Transfer window closing
Tottenham signedRandalKoloMuanilate. What do you think he will bring to the team and is his style suited to the Premier League?
I think Tottenham and the Premier League might well suit Randal Kolo Muani. There is a good chance that this is the right club for him to succeed.
At Spurs, there might be slightly less pressure, meaning they could offer him stability. It’s a loan but he could stay at the end of it if he proves himself.
I think he needs to settle in at a club. He’s already been on loan to Juventus, and I’d be concerned if he doesn’t stay at Tottenham and then goes off on another loan.
If he stays at Spurs next season, then it would be fair for us to assume that he’s done well on the pitch. Paris Saint-Germain was too difficult for him to deal with, I think the club was too big. But at Spurs, I think he has the quality to improve the side and push them on to a higher level - there’s less pressure at Tottenham than there is at PSG.
I know they’ve not had the perfect start to the season, but i think they are going to have a good season this year. They won against Manchester City, and they beat Burnley. They’ve shown some positive signs already.
They could give Arsenal a hard time, but of course that loss to Bournemouth brings them down a peg or two again.
I hope he succeeds because he’s rapid. He can stretch the opponent’s defence, and give chances to his team-mates to operate in. He can receive the ball and keep it, and he can score too. He has the quality to succeed at Spurs.
Do you think Jorrel Hato will succeed?
I think we’ll see more of him when the other competitions start to kick into gear. I don’t expect to see him against the biggest sides in the Champions League, but he should get some time on the pitch in the League Cup, the FA Cup and against the weaker sides in the Premier League.
I think that will be his chance to show everyone what he can do. Because as a defender, especially at this age, it's not easy, especially when you’re alongside older players.
There are also loads of new players in the squad who are having to adapt themselves. Of course, everyone will be trying to help him, but it’s up to him to show his quality. I’m sure he’s got the personality, so that means he won’t be afraid of the challenge.
The one problem he might have is he’s a little small for a centre-back, so maybe he’ll get more time as a full-back.
In the Premier League, the requirements are completely different from the Netherlands, so let’s see where he plays. He has played a lot at left-back, so perhaps he will be able to give Maresca a rotation option in that position and can deputise for Cuccarella. He can also play on the left of a back three.
Is Chelsea the club where Alejandro Garnacho starts to fulfill his obvious potential?
After such a long wait for the move, and the trouble he had at Manchester United, I’m not sure anyone can say for sure what is going to happen and whether or not this will be a successful signing for Chelsea.
But what we all know is that Alejandro Garnacho will want to show on the pitch that he wants to succeed for Chelsea. He will want to win his place in the starting XI. Everyone is happy when they sign for Chelsea, but clearly nobody is guaranteed a starting spot.
If he has that desire, that will benefit the whole squad, his energy will be contagious. In the middle of the season, when it gets to December, then we will see how he’s getting on.
Your head can drop if you’re not playing enough, or the weather is grim. It’s harder to keep your performance levels up and his energy could drop.
What we should expect from Garnacho is that even if he’s not starting every game, he has to play like he did when he first made his name at United. He was scoring goals, he was the main man on the wing. Slowly he dropped off, and we don’t really know why. That’s why there’s a question mark hanging over him.
Manchester United
Do you think Ruben Amorim will survive until Xmas?
The problem for Ruben right now is that he looks like he’s struggling for the solution on the bench. He looks like he’s trying to figure things out for the first time, trying to make them play better somehow.
He looks lost. I don’t think his body language and manner, his emotional response, gives a great impression to his players and the fans of Manchester United. Looking at him, I don’t know if he will make it to Christmas, to be honest, because it feels like United are one defeat or one bad performance away from a crisis.
What is going wrong for Ruben Amorim?
Grimsby was a real low point, for Manchester United and for Ruben Amorim. The job he did at Sporting was magnificent, but managing a club like United in the Premier League is a huge step up. The reality is that Manchester United were struggling when he arrived, and they’re still struggling now. This is supposed to be the season where things change at the club.
Now, things are still going badly. Maybe it’s too much pressure for the manager and the players. Maybe there are too many big egos in the squad. Because where he was before, you can imagine that the Sporting players didn’t have huge ego, so he has to deal with a new management problem. The players at Sporting weren’tas good as United, but he could get them to follow him and be more effective.
Now he’s got so much pressure on his shoulders, and he looks to be an emotional character. He tried to explain to Kobbie Mainoo that he has to fight for his position.Maybe hedoesn’t follow the instructions from his manager, maybe hedoesn’t run enough. But instead, Mainoo wanted to leave.
Right now, Ruben Amorim looks like Erik ten Hag all over again. The job is all about results at this point, and they lost to Grimsby! That is a shocking, poor result. The club can’t afford to lose on the pitch, and it can’t afford to lose any more off it.
United have the same problems as any other mid-table side, and that’s what they are these days. Sometimes their players lift their games and compete against the best, and they look great. Then they buy players who look good elsewhere, but with the added pressure there is at United, they crumble. Maybe for Amorim, he’s finding the pressure too much himself.
Gallas questions value of Mbeumo
I think the problem is that I find it hard to understand what they did in the transfer window. They have Bryan Mbeumo, and the player is good enough for most sides, but I don’t know if you can justify that transfer fee. They’ve spent an awful lot of money and not really changed too many of their first-choice XI. We’re always talking about money these days, and I know the prices keep on rising every year, but come on. This seems crazy.
Mourinho back on the market
Your old boss Jose Mourinho was recently relieved of his duties after Fenerbahce failed to qualify for the Champions League. What next for Jose - is there still a club for him in the Premier League?
I definitely want to see Jose Mourinho back in the Premier League. I think I’m one of millions who wants to see him, not just back in the Premier League, but lifting that league title one more time. I still want to see him be champion of Europe one more time.
We know that the press will want him back, too. Every time there’s a job opening in the Premier League, they’re going to link him with it. With his personality, everyone will want him back in the Premier League. But it can’t just be any club in the league, it has to be one that can match his ambition.
Nottingham Forest, I don’t see them convincing him to join them. Can you imagine Evangelos Marinakis and Jose Mourinho, what a combination! That would definitely have some sort of drama involved. I don’t think Forest, the owner or Mourinho need that right now.
What about Mourinho and Rangers? Would managing the Scottish giants and the challenge of taking them back to the top of Scottish football appeal to Jose?
Absolutely not. There’s no way Jose Mourinho will go to Rangers. I mean no disrespect, but Rangers are just too small for Jose.
He needs one last job at a big club. However the last few years have gone for him, you can see that he’s got the aura, got the magic. He still has that unique attitude.
Everyone wants to see him, he’s box office. But the problem is that life goes so fast, especially in football, and I don’t know if there’s a club that can match what he needs to succeed. It might be time for him to consider international management, where he’s still on a big enough stage for his talents.
Differences between Liverpool and Arsenal
It was a tight game decided by a moment of magic, but it feels like Arsenal went into it wanting to take a point rather than going for it. Was that the right approach?
I think, especially at the start of the season, if your team is ready to fight for the Premier League, to win the title, and you have the players that Arsenal have, then you should do everything you can to win that game.
This squad is meant to be ready to fight for the title this season. But when you play against Liverpool at the start of the season, you have a chance to send a message by beating them because they are not quite ready yet.
They’ve got all these new players, and some of them have yet to start performing. I was surprised by Liverpool’s performance against Arsenal. Liverpool made a lot of mistakes, and Arsenal played very well. They kept the ball well, they controlled the game, but at some point if you do all those things, then you have to score a goal.
You have to kill your opponent when you get the chance, and that didn’t happen. Instead, they let Liverpool believe that they had a chance, and they had a magic free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. I think Arteta said that the game was always going to be decided by one of two things: a mistake or a moment of magic.
And it’s true, the magic came from a Liverpool player, but why wasn’t it one of Arsenal’s? That’s my point, why didn’t Arsenal produce that? Now Liverpool have that self-belief. Their new players are going to be ready soon. They will start to look really scary when those new players adapt, and they just went and signed Isak too!
When Liverpool weren’t playing well, that was Arsenal’s chance to take advantage and for them to lay down an early season marker and build some momentum, because Liverpool were there for the taking.
Worried about Wirtz and concerns about Gyokeres
I’m worried about Florian Wirtz. I don’t see things being easy for him. Most players need a year or so to adapt. A new lifestyle, new language. I think for Wirtz, physically he is going to have it tough.
I don’t think he’s going to be able to have the same impact as when he was playing in Germany. With some players, you can tell right away that they’re going to have a big impact.
I have a few concerns about Viktor Gyokeres too. It was not easy for him. It’s one thing to play against Leeds, but up against Liverpool’s backline it was a different level. He didn’t really do much against Liverpool, and with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, they looked really strong. Normally Gyokeres can physically dominate, but against those two he couldn’t.
Against other defenders though, I still think he’ll be able to make a difference. He’s a beast, and most players won’t be able to cope with him. But Liverpool’s defencewere able to physically and technically match him.
When I look at the difference between Slot’s Liverpool and Arteta’s Arsenal, it feels like Liverpool want to win the league by blowing teams away and Arsenal want to win it by being defensively solid. Who has the better strategy?
I’m not sure which approach is the best, yet. I think the thing with Liverpool is that even when they are in trouble, they will find a way through. They are going to find a solution.
Look, when they played against Newcastle they were in a spot of bother, but they still won in the end. They got a bit of luck when Anthony Gordon got that stupid red card.
That gave Liverpool a huge advantage and let them dominate the game. Even if Newcastle then fought back at the end a little bit, it was Liverpool who had the look of champions, and they left St. James’ Park with three points.
This season I think Liverpool’s football is going to be a little bit freer. Arne Slot knows he has the quality, he knows the Premier League. He knows all of his opponents very well this time around, so it’s going to be very difficult for the other sides to catch him and Liverpool.
Now, if we talk about Arsenal, they’re strong through the middle. They control the ball. With the players they’ve got, they can score at any time. But after what I saw against Liverpool, I think they still lack a little something. I think that is going to be a problem this season, especially with their supporters. They have a complete squad now, and there are no excuses left. Arteta added the striker, they’ve got great midfielders and defenders. They’ve got everything they need to become champions.
But against Liverpool, they were still lacking something. I think they’re missing that anger, that edge. I think they don’t have the energy. There wasn’t a player who stepped up to try to lift the team. There weren’t players who were looking to talk on the pitch or encourage the players around them. I didn’t see anyone doing that, and that’s part of what they need. I didn’t see anyone in the Arsenal shirt that really wanted it (to win).
Can Arsenal win the title if Mikel Arteta keeps the handbrake on?
Mikel Arteta has got the squad he wanted. He’s been given what he needs. OK, we’re still at the start of the season and maybe they need a little more time. But the only question left is if he is the manager to lift a major trophy with Arsenal? I’m not sure.
I mean even if he does everything well, Liverpool will be a massive problem. They look very strong and they will only get better.
If Liverpool don’t take their eye off the ball, then the only thing Arsenal can do is to match them by not making any mistakes for the rest of the season. Already, they might need to win every game from here. They can’t drop one. If Arsenal start dropping points from here, then yeah, we can decide that Arteta is the wrong man.
He’s lost points against Liverpool that they shouldn’t have lost. Every game is one where he needs to play catch-up, both home and away.
Arsenal
What is your warning to Arsenal?
Arsenal are already dealing with injured players. William Saliba is already out with an ankle problem. He’s not able to play with the French national team for the upcoming break. Bukayo Saka is out for another few weeks. Martin Odegaard isn’t fit, and I don’t know when Kai Havertz will make his way back at all.
So for Arsenal, they need to be careful. Because they’ve got a big squad now. It doesn’t matter about injuries anymore. There are no more excuses whatever happens - even though these are key players, Arsenal don’t have any excuses if they finish the season empty handed again.
There’s a load of hype around Arsenal 15-year-old Max Dowman. Is 15 too young to be playing for a club the size of Arsenal?
Max Dowman already has that maturity. My goodness, we’ll see how it goes with him. But for now, it all depends on his body.
If he’s strong, at 15, then he’s definitely able to play a few minutes. I’d be careful about giving him too much time. He can’t play a full 90 minutes yet, nobody that age would be ready for it. I think for now he can start to adjust, but he can’t be considered fully ready to be a first-team player just yet.
I don’t know what his contract situation is, so Arsenal have to make sure to take care of him and keep hold of him. Perhaps that, along with his obvious talent, is one of the reasons he’s involved with the first team this season. It’s great to see a player of his quality who is English, too.
Don’t forget Jack Wilshere emerged when he was 16. I think he came through with us around that time, and he looked ready from the start. He had that body shape already, he was already mature. He came to us as a teenager and already looked 20. So for him, because he was also clever and very intelligent in how he saw the game, he could adjust.
I’m sure Max is the same, and he’ll be eyeing up all his team-mates as players he could replace soon. Physically, he doesn’t quite look there right now, but he is versatile in the attacking positions. As a winger, I don’t think 1-v-1s will be a problem for him. What could be tough is when he’s got his back to goal, and he receives the ball. If he doesn’t think quickly, some of those challenges from defenders could rough him up.
But when he’s attacking defenders, standing them up and going at them, it’s completely different. When you’re a creative player, you can get away with being a bit younger.
Defenders, they need to be strong. You couldn’t field a player that young in defence in the Premier League, the job is so different.
Chelsea
How much of a farce is the Jackson situation? Are you surprised that they let him go?
First of all, Nicolas Jackson found himself in the position where Chelsea wanted to sell him because he had not lived up to expectations since his arrival. He started as their main No. 9 and had the chance to start almost every game.
It was up to him to take that opportunity and score the goals that would have made it impossible for his manager to put him on the bench. After one season he had to adjust, and he was given another shot. He needed to not just score a lot, but score important goals too. Unfortunately for him and Chelsea, it didn’t happen.
Chelsea had the chance to sign players they thought were an upgrade in the summer, and they bought Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. They want someone who they think will score in almost every game, and from what we’ve seen of Pedro, he looks like he could be that guy. Maresca then explained to Jackson that he was no longer the number one striker.
Jackson had no choice. If he wants to play, he has to leave.Chelsea gave him permission to leave for Bayern Munich, and for a brief moment, everyone looked happy. Then Delap gets injured, and they want Jackson back, telling him to return to London. Understandably, Jackson doesn’t want that, and you can see why he’s angry, because Chelsea didn’t really want him anymore. With his personality, he didn’t feel he could come back to Chelsea, it’s a huge mess.
I think that ultimately they made the best decision by letting Jackson sign for Bayern, because if you have a player who is really unhappy and unsettled, it can be really difficult to manage him. If you forced him back, it could have been disastrous for everyone. Chelsea and Bayern both would have been in a tough spot.
Chelsea’s problem now, and it’sprobably a better one, is how to give Pedro some back-up, and to wonder if Marc Guiu will be enough in reserve while Delap is out when they need to give him some rest.
For when Chelsea play Barcelona in the Champions League
What are your memories of the Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona game in 2005?
It’s about 20 years ago now! I played hundreds of games, and with time, your memory starts to fade. But there is one thing that stands out. One vital moment.
What I think of is the goal from John Terry, the fourth goal we scored. But then there’s the atmosphere. The atmosphere was electric, just unbelievable. You know, it’s difficult for me to remember precise moments after so many years, but I know we went into that game feeling strong, and we were strong. We were not afraid to play against any side, even one as good as Barcelona. Up against Barcelona, with all the players we had, we knew we could do something and hold our own.
So it was two huge teams who were going up against each other, and were going to fight for the victory. Because Barcelona was so good as well - they had an unbelievable squad - we lost at the Nou Camp 2-1.
Stamford Bridge was electric. Every moment felt important. Every challenge, every situation felt important. Every player on the grass was at the top of their game. One mistake, one miscontrol, you know you’re going to get punished. You can only imagine the level of concentration it took, and there was huge pressure on our shoulders. It was hard after that game, because even in victory, you’re happy, but you are physically wrecked.
We were nervous, but we were nervous in a good way. It was pressure, but it was good pressure that we could handle. When we got back to the dressing room everyone was jumping up and down, wired, talking about everything. Then, when I got home, I suddenly felt shattered.
How good was Ronaldinho that night, especially that toe-poke goal? What was it like defending against that Barcelona team?
You know, when you watch the game on television, or you watch the game on a replay, it looks like Ronaldinho did that incredible toe-poke right in front of me. But that wasn’t how it was. He was in front of Ricardo Carvalho, and I was alongside him. I was just to the side of him, so there was a gap.
It’s only Ronaldinho who could have done something like that, to find that skill at that moment to put the ball into the net from there.
Ricardo Carvalho was doing the right thing, and any other defender would have done it too. But against Ronaldinho the right thing isn’t enough, because you can never tell what he is able to do.
This might sound ridiculous, but against Ronaldinho, you have to be so careful, in a way you don’t have to against other players.You have to think twice about everything you do.If you try to intercept the ball, you might think you can do it, but he’s actually waiting for you to try.He’s looking for that first inch of movement from you and then he leaves you stranded.
Then when you face him with Barcelona’s other players around him, who are technically brilliant and so dangerous, you also have to make all those decisions under pressure and in the shortest possible time. All of them are waiting for you to make that first error. So Ricardo, for that goal, hedidn’t move. He just waited, because he knew if he gave Ronaldinho a split-second, Ronaldinho would be away from him in an instant. Because of that, Ronaldinho was almost backed into a corner, and it forced him to find that solution.
What made that Chelsea team so good? But what stopped it winning a Champions League?
I think it was just a matter of fine margins for that ghost goal. Without that, I think we would have won the Champions League. I think overall we were the best team in the world right then.
We were so strong. I think from the outside, too, we looked imperious. We were playing in the Premier League against United, Arsenal, Liverpool, we just kept winning. Even if it was by a single goal, we were still winning.
Then in the Champions League we beat Barcelona, we beat Bayern Munich. We showed just how good we were. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, we couldn’t score and the game finishes 0-0. Not being able to score, that was our biggest mistake of the season. I think if we’d had that semi-final against a team from any other league than the Premier League, we’d have won the Champions League.
But because Liverpool knew us really well, and we knew them really well, the game was harder. It’s not the same rules, almost, because the atmosphere is completely different from a usual Champions League game. It was hard for us to deal with losing that. It’s still hard to think about now after 20 years!
What does the current Chelsea team need to do to become contenders for a European title.
The Club World Cup triumph means that Chelsea have achieved something nobody ever has. They’ve got every trophy in the cabinet, and they deserve praise for that, but when they came back to England, none of us knew what condition they would be in.
We know that those players didn’t have a lot of rest, but I think based on their efforts so far, we can judge that right now, they look ready to challenge for the Premier League again, at last.
Now, the Champions League is a different tournament, and there are slightly different requirements, but with the football Chelsea have produced so far, they’re a threat to any team in Europe.
They look strong. They have experience in the competition as a club, and with the players they’ve got. They won the Club World Cup, they won the Conference League. They have earned some self-confidence.
I think anyone who comes up against Chelsea will be afraid, and they know how much Chelsea have won in the last year. I think they’ve got a great opportunity to prove themselves and go very, very far in the Champions League.
