What’s Going On?

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Spurs: Ange Postecoglou is tearing it up 09:30 - Arsenal: better defensively, worse offensively 11:00 - Man City: business as usual 13:29 - Liverpool: are they back? 16:13 - Aston Villa: what a job Unai Emery has done 18:47 - Newcastle: a well-run (and absurdly rich) club 22:07 - Brighton: struggling with European football 23:57 - Man Utd: chaos 29:08 - Chelsea: £1bn spent, but doesn’t look like it 30:49 - Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham 33:04 - Girona: the surprise team near the top of LaLiga 33:54 - Atletico Madrid: actually playing good football 37:12 - Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup 38:50 - Ballon d’Or 40:56 - Tonali and Fagioli banned for illegal betting 44:00 - Bundesliga: Harry Kane on fire, and Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are flying 47:00 - Luis Rubiales banned for 3 years 48:04 - AIK close to avoiding relegation 49:53 - Beckham documentary 52:00 - Outro

We're back with Season 2 after an extended summer break. A lot has happened in the football world over the summer and opening few weeks of the season. We reflect on the fantastic FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and we discuss the disgraced former president of the Spanish FA (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, who finally resigned as a result of his non-consensual kiss on Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso. We also delve into the "Las 15" incident, which ultimately led to Spain's Womens head coach, Jorge Vilda, getting sacked, despite winning the World Cup. We deep dive into the Manchester United right winger, Mason Greenwood, situation, who was arrested in January 2022 for attempted rape, occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior. Those charges were dropped in February 2023, and we touch on this summer's drama and u-turns, which resulted in his move to Getafe. Finally, we discuss another Manchester United right winger, Antony, who is under investigation for domestic violence. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:27 - FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 12:00 - Equal pay 17:40 - Luis Rubiales kiss scandal 26:00 - Jorge Vilda sacked as Spain’s women national team coach after “Las 15” 29:49 - Greenwood leaves ManUtd to Getafe after backlash from leaked reintegration plan forces u-turn 47:00 - Domestic violence allegations against ManUtd RW Antony 50:14 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

Erik McCue and Helmer Rusten join us to discuss their fascinating footballing journeys. Born in 2001 and raised in expat environments, Erik and Helmer became best friends in Thailand in 7th grade and represented FC Bangkok.  Erik, a Swedish/American centre-back, has played in the DC United academy, represented Houston Dynamo from 2017-2021, and currently plays for El Paso Locomotive in the USL (2nd tier of US football). Helmer, a centre-back turned right-back, has represented Norway at U15-17 level, and currently plays for Kjelsås, a 3rd tier Norwegian side. Helmer is also Cwa’s cousin. Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome Erik McCue and Helmer Rusten! 01:16 - Helmer intro 02:12 - Erik intro 03:33 - The friendship 08:16 - Helmer’s transition from Thailand to Norwegian youth football 12:15 - Helmer time in Norway’s U15-U17 national teams 13:02 - Helmer’s 907 days of injury 19:41 - Helmer at Kjelsås 23:53 - Kjelsås’ run to the Norwegian Cup QF 28:06 - Helmer’s next goal 29:16 - Erik’s transition from Thailand to DC United 33:30 - Erik’s time at Houston Dynamo 36:43 - Erik’s call up to Sweden U19 national team 37:25 - Erik on confidence, and the MLS Homegrown All Stars 40:58 - Erik’s encounter with Zlatan 45:11 - Erik’s struggle to find a club after leaving Houston 48:36 - Erik on life at AB Argir in the Faroe Islands 51:19 - Erik’s season at El Paso Locomotive 59:25 - Erik’s next goal 1:01:11 - Gazelle vs Bull - the art of defending 1:05:15 - Quickfire questions 1:17:50 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

This is a Swedish episode. We are joined by Edvard Sjöberg, part-owner & Head of Sales and Marketing at FC Stockholm. FC Stockholm was founded in 2010 and have already been promoted 6 times. They are currently in Division 1 (the 3rd tier of Swedish football), and aim to make it to Allsvenskan and become the 4th big team in Stockholm, after AIK, Djurgården and Hammarby. Timestamps 00:00 - Välkommen Edvard Sjöberg, sälj- och marknadschef på FC Stockholm 01:18 - Edvards bakgrund 04:07 - Edvard träffar FC Stockholms grundare Sfefan Elfver 07:02 - Hur FC Stockholms grundades och namnvalet 09:30 - Välkända namn och PR-vågen i klubben 11:25 - Det fjärde Stockholmslaget? 15:27 - Revanschsugen, hitta glädjen och vara med på resan uppåt 17:19 - Div 7 till Div 1 Norra på 10 år. Vad är visionen? 25:14 - Omställningen från Tvåan till Ettan har varit stor 26:28 - Vikten av att spelarna ska ha kul 28:36 - Marknadsföring 34:53 - Intresset växer internationellt kring klubben 36:39 - Stockholms Stadion, Kristinebergs IP och Stadshagens IP 40:26 - Scouting, agenter och rådgivare 47:11 - Superettan nästa år? 49:20 - Vart är FC Stockholm om 5-10 år?  51:10 - Dam- och flicklag 52:01 - Outro  If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We reflect on this never-ending season, discuss the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, deep-dive into the Saudi Pro League - football's big disruptors, and finally touch on some transfer news. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - 2022/23 was a never-ending season 04:09 - Too much football? 05:58 - We consume football and it consumes us 08:03 - Man City win the Champions League and Treble 09:50 - Man City had the luck they missed in the past 10:54 - John Stones as an 8 13:27 - Haaland dropping deep and never being offside 17:15 - Pep: “now we enjoy defending” 19:05 - Greatness has not come easy for some of City’s stars 25:00 - Saudi Arabia - football’s disruptors 26:49 - Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 30:36 - The sovereign wealth fund (PIF) revamp the Saudi Pro League 32:31 - PIF-funded LIV Golf merges with PGA Tour 34:13 - Saudi Pro League’s goals 37:50 - Saudi Pro League vs Chinese Super League 10 years ago 39:50 - Recruitment process in Saudi 42:58 - Distribution of the product 45:15 - Saudi Pro League wrap up 47:51 - Transfer news & rumours 57:34 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We are joined by Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN Senior Writer and Corriere dello Sport correspondent. We discuss Gab’s journey so far, life as a football journalist, local match-going fans vs fans that watch from afar, being a fan of individuals vs clubs, whether it’s “soccer” or “football”, why American investors are buying European football clubs, and Gab’s honest thoughts on the US Men's National Team. Follow Gab on Twitter @Marcotti Timestamps: 00:00 - Coming up 00:33 - Welcome Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN Senior Writer 01:22 - Gab’s journey so far 04:54 - Life as a football journalist 16:15 - Speed vs accuracy 17:06 - Social media fans vs match-going fans 18:49 - How much is a non-match-going fan worth to a club? 25:29 - Key factors in being a top journalist 28:17 - Social media abuse 29:23 - Fandom: being a fan of individuals vs clubs 36:11 - Career highlights 38:21 - Favourite leagues 43:16 - Football or soccer? 47:03 - Why are Americans investing in European clubs? 52:19 - Gab’s thoughts on USMNT hopes for World Cup 2026 59:12 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We are joined by Europa Point FC’s Pär Magnus Roos (President & part-owner) and Martin Falkeborn (player & Head of Youth) as we discuss one of Europe’s most exciting football projects. The Gibraltarian club was bought by a Swedish consortium in 2022, and in this interview we discuss why they decided to buy the club, the unique dynamics of the Gibraltar National League, the club’s ambitions of European football, the academy, a footballer’s life in Gibraltar, the club’s progressive approach, and much more. Europa Point FC social media: Instagram: @europapointfc Twitter: @EuropaPointFC Facebook: EuropaPointFC Website: europapointfc.com Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome Magnus Roos & Martin Falkeborn! 01:06 - Magnus' and Martin's role at the club 02:08 - Martin's football career before Gibraltar 05:22 - Magnus' career before investing in Europa Point FC, including working with Sven-Göran Eriksson 10:04 - Current status and long-term ambitions 11:38 - Choosing Gibraltar over Championship or League 1 clubs 20:09 - Ownership landscape in Gibraltar 22:09 - The Europa Point FC academy 26:04 - Gothia Cup 27:18 - Europa Point FC's May tryout in Sweden 28:35 - Benefits of relocating to Gibraltar as a player 30:43 - Lifestyle in Gibraltar 32:45 - Allsvenskan and Superettan have expressed interest in joining the club   34:35 - Level of the Gibraltar National League 36:57 - Allsvenskan's 17th team 40:42 - Challenge of having 5 Gibraltarian players on the pitch at all times 43:00 - Initial actions after buying Europa Point FC and the importance of culture 45:41 - Women's team 47:47 - A progressive club 50:55 - Marcus Birro's book on Europa Point FC's journey 52:22 - Season goals 54:06 - Brentford, Brommapojkarna, and Manchester United 56:38 - Europa Point FC kit 57:16 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We discuss the treatment of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr following the racial abuse he received (again) during the LaLiga match away against Valencia at the Estadio Mestalla. We reflect on Vini's powerful social media post, and the impact these recurring incidents are having on the reputation of LaLiga and Spanish society. Football's governing bodies need to do more. We also deep dive into the Premier League, and touch on the scenarios across a few of Europe's top leagues, as the season draws to a close. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - Vinicius Jr gets racially abused (again) by Valencia fans, and gets a red card 04:37 - Ignorant attitudes in Spain that “monkey” is no different than any other abuse 06:08 - La Liga President Javier Tebas gets into Twitter fight with VIni Jr 07:25 - Vini’s social media post, and will he leave Real Madrid? 09:12 - Vini leaving Real Madrid would be a huge blow to the club, La Liga, and Spanish society 11:11 - 9 cases of racism against Vini since Oct 2021 12:59 - Vini is portrayed negatively in Spanish media 13:56 - Racism in stadiums in Spain and Italy 15:30 - Governing bodies must do more 21:57 - Man City win the Premier League, and are on the verge of The Treble 27:41 - Man City - greatest team or greatest cheats? 32:50 - Did Arsenal actually bottle it? 39:28 - Who has had a better season - Arsenal or Man Utd? 42:54 - Newcastle ahead of schedule 43:51 - Is Brighton’s De Zerbi manager of the season? 47:23 - Premier League relegation battle 50:19 - Next season’s promoted teams to the PL 51:52 - Dortmund are one win away from winning Bundesliga 54:07 - Complacency at Bayern Munich 56:09 - Juventus deducted 10 points, and Italian chaos 59:05 - Surprises in the Polish league 1:01:23 - AIK’s horrid form 1:05:17 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We review the Champions League semi-finals, where Man City humiliated Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate, and produced arguably their best ever display, while Inter Milan cruised to a comfortable 3-0 aggregate victory against their city rivals, AC Milan. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Manchester City 4-0 Real Madrid (5-1 aggregate) 03:45 - Man City took 7 months to click, but have been mesmerizing since the March international break 06:30 - Total domination: before Bernardo’s 1st goal, City had completed 202 passes to Madrid’s 28 07:51 - Man City have not lost since being charged with 115 financial violations 08:59 - Best Man City team ever? 09:53 - Man City’s hit rate on replacements is unreal 12:49 - Abu Dhabi state project & no sympathy for Real Madrid 15:43 - Bernardo, Walker, and Rodri special mentions 23:14 - Courtois is immense, Benzema disappointing, Camavinga bamboozled 25:35 - Szymon Marciniak is the best referee in the business 26:40 - Can United or Inter stop Man City from winning the treble? 29:14 - Inter 1-0 Milan (3-0 aggregate), Inter at a different level physically 31:00 - Incredible atmosphere and ticket demand for Derby della Modonnina 32:56 - Huge financial boost for the Milan clubs 34:02 - Lautaro Martinez and Nicolò Barella special mention 35:38 - Manchester United rejects (Darmian, Lukaku, Mkhitaryan) impressed 36:58 - Inter manager Simone Inzaghi took over in tough conditions and has done more with less 41:42 - +€100M CL pot money will allow Inter to extend key contracts 43:43 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

This is a Swedish episode, where we are joined by Adrian von Heijne, Head of Scouting at Odense Boldklub (OB) in the Danish Superliga. Adrian takes us on a journey through his upbringing in Gothenburg, his law studies, and his transition from youth coach, to analyst to head of scouting at Allsvenskan club IK Sirius. He discusses his way of working, data-driven scouting, scouting networks, and the importance of club identity. Adrian also delves into the challenges of balancing long-term goals and short-term performance, competing against the top 6 clubs in Denmark. We discuss scouting circles, how scouting differs in Denmark and Sweden, which clubs inspire Adrian, and what the word “talent” actually means.  Timestamps: 00:00 - Välkommen Adrian von Heijne, chefscout i Superligaklubben Odense Boldklub (OB) 01:45 - Adrians uppväxt i Göteborg och sina roller i Hovås Billdal IF 05:07 - Juriststudier i Uppsala 07:30 - IK Sirius - resan från ungdomstränare —> matchanalytiker —> Head of Scouting 13:55 - Datadriven scouting 15:27 - Adrians arbetssätt och vikten av klubbidentitet 20:45 - Scoutingnätverk 23:23 - Ålder, risktolerans och att inte vara bunden till plaster 25:40 - Adrian flyttar till Danmark och blir chefscout i Odense Boldklub (OB)  29:14 - Var de forna AIK-profilerna Björn Wesström och Andreas Alm en stor faktor i byttet till OB? 30:23 - Arbetssättet i OB 34:29 - Hur balanserar OB långsiktigheten vs prestation från en spelare här och nu 35:47 - Scoutingcirklar: internt —> regionalt —> nationellt —> norden —> europa —> övriga världen 37:30 - Scoutingutmaningar för OB när de konkurrerar mot topp 6 klubbar i Danmark 40:54 - Skillnader i scouting mellan Danmark och Sverige 42:02 - Vad är en “talang”? 45:00 - Bästa spelaren Adrian har scoutat 48:20 - Största utmaningar som chefscout 49:48 - Klubbarna Adrian inspireras av 53:30 - Drömroll 56:12 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:36 - Business end of the season 02:31 - Man City knock Bayern out of the UCL 03:03 - Guardiola, the tiki-taka master, is embracing physicality 07:42 - Bayern need a striker 10:12 - Chelsea chaos 14:47 - Real Madrid’s tactical themes vs Chelsea 15:45 - Rodrygo’s UCL numbers are outrageous 17:09 - AC Milan, inspired by Leão and Maignan, knock out Napoli 20:26 - Is Mike Maignan the best GK in the world? 23:58 - Inter beat Benfica to set up a Derby della Madonnina UCL semi-final 24:29 - Champions League predictions 25:23 - Arsenal bottle another 2-0 lead v West Ham 27:07 - Man Utd beat Nottingham Forest and look favourites for top 4 27:44 - Liverpool win their first game since 7-0 vs Man Utd 28:50 - AIK beat Hammary 2-0 in Stockholm Derby, and appoint new sporting director, Thomas Berntsen 31:54 - ‘Club of the Regime’ - Real Madrid & FC Barcelona beef 35:35 - Outro  If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

Borja Tobar is Head of Global Expansion at the LaLiga side Real Betis Balompié. Before taking up that role, he worked at LaLiga, where he was responsible for the LaLiga business development delocalized team in North America and Latin America. We discuss what steps Real Betis are taking to expand their fan base, the importance of foreign players, LaLiga vs the Premier League, and challenges facing Real Betis in today’s rapidly changing global football landscape. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome Borja Tobar - Head of Global Expansion at Real Betis Balompié 01:39 - Borja’s journey so far 06:25 - Borja’s role as Head of Global Expansion at Real Betis 13:08 - How Real Betis is expanding its global presence 21:48 - The importance of foreign players in expanding a fan base 25:54 - Is a player’s nationality a factor in deciding to sign them? 28:47 - Borja’s time at La Liga and his biggest challenges 34:38 - Premier League v La Liga 41:33 - Broadcast revenue distribution 47:06 - Economic controls in Spanish football 51:39 - Real Betis’ biggest challenges 58:47 - Tips on getting into the business side of football If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:54 - Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal - PL game of the season? 03:03 - Sensational ending - Ramsdale saves, Martinelli counter 04:47 - Key moment was Xhaka getting Anfield fired up 06:02 - Anfield is special 07:47 - Trent Alexander-Arnold is a defensive liability 08:57 - Firmino still has it 10:15 - Van Dijk has fallen off 11:51 - Linesman Constantine Hatzidakis elbows Robertson 14:23 - Premier League title race is heating up  14:53 - Man City 3-0 Bayern Munich 16:04 - Rodri is underrated 16:58 - Haaland scores his 45th goal of a season in all competitions, a PL record 18:25 - Bayern’s (and Upamecano’s) lack of defensive sharpness cost them 20:09 - Bayern missed Choupo-Moting 21:44 - John Stones’ new hybrid role 23:05 - Ruben Dias is a colossus 25:53 - Guardiola did not overthink this time 27:53 - Nagelsmann is smiling 28:36 - Coaching Carousel - Nagelsmann, Tuchel, Potter, Lampard, Conte, Rodgers, Hodgson, Smith 38:42 - Manchester United picking up form again 41:36 - Newcastle United on fire 45:25 - Wrexham AFC on the brink of promotion to League 2 after Ben Foster’s last-minute penalty save 50:54 - AIK 0-3 Norrköping - horror show in Allsvenskan home opener If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube. Social media: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

This is a Swedish episode, where we preview the Allsvenskan 2023 season. We're joined by fans from the three big Stockholm clubs - Hugo Sundquist (Djurgården), David Linder (AIK), and Jesper Savborg (Hammarby), as they share their insights for the upcoming season. Timestamps: 00:00 - English intro 01:03 - Välkommen Hugo, David, och Jesper 01:46 - Djurgården - föregående säsong 03:04 - Djurgården - känslan inför denna säsong 05:06 - Djurgården - tappen av spelare  09:22 - Djurgården - oro inför säsongen 10:04 - Djurgården - genombrott 10:28 - Djurgården - årets flopp 11:19 - Djurgården - tränarstaben 11:57 - Djurgården - tabellen 2023 12:55 - Djurgården - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör 14:34 - AIK - föregående säsong 16:27 - AIK - känslan inför denna säsongen 20:23 - AIK - tappen av spelare 22:08 - AIK - nyförvärven 24:21 - AIK - försäsongen 27:10 - AIK - oro inför säsongen 28:40 - AIK - genombrott 30:03 - AIK - årets flopp 31:05 - AIK - tränarstaben 32:28 - AIK - tabellen 2023 34:00 - AIK - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör 34:51 - Hammarby - föregående säsong 36:54 - Hammarby - känslan inför denna säsongen 38:11 - Hammarby - tappen av spelare 40:53 - Hammarby - försäsongen och Svenska Cuppen 42:26 - Hammarby - oro inför säsongen 43:59 - Hammarby - genombrott 45:21 - Hammarby - årets flopp 47:00 - Hammarby - tränarstaben 49:46 - VAR, 51% reglen, farmarlag 57:40 - Hammarby - tabellen 2023 58:46 - Hammarby - avundsjuk på något de två andra Stockholmslagen gör 1:00:34 - Hammarby TFF och farmarlag 1:04:42 - Cwa snippet, och Jacobs serievinnare 1:07:53 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow, subscribe, and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and YouTube. Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball YouTube: @WhatsGoingOnPodcast

Matt Slater joins us to discuss the rise of the Premier League. Matt is a senior football news reporter for The Athletic UK. Before that, he spent 16 years with the BBC and then three years as chief sports reporter for the UK/Ireland's main news agency, PA. Follow Matt on ⁠Twitter⁠ to keep up to date with top-tier reporting, and check out his latest articles for The Athletic. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome Matt Slater! 00:20 - Insights from the FIFA Congress in Rwanda 08:25 - Matt’s role at The Athletic 10:08 - Why was the Premier League founded in 1992? 15:51 - The English football pyramid - and should more money flow down to the EFL? 19:22 - The need for an independent regulator in English football, and the ‘Owners’ and Directors’ Test’ 24:56 - How did the Premier League become the most lucrative league in the world? 30:41 - Distribution of broadcasting revenues in European football 38:21 - Expansion of the Champions League, Super League, cross-border leagues, and creating an OTT streaming service  39:56 - The pandemic hurt all leagues, but hurt the Premier League the least 41:03 - How Brexit has driven up prices for Premier League prices 41:53 - Premier League clubs are putting their foot on the accelerator 43:19 - International fans have easier and cheaper access to televised Premier League games than UK fans 46:28 - Challenges for the Premier League If you're enjoying the podcast, follow, subscribe, and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and YouTube. Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball YouTube: @WhatsGoingOnPodcast

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - El Clásico: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid 03:05 - Barca charged with ‘continued corruption in business’ for paying former VP of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, Enriquez Negreira, €7.3m between 2001-2018 08:29 - Barca’s major financial problems 12:33 - Barca’s youth academy, La Masia, Is producing top talents again 13:39 - Gavi’s contract conflict 18:14 - Antonio Conte’s Tottenham rant 24:20 - Fulham self-sabotage in 3-1 loss to Man Utd in FA Cup QF 29:14 - Arsenal keep on winning, and Trossard shoutout 30:18 - Patrick Viera sacked by Crystal Palace, as Palace are dragged into the tightest relegation battle ever 32:35 - 8 goals in 2 games for Erling Haaland 34:03 - 41-year-old Zlatan returns from almost a year out injured, and becomes the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history. Special mention to Kazuyoshi Miura 35:34 - Napoli on fire, and have a decent chance at winning the CL 36:47 - Inter 0-1 Juventus 37:51 - Lazio 1-0 Roma 39:30 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠. Follow us on: Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠ Twitter: @⁠wgofootball

Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome Lee Fletcher! 01:44 - Lee on growing up in Oldham and how he fell in love with Oldham Athletic 07:20 - How Lee went from a salesman & personal banker to a football coach 08:16 - You don’t have to be in the professional changing rooms to understand football, and you can find very good footballers at semi-pro level 11:23 - Lee moves to Madrid and starts at FC Britanico de Madrid 13:26 - The differences between coaching and playing football. When you play, it’s in 2D, when you coach, it’s in 3D 16:39 - Clubs in the Greater Manchester area 18:02 - Lee on his experience working at Manchester United and Manchester City Soccer Schools in 2015 and 2016. “Don’t be the first one to go to bed”, and the difference between United and City. 22:25 - The diet of coaching 25:02 - How Lee and his friend Graeme spotted a gap in the market in Madrid and started Albion Football Language Academy, and how that led to working at Real Madrid 25:37 - Real Madrid’s academy set-up 27:26 - Coaching the Real Madrid youngsters in English 30:47 - Lee’s thoughts on the differences between Spanish and English football 34:40 - Coaching at IE University in Madrid 38:55 - Lee’s spell at Alcobendas, and periodisation in coaching 44:17 - Lee on his role as Head of Content at The Coaching Manual 49:01 - Lee’s on his role at Manchester United as an Academy Emerging Talent Coach 54:00 - The pyramid of football - the foundations, the principles, and the technical framework 56:45 - Strategy - philosophy, game model, methodology 1:01:23 - What’s next for Lee? 1:08:31 - Outro Follow Lee Fletcher on Twitter @LeeFleckCoach If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd 02:08 - Scoreline flattered Liverpool, with 2.91xG and 8 shots on target 02:50 - Was fatigue a factor for Man Utd? 04:02 - Bruno’s body language 05:55 - Casemiro wasn’t at his best - no Casemiro, no party 06:44 - Man Utd’s away struggles - one win in seven away games against the top 11 teams in the Premier League 07:11 - Anfield is a fortress: Man Utd have not won at Anfield since January 2016, and have scored one goal at Anfield since 08:12 - Arteta had the most difficult game of his career at Anfield - he couldn’t cope physically or emotionally 08:47 - How Jacob won two all-inclusive tickets for us to watch Liverpool v Man Utd at Anfield in January 2016 10:01 - Salah was back to his best and Gakpo had his “I’ve arrived” performance 10:55 - Where do Man Utd go from here? 11:47 - Man Utd ownership update: two main bidders - Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are said to be entering serious negotiations 12:25 - Man Utd’s market value fell by $1.2bn after rumours that the Glazers may be reluctant to sell the club 12:44 - Cwa’s thoughts on who he wants as owners 13:59 - Carnage if Glazers don’t sell 15:42 - ManUtd had a negative net spend in the period they won 3 PL titles in a row and reached 3 CL finals in 4 seasons (2006-2011), and replaced Ronaldo with Obertan 16:34 - Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth 18:13 - Arsenal’s late winners are becoming a trend 18:50 - Arsenal have the second youngest first team in the league after Southampton 19:25 - It’s the first time for a generation of Arsenal players and fans to experience a title race 20:21 - Arsenal’s biggest threat to their title hopes is emotional fatigue 21:11 - Bukayo Saka - the joy bringer 21:54 - Arsenal NEED to win the league this year 22:35 - Spurs and Newcastle drop points and don’t look like they want top 4 22:59 - Chelsea finally hit some form after beating Leeds and Dortmund, and Graham Potter buys himself some time 25:06 - AC Milan's poor form continues 25:19 - Roma 1-0 Juventus 25:44 - Napoli 0-1 Lazio 26:09 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball

Timestamp 00:00 - Intro 01:22 - Rest in peace to those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria 02:15 - Champions League is back, Valentine's Day, AIK's birthday 04:01 - PSG 0-1 Bayern Munich 04:46 - PSG are one-dimensional without Mbappé, and there’s so much focus on star players, and not on the technical and psychological makeup of the squad 05:32 - is Galtier the right guy to lead PSG? 05:54 - Bayern outran PSG by 8km 06:34 - PSG have lost more games already in 2023 (5) than in all of 2022 (4) 06:50 - The PSG project currently less credible and convincing that at any other time 07:27 - How PSG is just one of the numerous soft-power acquisitions that have strengthened Qatar’s diplomatic position in Europe. 08:57 - AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur 09:46 - Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea 11:09 - Club Brugge 0-2 Benfica 12:12 - Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid 12:34 - This is Real Madrid’s competition - “the moment when you think you’re closest to beating Real Madrid is the moment you’re closest to losing to them” 13:45 - Real Madrid are clinical 14:22 - Liverpool’s tactical naivety 15:17 - Benzema and Vinicius are the players with the most goals against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history. Kryptonite. 16:21 - Liverpool’s defensive issues 21:47 - Real Madrid’s recruitment 24:06 - Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Napoli 24:29 - Inter Milan 1-0 Porto 25:28 - RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City 26:02 - Barcelona 2-2 Man Utd 27:40 - Erik Ten Hag’s flexibility, playing players in different positions, and not having favourites 29:32 - Man Utd’s transitions 30:45 - Erik Ten Hag’s honesty and confidence 32:05 - Man Utd’s direct attacks 33:06 - Arsenal 1-3 Man City 33:56 - Arsenal stuck to their principles of playing out the back, and it cost them 34:18 -  City played more direct than usual. 8.7% of their passes were long, compared to their previous high this season of 4.4% 35:56 - Jakub Jankto comes out as gay 36:41 - Are Man City better or worse with Erling Haaland? 40:15 - Arsene Wenger’s advice to Thierry Henry 41:15 - Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal 42:39 - Chelsea 0-1 Southampton 44:18 - Nottingham Forest 1-1 Man City 45:11 - Newcastle 0-2 Liverpool 46:53 - Man Utd 3-0 Leicester 47:53 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball

Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 00:58 - Joel Rydstrand’s game: Recreativo de Huelva v San Roque de Lepe 01:58 - Arsenal 3-2 Man United 03:24 - Arsenal played like champions 03:46 - The Arsenal board deserves credit for giving Arteta time and trusting the process 04:57 - Is it a failure if Arsenal don’t win the league? 05:49 - Candidates for Premier League player of the season so far? 07:19 - Eddie Nketiah has grabbed his chance 08:39 - Weghorst impressive 09:56 - Casemiro 13:02 - Man City 1-0 Arsenal 14:47 - Trossard and Mudryk signings, Financial Fair Play at Chelsea? 17:02 - Man United 3-1 Reading 18:38 - Erik Ten Hag’s focus on character in his recruitment 20:14 - Brighton 2-1 Liverpool, how well run Brighton are, and Kaoru Mitoma is special 22:49 - AC Milan’s poor form and 2-5 loss to Sassuolo 24:53 - Juventus 0-2 Monza 25:42 - Why Juventus were deducted 15 points on January 20th 27:19 - What does Juve’s point deduction mean for Italian football, a league that’s already scrambling to make up the ever-increasing revenue gap and difference in competitiveness with the Premier League 28:16 - The Melandri Law limited the sale of Serie A international TV rights to short-term deals, meaning Serie A jumped from channel to channel in foreign markets, losing visibility 28:34 - Business incentive to invest in Italian football? And the importance of due diligence when buying Italian clubs 30:01 - No Italian Champions League winner since 2010 30:24 - Comparing the Serie A, La Liga, and Premier League TV deals 32:30 - Comparing January transfer window spending across the big 5 European Leagues 33:40 - More punishment to come for Juve, and ex-directors and players? 35:44 - Napoli 2-1 Roma 37:37 - Zaniolo’s situation at Roma 40:29 - Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham AFC Hollywood story, and on the brink of an FA Cup upset 42:18 - Importance of relegation and promotion for competitiveness 43: 52 - Iñaki Williams’ incredible streak of playing 251 consecutive games (over 7 years) for Athletic Bilbao comes to an end 45:03 - Big January transfers and rumours (João Cancelo, Moises Caicedo, Anthony Gordon) 49:33 - Outro If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball

We are joined by Joel Rydstrand, a Swedish footballer currently playing at CD San Roque de Lepe in Spain. Joel played at IK Sirius, before going to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and was drafted by Seattle Sounders FC in January 2019.  Timestamps  0:00 - Intro  0:23 - Joel Rydstrand intro  5:30 - How did Joel fall in love with the game?  7:21 - Joel’s youth career in Sweden at Almunge IK, IK Sirius  9:56 - Joel signs his first senior contract at IK Sirius at 17  12:24 - Cwa’s experience of playing with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Andreas Christensen  14:45 - Joel’s experience of playing under Kim & Tolle, the importance of consistency, and taking care of your body and mind  20:21 - Joel goes on loan to BKV Norrtälje, works at a factory, and quickly decides to move to the US  22:47 - Joel leaves Sweden for Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in January 2015  23:59 - Getting sports scholarships at US universities 29:23 - Adjusting to life in the US  32:53 - Joel’s college soccer career at Creighton University  35:20 - Joel gets invited to the MLS Combine and MLS Draft  37:00 - Premier League standard facilities at Creighton and US universities  40:31 - Joel gets invited to a few MLS teams’ combines before the MLS Combine  41:50 - Joel gets drafted by Seattle Sounders FC  42:16 - Should the MLS revamp the draft format and turn it into a USL draft?  44:24 - Interviews during the MLS Combine  45:45 - Joel’s thoughts on what to do after Seattle Sounders’ first team decide to not use international spot on him  47:13 - Joel's on the level of the USL  47:41 - Joel leaves for Spain after 8 months in the USL  49:33 - The surprisingly high level of 4th-tier Spanish football  52:40 - Life in lower league football, being the only foreigner on the team, and learning Spanish  56:19 - Joel’s view of the differences in football between Sweden, the US, and Spain  1:00:35 - Joel’s season at CD San Roque de Lepe so far, and playing against Getafe in the Copa Del Rey  1:04:33 - Next step?  1:05:53 - Magnus Pehrsson and Jesper Norberg at Velez CF  1:08:16 - Europa Point FC in Gibraltar  10:10:20 - Outro  If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball

We're joined again by Konrad Grönlund for an episode on ownership models in club football. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - Ownership models intro 02:06 - 51% rule in Sweden and Germany 02:35 - Vejle BK failure 05:47 - Is Konrad for or against the 51% rule 07:51 - Is Jacob for or against the 51% rule 09:30 - Football academy facilities in Denmark vs Sweden 10:25 - The Swedish FA and the upcoming presidential election 15:46 - Socio model in Spain 18:47 - Community-owned clubs (AFC Wimbledon, FC United of Manchester) 20:52 - State-owned clubs (PSG, Man City, Newcastle) and fit-and-proper person tests to own a club 26:16 - Multi-club ownership (City Football Group, Red Bull GmbH, Brentford & Midtjylland, Global Football Holdings at Crystal Palace and Brøndby amongst others, Pozzo family at Udinese & Watford, Leicester & OH Leuven) 45:41 - Private ownership models (Boehly focus) 51:14 - Conclusions on ownership models, with a focus on Swedish football If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on: Instagram: @whatsgoingon.podcast Twitter: @wgofootball Find Konrad Grönlund on Instagram @knrdgrnlnd or Twitter @karlkonradaxel

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:22 - Getting to know our first guest - Konrad Grönlund, sports journalist at the Swedish newspaper, Expressen 17.46 - The weekend’s matches 18:02 - Napoli 5-1 Juventus 19:39 - Is Serie A over? 21:26 - Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City 25:09 - Erik Ten Hag 26:54 - Are United in the title race? Can Arsenal sustain their form? 28:04 - Brighton 3-0 Liverpool 29:25 - Roberto De Zerbi 33:40 - What’s going wrong at Liverpool? 40:55 - Mykhailo Mudryk and Todd Boehly 43:36 - Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal - will Conte walk? 47:17 - Should Harry Kane leave Spurs? 48:32 - Barcelona 3 -1 Real Madrid 50:38 - Outro Follow us on Instagram @whatsgoingon.podcast Find Konrad Grönlund on Instagram @knrdgrnlnd or Twitter @karlkonradaxel

The culmination of the World Cup in Qatar also meant the resumption of several European leagues. In this episode, we begin with a tribute to the King of Football - Pelé. Then we focus heavily on the return of the Premier League, beginning with Manchester United, where we highlight Luke Shaw’s phenomenal form. Next, we discuss Arsenal’s brilliant start to the season, their counter-pressing, and discussing two of their young stars - Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Ødegaard. We then move our attention to another Norwegian, Erling Braut Haaland, who is breaking goal-scoring records for fun. We continue the Premier League talk, as focus on Liverpool’s below-par season and discuss what’s gone wrong at Anfield. After that, we analyze another team that’s having its own struggles - Tottenham Hotsupr, who look like a completely different team in the first half and the second half of games. The final part of our Premier League section is on Newcastle, who are having an incredible season. Jacob provides a short update on the first round of post-World Cup games in the Serie A. Finally, we discuss two big news stories of 2023 so far, the Reyna & Berhalter family feud shaking the US Men’s National Team, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia (or was it South Africa?).

We review the dramatic events of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and France. It was a match for the ages. What a top advert for football that was. The star players - Lionel Andrés Messi, and Kylian Mbappé Lottin - stepped up big time and went toe to toe.  We deep dive into the match itself, which was beautiful madness. We also touch on the celebrations, the referee Szymon Marciniak, Angel Di Maria, Scaloni's tactical flexibility, prize money, and more.

In this episode, we review the best round of knockout football we’ve seen. Four 10/10 quarter-finals.  We have an extra focus on the semi-finalists: Croatia - driven forward by the magnificent and ageless Modric. These guys keep going 120 minutes tournament after tournament and win on penalties. Argentina - one of the spiritual homes of football, and led by the guy who will be the undisputed GOAT if they win it - Lionel Messi. Morocco - the story of this World Cup. The first African team to reach the World Cup semi-final. What they’ve done for the Muslim community, for the African continent, and for the Arab world, cannot be understated. Whatever happens, they are heroes. France - the defending champions, who despite having five of their starters out injured, are favorites to defend the World Cup title since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. They are of course led by the marvelous Mbappe.

The whole Juventus board resigned on November 28th. For the first 30 minutes, we dig into this major story, provide the historical context, discuss whether this is Calciopoli 2.0, explain Juventus' ownership structure, look into the actual investigations that led to the board's resignation, and speculate on what happens next. For the second half of the podcast, we touch on the last (crazy) round of World Cup group games, and the Round of 16 games that have taken place. Forgive us for going off on a few tangents along the way.

With the Glazers putting Manchester United up for sale last week, we discuss their 17-year ownership of the club, reasons for selling, and potential new owners. Finally, we share our thoughts on the first two gameweeks of the World Cup.

We share our thoughts on THAT Cristiano Ronaldo interview, discuss the controversies regarding the World Cup in Qatar, and finally dive into the football.