to an extent as they would have been if they'd been going for it with a Burnley, a Wolves, or a Sunderland, or a Leeds, you know, a club like that, clubs of those...Those clubs have done brilliantly well, two of them, to stay up this year.Sunderland, when I look part way through the game, by the way, and I'll have a look again now, Sunderland were seventh.

Sunderland are in Europe for the first time in 52 years.

Wow, what an achievement.

They finished seventh.We'll come on to that later.

Brilliant.Did they finish seventh then in the end?Yeah, they finished seventh in the end.Absolutely brilliant.Well, well done to them.The one thing that I didn't want them to do season amongst many things.

I wanted a different champion because I felt it's good for the Premier League that, you know, you get different champions that haven't won it for a long time and Arsenal have done that.I thought it was good last year that Crystal Palace won a trophy, that Tottenham won a trophy and it was essential, Bill, this year.Essential that the same three teams didn't go down or else we were going to get to a point whereby the parachute payments just completely and utterly doping the championship and then obviously coming back up again.It's just three up, three down, same every single year.So what Sunderland Leeds have done this year is really important.But for West Ham, but they're a club.

West Ham are a club and there are a few more.We've seen Villa, we've seen Newcastle.Tottenham didn't go today, that would have been the biggest story of all.We've seen Leeds United, we've seen Nottingham Forest, we've seen Sheffield Wednesday.These were stalwarts.in my opinion of sort of what would be the old division one when I was growing up, it's inconceivable that these clubs couldn't be in the Premier League.

But West Ham are one of those clubs, along with the likes of Wolves, Newcastle.There's no club safe here.There's about eight of them that are probably, I think, OK.We thought these were one of them, by the way.But the rest of them are all susceptible.Crystal Palace, Brentford, Bournemouth, at some point,

Brighton, they may not recruit as well.They may just not do it as well as they have done because they're having to fight for their lives every single year to recruit well and get good managers in and they've done that really well.But for West Ham, they're one of those clubs that are always susceptible to some poor decisions and they've gone down this year and they're a huge footballer.But that stadium, to be fair, Bill, I mean, what's he like to commentate at?It's the one ground that I get sent to that I think You're just a mile away from the pitch.

It remains, although they've done what they can, it remains an athletic stadium.So you've got a great view of the finish line for the 100 metres.

You are.

I'm not so good at the pitch.

I know, and way back then, it's the only ground where, to be fair, I feel like I need to take binoculars.So it's that old sort of, if you say, athletic stadium.Many of them exist in Europe, but a football stadium in this country, they're very unique.You know, you're on top of the touchline.The old dugouts overhung the pitch.You know what I mean?

You're right on top of each other.And Upton Park obviously famously.But you know, it was right that West Ham moved.But what they're going to have to do is somehow adapt that stadium.And I don't know how they do that.I mean, I have no idea.

In terms of the squad, do you foresee...I mean, Jarrod Bowen, obviously, who's been the heart and soul during the recent Premier League years.Would he stay?I mean, last time they went down, for example, they kept her hold of a lot of players.Sam Allardyce got them back up and they bounced straight back, even though it was via the playoffs.That was, what, 14, 15 years ago.

Can you see the same thing happening?Is there a squad that's going to be ripped apart?Is Nuno going to stay?

Well, that's the first thing.You know, forget the players.The manager, I think.The manager and Bowen are the two most important figures, and I think they've got to lock that in quite quickly.I'd be amazed if West Ham's ownership haven't put a huge incentive forward to Nuno to stay.and that would be announced.

I think in the next if they were going to be smart in the next 48 hours, new no stays for next week.That's your first headline by the end of the week, you'd want to try and lock Jared Bowen and if you could and sort of give him a big contract to stay, which is difficult because they're gonna lose a lot of revenue next year.That then stabilizes the dressing room, potentially stabilizes the stabilizes the crowd and the fan base somewhat from where they'll be tonight, which is absolutely desperately disappointed and shocked and devastated.But you need those two are really important and lock those in.But you've also got Somerville, you've got Socek, you've got Fernandes, you've got...I like the two centre forwards, Castellanos and Pablo, I think they're a handful.

So I think there's some players there that would be sought after by other Premier League clubs.But I think if you're West Ham, you're a big enough club, you've had enough years of Premier League revenue, you've had some European success, it's not that financially it's beneficial for them, but...Yeah, it's about stabilising beyond this.They've probably planned for it now for a number of weeks.You'd have to, financially, but also from the point of view of resource and personnel.And it's important that they get some good PR messages out there quite quickly.

So that's the relegation issue.At the other side of things which we touched on briefly.The the European places.Villa produced a performance and a result today.Um uh winning at Manchester City and Pep Guardiola's.

Villa one.

Villa one two one.Ollie Watkins in good form.I think he got a couple of goals there.

So they're fourth Villa.They finish fourth.Liverpool.

Liverpool fifth.

Okay.

So into the Europa League go Bournemouth who finished sixth.Sunderland who finished seventh for the first time since they won the cup back in the position and into the Conference League go.Let me just check here Brighton.So Brentford miss out as they could only draw at Liverpool and Chelsea's disastrous season finished with another defeat and another red card.Wesley Fofana sent off for the second time.this season, Xabi Alonso has a hell of a job on his hands to turn them round, doesn't he?

Yeah, we've just talked about what Derby has to do here, Xabi Alonso has to do exactly the same there at Chelsea.He's been made the manager, he may as well have been called sporting director, manager, owner of the lot, just give him the keys to the club and sort it out, my friend, if you can!We're struggling.Yeah, I mean, what a disastrous season for Chelsea.Incredible for Sunderland, Bournemouth again, Brighton.I mean, serial overachievers, Brighton and Bournemouth, year in, year out, and Brentford as well, obviously.

Sunderland, magnificent that they've got into Europe.That's something that's not happened for quite a while, where a team's come up and done so well.Villa, incredible Unai Emery.What a coach.I thought they were...I thought they were sort of faltering for a period after Christmas.

It felt like they were just sort of going through different.They ended up winning the Europa League and now finishing fourth place in the league.It's a massive, massive achievement.So well done.There's a number of clubs in that, you know, Liverpool will be grateful, relieved, on a slot that they're in the Champions League.hanging on in there at the end, but yeah for Villa Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford, Sunderland, incredible seasons, absolutely incredible seasons.

And for Villa to go to Manchester City on Pep Guardiola's swan song and win there.just hours after finishing their open top bus parade.That's seriously impressive and also I stood out Manchester United winning 3 -0 at Brighton.Brighton had plenty to pay for they could have ended up in the Europa League today but Manchester United have gone there and won 3 -0 and obviously the story there will be Bruno Fernandes as the all -time Premier League assist maker because he got an assist in that game.

Yeah I did say last week actually after the United game against Forrest at home that I thought that Michael Carrick will be right into them this week saying to them something like this game next weekend when you're already secured in third will tell themlot of what you're about that you know there are three or four five thousand United fans traveling down to Brighton four five six hours and by the way you better give a performance for them so I think today was really important for Bruno Fernandes it's an incredible achievement to overtake Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne like I say 21 assists is absolutely fantastic and a goal as well and a goal as well yeah I didn't know he'd scored to be fair I've been watching this game here who scored for United?Dorgoo, Bermot and Fernandes.Yeah, and Bermot scored again.So, yeah, no, a really good finish for Michael Carrick.I think it was important that they didn't just go, we did it, look at, you know, we got third place.

That would have been the wrong message to send, I think.So, a really good day for Michael Carrick, a good day for Bruno Fernandes.A bad day, obviously, for Manchester City, but obviously we have to, in some ways, just bow to Pep Guardiola in terms of what he's achieved in the last 10 years.

Yeah, phenomenal, he's changed so much, and it'll be fascinating to see who goes in there, because that's quite a job, isn't it, to follow that?Enzo Maresco apparently grew him for that?

Yeah, that's what we hear, I mean, firstly on Pep Guardiola, transformational period in the Premier League, some of the things that we've seen over this last ten years, we won't probably quite see again in terms of the points tallies that were being achieved over a sort of two - or three-, four -year period.four titles on the run.Incredible treble achievement.A double this year.You know, a domestic cup double.Not quite the double he would have wanted but still winning trophies.

A serial winner on the brink of building another good team.Very good team.I thought he might just stay another year to see it through.You know, there's just a bit of work to do on them, isn't there?They've just fallen short at the end this year and will come on to Arsenal I'm sure shortly.But the front four,

Harlan, Doku, Cherokee, Semenyo.Obviously you've got Foden in there as well.You've got others.So I think something really to go at.The centre back part should be between Kasanoff and Gayi with O 'Reilly and Nunez.Looks like it's starting to turn into a really good back four.

and then you just need to sort that midfield.I mean the midfield, Rodri and Bernardo Silva are incredible players, but Bernardo Silva leaves and Rodri's just getting to sort of what would be the point whereby you have to start to look at replacing him, if not already.So two or three midfield players and Manchester City are going to be a formidable force, but Pep Guardiola is worth, well, we'll find out next season.So many points a season.So Alex Ferguson was worth five, six, seven points a season.How many points is Pep Guardiola worth?

We know he's worth some.

Yeah.

We just don't know how many but we're going to find out pretty quickly but it's been an exceptional ride that they've had Manchester City fans with him.A guarantee as close as you can get as a guarantee.Gold when it comes to management.The equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson.The two greatest managers I think in Premier League history.Um and I don't want to separate them because like you say they both won trebles.

I think Alex Ferguson definitely shades it on longevity in the Premier League.But then you build in Pep's moments with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but you put in then Alex Ferguson's time at Aberdeen.You're going to start this age -long debate of who's the best, but I can't separate them.They're both phenomenal managers and absolutely the best.It was good to see the other day that Pep Guardiola said that Alex Ferguson had messaged him.It would be amazing to see them having a conversation together about football.

Yeah, would be.That would be quite an interview, wouldn't it?Yeah, it would.

Didn't he also say he would go out for a beer with you and Cara, wasn't he asked?Pep Guardiola?

Well, of course, he's asked us many times during the last 10 years to go out for a beer.Look, I mean, to be fair, we've, yeah, we've been, I think we've eulogisedover Pep Guardiola in Manchester City in their achievements in the last 10 years because you can't not because what we've seen is excellence.We've seen elite football, elite sport, elite achievements.I don't like it because I'm I'm a Manchester United fan.But what you have to is respect it enormously because.

It's hard to do what he's done, and he's done it from a base that we've still got 115 charges, which I think should be mentioned, but not under Pep Guardiola.I think it was just slightly before him, was it, maybe?Most of them, yes.Most of them were before him, so it's not really sort of to land on him.What he's achieved at Manchester City is absolutely breathtaking.Yeah, he'll be missed.

You miss characters like that.because managers make this league a lot.Fans make this league.The electricity of the stadiums make this league.But managers are the next most set of important people.Because what the managers do is really give the players the ability to grow into superstars and give them that sort of what will be that power that they have on the pitch.

The managers make that a lot.I think managers, to be fair, contribute enormously to this league.

Yeah, we saw with Jurgen Klopp, didn't we, how much he's missed in terms of his personality, his duels with Pep Guardiola since he arrived and so on and so forth.There's going to need to be, it's going to be fascinating to see where it goes from there, where the next sort of big rivalry is managerially.

And we will come on to Michel Arteta, but you're right, Klopp, Mourinho, Conte, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, obviously Pep Guardiola, these managers are giants.and they have an aura, they have something special about them, and their presence is incredible for the game, and so you miss them when they do go, and Pep Guardiola will be missed as a personality and a character across the Premier League.

If you listen very carefully you can probably hear the celebrations about 15 miles south of here as Arsenal parade the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park.Obviously they've got the the Champions League final to focus on next weekend, but just a word on them getting across the line, the way they've done it, the celebrations and your overall thoughts on Mikel Arteta and the job he's done.

Yeah, this is the first time I've actually been on television since Arsenal won the league, obviously by City, not winning at Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.A huge congratulations to Arsenal.What a journey they've been on and they've got over the line and that is so bloody difficult to do.You know, they've been knocking on that door now for four or five years.Credit to the Arsenal hierarchy for building a plan, for sticking with a plan.Credit to Mikel Arteta, a game changer for him.

He's a champion.He's a champion manager.And it's great for him that he's won it in a season where Pep Guardiola is still here.That means so much more.People, I'm sure, would agree with that because, you know, if you'd won it next season when Pep Guardiola had left, there'd always be a but, wouldn't there?Yeah, but you didn't.

You didn't do it when Pep wasn't here, when Pep was here.It's massive for these Arsenal players.It really, really is.You know, when Declan Rice signed for Arsenal, you thought that was a final piece of the jigsaw and he's had to wait two or three seasons.But they've adjusted each summer to plug the gap that was missing the previous season.And this season they've just articulated the squad.

I've got the style question.I don't even want to go into it.You win that Premier League.I don't care how you win it.I didn't care how Lester won it.I didn't care how Blackburn won it.

I didn't care how Chelsea won it under Mourinho.Sometimes it just deemed as being a little bit dour.Or how we won it, or how Pep Guardiola wins it.If you getyou've been able to get there and fight and.Beyond that roller coaster when it's in that huge dip, and then it comes up again and you just it's that constant of not knowing what's going to happen.

And when you've not done it before, which It's the not knowing, it's the lack of experience.But now they've experienced everything.They've experienced everything.They've experienced the devastation of losing a Premier League run in once, twice, three times.But they've now experienced coming out on top.So they've been through it over the last three or four players, those Arsenal players, the manager and the fans.

And well done to them for getting over the line.I think it needed it this season.It would have been desperate if they hadn't have won it.The questions would have been enormous and it would have been a sorry story.But they did it, and I say...I've got enormous respect and enormous admiration for them in terms of how they've done it and how they've gone about it.

Because there was a thing that was said 6, 7, 8, 10 years ago.You can't have a Sir Alex Ferguson anymore.You can't have an Arsene Wenger anymore.And what people meant by that was that managers were going to get sacked after 1, 2, 3 seasons.No, that's not happened.Klopp, 5, 6 years before he got a Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta, 5, 6 years before a Premier League title.Pep Guardiola been at Manchester City for 10 years.They're massively long periods.They're long stretches.There's patience there where you can see progression and a journey towards something that's good.And I think that, to be fair, you've seen that patience still pays off in football.

And I have to say, I thought in the first couple of seasons, Mikhail Tatar would do very well to finish higher than third or fourth with this Arsenal.Just the way they're built, he's got them to the very pinnacle, the top of the mountain.Well done.And I'm actually really happy for him.I'm happy for the players because I think that ultimately it takes a lot to get there.

Takes a lot to get there.Takes a lot.as you know to stay there.Is this Arsenal side set up to be able to do that going forward?Is it the the right sort of mix do they need to add again?

What do you what do you see?They will need to add to it but I mean look at this point right now today where they've got a Champions League final next Saturday which is an incredible opportunity to be to stretch beyond anything you could ever imagine as an Arsenal fan because they've never won that trophy.And that's the next step after winning the league.But I don't want to give the headline tonight.Neville says that Arsenal have got to go win it again to be really recognized as champions.No, I'm not.

I'm not in that mood.I'm really happy for them for what they've achieved this week.They should celebrate it and they have.But now they've got a Champions League final.If they can go win that next weekend's Paris Saint -Germain, they'll have beat the best.They'll have beat a Luis Enrique Paris Saint -Germain team and they'll beat a Pep Guardiola Manchester City team.

That's the way to do it.If you're going to go and win your first Premier League title for 22 years, go and beat the greatest of all time.If you're going to go and win the Champions League, go and beat the current holders and one of the greatest managers that Europe has seen in this last 10, 15 years.So yeah, this is massive for Arsenal this week.Wish them all the very best in the final.But it's not time to start talking about are they built, I don't think, for a second title run next year.

They have to be, let's be clear.But what that means, I've not given it too much consideration.There's going to be a Champions League, a World Cup that we're all going to go to, and then we'll start to think about, you know, do they need another centre forward to back up Yocheres?Do they need another central midfield player just in case Declan Rice or Zubermandi aren't quite there?So there's probably a couple of positions that you'd still want to think about, but they've got a lot of strength in that squad.

You mentioned the Champions League final.Can they do it?Paris Saint -Germain seemed to have everything in their favour, but Arsenal having won the title, you feel that equips them so much better than had they let it slip away.

Do you know what was so good for Arsenal?Them winning it four or five days early.To allow them that extra, to allow them that 15 days preparation, no, 12, 13 days preparation.for this game against Paris Saint -Germain.So that what's the team that they picked?I think they went to the Arsenal by the way.

Yeah, they won two.Oh, what team did you pick?

What team did you pick?Nine changes I think.

Nine changes.Okay, perfect.

Max Dowman started and you know.Yeah.I think Declan Rice might have come off the bench.

Yeah.So, absolutely perfect.Let them celebrate on Tuesday night.Let them have a couple of days off, which is obviously what happened.And then let them have a long, long, long, long, long, long build up into this.And it's more recovery than training, to be fair, but tactical thought important.

I'm sure they won't start looking at that till Monday morning.But what they'll have on Monday morning is a group of players who've had five or six days rest.And that's really important.So they'll get the trophy tonight right now.But I suspect they'll go to bed.They should be going to bed quite early.

They had the celebration five days ago.Now it's No celebration tonight.

They were in bed quite early then, I think it's about six o 'clock.

No, well done to them.I mean, when I saw them out, I thought times had gone when players were out till five, six in the morning.If you win a Premier League title, you don't go to bed.Fact.You do not go to bed.You stay up all night.

But that would have been tonight.they've got that extra four or five days gives them a free week.Now it gives them 45 days of recovery for all the players that are going to start next Saturday, and it gives them now 56 days of real good quality build up.They're not in recovery mode.Now those players for Monday morning that are going to start against Paris Saint Germain next Saturday.So yeah, it's going to be tough for them.

I'll be honest with you, Bill, because I think that Paris Saint Germain are a different level.And this is I say this with real complimentary.One of those maniac type managers that are just winners, serial winners.They've got that horribleness about them inside them that they do anything to win.and they go and win, and Luis Enrique is one of the greatest, probably the greatest manager in the world right now.You know, with Pep Guardiola, but Pep Guardiola, you know, he's not won a league for two years.

What Enrique is doing at Paris Saint -Germain, winning, getting to back -to -back Europe, this is his moment.So Arsenal are going to be right up against it, because if you can win back -to -back Champions Leagues, you put yourself into a different sort of planet.And that's what he's up for.He wants that.He wants to beat all the records.So it's going to be very difficult for Arsenal because they're up against a team that are special, that know how to do it.

But they're in there.and they know how to defend.They've got some match winners themselves.It's gonna be physically a really great game because both teams are physically fantastic.I'm really looking forward to it.I built my next Saturday early evening around it.

I'm gonna go watch Dermot Kennedy in the evening in Manchester in a concert.But first I'm gonna watch this Champions League finals.I'm really fascinated by it.But I think PSG if are the best team in Europe right now.Arsenal going in there as underdogs and going to have to scrap and fight and get over the line somehow if they're going to win it.

Fabulous Clash of Stars, won't it be?

Yeah.

It should be a brilliant watch.Yeah.Well, I think we've covered most things Gary.That's it.That is the end of the season.Mic drop.

I want to actually, to be fair, at the end of the season, I want to thank everybody who listens to this podcast.There's quite a few people who listen to it every single week or watch it every single week on YouTube and thank you to you Bill, to Peter, to Rob and to Seb who've hosted it throughout the season.You never put on camera.There's a good reason for that.There he is.Yeah, it always amazes me every single week when the cameraman gets behind the camera and just says to Peter or you or Seb or Rob, just get out the way, will you?

Just shift to that side.I'm just sat there as if like I've got no one with me.

It's called the Bill Leslie podcast.

Yeah, the Bill Leslie and Gary Level podcast.Yeah, I really appreciate it.And to everybody who listens to this podcast every single week, I love doing it.It's a quite unique thing.podcast, in the sense that it's me just absolutely... it's just a little bit scruffy, but actually, it's really good to do.And thank you to everybody for watching and listening to it.

Well, that's that for the